Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India, 2024

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has published the latest edition of the Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India, 2024, a key initiative aimed at strengthening data accessibility and informed decision-making.
• As part of the ongoing modernization of the National Statistical System, this compendium ensures that government data is easily accessible for policymakers, researchers, academicians, students, analysts, businesses, and the general public.
• This comprehensive resource consolidates metadata for approximately 270 datasets and registries sourced from 40 Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, covering sectors such as agriculture, health, education, labor, rural development, tourism, social justice, banking, and more. By serving as a one-stop reference, the compendium enables users to explore the availability, scope, and accessibility of government datasets effortlessly.
• It features standardized metadata, detailing data collection methodologies, periodicity of updates, and data-sharing policies across ministries. Additionally, it outlines the legal and regulatory framework governing the collection and dissemination of each dataset while offering insights into the level of disaggregation to support deeper analysis and evidence-based policymaking.
• Users can also benefit from direct access to data sources through links to the respective Ministry/Department portals, ensuring seamless accessibility.
• Recognizing the increasing need for reliable and well-structured government data, this initiative aligns with   broader efforts of MoSPI to modernize and streamline the National Statistical System. By consolidating crucial information in one place, the compendium plays a vital role in advancing data-driven governance, fostering research, and promoting evidence-based policymaking.
• Designed as a dynamic document, the Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India is periodically updated to incorporate new datasets, evolving methodologies, and revised policies, ensuring stakeholders always have access to the most current and relevant information.
• All stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, businesses, and civil society organizations, can leverage this compendium to gain valuable insights and contribute to the effective utilization of government data for national development.

Update on TB- Mukt Bharat Abhiyan

• Since the launch of the 100-day Intensified TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan on December 7, 2024, by the Honourable Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, over 5.1 lakh notifications have been recorded across India.
• A new strategy was designed for early identification of TB by offering X-ray as a screening tool for the population at higher risk of developing TB.
• With the use of ultraportable hand-held X-ray and intensified efforts to reach door to door, in congregate settings, identifying risk groups such as Diabetics, smokers, alcoholics, people living with HIV, those with TB in the past, geriatric population, house-hold contacts of TB patients and screening both asymptomatic and symptomatic with X-ray followed by confirmation using Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) has identified several asymptomatic TB patients.
• Till date, the campaign has made remarkable progress. Over 3.5 lakh TB patients have been notified across 455 intervention districts, and more than 10 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened as a result of accelerated case detection efforts, reduced diagnostic delays,  identifying drug-resistant cases early and improving treatment outcomes..
•  Among those identified, 2.4 lakh patients have been notified from public health institutions, while 1.1 lakh were identified through private healthcare facilities. Additionally, over 10 lakh Ni-kshay Shivirs have been organized, and 836 Ni-kshay Vahans have been deployed to extend the reach of TB services, ensuring that even the most remote areas are covered.
• Over 38 lakh people have been screened using chest x-rays, including a substantial population that did not exhibit the typical symptoms or any symptoms of TB. Alongside, the campaign is working to ensure complete treatment, scale up differentiated TB care for identifying patients in immediate need for care, hospital admission, the undernourished TB patients, and offer preventive TB treatment for  the vulnerable population.
• These results are an outcome of a “whole-of-government approach” to ensure the success of the campaign; the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, has chaired meetings with Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers and senior officials from 22 ministries.
•  Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organized a sensitization session which was attended by over 250 parliamentarians across states and Union Territories to inform them about the campaign and encourage their involvement and support at the state and district levels.
• The Union Minister urged Chief Ministers of all states to closely monitor the progress of the campaign at the state level. High-level administrative officers have been identified to oversee the implementation of activities across various departments to ensure seamless coordination.
• Building on the success of the Jan Bhagidaari approach, the campaign emphasizes the active participation of community members. Through Ni-kshay Shapaths – individuals, community leaders, NGOs, and corporates are being encouraged to become Ni-kshay Mitras and support TB patients with nutritional baskets, psychosocial and vocational support. Since the launch of the campaign, over 2.4 lakh Ni-kshay Mitras have registered and over 2.3 lakh food baskets have been distributed.
• India’s commitment to fighting TB is evident in the nation’s achievements to date. In 2024, India notified over 26 lakh TB patients, thereby closing the gap in the estimated incidence and those notified to the programme.
• It is worth noting that over 36% of notifications were registered from the private sector, reflecting the success of the progressive policy changes, innovative strategies and interventions deployed by the programme over the course of the last ten years.
• The new strategy adopted under the 100-Day TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is contributing in a big way by identifying sub-clinical or asymptomatic TB which contributes to TB transmission in the community, leading to a reduction in incidence by breaking the chains of transmission and reduction in mortality by early identification and treatment of TB. The strategy is furthering acceleration of the progress and bringing India closer to its goal of eliminating TB.
•  

