Current Affairs 13 January 2026
PSLV
- 3rd generation launch vehicle and is first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
- Workhorse of ISRO: Consistently delivered satellites to Low Earth Orbits, can take up to 1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits of 600 km altitude.
- Stages in PSLV
- First Stage: Uses the S139 solid rocket motor augmented by 6 solid strap-on boosters.
- Second Stage: Uses Earth storable liquid rocket engine known as Vikas engine, developed by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
- Third Stage: Solid rocket motor that provides high thrust to upper stages.
- Fourth Stage: Uppermost stage of PSLV, comprising of two Earth storable liquid engines.
- Notable Missions: Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Aditya-L1 and Astrosat Mission, PSLV set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission in 2017.
POCSO Act
- Purpose: Enacted to protect children (below 18 years) from sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.
- Gender-Neutral: Defines a child as any person below 18 years and applies irrespective of the gender of the child or offender.
- Categorisation of Offences: It classifies sexual offences against children into penetrative and non-penetrative assault, aggravated forms etc. prescribing stringent punishments ranging from imprisonment to life sentence.
- Special Courts: That ensure speedy, in-camera trials within a year, safeguards children from exposure to the accused or hostile questioning, and mandates compensation and rehabilitation for child victims.
Nuclear Fusion Facilities In India
- ADITYA: First indigenously designed and fabricated tokamak in India located at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gujarat and operated since 1989.
- Steady State Superconducting Tokamak (SST-1): Fully commissioned in 2013 at IPR.
Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary
- Geography: Nestled on the western slopes of the Western Ghats.
- Boundaries: It is contiguous with the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka) to the north and the forests of Wayanad to the south.
- River System: Drained by the Cheenkannipuzha, a major tributary of the Valapattanam River.
- Biodiversity: Critical habitat for over 250 species of butterflies, including the endemic Malabar Rose and the Southern Birdwing (India’s largest butterfly).
- Fauna: Elephant, Gaur, Panther, Tiger, Sambar, Wild Boar etc.
Bhadrakali Inscription
- Location: Situated at Prabhas Patan, Gujarat, this 1169 CE inscription is embedded in the wall of the ancient Bhadrakali Temple.
- Context: It serves as a prashasti (eulogy) for Acharya Bhavabrihaspati, the spiritual preceptor of the Solanki (Chaulukya) King Kumarapala.
- Chronology: The record provides a legendary history of the Somnath Temple across the four Yugas, mentioning its construction in gold, silver, wood, and finally stone by Bhimdev Solanki.
- Patronage: It highlights the role of the Solanki dynasty in the temple’s revival, specifically Kumarapala’s efforts in the 12th century.
National Youth Day
- National Youth Day is observed annually on 12th January, commemorating the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, whose ideals of character, courage, service, and nation-building continue to guide India’s youth-centric policies.
- With over 65% of India’s population below 35 years, youth empowerment is central to the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Census 2027
- Phased Timeline: It follows a 2-phase structure, i.e., Phase I (2026) for House-listing and Housing Census, and Phase II (2027) for Population Enumeration.
- House-listing operations will occur from 1st April to 30th September, 2026, with each State and Union Territory completing them within a 30-day window.
- The population enumeration reference date will be 1st March, 2027 (for most of the country), or 1st October, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions like Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
- Legal Basis: The Census is being conducted under Sections 3 and 17A of the Census Act, 1948 by the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI), and supersedes the 2020 notification for the deferred 2021 Census.
- Digital and Self-Enumeration: It will be India’s first digital census, with a formal provision for a 15-day self-enumeration window allowing households to submit data online before an enumerator’s visit.
- It will involve digital tools including GPS tagging, offline data capture (for low-connectivity areas), cloud uploads, and and a Census Management and Monitoring System for near-real-time supervision.
- Expanded Data Points: House-listing includes 34 columns with new parameters: internet access, smartphone ownership, type of gas connection (PNG/LPG), vehicle categorization, drinking water source, and cereal consumption.
- Historic & Political Significance: It will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931 (beyond SCs/STs) and will form the basis for future delimitation of electoral constituencies once the constitutional freeze is lifted.