Buddhist Pilgrim Xuanzang

India and China are in talks over joint UNESCO nominations for Xuanzang''s travelogue, ''The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions''.

Hiuen Tsang (629–645 CE) 

»     He is a renowned Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator of the Tang period. 

»     He is best known for his 16-year pilgrimage to India. In India, he

       o   Visited the court of Harshavardhana.

       o   Participated in religious debates at Kannauj.

       o   Studied at NalandaMahaviharauniversityunder the guidance of the venerable monk Shilabhadra.

Information provided by him: 

       o   Harsha''s empire (harsh punishment to criminals), incident of robbery on highway.

       o   Trade routes and duties at barriers, 

       o   Social and religious systems, detailed account of Nalanda University, etc.

CEA Warns of Weak R&D Investment

CEA warned that such underinvestment could lead to 

»     Existential threat to India’s future corporate profits (due to technology dependence).

»     Loss of geopolitical leverage (due to poor global value chains integration).

Current Status of R&D Expenditure in India

»     Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD): India’s GERD is 0.6-0.7 % of GDP.

»     It is significantly lower than South Korea (4.9%) and Israel (6.3%). 

»     Funding Share: Government (~64%)&private sector (~36%) of total R&D spending,

Why India’s R&D expenditure remains low?

»     Captive Domestic Market: Large domestic demand reduces pressure for export competitiveness and innovation.

»     Colonial De-industrialisation: Colonial rule shifted focus from manufacturing (such as textiles) and innovation to commerce, trading, and arbitrage.

»     Premature Financialisation: Corporate focus on short-term stock prices discourages long-term productive investment. 

»     Generational Shifts: Third-generation family firms often prioritize easier returns of financial markets over capital-intensive manufacturing.

»     Systemic Uncertainty: Operating in a complex democracy with a hostile neighborhood makes long-term planning risky, causing businesses to heavily discount distant R&D payoffs.

»     Others: Geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic volatility in last 15 years, such as the 2008 crash, COVID-19, wars, etc. have led firms to defer irreversible, long-term investments.

Way Ahead

»     Long-Term Focus:Indian corporate boardrooms must be willing to absorb short-term costs in pursuit of long-run competitive advantage.

»     Recognize the Convergence of Interests: Private sector must align shareholder interests with long-term national interests and move beyond low-hanging domestic demand. 

»     Learn from global successes: 

»     Germany’s Mittelstand: Deep engineering capabilities through patient capital and a cultural commitment to quality.

»     Japan’s Post-War Miracle: Long-horizon corporate strategies and a willingness to absorb short-term losses.

»     South Korea’s Chaebol: World-class capabilities in semiconductors and shipbuilding by investing at scale.

Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) of India

450 years to the Battle of Haldighati in the Aravalli hills (present-day Rajsamand, Rajasthan), fought on 18 June 1576.

»     Maharana Pratap, led Mewar’s forces against the army of Mughal emperor Akbar, led byAsaf Khan I and Man Singh I of Amber.

»     Chetak, Maharana Pratap’s trusted horse, delivered him to safe grounds before breathing his last.

Maharana Pratap (1540 -1597)

»     Renowned Rajput warrior and the king of Mewar, Rajasthan.

»     He was born in Kumbhalgarh Fort into the Sisodiya clan toJaiwantaBaiand Udai Singh II.

»     He refused to submit to the Mughals (during the reign of Akbar), leading to the Battle of Haldighati(1576).

»     Strategic Brilliance: From the Aravalli hills, Maharana Pratap employed guerrilla warfare and swift cavalry tactics against the Mughals, with crucial support from the Bhil community in intelligence, archery, and terrain navigation.

»     Successor:  Amar Singh I 

Values: Bravery, courage, resilience, compassion, leadership, high moral standards, etc.

Consensus on Kishau Multipurpose Dam

Six states i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed to sign MoU for Kishau Multi-Purpose Dam Project implementation. 

Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project

»     Location: Along Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border on River Tons (tributary of Yamuna).

»     Dam Type: 236 m high Roller Compacted Concrete gravity dam.

»     Power Generation: 660 MW installed capacity.

»     Funding: Centre to provide 90% assistance for water component and remaining 10% to be shared by six states.

»     Benefits: Drinking water, irrigation, flood control, and enhanced downstream hydropower generation.

»     Note: Himachal Pradesh’s share of water to be supplied to Delhi and Rajasthan in return for sharing cost of Himachal Pradesh’s portion of power component of project.

Significance: Expected to improve clean water flow in River Yamuna

Geographical Indications of India

Jharkhand’s Bhagaiya silk, Kuchai silk, Munda jewellery and bamboo craft receive GI tag.

GI tags

»     Bhagaiya Silk:  It represents a regional handloom tradition linked with Godda district and nearby areas. 

       o   It combines silk, cotton, gheecha yarn, mulberry katan, zari and traditional weaving skill to create sarees etc.

