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 Contents

Topics of the day

GS Paper II
Governance-Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

● International conflict
Relations-Nagorno Karabakh

GS Paper III
S&T-Artemis Accord
S&T-Magnestar
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,

Syllabus-
● GS Paper
II-Governance-
Vulnerable section
● Prelims
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
Disability- definition

As per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(UN
CRPD) “Personswith
disabilities include thosewho
have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various bar
It includes physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, mental illness.

Physical Disability Mental Disability

1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
Steps taken for integration of People with disability with society

International
Level
● 1969- UN adopted a declaration for protection
of rights of people with disabilities.
● 1991- UN released a principle for the
Protection Persons with Mental Illness and
Improvement of Mental Health Care.
● 1992- UN resolution no 47/3 for observation
of annual day for Disabled Persons on 3rd
December every year.
● 1983-1992 was marked as the United Nations
Decade of Disabled Persons.
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,

Incheon Strategy
● Incheon a place in South Korea
● 2017- Meeting of Asia Pacific countries to decide future
strategy for welfare of people with disabilities.
● India is signatory to Incheon strategy
The SPARK Project
● The International Labour Organization (ILO) and International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with
Maharashtra’s Women’s Development Corporation, initiated the
Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (SPARK)
project. Incheon
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,

Steps taken for integration of People with disability with society

National Level
● According to 2011 census, 2.21 % population of India is
having one or the other form of disability. This makes India
a country with highest number of people with disabilities.

Steps taken for the welfare of people with disabilities-

1. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 1995
Objectives-
● Screen all the children at least once in a year for the purpose
of identifying "at-risk" cases
● Ensure that every child with a disability has access to free
education.
1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
Steps taken for integration of People with disability
with society
2. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
Provisions-
● The 2016 Act recognises 21 kinds of disabilities
compared to the previous seven.
● Every child with disability between the age group of 6
and 18 years shall have the right to free education.
● The new Act also increased the quota for disability
reservation in higher educational institutions from
3% to 5% and in government jobs from 3% to 4%.
● Creation of National and State Fund will be created to
provide financial support to the persons with disabilities.
 1 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
Steps taken for integration of People with disability
with society
3. Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat
Abhiyan)
● This campaign aims to create universal accessibility for
PwDs in the built environment, transport, information and
communication technology (ICT) ecosystem.
4. Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme
(DDRS): Financial assistance is provided to NGOs for
projects relating to rehabilitation of Persons with
Disabilities.
5. Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme
(ADIP) Current news?
● The Supreme Court recently admonished the
government for implementation of the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWD Act)
remains dismal across India.
Q.What are the various challenges faced by Persons with Disabilities in India? Highlight
the measures taken by the government for the welfare of Persons with Disabilities. 15
marks/(250 words)-Answer to be submitted on portal

Hints
● Define disability
● As per Census 2011, the number of Persons with Disabilities in India 2.21 per cent of the total population.
● This makes India a country with highest number of people with disabilities.
Persons with Disabilities in India continue to face challenges at multiple that prevent them from enjoying their full civil,
political, economic, social, cultural and developmental rights:
1. Accessibility: Physical barriers still exist in public buildings, offices, schools and hospitals.
2. Communication and social relationship: Disabled people have difficulties in social relationships and they usually
have smaller social networks. This is mainly due to discrimination and misunderstanding.
3. Loss of independence: Disabled people have difficulties in self-care, many of them are financially
dependent on their family members or relatives, which leads to loss of autonomy.
4. Transportation: Disabled people face lots of problems in taking public transport while they lack the ability to operate
and sometimes afford private means of transport.
5. Self-esteem: Their ‘disability’ is often seen as their ‘inability’ by many and people in general have preconceived
notions about their capabilities. This ultimately results in lower self-esteem in these people.
● Mention measures as discussed.
The Constitution of India guarantees the right of justice, equality of status and of opportunity. For this we need a shift from a
charity-based approach to a rights-based approach for welfare of Persons with Disabilities.
2. Nagorno Karabakh conflict

Syllabus-
GS Paper II-International Relations
Prelims

Source - The Hindu

2. Nagorno-Karabakh
Background

● Armenia,Azerbaijan are two important

Caucasian countries
Note- The Caucasus is a region between the Black
Sea and the Caspian Sea and mainly occupied by
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and south western
Russia.
● Armenia and Azerbaijan are hostile to
each other.
Reasons for hostility-
1. Religious conflict- Armenia is a
Christian country while Azerbaijan is an
Islamic country.
2. Territorial conflict- Both countries have
territorial conflict regarding Nagorno
Karabakh region.
2. Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh region issue

Nagorno-Karabakh region
● It is internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan.
● But more than 95% population ethnically belongs to
Armenia.
● And this region is practically under control of
Armenia.
● In 1990s, Azerbaijan’s troops were pushed out of
the region following a war.
● Since then, these ethnic Armenians have been in
administrative control of Nagorno-Karabakh,
with support from Armenia.
● And thus often these two countries start fighting for
control of this region.

