30 May 2024

• Defence: Indian Naval ships INS Delhi, INS Shakti, and INS Kiltan returned after a successful operational deployment in the South China Sea, visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Brunei.
• Cybercrime: I4C data showed 46 per cent of financial frauds on Indian citizens originated from scam compounds in Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia).
• Science: Shrinivas Kulkarni, an Indian-American astronomer, won the 2024 Shaw Prize in Astronomy for his contributions to millisecond pulsar research.
• Environment: A new plant species, Stellaria mcclintockiae, was discovered in Kerala's Nelliyampathy hills.

GS area: International Relations (Defence, Maritime)

Indian Naval ships INS Delhi, INS Shakti, and INS Kiltan completed an operational deployment in the South China Sea, calling at ports in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Brunei.

• INS Delhi (D61): A Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer, the lead ship of its class. Commissioned in 1997. Carries Barak surface-to-air missiles, Uran anti-ship missiles, and a helicopter. Built at Mazagon Dock, Mumbai.
• INS Shakti (A57): A replenishment tanker (fleet tanker). Enables the battle group to refuel at sea (Replenishment At Sea, RAS), extending its operational range without returning to port.
• INS Kiltan (P30): An anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette of the Kamorta class. Part of Project 28 (P-28). Built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• Strategic significance: The South China Sea deployment signals India's commitment to freedom of navigation and the rules-based maritime order. China claims approximately 90 per cent of the South China Sea under the "Nine-Dash Line," a claim rejected by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (Philippines vs China, 2016).
• ASEAN states visited: Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei all have overlapping South China Sea claims with China. India's deployment was interpreted as a signal of solidarity with ASEAN maritime claimants.
• India's Act East Policy: India's naval engagement in the South China Sea fits within the Act East Policy framework, deepening maritime partnerships with ASEAN nations.
• Passage through: The South China Sea is among the world's busiest shipping lanes; approximately one-third of global trade passes through it. India imports crude oil and exports goods via these waters.

Static linkage: Act East Policy, freedom of navigation, India-ASEAN maritime, PCA arbitration.

GS area: Governance (Cybercrime, Internal Security)

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) released data showing 46 per cent of financial fraud cases in India in 2024 originated from scam compound operations in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

• Southeast Asian scam compounds: Organised crime operations, mainly in the border regions of Myanmar (Myawaddy), Laos (Golden Triangle SEZ), and Cambodia (Sihanoukville), that run large-scale online fraud operations. Workers (often trafficked) conduct romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, pig-butchering scams, and investment fraud.
• Pig-butchering scams: A multi-step fraud where the victim is befriended online (social media, dating apps), gradually introduced to a fake investment platform, encouraged to deposit larger amounts ("fatten the pig"), then all funds are stolen ("slaughter").
• I4C data (Jan-April 2024): Rs 1,776 crore lost to online trading and investment scams. 46 per cent traced to Southeast Asia.
• India's response: NDCC (National Cybercrime Coordination Centre); blocking of foreign phone numbers, 1,000+ Skype accounts; coordination with Interpol and UNODC.
• Legal framework: IT Act, 2000 and its 2008 Amendment govern cybercrime. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) applies when funds are laundered. Mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) enable cross-border evidence sharing.
• Reporting: National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in. Helpline: 1930.
• I4C: Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Coordinates all anti-cybercrime efforts nationally.

Static linkage: Cybercrime, IT Act, internal security, PMLA.

GS area: Science and Technology (Astronomy)

Shrinivas Kulkarni was awarded the 2024 Shaw Prize in Astronomy for his contributions to the study of millisecond pulsars and gamma-ray bursts.

