 A very good evening aspirants, I welcome you all to the daily Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar A.S. Academy for the date of 25th and 26th of June, 2023. Display here the list of articles that we are going to discuss today. Now without wasting any time, let us get into our discussion. Look at this front page article. See recently, our Prime Minister Modi made an official visit to Egypt on 25th and 26th June. This was the first time he visited Egypt as the Prime Minister of India. During such visits, several agreements were signed between India and Egypt. In addition to this, the government of Egypt conferred our PM Modi with the order of Nile, which is the highest state of honour of Egypt. This is about the news. In this discussion, we will understand about the agreement signed between India and Egypt. See, in 24th June, Hindu news analysis, we have elaborately discussed the historical ties and the trade relationship between India and Egypt. So, go and watch that video to get a basic idea about India-Egypt relations. Now we will look at the agreements. See, during a visit of our Prime Minister, four agreements were signed between India and Egypt. Now we will see them one by one. The first and the most important landmark development is the signing of a strategic partnership agreement. See, an agreement was signed between India and Egypt to elevate the ties of both the countries into strategic partnership. See, mainly there are five levels of partnership between two countries that used to progress from time to time. They include friendly cooperative partnership, cooperative partnership, comprehensive cooperative partnership, strategic partnership and comprehensive strategic partnership. Here, friendly cooperative partnership is the first basic level of partnership, whereas comprehensive strategic partnership is the top level of partnership between any two countries. Now, India has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Egypt. It was signed by our Prime Minister Modi and the President of Egypt, Mr. LCC. Now, what does this strategic partnership mean? See, the strategic partnership between two countries involves a shared understanding on the nature of threats in the environment. Upon understanding the threats, both countries will put their collective power to mitigate such threats. Note that the strategic partnership does not amount to an alliance. This means that the strategic partnership does not amount to a deeper relationship in which the state comes to each other's assistance in case of any other threat against any member state. Whereas, the strategic partnership between the two countries is just shared understanding on the nature of threats and the collective mitigation of such threats. Note that in a strategic relationship, the involved countries would discuss the matter of interest through periodic bilateral or multilateral meetings at a high ministerial level or at bureaucratic military official level. Now, coming back to India-Egypt strategic partnership, the official press release said that the strategic partnership between India and Egypt will broadly have four elements. They include political defense and security, economic engagement, scientific and academic collaboration, cultural and people-to-people context. So, overall signing of strategic partnership agreement will help to strengthen and further augment the ties between India and Egypt. Apart from strategic partnership agreement, three other MOUs were signed between India and Egypt. The MOUs were signed in the fields of agriculture, archaeology and antiquities and competition law. These three agreements will facilitate mutual cooperation, knowledge exchange and it further strengthens the foundation of strategic partnership between India and Egypt. This is all about the agreement. Now, we will see other exam related facts. See, our prime minister has visited many historical places in Egypt. He explored the iconic premeds of Giza. Know that the great premeds of Giza consist of three main premeds. They are the premed of Khufu or Chyops, the premed of Kafre and the premed of Menkure. Some 4,500 years ago, these three premeds of Giza were built as tomes by the kings or pharaohs of ancient Egypt. They were constructed on the Giza Plateau. Apart from great premeds, Giza Plateau also has many other smaller premeds, temples as well as monuments like the great sphinx of Giza. Know that, premeds of Giza are one of the seven wonders of the world and it is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world. In 1979, great premeds of Giza were made as UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is all about the premeds. Prime Minister Modi had also visited Al Haqim Mosque, which is a historical mosque located in Cairo, Egypt. The construction of the mosque was originally started in 990 AD and it was completed in 1013 AD by the caliph named Al Haqim. And this is why the mosque was named Al Haqim Mosque. Since its construction, the mosque was often neglected and it was repurposed for other functions. These eventually ruined the structure of the mosque. In 1980, a major restoration and reconstruction was carried out by the Dawudi Borah community people. And they reopened the mosque for religious use. While visiting the Al Haqim Mosque, Prime Minister Modi also met the members of Borah community. As a part of our discussion, we have seen that India has signed four agreements with Egypt. And one of the important agreement is that India and Egypt agree to elevate their ties into a strategic partnership. And then finally, we have discussed about the monuments which was visited by our Indian Prime Minister. That's all regarding this topic. Now, let us move on to our next article. According to this article, as many as 1,83,497 olive reedly hatchlings were released into the sea along the Tamil Nadu coast this year. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has said that the number of sea turtle hatchlings released in 2023 was the highest in the last 7 years. In this context, let us learn few facts about the olive reedly turtles. The olive reedly turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. They inhabit the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. See, the name for this turtle is tied to the color of its shell. They have an olive green colored shell which is heart shaped and rounded. Now, let us talk about its characteristics. They grow to about 2 feet in length and 50 kg in weight. Male and females grow to the same size. However, females have a slightly more rounded carapace as compared to the male. Talking about their consumption pattern, they are carnivorous. That is, they are meat eaters and they feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs and a variety of fish and their eggs. See, these turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean and migrate thousands of kilometers between the feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year. One of the interesting facts is that females return to the very same beach from where they first hatch to lay their eggs. During this phenomenal nesting, up to 6 lakhs and more females emerge from the waters over a period of 5 to 7 days to lay eggs. This unique kind of mass nesting is known as aribada. Aribada is a phenomenon in which thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. Olive Ridley along with their cousin, the Kemp's Ridley turtle are best known for this unique mass nesting. Now, let us look at its nesting pattern. They dig a conical nest about 1.5 feet deep with their hand flippers and lay their eggs in this conical nest. The coast of Orisa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley followed by the coast of Mexico and Costa Rica. After about 45 to 65 days, the eggs begin to hatch and these beaches will be swamped with calling olive ridley turtle babies. Talking about the threats to olive ridleys. See, olive ridleys face serious threats across the migratory route, habitat and nesting beaches due to human activities. Human activities like turtle unfriendly fishing practices, development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports and tourist centers threaten their population. Then they are extensively posed for their meat, shell and leather. Despite it is being illegal to harvest and collect their eggs, there prevails a high demand and there exists a significantly large market around the coastal regions for this purpose. Then the most severe threat they face is accidental killing of adult turtles through entanglement in trawl nets and gill nets. This kind of accidents happen due to uncontrolled fishing during their mating season around the nesting beaches. Then these olive ridleys nest in a very small number of places and therefore any disturbance to even one of the nest beach could have massive consequences for the entire population. Finally, just know that the hatch link survival rate is very low. It is estimated that approximately 1 hatch link survives to reach adulthood for every 1000 hatch links that enters the seawater. This might also be the reason why aribadas happen in which a single female can lay 80 to 120 eggs and sometimes even twice in a season. Moving on, let us see about the conservation status of the olive ridley. The olive ridley sea turtle is listed as vulnerable under IUCN. Insights this species is placed under appendix 1 and when it comes to CMS that is convention on migratory species olive ridley is placed under both appendix 1 and 2. That is all regarding this topic. Now let us move on to our next article. Look at this article. It talks about the procurement of UAVs by India and the capabilities of this unmanned aerial vehicles. Now in this discussion, let us see the key points provided in this article. But before that syllabus 11 to this discussion is given here for your reference. Take a look at it. First, let us see a brief background about this defense deal. See, India has plans to acquire General Atomics MQ-9B UAVs. These are high altitude long endurance drones. See, these drones will be used in India's armed forces for ISR purposes. That is intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. The deal to acquire these UAVs will be executed through an foreign military sales route that is FMS routes. The estimated cost provided by the US government is around 3072 million US dollars. But the final price is yet to be negotiated. Also, to increase India's indigenous defense capabilities, India is negotiating to include more components manufactured in India. The aim is to have 15 to 20% indigenous contents in the drone. Know that in February 2023, Aero India, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and General Atomics announced their collaboration. HIL's engine division will support the turbo propeller engine that power the MQ-9B for the Indian market. The article also talks about the procurement process that is not very relevant for our exam. So, let us not get into those details. But it is important for us to learn about the capabilities of this MQ-9B UAVs. See, there are two variants of MQ-9B UAVs. The Sky Guardian and the Sea Guardian. The Sea Guardian is the maritime variant designed for missions like surface search radar, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. These are manufactured by the General Atomics. Firstly, the MQ-9B is capable of flying over long distance and for extended periods. It can stay airborne up to 40 hours, that is more than a day. But this depends on its configuration. It can operate in various weather conditions. Also, it is designed to integrate