25 August 2023

• Space: Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan Rover confirmed sulphur at the lunar south pole using LIBS; India's ISRO announced future missions including LUPEX and XPoSat.
• BRICS: Post-summit analysis focused on India's cautious welcome of the expansion and the risk of Chinese dominance in the enlarged bloc.
• Statistics: C.R. Rao (1920-2023), pioneer of the Cramer-Rao inequality and Rao-Blackwellization, died at 102. He was a foundational figure in modern statistics.
• Economy: The Rail-Sea-Rail (RSR) coal initiative achieved 125 per cent growth over four years, targeting 112 million tonnes of coal by 2030.

GS area: Science and Technology, International Relations

The Chandrayaan-3 mission provided a strong diplomatic backdrop to India's BRICS participation. The landing on 23 August demonstrated India's space capabilities to a global audience gathered in Johannesburg.

• Sulphur confirmation: The LIBS on the Pragyan Rover confirmed sulphur in the lunar south pole soil for the first time. The detection helps understand the geological history of the south pole.
• ISRO's projection: India targeted a 9 per cent share of the global commercial space market by 2030, up from about 2 per cent currently. The global space economy was estimated at 546 billion dollars in 2022.
• Space economy potential: India's space economy was projected to grow to 100 billion dollars by 2040.
• Budget: ISRO's budget for 2023-24 was 12,544 crore rupees, an 8 per cent decrease from the previous year.
• IN-SPACe facilitation: The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre was enabling private companies to access ISRO infrastructure and launch commercial satellites.

Static linkage: Space policy, ISRO missions, India's global standing (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Science and Technology (persons in news)

Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao (C.R. Rao), one of the most influential statisticians of the 20th century, passed away on 22 August 2023 at age 102.

• Cramer-Rao inequality: A fundamental result in mathematical statistics that sets a lower bound on the variance of an unbiased estimator. Any estimation method cannot be more efficient than the bound it specifies.
• Rao-Blackwellization: A technique for improving an estimator by conditioning it on a sufficient statistic. It is a cornerstone of estimation theory.
• Awards: Padma Bhushan (1968) and Padma Vibhushan (2001). He also received the US National Medal of Science (2002) and the International Prize in Statistics (2023, considered the "Nobel Prize of statistics").
• Contributions to India: Founded the Research and Training School at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. Established statistical education and research programmes across Indian universities.

Static linkage: Indian scientists and contributors (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy (transport, energy)

The government's Rail-Sea-Rail (RSR) initiative for coal transport achieved significant growth.

• RSR concept: Integrates railway and maritime transport for efficient coal movement from eastern coalfields to southern and western power plants. Coal travels by rail to a port, by sea to a coastal port near the destination, and then by rail to the power plant.
• Growth: RSR coal volumes grew 125 per cent over four years (2018-2022).
• Target: 112 million tonnes by 2030.
• Railways share: Indian Railways handles approximately 55 per cent of coal evacuation. The target is 75 per cent by 2030.
• Major coal-producing states: Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand contribute approximately 75 per cent of domestic coal dispatch.
• Benefits: RSR reduces logistics costs for southern Indian power plants, eases rail congestion in eastern India, and reduces the carbon footprint compared to all-road transport.

Static linkage: Coal logistics, transport policy, energy (GS Paper 3).

GS area: International Relations (regional security)

The Pakistan National Assembly passed amendments to the Pakistan Army Act on 27 July 2023 (with implications continuing into August). The amendments were relevant to India's security environment.

• Key provisions: The expanded Act extends military jurisdiction to civilians employed by army entities. It criminalises "unauthorised disclosure" of information. It restricts political activity by retired officers.
• Context: The amendments came amid a power struggle between former PM Imran Khan and the military establishment.
• Concerns: Civil liberties organisations in Pakistan noted the amendments were unusually broad, extending military courts' jurisdiction to civilians.
• India's interest: Domestic instability in Pakistan has direct regional security implications. A Pakistani military focused on internal suppression of political dissent may be less predictable on border management.

Static linkage: India-Pakistan relations, regional security (GS Paper 2).

GS area: Science (health and nutrition)

A study linking soil micronutrient levels to child malnutrition found significant patterns in India.

• Finding: Soil zinc availability was correlated with lower rates of child stunting. Soil iron levels were correlated with lower anaemia rates.
• India's deficiencies: Approximately 35 per cent of India's soils are zinc-deficient. About 11 per cent are iron-deficient.
• India's burden: India represents approximately one-third of the global population suffering from micronutrient deficiencies (sometimes called "hidden hunger").
• Policy implication: Soil health management and biofortification of crops can address micronutrient deficiency at scale.
• National Food Security: The National Food Security Act, 2013 ensures subsidised grain access but does not address micronutrient quality. The PM POSHAN scheme (formerly Mid-Day Meal) supplements school nutrition.

Static linkage: Nutrition policy, agriculture, health (GS Paper 2, Paper 3).

• ABDM Microsite: The first Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) Microsite was operationalised in Aizawl, Mizoram. Mizoram was the first state to fully operationalise ABDM. Microsites accelerate digital health adoption by enabling private clinics, labs, and hospitals to become ABDM-enabled.
• Rural dietary shift: NITI Aayog data showed rural families increasingly consuming sugary and ultra-processed foods instead of nutrient-rich traditional food. The shift is attributed to convenience, reduced access to forest food sources, and rural-to-urban migration influences.
• Panama Canal drought: The Panama Canal Authority was managing an unprecedented cargo ship backlog due to drought reducing water levels. The canal requires 52 million gallons of freshwater to operate each ship lock cycle.