DAILY PRELIMS CA — 11 SEPTEMBER

Context: Prime Minister of India paid homage to freedom fighter and social reformer Acharya Vinoba Bhave on his birth anniversary.
Ideology & Titles: Spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi | Championed Sarvodaya and non-violence + Revered as National Teacher of India
Early Life: Born Vinayak Narahari Bhave in Raigad, Maharashtra | Joined Gandhi's ashram in 1916 + Named Vinoba after Maharashtra saints
Individual Satyagraha: Chosen by Gandhi as first Individual Satyagrahi in 1940 | Jawaharlal Nehru was second
Constructive Work: Managed Wardha Ashram | Founded Gram Seva Mandal (1934) + Participated in Nagpur Flag Satyagraha (1923)
Literary Works: Translated Bhagavad Gita into Marathi as Geetai | Delivered lectures published as Gita Pravachane + Authored Sthitaprajna-Darshan and Swarajya-Shastra
PYQ Link: First Satyagrahi to launch Individual Civil Disobedience (Prelims 2014)

Context: Adopted at the 14th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting held in Chennai under India's 2026 chairship.
Nature: Outcome framework for BRICS cooperation in science, technology, research infrastructure, and innovation
Objective: Build a people-centred STI ecosystem via shared infrastructure, talent mobility, and responsible frontier technologies
BRICS GRAIN: Global Research Infrastructure Network to improve access to major facilities + enhance researcher mobility
Key Initiatives: Science and Research Repository for mapping datasets | BRICS Startup Innovation Fund exploration
Focus Areas: AI, quantum tech, biotechnology, nanotechnology, geospatial tech, renewable energy, ocean and polar science

Context: Central Government notified the Act to come into force on 1 October 2026 following Presidential assent on 13 August 2026.
Overhaul: Overhauls a 135-year-old evidentiary law | Legalizes bank records as prima facie evidence without producing original physical books
Technology Framework: Establishes a technology-neutral regime covering electronic media, digital entries, virtual environments, and cloud storage
Certification: Validates bank record verification via manual, digital, or electronic signatures
Admissibility Grounds: Requires digital copies to be true representations + free of unauthorized alterations + verified for system integrity
Summons Restriction: Bars routine summoning of bank officials or original books unless the court records special cause in writing
Scope: Covers commercial banks and Post Office Savings Banks + empowers Centre to extend provisions to NBFCs and fintechs

Context: Union Minister for Rural Development launched operational guidelines for DILRMP 3.0 implementation from 2026 to 2031.
Nature: Central Sector Scheme | 100% central funding + performance-linked releases monitored via PFMS
Nodal Agency: Department of Land Resources (DoLR) | Ministry of Rural Development
Objective: Builds a GIS-enabled Land Stack (Digital Public Infrastructure) for dispute-free land governance and transparent administration
Bhu-Aadhaar: Mandates universal 14-digit Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) for geo-referenced land parcels
Mapping: Georeferences spatial cadastral maps + scales NAKSHA pilot project for urban property mapping
Revenue Courts: Integrates RCCMS court management system with land records to automatically display pending litigations

Context: AI safety researchers raised concerns regarding superalignment and the safety risks posed by superhuman AI models.
Definition: AI safety branch focused on aligning superhuman AI systems with human intent and safety boundaries
Distinction: Applies when humans cannot audit intermediate reasoning | Unlike narrow alignment using direct human oversight
Weak-to-Strong Generalisation: Uses smaller aligned models to supervise vastly more capable strong models
Mechanistic Interpretation: Audits neural network internal states to detect deceptive alignment and hidden goals
Instrumental Convergence: Risk of AI acquiring unintended sub-goals like self-preservation or resource acquisition
Sycophancy: Occurs when AI produces outputs exploiting human confirmation bias to pass safety benchmarks

Context: ICAR-Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research recorded cold-water fish Schizopygopsis waddellii for the first time in India.
Taxonomy: Cold-adapted freshwater fish belonging to Cyprinidae family | Belongs to snowtrout group
Distribution: Native to Yamdok Lake in Tibet + recorded at Pangkang Teng Tso Lake in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
Habitat: Cold-water high-altitude oligotrophic lacustrine ecosystems in Eastern Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau
Adaptations: Horny lower-lip plate adapted for scraping algae and biofilm + deeply forked caudal fin
Sexual Dimorphism: Males bear visible nuptial tubercles and spines | Females lack spines and appear duller

Context: Indonesia initiated steps with Indian authorities to repatriate five rescued smuggled baby orangutans from Odisha.
Location: World's largest archipelagic state with over 17,500 islands | Straddles Equator between Indian and Pacific Oceans
Land Borders: Shares land boundaries with Malaysia on Borneo, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste
Tectonics: Situated at collision zone of Eurasian, Indo-Australian, and Pacific/Philippine Sea plates
Continental Shelves: Western islands sit on Sunda Shelf | Eastern islands rest on Sahul Shelf
Volcanism: Part of Pacific Ring of Fire | Houses Krakatoa volcano in Sunda Strait and Lake Toba in Sumatra
Biogeography: Straddles Wallacea transition zone between Asian and Australasian ecozones
Highest Peak: Puncak Jaya located in Maoke Mountains on Papua island

PRELIMS CA 12 SEPT 2026