1. LignoSat Wooden Satellite (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently scientists have developed the satellite named LignoSat.

LignoSat Wooden Satellite

• About: It is the world's first wooden satellite.
• Developed by: Japan through a collaboration between Kyoto University and the logging company Sumitomo Forestry.
• Aim: The aim is to test the idea of using wood as an eco-friendly alternative to metal-based satellites, as wood would burn completely upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
• Measuring Deformation: The satellite is designed to measure the deformation of the wooden structure in space.
• Size: LignoSat is a cube that measures 10 centimetres on each side.
• Material: The satellite is made from timber, specifically magnolia wood.

o Magnolia wood is highly sought-after for its striking coloration and fine grain.

• Significance: Laboratory tests found magnolia wood to be particularly stable and resistant to cracking.
• Space Durability: In space, there is no oxygen to cause the wood to burn and no living creatures to cause it to rot.
• Future Prospects: If LignoSat succeeds in orbit, wood could become a material for future satellites, with over 2,000 spacecraft expected to launch annually.

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2. EXCHANGE RATES (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Indian rupee hit low exchange rate of 42 paise to 83.53 against the US dollar in early trade, impacted by a strong American currency and elevated crude oil prices.

Exchange Rates

• Definition: It represents the rate at which one country's currency can be exchanged for another country's currency.

oIt is a pivotal factor influencing trade and financial transactions between nations.

• Types of Rates: Fixed Exchange Rate, Flexible exchange rate, and managed floating exchange rate.
• Exchange Rate relation with other Index:
• Interest Rates: Higher interest rates offer lenders in an economy a higher return relative to other countries. Therefore, higher interest rates attract foreign capital and cause the exchange rate to rise.
• Trade Balance: Exchange rate fluctuations affect the trade balance by influencing the competitiveness of exports and the cost of imports.
• Differentials in Inflation:  Typically, a country with a consistently lower inflation rate exhibits a rising currency value, as its purchasing power increases relative to other currencies.

Related Terms

• Depreciation of Rupee: It refers to the decline in the value of the Rupee compared to the dollar, indicating that the Rupee has decreased in worth and strength relative to the dollar.
• Appreciation: It refers to the increase in the worth of an asset, like currency or property, as opposed to depreciation, which diminishes the value of an asset throughout its lifespan.
• Devaluation: It refers to the decrease in the value of a country's domestic currency as determined by the government within a fixed exchange rate system.

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3. FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT (Syllabus GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) seemed to have some indication about the outcome of Lok Sabha elections as their selling in stocks intensified since January this year.

Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)

• Definition: FPI involves investors purchasing and holding various foreign financial assets outside their home country's borders.
• Investment Instruments: Foreign portfolio investors can choose from a variety of financial instruments including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, derivatives, and fixed deposits.
• Objective: To inject funds into foreign stock markets with the expectation of generating rapid returns on investment.

o Management of venture Not for obtaining significant control over managerial operations of the enterprise. 

• Regulatory body: Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• Impact on economy: Impacts the liquidity in the market, often lead to volatility in stock market.
• FPIs Advantages: Diversification, liquidity, access to growth, no management control, and foreign exchange earnings.
• FPI Disadvantages: Market volatility, short-term focus, lack of control, currency risk, and market distortions.

Foreign Direct Investment

• About: FDI involves acquiring a significant ownership stake (usually more than 10%) in a foreign company, indicating a long-term interest.
• FDI is the investment through capital instruments by a person resident outside India (a) in an unlisted Indian company; or (b) in 10% or more of the post issue paid-up equity capital on a fully diluted basis of a listed Indian company.

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4. HT BASMATI RICE VARIETIES (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Agriculture)

Context: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has commercialised herbicide-tolerant (Ht) basmati rice varieties, claiming they can control weeds in rice crops while also promoting water-saving direct seeded rice (DSR).

