News in Shorts: 02 April 2025

Open Market Operations (OMO)

Context: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct Open Market Operations (OMO) to purchase government securities worth ₹80,000 crore.

What Are Government Securities?

• These are investment products. 
• Popularly known as G-Secs.
• Issued by: The central government and state governments. 
• Objective: Government issues these securities to raise capital from the general public. 
• Examples: Treasury Bills, Cash Management Bills (CMBs), Dated Government Securities. 

What is OMO?

• Open Market Operations (OMO) is a tool used by central banks like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to manage liquidity in the financial system.
• It involves buying and selling government securities in the open market to control the money supply and ensure financial stability.
• Significance:
• • Regulates liquidity in the economy.
  • Influences interest rates and the availability of credit.
  • Supports economic growth by ensuring financial stability.

How Does OMO Work?

• OMO Purchase (Injecting Liquidity)
  • The central bank buys government securities from the market.
  • This adds money to the banking system, helping to ease liquidity shortages.
• OMO Sale (Absorbing Liquidity)
  • The central bank sells government securities in the market.
  • This removes excess money from the system, helping to control inflation.

Painted Lady Butterflies

Context: Recently, scientists studied genetic Painted lady butterflies to understand genetic differences. 

About Painted Lady Butterflies

• Scientific name: Vanessa cardui
• These butterflies are among the most widespread species, found on every continent except Antarctica and South America.
  • They thrive in diverse climates, from temperate grasslands to deserts.
• Unlike birds, their migration is multi-generational—each butterfly lives only 2-4 weeks, with migration continuing across 8-10 generations.
• In spring, they migrate north from the Sahara to Europe for breeding.
  • By late summer and autumn, their offspring return southward to North Africa.
• The Painted Lady is known for its long-distance migration.

Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025

Context: The fourth edition of Exercise Tiger Triumph between India and the United States, is set to take place on the Eastern Seaboard, Visakhapatnam from April 1 to April 13, 2025. 

About Exercise Tiger Triumph

• Exercise Tiger Triumph, started in 2019, is a bilateral Tri-Service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise.
• Participants: The exercise includes participation from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with their US counterparts.

Objectives of Exercise Tiger Triumph

• Enhancing Interoperability – To ensure smooth coordination between Indian and US Joint Task Forces (JTF) for efficient disaster response.
• Formulating SOPs – Establishing protocols for a CCC to streamline decision-making and coordination in HADR scenarios.
• Joint Training – Improving collaboration in maritime, amphibious, and medical relief operations through shared training and exercises.

Fram2 Mission

Context: Fram2 mission of SpaceX is set to make history as the first-ever human spaceflight to polar orbit. 

About Fram2 Mission

• The Fram2 mission is a human spaceflight undertaken by SpaceX, featuring a crew of four private astronauts.
  • Farm2 Crew Members include Chun Wang (Mission Commander), Jannicke Mikkelsen (Vehicle Commander), Eric Philips (Mission Specialist) and Rabea Rogge (Pilot).
• The mission is named after the Fram ship, a historical vessel used in early 20th-century polar expeditions.
• Launch site: The launch took place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• Orbital Path: Unlike traditional space missions, Fram2 is designed to fly from pole to pole, completing an orbital journey around Earth that no human has attempted before.
  • Fram2 carried four astronauts into a 90-degree circular orbit around Earth, allowing them to fly over both the North and South Poles. 
• Spacecraft: The astronauts are aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, completing each orbit in about 46 minutes.

Significance of the Mission

• This mission is a crucial step toward understanding long-term human spaceflight and its impact on health. 
• Additionally, it sets the foundation for future polar orbit missions, which could support climate research, satellite deployment, and deep-space exploration.

Scientific Objectives and Experiments

• Fram2 will conduct 22 research studies focused on human health in space. 
• Key experiments include:
• • First X-ray in Space – Studying muscle and skeletal mass changes in microgravity.
  • Growing Mushrooms in Microgravity – Exploring fungi’s potential for future space habitats.
  • Studying Natural Phenomena – Observing the Aurora Borealis from a unique vantage point.
  • Operational Autonomy – Testing the ability to exit the spacecraft without medical or operational assistance.
  • Polar environmental data collection: The crew will take information regarding Earth’s polar regions.
    • This data is vital for understanding climate change and designing disaster response tactics.
  • Testing physical readiness post-mission: The crew will perform tests on their physical readiness for post-mission recovery.
    • It will help understand the difficulties astronauts might encounter on Mars.

What is a Polar Orbit?

• A polar orbit is a type of satellite orbit that passes over Earth’s poles, traveling from north to south (or vice versa) on each revolution. 
• Unlike equatorial orbits, which circle the planet along the equator, polar orbits allow a spacecraft to cover the entire surface of the Earth over time.

Why is Studying Polar Orbits Important?

• Global Coverage and Earth Observation: Because a polar-orbiting satellite moves over different parts of Earth with each pass, it can provide complete global coverage over multiple orbits.
  • This makes it ideal for climate monitoring, weather forecasting, and environmental studies.
• Polar Region Studies: The Arctic and Antarctic are critical to understanding climate change, as they are among the most sensitive regions to global warming.
• Scientific and Spaceflight Research: Conducting experiments in a polar orbit allows for unique perspectives on Earth’s magnetic field, auroras, and atmospheric dynamics.
  • It also provides insights into how microgravity and radiation exposure vary at different latitudes.

New Moons Around Saturn

Context: Astronomers in Taiwan discovered 128 new moons orbiting Saturn.

• Highest number of moons: The discovery, led by Edward Ashton at Academia Sinica, has made Saturn the planet with the most confirmed moons in the solar system.
  • With a total of 274 moons, Saturn has more moons than all other planets combined.

How the Moons Were Discovered? 

• Scientists used stacking images from the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope to detect these moons.
• Some moons were previously discovered during space missions, such as Voyager 1, and through ring-plane crossings when Saturn’s rings appear edge-on from Earth.

Characteristics of the New Moons

• All the newly discovered moons are classified as “irregular” moons.
• Unlike regular moons, irregular moons follow elliptical orbits at various angles instead of circular paths around the planet’s equator.
• Scientists believe these moons were once small planets captured by Saturn’s gravity and later fragmented due to collisions.

The Race Between Saturn and Jupiter

• Saturn and Jupiter have been competing for the most moons.
• In 2019, Saturn took the lead with 82 moons, but Jupiter briefly reclaimed the title in 2023.
• Later in 2023, 62 more moons were discovered around Saturn, solidifying its lead.
• Currently Jupiter has 95 moons that have been officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

Scientific Importance of the Discovery

• These moons provide insights into Saturn’s ring formation.
• Scientists believe Saturn’s rings consist of ice and rock fragments from destroyed moons, asteroids, and comets.
• The study of irregular moons helps understand the evolution of the solar system.

Naming the New Moons

• The International Astronomical Union governs the naming of celestial bodies.
• Saturn’s moons are traditionally named after mythological figures from Greco-Roman and other cultures.
• The newly discovered moons currently have technical designations like “S/2020 S 27” until official names are assigned.

INSV Tarini

Context: INSV Tarini reached Cape Town, South Africa, marking the final international stop in its global circumnavigation, Navika Sagar Parikrama II.

• The vessel is crewed by Lt Cdr Dilna K. and Lt Cdr Roopa A., completing over 23,400 nautical miles across three oceans.
• The expedition began in Goa on October 2, 2024, and will conclude in May 2025 upon its return to India.

About INSV Tarini

• INSV Tarini is an indigenously built, 56-foot sailing vessel commissioned into the Indian Navy in February 2017.
• It was built by Aquarius Shipyard Ltd., Goa, under the Make in India initiative.
• The vessel is named after Tara-Tarini hill shrine in Odisha, historically revered by sailors for safe voyages.

Features of INSV Tarini

• Equipped with a Raymarine navigation suite, satellite communication systems, and emergency steering mechanisms.
• Designed to withstand extreme maritime conditions, including high-speed winds and rough seas.
• Based on the Dutch ‘Tonga 56’ design, making it a robust and seaworthy sailing vessel.

Significance of the Expedition

• Navika Sagar Parikrama II aims to promote ocean sailing and showcase women’s leadership in maritime exploration.
• The mission strengthens India’s naval capabilities and international maritime cooperation.
• INSV Tarini previously gained recognition when an all-women crew completed a global circumnavigation in 2017-18.

‘Blindsight’ Chip

Context: Elon Musk’s brain chip startup Neuralink aims to have its artificial visual prosthesis, Blindsight, implanted in a human for the first time by the end of 2025.

About The Blindsight’ Chip

• Blindsight is an experimental implant device which operates by directly stimulating the brain’s visual cortex eliminating the need for working eyes or optic nerves.
  • Visual Cortex: It is a region of the cerebral cortex (outermost layer of nerve cell tissues) that is responsible for processing visual data relayed from the retinas.
• Component: Blindsight comprises a microelectrode array that is embedded in the visual cortex, the part of the brain responsible for processing visual data.
• Working Mechanism: It is reportedly capable of stimulating neurons or nerve cells located in the visual cortex based on patterns relayed from a camera.
• Aim: The chip is aimed at enabling people with permanent blindness (lost both eyes and their optic nerve) to see provided the visual cortex is intact
  • It will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.
• Technology: The Blindsight chip was developed using the brain-computer interface (BCI) technology
  • The BCI technology aimed to create a universal brain interface that enhances independence for individuals with serious medical conditions.
• Regained Vision: Blindsight would only be capable of providing low-resolution vision, like ‘Atari Graphics’ but eventually it has the potential to surpass natural vision enabling one to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths.
• Recognition: The experimental device was granted ‘breakthrough’ status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • The FDA’s breakthrough tag is given to medical devices that provide treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening conditions.

BIMSTEC

Context: The 6th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is set to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC,”

About BIMSTEC

• BIMSTEC is a multilateral regional organization established with the aim of accelerating shared growth and cooperation between littoral and adjacent countries in the Bay of Bengal region.
• It was founded as BIST-EC, in June 1997, with the adoption of the Bangkok Declaration, with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand as members. 
  • It became BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) with the entry of Myanmar in late 1997,
  • And eventually, it was named in its current form, when Nepal and Bhutan became members in 2004.
• Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Membership: It has a total of seven member countries:
  • Five from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka;
  • Two from Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand.

Chile

Context: Recently, the President of the Republic of Chile, H.E. Mr. Gabriel Boric Font is on a State visit to India from 1-5 April, 2025, commemorating the completion of 76 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

About Chile

• Location: In South America, Occupies a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. 
• Boundaries: It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, and Argentina to the east. 
• Desert: The Atacama Desert, one of the driest non-polar deserts in the world, is located in northern Chile. 
• Longest River: Loa River. 
• Highest Peak: Ojos del Salado in the Andes (Highest volcano on Earth)
• Capital: Santiago.
• Official Language: Spanish.
• Minerals:. 
• • Copper: Copper mining is a significant part of Chile’s economy, contributing to a large portion of its GDP and exports. 
  • Lithium Triangle: Part of the “lithium triangle” along with Argentina and Bolivia. 
    • Chile: world’s largest lithium reserves
• OECD: Chile became the first South American country to join the OECD in May 2010.