Tiger’s Green Status Assessment

Context: The IUCN’s first Green Status Assessment reports that tigers in Asia are ‘critically depleted’ but conservation efforts offer hope for recovery across their indigenous range.

• If tigers were restored to all suitable, historic habitat, there could be over 25,000 tigers living in the wild, over five times the current global population.(Around 5500)

About Green Status Assessment of Tiger

• The IUCN Green Status assesses species recovery, measuring if they are fully recovered, viable, and performing ecological functions, complementing the IUCN Red List.
  • The Green Status Assessment was started in 2012.
  • The IUCN Green Status of Species assesses a species’ recovery progress and conservation success by categorizing its population status into eight levels:
    • Extinct in the Wild
    • Critically Depleted, Largely Depleted
    • Moderately Depleted,
    •  Slightly Depleted,
    •  Fully Recovered,
    •  Non-Depleted,
    •  Indeterminate
• Findings: Tigers have suffered severe population declines and range contractions due to historical and ongoing human impacts.
  • Many populations are Regionally Extinct or Critically Endangered.
• Conservation Impact: Existing conservation initiatives have prevented further steep declines, averted extinction in six spatial units, and enabled population recoveries.
  • Without these efforts, the Species Recovery Score would be only 5% and it would be critically Endangered Future Prospects: With sustained and intensified conservation, tigers could significantly recover in the long term, potentially returning to all spatial units within 100 years.

About Tiger (Panthera tigris)

• The tiger is the largest cat species in the world and a top predator in Asian ecosystems.
• Distribution: Tigers are native to Asia, with populations fragmented across South, Southeast, and East Asia.
  • Their historical range has drastically contracted due to habitat loss and human pressures.
  • India currently has over 3,600 wild tigers, which accounts for roughly 75% of the world’s total.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered.
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (India): Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I
• Threats: Habitat loss, fragmentation, human population growth, prey depletion, climate change, disease, and political instability continue to endanger the species.
• Significance of Conservation: Sustained efforts remain essential to prevent further declines, promote population recovery, and secure the tiger’s long-term survival across Asia.

LEAPS 2025

Context: Recently, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister  launched LEAPS 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking the 4th anniversary of PM GatiShakti.

About Logistics Excellence, Advancement, and Performance Shield (LEAPS) 2025

• The LEAPS 2025 is a flagship initiative aimed at benchmarking logistics excellence and strengthening India’s competitiveness in the global supply chain.
  • The initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Logistics Policy (NLP) and PM GatiShakti.
• Launched by: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 
• Aim: To recognize and reward best practices, innovation, and leadership across India’s logistics ecosystem. 
  • It promotes efficiency, transparency, and resilience by encouraging collaboration among government, industry, and academia.
• Scope: It covers a wide spectrum of logistics stakeholders including air, road, sea, and rail freight operators, warehousing services, multimodal transporters, MSMEs, startups, and educational institutions.
• Categories: Applications are invited across 13 categories under five segments:
  • Core Logistics: Air, Road, Rail, Maritime, Multimodal, and Warehouse service providers.
  • MSME: Logistics Service Providers.
  • Startups: Logistics technology and operations providers.
  • Institutions: Education institutes promoting logistics.
  • Special Categories: E-commerce logistics and 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) service providers.
• Sustainability Focus: The initiative emphasizes Green Logistics, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices, and innovation to align with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Significance: LEAPS 2025 builds upon the transformative framework of PM GatiShakti and NLP 2022, fostering a future-ready, sustainable logistics ecosystem that supports Make in India and national economic growth.

World Food Day 2025

Context: The  World Food Day 2025 was observed on 16 October  highlighting  the need of global cooperation to transform agrifood systems.

About World Food Day

• World Food Day is observed annually to raise awareness about food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural practices.
• It emphasizes the need to ensure that every person has access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food, which is vital for health, growth, and well-being.
• Origin: The day commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on 16th October, 1945.
  • It was first observed in 1981 with the theme “Food Comes First” and was formally endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 1984.
• 2025 Theme: “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”.

India’s Role and Achievements

• India has recorded an increase of about 90 million metric tonnes in foodgrain production over the last decade, with fruit and vegetable output rising by more than 64 million metric tonnes.
• India ranks first globally in milk and millet production and is the second-largest producer of fish, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Honey and egg production have also doubled since 2014.
• Flagship initiatives like the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), and Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN), along with reforms such as rice fortification and Systematic Merging of Aadhar with Targeted-Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS), reinforce India’s commitment to food and nutritional security

Chiron

Context: Astronomers have observed rings forming and evolving around the icy celestial body Chiron, providing the first glimpse of ring formation around a small centaur.

