News in Shorts: 15 December 2025

National Makhana Board

Context: National Makhana Board held its first meeting, approving a ₹476-crore Central Sector Scheme to modernise the makhana value chain through research, value addition, branding and exports.

About National Makhana Board

• The National Makhana Board is a dedicated institutional mechanism to support the holistic development of India’s makhana (fox nut) sector and enhance farmers’ incomes.
• Launch: Launched in Bihar on 15th September 2025.
• Budget: ₹476.03 crore for the period 2025-26 to 2030- 31.
• Objectives
  • Promote research, quality seed production and technology adoption
  • Strengthen processing, value addition, branding and export promotion
  • Improve livelihoods of makhana growers through institutional support.
• Role and Functions
  • Consolidates national seed requirements and supports quality planting material
  • Facilitates training, improved harvesting and post-harvest practices
  • Strengthens infrastructure for grading, drying, popping and packaging.

About Makhana (Fox Nut)

• Makhana, or fox nut, is the dried edible seed of Euryale ferox, an aquatic plant found in freshwater bodies across South and East Asia.
• It is nutritionally rich, low in fat, and widely used in health foods, traditional medicine and snacks.
• Cultivation Conditions
  • Grown in stagnant water bodies with 4–6 feet water depth in tropical–subtropical climates
  • Optimal temperature of 20–35°C with high humidity and rainfall
• Production and Distribution: Bihar produces about 90% of India’s makhana, with Mithilanchal as the core region
  • Mithila Makhana received the GI tag in 2022.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Context: India showcased the country’s pioneering achievements in rural development, women’s empowerment and climate-resilient agriculture at the IFAD–India Day event held in Rome.

About the International Fund for Agricultural Development

• The International Fund for Agricultural Development, is the United Nations agency.
• It is dedicated exclusively to reducing poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
• Founded: 15 December 1977
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Member States: 180 countries
• Focus: Exclusively on rural economies, food security, and empowering rural communities
• Core Work: Provides low-interest loans and grants to finance agricultural and rural development projects.

India’s Role with IFAD

• India is a founding member, a major contributor, and a key development partner of IFAD. 
• Deep Cooperation: 48 years of collaboration on 36 major rural development projects.
• Global Leadership: India uses this partnership to scale its successful rural models (like women’s collectives) and plays a leading role in sharing expertise with other Global South countries through South-South cooperation.

PMGKY Insurance Package Beneficiaries

Context: Recently, The Supreme Court held that PMGKY insurance benefits extend to both public and private medical professionals deployed for COVID duties who died in service.

Key Highlights of the Judgment

• The Court held that States by Orders  had effectively requisitioned doctors and health workers, irrespective of public or private practice, due to the pandemic emergency.
• PMGKY insurance claims must be decided case by case, with claimants proving death occurred during COVID-19–related duties through credible evidence.

About PMGKY Insurance Package

• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) insurance package provided comprehensive personal accident cover to health workers fighting COVID-19.
• Launch: Announced on 26 March 2020 as part of a ₹1.70 lakh crore relief package to protect vulnerable sections during the pandemic. 
  • It was initially offered for 90 days, extendable based on need.
• Eligible Beneficiaries
  • Health workers, including doctors, nurses, ASHA workers, paramedics, technicians, ward staff and sanitation workers.
  • Covered personnel working in Central and State government hospitals, wellness centres and healthcare facilities.
  • Private medical professionals requisitioned for COVID-19 duties are also eligible, subject to proof.
• Insurance Coverage: ₹50 lakh compensation in case of death or accident while treating COVID-19 patients

Project Suncatcher

Context: Project Suncatcher is Google’s long-term initiative to build solar-powered data centres in space by 2027.

About the Project

• Technology: Utilises Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and laser-based optical links to connect satellites and scale machine learning workloads.
  • Google claims its chips have passed radiation tolerance tests for space conditions.
• Rationale:
  • Environmental relief: Mitigates the electricity and water demands of terrestrial AI data centres.
  • Reliability: Lunar or orbital locations provide predictable environmental conditions and constant solar radiation, reducing the risks posed by power outages, natural disasters, and climate variability.
  • Data sovereignty: Restrictions on data processing and storage often prevent data centres from hosting all clients in a single location on Earth. 
    • The Outer Space Treaty (1967) prevents national appropriation of space, therefore, allowing a lunar data centre to host clients from multiple countries without breaching local regulations.
  • Feasibility: Reduced launch costs due to advances in rocket technology.
• Challenges of Space-Based Data Centres:
  • High Costs: Establishing and maintaining space-based data centres involves very high initial and operational expenses.
  • Maintenance and Repairs: Repairs are complex and require on-site technical experts in space.
  • Latency Issues: The distance from Earth causes delays in data transmission, affecting real-time computation.
  • Cybersecurity Concerns: Ensuring data security in the remote and harsh space environment poses significant challenges.
• Significance: It could redefine cloud computing by shifting data centre operations beyond Earth, reducing terrestrial energy demands, and opening new possibilities for space-based AI processing.

