UPSC Prelims Facts – 17 April 2025

CBI Launched Operation Chakra-V against Transnational Organized Cybercrime/Digital Arrests.

  • Launched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to combat transnational cyber-enabled financial crimes.
  • Collaboration – Involves partnerships with international agencies like INTERPOL, FBI, and national agencies.
  • Focus Areas – Targets illegal call centers and cybercrime networks, including cryptocurrency scams.
  • Strengthens India’s internal security and international cooperation against cybercrime

Researchers have tested the real-time LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) or rt-LAMP method for early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB).

  • A nucleic acid-based diagnostic test for detecting pathogens, including COVID-19.
  • Advantages – Rapid (results in 45-60 minutes), cost-effective, and deployable in basic lab setups.
  • Comparison – Unlike RT-PCR, it requires minimal expertise and infrastructure.
  • Significance – Enhances accessibility to diagnostics in remote locations

6th edition of Exercise Dustlik started in Pune, Maharashtra.

  • Annual joint military exercise between India and Uzbekistan.
  • Objective – Focuses on counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban terrain under a UN mandate.
  • 1st held in 2019; alternates between India and Uzbekistan.

A recent study shows Surat ETS reduced pollution by 20–30% and cut compliance costs for industries.

  • World’s 1st market for trading particulate matter emissions, initiated in Surat, Gujarat.
  • Mechanism – Cap-and-trade system where industries buy and sell emission permits.
  • Objective – Reduces pollution while minimizing compliance costs for industries.
  • Innovative approach to environmental regulation and pollution control

Google recently launched its 7th-generation TPU, called Ironwood, designed to enhance performance of AI models.

  • Specialized hardware developed by Google for AI tasks, focusing on tensor computations.
  • Efficiency: Optimized for neural networks, enabling faster training and execution compared to CPUs and GPUs.
  • Applications: Used in AI services like Google Search, YouTube, and DeepMind.
  • Revolutionizes AI infrastructure with high-scale computational capabilities

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