News in Shorts: 01 September 2025

Orcas

Context: A new study has found that killer whales may be exploring human behaviour by offering them whole prey and waiting for them to respond.

About Killer Whales (Orcas)

• Description: Killer Whales, commonly known as Orcas, are found worldwide. They are the largest members of the dolphin family (Delphinidae).
  
• Distribution: Orcas are distributed across all oceans. They are most abundant in cold waters such as Antarctica, Norway, and Alaska, but are also found in tropical and subtropical regions.
• Family: Belong to the Delphinidae family, which includes all dolphin species.
  •  The family also comprises larger species such as the long-finned pilot whale and short-finned pilot whale, though their common names include “whale” rather than “dolphin”.
• Behaviour: Orcas are highly social animals, typically living in groups called pods made up of maternally related individuals seen together frequently.
  • Their curiosity and social nature often lead them to approach fishing vessels, either to check for fish in the nets or to observe human activity.
  • They depend heavily on underwater sound for feeding, communication, and navigation.
• Physical Characteristics: Adult orcas can grow up to 8 metres in length. They can weigh as much as 6 tonnes.
• Conservation Status: Listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, meaning their global population status is uncertain.

Climate Finance

Context: A recent study estimates that India needs $467 billion by 2030 for significant decarbonization. The focus is on four hard-to-abate sectors — power, steel, cement, and road transport.

Sector-wise Climate Finance Needs

• Steel Sector
  • Investment Required (till 2030): $251 billion
  • One of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize.
  • Needs large-scale adoption of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and other technologies.
    
• Cement Sector
  • Investment Required (till 2030): $141 billion
  • Another hard-to-abate sector.
  • Investment needed to offset both current and future emissions as the industry grows.
    
• Power Sector
  • Investment Required: $47 billion
  • Already transitioning with renewables deployment.
  • Finance will strengthen grid integration, storage, and efficiency improvements.
    
• Road Transport
  • Investment Required: $18 billion
  • Focus on electrification and low-carbon mobility solutions.
    
• Comparative Insights
  • The $467 billion estimate is lower than earlier projections (which exceeded $1 trillion till 2030).
  • Despite covering only four sectors (≈50% of India’s annual CO₂ emissions), the study’s methodology makes it a first-of-its-kind granular estimate.

National e-Governance Division (NeGD)

Context: The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) has successfully achieved Pan-India integration across digital platforms.

About NeGD

• Establishment: Established in 2009 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Functioning: Functions as an independent business division within the Digital India Corporation (DIC).
  • Provides strategic support, project development, and implementation assistance for e-Governance initiatives.

Projects under NeGD

• UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance)
  Provides single-point access to government services through mobile apps, enabling citizens to avail services anytime, anywhere.
• DigiLocker: Empowers citizens digitally by offering a secure Digital Document Wallet to access and store authentic electronic documents.
• BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics):  Focuses on technology development, research & innovation, capacity building, and facilitates national and international cooperation in the field of Geo-Spatial Technology.
• Rapid Assessment System (RAS):  Enables instant online feedback for e-governance services to improve service delivery and accountability.
• OpenForge Platform: Promotes sharing and reuse of open-source e-governance application code, encouraging collaborative development.
• Learning Management System (LMS):  An application that automates training administration, including the tracking, delivery, and reporting of learning events for capacity building.

Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby)

Context: Indian navy warship visits Port Moresby to join Papua New Guinea’s 50th independence day celebrations.

Political Features of Papua New Guinea

• Location: An island nation situated in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean.
• Territorial Composition:
  • Eastern half of the island of New Guinea (the world’s 2nd largest island).
  • Bismarck Archipelago – includes New Britain, New Ireland, and the Admiralty Islands.
  • Bougainville and Buka Islands – part of the Solomon Islands chain.
• Land Boundary: Shares its western border with Indonesia.

Geographical Features

• Highest Peak: Mount Wilhelm (4,509 m), located in the Bismarck Range.
• Geological History: Landscape shaped by the collision of the Australian Plate and Pacific Plate, resulting in rugged mountains and volcanic activity.