safely into civil airspace. One remarkable feature is its capacity to launch smaller unmanned aerial systems such as Sparrowhawk. The small UAV can take off and return to the Sky Guardian during the flight. The payloads can include various weapons like air-to-ground missiles, bombs and air-to-air missiles. It can also have electronic systems that can disrupt any adversaries' anti-air systems. This flexibility allows the Sky Guardian to adapt and execute a range of operations effectively. Then we have Sea Guardian. See, the Sea Guardian variant is specifically designed for maritime operations. It includes features such as a 360-degree surface search maritime radar. It has an automatic identification system, a sonoboy monitoring system and sonoboy dispensers. Sea Guardian can search under the surface too. It is equipped with as many as 80 G-sized sonoboys. Therefore, it can join the hunt for hostile submarines. So, these features allow the Sea Guardian to perform tasks related to anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions persistently. Secondly, talking about the cost effectiveness, MQ-9B can provide about 80% of the capabilities of a human flown maritime patrol aircraft. But this is at only about 20% of the cost per hour. So, this makes it a more economical option for navies. For example, navy can deploy Sea Guardian UAV to cover larger areas of air or sea. In case anything of interest is discovered, then they can send a human crewed aircraft to make further investigation. Sending a human crewed aircraft in the first instance is more expensive as it is very costly to operate. This approach saves time cost and reduces wear and tear on the manned aircraft. Now, what are the benefits for Indian Navy? See, the Indian Navy is particularly interested in the MQ-9B UAVs because, as I told you earlier, it will significantly reduce the wear and tear on the existing manned aircraft fleet, especially the P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Also, the MQ-9B can help the Indian Navy monitor and keep an eye over the vast Indian Ocean region and beyond. This will help in reducing the crew-fedding and enhancing surveillance capabilities. Now, talking about the benefits for the Army and the Air Force, the MQ-9B UAVs are also valuable for Indian Army and Air Force. They provide round-the-clock surveillance capabilities, allowing for continuous monitoring of areas beyond the borders. For instance, UAVs can help track Chinese military activities such as troop movements and military buildup along the line of actual control that is LAC. Now, we will see an important feature of the deal which is integration with US origin platforms. See, MQ-9B seamlessly integrate with other US origin platforms that India operates. These platforms are P-8I aircraft, A-864 Apache attack helicopters and M-860R multi-role helicopters, among others. These integration enhances the multi-domain mission capabilities of MQ-9B. Now, what are the existing UAVs in service? The Indian Navy has already leased two MQ-9A UAVs from General Atomics and they have been in operation since November 2020. These UAVs have completed 10,000 flight hours and have helped the Indian Navy cover a significant operating area of over 14 million square miles. Besides this, there are important drones used by the Indian Army like DRDO Aura, DRDO Imperial Eagle, DRDO Netra, DRDO Rustam and DRDO Nishant. Although this article does not mention these UAVs, it is important for us to know about these UAVs. So, as a part of this discussion, let us briefly discuss about these UAVs. See, DRDO Aura is an autonomous stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle for Indian Air Force. It is capable of releasing missiles and precision-gated ammunition. Then DRDO Imperial Eagle is a lightweight mini UAV used by the National Security Guard and military services. It can be backpacked, hand-launched and it operates on autopilot. Then we have DRDO Netra. It is a lightweight autonomous UAV for surveillance and reconnaissance. It has a range of 2.5 km, 30 minutes of flight time and features like high-resolution and thermal cameras. Next in line, we have DRDO Rustam. It is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV. It has variants like Rustam-1, Rustam-H and Rustam-2. Rustam-2 can attain a top speed of 150 km per hour and carry a payload of 95 kg. Finally, DRDO Nishant. It is an intelligence gathering and reconnaissance UAV with 4 hours and 30 minutes of endurance. It can be catapult-launched and recovered using a parachute. These UAVs serve important roles in combat, surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. UAVs are becoming a significant part of defence now. So, keep a tap open for it during your preparation. That's all regarding this topic. Now, let us move on to our next article. This FAQ article is about the recent signing of memorandum of understanding between the General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. As we all know, during Prime Minister Modi's state visit to the US, both countries announced a series of deals in defence cooperation, space technology and artificial intelligence. One of the significant highlights is the signing of MOU between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. This landmark agreement focuses on the manufacturing of GE-F414 jettings in India for the Light Combat Aircraft Mark II, that is LCA Mark II. The article here covers various significance of these deals. In our discussion today, we will see the points discussed in the article in detail. Before getting into the discussion, I have highlighted the syllabus regarding this topic. According to the MOU, General Electric would transfer 80% of the production technology of GE-F414 India. The 80% would include certain critical technology as well, which