India’s wind power capacity poised to surge to 63 GW by 2026-27

• India’s annual wind power capacity addition is projected to more than double to an average of 7.1 gigawatts (GW) over the next two financial years, compared with 3.4 GW in fiscal year 2023-25.
•  This growth, driven by government measures to accelerate the sector, is expected to increase the country’s total installed wind capacity to approximately 63 GW by 2026-27, according to a report released on Monday.
• Capacity additions in financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 remained tepid, ranging between 6-7 GW, due to fewer successful auctions of wind capacities—5.9 GW in FY21-23 and 5.2 GW in FY23-25—according to a Crisil report.
• The slow progress was largely attributed to weak developer interest caused by low tariffs that dampened returns, as well as challenges related to land availability and transmission infrastructure in high wind potential areas, the report noted.
• However, emerging tailwinds are expected to double the pace of capacity additions over the next two years.
• The government’s push for hybrid renewable projects—combining solar, wind, and/or storage—along with a more favorable cost structure for wind projects, is expected to drive capacity growth, the report stated.
• In addition to steady standalone wind project auctions, hybrid renewable energy project auctions—requiring developers to supply electricity during high-demand hours (evening and early morning)—have gained momentum.
• Wind power is expected to account for 30–50% of these hybrid projects, as it generates electricity during peak demand periods, unlike solar power, which is mostly active during daytime hours.
• Moreover, since hybrid projects help distribution companies (discoms) address scheduling challenges during critical times, they are expected to gain traction in offtake and grow rapidly, the report added.
• India has over 30 GW of hybrid projects in the pipeline, expected to be commissioned within the next 2-4 years, contributing significantly to the projected increase in wind capacity additions.
• “Traction in signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) is also visible, with more than 60% of such projects auctioned by March 2024 having their PPAs signed by January 2025,” .

Microsoft creates chip it says shows quantum computers are ‘years, not decades’ away

• Microsoft, on Wednesday unveiled a new chip that it said showed quantum computing is “years, not decades” away, joining Google and IBM in predicting that a fundamental change in computing technology is much closer than recently believed.
• Quantum computing holds the promise of carrying out calculations that would take today’s systems millions of years and could unlock discoveries in medicine, chemistry and many other fields where near-infinite seas of possible combinations of molecules confound classical computers.
• Quantum computers also hold the danger of upending today’s cybersecurity systems, where most encryption relies on the assumption that it would take too long to brute force gain access.
• The biggest challenge of quantum computers is that a fundamental building block called a qubit, which is similar to a bit in classical computing, is incredibly fast but also extremely difficult to control and prone to errors.
• Microsoft said the Majorana 1 chip it has developed is less prone to those errors than rivals and provided as evidence a scientific paper set to be published in academic journal Nature.
• When useful quantum computers will arrive has become a topic of debate in the upper echelons of the tech industry
• Those remarks prompted Google, which last year showed off its own new quantum chip, to say that commercial quantum computing applications are only five years away. IBM has said large-scale quantum computers will be online by 2033.
• Microsoft’s Majorana 1 has been in the works for nearly two decades and relies on a subatomic particle called the Majorana fermion whose existence was first theorized in the 1930s. That particle has properties that make it less prone to the errors that plague quantum computers, but it has been hard for physicists to find and control.
• Microsoft said it created the Majorana 1 chip with indium arsenide and aluminum. The device uses a superconducting nanowire to observe the particles and can be controlled with standard computing equipment.
• The chip Microsoft revealed Wednesday has far fewer qubits than rival chips from Google, opens new tab and IBM, opens new tab, but Microsoft believes that far fewer of its Majorana-based qubits will be needed to make useful computers because the error rates are lower.
• Microsoft did not give a timeline for when the chip would be scaled up to create quantum computers that can outstrip today’s machines, but the company said in a blog post that point was “years, not decades” away.
• Jason Zander, the Microsoft executive vice president who oversees the company’s long-term strategic bets, described Majorana 1 as a “high risk, high reward” strategy.
• The chip was fabricated at Microsoft labs in Washington state and Denmark.
• “The hardest part has been solving the physics. There is no textbook for this, and we had to invent it,” Zander said in an interview with Reuters. “We literally have invented the ability to go create this thing, atom by atom, layer by layer.”
• Philip Kim, a professor of physics at Harvard University who was not involved in Microsoft’s research, said that Majorana fermions have been a hot topic among physicists for decades and called Microsoft’s work an “exciting development” that put the company at the forefront of quantum research.
• He also said that Microsoft’s use of a hybrid between traditional semiconductors and exotic superconductors appeared to be a good route toward chips that can be scaled up into more powerful chips.
• Quantum computers are not just the next generation of superfast computers. These are very different in the way they work, the way they handle and process information, and even in the way they look.
•  They are designed to utilise the very special properties that tiny particles, smaller than an atom, exhibit.
• One such property is superposition, or the ability of a quantum particle to exist in multiple states at the same time.
• This property is used in a quantum computer to supercharge calculations in a way that traditional computers are incapable of doing. In traditional computers, data are stored and processed through billions of small transistors that can each handle only one bit of information (0 or 1) at a time.
• Quantum computers use electrons or other similar particles to process data. Superposition allows these particles, or qubits, to be in both 0 and 1 state at the same time. In fact, they can exist in every combination of 0 and 1 simultaneously.
• Interaction with other qubits allows for a kind of parallel processing that is not possible in a normal computer where data processing happens one step at a time, even though at lightning speeds.
• However, quantum computing faces big challenges. The quantum behaviour of a particle collapses into normal behaviour the moment the system is observed or measured.
• This is because any act of measurement, or observation, is not possible without disturbing these extremely tiny systems. Any other external disturbance, such as deviations in temperature or pressure, also collapses the system. Maintaining the stability of qubits is a huge issue.
• The other challenge pertains to the integrity of the outcome. The multiple states of a qubit lead to multiple outcomes, only one of which is desirable. Getting the quantum computer to throw this correct outcome, instead of millions of other possibilities, is also a challenge. Disturbances caused in any qubit can result in errors in calculations, and algorithms need to correct for these, which, in turn, require many more qubits. The more stable the qubits are, the fewer the errors.

What Microsoft has done

• There are several ways in which quantum computers are being designed. One of the major differences is how qubits are created and controlled.
• Microsoft has said the qubits created through its novel process are more resilient, and make significant advances over alternative platforms in terms of scalability, error generation and error correction. It has also said this opens up the pathway for creating a million-qubit system within a few years.

NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope to explore what happened right after the Big Bang

• NASA is preparing to launch a megaphone-shaped observatory on a mission to better understand what happened immediately after the Big Bang that initiated the universe and to search the Milky Way for reservoirs of water, a crucial ingredient for life.
• The U.S. space agency’s SPHEREx space telescope is tentatively scheduled to be launched on Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
• SPHEREx – short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer – is looking to answer questions about the origin of the universe while mapping the distribution of galaxies.
• Closer to home – relatively speaking – SPHEREx will look within our galaxy for reservoirs of water frozen on the surface of interstellar dust grains in large clouds of gas and dust that give rise to stars and planets.
• The observatory during its planned two-year mission will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way, as it explores the origins of the universe and the galaxies within it. It will create a three-dimensional map of the cosmos in 102 colors -individual wavelengths of light.
• The mission is intended to gain insight into a phenomenon called cosmic inflation, the rapid and exponential expansion of the universe from a single point in a fraction of a second after the Big Bang that occurred roughly 13.8 billion years ago. By way of comparison, Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
• “By mapping the distribution of galaxies over the whole sky, we can directly constrain unique properties of inflation. This is why we want to map the whole sky and why we need spectroscopy (studying objects based on color) to make the map 3D. The fact that we can connect these two things – the distribution of galaxies on large scales all the way to the physics of inflation – is very powerful and very mind-boggling and almost magical,” Dore added.
• Jim Fanson, SPHEREx project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, called cosmic inflation “the consensus framework for explaining aspects of the universe that we observe on large scales.”
• “It postulates that the universe expanded by a trillion-trillion-fold in a small fraction of a second after the Big Bang,” Fanson said.
• SPHEREx is set to take pictures in every direction around Earth, splitting the light from billions of cosmic sources such as stars and galaxies into their component wavelengths to determine their composition and distance. Researchers also will measure the collective glow of light from the space between galaxies.
• In addition, SPHEREx will look for water and molecules including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide frozen on the surface of dust grains in molecular clouds, which are dense regions of gas and dust in interstellar space. Scientists believe that reservoirs of ice bound to dust grains in these clouds are where most of the universe’s water forms and dwells.
• Being launched along with SPHEREx is a constellation of satellites for NASA’s PUNCH mission to observe the sun’s corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere. The aim is to better understand the solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun.

