Daily Current Affairs | March 15 2025 |

1) ‘Pratibimb’ Module by I4C

• The 'Pratibimb' module, launched by Union Home Ministry's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), has led to the arrest of 6,046 accused, 17,185 linkages, and 36,296 cyber investigation assistance requests.

• The module 'Pratibimb' maps the locations of criminals & crime infrastructure on a map to give visibility to jurisdictional officers.

• The module also facilitates seeking and receiving of techno-legal assistance by Law Enforcement Agencies from I4C.

Benefits

• Enhanced cyber-policing.

• Less delays in Cybercrime resolution.

• Coordination between Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of different states/UTs.

• Boosts national security by preventing digital frauds, financial scams, and data breaches.

Other Initiatives under I4C

• Samanvaya Platform - It is a coordination platform for Law Enforcement Agencies(LEAs) for cybercrime data sharing and analytics. It provides analytics based on interstate linkages of crimes and criminals involved in cybercrime complaints across various States/UTs.

• National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (Investigation) - A state-of-the-art forensic lab established as part of the I4C in New Delhi to provide early-stage cyber forensic assistance to Investigating Officers (IOs) of State/UT Police.

2) UN80 Initiative

• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has announced a new initiative aimed at improving efficiencies at the 80-year-old world organisation and making it more cost-effective.

• He also voiced concern over shrinking resources and liquidity crisis amid an environment of "uncertainty and unpredictability".

• Year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of United Nations.

Role of UN 80

• Resource Efficiency - Come up with proposals in areas of rapidly identifying efficiencies and improvements in the way the UN works.

• UN Mandate - Thoroughly reviewing implementation of all mandates given to the UN by member states, which has significantly increased in recent times.

• Structural Reforms - A strategic review of deeper, more structural changes and programme realignment in the UN system.

UN Secretary General

• The Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations, responsible for carrying out the day-to-day work of the organisation as mandated by the General Assembly and other main organs.

• Appointment - Appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.

• The current UN Secretary-General, serving since January 1, 2017, is António Guterres of Portugal.

• Role - Helping resolve international disputes; Administering peacekeeping operations; Organising international conferences; Gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions; Consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives.

3) Coronal Mass Ejection

• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have reported observations of a flareless coronal mass ejection (CME) from the solar atmosphere with the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument onboard Aditya-L1 mission.

• The VELC payload aboard Aditya L-1 was developed by IIA.

About CME

• Large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's corona, can disrupt Earth's magnetic field and cause geomagnetic storms, potentially affecting satellites, power grids, communication systems and cause Aurorae.

• Cause - Unstable solar magnetic field. More frequent during solar maxima of 11 year solar cycle.

• Generally, CMEs are accompanied by Solar Flares, which are intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation(X-rays & Gamma rays) from the sun's surface.

Flareless CME

• A massive ejection of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona that occurs without an associated solar flare.

• These CMEs have no significant X-ray or radio emissions, making early detection difficult.

• Travel at lower velocities than flare-associated CMEs.

• Less frequently observed compared to flare-associated CMEs.

• Can still trigger geomagnetic storms on Earth, affecting satellites and communication systems.

4) 6 New Indian Sites in UNESCO’s Tentative List

• A set of six properties have been added to India's tentative list by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.

• These sites were added to the list on March 7, the Permanent Delegation of India to Unesco said in a statement.

UNESCO Tentative List

• The 'tentative list' is an inventory of properties each country intends to consider for Unesco nomination.

• With these additions, India now has 62 sites on the tentative list.

• Addition to the World Heritage Centre's tentative list is mandatory if a property is to be nominated for inscription to World Heritage List in future.

• At present, 43 properties from India are inscribed on Unesco World Heritage List, including 35 in 'Cultural' category, 7 in 'Natural' & one in 'Mixed' category.

6 Sites Included in Tenntative List

• Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh;

• Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana;

• Ashokan Edict Sites along the Mauryan Routes (multiple states);

• Chausath Yogini Temples (multiple states);

• Gupta Temples in north India (multiple states), and

• Palace-fortresses of the Bundelas in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

About UNESCO

• A specialised agency of the United Nations with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.

• Headquarters - Paris.

• World Heritage List is a compilation of sites having significant natural or cultural significance.

• Sites are selected in following categories : cultural, natural, and mixed heritage.