• Shaw Prize: An international prize established by Run Run Shaw (Hong Kong media mogul) in 2004. Awarded annually in three fields: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences. Prize value: USD 1.2 million per category. Often called "the Nobel of the East."
• Shrinivas Kulkarni: Indian-American astronomer based at Caltech (California Institute of Technology). Born in Kurugodu, Karnataka.
• Millisecond pulsars: Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. Millisecond pulsars rotate hundreds of times per second (up to 716 Hz). Kulkarni was involved in discovering the first-known millisecond pulsar and elucidating their formation (recycled pulsars spun up by accretion from a companion star).
• Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): The most energetic explosions in the universe, detected as brief flashes of gamma radiation. Kulkarni made key contributions linking GRBs to the death of massive stars (long GRBs) and neutron star mergers (short GRBs) through Palomar Transient Factory and Zwicky Transient Facility.
• Palomar Observatory: Mount Palomar, California. Hosts the 200-inch Hale Telescope and the Palomar Transient Factory (automated sky survey). Kulkarni was director of Palomar Observatory.
• India relevance: Kulkarni is among the most celebrated Indian-origin astrophysicists globally. LIGO-India (planned in Aundha, Maharashtra) will study gravitational waves from neutron star mergers similar to those Kulkarni studied.

Static linkage: Neutron stars, pulsars, Indian science diaspora, LIGO-India.

GS area: Environment (Biodiversity, Taxonomy)

Botanists discovered Stellaria mcclintockiae, a new species of plant, in the Nelliyampathy hills of Kerala's Palakkad district.

• Stellaria genus: Commonly called "chickweeds." Small, low-growing herbs in the family Caryophyllaceae. Found mostly in temperate and subalpine habitats.
• Species name: Named after Barbara McClintock (1902-1992), the US geneticist and cytogeneticist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1983) for discovering mobile genetic elements (transposons) in maize.
• Nelliyampathy hills: Part of the Western Ghats in Palakkad district, Kerala. A significant biodiversity hotspot with coffee and cardamom plantations above native forests. Protected under the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and adjacent reserves.
• Western Ghats biodiversity: The Western Ghats is one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots (UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2012). Home to many endemic plants, amphibians, and mammals.
• Discovery method: Botanical surveys often use morphological analysis (comparing plant features) followed by molecular phylogenetic analysis. The discovery was published in a peer-reviewed botanical journal.
• Significance: India has described approximately 17,000 plant species; the Western Ghats alone has approximately 5,000. New species discoveries underscore the need for continued biodiversity surveys.

Static linkage: Biodiversity, Western Ghats, taxonomy, botanical surveys.

GS area: Science and Technology (Biotechnology)

A Philippine court revoked the biosafety permit of Golden Rice, a genetically modified variety engineered to produce beta-carotene (Vitamin A precursor) in the grain.

• Golden Rice: Developed in the late 1990s by Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer; contains genes from daffodil and maize to produce beta-carotene (which gives it a yellow/golden colour). Intended to address Vitamin A deficiency in rice-eating populations in developing countries.
• Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD): Affects approximately 190 million children globally; causes night blindness and can lead to total blindness. South and Southeast Asia have the highest burden.
• Philippines revocation: A Philippine court found the field trial permit for Golden Rice failed to fully meet biosafety requirements. Greenpeace and farmer groups had opposed Golden Rice.
• India's GM crop status: India has approved only one GM food crop for commercial cultivation: Bt cotton. Bt cotton contains the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin gene, which kills certain insect pests. GM mustard (DMH-11) received approval from GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) in 2022 but has faced court challenges. Golden Rice is not approved in India.
• GEAC: Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Evaluates proposals for large-scale use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in India.
• Bt cotton: Introduced in India in 2002. India is the world's largest producer of cotton by area, with approximately 95 per cent now Bt cotton.

Static linkage: GMOs, GEAC, India's agricultural biotechnology, Vitamin A deficiency.

• Lok Sabha Phase 7 (1 June approaching): The seventh and final phase covered 57 constituencies in 8 states including Punjab (13 seats), Uttar Pradesh (13 seats), Himachal Pradesh (4 seats), West Bengal (9 seats), Chandigarh, and Odisha. Counting was scheduled for 4 June.
• Uttarakhand Civil Code: The Uttarakhand government's Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was under implementation review. Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a UCC (2024). The UCC in Uttarakhand applies to all citizens except Scheduled Tribes.
• India-UK Free Trade Agreement: India and UK negotiations for a bilateral FTA were in advanced stages. Key sticking points included Indian professionals' visa access to the UK and UK access to India's agricultural market. India signed EFTA TEPA in March 2024 as a template for structured investment commitments.