16th BRICS Agri Meet Seals Indore Pact

The meeting was held in Indore under India''s Presidency with the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” (BRICS).

»     BRICS countries represent nearly half of the world’s population, possess about 42% of global agricultural land and contribute nearly 42% to world foodgrain production.

Priority Areas of the Indore Declaration 

»     Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods: 

       o   Recognition of farmers as custodians of traditional knowledge, biodiversity and seed heritage.

       o   Launch of the Global Forum on Farmers’ Rights in Seed Systems to protect seed rights and indigenous knowledge.

           Ø  The Forum will function primarily through virtual modalities coordinated by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers'' Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) in New Delhi.

»     Agriculture Trade and Cooperation

       o   Support for the proposed BRICS Grain Exchange.

       o   Launch of BRICS AGRIN (Agro-Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network) for cooperation in seeds, genetic resources and agricultural inputs.

       o   Utilization of the BRICS Basic Agricultural Information Exchange System (BAIES) as a cooperation platform.

»     Regenerative Farming, Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture

       o   Establishment of a BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture for Climate Resilience & Productivity, as a collaborative, platform initially coordinated by ICAR–Indian Institute of Farming System Research (IIFSR), Modipuram.

»     Future-Ready Agriculture

       o   Expansion of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in agriculture.

       o   Establishment of a BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture coordinated initially by IIT Delhi.

Certified Treasures: Jharkhand GI

Jharkhand’s Bhagaiya silk, Kuchai silk, Munda jewellery and bamboo craft received Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

»     GI Tag is granted under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, to protect products whose quality, reputation or characteristics are linked to a specific geographical origin. 

Products

»     Bhagaiya Silk

       o   Traditional hand-spun silk textile of Santhal Pargana, woven mainly by Santhal tribal women.

       o   Known for tribal motifs and indigenous weaving techniques.

»     Kuchai Silk

       o   Produced in Kuchai (Saraikela-Kharsawan district) from Tasar (Tussar) silk.

       o   Famous for its natural golden sheen and high durability.

»    Munda Jewellery

       o   Traditional jewellery of the Munda tribe, reflecting tribal identity and culture.

       o   Crafted mainly from silver, brass and beads with distinctive ethnic designs.

»     Jharkhand Bamboo Craft

       o   Traditional bamboo handicraft made by rural and tribal artisans using locally available bamboo.

       o   Includes utility and decorative products, supporting sustainable livelihoods.

DengiAll: Collective Dengue Defence

Brazil''s suspension of Butantan-DV highlights the need for robust vaccine safety surveillance as India advances soon-to-be-launched DengiAll; similar, dengue vaccine.

DengiAll

»     Developer: Panacea Biotec.

»     Trials: Conducted by Panacea Biotec in collaboration with ICMR.

»     Type: Tetravalent live-attenuated vaccine against all four dengue serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4).

       o   Tetravalent live-attenuated vaccine an immunization formulated with weakened, living versions of all four distinct serotypes of a virus (typically Dengue).

»     Significance: India''s first indigenous dengue vaccine.

»     Dengue: A mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the dengue virus and transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. 

Drop Shipping Explained

Drop Shipping faces threats from creation of entire shop fronts and e-commerce websites in minutes with cheap domains and a few AI coding prompts.

Drop Shipping

»     An e-commerce business model where the seller does not keep products in stock.

»     The seller receives customer orders and forwards them to a manufacturer, wholesaler, or supplier.

       o   The supplier stores, packs, and ships the product directly to the customer.

       o   The drop shipper acts as a middleman between the buyer and the actual seller.

       o   One or more intermediaries may exist between the customer and the original producer.

»     Advantages: Low startup cost, no inventory management, and minimal warehousing requirements.

Engineering the Padma Barrage

Bangladesh approved construction of Padma barrage before the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty with India approaches expiry in December 2026. 

Padma Barrage

»     Location: Proposed on the Padma River (the Bangladesh stretch of the Ganga) in Rajbari District, Bangladesh.

»     Purpose: To address water scarcity, salinity intrusion caused by reduced dry-season flows, often blamed to Farakka Barrage in Indi by Bangladesh.

»     Project Features:

       o   Length: 2.1 km

       o   113 MW hydropower generation capacity

»     Coverage: Projected to influence about 37% of Bangladesh''s land area.

»     Impact on India: The Padma Barrage may alter downstream hydrology and sediment dynamics of the Ganga-Padma basin.

Exploring Jupiter with JUNO

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) collaboration in China has published its first results. 

Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) 

»     Located in Guangdong Province, China, about 650 m underground. 

»     Objective: To study neutrinos, determine the neutrino mass hierarchy, and make precision measurements of neutrino oscillations.

       o   Neutrinos are fundamental subatomic particles with almost no mass and no electric charge that interact only through the weak nuclear force and gravity. 

