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EVENTS 31
Insights DailyCurrent Events, 08January 2015BY INSIGHTS · JANUARY 8, 2015
Insights Daily CurrentEvents, 08 January 2015
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Restriction on production ofNeem coated Urea removed
The Government has taken steps to
encourage production and availability of
fortified and coated urea in the country. In
this regard, the cap / restrictions to produce
Neem coated urea has been removed.
Impacts:
Using neem coated urea will not only
increase crop yields but also lower input
cost to farmers.
It will also reduce imports of precious
fertilizers as well as reduce ground and
soil pollution.
Some facts:
Presently India is using only 60 lakh mt
neem coated urea which can be
increased to full demand of 310 lakh MT
in the country.
Coated urea is costly by 5% compared to
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plain prilled urea but it reduces Nitrogen
loss by more than 10%, thereby incurring
a net savings of Rs. 13.5 per bag for
farmers.
Due to higher nitrogen use efficiency, the
use of nitrogen coated urea can also
eliminate import of urea resulting in
huge foreign exchange savings.
Presently, India is importing about 71
lakh MT urea.
Additionally, farmers will also get
advantage of better yield, less pest attack
due to less use of urea which will also
ensure better NPK use ratio and
balanced use of fertilizers.
There is adequate availability of fertilizers in
the country.
Sources: PIB.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015
6)Geography of India Majid
Hussain
7) Ethics In Governance
8)India After Gandhi: The
History Of The World's Largest
Democracy
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External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs
Minister inaugurated the Youth Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas in Gandhinagar, as a
precursor to the main Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas.
The minister cited the importance of
three ‘Cs’ in bringing about synergy
among Indians worldwide: Come,
Connect, and Contribute.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated
on 9th January every year to mark the
contribution of Overseas Indian community
in the development of India.
Why January 9?
January 9 was chosen as the day to
celebrate this occasion since it was on
this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi,
the greatest Pravasi, returned to India
from South Africa, led India’s freedom
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RECENT COMMENTS
Anwar on 9) Should
happiness be the ultimate goal in
one’s life? Where do you find
happiness in your daily life? In
your opinion, what constitutes
real happiness for you? Explain.
Meera on 4) In the USA, a
war of words is being waged
April 20158 APR, 2015
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struggle and changed the lives of Indians
forever.
Background:
PBD conventions are being held every
year since 2003.
These conventions provide a platform to
the overseas Indian community to
engage with the government and people
of the land of their ancestors for
mutually beneficial activities.
These conventions are also very useful in
networking among the overseas Indian
community residing in various parts of
the world and enable them to share their
experiences in various fields.
During the event, individuals of
exceptional merit are honoured with the
prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Award to appreciate their role in India’s
growth.
The event also provides a forum for
discussing key issues concerning the
against each other between some
civil society organisations and
telecom providers about an issue
related to whether broadband
service providers should be
designated as “common carriers”
or not. Critically comment on
this issue and examine if India
should be worried in future on
this issue.
ARJUN V KARTHA on 2)
India recently launched National
Air Quality Index to provide real
time data on air quality in some
of India’s bigger cities. Write a
critical note on this policy
initiative and examine if
anything more needs to be done
to tackle air pollution in Indian
cities.
Roshan Tiwari on 4) “The
problem in establishing strategic
presence in the Indian Ocean
region is that India’s ambitions
seem to be running ahead of its
capacity.” In the light of slew of
[Insights Secure – 2015] UPSC MainsQuestions from Static Portion: 08April 20158 APR, 2015
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Indian Diaspora.
The decision to celebrate Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas was taken in accordance
with recommendations of the High Level
Committee (HLC) on the Indian
Diaspora set up by government of India
under the chairmanship of L. M. Singhvi.
The then Prime Minister of India, Shri
Atal Bihari Bajpayee after receiving the
report of the Committee at a public
function at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi
on 8 January 2002, announced the
“Pravasi Bharatiya Divas”(PBD) on 9
January that year.
Sources: PIB, moia.gov.in, pbdindia.com.
Citizenship (Amendment)Ordinance, 2015Promulgated
The President of India has promulgated the
projects announced by India in
the Indian Ocean region,
comment on the statement.
sonam on Insights Daily
Current Events, 11 April 2015
Ak on 9) Should happiness be
the ultimate goal in one’s life?
Where do you find happiness in
your daily life? In your opinion,
what constitutes real happiness
for you? Explain.
Ak on 9) Should happiness be
the ultimate goal in one’s life?
Where do you find happiness in
your daily life? In your opinion,
what constitutes real happiness
for you? Explain.
Panthera on Insights Daily
Current Events, 11 April 2015
nitish on Insights Daily
Current Events, 11 April 2015
nitish on Insights Daily
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Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015
on January 06, 2015 with immediate effect
which provides for the following
amendments to the Indian Citizen Act, 1955:
At present one year continuous stay in
India is mandatory for Indian
Citizenship which is relaxed stating that
if the Central Government is satisfied
that special circumstances exist, it may,
after recording such circumstances in
writing, relax the period of twelve
months specified upto a maximum of
thirty days which may be in different
breaks.
To enable for registration as Overseas
Citizen of India (OCI) by a minor, whose
parents are Indian Citizens.
To enable for registration as Overseas
Citizen of India (OCI) by a child or a
grandchild or a great grandchild of such
a citizen.
To enable for registration as Overseas
Current Events, 11 April 2015
ThirdEye on 2) Recently, the
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO)
published the “Education for All”
Global Monitoring Report to
evaluate the progress of
countries on these goals.
Critically comment on its
findings on India’s performance.
geetanjali on 1) Little
understood western disturbances
have been blamed for most of the
freak weather events in India in
the past decade. What do you
understand by these ‘Western
Disturbances’? How do they
originate and what effect they
have on India’s economy?
Discuss.
mounica on FEEDBACK
surendra kumar Agraharapu
on Insights Secure – 2015:
[HINDI MEDIUM] Insights Secure –2015: Questions on Current Events,20 March 2015
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Citizen of India (OCI) by such spouse of
a citizen of India or spouse of an OCI
registered under Section 7A and whose
marriage has been registered and
subsisted for a continuous period of not
less than two years immediately
preceding the presentation of the
application under this section.
In respect of existing PIO card holders
central government may, by notification
in Official Gazette, specify a particular
date from which all existing PIO card
holders will be deemed to be OCI card
holders.
Citizenship act 1955:
The Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for
acquisition, termination, deprivation,
determination of Indian Citizenship and
other related aspects. The Act provides for
acquisition of Indian citizenship by birth,
descent, registration, naturalization and
incorporation of territory under certain
Question from Static Portion, 9 &
10 April 2015
ashu on Insights Secure –
2015: Hindi Medium
gajender on 9) Should
happiness be the ultimate goal in
one’s life? Where do you find
happiness in your daily life? In
your opinion, what constitutes
real happiness for you? Explain.
Abhishek sharma on 4) How
has recent election outcome in
Israel altered the possibility of
granting independent statehood
to Palestine? Also examine if
there is any change in India’s
policy towards Palestine in
recent months.
Sujata on 8) A new study has
found that the dispersant used
as a remedial measure to clean
the ocean basin after the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico is more toxic
Lok Sabha TV Insights: Obama inIndia: Symbolism and Substance27 JAN, 2015
LokSabha TV Insights: Air Pollutionin Delhi20 JAN, 2015
REFERENCE BOOKS LIST
PIB FEATURES
Dr. Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar:AUGUST 4, 2015
Swami Amarnath Ji Yatra – A Testimony of
FaithJULY 4, 2015
A leap towards hasslefree proceduresJULY 4, 2015
Organ Donation and Transplantation
Provides Second LifeJULY 4, 2015
Right to Legal Aid; A Constitutional
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circumstances, and also for the termination
and deprivation of citizenship.
The act has been amended by the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act 1986, the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act 1992, the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act 2003, and the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2005.