About Chiron

• Chiron, formally (2060) Chiron, is a small icy body orbiting the sun between Saturn and Uranus, belonging to a class of objects called centaurs that exhibit both asteroid- and comet-like characteristics.
• Orbital and Physical Features:
  • Orbit: completes one orbit around the sun in about 50 years.
  • Composition: mainly rock, water ice, and complex organic compounds.
  • Activity: occasionally ejects gas and dust; displayed a small comet-like tail in 1993.

Ring System

• Four rings have been observed: three inner rings at 273 km, 325 km, and 438 km from Chiron’s center, and a fourth outer ring at 1,400 km.
  • The rings are embedded within a dust disk and show real-time evolution, indicating active formation processes.
• Likely composition: water ice mixed with rocky material, providing stability and preventing coalescence into a moon.
  • Possible origin: collisions destroying small moons, space debris, or material ejected from Chiron itself.
    

Significance: Chiron’s rings show that ring formation is not exclusive to large planets and can occur around smaller icy bodies, offering insights into disk dynamics and satellite formation in the universe

Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME)

Context: Recently, the FAO awarded Global Technical Recognition to the Sundarbans’ Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME) model for blending livelihoods with mangrove conservation.

About Sustainable Aquaculture in Mangrove Ecosystems (SAIME)

• Introduction: SAIME is an ecosystem-based, climate-adaptive aquaculture model that integrates mangrove conservation with sustainable livelihoods in West Bengal’s Sundarbans.
• Developed By: Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) and implemented in collaboration with local fish farmers.
• Geographical Coverage: The project has been implemented across 29.84 hectares in Chaitaland Madhabpur  of  West Bengal, involving 42 fish farmers.
• Key Features:
• • It ensures 5%–30% mangrove coverage in aquaculture ponds.
  • It uses mangrove litter as fodder for the monoculture of Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon).
  • It follows a community participatory approach with good aquaculture practices, balancing conservation with livelihood.

Impact of SAIME

• Farmers’ annual average net profit increased by over 100%, largely due to reduced production costs.
• Promotes chemical-free shrimp farming and enhances coastal resilience against climate change and sea-level rise.
• Supports carbon sequestration and contributes to broader climate action goals.

About FAO Global Technical Recognition

• It honours outstanding leadership, innovation, and collaboration in advancing sustainable agrifood systems transformation.
• It showcases exemplary contributions across six key FAO domains 
  • Sustainable livestock transformation
  • One Health, animal health & Reference Centres
  • South-South & Triangular Cooperation
  • Land, soil & water resource management for resilient agriculture & food security
  • Sustainable aquatic food systems
  • Sustainable forest production & protection
  • Sustainable plant production & protection.
• It promotes global best practices for resilient and inclusive food security.

Green Crackers

Context: The Supreme Court of India has permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi and NCR, balancing environmental protection with the right to celebrate festivals. 

What are Green Firecrackers ?

• The term ‘green cracker’ does not mean the firecracker is pollution-free; rather, it signifies reduced environmental impact compared to conventional firecrackers.
• The formulation was developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under India’s “Green Crackers Initiative”.
• Key Characteristics 
  • Emission reduction: Aim for  30% lower emissions of particulate matter (PM) and certain gases 
  • Reduced Toxic Components:
    • Do not contain harmful chemicals such as barium nitrate, arsenic, mercury, or lithium.
    • Use alternative oxidisers and stabilisers with less toxic emissions.
  • Noise levels: Sound level capped at 120 dB, lower than conventional crackers (which often exceed 150 dB).
  • Certification: Must carry CSIR-NEERI certification, green logo, and QR code linking to certificate / emissions data
  • Manufacturing: Requires licence from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)

Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’

Context: The 5th edition of the bilateral naval exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy commenced in Visakhapatnam.

About the Exercise Samudra Shakti 

• Origin: 2018
• Location: Visakhapatnam, India
• Participating Ships:
  • India: INS Kavaratti – Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette (Eastern Fleet)
  • Indonesia: KRI John Lie – Corvette with integral helicopter
• Objective: To enhance interoperability, mutual understanding, and maritime security coordination between both navies.
• The exercise has Two Phases – Harbour Phase and Sea Phase.
• Harbour Phase Activities
  • Professional Exchanges: Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) sessions on maritime operations and logistics.
  • Cross-Deck Visits: Crew interactions to improve familiarity with each other’s platforms.
  • Cultural & Sports Engagements: Joint yoga sessions and friendly sports events to foster camaraderie.
• Sea Phase involves High-Tempo Naval Operations:
  • Air Defence Exercises and Helicopter Manoeuvres for coordinated maritime surveillance.
  • Weapon Firing Drills and Anti-Submarine Warfare Training using sonar systems.
  • VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) Operations to simulate anti-piracy and anti-smuggling missions
• Other Exercise with Indonesia:
• • Bilateral Army Exercise Garuda Shakti
  • IND-INDO CORPAT
  • Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo
  • Multilateral Naval Exercise Milan

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