.
2. Nagorno-Karabakh
2. Nagorno-Karabakh
India’s stand on the issue

● A country’s foreign policy is guided by its national

interest.
● To understand India’s stand we need to first see
India’s interest from the region.
1. Economic interest
● ONGC/OVL has made investments in an oilfield
project in Azerbaijan and GAIL is exploring the
possibilities of cooperation in LNG.
● Azerbaijan also falls on the International North
South Transport Corridor (INSTC) route,
connecting India with Russia through Central Asia.

INSTC will boost trade connectivity with

Russia by cutting down time and
distance by 40%.
2. Nagorno-Karabakh
Madrid Principles
India’s stand on the issue The Madrid Principles as the basis for the formulation of
These steps are also consistent with the UN Security Cou
2. Strategic interest
● Armenia extends its unequivocal support
to India on Kashmir issue.
● Azerbaijan promotes Pakistan’s narrative
on this issue.
3. Territorial interest
● Azerbaijan equates Nagorno-Karabakh
region occupation by Armenia with India’s
administration over Kashmir.
Clearly India’s strategic and economic interests
are divergent on the issue. Thus India adopted a
balanced and neutral stance and pitching for a
political solution as outlined in the Madrid
Principles.
2. Nagorno-Karabakh

Prelims Practice Question

Q1. Lachin corridor was recently in the
news. It connects:
a. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
b. Rasht and Astara
c. Georgia and Ukraine
d. Donetsk and Russia
Mains Practice Question
Q. Discuss the core issues behind
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and India’s stand
on the issue. 150 words/10 marks
3. Artemis Accords

Syllabus-
● GS Paper III-S&T
● GS Paper I-Essay
3. Artemis Current news?
Sweden has joined Artemis accord.
What is Artemis Accord? India has already joined the Artemis Accords, which bring

● They were established in 2020 by the

United States in coordination with other
nations and international partners.
Objective?
● The Artemis Accords are a set of
guidelines and principles for international
cooperation in space exploration to the
Moon and Mars.
● The Accords aim to create a framework for
peaceful and transparent space
exploration, with a specific focus on lunar
activities related to NASA's Artemis
program.
● Artemis program is NASA's initiative to
return humans to the Moon.
3. Artemis

● Initiative of The US
● Cooperation amongst
the world countries in
upcoming civilian
space exploration
programmes of
NASA
● Special focus on
Artemis Mission
● In line with Outer
Space Treaty of
Artemis 1967 (OST).
Accord
3. Artemis
Outer Space Treaty,1967

OuterSpaceisa
Global common.
Nocountryshould weaponize it.
Benefits of research in Outer space should be shared with all.
Outer space
It is generally agreed that its the region beyond 100 km from the Earth's surface.
100 km line above Earth surface is known as Karman line.
3. Artemis
Artemis Mission

Background
● World entered into phase of Cold war right after end of
World War II that ended in 1945.
● Cold war was mainly power projection between the
US and USSR bloc.
● Space race was one area of power projection.
● USSR sent the first rocket which actually launched
something into space was used to launch Sputnik, the
first satellite, on October 4, 1957.
● US President John F Kennedy had made a public
announcement in 1961 that the US would put a man
on the Moon before the decade was out.
● That deadline was met with Apollo mission started
by the US in 1969.
3. Artemis

Apollo 11 Mission
● Apollo 11 of NASA was the spaceflight that
first landed humans on the Moon.
● Neil Armstrong,Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin formed the American crew that landed
the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20,
1969.
● Overall six Apollo human moon landings
between 1969 and 1972.
● The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) of the United States
is set to launch the Artemis-1 mission.
● It will take humans back to the Moon after
more than half a century (last in 1972).
3. Artemis
 3. Artemis
Artemis Mission
● The mission will launched in 3 phases.
● Artemis-1 will be non-crew mission.
● Artemis-2-human orbital mission.
● Artemis-3-manned landing mission by 2025.
Artemis-1
● Artemis 1 is the first planned uncrewed test flight in NASA's Artemis
program which is designed to eventually land humans on the Moon again.
● The mission’s spacecraft, called Orion, will get into a lunar orbit that would
be about 97 km from the Moon’s surface at its closest.
● But unlike most other Orbiter missions, Orion has a return-to-Earth
target after it has orbited the Moon for about a month.
● The Orion spacecraft, which is specifically designed to carry astronauts
into deep space on future missions, will have three dummy
‘passengers’ — mannequins made of material that mimic human bones,
skin, and soft tissue.
● These would be equipped with a host of sensors to record the various
impacts of deep space atmosphere on the human body.
 3. Artemis
How Artemis will be different from Apollo 11 mission?