India desperately needs. Now, why is this deal significant? Firstly, the US sharing 80% of the production technology with India is a major diplomatic win for India. This is because the recent MOU is not the first time a deal about GE-F414 engine was signed. In 2012, General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited worked out an engine development agreement. According to this 2012 agreement, General Electric agreed only to transfer 58% of the production technology. A jump from 58% technology transfer to 80% is a significant jump. Secondly, the deal shows the trust US has on our country. This is because the US has stringent export controls and licensing systems for sharing sensitive and needs technologies. The US does not easily share its critical technology with other countries. Any deal about critical technologies must be approved by the US Congress. Officials from both the countries are very sure that US Congress will approve the deal. This shows the trust that US government has on India. This is the second significance of the deal. Thirdly, the deal helps in development of indigenous jet engine technology. In 1989, the Cabinet Committee on Security sanctioned the Cauvery project. The Cauvery project is indigenous attempt to master jet engine technology and develop a jet engine for India. But after 30 years and many unsuccessful attempts, the project got shelved. Initially, the government planned to use the indigenous engine developed by Project Cauvery to be used in the Tejas LCA Mark I. But due to the delay in the engine development process, the government opted for General Electric's manufacture, FE404 engine to power Tejas LCA Mark I. Now with the General Electric's agreeing to share 80% of the production technology of the FE404 engine with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, it can learn from this and again restart the Project Cauvery and develop an indigenous jet engine. Currently, only a handful of countries such as the US, Russia, the UK and France have mastered the technology and the metallurgy needed to manufacture an engine that can power combat aircraft. Once India learns critical technology from the current deal and successfully completes Project Cauvery, then it can also join the elite club of countries with jet engine technology. Fourthly, through this deal, India can stop dwindling Air Force fighter squadron number. Currently, the sanctioned number of squadrons for India is 42, but India has only 31 squadrons. Here, what does the word squadron represent? In case of Indian Air Force, a squadron usually consists of a specific number of aircraft, pilots and ground support personnel. It serves as a self-contained unit responsible for conducting various operational missions including combat operations, reconnaissance, transport or any other assigned task. The size of a squadron can vary depending on the type of aircraft and its operational requirements. For instance, a fighter squadron may have around 16 to 20 aircraft while a transport or helicopter squadron may have a smaller number. See, squadrons play a crucial role in overall operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force. But as I already mentioned, currently the Indian Air Force does not have the sanctioned number of squadrons. In addition to this, India is planning to face out old aircrafts like Mirage 2000, Jaguars, MiG-21 and MiG-29 from its arsenal. So, in near future, India will be needing a lot of military aircrafts, preferably indigenous. The Indian Air Force has inducted 40 LCA Mk1. It has placed an order for 83 LCA Mk1A. The Indian Air Force is also planning the purchase of LCA Mk2, which is to be powered by General Electric's F414 engine. Once all this testing is completed, the Mk2 is 1,350 mm longer than the Mk1, featuring canots and carry a payload of 6,500 kg compared to the 3,500 kg by Mk1. So, once Mk2 is also inducted into the Indian Air Force, then Indian Air Force's fighting capability will increase massively. In addition to this, advanced medium combat aircraft, which is expected to get the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security, will also be powered by the GE-FE 414 engine. In addition to this, the deal makes General Electric's the front-runner for another Indian proposal to jointly produce a 110 km jet engine for AMCA Mk2. When LCA Mk2, AMCA and AMCA Mk2 are fully developed and integrated into the Indian Air Force, then India's dwindling squadron number can be arrested. This will multiply Indian Air Defense capability. The last major significance is the reliability of the F414 engine. The F414 powers the FA-18 Super Hornet and Swedish grip on fighter jets. More than 1,600 F414 engines have been delivered, accumulating over 5 million engine flight hours. This makes the engine very reliable and the nascent Indian defense industry can learn a lot from the F414 engine. So, in essence, this agreement between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signifies a major step in the high technology cooperation between the oldest and largest democracy. Here, USA is the oldest democracy and India is the largest democracy. It highlights India's commitment to enhancing defense capabilities and promoting self-reliance in defense protection. And this deal will help to address some of our nation's security needs. It demonstrates the growing collaboration and trust between India and United States and opens up avenues for further technological cooperation in the future. That's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the significance of General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited memorandum of understanding on F414 engine. That's all regarding this topic. Now, let us move on to our next article. According to the news article, despite the change in union