Herbicide-tolerant (Ht) Basmati Rice Varieties

• About: Two rice varieties–Pusa basmati (PB) 1979 and PB 1985–can be grown using direct seeding of rice (DSR) method, which significantly reduces water and labour use compared with traditional transplantation methods.
• The new rice varieties could help mitigate climate change by reducing methane emissions associated with traditional rice cultivation methods.
• Developed by: Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), affiliated to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
• Increased Productivity: These varieties may lead to higher crop yields by minimizing yield losses due to weeds, a major biological constraint in rice production.
• Concerns Regarding Herbicide Resistance
• Herbicide Resistance: While the ALS gene mutation allows for targeted weed control using Imazethapyr herbicide, continuous use of the same herbicide can lead to weed resistance over time. 

o This could necessitate stronger herbicides and potentially select for more aggressive weed strains.

• Genetic Diversity: Promotion of Ht rice varieties (varieties containing the ALS gene) may decrease genetic diversity in Indian rice. 
• Traditional DSR System: The North Western Plains Zone historically used the Direct Seeding Rice (DSR) system, which is more water-efficient than the Transplanted Rice System (TRS).

o DSR allows farmers to grow the crop directly from seeds sown in the field, bypassing the traditional technique of transplanting seedlings from the nursery.

• Impact of Green Revolution: The introduction of high-yielding, water-intensive dwarf rice varieties during the Green Revolution led to a shift away from the DSR system towards the more water-demanding TRS. This negatively affected groundwater levels.

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5. FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: Shares of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are trading higher by up to 5 per cent amid heavy volumes in otherwise a weak market on expectation of healthy outlook.

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)

• About: Also known as Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), are products sold quickly and at a relatively low cost.
• Factors: Population growth, urbanization, rising disposable incomes, technological advancements, and changing consumer
• Characteristics of the FMCG Industry: The FMCG industry is characterized by high-volume sales, quick inventory turnover, and various products catering to consumer needs.
• Range of Products: These goods include essential everyday items such as food and beverages, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and other low-cost household items.
• Importance of FMCG in the Economy: The FMCG industry is a vital component of the global economy, contributing significantly to a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and job creation.
• Generating Demand: FMCG generates demand for a range of products and services, further stimulating economic activity and growth.

FMCG Industry in India

• About: The FMCG sector is the fourth-largest sector in the Indian economy.
• Urban vs. Rural Contribution: In 2022, the urban sector accounted for 65% of the overall annual FMCG sales, while rural India contributed over 35%.
• Product Category Breakdown: Household and personal care products make up 50% of the industry’s sales, healthcare claims 31-32%, and food and beverage products account for the remaining 18-19%.
• Employment Statistics: It provides employment to around 3 million people, accounting for approximately 5% of the total factory employment in India.

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6. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO) (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: India, which has emerged as the second-largest PO market on the world league cable, has raised $4 billion so far this year.

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

• About: An IPO or initial public offering is the process by which a privately held company, or a company owned by the government such as LIC, raises funds by offering shares to the public or to new investors. 
• Following the IPO, the company is listed on the stock exchange.
• Purpose: IPOs are generally used by new and medium-sized firms that are looking for funds to grow and expand their business.
• Categories of IPO Investors:

o Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs): It is a category of investors that includes foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), mutual funds, commercial banks, insurance companies, pension funds, etc.

o Retail Investors: All individuals who invest up to Rs 2 lakh in an issue are classified as retail investors.

ü Retail investors investing above Rs 2 lakh are classified as high net worth individuals.

o Age Requirement: You have to be 18 years of age to become an investor.

• Companies Eligible for an IPO:

o SEBI Rules for IPOs: In order to protect investors, SEBI has laid down rules that require companies to meet certain criteria before they can go to the public to raise funds.

o Net Tangible Assets Requirement: The company must have net tangible assets of at least Rs 3 crore.

o Net Worth Requirement: The company must have a net worth of Rs 1 crore in each of the preceding three full years.

o Pre-tax Profit Requirement: The company must have a minimum average pre-tax profit of Rs 15 crore in at least three of the immediately preceding five years.

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7. CAUVERY RIVER (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: The mostly rural electorate in Thanjavur, located in the delta of the Cauvery river in Tamil Nadu, have voted in the opposition alliance over concerns and hardships they have faced in recent years regarding agrarian issues, according to experts.

