Highlights
- Economy: India's Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation hit a 13-month low at 0.85 per cent in April 2025, driven by a fall in fuel prices.
- Health: Global malaria deaths declined 9 per cent in 2024, but India accounts for 1.9 per cent of global malaria burden.
- International: India signed the Helsinki Accord on anti-corruption norms for defence procurement with six European nations.
- Environment: Particulate Matter (PM2.5) from indoor cooking fires kills about 3.4 million globally each year.
- Agriculture: The Cabinet approved PM-PRANAM scheme for promoting natural farming and chemical-fertiliser alternatives.
1. Malaria report 2025
GS area: Health, Public Health, Governance
The WHO World Malaria Report 2025 highlights progress and India's specific challenges.
- Global deaths: 597,000 in 2024 (down from 655,000 in 2023), a 9 per cent improvement.
- India's burden: 1.9 per cent of global malaria cases. India was classified as "High Burden, High Impact" (HBHI) country. Primarily caused by Plasmodium vivax (non-fatal but relapsing) and Plasmodium falciparum (severe/fatal).
- India's progress: Cases fell from 18.4 lakh in 2018 to 2.3 lakh in 2023 (87 per cent reduction). India aims for malaria elimination by 2027.
- National Framework for Malaria Elimination 2016-2030: Provides strategic roadmap. India achieved the 2025 Phase 2 target.
- Key interventions: Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs), Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT).
- Challenge: Odisha accounts for over 40 per cent of India's malaria cases.
Static linkage: Public health, NHM, WHO reports, disease elimination.
2. PM-PRANAM scheme for natural farming
GS area: Agriculture, Environment, Governance
The Cabinet approved PM-PRANAM to promote natural farming as a chemical-fertiliser alternative.
- Full form: PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth.
- Objective: Reduce chemical fertiliser use, promote natural and organic farming, restore soil health.
- Components: Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF); composting; vermicomposting; bio-pesticides.
- Financial mechanism: States that achieve fertiliser subsidy savings will receive 50 per cent of those savings as a grant for natural farming infrastructure.
- Andhra Pradesh ZBNF model: Andhra Pradesh pioneered ZBNF under Subhash Palekar's methods. About 7 lakh farmers adopted it. It is the largest ZBNF programme globally.
- Complementary scheme: Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): organic farming clusters; Jaivik Kheti Portal for farmer-consumer linkage.
Static linkage: Agricultural policy, soil health, organic farming, fertiliser subsidy.
3. India's Helsinki Accord on defence anti-corruption
GS area: International Relations, Defence, Governance
India signed the Helsinki Accord, committing to anti-corruption norms in defence procurement.
- Accord: A non-binding framework developed from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) principles for transparency in military procurement.
- Signatories: India, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia.
- Key commitments: Mandatory disclosure of beneficial ownership in defence contracts; independent audit of offset obligations; whistleblower protection for defence procurement staff.
- India's context: India's defence procurement is governed by Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. It mandates offsets for contracts above Rs 2,000 crore. The CAG has repeatedly flagged irregularities in offset compliance.
- Significance: India's first major multilateral commitment on defence procurement anti-corruption, complementing its domestic DAP framework.
Static linkage: Defence procurement, anti-corruption, international governance.
4. Indoor air pollution: the invisible killer
GS area: Environment, Public Health, Social Justice
Indoor cooking fires cause 3.4 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting women and children in developing countries.
- Primary pollutants: PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from burning biomass (wood, dung, crop residue).
- India's burden: About 40 per cent of Indian households still use solid biomass for cooking. This causes about 400,000 deaths annually.
- Ujjwala Yojana: PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) Phase 1 (2016) and Phase 2 (2021). Over 10 crore LPG connections provided to BPL families. Target: eliminate indoor cooking smoke by replacing biomass with LPG.
- Challenge: Refill rates remain low. Many beneficiaries use LPG initially then revert to biomass due to cost. Government introduced free first refill and subsidised subsequent refills for certain categories.
- WHO standard: Annual PM2.5 limit for indoor air: 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Biomass kitchens can expose inhabitants to 100-1,000 times this level.
Static linkage: Air pollution, welfare schemes, public health, gender justice.
5. Briefly noted
- World Bee Day (May 20): The day marks the birth anniversary of Anton Jansa (1734-1773), the pioneer of modern beekeeping in Slovenia. UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day in 2017. India has the National Bee Board and Honey Mission under NHB.
- ICMR study on dengue: The Indian Council of Medical Research reported dengue transmission expanding to previously unaffected states (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, J&K) due to climate-driven mosquito range extension.
- Deep Ocean Mission: India's Matsyakaya submersible completed its third trial dive reaching 500 metres in the Bay of Bengal. Target depth: 6,000 metres.
6. INS Surat and INS Nilgiri commissioning
GS area: Defence, National Security
India commissioned two new warships built under the "Make in India" initiative.
- INS Surat: Guided missile destroyer (Project 15B Visakhapatnam class). Largest destroyer ever built by India. Displacement: 7,400 tonnes. Built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Mumbai. 75 per cent indigenous content.
- INS Nilgiri: Guided missile frigate (Project 17A Nilgiri class). Displacement: 6,670 tonnes. Built at Mazagon Dock.
- Weapons systems: BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, torpedo systems, CIWS (close-in weapon system).
- MDSL (Mazagon Dock): Government defence shipyard under the Ministry of Defence. Only Indian shipyard building both submarines and warships. Listed on BSE and NSE.
- Significance: Enhances India's blue-water naval capability. Demonstrates maturity of India's naval shipbuilding ecosystem.
Static linkage: Defence indigenisation, naval strategy, MDSL, Make in India.
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