law minister, the government has maintained its silence on a series of months old Supreme Court Collegium recommendations on appointments to key high courts. So, in this news article discussion, let us quickly go through the Collegium system and how high court judges are appointed. See, India follows the Collegium system when it comes to the appointment of higher judiciary. Always have in mind the Collegium system emerged and evolved only through the judgments of Supreme Court known as the judges case. And it was not enacted by an act of the parliament or through a provision of the Constitution. See, for the appointment of Supreme Court judges, the Constitution provides Article 124. The Class II of Article 124 says that, Every judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the president by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with the judges of the Supreme Court and high court in the states as the president may deem necessary. Note the word consultation very carefully. Based on this only, Collegium was established. The Supreme Court in the three judges case has provided interpretation of this word consultation. In the first judges case 1982, Supreme Court held that consultation does not means concurrence. It only means exchange of views. But in the second judges case 1993, Supreme Court held that consultation means concurrence. So, the advice of Chief Justice of India is binding on the president in matters of appointment. Then on the third judges case 1998, Supreme Court said that consultation process to be adopted by the Chief Justice of India, This means that soul opinion of CG8 doesn't constitute the consultation process. And this is how Collegium came into being. See, in India we have two types of Collegiums. One is Supreme Court Collegium and the other one is High Court Collegium. And the main difference between them lies in their composition. To understand better, having in mind the Supreme Court Collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India. Whereas the High Court Collegium is led by the Chief Justice of High Court. Similarly, the Supreme Court Collegium comprises of four other senior most judges of the Supreme Court. On the contrary, the High Court Collegium consists of two other senior most judges of that particular High Court. And here note that the names recommended for the appointment by High Court Collegium reaches the government only after getting approval by the Chief Justice of India and the Supreme Court Collegium. After receipt of final recommendation of Chief Justice of India, the Union Minister of Law and Justice will put up the recommendation to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will advise the President on the matter of appointment and then finally, President appoints the judges to the High Court. This is how appointments are made in High Court. That's all regarding this topic. Now let us move on to our next article. See, the Indian Space Research Organization is planning to retain the names of Chandra N2, Landa and Rover for Chandra N3. This means that the Chandra N3, Landa will be the name Vikram and the Rover Pragyan. Israel has also informed that it is planning to launch the third moon mission in mid-July above the LVM-3, that is the formerly GSLV Mark III rocket from Sri Herikota. This is what given in the news article. So in this news article discussion, let us learn few facts about Chandra N3. As I already said, Chandra N3 is the third moon mission of India. But it will be a mission repeat of Chandra N2. It will include a Landa and Rover similar to that of Chandra N2. But it will not have an orbit. Israel is planning to land the Chandra N3 Landa at the same location as the Chandra N2, that is the lunar south pole. The area is relatively unexplored and has mainly just been studied by orbiters. Only China in January 2019 was able to successfully soft land near the lunar south pole with its Changi 4 mission. So Chandra N3, if successful, will make India the fourth country to soft land with spacecraft on the moon after the United States, USSR and China. Specifically talking about Chandra N3, see a propulsion module will carry the land rover configuration to a 100 kilometer lunar orbit. Here, propulsion module is nothing but system used to accelerate the spacecraft for orbit insertion, station keeping or altitude control. Once the Vikram Landa module makes it safely to the moon, it will deploy Pragyan. Pragyan which will carry out in situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. While Chandra N2 had an additional feature, that is an orbiter. Chandra N3 will not have that. Here, an orbiter is nothing but a probe that is sent to study a body which continuously orbits it for the duration of its mission life. Remember, the land rover and the propulsion module will have payloads for performing experiments designed to give scientists new insights into the characteristics of Earth's lone natural satellite. The lander will have four payloads. First one is radioanatomy of moon bound hypersensitive ionosphere and atmosphere that is Ramba. Then it has chast which stands for Chandra surface thermo physical experiment. Then it also has instrument for lunar seismic activity that is ILSA and the laser retroreflector array that is LRA. The six wheeled rover will have two payloads. They are alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and the laser induced breakdown spectroscope. In addition to these, there will be one payload on the propulsion module. The spectropholarimetry of the habitable planet Earth that is shape. So, that is all regarding this topic. Now, let us move on to our next article. Look at this news article. It talks about the new mRNA vaccine developed by the Genoa biopharmaceuticals in Pune. It was recently cleared for emergency