12 July 2025

• Society: India ranked 131 out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025. Female Labour Force Participation is under 25 per cent.
• Heritage: India added the Maratha Military Landscapes (12 forts) as its 44th UNESCO World Heritage Site, ranking 6th globally.
• Defence: The Astra Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile, with over 100 km range and an indigenous RF seeker, is now compatible with Su-30 MKI, Tejas and Mirage-2000.
• Security: Operation Fire Trail: DRI seized 35 crore rupees worth of banned Chinese firecrackers disguised as artificial flowers.
• Health: WHO released the first technical roadmap on AI in traditional medicine, with India's Ministry of AYUSH leading the proposal.

GS area: Society (gender equity), Economy

The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 ranked India 131st among 148 countries.

• Female earnings: Women earn less than one-third of men's income in India.
• FLFP: Female Labour Force Participation is under 25 per cent.
• Anaemia burden: 57 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 are anaemic (NFHS-5 data).
• Domestic work: Women perform 7 times more unpaid domestic work than men (National Time Use Survey).
• Economic potential: McKinsey estimated India could add 770 billion dollars to GDP by closing gender gaps.
• Global trend: The world has closed 68.8 per cent of the overall gender gap. At the current pace, full parity requires 123 years.

The gap between aspirational targets (Women's Reservation Act, 33 per cent parliamentary seats) and ground-level participation (under 25 per cent FLFP) is the structural problem.

Static linkage: Society (gender, women's issues, NFHS), economy (labour force).

GS area: International Relations (health governance), Governance

The WHO released "Mapping the Application of AI in Traditional Medicine," the first technical roadmap on using AI in traditional health systems. India's Ministry of AYUSH led the proposal at WHO.

• Global reach: Over 80 per cent of the world's population uses traditional medicine.
• India's AYUSH: 5 lakh-plus AYUSH practitioners. The global traditional medicine market is expected to cross 200 billion dollars by 2030.
• India-specific initiatives cited by WHO:
  • TKDL (Traditional Knowledge Digital Library): Documents India's traditional medicinal formulations to prevent bio-piracy and patent misappropriation.
  • Ayurgenomics: Integrates genomic data with Ayurvedic constitutional types (Prakriti) for personalised medicine.
• What the roadmap does: Guides member states on deploying AI for drug discovery from traditional plants, adverse effect monitoring and standardisation of traditional formulations.

Static linkage: International relations (WHO, global health governance), governance (AYUSH, TKDL).

GS area: History (medieval history), Culture

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the Maratha Military Landscapes of India as the country's 44th World Heritage Site.

• 12 forts: 11 in Maharashtra (Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg) and 1 in Tamil Nadu (Gingee Fort).
• Period: 17th to 19th centuries CE, corresponding to the Maratha Empire's rise and consolidation.
• India's ranking: 44 World Heritage Sites. 6th globally. 2nd in Asia-Pacific after China.
• Significance: The fortification network demonstrates Maratha military architecture integrating sea, hill and land defence. Raigad was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's capital.

Static linkage: History (Maratha Empire, medieval India), culture (UNESCO, world heritage).

GS area: Governance (enforcement), Environment

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted Operation Fire Trail targeting illegal imports of banned Chinese firecrackers.

• Seizure: 35 crore rupees worth. 100 metric tonnes detected.
• Disguise method: Labelled as "Mini Decorative Plants" and "Artificial Flowers" in shipping manifests.
• Toxic content: Firecrackers contained lithium, red lead and copper oxide, all hazardous when combusted in residential areas.
• DRI: The intelligence and enforcement arm of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). It operates under the Ministry of Finance.

Static linkage: Governance (enforcement, CBIC, DRI), environment (air pollution, hazardous substances).

GS area: Defence, Science and Technology

The Astra BVRAAM (Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile) is India's indigenously developed air-to-air missile.

• Range: Over 100 km in its extended-range variant.
• Seeker: Indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker for terminal guidance.
• Developer: DRDO.
• Platform compatibility: Su-30 MKI, Tejas and Mirage-2000.
• Significance: Reduces India's dependence on imported air-to-air missiles such as the Russian R-77 and French MICA.

Static linkage: Defence (air-to-air missiles, DRDO, Aatmanirbhar Bharat).

GS area: Internal Security, Governance

Operation SHIVA is the security framework for the 2025 Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.

• Troops deployed: 8,500-plus across Baltal and Pahalgam routes.
• Counter-UAS systems: 50-plus counter-drone systems deployed. PTZ cameras for perimeter monitoring.
• Emergency provision: Capacity for 25,000-plus people. Helicopters on standby.
• Threat context: Counter-terrorism measures target Pakistan-backed groups. The post-Operation Sindoor environment heightened vigilance requirements.

Static linkage: Internal security (J&K, counter-terrorism, Amarnath), governance.

GS area: Environment (biodiversity, wildlife crime)

Assam's forest department is building the Rhino DNA Index System (RhoDIS) by analysing 2,573 rhino horn samples stored before 2021.

• Purpose: Create a DNA database to match confiscated horn fragments to specific animals, enabling prosecution of poachers.
• Greater One-Horned Rhino: India's rhino species. IUCN status: Vulnerable. Primary range: Kaziranga National Park.
• Horn biology: Made of keratin. Grows at about 2 cm per year.
• Wildlife crime link: DNA matching already used in South Africa's RhoDIS system. India is building its own version.

Static linkage: Environment (biodiversity, wildlife crime, Kaziranga, rhino conservation).

GS area: Disaster Management, Geography

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake with the epicentre in Jhajjar highlighted Delhi-NCR's seismic exposure.

• Seismic zone: Delhi falls in Zone IV (high-damage risk zone per Bureau of Indian Standards).
• Historical record: 5 earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 to 6.7 have hit the region since 1720.
• Fault lines: Delhi-Haridwar Ridge, Delhi-Moradabad Fault, Sohna Fault and Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault.
• Root cause: Proximity to the Himalayan Frontal Thrust where the Indian plate meets the Eurasian plate.
• Urban risk factor: Rapid construction without seismic code compliance and weak subsurface zones.

Static linkage: Disaster management (seismic zones, earthquake preparedness), geography (plate tectonics, faults).