15 April 2023

• Climate: El Nino had a 70 per cent probability of developing during the June-September monsoon season; India was forecast to receive 96 per cent of normal rainfall.
• Society: FAO's first comprehensive assessment of women in agri-food systems since 2010 found closing the gender gap could add $1 trillion to global GDP.
• Health: WHO released a global framework for next-generation TB vaccines, setting a target efficacy of at least 50 per cent.
• Sudan: Fighting broke out in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, starting a conflict that would trigger India's Operation Kaveri.
• Science: The complete human genome was published for the first time, filling gaps in the draft sequence from 2003.

GS area: Geography (Climate), Agriculture

Meteorological agencies reported a 70 per cent probability of El Nino developing between May and July 2023, in time for India's southwest monsoon season.

• El Nino: A periodic warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It alters atmospheric pressure patterns globally, typically suppressing rainfall over South Asia and Australia while bringing rainfall to the eastern Pacific coast.
• IMD forecast: The India Meteorological Department projected 96 per cent of Long Period Average (LPA) rainfall for the June-September 2023 monsoon season. Ninety-six per cent is classified as "normal" (96-104 per cent is the normal range).
• Indian Ocean Dipole offset: A positive Indian Ocean Dipole (warmer western Indian Ocean relative to eastern) can partially counteract El Nino's suppressing effect on India's monsoon. A positive IOD was forecast for 2023.
• Historical pattern: Between 2001 and 2020, seven El Nino years occurred. Four of those years resulted in drought conditions in India: 2003, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2015-16. In drought years kharif output typically declined by 3 to 16 per cent.
• La Nina triple dip: India had just exited a rare "triple dip" La Nina event (three consecutive La Nina years: 2020, 2021, 2022). La Nina boosted monsoon rainfall in those years. The transition to El Nino marks a reversal.
• Food production trend: Despite El Nino risks, India's food production grew from 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 323.5 million tonnes in 2022-23, reflecting irrigation expansion, crop diversification and technology.

Static linkage: Climate patterns, Indian geography, agricultural vulnerability.

GS area: International Relations (Indian diaspora, Security)

On 15 April 2023 fighting broke out in Khartoum and several Sudanese cities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

• The SAF-RSF dispute: Sudan's 2019 revolution overthrew longtime President Omar al-Bashir. The transitional period produced a fragile power-sharing arrangement between the military (SAF) and the RSF. The core dispute was over integrating RSF units into the SAF and the timeline for civilian governance. Integration would have ended the RSF's parallel authority.
• Scale of violence: Khartoum's international airport was damaged. Thousands of civilians were killed in the first weeks. Hundreds of thousands were displaced.
• Indian community: Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 Indian nationals were in Sudan at the outbreak of the conflict, including health workers, engineers, IT professionals and students.
• Operation Kaveri: India launched Operation Kaveri on 24 April 2023 to evacuate Indian nationals. INS Sumedha was deployed to Port Sudan. By 5 May 2023 approximately 3,862 Indians had been evacuated via air and sea.
• Sudan context for prelims: Sudan's geography places it at the intersection of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The Nile (White and Blue) converges at Khartoum. Sudan shares borders with Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Static linkage: India's diaspora evacuation operations, African geopolitics, humanitarian operations.

GS area: Society (Gender, Agriculture)

The FAO released its first comprehensive assessment of women in agri-food systems since 2010.

• Headline finding: Closing gender gaps in agri-food systems could add $1 trillion to global GDP annually. The report covered 4 billion people who rely on agri-food systems, of whom 2 billion are women.
• India-specific data: Female labour force participation in Indian agriculture is one in five women. A 10 per cent increase in mechanised tilling between 1999 and 2011 was associated with a 5 per cent reduction in women's farm labour. Mechanisation, when men retain control of machinery, can displace women from paid agricultural work.
• Gender gap in food security: The gap between women's and men's food security widened to 4.3 per cent after COVID-19. Women faced sharper income losses in food supply chain disruptions.
• Land ownership: Women own roughly 13 per cent of agricultural land globally. In India the figure is lower. Land ownership correlates with access to credit, input subsidies and extension services.
• India's policy responses: Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana under the NRLM supports women farmers. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) eligibility is linked to land records, which disadvantages women with informal land rights.

Static linkage: Women in agriculture, gender and economy, food security.

GS area: Health, Science and Technology

WHO released a global framework specifying requirements for next-generation tuberculosis vaccines.

• India's TB burden: India has 210 TB cases per 1 lakh population (2021 data), an 18 per cent decline from 2020. India accounts for about 26 per cent of global TB cases. The economic cost of TB to India is estimated at $100 million annually.
• BCG vaccine limitations: The BCG vaccine, the only currently licensed TB vaccine, was introduced in 1921 and provides variable protection (high in children, uncertain in adults). A more effective adult vaccine is the critical unmet need.
• WHO's new requirements: Target efficacy of at least 50 per cent. Duration of protection of at least two years, with booster capacity every 5 to 10 years.
• Indian candidates: VPM 1002 (a recombinant BCG) and MIP (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii, a heat-killed mycobacterium) are Indian vaccine candidates in advanced trials.
• PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan: India's flagship TB elimination programme, launched in 2022, with a target to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the UN SDG target of 2030.
• Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana: Direct benefit transfer of Rs 500 per month to TB patients for nutritional support during treatment.

Static linkage: Health schemes, infectious disease, SDG goals.

GS area: Science and Technology (Biotechnology)

The T2T Consortium published the first truly complete end-to-end human genome sequence, filling gaps left in the landmark 2003 Human Genome Project publication.

• What was missing: The 2003 sequence was approximately 92 per cent complete. The remaining 8 per cent, largely repetitive sequences near chromosome ends (telomeres) and centres (centromeres), was too repetitive for the sequencing technology of the time.
• Scale: The complete genome contains approximately 3 billion base pairs and slightly under 20,000 protein-coding genes. Less than 2 per cent of DNA codes for proteins. Over 50 per cent is repetitive sequences.
• Why it matters: The complete sequence provides the full reference for genome-wide association studies linking genetic variants to diseases. It is also essential for understanding chromosomal behaviour during cell division.
• Genome India Project linkage: India's Genome India Project aims to sequence 10,000 Indian genomes to build a reference dataset of genetic diversity within the Indian population, which differs significantly from the largely European reference genome.

Static linkage: Biotechnology, DNA and genetics, science and technology.

• e-Prosecution portal: A Ministry of Home Affairs digital tool, implemented in 751 prosecution districts, sends automated alerts when cases are repeatedly stayed. It links to the Interoperable Criminal Justice System, which connects police (CCTNS), forensics, courts, prosecution and prisons.
• Mircha rice GI tag: Bihar's Mircha rice from West Champaran was awarded a Geographical Indication tag. The grain resembles black pepper in appearance and has a distinctive aroma. It is fluffy and non-sticky on cooking.
• World Food Programme: As of April 2023, 9 of 10 Afghan families could not afford adequate daily food, a figure the WFP described as one of the world's most acute food security emergencies.