Cauvery River

• About: It is the largest river in the Karnatka state.
• Known as:  Dakshina Ganga (the Ganges of the South) and considered one of the sacred rivers of India.
• Origin: Bramahagiri Hills near Madikeri in Coorg.
• Tributaries: Harangi, Hemavathi, Lakshmanatirtha, Kabini, Shimsha, Arkavati, Suvarnavathi or Honnuholé,  Bhavani, Lokapavani, Noyyal.
• Dams: Mettur dam and Cauvery delta system in Tamil Nadu.

Cauvery River Disputes

• Background: Coursing through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before eventually merging into the Bay of Bengal, the Cauvery is a significant river in southern India. The origin of the dispute traces back to the late 1800s, when agreements were reached between the princely state of Mysore (now part of Karnataka) and the Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu).
• Key problems: Primarily, the dispute pertains to the allocation of water resources during periods of water scarcity, the distribution of water during regular years, and the establishment of reservoirs and dams along the river's course.

Cauvery Water Regulation Authority CWRA

• About: It has been created as per the Cauvery Management Scheme earlier framed by the Centre and approved by the Supreme Court.
• Functions: To ensure the enforcement and adherence to the directives of the Supreme Court concerning the "storage, allocation, management, and oversight of Cauvery waters."
• The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT): It was formed in 1990 and was aimed at addressing water disputes involving Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry.

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8. FIVE EYES ALLIANCE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: The Australian military will recently begin recruiting noncitizens, but only those from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership who hold Australian permanent residency will be eligible, according to the Australian government.

Five Eyes Alliance

• About: Five Eyes is a secret agreement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA. This secret agreement allows the intelligence agencies of these five nations to spy on the world.
• Founded: In 1946
• Formation: 

o Origin can be traced back the to the Second World War. The UK and the US decided to share intelligence after successfully breaking German and Japanese codes, respectively.

o In 1943, the Britain-USA (BRUSA) agreement laid the foundations for what would become the UK-USA (UKUSA) agreement.

o UKUSA was signed in 1946. Canada joined it in 1949, and New Zealand and Australia did so in 1956, forming the alliance.

o The Agreement was not officially acknowledged though its existence was known about from the 1980s. But in 2010, the UKUSA agreement files were released.

• Member Countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US.
• Function: It is both surveillance-based and signals intelligence (SIGINT).

o Intelligence documents shared between the member countries are classified ‘Secret—AUS/CAN/NZ/UK/US Eyes Only,’ which gave the group its title ‘Five Eyes.’ 

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9. PHENOME INDIA' PROJECT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, CSIR concluded the first phase of its longitudinal health monitoring project, Phenome India, and organised a special event, Phenome India Unboxing 1.0.

Phenome India' Project

• About: Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) is an initiative by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), launched on 7th December 2023.
• Objective: The project aims to develop India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases, including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• Scope: This is the first-ever pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study focused on cardio-metabolic diseases.
• Participants: Nearly 10,000 participants, including CSIR employees, pensioners, and their spouses from across 17 states and 24 cities, have contributed to the study.
• Data Collection: The collected data includes clinical questionnaires, lifestyle and dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, imaging/scanning data, and extensive biochemical and molecular data.
• Importance: The study is crucial for understanding the risk and incidence of cardio-metabolic disorders in the Indian population, which may differ from those in Western populations due to ethnic diversity and varied lifestyle patterns.

o Through this project, CSIR is promoting Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare, tailored specifically to the Indian phenotypic and genetic profiles.

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10. CHANG’E 6 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: China's national space agency recently announced that the Chang'e-6 probe has lifted off from the far side of the moon, beginning its journey back to Earth.

Chang’e-6

• About: It is a lunar lander and sample return mission that landed on the far side of the Moon within the South Pole Aitken Basin.
• Launched by: China's National Space Administration spearheads the Chang'e 6 mission.
• Carried by: The mission is propelled into space by the Long March-5 Y8 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan.
• Components: The spacecraft comprises four modules, a service module, lander, ascent vehicle, and reentry capsule.
• Objective: To collect about 2 kg of material from the far side of the Moon within about two days of landing and bring it back to Earth.
• Significance: This mission marks the first attempt in human lunar exploration history to collect and return samples from the moon's surface.
• Chang'e 4: Landed in the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin in 2019, making history with the Yutu-2 rover's successful soft landing on the moon's far side.
• Chang'e 5: Its descender and lander touched down on Mons Rumker, a vast volcanic plain on the moon.

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