CURRENT-AFFAIRS

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• India plans to launch a quantum satellite for secure quantum communications within the next 2-3 years.
• Quantum Satellite
  • Definition: A quantum satellite is a type of communications satellite that utilizes quantum mechanics to secure its transmitted signals.
• Purpose:
  • Boost Signal Security: Safeguard against potential threats posed by quantum computing.
  • Enable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD): Ensure invulnerable encryption using QKD.
• Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD):
  • Quantum Cryptography: This technology leverages quantum physics to protect messages from interception.
  • Quantum Key Distribution (QKD):
  • Function: Ensures the secure exchange of encryption keys, detecting any eavesdropping attempts and halting the transmission if compromised.
• Mechanisms:
  • Quantum Measurement: Any attempt to measure a photon alters its state, signaling potential interception.
  • Quantum Entanglement: Entangled photons are interconnected, so a change in one instantaneously affects the other, ensuring a secure key exchange.
• National Quantum Mission (NQM):
  • Objective: NQM is an initiative by the Department of Science & Technology to fast-track the application of quantum technologies in communication and sensing.
  • Budget and Duration: Approved by the Union Cabinet in April 2023, the program has a budget of ₹6,000 crore and will run from 2023 to 2031.
  • Micius: In 2016, China launched the first-ever quantum communications satellite, Micius.
  • Function: Micius generates entangled photon pairs, where the properties of the photons remain linked over any distance.
  • Significance: This entanglement underpins some of the most secure methods of quantum encryption.

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• The Denali Fault separated the once-connected landmasses.
• Key Findings on the Denali Fault:
  • The Denali Fault, situated in southern Alaska, has been instrumental in shaping Earth's geological history. A recent study reveals that three locations along the Denali Fault were originally part of a single geological formation, marking the final merging of two landmasses millions of years ago. Over 483 km of horizontal movement along the fault gradually separated this unified feature, driven by millions of years of tectonic activity. These sites once formed a terminal suture zone, signifying the last phase of tectonic plate integration into a larger landmass.
• About Fault Lines:
  • Definition: A fault line is the visible surface expression of a geological fault. It marks the fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock caused by the stresses generated by tectonic plate movements.
• Characteristics of Faults:
  • Faults are primarily associated with the movement of Earth's tectonic plates.
  • The largest faults are typically located along plate boundaries.
  • Movement along faults can occur quickly, resulting in earthquakes, or more slowly, as a gradual process called creep.
  • Fault lengths can vary widely, from just a few millimeters to thousands of kilometers, such as the San Andreas Fault in California or the Anatolian Fault in Turkey.
  • Fault surfaces can be horizontal, vertical, or inclined at various angles.
  • Earth scientists classify faults based on the angle of the fault relative to the surface (dip) and the direction of movement along the fault.
• Types of Faults:
  • Strike-Slip Faults: These faults occur when tectonic plates slide past one another horizontally, with minimal vertical movement. They are typically found in areas where lateral stress is dominant. A famous example is the San Andreas Fault in California, known for triggering powerful earthquakes.
  • Normal Faults: These faults occur when one block of rock moves downward, creating space by stretching the Earth's crust. This type of fault often leads to the formation of valleys. Examples include the Basin and Range Province in North America and the East African Rift Zone.
  • Reverse Faults (Thrust Faults): These faults occur when one block of rock moves upward, overriding the other. This process is associated with compression and frequently results in the formation of mountain ranges. Notable examples include the Himalayas, formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and the Rocky Mountains in North America.

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• The Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that India is adopting a careful approach to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to safeguard the interests of farmers and MSMEs, as highlighted during the Bharat@100 Summit by ASSOCHAM.
• Free Trade Agreements (FTAs):
  • Definition: Free Trade Agreements are comprehensive pacts between two or more countries designed to reduce or eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs and import/export restrictions. These agreements provide preferential market access by offering tariff reductions and easing non-tariff barriers.
• Key Features:
  • FTAs cover trade in both goods (including agricultural and industrial products) and services (such as banking, IT, and construction).
  • Advanced FTAs may address areas like investment, intellectual property rights (IPRs), government procurement, and competition policy.
• Types of Trade Agreements:
  • Partial Scope Agreements (PSA): Focus on a limited set of goods.
  • Free Trade Agreements (FTA): Reduce tariffs between member countries while allowing each country to maintain its individual tariff policies with non-members.
  • Customs Union: Establishes a common external tariff for non-member countries.
  • Common Market: Promotes the free movement of goods, services, and factors of production.
  • Economic Union: Harmonizes macroeconomic policies and exchange rate policies among member countries.
• Major Trade Agreements of India:
  • India-ASEAN FTA, India-South Korea CEPA, and proposed agreements like India-UK and India-EU.