9 July 2025

• Security: FATF's 2025 report found that the Pulwama bomber bought aluminium powder via Amazon and the Gorakhnath attacker used PayPal and VPNs for ISIL funding.
• Digital inclusion: NSS survey found 97.1 per cent of youth use mobile phones but only 63 per cent of women own one. Online banking usage stands at 57.5 per cent for women versus 79.3 per cent for men.
• Defence: ATAGS, India's 155 mm indigenous artillery gun with a 48 km range, has over 80 per cent indigenous content. The first regiment is operational by February 2027.
• Diplomacy: Brazil conferred its highest civilian honour on PM Modi: the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.
• Medicine: Coartem Baby, the first malaria drug approved for newborns weighing 2 to 5 kg, dissolves in breast milk.

GS area: Governance (digital inclusion), Society

The NSS Comprehensive Modular Survey on Telecom 2025 revealed that near-universal mobile access does not translate into equitable digital capability.

• Mobile usage among youth: 97.1 per cent use mobile phones. But only 73.4 per cent own one.
• Gender gap in ownership: Urban youth ownership is 82 per cent. Rural is 69.3 per cent. Males: 83.3 per cent. Females: 63 per cent.
• Internet use among women: 91.3 per cent of young women use the internet, up from 77.1 per cent in 2022. Progress is real. The gap remains.
• Online banking: 68.7 per cent of youth use it. Female usage is 57.5 per cent against male 79.3 per cent.
• Functional digital skills: Only 32.2 per cent of youth can create presentations. Only 22.9 per cent can draft documents. Access and capability are different things.
• Fibre-optic connectivity: Only 7.2 per cent of households have fibre connections.

The survey is a corrective to the headline claim that Digital India has reached everyone. Reaching versus using versus being able to use are three separate bars.

Static linkage: Governance (Digital India, digital divide, gender), society.

GS area: Internal Security, Governance (counter-terrorism)

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released its 2025 terrorist financing update, with India-specific case studies.

• Pulwama (2019): The bomber purchased aluminium powder through Amazon. E-commerce platforms are supply chains for attack materials.
• Gorakhnath (2022): The attacker used PayPal and VPNs to receive funds from an ISIL handler. Jurisdictional ambiguity in fintech enables this.
• Techniques identified: Cryptocurrency mixers to break transaction trails, dark web marketplaces, fintech accounts opened with synthetic identities and VPN-masked IP addresses.
• High-risk regions: South Asia, West Africa and the Sahel.
• Response gap: KYC norms for e-commerce and international fintech transfers lag behind the threat. FATF recommends closing these gaps.

Static linkage: Internal security (terror financing, FATF, digital payments, cybersecurity).

GS area: Polity (law), Environment

The Kerala government is using the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017 to seek 9,531 crore rupees in compensation from the ship MSC Elsa III for environmental damage.

• What the Act does: Consolidates maritime law and grants High Courts jurisdiction over a wide range of maritime claims. Before this Act, maritime jurisdiction was fragmented across different tribunals and statutes.
• Environmental angle: The MSC Elsa III incident caused significant marine pollution off Kerala's coast. The Act explicitly includes environmental damage as a justiciable maritime claim.
• Significance: This is among the first uses of the Act's environmental provisions at this scale in India.

Static linkage: Polity (maritime law, High Court jurisdiction), environment (marine pollution).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity), Society

Kharai camels are a rare breed native to the Kutch district of Gujarat. They are one of the few camel breeds in the world known to swim.

• Swim range: Can swim up to 3 km in the Arabian Sea to reach mangrove islands.
• Population: Approximately 4,000 individuals remain.
• Habitat: Adapted to saline mangrove ecosystems, an unusual habitat for any camel species.
• Associated communities: The Rabari and Fakirani Jat pastoralist communities. Their livelihoods depend on this breed.
• Threat: Mangrove destruction, salt pan expansion and coastal infrastructure are shrinking their habitat.

Static linkage: Biodiversity (endemic species, pastoralism, Kutch), society (pastoral communities).

GS area: History (archaeological methods), Science and Technology

The Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department sent 23 charcoal samples to a laboratory in the United States for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating.

• What AMS dating does: Counts individual Carbon-14 (C-14) atoms rather than measuring radioactive decay. This makes it far more precise than conventional radiocarbon dating.
• Sample size: Requires as little as 20 milligrams of material, compared to grams needed for conventional methods.
• Application: Used to date archaeological finds with high accuracy, including wood, charcoal, seeds and organic residues.
• Tamil Nadu context: Several sites associated with ancient Sangam-period settlements are being dated using this method.

Static linkage: History (archaeological methods, Sangam period), science and technology.

GS area: Defence, Science and Technology

The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) is being inducted into the Indian Army.

• Calibre and barrel length: 155 mm/52 calibre.
• Range: 48 km.
• Deployment speed: Full action within 90 seconds.
• Indigenous content: Over 80 per cent manufactured domestically.
• Induction timeline: First regiment operational by February 2027.
• Significance: ATAGS represents the most capable gun system in India's artillery. The 52-calibre barrel gives it superior range over older 39-calibre guns like the Bofors.

Static linkage: Defence (artillery, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, indigenous weapons systems).

GS area: Science and Technology (pharmaceuticals, public health)

Novartis developed Coartem Baby, the first malaria drug formulated for newborns and infants weighing between 2 and 5 kg.

• What it does: Treats uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum in the youngest and most vulnerable patients.
• Formulation: Dissolves in breast milk, making administration practical in field conditions.
• Flavour: Cherry-flavoured to improve compliance.
• Roll-out: Expected approvals in 8 African nations where infant malaria mortality is highest.
• Significance: Existing artemisinin-based combination therapies are not dosed for very low-weight infants. This fills a critical gap.

Static linkage: Science and technology (pharmaceuticals, malaria, public health), international relations (global health).

• Bulgaria and the Euro: Bulgaria will adopt the Euro from 1 January 2026, becoming the 21st eurozone member. It met all Maastricht convergence criteria. Located in southeastern Europe on the Balkans, it borders Romania, Turkey, Greece and the Black Sea.
• Kerala semicircular classroom: Schools inspired by a Malayalam film redesigned classrooms with semicircular seating to eliminate the front-bencher/back-bencher hierarchy. Studies in the state showed reduced behavioural issues and improved participation. An implementation model for the NEP 2020 mandate on flexible pedagogy.