Recently, the Australian government has signed an $18-million memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (Isro’s)

• As part of the deal with NewSpace India Limited (ISRO’s commercial arm), Australian company Space Machines will launch a satellite aboard ISRO’s SSLV in 2026
• This deal is India’s first cross-border investments in the space sector since it was privatised in 2020.

Potential of India’s Space Sector:

• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) unveiled the decadal vision and strategy for the Indian space economy
• As per IN-SPACe’s projection, India’s space economy has the potential to reach ₹35,200 crore ($44 billion) by 2033 with about 8% of the global share.
• At present Indian space economy is valued at around ₹6,700 crore ($8.4 billion) with a 2% share in the global space economy.
• Export market share is ₹2,400 crore ($0.3 billion)
• Aim: To increase the domestic share to ₹26,400 crore ($33 billion), and the export share to ₹88,000 crore ($11 billion).
• An investment of ₹17,600 crore ($22 billion) is envisioned in the next 10 years

Privatisation Of Space Sector:

• Indian Space Policy 2023: It formally laid down the regulations for privatising space missions in India, and also denoted clear guidelines of operations for NewSpace India Limited (Nsil) — Isro’s commercial arm and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe).
• Private startups can communication thus offer satellite services, operate on-ground mission control centres, place their own satellites in orbit, establish and commercially-run privately-owned remote satellite services, undertake space safety projects, and also “engage in the commercial recovery of an asteroid resource or a space resource.”
• India is opening its space sector to foreign investment: Government hints that India will allow 100% foreign direct investment in the manufacture of satellite systems without official approval
• Eased the rules for launch vehicles aiming for a greater share of the global space market.
• This will give India access to the latest tech advances and much-needed funds, not only from the country but from international investors too.
• SSLV’s privatisation is still underway: Bidders have been identified, but a final decision is yet to be taken. Once completed, SSLV will be manufactured and operated by the private sector.

Advantages Of Privatisation:

• Reduces ISRO’s burden: Private participation will free up ISRO to concentrate on science, research and development, interplanetary exploration, and strategic launches.
• India’s private space economy has attracted $370 million in investments to date, with Hyderabad-based space launch vehicle provider Skyroot Aerospace leading the pack at $95 million.
• Space economies progress: Going forward, the gap between the strategic and civilian space industries is decreasing. This will be of help as our space economies progress.
• Policy Framework and Goals: The Private Sector participation will help India increase its share in the global space economy from about 2 per cent to 9 percent by 2030, according to a recent report by Deloitte India.
• The Indian Space Policy 2023 provides a framework that prioritizes private players’ involvement in the space sector.

Challenges to Space Sector in India

1. Lack of internal demand is hurting the sector :India’s space economy has a dearth of commercial space projects from the central government and its agencies.
2. Lack of Capacity Building

• While Isro has the LVM-3 as its heaviest rocket, we need more capacity and capability to be able to carry our futuristic projects like reaching lunar orbit and land back on Earth.
• Access to insurance: There also is a lack of adequate and secured insurance, which is because of the inability of insurers to see and test the reliability of space-based technologies in the recent past
• Ability to create self-sustaining markets: An inability to forge self-sustaining commercial markets in the past puts into question the commercial viability of space-based enterprises.
• For Instance, Two decades ago, the commercial satellite business was expected to achieve independence within a few years of being established, but government involvement is still needed to this day to see projects to the execution phase.

Asia is spending big to battle low birth rates 

• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is an estimate of the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime. A TFR of 2.1 is considered the replacement level, necessary to keep a population stable without immigration.
• The decline in fertility rates in Asian countries can be attributed to several factors, including higher living costs, increased opportunities for women in education and careers, cultural shifts towards smaller families, and government policies. Additionally, the high cost of raising children and lifestyle preferences also play significant roles.
• As of recent data, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are among the countries with the lowest fertility rates in Asia, all falling below a TFR of 1.
• Low fertility rates can lead to an aging population, which may result in a smaller workforce, higher dependency ratios, and increased pressure on social services and pension systems. This demographic shift can challenge economic stability and growth.
• Governments in countries with low fertility rates have implemented various measures to encourage childbirth, including financial incentives, parental leave policies, and support for childcare. For example, South Korea has invested significant funds to boost its fertility rates, although the impact has yet to reverse the trend.
• Many countries in East and Southeast Asia have some of the lowest fertility rates globally, contrasting sharply with some nations in Africa and the Middle East, where fertility rates are still above 3 or 4.