Evidence of beaches from ancient Martian ocean detected by Chinese rover 

• Ground-penetrating radar data obtained by China’s Zhurong rover has revealed buried beneath the Martian surface evidence of what look like sandy beaches from the shoreline of a large ocean that may have existed long ago on the northern plains of Mars.
• The findings are the latest evidence indicating the existence of this hypothesized ocean, called Deuteronilus, roughly 3.5 to 4 billion years ago, a time when Mars – now cold and desolate – possessed a thicker atmosphere and warmer climate. An ocean of liquid water on the Martian surface, according to scientists, potentially could have harbored living organisms, much like the primordial seas of early Earth.
• The rover, which operated from May 2021 to May 2022, journeyed about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in an area that exhibits surface features suggestive of an ancient shoreline. Its ground-penetrating radar, which transmitted high-frequency radio waves into the ground that reflected off subsurface features, probed up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface.
• The radar images detected some 33-115 feet (10-35 meters) underground thick layers of material with properties similar to sand, all sloped in the same direction and at an angle similar to that of beaches on Earth just below the water where the sea meets the land. The researchers mapped these structures spanning three quarters of a mile (1.2 km) along the rover’s path.
• “The Martian surface has changed dramatically over 3.5 billion years, but by using ground-penetrating radar we found direct evidence of coastal deposits that weren’t visible from the surface,” said planetary scientist Hai Liu, a member of the science team for China’s Tianwen-1 mission that included the rover.
• On Earth, beach deposits of this size would have needed millions of years to form, the researchers said, suggesting that on Mars there was a large and long-lived body of water with wave action that distributed sediments carried into it by rivers flowing from nearby highlands.
• “The beaches would have been formed by similar processes to those on Earth – waves and tides,”.. “Such oceans would have profoundly influenced Mars’ climate, shaped its landscape and created environments potentially suitable for life to emerge and thrive.”
• “Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life. “It’s thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water.”
• The rover explored in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a large plain in the Martian northern hemisphere.
• The researchers ruled out other possible explanations for the structures Zhurong detected.
• “A primary part of this work was testing these other hypotheses. Wind-blown dunes were considered, but there were a few issues. First, dunes tend to come in groups, and these groups produce characteristic patterns not present in these deposits,” Penn State geoscientist and study co-author Benjamin Cardenas said.
• “We also considered ancient rivers, which exist in some nearby locations on Mars, but we rejected that hypothesis for similar reasons based on the patterns we saw in the deposits. And you don’t typically get structures like this in lava flows, either. Beaches simply fit the observations the best,”
• Earth, Mars and the solar system’s other planets formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago. That means Deuteronilus would have disappeared approximately a billion years into Martian history, when the planet’s climate changed dramatically. Scientists said some of the water may have been lost to space while large amounts may remain trapped underground.
• A study published last year based on seismic data obtained by NASA’s robotic InSight lander found that an immense reservoir of liquid water may reside deep under the Martian surface within fractured igneous rocks.
• For decades, scientists have used satellite images to trace Martian surface features resembling a shoreline. But any such evidence on the surface could have been erased or distorted by billions of years of wind erosion or other geological processes.
• That is not the case with the newly found structures, which were entombed over time under material deposited by dust storms, meteorite strikes or volcanism.
• “These are beautifully preserved because they are still buried in the Martian subsurface,”.

Conserving wetlands for the future

• Wetlands are regions of land that are generally saturated with water. However, when rain causes water to pool on land, it does not constitute a wetland. More specifically, wetlands are areas where water either covers the soil or is found at or near the soil surface year-round or for fluctuating periods throughout the year.
• These ecosystems encompass marshes, swamps, peatlands, lagoons, mangroves, and floodplains. Wetlands provide habitats for a wide range of species, function as natural water filters, and assist in alleviating the impacts of climate change.

What do wetlands do anyway?

