20 March 2025

• Education: The APAAR ID, a 12-digit academic identifier linked to NEP 2020, was in focus.
• Agriculture: Climate projections showed kharif output could rise 9 to 10.1 per cent by 2050 due to CO2 fertilisation effects.
• History: Aurangzeb's death anniversary was discussed in the context of Mughal historiography.
• Technology: "Audible Enclaves" directional audio technology allows sound to be heard only within a 1-metre radius.
• Animal husbandry: Rashtriya Gokul Mission was expanded to strengthen indigenous cattle breeds.

GS area: Education (Policy), Governance (Digital)

The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) is now linked to the APAAR ID (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry), a 12-digit identifier for every student.

• APAAR ID: Issued for every student from Class 1 onwards under NEP 2020.
• Linked to: DigiLocker. Stores academic certificates, mark sheets, awards and extracurricular records digitally.
• Academic Bank of Credits (ABC): Under NEP 2020, students can deposit and withdraw academic credits from different institutions, enabling flexible learning.
• Ministry: Ministry of Education.
• Privacy concern: APAAR collects student data including Aadhaar number. Concerns about data protection under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
• Consent requirement: Parents must give written consent for Aadhaar linkage of minors.

Static linkage: Education (NEP 2020), governance (digital identity).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture), Environment (Climate)

A government-backed study projected that kharif crop production in India could rise by 9 to 10.1 per cent by 2050, driven by the CO2 fertilisation effect.

• CO2 fertilisation: Higher atmospheric CO2 can boost photosynthesis and crop yields for C3 plants (rice, wheat, soybean, potato). C4 plants (maize, sorghum, sugarcane) benefit less.
• Kharif crops: Sown with the monsoon onset (June). Include rice, maize, cotton, soybean, groundnut, pulses.
• Caveat: The yield gain assumes adequate water and nutrients. Heat stress from higher temperatures may partially offset the CO2 benefit.
• ICAR research: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research leads climate-smart agriculture research.
• NAPCC: The National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008) includes the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) as one of eight missions.

Static linkage: Economy (agriculture), environment (climate change).

GS area: History (Medieval India)

Discussions marked the anniversary of Aurangzeb's death (died March 3, 1707) and revisited debates on Mughal historiography.

• Reign: 1658 to 1707 (49 years). Full name: Abul Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb.
• Empire at peak: About 4 million square kilometres. Stretched from Kabul in the north to the Kaveri in the south.
• Policies: Reimposed jizya (1679) tax on non-Muslims; demolished some Hindu temples (Kashi Vishwanath, Kesava Deo in Mathura); banned music at court.
• Military: Suppressed the Marathas for decades, but could not crush them. Deccan campaigns drained the treasury.
• Legacy debate: Historians differ on whether he was a pious ruler following Sharia or a political pragmatist. His reign ended the era of Mughal expansion; the empire fragmented after 1707.
• Mughal succession wars: Aurangzeb defeated brothers Dara Shikoh, Shuja and Murad to seize the throne (1658).

Static linkage: History (medieval, Mughal Empire).

GS area: Science and Technology

Researchers demonstrated "Audible Enclaves," a technology that delivers sound to a specific person within a 60 dB zone no wider than 1 metre.

• Technology principle: Uses ultrasonic transducers to create audio through non-linear acoustic interaction. Two ultrasound beams combine in a small volume of air to produce audible sound.
• Application: Targeted advertising, museum audio guides, private phone calls in public, assistive hearing in hospitals.
• Volume: Up to 60 decibels at 1 metre radius. Inaudible outside the zone.
• Ultrasonics: Sound frequencies above 20,000 Hz (above human hearing range). Used in medical imaging (sonography), industrial cleaning, distance sensing.
• Patent context: MIT Media Lab had earlier demonstrated parametric audio; the new research achieved greater directionality.

Static linkage: Science and technology (acoustics, communication technology).

GS area: Economy (Agriculture, Animal Husbandry), Government Schemes

The Rashtriya Gokul Mission received an enhanced allocation of 3,400 crore rupees for the next phase.

• Launched: 2014. Under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Objective: Conservation and development of indigenous cattle breeds (Gir, Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Rathi, etc.) and buffaloes.
• Key components: Establishment of Gokul Grams (integrated indigenous breed development centres); e-Pashu Haat (digital platform for bull trading); National Bovine Genomic Centre.
• IVF technology: In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) used to multiply superior indigenous germplasm.
• Indigenous breeds advantage: Adapted to Indian climate. Disease resistance. A2 milk protein variant (linked to easier digestion, though science is debated).

Static linkage: Economy (agriculture, animal husbandry), government schemes.

GS area: Geography, Environment

The Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project (the first interlinking project to reach financial closure in India) was discussed.

• Betwa River: Length: 590 km. Originates in the Vindhya Range, Madhya Pradesh. Tributary of the Yamuna. Passes through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• Ken-Betwa Link: Transfers surplus water from the Ken basin (MP) to the water-deficit Betwa basin (Bundelkhand, UP and MP).
• Daudhan Dam: The storage structure on the Ken River. Will submerge parts of Panna Tiger Reserve.
• National River Linking Project (NRLP): A broader vision to link 30 rivers through 37 links. Ken-Betwa is the first of these.
• Controversy: Panna Tiger Reserve (tiger habitat) will lose about 9,000 hectares to submergence. Ecological clearance was contested.
• Supreme Court: Approved the project after a review committee clearance.

Static linkage: Geography (river systems), environment (river interlinking).

GS area: History (Post-Independence, Modern India)

Discussion of the Pepsu Muzhara Movement highlighted the agrarian roots of land reform in Punjab.

• PEPSU: Patiala and East Punjab States Union, a state that existed 1948 to 1956.
• Muzhara movement: Tenant movement in the 1940s-1950s. Muzharas (tenants) fought for ownership rights over land they cultivated but did not own.
• 784 villages: The movement involved cultivators across 784 villages in the current Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts.
• Land reform outcome: PEPSU Occupation Tenants (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Act, 1953, vested ownership in tenant farmers.
• Broader context: Post-independence land reforms across India (zamindari abolition, tenancy reforms, land ceilings) were designed to create peasant proprietors and break feudal agrarian structures.

Static linkage: History (modern India, land reforms).

• Customs Act 1962 gold exemptions: Returning Indians can bring 1 kg of gold (men) or 1 kg (women) duty-free if abroad for 6-plus months. Beyond this, customs duty applies.
• REET 2025: Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers 2025 was announced, covering grades 1-5 and 6-8.