Multi-Omics is an emerging technology in the field of clinical science in India.

Multi-Omics

• Multi-omics (multiple omics) is a new approach in biological sciences where the data sets of different omic groups are combined to power discovery across multiple levels of biology.
• By combining data researchers can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of molecular changes contributing to normal development, cellular response, and disease.

Omic Groups:

• Genomics: It focuses on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of information coded within an organism’s DNA.
• Transcriptomics: Study the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome.
• Proteomics: Evaluate protein expression for a better understanding of cellular function and prediction of therapeutic responses.
• Epigenomics: Examine heritable changes in gene expression activity caused by factors other than DNA changes.
• Metabolomics: Metabolome comprises all the metabolites present in a cell, tissue, or organism, including small molecules, carbohydrates, peptides, lipids, nucleosides, and catabolic products.
• Microbiomics: It consists of all the microorganisms of a community. Microbes have been found in human skin, mucosal surfaces, and gut.
• The microbiome is analyzed by sequencing the 16S rRNA genes or metagenomics quantification.
• Omics datasets: They are libraries characterizing a specific biological feature,  such as the genes, lipids, proteins, metabolites, or microbes of an organelle, cell, tissue, or organism.
• Individual analysis of an omics dataset can identify links between the characterized feature and a specific biological phenomena.
• Multi Omics Stratergy: Multiomics is the integrated analysis of multiple omics datasets through which one can identify mechanisms of action, biomarkers, networks, pathways, and other relationships present in physiological and pathological processes.
• The field encompasses all the omics fields and aims  to understand the native and altered state of an organism by the analysis of the data from different omics experiments.
• Purpose: Multi Omics approach is critical to find strategies to characterize, monitor, predict and find treatment to many diseases

India’s approach to Multi Omics

• India is creating disease-specific datasets with many disease specific consortia emerging around the country creating datasets to address individual health problems, ranging from tuberculosis to cancers, rare genetic disorders in children, and even antimicrobial resistance.

The Indian Gene Map:

• The Genome India project: The project is a national initiative which aims to develop a reference genome for Indian people, which will help design genome-wide and disease-specific ‘genetic chips’ for low-cost diagnostics and research.
• The Department of Biotechnology had completed sequencing 10,000 genomes from 99 ethnic groups.
• Mission IndiGen: The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) had sequenced the entire genomes of 1,008 individuals in India representing diverse ethnic groups.
• The Mission aims to create a pilot dataset with which researchers could analyse the epidemiology of genetic diseases and help develop affordable screening approaches, optimise treatment, and minimise adverse events for them.
• Role of AI: More value is being attracted by combining these individual datasets using artificial intelligence and machine learning with other extensive datasets on proteins (proteomics), gene expression in cells (transcriptomics), and epigenomics to develop a ‘multi-omics’ approach to tackle diseases.
• Usage: AI and ML based approaches are used in in-house bioinformatic pipelines as well as part of commercial tools for analysis of the sequencing data to identify disease-causing variants
• Ease of Analyses: AI and Machine Learning can help predict an individual’s risk of developing cancer, develop diagnostic tools to detect some cancers early, classify them, and develop treatment strategies

South India’s first and the country’s largest leopard safari was recently inaugurated at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP).

Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP):

• It has been an integral part of Bannerghatta National Park and emerged out as an independent establishment in 2002.
• It is in order to meet the growing demand for eco-recreation, eco-tourism, and conservation, an area of 545.00ha of forest from the National Park was set aside to constitute a biological park originally and later extended to 731.88ha.
• It is located about 22kms south of Bengaluru city, Karnataka.
• It has different units such as Zoo, Safari, Butterfly Park, and Rescue Centre (Conservation of Captive animals).
• It is the first biological park in India to have a fenced, forested elephant sanctuary.
• Facts about Bannerghatta National Park
• Location: It is located near Bangalore, Karnataka, in the hills of the Anekal range.
• It was declared a National Park in 1974.
• In 2006, India''s first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated at the park.

• River: The Suvarnamukhi stream, the main source of water for the animals in the park, runs through the centre of the park.
• Vegetation: There are three types of vegetation that can be found: Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests, Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests and Southern Tropical Moist Mixed Forests.
• Flora: Include Narcissus latifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Sandalwood, Neem, Tamarind, Bamboo, Eucalyptus, etc.
• Fauna: Prime habitat for several species, including the endangered Asian Elephant, Indian gaur, Tiger, Sambar deer, Spotted deer,Leopard, Wild dog, Wild pig, Sloth bear, Common mongoose, Pangolin, Slender loris, Black-naped hare, etc.

In recent times biomass briquettes are being used as a fuel alternative for the power and electricity generation sector.

Biomass briquettes:

• These are made up of compact blocks of organic materials, such as agricultural residues, forestry wastes, or industrial by-products.
• Applications: These are used for heating, cooking fuel, and electricity generation usually in developing countries that do not have access to more traditional fuel sources.

Advantages:

• Environment Friendly: Bio-briquettes can be created from easily available biomass waste often found in rural settings.
• Affordable: These can be made by hand from any freely available organic matter, including invasive species and agro-waste.
• Biomass briquettes are carbon-neutral, meaning they release no additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned.
• By reducing reliance on fossil fuels, the adoption of biomass briquettes helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, thus contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.
• By diverting residues towards productive use, biomass briquettes play a crucial role in waste management and carbon sequestration, further enhancing their environmental credentials.

Ahead of the implementation of the new criminal laws, at least 23 modifications have been made to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS).

Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS):

• CCTNS was conceptualized by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the National e-governance plan of India and is being implemented as a "Mission Mode Project (MMP)" since 2009.
• It is an ambitious project that aims to put in place a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing at the police station level throughout the country.
• It aimed to interlink all police stations under a common application software for the purposes of investigation, data analytics, research, policymaking and providing Citizen Services such as reporting and tracking of complaints, requests for antecedent verifications by Police, etc.
• The records of crimes and criminals available at one police station will be accessible to any other police office.

Objectives

1. Make the Police functioning citizen-friendly and more transparent by automating the functioning of Police Stations.
2. Improve the delivery of citizen-centric services through effective usage of ICT.
3. Provide the Investigating Officers of the Civil Police with tools, technology, and information to facilitate the investigation of crimes and the detection of criminals.
4. Improve police functioning in various other areas such as Law and Order, Traffic Management, etc.
5. Facilitate interaction and sharing of information among Police Stations, Districts, State/UT Headquarters, and other Police Agencies.
6. Assist senior Police Officers in better management of Police Force.
7. Keep track of the progress of cases, including in Courts.
8. Reduce manual and redundant record-keeping.

• The project is being implemented with close collaboration between the States and the Union Government.
• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is the central nodal agency that would manage CCTNS.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

• It was established in 1986 to act as a repository of information on crime and criminals.
• It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
• It was set up based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, the National Police Commission (1977-1981), and the Task Force of the Home Ministry.
• It is responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as well as serving as a repository of such information to aid investigators in tracing crimes and criminals.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• The Central Finger Print Bureau under the NCRB is a national repository of all fingerprints in the country.
• NCRB also compiles and publishes National Crime Statistics i.e. Crime in India, Accidental Deaths & Suicides, and also Prison Statistics.
• NCRB also assists various States in capacity building in the areas of Information Technology, CCTNS, Finger Prints, Network security, and Digital Forensics.