Economy: India's food processing sector was reported to employ 13 million workers directly and 35 million indirectly, with processed food exports growing 150 per cent over nine years.
Science: Japanese scientists detected an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray at 240 EeV, the second-highest ever recorded.
Defence: the Indian Navy received the Drishti 10 Starliner, an indigenous medium-altitude long-endurance drone with 36-hour endurance.
Health: cannabis-derived phytocannabinoids were found to have antibiotic properties against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
1. India's food processing sector
GS area: Economy (agriculture, food processing)
India's food processing sector has seen processed food exports grow by 150 per cent over nine years, with FDI of approximately Rs 50,000 crore in the same period.
Scale: the sector employs 13 million workers directly and 35 million indirectly. It constitutes 32 per cent of India's overall food market.
GI products in food: 158 food and agricultural GI tags have been awarded. The ODOP (One District One Product) initiative has identified 708 unique food items.
The processing gap: India processes only about 10 per cent of its agricultural produce, compared with 60 to 80 per cent in developed nations. Over 30 per cent of produce is lost due to inadequate cold chain infrastructure.
Government schemes: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, National Cold Chain Grid, and the eNAM electronic market platform.
Bharat Tex 2024 was organised by 11 Export Promotion Councils as a mega textile event. The theme followed India's "5F" vision: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.
5F vision: a value chain policy covering raw material (Farm), spinning and weaving (Fibre, Factory), design and retail (Fashion), and exports (Foreign).
Export Promotion Councils: bodies that facilitate exports in specific sectors. Eleven textile EPCs jointly organised the event.
India's textile strength: India is the second-largest textile exporter globally after China. The sector accounts for about 12 per cent of export earnings and 3 per cent of GDP.
Static linkage: textile policy, export promotion.
3. ICD-11: traditional medicine included
GS area: Governance, Health (traditional medicine)
The World Health Organisation launched Module 2 of ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition), incorporating Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani terminology. The Ministry of AYUSH collaborated in this effort.
ICD: the International Classification of Diseases is the WHO's global standard for diagnostics and health statistics. Nations report disease data in ICD format.
Significance: including traditional medical terminology in ICD enables evidence-based research, insurance coverage, and international recognition of India's traditional health systems.
AYUSH: stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. The Ministry of AYUSH was created in 2014.
Static linkage: health policy, traditional medicine, AYUSH.
4. Amaterasu cosmic ray: 240 EeV
GS area: Science and Technology (astrophysics)
Japanese scientists detected an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray with energy of approximately 240 EeV. Named the Amaterasu particle, it is the second-highest-energy cosmic ray ever recorded. The 40-million-times higher energy compared to the Large Hadron Collider makes its origin puzzling: it appeared to come from a region of the universe that should not contain sources of such energy.
Cosmic rays: high-energy particles (mostly protons and atomic nuclei) that travel through space and constantly bombard Earth's upper atmosphere.
EeV: ExaElectronVolt, a unit of energy. 240 EeV is approximately 40 million times the maximum particle energy produced by the LHC at CERN.
Oh-My-God particle: the highest-energy cosmic ray ever recorded was the "Oh-My-God particle" detected in 1991, at about 320 EeV.
Static linkage: physics, space science.
5. Drishti 10 Starliner drone inducted
GS area: Defence, Science and Technology
The Indian Navy received the Drishti 10 Starliner, an indigenous medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) surveillance drone, enhancing maritime reconnaissance capabilities.
Key specifications: 36-hour endurance, 450-kg payload capacity, approximately 70 per cent indigenous content, automatic take-off and landing capability.
Role: maritime patrol, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the Indian Ocean Region.
MALE drones: drones that operate at medium altitude for long durations, used for persistent surveillance. India also operates the MQ-9B SeaGuardian (American) for the navy.
Static linkage: defence technology, Indian Navy, drone warfare.
6. Briefly noted
Cannabis phytocannabinoids as antibiotics: scientists at CSIR-IIIM Jammu found that tetrahydrocannabidiol (THCBD) from cannabis shows antibiotic activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. India permits cultivation of cannabis for scientific purposes under the NDPS Act.
Vikalp Sangam charter: a coalition of 85 movements released a 21-point charter calling for real devolution to village and urban assemblies, conversion to organic farming by 2040, and phase-out of fossil fuels by 2030.
Practice MCQs
Check yourself
India's food processing sector processes what percentage of its agricultural produce, compared with 60-80 per cent in developed nations?
Check yourself
The ICD (International Classification of Diseases) is published and maintained by which body?
Check yourself
India's "5F vision" for the textile sector covers which of the following in sequence?
Check yourself
The unit EeV (ExaElectronVolt) is used to measure:
Check yourself
MALE drones, used in India's maritime surveillance, operate at: