24 February 2025

• Language policy: Centre withheld 2,152 crore rupees from Tamil Nadu under Samagra Shiksha for non-compliance with the three-language formula.
• Minerals: Barytes, Feldspar, Mica and Quartz reclassified from minor to major mineral status under MMDR Act.
• Heritage: Ratnagiri Buddhist site in Odisha: a Buddha head (1.4 metres tall) discovered.
• Health: DeepCXR AI tool deployed for TB screening under NTEP. Claims 96 per cent accuracy on test datasets.

GS area: Polity (education, federalism)

The Centre withheld 2,152 crore rupees from Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for non-compliance with the three-language formula in NEP 2020:

• Three-language formula origins: Introduced in the National Education Policy 1968. Reiterated in NPE 1986.
• NEP 2020 position: Reiterates the three-language formula but explicitly states that no specific language is mandated. States may choose their three languages. The flexibility clause is central to Tamil Nadu's objection.
• Tamil Nadu's position: Hindi must not be mandatory. The state offers Tamil, English and a third language of the student's choice. It argues this complies with NEP 2020's flexibility provision.
• Hindi-speaking state formula: Hindi, English and a modern Indian language of the south.
• Non-Hindi state formula: State language, Hindi, English (the classical arrangement).
• Funding mechanism: Samagra Shiksha is a centrally sponsored scheme. Fund releases depend on meeting conditions including curricular compliance.

The dispute touches on Article 350A (instruction in the mother tongue) and the constitutional relationship between the Union and states in education (a Concurrent List subject).

Static linkage: Polity (federalism, education, Directive Principles).

GS area: Economy (mining, resources)

The Ministry of Mines reclassified four minerals from minor to major mineral status:

• Minerals: Barytes, Feldspar, Mica and Quartz.
• Governing law: Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 (MMDR Act).
• Significance of reclassification: Major minerals are regulated by the central government (and states with central approval). Lease terms for major minerals can extend up to 50 years. The change tightens regulatory oversight and may affect royalties and concession durations.
• Related critical minerals: These four minerals are associated with Beryl, Lithium, Niobium and Tantalum deposits. Bringing them under major mineral regulation protects associated critical mineral resources.
• Regulatory body: Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) under the Ministry of Mines enforces MMDR provisions.

Static linkage: Economy (natural resources, mining policy).

GS area: History, Art and Culture

A Buddha head 1.4 metres tall was discovered at Ratnagiri in Jajpur district, Odisha:

• Period: 5th to 13th century CE. Active Vajrayana Buddhist centre until the 16th century.
• Diamond Triangle: Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udayagiri form Odisha's Buddhist Diamond Triangle.
• Key findings at Ratnagiri: Votive stupas, Sanskrit inscriptions in Kutila script, monastery ruins and now the 1.4-metre Buddha head.
• First excavation: 1906 by the British. Systematic excavation from 1958 to 1961 by Debala Mitra.
• UNESCO context: The Maratha Military Landscape has also been nominated for UNESCO listing (a separate Odisha initiative).

Odisha was once a major centre of Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism. Ratnagiri's location near the Brahmani River basin made it accessible to Buddhist pilgrims and scholars from across Asia.

Static linkage: Art and Culture, Ancient and Medieval Indian History.

GS area: Science and Technology (health)

DeepCXR is an AI tool for tuberculosis screening:

• Developer: Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Programme: National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).
• Training data: 54,000 chest X-ray images; validated on 14,000 images from 18-plus sites.
• Claimed accuracy: 96 per cent on test datasets.
• Limitation: Lacks peer-reviewed published validation studies. Validation at scale across diverse populations is pending.

India has the highest global TB burden: approximately 26 per cent of all new TB cases worldwide are in India. NTEP targets TB elimination (fewer than 1 case per 1,00,000 population) by 2025.

Static linkage: Science and Technology (health, government schemes).

GS area: Art and Culture, History

India nominated the Maratha Military Landscape for UNESCO World Heritage status. The nomination covers 12 forts associated with Shivaji:

• 12 forts: Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Panhala, Shivneri, Lohagad, Salher, Sindhudurg, Suvarnadurg, Vijaydurg, Khanderi and Gingee.
• Time period: 1670s to 1818 CE.
• Typology: Hill forts, coastal forts and island forts along the Sahyadri Mountains and Konkan coast.
• Maharashtra's existing UNESCO sites: 5 (Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Western Ghats).

The Maratha forts demonstrate a unique integrated system of land and coastal military architecture adapted to the Deccan plateau and coastal terrain.

Static linkage: Art and Culture (World Heritage, medieval history).

GS area: Geography (world geography)

Vietnam released a baseline map covering the Gulf of Tonkin coastline, triggering a review of the water body:

• Location: Northwestern South China Sea between Vietnam and China's Hainan Island.
• Major river: Red River (Vietnam) drains into it.
• Agreements: Vietnam-China Gulf of Tonkin Delimitation Agreement (2000); governed by UNCLOS 1982.
• Historical significance: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964), in which US ships claimed they were attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats, was used to justify US military escalation in the Vietnam War. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the US President broad authority to conduct the war.

Static linkage: World geography (Southeast Asia, historical significance).

• F-35 Lightning II: Fifth-generation fighter aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Three variants: F-35A (Air Force), F-35B (Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing), F-35C (Carrier-based). Top speed: Mach 1.6. Cost: over 100 million US dollars per aircraft.
• Talent shortage 2030: A FICCI-KPMG study projected a global talent shortage of 85.2 million workers by 2030, representing 8.45 trillion US dollars in unrealised annual revenue.
• Perovskite LEDs: Scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, enhanced the stability of perovskite nanocrystals for use in next-generation energy-efficient LEDs. Perovskites share the same crystal structure as Calcium Titanate (CaTiO3).