The Original Act provided:
a person born in India after 26 January
1950 would, subject to certain exceptions
be a citizen of India by Birth
anyone born outside India after 26
January 1950, subject to certain
requirements, would be a citizen of India
if his/her father was an Indian citizen at
the time of his/her birth
under certain conditions, certain
category of persons could acquire Indian
citizenship by registration in prescribed
manner
foreigners could acquire Indian
to corals than the spilled oil.
Examine why and what are its
adverse effects?
Sujata on 8) A new study has
found that the dispersant used
as a remedial measure to clean
the ocean basin after the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico is more toxic
to corals than the spilled oil.
Examine why and what are its
adverse effects?
Sujata on 8) A new study has
found that the dispersant used
as a remedial measure to clean
the ocean basin after the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico is more toxic
to corals than the spilled oil.
Examine why and what are its
adverse effects?
CommitmentJULY 4, 2015
Long Term Strategy to Increase Production
and Productivity in Agriculture SectorJULY 4, 2015
“Knowledge Based Information” To Farmers:
Technology Based Initiatives in Agriculture
SectorJULY 4, 2015
Monitoring one of the largest full
immunization programmes of the worldJUNE 4, 2015
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana A
New Direction Towards Empowerment of
YouthJANUARY 4, 2015
Coal Auction Proceeds Cross Rs 1.93 Lakh
Crore; Shining Example of Policy Driven
Governance for Developing Graft Free &
Transparent System
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citizenship on application for
naturalization on certain conditions
if any territory became part of India, the
Government of India could by order
specify the persons who would become
citizens of India as a result thereof
citizenship could be lost by termination,
renunciation or deprivation on certain
grounds
A citizen of commonwealth country
would have the status of commonwealth
citizen of India. Government could make
suitable provisions on the basis of
reciprocity.
Sources: PIB, Wiki.
BCCI should pay service taxfor recording matches: SC
The Supreme Court has said the Board of
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Control for Cricket in India would have to
pay service tax for recording cricket matches,
as it was a “service provider.”
Background:
The BCCI had moved the court against
an order by the Central Excise and
Service Tax Appellate Tribunal directing
it to pay Rs. 18 crore as service tax for
recording matches between 2006 and
2010.
The cricketing body argued that merely
recording a match was not part of
production of a programme, and could
not be included as an act attracting
service tax.
It argued that camerapersons deployed
just recorded the matches and this could
not be described as production.
But the court did not agree with the
cricketing body’s arguments.
The SC said the recording of a cricket match
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eventually amounted to programming
because the visuals were watched by millions
of people.
Service tax is a tax levied by the government
on service providers on certain service
transactions. It is categorized under Indirect
Tax and came into existence under the
Finance Act, 1994.
Sources: The Hindu.
CIC plans action againstparties
Faced with the worst case of defiance of its
orders, the Central Information Commission
will rule shortly on action to be taken against
political parties which refuse to comply with
the Right to Information Act.
Issue:
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Eighteen months after it ruled that six
national political parties, which enjoy
considerable public funding, should be
designated as ‘public authorities’ under
the RTI Act, a full bench of the CIC held
a hearing on their continued non
compliance.
Yet again, not a single party
representative attended the hearing, and
none of the parties challenged the June
2013 ruling either.
For the CIC, this is the first time it is faced
with complete and continued defiance of its
orders.
The Central Information Commission (CIC)
is set up under the Right to Information Act
and is the authorised body, established in
2005, under the Government of India.
The Chief Information Commissioner heads
the Central Information Commission, the
body that hears appeals from information
seekers who have not been satisfied by the
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public authority, and also addresses major
issues concerning the RTI Act.
Sources: The Hindu, cic.gov.in.
Rock paintings at risk offading away
The rock paintings in the MarayurChinnar
forest belt of Kerala, the second largest
concentration of cave paintings in south
India, are at high risk of degeneration.
As per isolated studies conducted so far,
there are 21 cave paintings of red ochre
in this KeralaTamil Nadu region.
