Desynchronisation of Earth’s Seasonal Cycles

• A recent study based on 20 years of satellite observations shows that Earth’s seasons are becoming uneven, fragmented, and locally unpredictable.
• Key Drivers: Anthropogenic climate change, particularly rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, is driving shifts in seasonal cycles.

Key Findings of the Study

• Seasonal Asynchrony: Regions located nearby, even in climatically similar areas, are experiencing mismatched seasonal timings instead of coordinated transitions.
• Geographic Hotspots: Seasonal breakdown is most evident in complex topography, notably in tropical mountains and Mediterranean climate zones.
• Divergent Growth: Mediterranean forests may reach peak growth weeks or months after grasslands or show two growth peaks, disrupting ecosystem synchrony.

Major Impacts

• Biodiversity Disruption: Desynchronisation creates biological mismatches, such as pollinators emerging before flowering, accelerating biodiversity loss.
• Agricultural Fragility: In Colombia, nearby coffee farms now follow different harvest cycles, increasing the risk of reliance on historical seasonal cues.
• Water Cycle Instability: Earlier snowmelt and short, intense bursts of rainfall cause floods and droughts in the same region in the same year.
• Anthropogenic Seasons: Human-driven unnatural cycles are emerging, such as Southeast Asia’s “haze season” and Bali’s “trash season.”

India Aims to Conclude Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with the Remaining 13 EU Countries

• India has concluded Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 14 EU countries and aims to finalise the remaining 13 within five years.
• Total Reach: India has signed and operationalised SSAs with 20 countries; key non-EU SSA partners include Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Australia, and the UK.

Social Security Agreements (SSA)

• Agreement Nature: A Social Security Agreement (SSA) is a bilateral treaty that safeguards the social security rights of cross-border workers.
• Legal Control: SSAs fall under the sovereign national jurisdiction of countries, not under the competence of trade blocs.
• Nodal Agency: Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, implements Social Security Agreements.
• Coverage Certificate: EPFO issues Certificates of Coverage (CoC) that temporarily exempt Indian workers from the host country’s social security contributions.

Core Principles of Social Security Agreement (SSA)

• Detachment Rule: Short-term workers are exempt from dual social security contributions, typically for assignments of up to five years.
• Totalisation Rule: Workers can combine years of service in both countries to meet minimum pension eligibility requirements.
• Exportability Rule: Pension benefits remain payable without reduction after relocation to the home country or a third country.
• Equal Treatment: Foreign workers enjoy the same social security rights and obligations as host-country nationals.

Transboundary Airshed Cooperation in South Asia

• A World Bank report, ‘A Breath of Change,’ highlights that air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills spreads across national borders, demanding regional action .

Need for Transboundary Airshed Cooperation in South Asia

• Cross-Border Pollution: Up to 30% of air pollution in Indian Punjab during winters comes from Pakistan’s Punjab due to north-westerly winds (World Bank).
• High External Contribution: In Nepal’s Terai region, nearly 68% of air pollution originates from neighbouring countries, limiting domestic-only solutions (World Bank).
• Weak Regional Frameworks: South Asia lacks a legally binding treaty like Europe’s LRTAP, relying mainly on voluntary platforms such as the Malé Declaration.
• Funding Constraints: Regional air quality cooperation slowed after Swedish aid under Malé Declaration ended in 2013, weakening monitoring and joint action.
• City-Centric Approach: India’s NCAP funds flow mainly to urban bodies, though major pollution sources often lie beyond municipal boundaries.

Way Forward

• Binding Cooperation: Develop a South Asia transboundary air pollution agreement with emission targets; E.g., Europe’s UNECE LRTAP Convention.
• Airshed Planning: Shift from city-based control to regional airshed management frameworks; E.g., CAQM’s Delhi-NCR multi-state model.
• Stable Financing: Create pooled regional air quality funds for long-term monitoring and mitigation; E.g., EU’s sustained environmental financing mechanisms.
• Cross-Border Action: Coordinate crop residue management, industrial controls and transport norms across countries; E.g., US–Canada acid rain cooperation model.