• Wetland ecosystems directly and indirectly benefit millions of people, offering various goods and services.
• They help regulate floods, inhibit coastal erosion, and lessen the impacts of natural disasters such as cyclones and tidal waves. They also have the ability to store water for extended durations.
• Their capacity to hold excess flood water during heavy rains prevents flooding and supports a steady flow downstream, thus maintaining water quality and enhancing biological productivity for both aquatic organisms and local human populations.
• Flooded wetlands efficiently capture rainwater and serve as a key resource for replenishing groundwater aquifers.
•  Many wading birds and waterfowl, including egrets, herons, and cranes, find breeding grounds in wetlands. Additionally, wetlands offer food and habitat for various mammals.
• They function as natural filtration systems, helping to eliminate a wide array of pollutants from water, including harmful viruses and heavy metals. Wetlands retain nutrients by sequestering excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the subsoil, thereby reducing the likelihood of eutrophication.
• Mangrove forests are particularly valued for their production of fish and shellfish, livestock fodder, fuel, construction materials, traditional medicine, honey, and beeswax, although many mangrove areas have been replaced by other types of land use.
•  Furthermore, significant socio-economic benefits such as a reliable supply of water, fisheries, firewood, medicinal plants, livestock grazing opportunities, agricultural resources, energy, wildlife, transportation, and recreation and tourism are notable.
• Unfortunately, since 1970, nearly 35% of global wetland areas have been lost, mainly due to human activities like agricultural drainage, urban expansion, and pollution.
• This concerning decrease prompted the need for global efforts to safeguard these vital ecosystems for future generations.

Signing to protect

• The Ramsar Convention on wetlands, established in 1971, is an international treaty that outlines the framework for conserving wetlands and their resources, which became effective in 1975. Since then, nearly 90% of UN member nations have joined this initiative. World Wetlands Day is celebrated every February 2 to commemorate the adoption of the Ramsar Convention.
•  The theme for World Wetlands Day 2025 is ‘protecting wetlands for our common future,’ emphasising the significance of this essential resource for both the environment and human prosperity. The United Nations officially recognised February 2 as World Wetlands Day in 2021.
• Originally, the event aimed to promote awareness about wetland conservation; however, it has since transformed into a worldwide movement that engages governments, NGOs, and communities.
• Wetlands cover about 6% of the earth’s land surface. There are several kinds of wetlands, such as marshes, swamps, lagoons, bogs, fens, and mangroves. They are home to some of the richest, most diverse, and most fragile of natural resources. The association of man and wetlands is ancient, with the first signs of civilisation originating in wetland habitats such as the floodplains of the Indus, the Nile Delta, and the Fertile Crescent of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• As they support a variety of plant and animal life, biologically they are one of the most productive ecosystems as well.
• India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems distributed in different geographical regions. Most of the wetlands in India are directly or indirectly linked with major river systems such as the Ganges, Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari, and Tapti.
•  India has a total of 27,403 wetlands, of which 23,444 are inland wetlands and 3,959 are coastal wetlands. According to the Directory of Asian Wetlands (1989), wetlands occupy 18.4% of the country’s area (excluding rivers), of which 70% are under paddy cultivation.
• The coastal wetlands occupy an estimated 6,750 sq. km and are largely dominated by mangrove vegetation. About 80% of the mangroves are distributed in the Sundarbans of West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with the rest in the coastal states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
• Wetlands in southern peninsular India are mostly manmade and are known as yeris (tanks). They are constructed in every village and provide water for various human needs, besides serving as nesting, feeding, and breeding sites for a large variety of bird species. 
• A survey by the Wildlife Institute of India revealed that 70-80% of individual freshwater marshes and lakes in the Gangetic floodplains have been lost in the last five decades.
• At present, only 50 percent of India’s wetlands remain. They are disappearing at a rate of 2% to 3% every year. Indian mangrove areas have been halved almost from 7,00,000 hectares in 1987 to 4,53,000 hectares in 1995 (Sustainable Wetlands, Environmental Governance-2, 1999). A recent estimate based on remote sensing shows only 4000 sq. km of mangrove resources in India.
• The loss of wetlands leads to environmental and ecological problems, which have a direct impact on the socio-economic benefits of the associated populace.
• Serious consequences, including increased flooding, species decline, deformity or extinction, and decline in water quality, could result. Wetlands are also important as a genetic reservoir for various species of plants, including rice, which is a staple food for 3/4 of the world’s population.
• The National Committee on Wetlands, Mangroves, and Coral Reefs constituted to advise the government on appropriate policies and measures to be taken for the conservation and management of the wetlands, has identified 93 wetlands for conservation and management on a priority basis.
• India currently has 85 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of over 1.34 million hectares.