»     It is one of the world''s leading neutrino experiments, alongside DUNE (USA) and Hyper-Kamiokande (Japan).

Franco-Indian Innovation 2030

Roadmap aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and support India''s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and France 2030 ambitions was adopted during the Indian Prime Minister’s official visit to France.

Four Pillars of the Roadmap

»     Trusted AI Partnership: Built on the India–France Declaration on Artificial Intelligence of 2025. It will cover,

       o   Safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems 

       o   Cooperation on child safety online and 

       o   Centrality of privacy-preserving data sharing frameworks.

»     Enhanced people-to-people cooperation via academic mobility: In accordance with Horizon 2047 framework. It will cover,

       o   Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ): France became the first country to conclude MRQ agreement with India in 2018.

       o   Support France''s goal of hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030.

»     Technological sovereignty and innovation led growth through industry-academia linkages: Covering initiatives such as,

       o   Promote innovation through CEFIPRA (Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research), India-France Innovation Network (IFIN), etc.

       o   Franco-Indian Campus for Aeronautics Training and Careers: France and India will establish an aeronautical training campus in Kanpur.

       o   India–France InnoXchange Bridge: Provide structured and reciprocal access to research laboratories, technology platforms etc.

»     Building AI and research-based solutions for global challenges in health:

       o   Consent based data sharing: Building on ongoing collaborations such as the pilot project involving India''s ICMR and France’s Health Data Hub (HDH).

Other outcomes

»     Bharat Innovates 2026: Prime Minister of India and President of the France inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 which will showcase India’s deep tech innovators and start-ups to the global industry. 

»     Trade: Agreed to establish a High-Level Mechanism to double bilateral trade within five years.

»     Education: India invited French universities to establish campuses in India.

Global Threats Test Seafarer Safety

Issues Related to Maritime Safety of Seafarers

»     Increasing Conflict-Zone Risks: Exposure to missile attacks, drone strikes, and military confrontations in regions such as the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

»     Sanctions-Related Vulnerability: Sanctioned vessels may lose insurance, compensation, port access, and financial services, increasing operational risks.

»     Inadequate International Enforcement: Weak implementation of maritime laws despite frameworks such as International Maritime Organization and UNCLOS.

»     Jurisdictional Challenges: Multiple stakeholders (flag states, coastal states, shipowners, and crew nationalities) complicate responsibility and rescue efforts.

»     Defenceless Merchant Ships: Commercial vessels have minimal self-defence capabilities against attacks.

Way Forward 

»     Enhanced Maritime Security: Increase naval patrols, surveillance, and rapid-response capabilities.

»     Informed Consent: Mandate risk disclosure before deployment in war-risk zones.

»     Welfare Support: Establish helplines and support systems for seafarers'' families and also ensure adequate war-risk cover and allowances.

»     International Cooperation: Coordinate with flag states, shipowners, and maritime organizations.

 Legal Provisions for Seafarers'' Safety

»     Global

       o   UNCLOS, 1982 (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea): Guarantees freedom of navigation and defines states'' responsibilities for maritime security.

       o   Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006: Known as the "Seafarers'' Bill of Rights"; ensures decent working conditions, welfare, health protection, and repatriation rights.

       o   SOLAS Convention, 1974 (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea): Sets minimum safety standards for ships, equipment, and operations.

»     India:

       o   Merchant Shipping Act: The primary legislation governing all Indian registered vessels, laying out safety standards, conditions of employment, and seafarer welfare.

       o   Directorate General of Maritime Affairs (DGMA): Exercises regulatory oversight over merchant shipping and seafarer certification.

       o   Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87).

       o   Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

Guarding the Great Indian Bustard

Project GIB records successful hatching of three Great Indian Bustard chicks, raising the captive conservation population to 94 birds.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

»     Habitat: Ground-dwelling bird of grasslands, scrublands and semi-arid regions.

»     Distribution: Endemic to the Indian subcontinent; now largely confined to Rajasthan, with small populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

       o   Desert National Park (Rajasthan), spread across Jaisalmer and Barmer districts with human settlements inside, is one of its critical natural habitats. 

»     Characteristics: One of the heaviest flying birds; feeds on grass seeds, insects, small reptiles and rodents.

»     Major Threats: Habitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to infrastructure development and collision with overhead power lines.

»     Protection Status

»     IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

»     Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

»     CITES: Appendix I

»     Covered under the Species Recovery Programme of the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme.

»     State Bird of Rajasthan, locally called Godawan.

India Backs E100 Fuel Policy

The move paves the way for the launch of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) by companies.

»     FFVs are capable of operating on ethanol blends from E20 to E100, without restricting consumers to a single blend.