Human–Leopard Conflict Case

• A farmer in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district killed a leopard in self-defence during an attack and was subsequently booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The Indian Leopard

• Adaptable Big Cat: Leopards are the smallest among major big cats and can thrive across diverse landscapes ranging from dense forests to human-dominated regions.
• Population Range: India hosts an estimated 13,000–14,000 leopards (Fifth Cycle Leopard Population Estimation 2024), making it the global stronghold for the species.
• Protection Status: Classified as Vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN Red List and placed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Habitat Spread: Found in tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests, temperate regions and northern coniferous forests, but absent in deserts and Sundarbans mangroves.
• Nocturnal Nature: Primarily active at night, leopards are stealth hunters that avoid human presence.
• Solitary Lifestyle: Leopards generally live and hunt alone except during mating or while rearing cubs.
• Gestation Period: Pregnancy lasts around 90 to 105 days, after which cubs are born in concealed dens.
• Hotspots: Madhya Pradesh leads India with around 3,900+ leopards, followed by Maharashtra (~1,980) and Karnataka (~1,870), reflecting strong central & western conservation.
• Highest Density: Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Mumbai) records the world’s highest urban leopard density at over 21 leopards per 100 sq km.

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

• Purpose: A central law to protect wild animals, birds, and plants, regulate hunting, trade, and habitat protection through protected areas and enforcement powers.
• Constitutional Basis: Enacted under Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule); strengthens the Article 48A duty of the State to protect the wildlife & aligns with the Article 51A(g) fundamental duty.

Animal Protection Under WPA, 1972

• Section 9: Prohibits hunting of wild animals except under narrowly defined statutory exceptions, making “hunting” the default illegality.
• Section 2(16): “Hunting” Includes killing, poisoning, trapping, capturing, and even attempting these acts, so liability can arise even without a successful kill.
• Section 11: Allows hunting only with written permission in limited situations, such as danger to human life or certain protective grounds, preventing “self-defence” from becoming a blanket excuse.
• Section 12: Enables special permits for scientific research, education, scientific management, or collection, with conditions, useful for public health and conservation science.
• Section 39: Many wildlife/trophies become government property, tightening enforcement against illegal possession/retention after seizures.

 India’s Space Economy

• India’s space economy has become one of the fastest-growing segments, driven by a shift from government dominance to commercial participation.
• Key Target: India aims to expand the economy to $44 billion, with an 8% global market share, by 2033.

Current Landscape

• India’s space economy is valued at around $8.4 billion, accounting for nearly 2% of the global market.
• The sector added around ₹20,000 crore to GDP over the last decade and supports about 96,000 jobs.
• India has 399 space-tech startups across launch systems, satellites, propulsion, and space electronics.
• Productivity remains high, with every $1 invested generating a $2.54 multiplier effect on national GDP.
• India has launched 434 foreign satellites, positioning itself as a reliable low-cost global launch hub.

Key Growth Drivers

• Cost Advantage: India’s low-cost, high-reliability model strengthens its competitive edge, as illustrated by the modest mission cost of Chandrayaan-3.
• Satellite Services: Demand for High-Throughput Satellites (HTS) for broadband, tele-education, tele-medicine, and GPS-based GAGAN navigation drives sectoral growth.
• PPP Transition: ISRO adopted the Public-Private Partnership model, with IN-SPACe enabling the transfer of technologies such as SSLV to private consortia.
• Demand Expansion: Rising demand for satellite internet and real-time Earth Observation boosts domestic manufacturing of SmallSat constellations.
• Downstream Services: The sector’s shift in focus from launch-centric activities to data monetisation is expected to generate 70% of future revenues.

Key Government Initiatives and Policies

• Indian Space Policy 2023: Permits non-governmental entities to undertake end-to-end space activities, including rockets, satellites, and launch pads.
• Manufacturing Ecosystem: Dedicated hubs such as Kerala Space Park provide plug-and-play infrastructure for producing space-grade components.
• Liberalised FDI: Updated norms allow 100% FDI in satellite component manufacturing and up to 74% in satellite operations under the automatic route.
• Capital Support: A ₹1,000 crore venture fund provides risk capital to deep-tech startups, with financing for growth and later-stage development.