use authorization by the drug controller general of India. This vaccine is called GEMCOVAC-OM. It is designed to be effective against Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. It shows India's capability to produce mRNA vaccines quickly and on a large scale. In this discussion, we will see about the GEMCOVAC-OM vaccine. Also, we will see some key points provided in the article. First, let us talk about the mRNA vaccine in general. See, mRNA stands for messenger RNA. It is a special type of genetic material that can create proteins in our bodies. So, I would say mRNA is like a tiny instruction manual. It tells our cells how to make specific proteins. These proteins, when they enter our body, trigger the development of antibodies and help our immune system fight against the diseases. One of the remarkable things about mRNA vaccines is that they do not contain any live viruses. This makes them very safe because they cannot give us the disease for which we are using the vaccine. This is a good news, especially for people with weaker immune systems. But what makes mRNA vaccines even more exciting is their speed. They can be developed and produced quickly. This is because they are made synthetically and do not rely on living organisms. That means we can make lot of vaccines in a short amount of time and vaccinate many people. But the mRNA vaccines that are approved so far has certain limitations. Let us understand what those limitations are. First, the approved mRNA vaccines require ultra-low temperature for storage and transportation. This makes logistics more challenging. Secondly, the manufacturing process is not very easy. So, ensuring a steady supply of raw materials can be an issue. Thirdly, these vaccines may face difficulties in scaling a production to meet high demand. Lastly, the technology used in these vaccines may be difficult to transfer to other places. So, this hinders global access. These are some of the issues with mRNA vaccines. Jemkovac-Om has tried to address some of these issues. Now, let us talk about that. The Jemkovac-Om vaccine is unique because it can be stored at regular refrigeration temperatures. It remains stable at regular refrigerated temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees centigrade. This makes it much easier to store and transport. This is a significant advantage in terms of deployability. Secondly, in Jemkovac-Om, the mRNA is attached to a nanolipid emulsion on its surface. See, mostly in other mRNA vaccines, the mRNA is trapped inside the nanolipid particles. This difference makes the manufacturing process simpler and reduces any losses that may occur. It also allows for easy scalability, meaning more vaccines can be produced efficiently. Moreover, this approach facilitates technology transfer, which means the knowledge and expertise can be shared with other countries or organizations. This is important because this will make mRNA-based technology more accessible worldwide, thus eliminating unfair distribution of vaccines. Now, we will see what this article says. See, usually, vaccines undergo different stages of testing. It will start with laboratory experiments and then move on to trials involving animals and humans. However, with COVID-19 pandemic, regulators around the world allowed the vaccine makers to combine these stages as it was urgent. They granted emergency use authorizations, that is EUA's for experimental formulations. Now, in India, our regulatory system has mainly focused on evaluating the formulations that have already been approved in other countries. We don't conduct extensive clinical trials. This is because India's rule allows for emergency use authorization based on technicalities, meaning if certain conditions were met, the vaccine could be authorized for emergency use without comprehensive testing. This approach was necessary due to the urgency of pandemic. But it's important to understand that comprehensive clinical trials are required so that we can be ensured of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. The article says that in India, there has been historical mistrust, arbitrary decisions and lax regulations in clinical trials. We are still in early stages of establishing a credible system for evaluating new drugs and vaccines. See, the pandemic may be declared over, but COVID-19 continues to be a global threat and many people are still dying from this disease. Therefore, the article says that it is important to have a streamlined regulatory process in India. This process should prioritize safety and should monitor adverse reactions to the new drugs and vaccines. It should also include a credible system of face clinical trials and independent regulation. This will ensure the effectiveness and safety of these treatments. Yes, flexibility and speed are important, but we should also ensure the well-being of the population as it is the primary concern. So, that's all regarding this topic. Now, let us move on to our next article. The article is about the decline in arctic ice due to climate change. An experiment conducted in the Arctic region has concluded that tundra diversity, including plants, lichens and fungi, declined over a 15-year period. The decline is fueled by climate change and decline in arctic ice. But another interesting thing was noticed that the presence of large herbivores such as caribou and muscoxon slow this decline in tundra diversity. So, the plants are underway to enhance the herbivore diversity in the tundra to counter the effects of climate change. This is about the article given here. In this discussion, we will see about the tundra region. The tundra region is a vast and cool biome found in the arctic and some high altitude mountain regions. It is located in the northern parts of North America, Europe and Asia