‘Agni 5’ Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

Context: India has successfully conducted the test-firing of the Agni-5 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. 

About ‘Agni 5’ Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

• Range: Over 5,000 km (covers entire Asia, parts of Europe & Africa)
• Stages: Three-stage, solid-fuel missile
• Guidance: Equipped with advanced navigation and guidance systems with high accuracy using Ring Laser Gyro-based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and Micro Inertial Navigation System (MINS).
• Launch Platform: Road- and rail-mobile launchers, enhancing survivability.
• Warhead Capacity: Can carry nuclear or conventional payloads (~1.5 tonnes).
• Technology: Incorporates composite material airframes, canister launch system for rapid deployment, and high mobility.
  • A canisterised launch system is a missile launch mechanism in which the missile is stored, transported, and fired directly from a sealed canister mounted on a road-mobile or rail-mobile launcher.
• Significance:
  • Strategic Deterrence: This is part of India’s effort to strengthen its strategic deterrence under the nuclear triad and reinforce its commitment to a credible minimum deterrent within the framework of the No First Use (NFU) policy.
  • Second-Strike Capability: Enhances survivability and credibility of India’s nuclear doctrine.
  • Indigenous Technology: Reflects DRDO’s self-reliance in missile technology under the IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme).
  • Geopolitical Signal: Positions India among a select group of nations (US, Russia, China, UK, France) with comparable IRBM/ICBM capability. 

India, EAEU Sign Terms of Reference (ToR)

Context: India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), have signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to start Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

• Trade turnover between India and EAEU stood at USD 69 billion in 2024, a 7% increase over 2023.
• India EAEU combined GDP – $6.5 trillion 

About Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)

• Nature: An international organization that promotes regional economic integration among former Soviet states.
• Establishment: Created through the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, signed on 29 May 2014, and officially came into effect on 1 January 2015.
• Membership: Five countries are part of the Union—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

Institutional Structure

• Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)
• • Nature: Permanent regulatory body of the Union.
  • Role: Oversees the functioning and development of the EAEU.
  • Presidency: Rotates annually among member states, with one state serving as the Union’s chairman each year.
  • Current President: Bakytzhan Sagintayev from Kazakhastan 
• Court of the Eurasian Economic Union: Handles dispute resolution and interprets the legal framework of the EAEU.
• Customs Union of the EAEU: A customs union among member states.

About Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

• Definition: FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries that seek to reduce or eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs, quotas, and import/export restrictions. 
• They grant preferential market access through tariff reductions and by easing non-tariff barriers.

India’s Major Trade Agreements

• India–ASEAN FTA
• India–South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
• India-Japan CEPA
• India-Sri Lanka FTA
• India-UAE CEPA

Terms of Reference (ToR) refers to the formal framework or guiding document that lays down Scope of Negotiation, Objectives, TImeline etc.

“Anna-Chakra” Supply Chain

Context: Recently the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution informed the Rajya Sabha about the implementation of the “Anna-Chakra” Supply Chain Optimisation Tool under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

About Anna Chakra

• Initiative: Launched by the Department of Food and Public Distribution with World Food Programme and Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT-Delhi to optimize PDS logistics.
• Objective: Use advanced algorithms to identify optimal routes, ensuring faster, cost-effective, and eco-friendly movement of food grains.
• Scale: Covers 81 crore beneficiaries, involving 4.37 lakh Fair Price Shops and ~6,700 warehouses across the country.
• Impact: Route optimization in 30 states, saving about ₹250 crore annually.
• Integration: Linked with FOIS (Freight Operations Information System) portal  of the Railways through the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) and integrated into the PM Gati Shakti platform, mapping FPSs and warehouses.
• Benefits: Improves delivery speed, lowers fuel use, reduces logistics costs, and cuts carbon emissions.

About Public Distribution System (PDS)

• PDS is India’s food security mechanism designed to provide food grains at subsidised prices to tackle food scarcity.
• Legal Framework: Functions under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, covering about two-thirds of the population (as per Census 2011).
• Nodal Ministry: Implemented by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

PM Gati Shakti

• A national master plan for multi-modal connectivity designed to boost infrastructure development and give India’s manufacturing sector a competitive edge.
• Objective: To ensure integrated planning and coordinated execution of infrastructure connectivity projects.
• Collaboration: Brings together 16 ministries and departments of the Government of India under a unified platform.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Context: Researchers have now identified that a gene in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows bistable expression, offering new insights into what makes it so virulent.

About Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Nature: A gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming bacterium found in soil and water; highly adaptable and resistant to antibiotics.
• Pathogenicity: Acts as an opportunistic pathogen, posing serious risks to burn victims, immunocompromised individuals, and patients with chronic lung diseases.
• Infections: Responsible for pneumonia, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, keratitis (eye infection), and post-surgical or burn wound infections.
• Antimicrobial Resistance: Many strains are multidrug-resistant (MDR), making treatment difficult; recognized by WHO as a priority pathogen for new antibiotic development.
• High-Risk Groups: Hospitalized patients, especially those on ventilators, catheters, or with open wounds.
• Transmission: Spread occurs via contaminated surfaces, water, soil, or direct contact—often through hands.

What is Bistable Expression ?

• Bistable expression refers to a biological or genetic system in which a cell can stably exist in two distinct states of gene expression (ON or OFF), rather than showing a gradual or intermediate response.

National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC)

Context: National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) will support the Government of Haryana in developing an Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) at Hisar.’

• IMC Hisar,  is being developed under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor

About National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC)

• Origin: Began with the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC); DMICDC Ltd. was set up in 2008 under DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry as a Special Purpose Vehicle.
• Reconstitution: In 2016, DMIC Trust was expanded into NICDIT; later in 2020, DMICDC was renamed NICDC Ltd.under the National Industrial Corridor Programme.
• Mandate: Develop industrial corridors, including investment regions, industrial areas, nodes, clusters, economic zones, and townships, while supporting State Governments.
• Functions: Prepare master plans, feasibility studies, DPRs; To facilitate infrastructure projects through financial instruments, loans, resource mobilisation, and credit schemes.

About Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC)

• Coverage: Spans across Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
• Extent: Extends from Amritsar (Punjab) to Dankuni (West Bengal).
• Backbone: Anchored by the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), which serves as the primary logistics and connectivity support for the corridor.
• Connectivity Advantage: Will leverage the Inland Water Transport (IWT) system along National Waterway-1, stretching from Allahabad to Haldia, to improve logistics and reduce transportation costs.

Launch Of New Disaster Management Tech Platforms

Context: Recently the Government of India launched three new key initiatives to strengthen disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.

Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER)

• Functions: Provides near real-time information, strategic monitoring, situational awareness, and decision-making.
• Support System: Powered by National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) 5.0, developed by ISRO-NRSC.
• Integration: Uses APIs for real-time forecasting data transmission.
• Utility: Aids in relief operations, damage assessment, and disaster risk analysis.
• Operation: Functions 24×7, coordinating responses with State and Central agencies.

NDEM Lite 2.0 App

• Nature: A lightweight version of the national emergency database app by ISRO-NRSC.
• Purpose: Assists ground-level disaster management officials in real-time operations.
• Features: Provides disaster-specific alerts to authorities for quicker responses.

Assam Flood Hazard Zonation Atlas

• Development: Jointly created by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and ISRO-NRSC.
• Purpose: Serves as a planning tool for flood mitigation.
• Applications: Supports regulation of floodplain development, crop insurance, flood control planning, and relief center establishment.

About National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)

• Institution: A key centre of ISRO, under the Department of Space (DoS).
• Mandate: 
  • Establish  ground stations for satellite data reception and processing.
  • Generate and disseminate satellite data products to users.
  • Develop remote sensing applications for diverse fields, including disaster management support.

Nigeria

Context: The death toll from an attack by gunmen on a mosque and nearby homes in Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, has risen to at least 50.

About Nigeria

• Location: Situated on the western coast of Africa, often referred to as the “Giant of Africa.”
  • located in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres of the Earth.
• Borders: Niger (North), Chad and Cameroon (East), Benin (West), and Gulf of Guinea (South).
• Population: Most populous country in Africa.
• Resources: Rich in  Petroleum and natural gas.
  • Nigeria is the Largest oil and gas producer in the continent.
• Geographical Features:
  • Mountains: Mount Dimlang, Cameroonian Highlands.
  • Highest Point: Chappal Waddi (also known as the “Mountain of Death).
  • Major Rivers: Niger and Benue, with the Niger forming a delta draining into the Gulf of Guinea.
  • Major Lakes: Lake Chad, a freshwater lake shared with Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
  • Climate: Varies from arid in the north to humid equatorial in the south.
  • Vegetation: Includes rainforests, swamps, and savannah grasslands.

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