Musi River
About the River
- Musi River, also called Muchukunda or Musunuru River, is a major tributary of the Krishna River.
- It flows across the Deccan Plateau region in Telangana.
- The river is historically significant as it passes through the centre of Hyderabad city.
- Within Hyderabad, it traditionally divided the Old City from the New City.
Course
- Source: Anantagiri Hills, located in Vikarabad district of Telangana.
- The river originates from the confluence of two small rivulets:
- Esi is approximately 8 km long.
- Musa is approximately 13 km long.
- The river finally joins the Krishna River near Wazirabad in Nalgonda district.
- Total Length: Approximately 240 kilometres.
Dams on the Musi River
- Two important dams have been constructed on the river:
- Himayat Sagar
- Osman Sagar.
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023
About the Act
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 provides one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies.
- It was enacted through the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023.
- The Act provides reservation for women in:
- Lok Sabha
- State Legislative Assemblies
- Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
- Implementation Timeline
- The provisions will come into force only after the next delimitation exercise.
- The delimitation must be conducted after the enactment of the amendment.
Constitutional Changes
- Article Amended
- Article 239AA was amended to provide one-third reservation for women in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
| Articles Inserted | Provisions |
| Article 330A | Provides one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha.Includes seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). |
| Article 332A | Provides one-third reservation for women in State Legislative Assemblies.Also applies to SC and ST reserved seats. |
| Article 334A | Specifies that the reservation will start after the next delimitation of constituencies.Introduces a 15-year sunset clause.Allows extension and periodic rotation of reserved seats through law. |
Removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
About the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
- The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is a constitutional authority under Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
- The Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and constitutional offices.
- Special removal safeguards ensure the independence and neutrality of the Election Commission.
Removal of CEC
- Manner of Removal
- The CEC can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
- This high constitutional threshold protects the office from political pressure or arbitrary removal.
- Grounds for Removal
- Proved Misbehaviour: Includes corruption, abuse of office, or failure to discharge official duties.
- Incapacity: Refers to inability to perform constitutional functions.
Procedure of Removal
- Initiation of Motion
- A removal motion can be introduced in either House of Parliament.
- The motion must have support of at least 50 Members of Parliament for admission.
- Judicial Inquiry
- A judicial inquiry committee examines the evidence.
- The committee determines whether the charges of misbehaviour or incapacity are valid.
- Voting in Parliament
- The motion must be passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in both Houses of Parliament.
- Presidential Order
- After approval by Parliament, the President orders the removal of the CEC.
- At this stage, the President has no discretion.
- Removal of Other Election Commissioners
- Other Election Commissioners cannot be removed independently.
- Their removal requires recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner, strengthening institutional independence.
Open Market Operations (OMOs)
Context: Amid West Asia geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices, the RBI conducted Open Market Operations (OMO) to purchase ₹50,000 crore worth of Government Securities (G-Secs) to inject liquidity and support the banking system.
Meaning of OMO
- Open Market Operations (OMOs) refer to the buying and selling of securities in the open market by a central bank.
- The objective is to influence the money supply in the economy.
- In India, OMOs are conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to manage liquidity in the banking system.
- These operations play a crucial role in maintaining financial stability.
How OMOs Work?
- When the RBI buys government securities
- Money is injected into the banking system.
- Liquidity increases.
- Interest rates tend to decline.
- When the RBI sells government securities
- Money is absorbed from the banking system.
- Liquidity decreases.
- Interest rates tend to rise.
Objectives of OMOs
- Control Inflation
- The RBI sells government securities to absorb excess liquidity.
- This raises interest rates and reduces excessive demand, helping to control inflation.
- Support Economic Growth
- During economic slowdowns, the RBI purchases securities to inject liquidity.
- Lower interest rates encourage borrowing and investment, which may stimulate economic activity.
- Manage Exchange Rate
- OMOs influence the supply of money in the economy.
- Changes in liquidity can affect the exchange rate of the Indian Rupee, helping maintain stability in volatile foreign exchange markets.
LIGO
About LIGO
- LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) is an interferometer-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves.
- Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time generated by extremely energetic cosmic events.
- Such events include collisions or orbital motion of neutron stars and black holes.
- These ripples travel at the speed of light, carrying information about their origin and the nature of gravity.
- The existence of gravitational waves was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 in the General Theory of Relativity.
Principle of Detection
- LIGO relies on the interaction between light and distortions in space-time to detect gravitational waves.
- The system uses laser interferometry to measure extremely small changes in space caused by passing waves.
- The observatory consists of two perpendicular vacuum tunnels forming an L-shape, each about 4 kilometres long.
- A laser beam is split into two paths, reflected by mirrors, and later recombined.
- If a gravitational wave passes, space slightly stretches or compresses, altering the interference pattern of the laser beams.
- This change allows scientists to identify and study gravitational waves.
LIGO-India
- LIGO-India was approved by the Government of India in 2016.
- It will become part of the global network of gravitational wave observatories.
- The project aims to strengthen research on gravitational waves, which were first detected in 2015 at LIGO-USA.
- The project is being developed jointly by:
- Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
- Department of Science and Technology (DST)
- Participating Indian Institutions
- Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar
- Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune
- Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore
- Other Global Gravitational Wave Observatories
- LIGO (USA)
- VIRGO (Italy)
- KAGRA (Japan)
Significance for India
- Strengthens India’s leadership in astrophysics research.
- Promotes advanced scientific and technological capabilities.
- Encourages collaboration between research institutions and industry.
- Enhances India’s international scientific prestige and cooperation.
