Current Affairs 14th June 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

Context: CERT-In has not provided any update on its assessment of the leak of personal information of individuals registered on the CoWIN platform.

About CERT-In

CERT-In serves as national agency for responding to cyber security incidents as per provisions of Section 70(B) of the IT Act, 2000. It comes under Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Functions:
- It issues alerts and advisories regarding latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities and counter measures to protect computers and networks on regular basis.
- CERT-In is involved in collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents.
- It provides forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents.
- It provides emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents.
- It coordinates with other agencies for cyber incident response activities.

Initiatives of CERT-In: Exercise Synergy

CERT-In had recently conducted the Cyber Security Exercise “Synergy” for 13 Countries on its exercise simulation platform.
Objective: The objective of the exercise was to Assess, Share and Improve strategies and practices among Member-States to develop network resiliency against ransomware & cyber extortion attacks.
Participants: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom were among 13 Countries that participated as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.

Current Affairs 13th June 2023 for UPSC Prelims Exam

National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)

Context: National Commission for Scheduled Castes has served notice to a food delivery company for their advertisement that was offensive towards dalit community.

About National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC):

NCSC is a constitutional Body under the jurisdiction of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
It was formed in 1974 as Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, under Article 338 of the Constitution.
The 89th Amendment Act, 2003 the separated erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to form NCSC (Article 338) and NCST (Article 338A).
Objective: NCSC was formed to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes and to promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests.
Composition:
- It consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and 3 other Members who are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
- At least one member should be a woman.
- Term of office is 3 years.
Powers and functions
- The Commission is vested with all the powers of a civil court.
- To investigate & monitor matters relating to Safeguards provided for SCs in both centre and state level.
- To participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes.
- The Commission presents an annual report to the President.
- To recommend measures to be taken for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.

National Register of Citizens (NRC)

Context: The National Register of Citizens (NRC) has reorganized its employees by bringing new ones.

What is National Register of Citizens (NRC)?

NRC is supposed to be a register of all Indian citizens, as mandated under the 2003 amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Currently, it has been implemented only in Assam.
- The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India but was not updated until recent times.
Objective: The main objective of NRC is to document all legal Indian citizens so that illegal immigrants can be identified and deported.
Guidelines for preparation:
- The Central government can issue an order to prepare the National Population Register (NPR) under Citizenship Rules, 2003, and create the NRC based on the data gathered in it. No separate laws are needed.

NPR vs NRC

National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)

Context: National Commission for Scheduled Castes has served notice to a food delivery company for their advertisement that was offensive towards dalit community.

About National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC):

NCSC is a constitutional Body under the jurisdiction of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
It was formed in 1974 as Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, under Article 338 of the Constitution.
The 89th Amendment Act, 2003 the separated erstwhile National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to form NCSC (Article 338) and NCST (Article 338A).
Objective: NCSC was formed to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Scheduled Castes and to promote and protect their social, educational, economic and cultural interests.
Composition:
- It consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and 3 other Members who are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
- At least one member should be a woman.
- Term of office is 3 years.
Powers and functions
- The Commission is vested with all the powers of a civil court.
- To investigate & monitor matters relating to Safeguards provided for SCs in both centre and state level.
- To participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes.
- The Commission presents an annual report to the President.
- To recommend measures to be taken for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.

Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Context: Belarusian President said that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus “in several days”, earlier than previously announced.

What are Nuclear Weapons?

Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that derive their destructive power from nuclear reactions namely nuclear fission or fusion.
They are capable of releasing vast amounts of energy in the form of a nuclear explosion.
The production of nuclear weapons typically requires highly enriched uranium.

Nuclear Enrichment

Natural uranium consists of two different isotopes – nearly 99% U-238 and only around 0.7% of U-235.
U-235 is a fissile material that can sustain a chain reaction in a nuclear reactor.
Enrichment process increases the proportion of U-235 through the process of isotope separation (U-238 is separated from U-235).
For nuclear weapons, enrichment is required up to 90% or more which is known as weapons-grade uranium.
Low-enriched uranium, which typically has a 3-5% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Highly enriched uranium has a purity of 20% or more and is used in research reactors.
Methods for uranium enrichment:
- The most common method of enrichment is through the use of centrifuges, which spin at high speeds to create a centrifugal force that separates the isotopes based on their weight.
- Another method is gaseous diffusion, where uranium hexafluoride gas is forced through a series of barriers, allowing the lighter U-235 to diffuse more rapidly and become more concentrated.

Types of Nuclear Weapons

Classification based on the underlying nuclear reactions

Atomic bombs (also known as fission bombs):
- They rely on the process of nuclear fission, where the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller nuclei, releasing a significant amount of energy.
- This energy release causes an explosive chain reaction, resulting in a powerful explosion.
Thermonuclear bombs (also known as hydrogen bombs or fusion bombs):
- They combine nuclear fission with nuclear fusion. The process starts with a fission bomb that serves as the “primary” stage.
- The energy from the fission explosion is then used to compress and heat a mixture of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium) in a process called “secondary” fusion.
- This fusion reaction releases an even larger amount of energy, resulting in a more powerful explosion than an atomic bomb.

Classification based on their intended use, range, and purpose

Strategic Nuclear Weapons:
- These weapons are designed for long-range warfare and are intended to deter other countries from attacking with nuclear weapons.
- Strategic nuclear weapons typically have high yields and are capable of causing massive destruction.
- They are usually delivered by long-range missiles, bombers, or submarines.
- The primary objective of strategic nuclear weapons is to deter adversaries from launching a nuclear attack by maintaining a credible and devastating retaliatory capability.
- Examples of strategic nuclear weapons include intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers.
- Strategic nuclear weapons were used by US during the World War II.
Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs):
- Tactical nuclear weapons are of smaller scale and are intended for use on the battlefield in support of ground forces.
- They are designed for specific military objectives, such as attacking military installations, troop concentrations, or other tactical targets.
- Tactical nuclear weapons have lower yields compared to strategic weapons but are still highly destructive.
- They can be delivered by shorter-range missiles, artillery systems, or aircraft.
- The purpose of tactical nuclear weapons is to provide a battlefield advantage or deter an adversary from initiating conventional warfare.
- Examples of tactical nuclear weapons include short-range ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and nuclear land mines.
- As of 2023, tactical nuclear weapon has never been used in a combat situation.

Worldwide Tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) Arsenals

TNWs constitute a large percentage of the arsenals of the nuclear weapon states:
- 30-40% of the American and Russian arsenals,
- nearly 100% of the Chinese and French arsenals, and
- all of the Israeli, Indian, and Pakistani arsenals.

Tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) under international treaties

Though TNWs constitute a large percentage of the arsenals of the nuclear weapon states, TNWs are the least-regulated category of nuclear weapons covered in arms control agreements.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime.
- It primarily focuses on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting disarmament among the nuclear-weapon states.
- While the NPT does not specifically address tactical nuclear weapons, it does call for negotiations on nuclear disarmament, including the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons.