Present Affairs 22 March 2025

Content material:

1. 1.There’s progress on GM meals crops, says official
2. 2.Don’t publish NIRF rating for 2025: HC to Training Ministry
3. 3.AAIB to conduct in-depth probe into all tail strikes involving IndiGo plane
4. 4.In push for made-in-India browser, a mandate to belief govt. encryption
5. 5.As temperatures rise, water stage in India’s main reservoirs drops to 45%

There’s progress on GM meals crops, says official

Context: Supreme Court docket to listen to petitions on GM mustard approval from April 15.

Relevance: GS 3 ( Ecology)

Supreme Court docket Listening to on GM Mustard

• The Supreme Court docket is about to listen to petitions towards GM mustard approval from April 15, 2025.
• The case challenges the Surroundings Ministry’s 2022 choice allowing the business cultivation of GM mustard (Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 or DMH-11).
• A three-judge bench will oversee the case, and all events should submit written arguments inside per week.
• Earlier, in July 2024, a two-judge bench had delivered a cut up verdict and instructed the Centre to develop a nationwide coverage on GM crops.

Authorities’s Stance on GM Crops

• The Division of Biotechnology (DBT), underneath the Ministry of Science and Know-how, confirmed “progress” on GM crops however said that the problem stays sub judice.
• DBT Secretary Rajesh Gokhale reiterated that GM mustard discussions are being revived.
• Science Minister Jitendra Singh emphasised that biotechnology is evolving quickly, suggesting that insurance policies shouldn’t be primarily based on outdated views.

Present Standing of GM Crops in India

• Bt Cotton (authorized in 2002) is the one GM crop legally cultivated in India.
• GM Mustard acquired conditional approval from the Surroundings Ministry in 2022, however authorized and activist challenges halted its implementation.
• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), underneath the Ministry of Surroundings, Forest, and Local weather Change (MoEFCC), granted this approval.

Considerations & Opposition to GM Mustard

• GM Mustard was developed utilizing public funds and was the primary transgenic meals crop cleared for cultivation.
• Activist teams and environmentalists raised biosafety issues, resulting in court docket challenges.
• Critics argue that GM crops could hurt biodiversity, affect pollinators, and improve dependence on herbicides.

The Authorities’s BioE3 Coverage & Way forward for GM Crops

• The federal government is selling biotechnology by the BioE3 coverage, which focuses on:
  • Genetic engineering in agriculture
  • Pharmaceutical developments
  • Growth of recent enzymes and precision farming applied sciences
• Bio-agriculture contributes 8.1% to India’s $165.7 billion bio–financial system, valued at $13.5 billion.
• The DBT report highlights that genetically modified crops like Bt Cotton enhance agricultural productiveness and resilience.

Do Not Publish NIRF Rating for 2025: HC to Training Ministry

Context:

• Just lately, the Madras Excessive Court docket has barred the Training Ministry from publishing the NIRF report.

Relevance: GS 2 (Training)

Court docket Order

• The Madurai Bench of the Madras Excessive Court docket has barred the Training Ministry and the Nationwide Board of Accreditation (NBA) from publishing the NIRF 2025 rankings.

Petitioner’s Arguments

• NIRF rankings are primarily based on self-reported information from establishments with out unbiased verification.
• The rating course of lacks credibility and misleads college students.
• Not like the NAAC accreditation course of, which includes audits and professional opinions, NIRF depends solely on unaudited institutional information.

NIRF Rating Course of

• Launched by NBA underneath the Training Ministry to guage increased training establishments.
• Establishments are ranked primarily based on 5 classes:
  • Educating, studying, and sources
  • Analysis {and professional} observe
• Establishments add information on scholar and employees power, salaries, placements, and analysis funds, however no exterior verification is carried out.

Comparability with NAAC Accreditation

• NAAC’s Annual High quality Assurance Report (AQAR) undergoes auditing and professional assessment, making it extra dependable.
• The petitioner demanded that NIRF rankings needs to be verified towards authorities information earlier than publication.

Court docket’s Resolution & Subsequent Steps

• A Division Bench of Justices J. Nisha Banu and S. Srimathy has restrained the authorities from releasing the rankings.
• The court docket has sought a counter affidavit from the authorities.
• The subsequent listening to is scheduled for April 24, 2025.

AAIB to Conduct In-Depth Probe into All Tail Strikes Involving IndiGo Plane

Context:

• AAIB is conducting a radical investigation into IndiGo’s repeated tail strike incidents to establish potential systemic points.

Relevance: GS 3 (Aerospace, Know-how)

Complete Probe

• The Plane Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct an in-depth investigation into all IndiGo tail strike incidents.
• The choice was taken because of the criticality and frequency of such incidents involving IndiGo plane.

