About Soda Lake:

• It is a lake with a pH value usually between 9 and 11.
• High carbonate concentration, especially sodium carbonate, is responsible for the alkalinity of the water.
• It may also contain a high concentration of sodium chloride and other salts making it saline or hypersaline Lake.
• These are highly productive ecosystems compared to the freshwater lakes.
• These are the most productive aquatic environments on Earth because of the availability of dissolved carbon dioxide.
• They occur naturally in both arid and semi-arid areas.
• Geology and Genesis
  • A topography that limits the outflow of water from the lake is needed.
  • An endorheic basin is formed when the water is confined without the outflow.
  • The pH of the water in the depression rises through the evaporation of the lake which requires a suitable climate like the desert climate to balance between the inflow and evaporation.
  • The rate at which carbonate salt dissolves in the lake water depends on the ecology of the surrounding area.
  • The relative absence of magnesium and calcium is critical in the formation of the soda lake since magnesium or calcium is likely to dissolve quickly and displace the carbonate ion thus neutralising the pH of the lake water.
• Biodiversity
  • These are dominated by prokaryotes like bacteria and archaea, especially in lakes with higher levels of alkalinity.
  • Multicellular organisms such as brine shrimp and fish are found in plenty if not most of the soda lakes.
• Examples of Soda Lakes
  • Africa and Asia have the highest number of soda lakes since the two continents have vast desert conditions which are perfect for the formation of soda lakes.
  • Most of the soda lakes in Africa are located in Eastern Africa, especially in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
  • Lake Natron in Tanzania is one of the most outstanding soda lakes in Africa
  • India and China have the highest number of soda lakes in Asia.
  • Some of the soda lakes in Asia include Lake Van, Tso Kar Salt Lake, Pangong Salt Lake, and Lake Zabuye.

About Disease X:

• It is referred to as a hypothetical pathogen or threat that can cause a major pandemic in future.
• It could be a new agent, a virus, a bacterium, or a fungus without any known treatment.
• The term coined by scientists and the World Health Organization could be any of the 25 families of viruses that have the capability to cause illness in people.
• Disease X was included in the WHO’s updated Blueprint list of diseases back in 2018.
• Scientists are of the opinion that Disease X could be 20 times more deadly than SARS-Covid virus that caused pandemic recently.
• It represents an illness which is currently unknown but could pose a serious microbial threat to humans in the future.

About Wandering albatrosses:

• It is the world’s largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres.
• These birds are oceanic nomads: they spend most of their 60 years of life at sea and only come to land to breed.
• These are found almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Their playground is the vast Southern Ocean— the region between the latitude of 60 degrees south and the continent of Antarctica.
• Marion Island and Prince Edward Island together support about half of the entire world’s wandering albatross breeding population.
• Habitat: They breed on several subantarctic islands, which are characterised by peat soils, tussock grass, sedges, mosses, and shrubs.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
• Threats: The most likely cause is longline fishing, as they become hooked and will drown, as well as the ingestion of plastics, which kills both chicks and adults.

About Halwa Ceremony:

• It is a tradition performed every year ahead of the budget and signifies the official initiation of the printing process of various documents related to the budget.
• It involves the preparation of the traditional dessert ‘halwa’ in a massive kadhai (wok), which is then served to all those who are directly associated with the budget-making process.
  • The finance minister gives the go-ahead by stirring the kadhai and serving the sweet to officials.
  • It takes place in the basement of the Finance Ministry’s North Block in Central Delhi, where a special printing press is located.
• It serves as a formal ‘send-off’ for the ministry officials and staff engaged in preparing the Union government’s annual financial statement.
  • Subsequently, the top officials involved with the budget enter a designated ‘lock-in’ period, isolating themselves within the ministry premises and cutting off from their families to preserve the confidentiality surrounding the final budget document.
  • The officials are required to stay in the Finance Ministry till the finance minister finally presents the budget.

