20 August 2023

• Space: Chandrayaan-3 entered lunar orbit on 5 August and was steadily reducing altitude ahead of its planned 23 August landing attempt near the lunar south pole.
• International: Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft, which was also racing to land near the Moon's south pole, experienced an anomaly in its engine burn on 19 August 2023. It would crash on 20 August.
• Economy: India's retail inflation fell to 4.87 per cent in June 2023 (data from CPI release in mid-July). Vegetable prices remained volatile.
• Environment: India's wetland Ramsar sites totalled 75 as of 2023, the highest number in South Asia.

GS area: Science and Technology (space), International Relations

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on the Moon on 20 August 2023 after an engine malfunction during a pre-landing orbit correction. This left Chandrayaan-3 as the sole mission approaching the lunar south pole.

• Luna-25: Russia's first lunar mission in 47 years (the last was Luna-24 in 1976). It was launched on 11 August 2023 and intended to land at a site near the south pole, similar to Chandrayaan-3's target.
• Engine anomaly: On 19 August, a pre-landing orbit reduction burn lasted longer than planned. Luna-25 spun out of control and impacted the lunar surface.
• Race context: Both missions were targeting the lunar south pole for the same reason: evidence from orbital instruments suggests water ice exists in permanently shadowed craters there.
• Chandrayaan-3 timeline: The Vikram lander was to attempt its powered descent on 23 August 2023.
• Why the south pole matters: Lunar water ice would be a critical resource for future human presence, as ice can be split into hydrogen (rocket fuel) and oxygen (breathable air).

Static linkage: Space science, ISRO, international space programmes (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

India has 75 Ramsar sites as of August 2023, the highest number in South Asia and one of the highest globally.

• Ramsar Convention: An international treaty for wetland conservation. Adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. India ratified it in 1982.
• Ramsar criteria: A site qualifies if it meets any one of nine criteria related to ecological representativeness, biodiversity, threatened species, waterbird populations, or endemic species.
• India's Ramsar sites span: Mangroves (Sundarbans), high-altitude lakes (Tso Moriri), mountain wetlands (Loktak Lake), and coastal backwaters (Vembanad).
• Key recently added sites (2022-23): Ghodaghodi Lake (Uttar Pradesh), Sirpur Wetland (Madhya Pradesh), and Karikili Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu) among others added during the 2022-23 tranche.
• Montreux Record: A list of Ramsar sites where unfavourable ecological changes have occurred. India's Keoladeo National Park was on this list but was removed. Loktak Lake and Surinsar-Mansar Lakes remain listed.

Static linkage: Wetland conservation, international conventions (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy (financial markets)

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) continued to implement reforms in capital markets through August 2023.

• SEBI: Established in 1988; given statutory powers by the SEBI Act, 1992. Regulates securities markets including stock exchanges, mutual funds, and brokers.
• T+1 settlement: India became one of the first countries to implement T+1 (trade plus one day) settlement in equity markets. Trades are settled within one business day.
• ASBA (Application Supported by Blocked Amount): SEBI extended this mechanism for secondary market transactions. Under ASBA, IPO application money stays in the investor's bank account until allotment.
• ESG disclosures: SEBI mandated ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) disclosures for the top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalisation from 2022-23.

Static linkage: Financial sector regulation, capital markets (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Governance, Economy

The Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) was launched as India's first domestic vehicle safety testing programme.

• Framework: A voluntary crash-testing programme. Vehicles are tested for Adult Occupant and Child Occupant safety, rated from zero to five stars.
• Coverage: Covers passenger vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
• Standard: Based on Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. It is aligned with the Global NCAP framework.
• Significance: Indian consumers have historically had poor access to independent vehicle safety data. Bharat NCAP will make safety performance transparent.
• India's road deaths: India accounts for approximately 12 per cent of global road accident deaths despite having only 6 per cent of the world's vehicles. Vehicle structural safety is a key factor.

Static linkage: Transport safety, consumer rights, regulatory policy (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Environment, Energy

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) notified a standard definition for Green Hydrogen in India.

• Definition: Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources with well-to-gate emissions of not more than 2 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of hydrogen.
• Production routes: Electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, or biomass gasification with carbon capture.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission: Launched in January 2023, targeting 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen production per year by 2030 and 125 GW of renewable energy for hydrogen production.
• BEE role: Accreditation of green hydrogen producers and certifiers.
• Applications: Steel, fertilisers, refining, and heavy transport are the primary sectors targeted for green hydrogen use.

Static linkage: Renewable energy, climate policy, industrial decarbonisation (GS Paper 3).

• World mosquito day: 20 August is World Mosquito Day, marking the 1897 discovery by Ronald Ross that the female Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria. Malaria kills over 600,000 people a year globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. India accounts for about 2 per cent of global malaria cases.
• Gene-edited mustard: ICAR developed a gene-edited mustard variety using CRISPR/Cas9 with low glucosinolate content (under 30 ppm). It is distinct from transgenic (GM) mustard. Gene editing that does not introduce foreign DNA is treated differently under biosafety regulations.
• Bharat NCAP: Industry associations noted that Bharat NCAP's star ratings would likely push manufacturers to improve entry-level vehicle safety, as consumers would compare ratings before purchase.