CBI independent body, not under our control: Centre to Supreme Court

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

• It is the premier investigative agency in India, with a dual responsibility to investigate grievous cases and provide leadership and direction in fighting corruption to the police force across the country.
• The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962–1964).
• It is not a statutory body, as it was set up by a resolution (1963) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• It is also the nodal police agency in India that coordinates investigations on behalf of Interpol member countries.
• Motto: Industry, Impartiality, and Integrity
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions
• Though, for issues under the Prevention of Corruption Act, its superintendence lies with the Central Vigilance Commission.
• Following are the types of cases that CBI deals with:
• Anti-Corruption Crimes: CBI manages the investigation of cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act against public officials and central government employees, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Corporations, or bodies owned or controlled by the central government of India.
• Economic Crimes: It probes the cases of huge financial scams and serious economic frauds, comprising crimes relating to fake Indian currency notes, bank fraud and cybercrime, import-export and foreign exchange violations, cultural property, mega smuggling racket of narcotics, antiques, and smuggling of other contraband items.
• Suo Moto Cases:
• CBI accelerates the investigation of offences only in the Union Territories by taking them up on a priority basis.
• The central government can ask the CBI to probe a crime in a state, but only with due permission from the respective State
• The Supreme Court and High Court can also direct the CBI to investigate crimes anywhere in the country without the state’s approval.
• Special Crimes:
• CBI manages the investigation of serious and pre-planned crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other laws on the requests of the state governments or the direction of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
• For instance, cases like bomb blasts, terrorism, abduction for ransom, and crimes committed by the mafia or the underworld at a particular place in the country.

Sara Ali Khan landing in Kedarnath restricted zone

Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)

• Location: The KWS, famously known as the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary,is located in the Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of the state of Uttarakhand.
• It was named after the famous Hindu temple of Kedarnath,which lies outside the northern border of the sanctuary.
• Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer.
• It is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.
• The sanctuary was established in 1972, covering a total area of 975.20 km2.
• It lies in the upper catchment of the Alaknanda and Mandakini Rivers.
• The altitude ranges from 1,160 to 7,068 m.
• It is bordered by Kedarnath (6940 m), Mandani (6193 m), and Chaukhamba (7068 m) peaks in the north.
• The area falls under the West Himalayan Zone in the Palearctic realm.
• Vegetation:
• It is covered with temperate forests.
• The higher and upper regions possess the sub-alpine and alpine coniferous forests.
• At high altitude, lush green meadows envelope the entire region.
• Flora: Oak, rhododendrons, Chir Pine and Alpine meadows along with several Himalayan flowering plants.
• Fauna: Some of the mammals are Musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard, etc, and some birds like Monal, Koklass, and Himalayan Griffon, etc.

Bhima River Dries Up, Leaves 100 Villages In Lurch

Bhima River

• The Bhima River (also known as the Chandrabagha River) is a major river in southwest India.
• It is a major tributary of the Krishna River.
• Course:
• It originates in the Bhimashankar hills near Karjat on the western side of the Western Ghats, inthe Pune District of Maharashtra.
• Bhima flows southeast through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
• The Bhima River merges into the Krishna River at Kadlur (Raichur) in Karnataka.
• This 861 km-long river has the Western Ghats on the west, the Balaghat Range in the north, and the Mahadeo Hills in the south.
• It runs in a well-entrenched valley, and its banks are heavily populated.
• The total basin area of the river is 48,631 sq. km, out of which 75 percent lie in the state of Maharashtra.
• The river is rain-fed, and the volume of the river varies based on the monsoonal changes.
• Major tributaries are the Sina and Nira rivers.
• Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage centre located on the right bank of Bhima River.

Kerala University researchers discover new crustacean family off Indian coast

New crustacean parasites

• Researchers have named the new family
• This is also the first discovery and description of a new crustacean family from India.
• This parasitic copepod was found to depend upon the Dollfus’ Stargazer (Uranoscopus guttatus), a fish dwelling in depths ranging from 300-550 m off the southwest Indian coast.
• The discovery of the new family has also led to the creation of a new genus and species, Hirodai ohstukai under it.
• These parasitic copepods are known to infest a wide range of hosts, from sponges to marine mammals.
• New isopod species which has been named Glyptothoa sagara; ‘Glypto’ as the fish parasite was found in the deep sea fish Glyptophidium macropus, and ‘sagara’ for ocean.
• Another new isopod crustacean parasite species named Elthusa aquabio was collected from an unknown fish.
• The fourth new species is a 11-12 mm “flesh-penetrating parasitic copepod,” which has been named as Cardiodectes vampire.
• It was found to infest the deep-sea fish Chlorophthalmus corniger.

Crustaceans

• These are members of the subphylum Crustacea (phylum Arthropoda),
• They are found in a wide range of habitats - most are free-living freshwater or marine animals, but some are terrestrial.
• They are invertebrates with a hard exoskeleton (carapace), a segmented body that is bilaterally symmetrical, more than four pairs of jointed appendages ("legs") and an open circulatory system.
• Examples: Crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and wood lice etc.

NASA Shares Stunning Image Of Aurora Taken From International Space Station

Auroras

• An aurora is a natural phenomenon that is characterised by a display of a natural-coloured (green, red, yellow, or white) light in the sky.
• What causes it?
• It is a light show which is caused when electrically-charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth''s magnetosphere and atmosphere.
• Solar particles interact with different types of gas molecules in the atmosphere, mostly nitrogen and oxygen**, resulting in unique, colored displays of light.**
• Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and reddish-purple.
• It is sometimes referred to as ‘polar light’. It is predominantly seen in regions of high altitudes like the Arctic and Antarctic.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, the phenomenon is called the northern lights (aurora borealis), while in the Southern Hemisphere; it''s called the southern lights (aurora australis).
• Auroras can appear in various forms, like streamers, patches, arcs, scattered light, diffused light, etc.

Do other planets have Auroras

• Earth isn’t the only planet that experiences auroras.
• Any planet with an atmosphere and a magnetic field is likely to have auroras.
• Auroras have been observed on Saturn and Jupiter.

JNCASR researchers develop radiative cooling paint to cool building structures

Radiative Cooling Paint

• It is developed from a novel MgO-PVDF polymer nanocomposite.
• They used ultra-white and ultra-emissive magnesium oxide (MgO)-polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nano-composite prepared from materials that are earth abundant, cheap, non-toxic and non-harmful.
• The optimized MgO-PVDF with a dielectric nanoparticles resulted in large solar reflectance of 96.3% and a record high thermal emission of 98.5% due to Mg─O bond vibrations, and other stretching/bonding vibrations from the polymer.
• The researchers developed polymer nanocomposite paint by using a simple solution-processed technique.
• By measuring the temperature of the paint using a thermocouple, excellent cooling performance was demonstrated under hot sunlight.
• The nanocomposite paint exhibited water-resistant hydrophobic properties and can be easily coated on pavers, wood sticks and so on with high uniformity and good adhesion.
• The surface temperature of a treated paver decreases by approximately 10°C under intense sunlight-- almost double of the reduction that conventional white paints give.
• This low-cost, solution-processed paint demonstrates significant cooling capabilities with a high solar reflectivity and infrared thermal emissivity.

Radiative cooling

• It is a passive cooling technology without any energy consumption, compared to conventional cooling technologies that require power sources and dump waste heat into the surroundings.

