7 November 2023

• Economy: The government extended PMGKAY by five years to December 2028, providing free food grains to 80 crore people under the National Food Security Act.
• Science: CSIR-CCMB developed an environmental DNA method that identifies all life forms in an ecosystem from water, soil or air samples.
• Defence: India's Deep Ocean Mission successfully tested the Varaha deep-ocean mining system at 5,270 metres in the central Indian Ocean.
• Defence: Project Kusha, India's indigenous long-range air defence system, targets deployment between 2028 and 2029.
• Sports: India achieved its best-ever performance at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou with 111 medals including 29 gold.

GS area: Economy (Social Justice, Food Security)

The government extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana by five years, from January 2024 to December 2028. The scheme provides free food grains to approximately 80 crore people.

• Origin: launched in 2020 as pandemic relief. It originally provided five additional kilograms of grain per person per month free of charge, over and above the subsidised grain under NFSA.
• Current form: operates under the National Food Security Act 2013. The government merged the original PMGKAY and the NFSA entitlement into a single free-grain allocation.
• NFSA 2013: provides up to 5 kg of foodgrain per person per month to priority household beneficiaries and 35 kg per family per month to Antyodaya households. The Act covers 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population.
• Fiscal cost: the scheme represents one of the world's largest food security programmes. The fiscal outlay runs to several lakh crore rupees over its extended period.
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): the sub-component targeting the poorest of the poor. Antyodaya households receive 35 kg per month at heavily subsidised rates.

The political dimension is clear: PMGKAY has become a durable political commitment ahead of general elections. The economic question is whether the fiscal space exists sustainably.

Static linkage: Food Security (Economy, Social Justice).

GS area: Science and Technology (Ocean Exploration)

India's Deep Ocean Mission achieved a milestone with the successful testing of the Varaha deep-ocean mining system at 5,270 metres in the central Indian Ocean. India became the sixth country after the USA, Russia, France, Japan and China to develop deep-sea exploration capability.

• Matsya6000: India's manned submersible designed to carry three people to 6,000 metres depth. Jointly developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and ISRO.
• Varaha system: designed to extract polymetallic nodules from the deep ocean floor. These nodules contain iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
• Polymetallic nodules: potato-sized concretions that form over millions of years on the deep ocean floor. India holds a licence from the International Seabed Authority to explore a designated area in the central Indian Ocean.
• Four pillars of DOM: advanced marine technology, deep-sea mineral exploration, ocean climate change advisory services and ocean biodiversity conservation.
• OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion): using the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water to generate electricity. A planned benefit of deep-ocean access.

Static linkage: Science and Technology (Oceans, Defence, Energy).

GS area: Science and Technology (Biotechnology, Ecology)

The LaCONES facility of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad developed an environmental DNA (eDNA) method for detecting all life forms in an ecosystem by collecting water, soil or air samples and sequencing the DNA fragments present.

• What eDNA detects: viruses, bacteria, archaea, fungi, plants, insects, birds, fish and other animals. All organisms shed DNA into their environment.
• Non-invasive advantage: traditional biodiversity surveys require physical capture, observation or museum specimens. eDNA works without disturbing the organisms.
• Scalability: cost-effective and fast. Can be deployed across multiple sites simultaneously.
• Conservation application: detects rare and cryptic species that physical surveys miss. Useful for monitoring invasive species and tracking population trends.

Static linkage: Environment (Biodiversity, Ecology), Science and Technology.

GS area: Sports (For Mains, not Prelims as a rule; but institution facts matter)

India achieved its best-ever Asian Para Games performance at Hangzhou, China, with 111 medals: 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. The previous record was 72 medals at the 2018 edition. India sent its largest-ever contingent of 303 athletes and finished fifth overall in the medal tally.

• Who stood ahead: China, Iran, Japan and South Korea.
• Para Games basics: the Asian Para Games are for athletes with physical disabilities. They are held in the same host city shortly after the Asian Games.

Static linkage: Sports (general awareness).

GS area: Social Justice (Women, Defence)

The Ministry of Defence approved parity in maternity, childcare and adoption leave between women soldiers, sailors and airwomen and their officer counterparts. Officers' entitlements: 180 days maternity leave per child (up to two children), 360 days childcare leave over the career, 180 days adoption leave.

• Maternity Benefit Act 1961: the civilian statute providing maternity benefits. The 2017 amendment extended paid leave from 12 to 26 weeks for women in establishments with 10 or more employees.
• Significance: earlier, non-commissioned women in the armed forces had fewer leave entitlements than officers. This parity corrects a structural inequality.

Static linkage: Social Justice (Women), Defence (GS2, GS3).

GS area: Governance (Water Resources)

NITI Aayog is considering discontinuing the Composite Water Management Index after five years of operation. The CWMI assessed water management performance across Indian states and motivated competitive improvement. The third and fourth editions were delayed due to COVID-19 data unavailability.

• Why it matters: the CWMI was one of NITI Aayog's most cited competitive federalism tools. Its potential discontinuation raises questions about the continuity of evidence-based water governance.

Static linkage: Governance (Water Resources, Competitive Federalism).

• NMDC gold mining in Australia: NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) launched its first gold mining venture at the Mount Celia Gold Operation, 180 km northeast of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Kalgoorlie is a historic gold rush region known as the "Golden Mile."
• CO2 to CO conversion: IIT Bombay's National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture developed an electrocatalytic process converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide at ambient temperature (25-40 degrees Celsius) rather than the conventional 400-750 degrees. Powered by renewable energy, the conversion is relevant for the steel industry's decarbonisation.