Greylag Goose

• A flock of migratory greylag geese was poisoned with pesticides in Majuli district, Assam.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

• The Greylag goose is the largest grey goose species and the primary wild ancestor of most domesticated goose breeds.
• Appearance: The bird has grey-brown plumage, a thick neck, a large orange or pink bill, & pink legs.
• Unique Marker: It shows a distinctive pale grey forewing in flight.
• Habitat Preference: The species prefers open freshwater wetlands, marshes, and lakes with extensive reed beds.
• Geographic Range: It has a Palearctic distribution, breeding throughout northern Eurasia and migrating south in winter. It is a common winter visitor to the wetlands of North and North-West India.
• Behaviour: The species is highly social; they form large flocks and fly in V-shaped skeins.
• Diet: Primarily herbivorous, they graze on grasses, roots and tubers, and also feed on cereal crops.
• Ecological Role: It helps regulate aquatic vegetation and supports nutrient cycling in wetlands.
• Key Threats: Habitat loss, illegal hunting, water pollution, avian influenza, etc.
• Earliest Domestication: Greylag geese were among the first domesticated animals, with records from Ancient Egypt dating back over 4,000 years.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; CMS: Appendix II; WPA: Schedule II

Pechora Missile System

• Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies Ltd has completed a full upgrade of the Pechora missile system for the Indian Air Force.
• Modernisation: The upgrade replaced obsolete valve-based electronics with digital chips, digitised the tracking radar, and refurbished legacy mechanical systems.

About Pechora Missile System

• Pechora is a Soviet-origin, medium-range, solid-fuel, two-stage surface-to-air missile system.
• Induction: Inducted into the Indian Air Force in the 1970s, it has now been upgraded for Mission Sudarshan Chakra integration.
• Low-Level Role: Unlike many medium-range systems, it specialises in intercepting low-flying threats, including aircraft and cruise missiles.
• Engagement Envelope: It can engage targets from as low as 20 metres up to 25 kilometres, with an operational range of 35 kilometres.
• Speed Profile: The missile is supersonic and can reach speeds between Mach 3 and Mach 3.5.
• Radar System: The system follows a two-step radar process.
• Surveillance Stage: Surveillance radars first detect incoming threats up to 100 kilometres.
• Fire-Control Stage: The SNR-125 radar then locks onto the target and guides the missile.

National Commission for Women marks its 34th Foundation Day

• The National Commission for Women (NCW) marked its 34th Foundation Day at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, reaffirming its commitment to women’s rights and empowerment.

National Commission for Women

• The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory, apex body of the Government of India tasked with protecting, promoting, and safeguarding the constitutional and legal rights of women.
• It acts as a watchdog, advisory body, and grievance redressal mechanism on issues affecting women.

When was NCW established?

• Established: 31 January 1992
• Statutory basis: National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act No. 20 of 1990)
• Nature: Statutory body (not a constitutional body)

Historical background:

• The Committee on the Status of Women in India (CSWI) first recommended an apex body to monitor safeguards for women.
• The idea was reinforced by the National Perspective Plan for Women (1988–2000).
• After extensive consultations with NGOs, social workers, and experts, the NCW Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in May 1990.
• The Act received Presidential assent on 30 August 1990, and the first Commission was constituted in January 1992.

Structure of the National Commission for Women:

• As per Section 3 of the NCW Act, 1990, the Commission consists of:

1. Chairperson: nominated by the Central Government, committed to the cause of women
2. Five Members: from fields such as law, administration, education, health, social welfare, labour, or women’s movements
3. Mandatory representation: At least one member each from SC and ST communities

Key functions of the NCW:

• The NCW performs wide-ranging quasi-judicial, advisory, and investigative functions, including:
• Review of safeguards: Examines constitutional and legal provisions for women and their implementation.
• Policy advisory role: Advises the Central and State governments on laws and policies affecting women.
• Grievance redressal & suo motu action: Takes up complaints and suo motu cases related to deprivation of women’s rights and non-implementation of laws.
• Legislative review & reform: Recommends amendments to existing laws to address gaps and shortcomings.
• Civil court powers: Has powers of a civil court, including summoning, examining witnesses, and requisitioning documents.
• Monitoring institutions: Inspects jails, remand homes, and women’s institutions where women are kept in custody.
• Research & advocacy: Conducts studies, promotes awareness, and supports litigation affecting large groups of women.
• Reporting to Parliament: Submits annual and special reports, which are laid before Parliament with Action Taken Reports.

Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

• Astronomers have linked an intense geomagnetic storm that struck Earth in March 2023 to a Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)—a faint solar eruption with no obvious warning signals.

Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection (CME):

• Stealth Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are solar eruptions that lack clear low-coronal signatures, such as solar flares, X-ray bursts, or strong radio emissions.
• Unlike typical CMEs, they appear optically weak or invisible in standard solar observations, yet can still travel to Earth and trigger severe geomagnetic storms.

Origin of Stealth CMEs:

• Active regions on the Sun with weak or slowly evolving magnetic fields
• Areas close to coronal holes—regions where the Sun’s magnetic field is open
• Unlike explosive eruptions, stealth CMEs emerge from gradual magnetic restructuring, making them difficult to detect in real time.

How do Stealth CMEs form?

The formation of stealth CMEs involves a subtle sequence of processes:

• Magnetic flux rope buildup: A twisted magnetic structure forms in the Sun’s corona without producing flares.
• Low-energy magnetic reconnection: Weak reconnection releases plasma slowly, leaving minimal electromagnetic signatures.
• Acceleration via coronal holes: Nearby coronal holes emit high-speed solar wind, which can accelerate the CME and guide it toward Earth.
• Interplanetary evolution: As the CME travels through space, it may expand, rotate its magnetic field, and align in a way that strongly interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere—especially if the magnetic field turns southward.

Why are Stealth CMEs geoeffective?

Despite being slow and faint, stealth CMEs can cause intense geomagnetic storms because:

1. They may travel behind high-speed solar wind streams, increasing impact energy
2. Their magnetic clouds can expand significantly en route to Earth
3. A southward-oriented magnetic field enhances magnetic reconnection with Earth’s magnetosphere.

Implications of Stealth CMEs:

•  Space weather forecasting challenge: Current early-warning systems rely on visible solar flares and radio bursts, which stealth CMEs often lack.

Risks to modern infrastructure:

They can disrupt:

1. Satellites and GPS systems
2. Radio communications
3. Power grids and aviation routes

• Need for multi-point observation: The study used data from NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, Solar Orbiter, STEREO-A, and WIND, showing that multi-spacecraft monitoring is essential.
• Strategic importance for India: As India expands space assets, navigation systems, and digital infrastructure, accurate space weather prediction becomes a national resilience issue.

New START nuclear treaty

• The New START nuclear treaty, the last remaining arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, is set to expire on 5 February 2026, with no successor treaty in place.

What is the New START nuclear treaty?

• The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) is a bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia that places legally binding limits on strategic nuclear weapons.
• It governs weapons designed to strike an adversary’s core political, military, and industrial centres in the event of a nuclear war.

Background:

• Signed: April 2010
• Entered into force: February 2011
• Signed by: US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
• Duration: 10 years, with a single five-year extension, exercised in 2021
• In February 2023, Russia suspended participation in New START following the Ukraine conflict, halting inspections and data exchanges, though both sides continued to observe core numerical limits.

Aim of the New START treaty:

• The treaty was designed to:

1. Prevent a strategic nuclear arms race
2. Enhance predictability and transparency between the two largest nuclear powers
3. Reduce the risk of miscalculation or accidental escalation
4. Contribute to global strategic stability and nuclear risk reduction

Key features of the New START treaty:

• Warhead limits: Caps each side at 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
• Delivery system limits:
• Maximum 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers
• 800 total launchers, deployed and non-deployed combined
• Verification and transparency:

1. On-site inspections
2. Regular data exchanges
3. Notifications on movements and deployments

• Predictability mechanism: Creates shared expectations that shape nuclear force planning even during political hostility.

Why does the expiry of New START matter?

• End of nuclear limits: Its expiry would remove the last formal constraint on US–Russia strategic nuclear forces.
• Risk of a new arms race:
• Without limits, both sides could:
• Upload additional warheads onto existing missiles
• Expand delivery systems based on worst-case assumptions

MY Bharat Portal

• The MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat) portal has crossed the milestone of two crore registrations since its launch.
• MY Bharat is an autonomous digital platform for youth engagement and participation for individuals aged 15 to 29.
• It was launched in 2023 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to transform “youth development” into “youth-led development”
• It integrates a digital portal and app with on-ground activities for experiential learning, volunteering, and professional growth.
• The platform serves as a centralised youth database, enabling targeted, evidence-based policy interventions in the youth sector.

NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme

• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched the NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme as a pilot project under its Regulatory Sandbox Framework to integrate healthcare expense coverage with pension savings.

What is the NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme?

• The NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme is a sector-specific scheme under the National Pension System (NPS) designed to provide financial support for medical expenses—both outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD)—using pension-linked savings.
• It is being introduced as a Proof of Concept (PoC) on a limited scale under PFRDA’s Regulatory Sandbox, allowing controlled experimentation before any full-scale rollout.
• Nodal Authority: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Aim of the scheme:

• Integrate healthcare financing with long-term retirement planning
• Reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on medical care
• Test the operational, technological, and regulatory feasibility of health-linked pension products
• Enhance subscriber-centric innovation within the NPS ecosystem

Key features of the NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme:

• Voluntary & contributory: Open to all Indian citizens on a voluntary basis, with flexible contribution amounts.
• Multiple Scheme Framework (MSF): Contributions are invested as per MSF guidelines, ensuring regulated asset allocation.
• Medical expense withdrawals:

1. Partial withdrawals allowed for OPD and IPD expenses
2. Up to 25% of subscriber’s own contributions can be withdrawn
3. No cap on the number of withdrawals
4. First withdrawal allowed after a minimum corpus of ₹50,000

Critical illness protection:

• If a single inpatient treatment exceeds 70% of total corpus,
• Subscriber can exit prematurely with 100% lump-sum withdrawal exclusively for medical treatment
• Transfer from Common Scheme Account: Subscribers above 40 years (excluding government sector) can transfer up to 30% of their contributions into the Swasthya Scheme.

Claim settlement mechanism:

• Medical claims are paid directly to HBA/TPA or hospitals
• Any surplus after settlement is credited back to the subscriber’s NPS account.

Strong governance safeguards:

• Mandatory disclosures on benefits, fees, claims, exits
• Robust grievance redressal mechanism
• Explicit digital consent as per the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Significance of the scheme

• Health–Pension convergence: First structured attempt to link retirement savings with healthcare financing in India.
• Reduced medical impoverishment: Helps households manage health shocks without liquidating assets.

UAE central bank approves first USD-backed stable coin

• The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has approved the first USD-backed stable coin (USDU) under its Payment Token Services Regulation, marking a major step in regulating digital assets.

What is the USD-backed stablecoin (USDU)?

• A USD-backed stablecoin is a cryptocurrency pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, designed to maintain price stability while operating on blockchain networks.
• The newly approved USDU stablecoin is issued by Universal Digital, a crypto firm regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), making it the first foreign payment token issuer registered with the UAE central bank.

Key features of the USDU stablecoin

• Full USD backing: Each token is backed by US dollar reserves, ensuring price stability.
• Regulated framework: Approved under the UAE’s Payment Token Services Regulation.
• Blockchain-based settlement: Enables faster, cheaper, and transparent digital payments.
• Cross-border utility: Suitable for international transfers, trade settlement, and remittances.
• Financial innovation: Bridges traditional finance with digital asset infrastructure.

About the United Arab Emirates (UAE):

• The United Arab Emirates is a federal union of seven emirates located along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
• It is one of the Middle East’s most influential economies, known for oil wealth, global finance, logistics, and technological innovation.
• Capital: Abu Dhabi – political centre and hub of the oil industry.

Neighbouring countries:

• Saudi Arabia – west and south
• Oman – east and northeast
• Maritime proximity to Iran across the Strait of Hormuz

Key geographical and geological features:

• Predominantly arid desert landscape with extensive sand dunes.
• Hajar Mountains in the northeast (shared with Oman), rising to ~2,000 m.

Long coastlines along:

• Persian Gulf (west)
• Gulf of Oman (east – Fujairah is the only emirate here)
• Strategic location near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit chokepoint.
• Absence of perennial rivers; drainage through seasonal wadis.

Strategic importance of the UAE:

• Controls vital maritime routes connecting the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
• Major player in global energy markets, logistics, aviation, and finance.
• Rapidly diversifying into digital economy, fintech, AI, and blockchain governance.