What is black plastic — and should you get rid of it?

• Used to make cooking spatulas, takeout boxes and kitchen peelers, black plastic made headlines after a study last year claimed that the material contained toxic flame retardants which could be leaching into food at hazardous levels.
• However, recently it was found that the study had miscalculated the levels of one of the toxic chemicals, and the researchers had to issue a correction.
• Here is a look at what black plastic is, the toxic chemicals it contains, and if one should be using black plastic spatulas and other utensils from it.

What is black plastic?

• Black plastic is often made from recycled electronic waste such as computers, TVs, and appliances. The issue is that these electronics typically contain substances such as the flame retardant bromine; antimony; and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. These electronics comprise flame retardants in a bid to prevent fire hazards.
• The aforementioned substances and heavy metals are known to be toxic to humans at high levels of exposure and are now banned in many countries.
• A However, legacy plastics containing some of these chemicals appear to be still making their way through the recycling chain,”
• What did the study say?
• The study, which was published October last year, analysed 203 black plastic household products sold in the United States including kitchen utensils, takeaway containers, and toys.
• It found that these products contained a flame-retardant chemical called decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) that had been linked to potential human health risks and was phased out in the US more than a decade ago.
• A Moreover, the researchers revealed that “some kitchen utensils would result in a likely dose of 34,700 ng per day of BDE-209, which the scientists warned approaches the safe exposure limit advised by the US Environmental Health Protection Agency (EPA),”
• However, it was later revealed that the researchers had miscalculated the EPA’s reference dose by a factor of 10. “This brought the estimated BDE-209 exposure from black spoons and spatulas down to less than a tenth of the EPA’s recommended limit,” according to the report.

So, are black plastic products safe to use?

• Although the levels of BDE-209 in the utensils might be below the EPA’s limit, researchers suggest that no one really knows what a “safe dose” of these flame retardants might be. They have even questioned if the exposure limit is accurate, saying it is an old number.
• But throwing away all black plastic products, especially those which are not suitable for recycling, is also not a solution. Adam Herriott, an environmental campaigner group, told The Guardian, “It is better to use what you have got until it no longer has a use then replace it… Do not just go out and replace all your Tupperware and black spatulas.”.

 How doctors treated a genetic disorder in the womb for the first time

• A two-and-a-half-year-old girl has shown no signs of a genetic disorder — known as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — becoming the first person in the world to be treated for the disease while in the womb. The girl’s mother began taking the gene-targeting drug during late pregnancy, and the child continues to take it.
• Here is a look at what SMA is, and how doctors treated it while the child was in the womb.

What is spinal muscular atrophy?

• SMA is a debilitating genetic condition which affects motor neurons that control movement, and leads to progressive muscle weakening. “About one in every 10,000 births have some form of the condition — making it a leading genetic cause of death in infants and children.
• The condition is caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1) which causes a deficiency of a protein crucial for the survival of motor neurons in the spinal cord. “This prevents muscles from receiving signals from the brain, causing them to waste away. In its most severe form, SMA-1, motor skills decline rapidly and patients usually only live two to three years,” according to a report in New Atlas.
• How was SMA treated in the womb?
• For the treatment, scientists used an oral drug called risdiplam, which is given to patients to slow the progression of SMA. Risdiplam is typically given to a patient soon after birth — the earlier the intervention, the better the results seem to be, according to the New Atlas report. Therefore, in the new trial, scientists decided to administer the drug before birth for the first time.
• Richard Finkel, a clinical neuroscientist at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Tennessee) who led the study, told Nature that the idea of giving the drug in utero came from the parents, who had previously lost a child born with the disease. Through genetic testing the parents learned that their second child in the womb had no copies of the SMN1 gene, indicating a high likelihood of being born with SMA-1.
• A The mother, who was 32 weeks pregnant, took Risdiplam daily for six weeks. The baby started taking the drug from roughly one week old, and will probably continue to take it for the rest of her life,”.
• The scientists found that the girl had higher levels of the SMN protein in her bloodstream, compared to those usually born with the condition. The girl “seemed to have lower levels of nerve damage, and even after 30 months had normal muscle development with no sign of atrophy,”

Reinforcing Global Order: Jaishankar calls for multilateralism and diplomacy at G20 FM meeting

Ahead of the G20 Summit in November, India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, has underscored the growing strain on the global order due to ongoing conflicts.

