4 March 2024

• Science: The Genome India Project completed sequencing of 10,000 Indian genomes, creating a genetic reference database across India's roughly 4,500 population groups.
• Environment: The Union Cabinet approved royalty rates for 12 critical and strategic minerals, completing rationalisation across all 24 minerals identified as critical.
• India-Mauritius: India and Mauritius jointly inaugurated an airstrip and jetty on North Agaléga Island, with clear strategic significance for Indian Ocean surveillance.
• Polity: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed the Hindu Religious Institutions Bill 2024, requiring larger temples to contribute a share of their income to a state-managed pool.

GS area: Science and Technology

The Genome India Project, funded by the Department of Biotechnology and involving 20 national institutes, completed sequencing of 10,000 Indian genomes. This creates a genetic reference database for India's population.

Key applications:

• Personalised medicine: genome-wide association studies can identify genetic variants linked to disease predisposition, allowing treatment tailored to individual genetic profiles.
• Agriculture: identifying markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in crop plants.
• Vaccine development: detecting mutations in pathogens faster.

Key limitations that examiners exploit:

• Sample gap: 10,000 genomes is insufficient to represent India's 1 billion-plus population across approximately 4,500 distinct population groups.
• Polygenic complexity: most common diseases involve hundreds of genetic variants, not a single mutation, making direct clinical application difficult.
• Access: genomic data and resulting therapies remain unaffordable for most Indians.

Related initiative: IndiGen (CSIR, April 2019) produced an earlier, smaller population genome dataset for genetic epidemiology research.

Static linkage: Science and technology (biotechnology), Indian economy.

GS area: Economy, Science and Technology

The Union Cabinet approved royalty rates for 12 minerals, completing the rationalisation of royalty rates across all 24 minerals designated as critical and strategic. The 12 approved on this date:

Beryllium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Gallium, Indium, Rhenium, Selenium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium.

Why these minerals matter:

• Defence and clean energy: rare and critical minerals are essential inputs for electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductors, and missile systems.
• China dependence: China dominates the processing and refining of most critical minerals globally. India is seeking to reduce this dependence through domestic production.
• KABIL: Khanij Bidesh India Limited, a joint venture of three public sector undertakings, is tasked with acquiring critical mineral assets overseas.

Static linkage: Economy (minerals, energy security).

GS area: International Relations, Defence

India and Mauritius jointly inaugurated an airstrip and St James Jetty on North Agaléga Island. The atoll, comprising two small islands, is Mauritian sovereign territory located about 1,100 km north of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Strategic significance:

• SAGAR framework: India's Security and Growth for All in the Region initiative positions India as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.
• Intelligence and surveillance: the airstrip extends India's maritime domain awareness northward into the western Indian Ocean.
• Counter-influence: the project is seen as part of India's response to China's presence in the Indian Ocean, including its base at Djibouti.

Static linkage: International relations (Indian Ocean, India-Mauritius), defence.

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Bill 2024. Key provision:

• 10 per cent contribution: temples with annual income above Rs 1 crore must contribute 10 per cent to a state pool.
• 5 per cent contribution: temples earning between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore contribute 5 per cent.

Constitutional hook: Article 197 permits a state legislative assembly to reassert a money Bill that the upper house (Legislative Council) has rejected within three months. The Karnataka government used this provision to pass the Bill.

Critics argue the provision applies only to Hindu temples and raises questions under Articles 25 and 26, which protect religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.

Static linkage: Polity (state legislature, religion and state).

GS area: Government schemes, Tribal affairs

The housing component of the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyay Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) revealed a significant shortfall. By 15 February 2024, only 1.59 lakh of the targeted 2.5 lakh houses for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups had been sanctioned, partly because of data discrepancies in identifying eligible households. PM-JANMAN was launched in November 2023 to reach the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups with nine central sector schemes, including housing, healthcare and connectivity.

Static linkage: Government schemes (tribal welfare), polity.

• BHARAT TEX 2024: India's largest textile trade event attracted 3,000 buyers from over 100 countries and more than 10,000 participants. The IndiaTEX project (2023-2027), funded by Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was launched alongside it to facilitate India's transition to a circular textile economy.
• Samudra Laksamana: bilateral maritime exercise between India and Malaysia (28 February to 2 March 2024) involving INS Kiltan and KD Lekir. Focuses on anti-submarine warfare and search-and-rescue drills.
• Tiger reintroduction in Cambodia: India signed an agreement with Cambodia to assist in restoring tiger populations. Tigers have been functionally extinct in Cambodia since 2016, with the last confirmed sighting in 2007.