About Smart Rings:

• These are tiny yet mighty, smart rings that pack impressive technology into a small ring-sized device.
• They can monitor health stats, control other devices, and much more, much like their bulkier smartwatch counterparts.
• Equipped with advanced sensors, smart rings track metrics including heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, steps, and even stress levels.
• The data is then viewable on a connected smartphone app, allowing users to analyse trends and progress towards health goals.
• Beyond wellness tracking, some smart rings add convenience through features like gesture controls and haptic feedback for notifications.
  • For example, a simple flick of the finger lets you do things like dim smart lights or cue up a playlist. When a call or message comes in, a subtle buzz on the finger lets you know without having to grab your phone.

What can Smart rings do?

• The biggest perk offered by smart rings is their constant health monitoring, which is designed such that it requires barely any user intervention.
• It offers personalised breathing exercises and guided meditations to help users improve their mood.
• It has a convenient feature of contactless payment.
• Smart rings typically include gesture recognition, so you can perform gestures like twisting or tapping the ring to do things like turn off lights, adjust your thermostat, unlock doors, and more.
• For security, smart rings can also function as access badges, letting you unlock doors and gates with a simple touch of your finger.

About Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):

• Section 420 of the IPC, or IPC 420 as it is commonly known, deals with the act of cheating and dishonestly inducing the person deceived to deliver any property to any person, or to make, alter, or destroy the whole or any part of a valuable security, or anything which is signed or sealed and capable of being converted into a valuable security.
• Section 415 of the IPC defines the offence of cheating. In simpler terms, cheating is a dishonest act performed in order to gain some advantage out of it.
• Section 420 IPC is a serious form of cheating that includes inducement (to lead or move someone to happen) in terms of the delivery of property as well as valuable securities.
• This section is also applicable to matters where the destruction of property is caused by cheating or inducement. 
• The person found guilty under this section shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term that may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine.
• The offence is cognizable and non-bailable.
• The essential ingredients that go into the making of an offence under Section 420, IPC are:
  • That the representation made by the accused was false;
  • That the accused knew that the representation was false at the very time when he made it;
  • That the accused made the false representation with the dishonest intention of deceiving the person to whom it was made; and
  • That the accused thereby induced that person to deliver any property or to do or to omit to do something which he would otherwise not have done or omitted.

About National Voters’ Day (NVD):

• It has been celebrated on January 25 every year since 2011, across the country to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India, i.e. 25th January 1950.
• Purpose: The main purpose of the NVD celebration is to create electoral awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to participate in the electoral process.
• Dedicated to the voters of the country, the National Voters’ Day is also used to facilitate enrolment of voters, especially the newly eligible young voters.
• New voters are felicitated and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) in the NVD functions held across the country.
• NVD is celebrated at the national, state, district, constituency and polling booth levels, which makes it one of the largest celebrations in the country.
• NVD 2024 theme – ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote For sure’
• On January 25, 2024, the Election Commission of India celebrates its 75th year of service to the Nation. 

Key facts about the Election Commission of India:

• It is an autonomous and permanent constitutional body responsible for organising free and fair elections in India.
• The Constitution grants the ECI with the power of direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India, and the office of vice-president of India.
• Powers and responsibilities ECI:
  • Determining the Electoral Constituencies’ territorial areas throughout the country.
  • Preparing and periodically revising electoral rolls and registering all eligible voters.
  • Notifying the schedules and dates of elections and scrutinising nomination papers.
  • Granting recognition to the various political parties and allocating them election symbols.
  • The Commission also has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post-election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures.
• It issues the Model Code of Conduct in elections for political parties and candidates so that no one indulges in unfair practice or there is no arbitrary abuse of powers by those in power.
• Composition: The commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs).

About Election Seizure Management System:

• It is a dedicated technology platform designed and developed to digitise data for intercepted/Seized items (Cash/Liquor/Drugs/ Precious Metal/Freebies/Other Items) direct from field through Mobile App.
• It also allows Banks to generate QR code-based receipts for case movement.
• Key Features
  • Automate desired report in required format for all stakeholders
  • Dashboard analytics for received data from multiple agencies
  • Avoid duplicate data entry by Agencies
  • Banks may generate QR code-based receipts in PDF format and issue for legal cash transfer.
  • In this platform all the enforcement agencies such as police, transportation authorities, Central tax agencies and others share information in real time. 
  • The platform is for real-time updates on seizures from the field.
• It is a system that ensures seamless coordination and intelligence sharing amongst enforcement agencies. 
• It is a platform where all the central and state enforcement agencies will be onboarded. 
• These agencies are required to upload details of every recorded movement and seizure of illicit cash, liquor, drugs etc.

