23 March 2025

• History: Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day): Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on March 23, 1931.
• Geopolitics: Senkaku Islands: Chinese coast guard vessel's longest recorded intrusion into the contiguous zone entered its second week.
• Governance: Water-related governance discussions continued following World Water Day on March 22.
• Defence: India signed an MoU with Tanzania for Operation Brahma humanitarian assistance capacity building in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Environment: Coal milestone context: debates on India's path to energy transition in the post-1-billion-tonne era.

GS area: History (Modern India, Freedom Struggle)

March 23 is observed as Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day) to commemorate Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, hanged by British authorities on March 23, 1931.

• Bhagat Singh (1907-1931): Born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan). Joined Hindustan Republican Association (later renamed Hindustan Socialist Republican Association, HSRA).
• Lala Lajpat Rai: Bhagat Singh's revenge shooting of British officer Saunders was prompted by Lala Lajpat Rai's death (from police baton charge during a protest against the Simon Commission in 1928).
• Central Legislative Assembly bombing: April 8, 1929. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw smoke bombs in the gallery. Purpose: "not to kill but to make the deaf hear."
• Lahore Conspiracy Case (1929): Trial that led to their hanging.
• Sukhdev Thapar: Co-founder of HSRA. Also from Punjab.
• Rajguru: From Khed, Maharashtra. Part of HSRA.
• Legacy: Bhagat Singh's socialism, secularism and anti-imperialism distinguished him from the dominant non-violent strain of the freedom movement.

Static linkage: History (modern India, freedom struggle).

GS area: International Relations (East Asia)

China's coast guard recorded its longest continuous presence in the Senkaku Islands Contiguous Zone.

• Senkaku Island geography: East China Sea, about 170 km northeast of the Japanese island of Ishigaki.
• Contiguous Zone: Under UNCLOS, the zone from 12 to 24 nautical miles from a baseline, where a state may exercise limited jurisdiction over customs, immigration and sanitation.
• Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles. Chinese vessels operating in the contiguous zone have not violated the territorial sea.
• Japan's response: Protests through diplomatic channels. Japan Coast Guard shadowed Chinese vessels.
• Dispute root: China and Taiwan claim the islands as Diaoyu. Japan's administration has been continuous since 1972.
• US-Japan Treaty: Article 5 commits the US to defend Japan against armed attack, which the US has explicitly extended to the Senkaku Islands.

Static linkage: International relations (territorial disputes, maritime law).

GS area: Governance, Environment (Water)

Discussions following World Water Day highlighted systemic gaps in India's water governance.

• Ministry of Jal Shakti: Created in 2019 by merging Water Resources Ministry and Drinking Water Ministry.
• Jal Jeevan Mission: 100 per cent tap water coverage for rural households by 2024. Near the target with 80-plus per cent coverage.
• AMRUT 2.0: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation. Targets water supply and sewage networks in urban areas.
• Water conflict: Major interstate water disputes: Cauvery (TN-Karnataka), Krishna (Andhra-Telangana-Karnataka), Mahanadi (Odisha-Chhattisgarh).
• Interstate Water Disputes Act, 1956: Tribunals set up under this Act adjudicate inter-state river disputes.
• Groundwater governance: Over-extraction in Punjab (agriculture), Haryana and Rajasthan risks long-term depletion.

Static linkage: Governance, environment (water management).

GS area: International Relations (Indian Ocean, Africa)

India and Tanzania signed an MoU to strengthen Tanzania's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capacity.

• Operation Brahma: India's operation name for humanitarian assistance after the March 28, 2025 Myanmar earthquake. Tanzania context: broader IOR HADR cooperation MoU signed during bilateral discussions.
• Tanzania-India ties: Tanzania is part of India's Africa outreach under the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) framework.
• IOR HADR: Indian Ocean Rim countries rely on India as a net security provider for disaster response. India deployed naval and air assets during Sri Lanka crisis, Maldives, Yemen evacuations.
• Tanzania geography: East African nation on the Indian Ocean coast. Capital: Dodoma. Largest city: Dar es Salaam.
• Dar es Salaam port: Among East Africa's largest container ports. India has interest in port cooperation.

Static linkage: International relations (India-Africa, Indian Ocean).

GS area: Economy (Energy), Environment

After India's coal production crossed 1 billion tonnes, analysts examined whether this represents peak coal or continued growth.

• India's energy demand: Growing at 6 to 7 per cent annually (among the fastest in the world).
• Thermal power plant retirement: India has about 20 GW of old (over-25-year-old) coal plants. The IEA has called for no new coal plants after 2030.
• India's NDC: India committed to net zero by 2070 and 500 GW renewable energy by 2030.
• Coal in tribal economy: Coal mining districts (Korba, Singrauli, Dhanbad) have high concentrations of Scheduled Tribe populations. Just transition must address their livelihoods.
• Green Hydrogen Mission: One pathway to replace coal in steel and fertiliser industries.
• International Climate Justice: India argues for climate equity: historically industrialised nations should bear more of the cost of transition.

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

GS area: Health, International Relations

With Tanzania's Marburg outbreak officially over, global health bodies reviewed epidemic preparedness lessons.

• WHO PHEIC: Marburg did not meet the threshold for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in this outbreak.
• R&D gap: No licensed Marburg vaccine despite the pathogen being known since 1967. Sabin Vaccine Institute and Kenema Government Hospital (Sierra Leone) are among those developing candidates.
• CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations): Funds vaccine development for pathogens with pandemic potential, including Marburg.
• India's preparedness: ICMR has protocols for Biosafety Level 4 pathogen management. India does not currently have BSL-4 laboratory infrastructure (under construction at Pune).
• One Health approach: WHO framework recognising links between human, animal and environmental health in disease emergence.

Static linkage: Health (infectious disease, global health governance).

• Holi 2025: Holi fell on March 14, 2025 (Holika Dahan March 13). The festival of Holika Dahan involves burning of Holika (symbolising the triumph of devotion and Prahlad over Hiranyakashipu's arrogance).
• INS Surat commissioning: India's fourth Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class guided missile destroyer, INS Surat, was commissioned on March 22, completing the class of four ships.