Daily Prelims 7th February 2024

1) Article 142 of Constitution: Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to remit the 20-year sentence of a person convicted under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012.  

• Judgement was delivered in response to curative petition.  
• A curative petition is the last recourse open to a petitioner after the review petition is dismissed.  
• About Article 142  
• Article exclusively enables the Supreme Court to issue or pass any order that it feels is necessary to provide ‘complete justice’ in a case before it.  
• Any decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India 

2) ABHYAS – High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT): Flight trials of ABHYAS-HEAT were successfully carried out by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).  

• Designed for autonomous flying with the help of an autopilot.  
• Indigenously developed by the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).  
• It has Radar Cross Section, Visual and Infrared augmentation system required for weapon practice.  
• It has also a laptop-based Ground Control System.  
• ABHYAS requires minimum logistics and is cost-effective compared to imported equivalents. 

3) Motion of Thanks: Prime Minister replied to the ‘Motion of Thanks’ on the President’s address.  

• Article 87 of the Constitution requires President’s Address after each general election.  
• Also, after the first session of every fiscal year addresses both Houses of Parliament.  
• Motion of Thanks  
• It is moved in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha after the President’s address by Member of Parliament of the ruling party.  
• The Motion of Thanks must be passed in the House.  
• Its defeat amounts to the defeat of the government.  
• It can be adopted with amendments. 

4) Non-Basmati Aromatic Rice Grading and Marking Rules, 2024: Rules by Centre are expected to be applicable for grading and marketing of five premium non-Basmati rice varieties of West Bengal.  

• These are Gobindabhog, Tulaipanji, Kalonunia (all 3 have GI Tag), Kataribhog, and Radhunipagal.  
• Under this, the authorised packers have to either set up their own laboratory or use an approved laboratory for testing the quality of rice.  
• For domestic trade, packers have to follow FSSAI standards and for export, they need to comply with the residual limits fixed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission or importing countries.