»     Kuchai Silk (Tussar silk): It is produced by tussar silkworms cultivated on the trees of Asan and Arjun. 

       o   Part of an ancient tradition of Jharkhand, providing livelihood in rural areas.

»     Munda jewellery: Celebrates Munda tribal community''s artistic traditions, cultural heritage and creating livelihood opportunities.

»     Bamboo Craft: Supports rural artisans in transforming bamboo into utility and decorative products.

GRAPES‑3: PeV Energy Explorer

Scientists from India and Japan used the GRAPES-3 muon telescope to analyse 22 years of cosmic-ray data to monitor Earth''s upper atmosphere and Sun’s magnetic field.

»     Muons are secondary subatomic particles produced when cosmic rays collide with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen.

GRAPES-3

»     It is a high-energy cosmic ray observatory located at Ooty, Tamil Nadu, at an altitude of about 2200 metres above sea level.

»     Working: When high-energy cosmic rays or gamma rays enter Earth''s atmosphere, they interact with atmospheric molecules and generate cascades of secondary particles called Extensive Air Showers (EAS).

        o   GRAPES-3 detects these air showers and analyses them to understand the properties of the original cosmic particles.

GRAPES-3 array is the highest density conventional EAS array in the world

India’s Voice at G7 Summit

India is invited as a partner country. Indian PM emphasized that world faces a “shortage of trust” rather than resources, aggravated by the misuse of trade and technology. 

»     He opined that the world should move from donor-recipient paradigm to partnerships based on solidarity and equality.

»     Reiterated that India’s vision of international partnership is rooted in the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and a ‘humanity first’ approach.

Key Declarations adopted

»     Development Finance: Called for reforms in global development finance and debt management, including strengthening the IMF–World Bank 3-Pillar Approach and mobilizing private capital. 

       o   IMF–World Bank 3-Pillar Approach helps vulnerable countries address liquidity challenges through structural reforms, external financial support, and reducing their debt servicing burdens.

»     Ebola Response: Urged coordinated international action to contain the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.

»     Cancer Action: Committed to advancing research on cancers, reducing lung cancer mortality, and improving global access to paediatric cancer data.

»     Geopolitics: Welcomed the US-Iran nuclear agreement, promoted a free and open Indo-Pacific, and expressed concern over North Korea’s nuclear programme etc.

»     Migrant Smuggling: Pledged stronger action against human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks, including cooperation with online platforms.

»     Drug Trafficking: Announced a G7+ Ports Network to combat maritime drug trafficking and disrupt related illicit financial flows.

Group of Seven (G7)

»     Genesis:1975 as an informal forum for economic and financial cooperation following 1973 energy crisis.

»     Members: Seven advanced democracies - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union.

       o   Expanded to G8 (1998–2014) with Russia''s inclusion; Russia was suspended in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea.

»     Structure: No permanent secretariat; annual rotating presidency.

Focus Areas: Global economic governance, international security, energy policy, etc

Milky Way’s Radio Mystery Key

Scientists Discover ASKAP J1745−5051, a stellar Rosetta Stone to decode Mysterious long-period radiotransients (LPTs) signals detected across the galaxy.

ASKAP J1745−5051

»     System Type: Binary star system consisting of a white dwarf (dense remnant of a dead star about the size of Earth but with a mass similar to the Sun) and a smaller red dwarf (one-tenth of the Sun’s mass).

»     Signal Generation: As the orbit is tight, both stars orbit each other in just over one hour. 

       o   This generates strong magnetic interactions producing repeating radio bursts detectable from Earth.

»     Significance: May help explain the origin of mysterious LPT signals and distinguish between white dwarf systems and pulsars.

Naegleria fowleri

Kerala seeing surge in ‘brain-eating amoeba’ cases mainly due to Acanthamoeba, a free-living amoeba found mainly in contaminated water.

Brain-eating Amoeba

»     Nature: A free-living, single-celled amoeba found in warm freshwater bodies (lakes, rivers, hot springs) and soil.

»     Types: Although there are several types of free-living amoebas, three are known to cause severe disease in people are 

        o   Acanthamoeba causes Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis (GAE).

        o   Naegleriafowlericauses Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).

        o   & Balamuthiamandrillaris.

»     Transmission: Can enter the body through the nose, skin, inhalation, etc. and can infect the brain.

»     Why Called "Brain-eating Amoeba": It destroys brain tissue, leading to severe brain infection.

Fatality: PAM is rare but almost always fatal

World Gold Authority

World Gold Council’s survey indicatesCentral banks would increase gold reserves over next 12 months.

World Gold Council

»     It is an international membership organization representing the global gold mining industry. 

»     Objective: To promote gold as a strategic asset and support the development of a responsible, transparent, and sustainable gold market.

»     Founded: 1987

»     Created by: leading global gold mining companies.

»     HQ: London.

»     Membership: 29 major gold mining companies