17 December 2023

• India-Oman: The Sultan of Oman completed his state visit to India, upgrading bilateral ties with a protocol for 2024-2028 cooperation and discussions on the Duqm port access.
• COVID subvariant: The JN.1 COVID subvariant was identified in Kerala, prompting Union Health Ministry guidance.
• Culture: PM Modi inaugurated the second Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi, celebrating the cultural connections between north and south India.
• Nuclear: Kakrapar-4, India's first domestically designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor, made progress toward synchronisation with the grid.

GS area: International Relations

The Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq completed a state visit to India, meeting PM Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi:

• Historical ties: India-Oman relations span over 5,000 years of maritime trade across the Arabian Sea.
• Diplomatic relations: Established in 1955; upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2008.
• Trade: Bilateral trade exceeded $12 billion in FY2022-23.
• Indian diaspora: Approximately 7 lakh (700,000) Indians live and work in Oman.
• Duqm Port: India has access to the Duqm special economic zone and port on Oman's southern coast for logistical and naval use. Duqm is strategically located outside the Strait of Hormuz.
• Energy linkage: Oman is a supplier of oil and LNG to India. Oman's position on the Arabian Sea controls approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of India's energy imports transit.
• Defence: Joint Military Cooperation Committee oversees defence engagement.

Static linkage: India's foreign policy, West Asia, Indian Ocean Region.

GS area: Science and Technology, Health

The JN.1 subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified in Kerala, prompting health advisories:

• Classification: JN.1 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.2.86 (called Pirola). It was first identified globally in late 2023.
• Characteristics: Spreads faster than previous variants and shows greater immune evasion, partially bypassing antibody protection from prior infection and vaccination.
• Symptoms: Fever, runny nose, sore throat, headache, and mild gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Public health response: The Union Health Ministry advised surveillance of influenza-like illness cases, adequate mask use in crowded places, and monitoring of hospitalisation rates.
• India's COVID governance: After the National Disaster Management Act invocation was lifted, COVID governance reverted to state health departments under the National Health Mission framework.

Static linkage: Public health, science and technology, epidemic preparedness.

GS area: Culture, Society

PM Modi inaugurated the second Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi:

• Purpose: A government-organised cultural exchange programme celebrating the ancient connections between Kashi (Varanasi) and Tamil Nadu. Both cities are centres of learning, spirituality, and classical arts.
• Programme: Artisans, scholars, students, and performers from Tamil Nadu travel to Varanasi to exhibit and share food, crafts, handlooms, textiles, music, and classical arts.
• Significance: Part of the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" framework for cultural integration across linguistic and regional lines.
• First edition: The first Kashi Tamil Sangamam was held in November 2022.

Static linkage: Culture, federalism, social cohesion.

GS area: Science and Technology, Energy

Kakrapar Unit-4, India's second 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), made operational progress:

• Location: Kakrapar, Gujarat, about 80 kilometres from Surat on the Tapi River.
• Technology: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). PHWRs use natural uranium (not enriched) as fuel and heavy water (D₂O) as both coolant and moderator. This makes them free from dependence on enriched uranium available from only a few countries.
• Significance of 700 MWe design: India's earlier PHWRs were of 220 MWe and 540 MWe capacity. The 700 MWe design is entirely indigenous and represents a step-up in scale.
• Operator: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Static linkage: Nuclear energy, science and technology, indigenous capability.

GS area: Polity (Parliament), Governance

Scrutiny of the Rajya Sabha's Subordinate Legislation Committee revealed a pattern of delays in rule-making:

• Subordinate legislation: Regulations and rules made by executive authorities under powers delegated by Parliament through enabling statutes.
• Statutory obligation: Most enabling acts require the government to frame rules within 6 months of enactment. This obligation is routinely breached.
• Examples of delay: Rules under the National Food Security Act 2013 and Wakf Act 2013 remained incomplete years after enactment.
• Oversight: The Rajya Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation examines whether delegated rule-making stays within the intent and scope of the parent act.

Static linkage: Parliament, legislative process, administrative law.

GS area: Science and Technology

NASA's Cassini spacecraft data revealed the presence of hydrogen cyanide in the water plumes of Saturn's moon Enceladus:

• Enceladus: A moon of Saturn with a subsurface liquid water ocean beneath its icy shell. Water plumes were first identified by Cassini erupting through the south polar region.
• Hydrogen cyanide: A key precursor molecule for amino acid and RNA synthesis. Its presence indicates chemistry compatible with the origin of life.
• Other molecules found: Methanol, ethane, and dissolved oxygen were also identified.
• Published in: The journal Nature Astronomy.

Static linkage: Science and technology, space exploration.

• Securities Appellate Tribunal overturns NSE fine: SAT overturned SEBI's Rs 7 crore fine on the National Stock Exchange in the dark-fibre connectivity case. Dark fibre refers to unused installed fibre-optic cable capacity. The case involved allegations of preferential co-location access.
• Global Bond Index inclusion: India's inclusion in global bond indices (GBI-EM) was under active discussion. The inclusion would bring passive foreign capital into Indian government securities, lowering borrowing costs but increasing exposure to foreign sentiment shocks.