27 August 2023

• Space: Chandrayaan-3 science team reported further LIBS analysis from the Pragyan Rover. ISRO confirmed the rover had traversed over 100 metres on the lunar surface.
• Economy: India's high youth unemployment was debated in policy circles: despite 8 per cent projected GDP growth, the youth employment rate had fallen from 29 per cent in 2016 to 19 per cent in 2022.
• International: India-Greece strategic partnership agreements continued to be operationalised following PM Modi's 25-26 August visit.
• Agriculture: The government's initiative on gene-edited mustard was advancing under ICAR, targeting reduced vegetable oil import dependence.

GS area: Economy, Society

India's high rate of youth unemployment was highlighted as a structural concern despite the economy's growth momentum.

• Youth employment rate: Fell from 29 per cent in 2016 to 19 per cent in 2022. Workers aged 15-29 declined from 25 per cent of the workforce to 17 per cent in the same period.
• Ageing workforce: Workers aged 45 and above rose from 37 per cent to 49 per cent of the total workforce.
• Root causes: Over 50 per cent of India's population is below the age of 25. But development policy has favoured physical infrastructure over human infrastructure. Urban-rural mismatches reduce job creation where youth are concentrated.
• Solutions proposed: Scaling tertiary education, promoting job creation in Tier 2 cities, and integrating human capital investment into infrastructure planning.
• Female youth: Female youth participation in the labour force was even lower than male. Women face additional barriers including safety, mobility, and social expectations.
• Demographic dividend: India's window for leveraging its young workforce is approximately 2030-2050. Without skill development and employment creation, the dividend could become a demographic disaster.

Static linkage: Demographic dividend, employment policy, social issues (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Science and Technology, Agriculture

ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) was developing a gene-edited mustard variety using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

• CRISPR/Cas9: A gene-editing tool that cuts DNA at specific locations, allowing removal or correction of genes without introducing foreign genetic material from another organism.
• Low glucosinolate mustard: Glucosinolates are compounds in mustard that reduce its suitability for human and animal consumption at high concentrations. The ICAR variety has glucosinolate content below 30 parts per million.
• Distinction from GM crops: Gene-edited crops where no foreign DNA is introduced are classified differently from transgenic (genetically modified) crops. Regulatory treatment is less stringent.
• Vegetable oil context: India imports approximately 15 million tonnes of edible oil annually, making it one of the world's largest edible oil importers. Mustard oil is a potential domestic substitute.
• Regulatory path: The GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) under the Ministry of Environment approves GM and gene-edited crops.

Static linkage: Agricultural biotechnology, food security, import dependence (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Science and Technology (cybersecurity)

Research at Cornell University demonstrated that AI models could identify keystrokes by analysing the sound of keyboard clicks with up to 95 per cent accuracy.

• Mechanism: Different keys produce subtly different sounds when pressed. Microphones on smartphones, smartwatches, or video calls can capture these sounds. An AI model trained on keystrokes can then reconstruct what was typed.
• Implications: Passwords, sensitive information, and confidential communications typed on a keyboard are potentially vulnerable.
• Defences: Typing on a touch screen (which is silent), using audio masking software, or varying typing style (touch typing reduces acoustic distinctiveness).
• Broader context: Side-channel attacks exploit unintended information leakage rather than breaking encryption. Others include power analysis attacks and electromagnetic attacks.

Static linkage: Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Science and Technology

The Pragyan Rover traversed over 100 metres on the lunar south polar terrain by 27 August 2023, confirming operational functionality.

• LIBS data: Further elemental analysis confirmed the presence of iron, chromium, titanium, aluminium, calcium, silicon, and oxygen. Sulphur remained the headline finding, not expected in such quantities from orbital data.
• Hydrogen search: The rover's search for hydrogen continued. Detection would provide the strongest evidence of water ice in the near-surface soil.
• ISRO's confidence: ISRO reported all systems functioning normally. The mission was designed for one lunar day (14 Earth days) of operations.
• Science significance: Ground-truth data from the south pole will calibrate orbital remote-sensing data from Chandrayaan-1 and 2. The M3 instrument on Chandrayaan-1 first detected water molecule absorption signatures at the poles in 2008.

Static linkage: ISRO missions, space science (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Energy

The government continued plans for offshore wind energy auctions in 2023-24.

• Planned auctions: 4 GW of offshore wind capacity to be auctioned in 2023-24, with a further 3 GW in the subsequent year.
• Two models:
  • Government-backed Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for initial projects.
  • Competitive bidding for subsequent projects.
• Offshore wind challenges: India's offshore wind sites are in deeper waters than Europe's early offshore projects. Greater water depth requires more expensive floating or jacket foundations. Grid connectivity for offshore projects is also costly.
• Target: India's installed renewable energy capacity was approximately 180 GW as of August 2023. Offshore wind is a new frontier.
• Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts: Initial project sites are expected off these states.

Static linkage: Renewable energy, climate policy, Blue economy (GS Paper 3).

• Self-respect marriages: The Supreme Court held that "self-respect" marriages (performed without a priest under Hindu traditions, without customary ceremonies) are valid under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Self-respect marriages were legalised in Tamil Nadu in 1968 and challenge Brahminical ritual requirements.
• Kampala Declaration: 48 African countries adopted the Kampala Declaration on migration, environment, and climate change. The Declaration addresses internal displacement caused by disasters. Over 7.5 million people are internally displaced by disasters annually in Africa.
• Turmeric supplements advisory: Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued an advisory on liver injury risks associated with turmeric (curcuma longa) and curcumin supplements. India produces 80 per cent of the world's turmeric.