Latest Tail Strike Incident

• On March 8, 2025, an IndiGo A321 Neo (VT-IBI) suffered a tail strike whereas touchdown in Chennai.
• A tail strike happens when the tail of an plane touches or scrapes the runway throughout takeoff or touchdown, normally attributable to extreme nose-up pitch.
• The identical plane had a earlier tail strike on September 9, 2024, resulting in a five-month grounding earlier than returning to service in February 2025.
• 190 flights have been accomplished earlier than the newest tail strike.

Pilot Expertise & Flight Particulars

• The incident occurred throughout an annual proficiency examine flight for a captain, supervised by a coach.
• On the time of touchdown, the coach was in command of the plane.

Investigation by DGCA & AAIB

• DGCA initially carried out the preliminary investigation.
• Resulting from vital inner harm, the incident was categorized as “severe”, and the probe was transferred to AAIB.
• The investigation consists of:
  • Potential procedural lapses

Ongoing Investigations & Airbus Inputs

• The September 9, 2024, tail strike investigation continues to be ongoing.
• Airbus has submitted its inputs to the probe company.
• AAIB is analyzing all previous tail strike instances to establish patterns or systemic points in IndiGo’s operations.

In Push for Made-in-India Browser, a Mandate to Belief Govt. Encryption

Context:

• The Indian authorities awarded a ₹1 crore prize to Zoho Company (Tenkasi-based) as a part of an online browser growth problem.

Relevance: GS 3 (Know-how)

Function of the Browser

• Guarantee a totally operational internet browser inside India, unbiased of worldwide Web entry.
• Strengthen cybersecurity and set up an indigenous authentication mechanism.

Award Ceremony

• Zoho Company acquired the primary prize from Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
• The prize, initially introduced in 2023, incentivized the creation of a browser appropriate with India’s newest root certificates.

Root Certifying Authority Context

• Definition: Root certifying authorities are 100+ world organizations that validate companies issuing Safe Socket Layer (SSL) certificates (seen as “https” with a inexperienced lock icon).

• India’s Authority:
  • The Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), underneath the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has developed an Indian root certificates.

• Historic Problem (2014):
  • A safety breach on the Nationwide Informatics Centre (NIC) led to faux SSL certificates for websites like Google and Yahoo.
  • In response, main browsers excluded CCA certificates from their trusted repositories.

• Present Standing:
  • Just one Indian entity, eMudhra’s emSign, is globally acknowledged as a trusted root certifying authority by mainstream browsers.

Strategic Motivation

• Contingency Planning:
  • Ensures browser performance even when India faces a world Web cutoff attributable to safety situations.

• Digital Sovereignty:
  • By mandating belief in India’s root certificates, the federal government goals to cut back reliance on international tech and bolster nationwide management over Web safety protocols.

Implications

• Technological Self-Reliance: The event of Ulaa marks a significant step towards India’s digital autonomy.
• Safety Enhancement: Addresses previous vulnerabilities within the CCA certification system.
• International Affect: Positions India to say larger affect in Web governance discussions.

As temperatures rise, water stage in India’s main reservoirs drops to 45%

Present Standing of Reservoir Storage

• Total Water Storage: India’s 155 main reservoirs have 45% of their complete capability (80.7 BCM out of 180.8 BCM).
• IMD Prediction: Above-normal heatwave days anticipated between March-Might, worsening the state of affairs earlier than the monsoon in June.

Relevance : GS 3(Surroundings and Ecology)

Regional Water Storage Standing

• Northern Area (11 reservoirs in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan)
  • Water stage at 25% of capability (lowest amongst all areas).
  • Himachal Pradesh & Punjab noticed 36% and 45% beneath regular storage respectively.

• Southern Area (43 reservoirs in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala)
  • Second lowest storage at 41% of complete capability.

• Western, Central, and Japanese Areas

State-wise Reservoir Deficit In comparison with Final 12 months

• Decrease than final 12 months: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha, Nagaland, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand.

River Basin Water Storage Ranges

• 20 river basins recorded, 14 had beneath 50% storage.
• Ganga Basin: 50% storage.
• Different Main Basins:

Implications of Low Water Ranges

• Agriculture Influence: Low water availability could scale back summer time crop yields earlier than Kharif sowing.
• Heatwave Influence: Rising temperatures may additional deplete reservoirs and improve water demand.
• Socio-Financial Influence: Impacts irrigation, consuming water, energy era, and total livelihoods.
• Hydropower Technology: Reservoir-dependent energy vegetation could face decreased era capability.

Conclusion

• Rapid water conservation measures wanted to handle provide till monsoon.
• Potential affect on meals safety attributable to decreased irrigation and crop manufacturing.
• Authorities intervention required for environment friendly water administration and distribution.