During his address at the G20 session in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jaishankar highlighted the need for an inclusive and multilateral approach to address these challenges and urged nations to prioritize international law and peaceful solutions.

A Call for Multilateralism

• His remarks at the G20 session, titled ‘Discussion on the Global Geopolitical Situation,’ brought attention to the current state of global geopolitics, which is increasingly defined by multiple unresolved conflicts. These conflicts, he noted, are threatening the fabric of the global order and underscoring the urgency for respect for international law
• A Global governance cannot be confined to the interests of a few nations,” Jaishankar stated, emphasizing the importance of plurilateralism as a means to address global deficits in cooperation. His call for broader collaboration reflects India’s advocacy for a more equitable global system where the voices and concerns of developing countries are not sidelined.

The Middle East

• Jaishankar welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages. He reiterated India’s firm stance against terrorism and its support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining peace in Lebanon and finding a solution for Syria that is led by the Syrians themselves. Jaishankar emphasized the need for stability in the region, stressing that global peace and security depend on it.

On Maritime Security:

• He noted the significance of maritime security in the region and India’s role in ensuring safe and open sea lanes. Jaishankar mentioned that the Indian navy has contributed to security efforts in critical areas like the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring uninterrupted global maritime trade.

The Russia-Ukraine Conflict

• The minister reiterated India’s consistent position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, emphasizing the importance of resolving it through dialogue and diplomacy. He stressed that global expectations are for the parties involved to come together and work towards ending the war peacefully. At the same time, he expressed concern that other ongoing conflicts, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, are often overlooked and deserve more attention.

On the Indo-Pacific and International Law:

• In the runup to the G20 Summit to be held on November 22-23 this year, during the foreign ministers’ meeting Jaishankar firmly stated that international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, must be respected.
• He called for the observance of international agreements and emphasized that coercion should not be tolerated in resolving disputes. Jaishankar warned against unilateral actions that undermine the global order and urged for multilateral solutions to regional challenges.
• The minister’s remarks came close on the heels of china’s participation in Pakistan’s multinational AMAN-2025 naval exercise. Other countries including Malaysia, Italy, Japan, Indonesia the US and observers from 32 other nations participated.
• While Beijing has said its focus was on anti-piracy and maritime security, overseas interests and protecting sea lanes, its participation in the drill aligned with its naval expansion.
• India remains cautious of China’s “String of Pearls” strategy, which includes construction of military bases and alliances across the region. According to reports, earlier this month  sent two research vessels to the Indian Ocean, this caused concerns in New Delhi.
• In his address the minister underlined India’s commitment to safeguarding maritime security, particularly in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. And highlighted the need to restore normal maritime commerce, which has been disrupted due to geopolitical tensions.

On Multilateralism and UN Reform:

• Jaishankar pointed out the deteriorating state of multilateralism, noting that the United Nations and its Security Council are often paralyzed by gridlocks. He stressed that it is not enough to simply restore the functionality of these institutions; there needs to be a comprehensive overhaul to ensure that they are more inclusive, effective, and representative of the modern world order.

A More Inclusive Approach

• His address also called for the urgent reform of global institutions, especially the United Nations and its Security Council, which, according to him, have often been paralyzed by gridlocks. “Multilateralism itself lies deeply damaged,” he said, urging for greater representation and more effective functioning of global institutions. His vision for the future of global governance includes less opaque and unilateral decision-making, with a stronger emphasis on cooperation among nations, particularly in the face of shared global challenges.

From Energy to Disaster Resilience

• The minister’s address at the G20 also touched on various global issues, including food, energy, and health security. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to promoting sustainable development, disaster resilience, and financing for a just energy transition, while balancing the growth needs of developing countries with climate action.
• Additionally, Jaishankar underlined India’s support for debt sustainability frameworks that balance development needs with fiscal responsibility, especially for low-income nations.

A Divided G20: Tensions with the United States

• While India has called for greater collaboration, the US has expressed tensions regarding South Africa’s approach to international issues. Earlier this month US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would not attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, citing disagreements over South Africa’s domestic land expropriation policies and its foreign policy stances, particularly regarding Israel and Iran.