● What is so special about going back to the Moon?

● Is NASA reinventing the wheel?
● This is not the case. Artemis 1 mission will be much improved over Apollo
mission.
How Artemis 1 is improved over Apollo?
1. Landing on South pole
● NASA has announced 13 potential landing locations (for Artemis), all in the
south pole region, where water ice has been proven deep inside craters that never
see sunlight.
● The sites are among the best in the world for studying lunar geology and
understanding and sampling lunar ice.
2. Future mission to Mars
● Mars is at least 200 times farther away from Earth than the moon, creating a huge
problem in keeping astronauts safe from things like radiation exposure. Apollo mission brought
● On these increasingly difficult missions like Artemis, astronauts will live and work only few rock
in deep space, developing the science and technology needed to transport samples. Artemis will
humans to Mars. ensure landing on
South pole.
 3. Artemis
How Artemis 1 is improved over Apollo?
3. To mark permanent human presence
● The main goal of Apollo was to beat the Soviet Union to the
moon.
● It was successful, but there was no long-term plan to
establish a permanent human presence there.
● Artemis may witness a slow transition into a permanent
human presence on the moon.
● The Artemis missions are in a position to exploit the major
advancements in space technologies over the years.
● These technologies now make it possible to start extracting the
resources found on the Moon, build from the materials
available there, harness hydrogen or helium as energy
source.
● Not all of that would happen with the first mission itself, but
these things are distinctly possible now, making human
landings on the Moon much more meaningful than earlier.
3. Artemis

Q2. With reference to Artemis I Mission, consider the

following statements;
1. Artemis I is a manned mission of NASA and
ESA.
2. It will be the first in a series of increasingly
complex missions to build a long-term human
presence at the Moon.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both
d. None
4 Magneta

Syllabus-
● GS Paper III-S&T
● Prelims

Source - The Hindu

4 Magneta
Neutron star and Black Hole

● Neutron stars are massive star runs

formedwhena out of fuel and
collapses.
If the core of the

● collapsingstaris
between about 1 and 3 solar masses then it leads to Neutron star or Black hole.
Difference between Neutron star and Black hole
When star stop the collapse, leaving behind a neutron star.
Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes.
4 Magneta
4 Magneta

Neutron star and Magnestar

● Magnestar are a special kind of neutron star

whose magnetic field is is much more
stronger than a normal neutron star.
● A typical Magnetar magnetic field is
1000 times stronger than a normal
neutron star.
● Because of a strong magnetic field a magnestar
lead to formation of fast radio bursts
Current news?
● Scientists have now detected the most
distant-known instance of eruptions,
called a giant flare, from a magnetar
residing in a galaxy called Messier
82.
Answer
UPSC Prelims 2022
Q1. Which one of the following
statements best reflects the issue with
Prelims Practice Question
Senkaku Islands, sometimes
Q2. Consider the following
mentioned in the news?
statements about Universal Basic
a. It is generally believed that they
Income (UBI):
are artificial islands made by a
1. A UBI plan was first suggested
country around South China Sea.
in the Economic Survey of 2020-
b. China and Japan engage in
21.
maritime disputes over these
2. UBI will have specific criterion
islands in East China Sea
for selection of beneficiaries.
c. A permanent American military
Which of the statements given above
base has been set up there to
is/are correct?
help Taiwan to increase its
a. 1 only
defence capabilities.
b. 2 only
d. Through International Courts of
c. Both 1 and 2
Justice declared them as no
d. Neither 1 nor 2
man’s land, some South-East
Asian countries claim them.
Answer
Prelims Practice Question
Q3. Consider the following statements-
1. Pink hydrogen is produced through
electrolysis powered by Nuclear
energy.
2. Grey Hydrogen is produced from
Natural Gas, whereas the emission
are captured using carbon capture
storage.
3. Blue Hydrogen is produced from
Natural gas where the associated
emission are released to the air.
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. 3 only
d. 2,3 only
Prelims Practice Question
Q4. Consider the following statements
about Biomarkers
1. These are a physical, chemical, or
biological characteristic that is
present in the human body and can
be measured.
2. It includes bio molecules like
carbohydrates, proteins, genes,
DNA, RNA and platelets.
Choose the correct statements:
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both
d. None