Over 50 caves, situated in the forest belt,
are believed to be of the prehistoric
period.
The cave paintings in Ezhuthala and
Attala in Marayur sandal division, the
most noted ones, were in more danger.
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Problem:
The rock paintings were in the eastern
slope of the Western Ghats, at around
3,000 metres above sea level. The sandy
rocks were highly prone to degeneration.
It is the duty of the Archaeological Survey of
India to protect these paintings.
ASI:
The Archaeological Survey of India is an
Indian government agency in the
Department of Culture that is responsible for
archaeological studies and the preservation
of cultural monuments.
The ASI’s function is to “explore,
excavate, conserve, preserve and protect
the monuments and sites of National &
International Importance.”
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
is the successor of the Asiatic
Society of British archaeologist Sir
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William Jones, founded January 15,
1784. In 1788 it begun to publish a
journal The Asiatic Researches and in
1814 built its first museum in Bengal.
The ASI in its current form was founded
in 1861 under British colonial
administration by Sir Alexander
Cunningham with the help of the then
Viceroy Canning.
ASI administers 3636 monuments it has
declared to be of national importance
under the provisions of the Antiquity
and Art Treasure Act 1972.
Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, asi.nic.in.
Classical status for Marathisoon
The Centre is expediting the process to
declare Marathi a classical language.
Criteria for declaration of a language as a
4/12/2015 Insights Daily Current Events, 08 January 2015 | INSIGHTS
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Classical Language are:
High antiquity of its early texts/recorded
history over a period of 15002000
years;
A body of ancient literature/texts, which
is considered a valuable heritage by
generations of speakers;
The literary tradition should be original
and not borrowed from another speech
community;
The classical language and literature
being distinct from modern, there may
also be a discontinuity between the
classical language and its later forms or
its offshoots.
The government of India has declared Tamil,
Sanskrit, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and
Odiya as classical languages.
The benefits that will accrue to a language
declared as “Classical Language” are:
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Two major international awards for
scholars of eminence in Classical Indian
Languages are awarded annually.
A ‘Centre of Excellence for Studies in
Classical Languages’ will be set up.
The University Grants Commission will
be requested to create, to start with at
least in the Central Universities, a
certain number of Professional Chairs
for Classical Languages for scholars of
eminence in Classical Indian Languages.
Sources: The Hindu, PIB, Wiki.
Atul Khare is U.N. UnderSecretaryGeneral
United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki
moon has announced the appointment of
Atul Khare of India as UnderSecretary
General, Department of Field Support (DFS).
He succeeds Ameerah Haq of
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Bangladesh.
An UnderSecretaryGeneral of the United
Nations (USG) is a senior official within the
United Nations System, normally appointed
by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the SecretaryGeneral
for a renewable term of four years.
USGs have diplomatic rank equivalent to that
of a national cabinet minister. Under Article
105 of the United Nations Charter they have
diplomatic immunity.
Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.
Eurozone pricefall fuelsdeflation fears
Recently released Data shows that the
eurozone slipped into deflationary territory
in December for the first time since the
height of the financial crisis in 2009
challenging the European Central Bank
(ECB) to take action to avert a new economic
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crisis in Europe.
Details:
Consumer prices in the single currency
area fell 0.2 per cent last month, dragged
down by plummeting oil prices and
signalling big problems ahead with
renewed crisis in debtplagued Greece
also on the horizon.
World stocks nosedived and the euro
struck nine year lows against the dollar
this week on renewed fears of a Greek
exit from the eurozone if pollleading
leftists win snap elections this month in
Athens.
Amid the instability, the first confirmed
sign of a real fall in prices since the
financial crisis could force the ECB’s
hand to do more to prop up the single
currency.
ECB is now under pressure to quickly put
prices back in positive territory.