Other Space-Based Data Centre Projects

• Project Stargate(OpenAI): A $500 billion initiative in partnership with Nvidia, SoftBank, and Oracle to create a Dyson sphere-like structure of AI data centres across the solar system.
• Starcloud Satellite (Nvidia): A 60-kg satellite sent to space carrying the H100 GPU for faster AI training and inference.
• Lonestar Data Holdings Project: A mini data centre was sent to the moon as part of the Intuitive Machines lunar mission. 
  • The data centre weighs one kilogram and bears 8 terabytes of SSD storage.

Rhynchosaurs

Context: Palaeontologists in Brazil have identified the smallest and youngest rhynchosaur hatchling ever recorded from Triassic fossil deposits.

About the Discovery

• The fossil, identified as Macrocephalosaurus mariensis, was discovered in southern Brazil and consists of a skull under 2.5 cm, the smallest rhynchosaur hatchling ever recorded.
• Microtomography showed unworn teeth, indicating death soon after birth, while distinct dental and skull features confirmed species identification.
  • Microtomography is a high-resolution, non-destructive 3D imaging technique using X-rays to create detailed internal views of small objects

About Rhynchosaurs

• Rhynchosaurs were extinct, herbivorous, reptile-like archosauromorphs that lived during the Triassic period and were widely distributed across the supercontinent Pangaea.
• Key Features
• • Possessed robust skulls with specialized dentition adapted for grinding tough vegetation.
  • Adult rhynchosaurs could grow over two metres long and showed extreme tooth wear due to herbivorous feeding.

About Triassic Period

• The Triassic Period (252-201 million years ago) was the first period of the Mesozoic Era, a pivotal time following Earth’s most severe mass extinction (Permian-Triassic).
• It was marked by the supercontinent Pangaea, a generally warm climate, recovery of life.
• It saw the emergence of the first dinosaurs, mammals, crocodiles, turtles, pterosaurs, and marine reptiles like ichthyosaurs, setting the stage for the “Age of Reptiles” i.e.  Mesozoic Era.

MAVEN Mission

Context: NASA has lost contact with the MAVEN spacecraft after over a decade in Mars orbit, prompting engineering investigations into the communication failure.

• NASA has two other spacecraft orbiting Mars that are still active: 
  • The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, and 
  • The Mars Odyssey, launched in 2001.

About MAVEN Mission

• MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) was a NASA mission designed to study Mars’ upper atmosphere, ionosphere and its interaction with the Sun.
• Launch: It was launched in November 2013 and entered Mars orbit in 2014 to investigate the planet’s atmospheric evolution.
• Key Features
• • Equipped with instruments to measure atmospheric composition, solar wind interaction and atmospheric escape.
  • Capable of studying how charged particles and solar radiation strip gases from Mars’ upper atmosphere.

Key Achievements of MAVEN

• Major Discoveries: Established that atmospheric loss to space was a primary driver of Mars’ transition from a warm, wet planet to a cold, dry world.
  • It demonstrated that most of Mars’ carbon dioxide has escaped into space, ruling out large-scale terraforming by atmospheric warming.
• Scientific Observations: Provided evidence linking solar activity and solar wind to the erosion of Mars’ atmosphere over billions of years.
  • It enhanced understanding of the loss of liquid water by explaining the thinning of the atmosphere.
• Additional Role: It also served as a communication relay for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

National Energy Conservation Day 2025

Context: National Energy Conservation Day 2025 was observed on December 14, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting National Energy Conservation Awards.

About National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA)

• The National Energy Conservation Awards recognise exemplary efforts by industries, institutions and innovators in improving energy efficiency while sustaining productivity.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Power
• Implementing Agency: Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
• Criteria for Selection
  • Measurable reduction in energy consumption
  • Adoption of energy-efficient technologies and best practices
  • Innovation, scalability and sectoral impact
  • Transparent evaluation by technical and award committees
• NECA 2025 Focus
  • Industries & Buildings: Adoption of advanced energy-efficient processes and systems
  • Transport & Appliances: Improved fuel and energy efficiency standards
  • Innovation: Development of novel energy-saving solutions
  • Social Media Influencers & Content Creators: Digital outreach and behavioural change campaigns on energy conservation
• Significance: NECA promotes “energy saved is energy generated,” strengthening energy security, climate action and sustainable economic growth.

About National Energy Conservation Day

• National Energy Conservation Day, or Rashtriya Urja Sanrakshan Diwas, has been observed annually on 14 December since 1991.
• It was established to promote awareness of reducing energy use and encouraging efficient practices across various sectors.

About Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

• BEE is India’s apex body for promoting energy efficiency and conservation across sectors.
• Established on 1 March 2002 under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• Role
• • Formulates policies and market-based mechanisms
  • Implements programmes like PAT and Standards & Labelling
  • Coordinates with states, industries and institutions to reduce India’s energy intensity.

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