UPSC Prelims Facts – 20 December 2024

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National Institute of Siddha (NIS) has set a Guinness World Record for providing Varmam therapy to 567 individuals simultaneously.

  • Traditional healing modality within Siddha system of medicine.
  • Varmam – A South Indian Martial Arts which later evolved into a therapy.
  • Represents an art of unarmed fighting system targeting nerves, veins, joints and organs.

NASA researchers have discovered more dark Comets, Oumuamua-like (a messenger from afar arriving first) objects.

  • Celestial objects that look like asteroids but act like comets and have less surface area for material to form tails.
  • Deviate from expected orbit.
  • Spin quite rapidly and disperse escaping gas and dust in all directions, making them less visible.
  • Follow elongated, elliptical paths that bring them close to the Sun before sweeping back out to the farthest reaches of the Solar System

Hindon River, a rain-fed Yamuna tributary, has turned into a drain of untreated waste, in Uttar Pradesh.

  • Originates from – Lower Shivalik ranges in Uttar Pradesh
  • Major tributaries – Kali (West) River and Krishni River.
  • In 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) declared the Hindon River a “dead river,” citing extreme pollution levels.
    • A dead river is a water body that has lost its ability to support aquatic life and ecosystem functions due to extreme pollution or environmental degradation.

A novel strategy has been developed to control and regulate infrared (IR) radiation

  • A region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 780 nm to 1000 nm.
  • Wavelength lies between Visible and Microwaves.
  • Constitutes about 50% of the Sun’s radiation.
  • Absorbed by the Greenhouse Gases in Earth’s atmosphere.
  • Applications – Thermal Imaging, Astronomical observations etc.

All 17,130 police stations in the country has been linked through Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS).

  • A flagship e-Governance program of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
  • Part of – National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
  • 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
  • Aim – To create a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of policing at all levels
  • Implementing Agency – National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

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