IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Analysis
Archives
(PRELIMS Focus)
THAAD Missile System
Category: Defence and Security
Context:
- Recently, Iran has destroyed a key Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) radar system used by the US to detect and intercept ballistic missiles in the Middle East.
About THAAD Missile System:
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- Full Form: THAAD stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system.
- Nature: It is one of the most advanced missile defence platforms.
- Development: It is developed by the United States to counter ballistic missile threats.
- Hit-to-Kill Technology: Unlike traditional systems that use explosive warheads, THAAD interceptors destroy targets through direct collision, relying solely on kinetic energy.
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- Dual Atmosphere Capability: It is the only U.S. system capable of intercepting missiles both inside (endo-atmospheric) and outside (exo-atmospheric) the Earth’s atmosphere.
- Range: Its range is approximately 150–200 kilometres.
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- Altitude: It can go up to 150 kilometres.
- High Speed: The interceptor can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 8.
- Mobility: The system is truck-mounted and can be rapidly deployed worldwide via air, sea, or land.
- Core Components: A typical THAAD battery is operated by approximately 90–95 personnel and consists of:
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- Interceptors: Eight missiles per launcher; up to 48-72 per battery.
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- Launchers: Six to nine truck-mounted launch vehicles.
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- AN/TPY-2 Radar: A powerful X-band radar used for early detection and tracking of threats at ranges up to 1,000–3,000 km.
- Fire Control & Communications: Coordinates targeting and integrates with other defense systems like Patriot PAC-3 and Aegis.
- Comparison with S-400: While THAAD focuses purely on ballistic missiles using kinetic energy, the Russian S-400 Triumf is more versatile, capable of engaging aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles using various explosive warheads.
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Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
Category: International Organisations
Context:
- Minister of State for Women and Child Development will visit New York, to participate in the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70).
About Commission on the Status of Women (CSW):
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- Nature: It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- Establishment: It was established by ECOSOC resolution of 21 June 1946.
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- Objective: It is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
- Association with UN: It is part of the United Nations, and works to promote women’s political, economic, civil, social, and educational rights.
- Mandate: It is instrumental in promoting women’s and girls’ rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
- Expansion of mandate: In 1996, ECOSOC expanded the Commission’s mandate. It was decided that it should take a leading role in monitoring and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities.
- Major Contributions: The CSW was pivotal in drafting the Beijing Declaration (1995) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).
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- Member States: Forty-five Member States of the United Nations serve as members of the Commission at any one time.
- Election of member states: Member States are elected for a period of four years by the Economic and Social Council on the basis of equitable geographical distribution.
- India’s Role: India was elected to the CSW for the 2021–2025 term.
Source:
Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)
Category: Science and Technology
Context:
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently asked the Broadcast Audience Research Council to suspend publication of Television Rating Points for 4 weeks.
About Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC):
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- Nature: It is a joint industry company founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers and Advertising & Advertising Agencies.
- Mandate: It owns and manages a transparent, accurate, and inclusive TV audience measurement system.
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- Establishment: It was founded in 2010 based on recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and guidelines from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
- Legal Status: It is registered as a not-for-profit company under the Companies Act, 2013.
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- Primary objective: It aims to provide an accurate, reliable, and timely “currency” (Television Rating Points – TRP) for advertisers and broadcasters to trade on.
- Uniqueness: It is the sole body which can measure and publish television audience data in the country.
- Headquarters: It is based in Mumbai, India.
- Ownership Structure: A unique collaboration between three key industry stakeholders:
- Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBDF): 60% stake.
- Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA): 20% stake.
- Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI): 20% stake.
- Technology: It uses Audio Watermarking technology to identify channels through inaudible codes embedded in the content.
- BAR-O-Meters: These “People Meters” are installed in approximately 55,000+ panel homes (scaling to 65,000) to record what is being watched minute-by-minute.
- Reporting: Data is released weekly, typically every Thursday.
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Striped Hyena
Category: Environment and Ecology
Context:
- Recently, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan urged the inclusion of the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) in Appendix I and II of the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS).
About Striped Hyena:
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- Family: It is one of four species belonging to the family Hyaenidae. Other three are the Spotted Hyena, the Brown Hyena and the Aardwolf.
- Appearance: It is a bit smaller than the spotted hyenas and has stripes all over their bodies.
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- Habitat: It inhabits savannas, grasslands, semi-deserts, open woodlands, and mountainous regions.
- Distribution: It is mainly found in South Asia (India, Nepal, Afghanistan), North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia, and Central Asia.
- Territorial boundaries: They are territorial creatures and scent-mark their territorial boundaries as a warning to their rivals.
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- Diet: Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers in terms of their food pattern.
- Dominant females: Adult Striped hyena females are dominant over males and aggressive toward other females.
- Solitary: The striped hyena is generally considered solitary, but has some social organization.
- Movements: It exhibits diverse movement patterns including long-distance dispersal events and seasonal or nomadic movements in response to prey availability and environmental conditions.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN: Near Threatened.
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.
Source:
SWAYATT Initiative
Category: Government Schemes
Context:
- Recently, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated the seven-year journey of its flagship initiative, SWAYATT.
About SWAYATT Initiative:
- Full form: SWAYATT stands for Startups, Women and Youth Advantage through e-Transactions.
- Launch: It was launched in February 2019.
- Objective: It was conceptualised with a clear objective of invigorating participation of women-led enterprises and youth in public procurement.
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- Significance: It democratizes government procurement by enabling startups, women entrepreneurs, youth, last-mile sellers to directly participate in the public procurement ecosystem through Government e-Marketplace.
- Key pillars: The initiative “democratises” government procurement by addressing three critical pillars of business growth:
- Access to Markets: Providing direct linkages between small, local sellers and government buyers, eliminating intermediaries.
- Access to Finance: Assisting emerging enterprises in overcoming financial hurdles through integrated digital payment systems.
- Access to Value-Addition: Enhancing the quality and competitiveness of products through dedicated training and capacity building.
- Dedicated Storefronts: It includes “Womaniya” (for women-led enterprises) and “Startup Runway” to increase visibility for these specific categories among lakhs of government buyers.
- Social Inclusion: It specifically targets Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and entrepreneurs from backward sections.
- Training & Onboarding: GeM conducts workshops and provides toolkits to help first-time sellers navigate the registration and bidding processes
- Women-led Enterprises: Cumulative order value from women entrepreneurs reached ₹83,323 crore by FY 2025–26. Further, women now constitute 8% of the total seller base on GeM.
- MoU with FICCI-FLO: In February 2025, GeM signed a memorandum with the FICCI Ladies Organisation to train and onboard 9,500+ women entrepreneurs directly.
- Future Targets: GeM aims to onboard 1 lakh DPIIT-registered startups and double the share of women entrepreneurs in national procurement from the current 3.78%.
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