8 January 2025

• Environment: The 2024 Global Water Monitor report recorded 8,700 fatalities and $550 billion in damage from water-related disasters in a single year.
• Science: MicroRNA, the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of 2024, regulates gene expression by suppressing messenger RNA.
• Infrastructure: Anji Khad Bridge in J&K, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, was in the news for its construction milestone.
• Polity: Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on bail for undertrial prisoners received MHA directives for implementation.
• Defence: India and the USA announced co-production of sonobuoys for anti-submarine warfare.

GS area: Environment (Climate Change, Water)

The 2024 Global Water Monitor report documented an intensification of the global water cycle due to climate change.

• Human cost: More than 8,700 fatalities and approximately 40 million people displaced by water-related events in 2024.
• Economic damage: $550 billion globally from water disasters in 2024.
• Drought trend: Record-dry months increased by 38% in 2024 compared to the 1995-2005 average.
• Rainfall extremes: Rainfall records broken 52% more frequently in 2024 compared to 2000.
• Water cycle intensification: Estimated at up to 7.4% per IPCC and Nature research data.
• Water scarcity: Nearly 3 billion people face water shortages globally.

A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. This amplifies both extremes: heavier rainfall events and more severe droughts. The IPCC has documented this as a key climate impact pathway.

Static linkage: Climate change impacts, water resources (Environment, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Polity (Criminal Justice)

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued directives to all states and UTs to implement Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

• BNSS context: The BNSS 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) of 1973.
• Section 479(1): An undertrial prisoner who has served half of the maximum sentence for their alleged offence is eligible for bail.
• First-time offenders: A first-time offender who has served one-third of the maximum sentence for the offence is eligible for bail by bond.
• Section 479(3): The superintendent of a jail must mandatorily apply to a court for bail on behalf of eligible undertrials. This shifts the burden from the prisoner to the jail authority.
• Significance: Undertrial prisoners make up approximately 76% of India's prison population. Section 479 is intended to reduce overcrowding and address the disproportionate impact of pretrial detention on the poor.

Static linkage: Criminal justice reform, Fundamental Rights (Article 21), Polity.

GS area: Infrastructure

Anji Khad Bridge in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge.

• Project: Part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), which will provide an all-weather rail connection to the Kashmir Valley.
• Length: 725.5 metres total. The cable-stayed span is 473.25 metres.
• Cables: 96 cables ranging from 82 to 295 metres in length.
• Main pylon height: 193 metres.
• Height above the riverbed: 331 metres.
• Cable-stayed design: The deck is suspended from cables attached to a central pylon, distributing the load through tension rather than compression like an arch bridge.
• USBRL also includes: The Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge.

Static linkage: Infrastructure, J&K connectivity (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Science and Technology (Biology)

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation.

• What is microRNA (miRNA): Small, non-coding RNA molecules (21-23 nucleotides long) that regulate gene expression without coding for a protein themselves.
• Discovery: Found in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Ambros and Ruvkun showed that miRNA suppresses the translation of specific messenger RNA (mRNA), effectively turning genes off or down.
• Mechanism: miRNA binds to complementary sequences on mRNA, either degrading it or blocking its translation into protein.
• Applications: miRNA patterns are used in cancer diagnostics. Abnormal miRNA expression is associated with many diseases including cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and neurological disorders.

Static linkage: Molecular biology, biotechnology (Science and Technology, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Defence (Science and Technology)

India and the USA announced a partnership for co-production of sonobuoys.

• What is a sonobuoy: A small, cylindrical device (13 cm diameter, 91 cm length) dropped from aircraft into the ocean to detect submarines.
• Working: Active sonobuoys emit sound pulses and listen for echoes from submarine hulls. Passive sonobuoys listen for sounds submarines make without emitting their own signal.
• Compatible platforms: P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, MH-60R naval helicopter, and MQ-9B Sea Guardian drone.
• Transmission: Sonobuoys transmit data via VHF and UHF radio to the aircraft above.
• Strategic significance: Sonobuoys are a key tool for undersea domain awareness in the Indian Ocean region. India's co-production agreement reflects the deeper India-USA defence-industrial partnership under INDUS-X and the iCET framework.

Static linkage: Defence technology, India-USA relations (GS Papers 2 and 3).

• Burkina Faso: A landlocked West African nation that borders Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Capital is Ouagadougou. Formerly called Upper Volta, renamed in 1984 by President Thomas Sankara. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group. Major rivers are Mouhoun (Black Volta), Nakambe (White Volta), and Nazinon (Red Volta). The country has been destabilised by Islamist militancy.
• Environment Relief Fund Amendment 2024: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change amended the 2008 scheme. CPCB was appointed Fund Manager for five years. Administrative allocation increased from 1% to 2%. Funding sources include NGT compensation awards and PLIA penalties.