About Bharat Ratna:

• It is the highest civilian Award of the country which was instituted in the year 1954.
• Eligibility:
  • Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for these awards.
  • Though usually conferred on India-born citizens, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to one naturalised citizen, Mother Teresa, and to two non-Indians, Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and former South African President Nelson Mandela.
  • The original statutes did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in 1955 to permit them. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first individual to be honoured posthumously. 
• It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour.
• The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister himself to the President and no formal recommendations for this are necessary.
• The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
• On conferment of the award, the recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. The award does not carry any monetary grant.

About Hercules spider:

• It is the largest male funnel web spider ever recorded.
• Characteristics
  • The spider’s impressive size, measuring 3.1 inches from foot to foot.
  • It is equipped with fangs capable of penetrating human nails, Hercules stands as the world’s most venomous arachnid.
  • It represents the first male of such magnitude.
  • Male funnel web spiders are known to be more lethal than their female counterparts.
• Range:
  • These are commonly found in forested regions and gardens spanning from Sydney, Australia, the coastal city of Newcastle in the north and the Blue Mountains to the west.
• Habitat: The warm and humid climate along Australia’s east coast provides an ideal breeding ground for funnel web spiders.

What is a funnel-web spider?

• These are one of the most dangerous arachnids in the world.
• There are 36 described species of Australian funnel-web spiders and they are currently placed in three genera: Hadronic, Atrax and Illawarra.
• The spider has venom, which is filled with 40 different toxic proteins.
• Its raw venom, is the best way to make life-saving antivenom. 

About Mpemba effect:

• It is named after Tanzanian student Erasto Mpemba, who brought attention to this counterintuitive phenomenon in 1969, making for curious observations.
• The effect is that hot water can freeze faster than cold water in similar conditions.
• While Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and René Descartes had noticed the effect centuries earlier, the Mpemba effect caught scientists’ attention only more recently.
• Different Experiments
  • Researchers have conducted numerous experiments to determine the causes of this confusing phenomenon, but a consensus conclusion remains wanting.
  • One cause, they have posited, is microbubbles left suspended in water that has been heated by boiling.
  • These cavities promote convection and transfer heat faster as the water cools.
  • Evaporation: as warmer water evaporates more, it also takes away some heat (evaporation is inherently endothermic, which is how sweat cools your skin). Both convection and accelerated heat transfer are enhanced in warmer water because such water is less dense.
  • Yet another factor could be the presence of frost in cold water. Frost is an insulator and could slow the loss of heat.
  • Scientists have also considered whether compounds in water like calcium carbonate could be precipitated by boiling, and then dissolve, thus increasing the water’s freezing point.

About Design-Linked Incentive scheme:

• It aims to offer financial incentives as well as design infrastructure support across various stages of development and deployment of semiconductor design(s) for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design(s) over a period of 5 years.
• Objectives
  • Nurturing and facilitating the growth of domestic companies, startups and MSMEs.
  • Achieving significant indigenization in semiconductor content and IPs involved in the electronic products deployed in the country, thereby facilitating import substitution and value addition in the electronics sector.
  • Strengthening and facilitating access to semiconductor design infrastructure for the startups and MSMEs.
• Duration: The scheme shall initially be for three (3) years from 01-01-2022.
• The scheme has three components
  • Chip Design infrastructure support: Under this C-DAC will set up the India Chip Centre to host the state-of-the-art design infrastructure (viz. EDA Tools, IP Cores and support for MPW (Multi Project Wafer fabrication) & post-silicon validation) and facilitate its access to supported companies.
  • Product Design Linked Incentive: Under this component, a reimbursement of up to 50% of the eligible expenditure subject to a ceiling of 15 Crore rupees per application will be provided as fiscal support to the approved applicants who are engaged in semiconductor design.
  • Deployment Linked Incentive: Under this an incentive of 6% to 4% of net sales turnover over 5 years subject to a ceiling of ₹30 Crore per application will be provided to approved applicants whose semiconductor design for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems & IP Cores and semiconductor linked design are deployed in electronic products.
• Nodal Agency: C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing)