Prelims & Mains

Daily Live @ 8 Am By Rahul Bhardwaj

Daily Current Affairs - February 2024

● Ultradian Rhythms
● Ethnic Tensions in Congo
● Wader bird
● Lakshadweep as a logistics hub
● Floor Test & Composite Floor Test
● Mains Answer Writing
Rahul Bhardwaj Official

https://t.me/upsc_rahulbhardwaj
Science & Technology:
● Ultradian means “many times a day.” Rhythms
refers to the regular oscillating (up-and-down)
wave patterns these cycles follow.
●
● The Oxford English Dictionary's definition of
Ultradian specifies that it refers to cycles with a
period shorter than a day but longer than an
hour.
●
● The primary purpose of ultradian rhythms is to
manage the cycles of energy production, output,
and recovery that occur in all humans (as well as
animals, plants, yeast, and fungi).
●
● They govern various physiological processes,
including heartbeat, breathing, hormonal
release, and brain-wave activity.
● One of the more better-known among them is the sleep cycle,
characterised by alternating periods of rapid eye movement
(REM) and non-REM sleep.
●
● Through the night, individuals cycle through these stages multiple
times, with each cycle typically lasting around 90 minutes.
● During REM sleep, the individual dreams, while non-REM sleep is
crucial for the individual to restore themselves physically and
consolidate their memories.
●
● Ultradian rhythms also influence patterns of hormone release, such
as the pulsatile secretion of growth hormone, cortisol, and insulin.
● These hormonal fluctuations are essential for individuals to regulate
metabolism, energy levels, and stress responses through the day.
●
● In contrast, circadian rhythms complete one cycle daily, while
infradian rhythms such as the menstrual cycle have periods
longer than a day.
Environment & Geography:
GS Paper 2
Polity
What is a floor test?

● A floor test (also called a ‘trust vote’) is held in legislative bodies,

to find out whether the government that is suspected to have lost the
majority still retains the confidence of the House. This is done
through a vote among the members.

● When the House is in session, it is the Speaker who can call for a
floor test. But when the Assembly is not in session, the Governor’s
residuary powers under Article 163 allow him to call for a floor test.
●
● Further, “In 2020, the Supreme Court, in Shivraj Singh Chouhan &
Ors versus Speaker, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly & Ors,
upheld the powers of the Speaker to call for a floor test if there is a
prima facie view that the government has lost its majority.”
What happens during a floor test?

● In case the majority held by the government is questioned, the

leader of the party which claims to have the majority has to
move a vote of confidence and prove a majority among those
present and voting.
●
● If the majority of members vote in favour, the government
survives; if the CM loses the vote, the government has to resign.
This happens both in Parliament and the state Legislative
Assemblies.
●
● Voting can be conducted by either a voice vote, in which MLAs
respond to the motion verbally. Voting electronically involves the
casting of votes by pressing a button, after which the numbers for
each side are displayed on a board. In a physical division of votes,
lawmakers cast votes in a ballot box, which are then counted.
● Also in situations when there are differences within a
coalition government, the Governor can ask the
Chief Minister to prove majority in the house.
●
● There is another test, the Composite Floor Test,
which is conducted only when more than one
person stakes a claim to form the government.
When the majority is not clear, the governor might
call for a special session to see who has the
majority.
●
● In division vote, voting can be done through
electronic gadgets, ballots or slips. The person who
has the majority will form the government.
●
● In case of a tie, the speaker can also cast his vote.
GS Paper 2- International Relations:
● The conflict in the DRC dates back to the 1990s when
it went through two civil wars in 1996 and 1998.
●
● The conflict erupted in the wake of the Rwandan
genocide in 1994 where ethnic Hutu extremists
killed nearly one million minority Tutsis and
non-extremist Hutus.
●
● Following the Rwandan genocide, around two million
Hutu refugees crossed Rwanda into North Kivu and
South Kivu provinces of DRC. They organised ethnic
militias in DRC fearing prosecution.
●
● The multiple rebel groups and several actors fighting
in the region have carried out widespread killing,
sexual violence and massive human rights atrocities.
● ethnic intolerance and insurgency
● The number of people who have been internally displaced in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 6.9
million.
●
● In the eastern province of North Kivu, nearly a million people
have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict with the
rebel group, Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23). Tutsi-led
led-M23 rebel campaign
●
● Then there is Rwanda who the DRC accuses of supporting
the Tutsi-led M23 group. In contrast, Rwanda claims the DRC
supports the Hutu militias who carried out the Rwandan
genocide in 1994 and fled to eastern DRC.
●
● The armed groups have been supported by the governments
of Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi at various points, acting as
proxies for each country’s interests in the region.
GS Paper 3
Indian Economy
● Beyond tourist facilities, there is a need to develop
the region’s cargo-handling infrastructure
●
● It must be remembered Lakshadweep islands are
designated as restricted area and an ‘entry
permit’ is required to visit them. This system
was introduced to maintain security and prevent
overcrowding.
●
● Given the ecological importance of the islands,
rather than building large infrastructure on the
islands, arrangements can be made to anchor
cruise vessels at sea, allowing visitors to tour the
island and return to the vessels.
Lakshadweep Islands
Lakshadweep Islands situated in the Arabian

Sea is a group of 36 islands.The main islands

under the Lakshadweep Islands group are:

● Kavaratti
● Agatti
● Minicoy
● Amini
It is the smallest Union Territory of India.

The entire Lakshadweep islands group is made

up of coral deposits.

Minicoy Island, located to the south of

nine-degree channel is the largest island among
the Lakshadweep group.
8 Degree Channel ( 8 degrees north
latitude) separates islands of Minicoy
and Maldives.

9 Degree Channel ( 9 degrees north

latitude) separates the island of
Minicoy from the main Lakshadweep
archipelago.
Rahul Bhardwaj Official

https://t.me/upsc_rahulbhardwaj