encircling the arctic ocean. The tundra can be found in countries like Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Alaska region of the US. The climate in tundra is characterized by extremely low temperatures and long cold winters. The average annual temperature ranges from minus 30 degree centigrade to 12 degree centigrade. Summers are short and cool with temperatures rarely rising above 10 degree centigrade. Now, what are the reasons for such harsh climatic conditions in the tundra region? The primary reason for such a climate is the tundra's high latitude which results in less sunlight and heat reaching the region. Another significant factor contributing to the tundra's climate is the presence of permafrost. Permafrost refers to permanently frozen ground found beneath the top layer of the soil. It prevents water from draining properly resulting in water log and marshy conditions. The frozen ground also restricts the growth of trees as the roots cannot penetrate the solidized below. What about the biodiversity in the region? The biodiversity in the tundra region is unique and adapted to survive in the challenging conditions. The flora mainly consists of low growing plants like moses, lichens and small shrubs. These plants have adaptation to withstand the cold temperatures such as only coverings and low growth forms. They can quickly grow, flower and produce seeds during the short summer period in the top layer of soil toss. The tundra is also home to a variety of fascinating fauna. Iconic animals found in the tundra include polar bears, Arctic foxes, reindeer, muscoxon and snowy owls. These animals have special adaptations to cope with the cold climate. For example, polar bears have a thick layer of blubber and dense fur to insulate their bodies while Arctic foxes changed their fur colour from brown to white during winter to blend with the snowy surroundings. Many bird species migrate to the tundra during summer to breed and take advantage of the abundant food resources available. These are some of the facts about the tundra region. With this, let us move on to our next part of discussion that is practice prelims questions discussion. Today, we will be having five MCQs. I'll solve four of them and one question will be a quiz question. Now, let us take up our first question for the discussion. In this question, three statements about collision system is given and we have to find the correct ones. The first statement says that it is the system of appointment and transfer of judges led by an act of parliament. This statement is wrong because it is the system of appointment and transfer of judges that has been evolved through judgments of Supreme Court and not by an act of parliament or by provision of constitution. The second statement says that the Supreme Court Collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India and comprises four other senior most judges of the court. Yes, from our discussion we know this statement is correct. And the third statement says that a High Court Collegium is led by its Chief Justice and two other senior most judges of the High Court. Yes, this statement is also correct. The correct answer for the question is option B. Only two. With this, let us move on to our next question. This question is about Chandrayaan-3 mission. Three statements are given and we have to find which among them is or the mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3. The first statement says that it is the objective of Chandrayaan-3 mission to demonstrate safe and soft landing on lunar surface. Yes, this statement is correct. The second statement says that it tries to demonstrate rover roving on the moon. This statement is also correct. And from our discussion, we know that the rover was named Pragyan rover. The third statement says that it aims to conduct in situ scientific experiments. This statement is also correct. So, the correct answer for this question is option C. All the three. With this, let us move on to our next question. In this question, four animal species are given and we have to find which among them inhabit the Arctic region. The four species includes M-perupin queen, leopard seal, pandering albatras and bilgwa whale. Except for bilgwa whales, the rest of the fauna are found exclusively in the Antarctic region. They are not found in the Arctic region. So, the correct answer is option A. Only one. With this, let us move on to our next question. This question is about olive ridley turtles. Three statements are given and we have to find the correct ones. The first statement says that olive ridley turtles are classified as critically endangered according to the IUCN. This statement is wrong because it is listed as vulnerable under IUCN red list. Second statement says that olive ridley turtles are distributed across the globe except polar regions. This statement is also incorrect because these turtles are distributed only along the warm waters. That is the circum-tropical distribution. Third statement says that in India, they exhibit synchronized nesting in mass numbers all along the coastline including the island archipelago. This statement is also incorrect. In India, they nest along the eastern coast only. The mass nesting taken place along Ganjam coast and minor pockets along Koramandal and Sri Lankan coast. The question asked for the correct statements. Since all three statements are wrong, the correct answer for the question is option D. None of the above. This is the quiz question for the day. Think well and post the correct answer in the comment section. To know the correct answer, go to our community tab and check out the first pin comment. And these are the main practice questions for the day. The interested aspirants can write the answer and post them on the comment section as well.