SC upholds key provisions of IBC, says no manifest arbitrariness

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

• It is the bankruptcy law of India which seeks to consolidate the existing framework by creating a single law for insolvency and bankruptcy.
• It provides for a time-bound process to resolve insolvency.
• Applicability: The provisions of the Code are applicable to companies, limited liability entities, firms, and individuals (i.e. all entities other than financial service providers).
• Timeframe for completion of the exercise:
• Companies have to complete the entire insolvency exercise within 180 days under the IBC. The deadline may be extended if the creditors do not raise objections to the extension.
• For smaller companies, including startups with an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore, the whole exercise of insolvency must be completed in 90 days, and the deadline can be extended by 45 days.
• If debt resolution doesn''t happen, the company goes for liquidation.
• Who regulates the IBC proceedings?
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has been appointed as a regulator and it can oversee these proceedings.
• IBBI has 10 members appointed by the Central Government.
• IBBI regulates insolvency professionals, insolvency professional agencies, and information utilities set up under the Code.
• Who facilitates the insolvency resolution? A licensed professional administer the resolution process, manage the assets of the debtor, and provide information for creditors to assist them in decision-making.
• Who adjudicates over the proceedings?
• The proceedings of the resolution process will be adjudicated by the National Companies Law Tribunal (NCLT) for companies and the Debt Recovery Tribunal for individuals.
• The courts approve initiating the resolution process, appointing the insolvency professional, and giving nod to the final decision of creditors.
• What is the procedure to resolve insolvency under the Code?
• When a default occurs, the resolution process may be initiated by the debtor or creditor.
• The insolvency professional administers the process.
• The professional provides financial information of the debtor from the information utilities to the creditor and manages the debtor’s assets.
• This process lasts for 180 days, and any legal action against the debtor is prohibited during this period.
• What does the committee of creditors do?
• A committee consisting of the financial creditors who lent money to the debtor is formed by the insolvency professional.
• The creditors'' committee decides the future of the outstanding debt owed to them.
• They may choose to revive the debt owed to them by changing the repayment schedule or selling the assets of the debtor to get their dues back.
• If a decision is not taken in 180 days, the debtor’s assets go into liquidation.
• What happens under liquidation?
• If the debtor goes into liquidation, an insolvency professional administers the liquidation process.
• Proceeds from the sale of the debtor’s assets are distributed in the following order: First, insolvency resolution costs, including the remuneration to the insolvency professional; second, secured creditors, whose loans are backed by collateral; and third, dues to workers, other employees; forth, unsecured creditors.

Mount St Helens: More than 400 earthquakes recorded since mid-July. It is a threat?

Mount St Helens

• It is a volcanic peak in the Cascade Range of southwestern Washington, United States of America.
• It is part of the larger Pacific Ring of Fire.
• The volcano was formed during four eruptive stages beginning about 275,000 years ago and has been the most active volcano in the Cascade Range during the Holocene.

Its eruption on May 18, 1980, was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America.

Pacific Ring of Fire

• It also known as the Circum-Pacific Beltis a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Its length is approximately 40,000 kilometres (24,900 miles).
• It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates—including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.

Rare bioluminescent mushroom spotted in Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary

Mycena chlorophos

• It is a bioluminescent fungus primarily found in subtropical Asia.
• It is characterized by a pristine white disc with a shallow depression in the center and emits a bright, greenish light in the dark
• Mycena species have bell-shaped caps and thin stems.
• There are around 103 species of bioluminescent fungi in the world, of which seven are found in India.

Bioluminescence

• It is the ability of living organisms to emit light.
• It occurs due to a biochemical reaction between luciferins, oxygen and the enzyme luciferase.
• The benefit of bioluminescence in fungi is to attract insects for facilitating their spore dispersal.

Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
• It is situated near the southernmost tip of India at the confluence point of three major water bodies namely; Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.
• Seven rivers have their origin in this forest including the famous Pahrali and Thamirabarani rivers.
• Vegetation: This region represents southern thorn forests, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi evergreen forests and ever green hill sholas with grassy downs.
• Fauna: It is home to Indian Bison, Elephant, Nilgiri Tahr, Sambar Deer, Lion-tailed Macaque and also reptiles such as Indian Rock Python.