Ethanol Blending 

»     Ethanol blending refers to the process of mixing ethanol with petrol to create a more sustainable and cleaner burning fuel. 

»     Types: E10 (10% Ethanol by Volume), E20 (20% Ethanol), E85 fuel (80-85% ethanol by volume), E100. 

»     India’s targets: 20% ethanol blending (E20) in petrol by 2025-26 (under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme and National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 amended in 2022). 

»     Achievements:

       o   E20 target achieved in 2025 (5 years ahead of initial schedule).

       o   E85 rolled out across several retail outlets of Public Sector OMCs.

Benefits of higher ethanol blends 

»     Reduce Crude Oil Import Dependence: EBP program saved India ₹1.84 lakh crore in foreign exchange since ESY 2014-15.

»     Boost Farmers'' Income: Additional income opportunities through ethanol production from sugarcane, maize, damaged food grains, and agricultural residues.

»     Cleaner Fuel: 

       o   FFVs operating on E85 can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 61% compared to conventional petrol vehicles.

       o   Higher ethanol blends promote more complete combustion, resulting in near-zero particulate matter emissions.

»     High-Octane Fuel: With an octane ratingx of 100–105, ethanol offers better combustion efficiency and is suitable for high-performance engines.

»     Cheaper alternative: E.g., E85 is priced nearly ₹20 per litre lower than conventional petrol.

India Demonstrates Advanced BMD

This places India among an elite group of nations (United States, Russia, China, and Israel) with advanced BMD capabilities including defence against Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

»     India also carried out Flight-test of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile-Medium Range (NASM-MR) successfully. 

Ballistic Missile Defence Programme

»     Definition: A BMD system is an advanced network of radars, command centers, and interceptor missiles designed to detect, track, and destroy incoming ballistic missiles. 

»     Launch: Initiated in 1999 by DRDO in response to Pakistan nuclear tests and China''s assertiveness.

»     Two-tier Defence:

       o   Endo-atmospheric interception: Within Earth''s atmosphere.

       o   Exo-atmospheric interception: Outside Earth''s atmosphere.

»     Three Phases:

       o   Phase-I: Includes Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV), Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptors to counter short- and medium-range ballistic missiles (Range of 2000 kms).

       o   Phase-II: Features AD-1 and AD-2 interceptors (Range of 5000 kms).

            Ø  AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception.

            Ø  AD-2 missile is meant to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missile (3000-5500 km). 

       o   Phase-III: Developing AD-AH and AD-AM interceptors.

»     AD-AH (Anti-Hypersonic): Hypersonic glide vehicle, which travels above Mach 5 and changes trajectory mid-flight to dodge interception.

»     AD-AM (Anti-Missile): Missile carrying Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs), where a single launch releases several nuclear warheads, each programmed to strike a separate target.

»     Key Components: Interceptor missiles, Swordfish radar, Launch Control Centres (LCC), Mission Control Centre (MCC), and secure communication networks.

       o   Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM): Range below 1,000 km

       o   Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM): Range 1,000–3,000 km

       o   Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM): Range 3,000–5,500 km

       o   ICBM: Range above 5,500 km

Ballistic Missiles

»     Ballistic missiles are powered by rockets initially but then they follow an unpowered, free-falling trajectory toward their targets. E.g. Agni-V.

Nanographene: Power in the Nano Scale

Scientists have found a new way to build highly porous materials using nanographene.

Nanographene

»     It is a molecule-sized or nanoscale piece of graphene. 

»     Unlike large graphene sheets, its edges and limited size strongly change its electronic, optical, and chemical behavior.

»     Distinctive Properties: Tunable Band Gap enabling semiconductor behaviour, Photoluminescence, etc.

»     Major Applications: Optoelectronics (Light–electronics interaction), Biomedical Applications, Quantum technologies etc.

Referendum – Power of Choice

Switzerland recently rejected a proposal to cap its population through a referendum.

Referendum

»     It is an instrument of Direct Democracy through which citizens vote directly to accept or reject a specific proposal.

»     The result of a referendum may be legally binding, as determined by the law or constitution under which it is called,

»     The Indian Constitution does not explicitly mention referendums, as India is a parliamentary democracy where elected representatives make decisions.

Urban Affairs Think Tank: NIUA

National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) marked 50 years, with celebrations under the theme ‘Resilient Urban India @2047’.

»     National Urban Learning Platform was also launched as the urban arm of iGOT-Mission Karmayogi.

NIUA (HQ: New Delhi)

»     Established in: 1976.

»     Ministry: An autonomous institute under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

»     Functions: 

       o   A national think tank on urban development and management.

       o   Provides technical assistance for flagship missions such as Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT.

       o   Promotes innovation, knowledge-sharing, and best practices for sustainable urbanization in India.