7 August 2024

• Bangladesh: Muhammad Yunus arrived in Dhaka from Paris to lead the interim government after Sheikh Hasina's departure. General Waker-Uz-Zaman coordinated the transition.
• Energy: the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill 2024 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, expanding the definition of mineral oil to include shale gas, shale oil and coal bed methane.
• Renewable energy: India's geothermal power potential of 10,600 MW was in focus. A 20 kW pilot plant in Telangana is the country's first operational geothermal facility.
• Health: CSIR developed sub-zero temperature batteries that function in extreme cold, designed for defence forces and high-altitude operations.

GS area: International Relations

Muhammad Yunus arrived in Dhaka on 8 August 2024 (having been chosen on 7 August while still in Paris for the Olympics) to assume leadership of Bangladesh's interim government:

• Who is Yunus: born 1940 in Bangladesh. Economist and social entrepreneur. Founded Grameen Bank in 1983 to provide micro-credit to rural poor. Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. His work popularised the concept that small loans to the poorest can break cycles of poverty.
• Why him: Yunus had no political party affiliation. The student protest leaders who drove Hasina out demanded a neutral technocrat rather than a political figure. His international reputation made him acceptable to the army, international donors and the student movement simultaneously.
• Interim structure: Yunus was designated Chief Adviser, the equivalent of Prime Minister in the interim arrangement. He would oversee a council of advisers.
• India-Bangladesh recalibration: Yunus was less personally close to India than Hasina. The Indian High Commissioner attended the oath ceremony, signalling that India would work with the new arrangement. Bangladesh's request for Hasina's extradition subsequently complicated the bilateral relationship.
• Microcredit relevance for prelims: Grameen Bank's model (group lending, social collateral, women-targeted credit) has been adapted in India's Self-Help Group and NABARD programmes.

Static linkage: India-Bangladesh relations, microcredit, South Asia geopolitics.

GS area: Economy, Energy, Governance

The Bill amends the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act of 1948, which had not been substantially revised in over seven decades:

• Expanded definition: "mineral oil" now includes coal bed methane, shale gas and shale oil alongside conventional crude. This gives the Centre regulatory jurisdiction over unconventional hydrocarbons.
• Terminology change: "mining lease" is replaced by "petroleum lease," better reflecting the nature of exploration and production activities.
• Enhanced penalties: penalties for violations were increased to Rs 25 lakh (from Rs 1,000) and Rs 10 lakh per day for continuing violations. The original penalty of Rs 1,000 was set in 1948 and had not been revised.
• International arbitration: the amended Act enables international arbitration for dispute resolution, making the Indian exploration regime more attractive to foreign investors.
• Facility-sharing: provisions for sharing infrastructure between adjacent oilfields.
• Policy objective: increasing domestic oil and gas production, reducing the import bill and attracting long-term investment in upstream exploration.

Static linkage: energy policy, hydrocarbon regulation, economic liberalisation.

GS area: Geography, Science and Technology, Environment

India's geothermal energy potential received renewed attention with the commissioning of a 20 kW pilot plant in Telangana:

• Total potential: the Geological Survey of India has mapped 381 thermally active areas. Total estimated potential is about 10,600 MW.
• Pilot plant: commissioned in Telangana by Singareni Collieries Company Limited. Uses Binary Organic Rankine Cycle technology, which converts low-enthalpy geothermal heat (below 150°C) into electricity using a secondary working fluid. India's resources are predominantly low-enthalpy, making binary cycle the appropriate technology.
• Three plant types: dry steam plants (use steam directly); flash steam plants (flash high-pressure hot water to steam); binary cycle plants (use geothermal heat to warm a secondary fluid). India is suited mainly to binary cycle.
• Key sites: Puga Geothermal Field in Ladakh (highest potential), Chumathang (house heating demonstrations), Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, and areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Challenges: high upfront costs, limited high-temperature resources, lack of technical expertise, regulatory gaps and uncertain resource assessment methodology.

Static linkage: renewable energy, energy geography, Geological Survey of India.

• Sub-zero temperature batteries: CSIR developed a battery that functions in extreme cold using a durable cobalt-iron alloy cathode and an anti-freezing electrolyte. This is relevant for defence forces and high-altitude applications in Ladakh and Siachen where lithium-ion batteries fail. High-altitude operations are a recurring theme in India's security environment.
• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: colistin-resistant bacteria were found in Nigerian newborns. Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic. Resistance is linked to agricultural use in livestock feed. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) kills an estimated 1.27 million people annually worldwide and is a priority area in India's National Action Plan on AMR.
• History of clocks: sundials and water clocks were the earliest timekeeping devices. John Harrison's marine chronometer in the 18th century solved the longitude problem, enabling accurate navigation. Atomic clocks now define the second with precision to 10^-18 seconds.