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Deflation is a decrease in the general price
level of goods and services. Deflation occurs
when the inflation rate falls below 0% (a
negative inflation rate). This should not be
confused with disinflation, a slowdown in
the inflation rate (i.e., when inflation
declines to lower levels). Inflation reduces
the real value of money over time;
conversely, deflation increases the real
value of money – the currency of a national
or regional economy. This allows one to buy
more goods with the same amount of money
over time.
The Eurozone is an economic and
monetary union (EMU) of 19 European
Union (EU) member states that have
adopted the euro (€) as their common
currency and sole legal tender.
Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.
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Embankments are sinkingBangladesh’s islands
Recent studies reveal that Bangladesh’s
estuarine islands are sinking, and ironically,
this could owe to embankments built to
protect them from tidal erosion. Some
islands have sunk by as much as 1.5 metres in
the last 50 years.
Reasons:
Earthen embankments built,
to protect fields against tidal and storm
surge inundation and buffering them
against floods, have also prevented the
deposition of sediment that helps
maintain an elevation in this area.
The loss of elevation was felt most
significantly during the 2009 cyclone
Alia when large areas of land were left
inundated for upto two years.
Deforestation and a regionally increased
tidal range have contributed to the
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phenomenon.
The study therefore implicates “direct human
modification of the environment” and not
global sealevel rise as the most important
agent of change in the western Ganges
Brahmaputra tidal delta plain.
Experts say that it is possible to recover some
of the lost ground. “Controlled breaching of
embankments” can restore elevation and
relieve environmental problems. The silver
lining for Bangladesh and the delta system
remains the one billion tons of river
sediment that may be effectively dispersed
onto the landscape to alleviate elevation
deficits.
Sources: The Hindu.
What will be the IndiabasedNeutrino Observatory’simpact?
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The Union Cabinet recently approved the
Indiabased Neutrino Observatory project.
Coming soon after the approval of the 30
metre telescope which will be located in
Hawaii, this decision will cause India to step
into big fundamental science.
The three types of neutrinos, which were
initially thought to be massless, are now
believed to have a small mass.
This was shown by observations of
neutrino oscillation, which is a
phenomenon by which one type of
neutrino transforms into another.
There is a hierarchy among the masses of
these three types of neutrino and the
experiments at the INO will study this
mass ordering using a magnetised iron
calorimeter (ICAL). The ICAL is a
massive detector which will be made of
iron — 50,000 tonnes of it. The project
will be housed in the 63 acres of land,
about 2 km away from the settlement, in
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the Bodi West Hills about 100 km from
Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
About the project:
The Indiabased Neutrino Observatory (INO)
Project is a multiinstitutional effort aimed at
building a worldclass underground
laboratory with a rock cover of
approximately 1200 m for nonaccelerator
based high energy and nuclear physics
research in India.
It is anticipated to provide a precise
measurement of neutrino mixing
parameters.
The project, expected to be completed in
2015 at an estimated cost of INR 1,500
crores, has been cleared by the Ministry
of Environment for construction in the
Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the
Theni district of Tamil Nadu. When
completed, the INO will house the
world’s most massive magnet, four times
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larger than the 12,500tonne magnet in
the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at
CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
The initial goal of INO is to study
neutrinos. According to standard model
of particle physics, they are mass less.
However recent experiments indicate
that these chargeneutral fundamental
particles, have finite but small mass
which is unknown. They oscillate
between flavours as they propagate.
Determination of neutrino masses and
mixing parameters is one of the most
important open problems in physics
today.
The ICAL detector is designed to address
some of these key open problems in a
unique way. Over the years this
underground facility is expected to
develop into a fullfledged underground
science laboratory for other studies in
physics, biology, geology, hydrology etc.
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Impact on surroundings:
Experts say that it will not affect the
stability of the surrounding hills.
The impact will be mainly during
construction period; after construction
ends within a few years, the lab will be
maintained by a small staff with some
students and scientists and will have
negligible environmental impact. The
GOI has assured that all efforts will be
made to minimise and manage the
impact during construction.
Need for such a massive detector and for
drilling underground:
The neutrinos interact very weakly with
the surroundings. We are all being
washed by a stream of neutrinos every
passing minute as they just pass through
us without leaving a trace. It is
impossible to detect them on the surface
of earth.
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Since they interact so weakly, detecting
them over other interactions is
impossible. So, there is a need to have a
barrier of at least 1 km of earth to block
out other radiation and particles, such as
muons from cosmic rays.
This is the reason scientists are going
underground. They will construct a
tunnel at a depth of 1,300 metres below
the peak.
What are the benefits to local people from
this project?
The construction contract will specify
that local labour should be used, based
on the skill levels, to the maximum
extent possible.
Furthermore, gainful employment will
be there for a small number of people by
way of sourcing of services and daily
needs for the INO facility and for the
upkeep of buildings and landscapes.
A major benefit will be for schools and
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colleges in the region as the students
interested in science can benefit from the
outreach activities as well as doing
projects at the lab.
Efforts are being made to improve the
infrastructure and academic standards of
the surrounding schools as permitted by
governing rules. Exhibitions and other
similar facilities will be arranged to
enhance the scientific spirit of the local
youngsters, etc.
What are neutrinos?
Neutrinos are tiny, neutral, elementary
particles which interact with matter via the
weak force. The weakness of this force gives
neutrinos the property that matter is almost
trans parent to them. The Sun, and all other
stars, produce neutrinos copiously due to
nuclear fusion and decay processes within
their core.
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Since they rarely interact, these
neutrinos pass through the Sun, and
even the Earth, unhindered. There are
many other natural sources of neutrinos
including exploding stars (supernovae),
relic neutrinos, natural radioactivity, and
cosmic ray interactions in the
atmosphere of the Earth.
The neutrino was proposed by Wolfgang
Pauli in 1930; but it took another 26
years for it to be actually detected. In
1956 Reines and Cowan found evidence
of neutrino interactions by monitoring a
volume of cadmium chloride with
scintillating liquid near to a nuclear
reactor. Reines was jointly awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 in part for
this revolutionary work.
We now know that not just one but at
least three types or flavours of neutrinos
and their antiparticles exist in nature.
They have a tiny mass whose value is still
not known.
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Tags: 2015 current events
Aspirant eThank u insight .. For including sciencesection as well.. Greta effortavsSimply Awesome… great work guys.. ias aspirantSo much helpful.. Thanx insightuddiptocan someone please tell me which edition oframesh singhs economy book do i buy for2015 upsc exam? 4th ,5th or 6th?xyz6thlearnerbuy the 6th one.its fully updatednida quadeer
Sources: The Hindu, Wiki,
http://www.ino.tifr.res.in/.
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greatramanexcellentdaljeet singhEvery day I read this section, I thank youpeople from the core of my heart….thank youinsight.AshokDay by your news covering is being Excellentand Fabulous….DemosThank you! for such a great service.nitinI am fed up of thanking you guys….yet I sayagain. Thanks a lot guys….Please be with usthroughout the journeyPramodexcellentTeenaThanks. Providing the sources also is a greatidea.Keep it up.chandrastupendous thanx for ur work but thanx isvery small word to xplain my feeling………..again thanx insight !!!Chandra Sekhar Naik Mthanks a lot
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INSIGHTS teamMalappa Shivoorthank u sir and mamFeldsparThanks Insights.Mayureshthank uजफरश瀐ಘदᜀىخ मⰥ कहा नह㸷ľ 怛呁कया जा सकता ह।kumargood workkeep it up….modiKoti koti dhanyabaadgreatThankuuuu insight!!!Ashish kumar guptaDOSTO IAS TOPPER 2015 APKE BEECHAA GAYA HAI !MinakshiINO, The project, expected to be completedin 2015 ? can you please re confirm this?siddhuyeah 2015aditi dubeyI would like to start answer writing. Butunable to right. Bcz of lack of content andpractice.
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Please suggest from where and how tostart.??EvolvingThank YouAkash KumarGood jobvishalreally i am impressed with the effort.what anamazing work.Manju S K SFantastic Insight…… Tnx
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