News in Shorts: 24 July 2025

Dhruva Policy

Context: The government has introduced the Dhruva Policy to modernize how digital addresses are structured and managed across India using geospatial technology.

About DHRUVA (Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address)

• The DHRUVA envisions a standardized, interoperable, and geocoded digital addressing system which is aimed at building a national-level Digital Address as Digital Public Infrastructure.
• Based on: DHRUVA is based on its core concept of Address-as-a-Service (AaaS).
  • AaaS is an array of services associated with address data management to support secure efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organizations.
• Aim: To establish address management as core public infrastructure enabling seamless data integration across public and private sectors.

Features

• Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN): It is an open source nationwide geo-coded addressing system dividing India into approx. 4m x 4m grids and assigns each grid a unique 10-character alphanumeric code based on latitude and longitude coordinates
• Interoperability: The DHRUV system is interoperable across government, citizens and private business to co-develop solutions that are secure and inclusive.
• Privacy: It ensures a secure, consent-based sharing of address information across public and private sectors.
• Indigenous: Its open-source architecture supports domestic innovation and built entirely on indigenous technology

Application

• Catalyse Innovation: DHRUVA will catalyze innovation across key sectors such as governance, e-commerce, logistics, and financial inclusion 
• Efficient Service Delivery: It is publicly accessible and supports improvements in emergency response, logistics efficiency, and citizen service delivery.
• Emergency Response: The geo coded addressing system will be particularly useful for providing immediate and speedy emergency response like ambulance service, fire rescue service.
• Logistics: DHRUV will help in improving the logistics bottleneck in the country.

Genesis of a Planet: New Clues from Orion

Context: Recently, astronomers reported the first direct evidence of rock vapour crystallising into solid matter around a young star HOPS-315 in Orion.

Key Evidences on Genesis of a Planet

• Using the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA, researchers observed crystalline silicates and silicon monoxide gas just 2.2 AU from the star HOPS-315 in Orion.
  • 1 AU (Astronomical Unit) is the average distance ( 149.6 million km.) between Earth and the Sun.
• The presence of forsterite, enstatite, and tentative silica crystals matches minerals found in Earth’s primitive meteorites, confirming similar condensation processes.
• Spectral data and simulations revealed that dust evaporates at 1,300 K, forms vapour, then cools and re-condenses into solid crystal shard,  which is  the very first planetary seeds.

About Genesis of a Planet

• The formation of planets is a multi-stage, long-duration cosmic process, beginning inside the swirling disc of gas and dust called a protoplanetary disc that surrounds a newborn star.
• Inside this disc, microscopic dust grains collide, stick, grow into rocks, and eventually form full-sized planets while gases help shape atmospheres and orbits.

About Orion

• The Orion often refers to the Orion Arm, a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.
• It hosts the Orion Nebula, a massive star-forming region approximately 1,344 light-years away and many  young stars and protoplanetary discs.
  • A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 9.46 trillion kilometers.

Dotcom Bubble

Context: Recently, analysts observed that the concentration of tech stocks in U.S. markets has surpassed levels seen during the 1990s dotcom bubble.

About the Dotcom Bubble

• Origins: The dotcom bubble emerged in the late 1990s amid massive investor enthusiasm for internet-based companies with little or no profits.
• Market Impact: The Nasdaq peaked in March 2000 but crashed by 65% within a year, taking 14 years to regain that level.
• Stock Valuations: During the bubble, many tech stocks traded at extremely high earnings multiples, with frenzied IPOs and speculation fueling unsustainable growth.

About the AI Boom

• Current Landscape: In 2025, tech companies make up 34% of the S&P 500 market cap , higher than the 33% in 2000.
• Top Tech Dominance: Eight of the top 10 U.S. firms by market cap are tech giants like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft, forming 40% of the S&P 500.
• Valuations and Risks: While tech valuations are high (S&P Tech at 29.5x forward earnings ), they remain below the dotcom peak of nearly 50x.
• Capital Requirements: Generative AI growth demands $2.9 trillion in global data center investment through 2028, posing near-term profitability challenges.
• Caution Flags: If AI progress slows or disruptors alter industry forecasts, overvalued tech stocks could face a sharp correction.

US Withdrawal from UNESCO

Context: Recently, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay expressed deep regret over the U.S. decision to withdraw from UNESCO.

About the U.S. Withdrawal

• The U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a second withdrawal of the United States from UNESCO, effective December 2026.
  • This marks a repeat of the 2017 withdrawal under his earlier administration.
• Reason of Withdrawal: The U.S. claims UNESCO promotes divisive social and cultural agendas, not aligning  with its national interests.
  • The reasons cited by the U.S. remain unchanged since 2017, despite reduced political tensions and significant organizational reforms.

About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

• Introduction: UNESCO was established in 1945 to promote peace and security through international cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication.
• Membership: The Organization has 194 Members and 12 Associate Members.
• Global Initiatives: Oversees 2,000+ World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Geoparks.
  • Coordinates 13,000+ schools, research institutions, university chairs, and national commissions worldwide.

Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX)

Context: In July 2025, the Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) completed ten years of advancing fog science and forecasting across North India.

About WiFEX

• WiFEX was launched in 2015 at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi, by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Supported by:  The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
• Milestone : WiFEX has grown from a single-airport project to a region-wide observational network covering Jewar Airport (Noida) and Hisar (Haryana).
  • It is one of the few long-term open-field experiments globally dedicated to studying winter fog
• Objective: To improve the understanding and forecasting of winter fog, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, with a focus on reducing its adverse impacts on aviation.
• Next Phase (WiFEX-II): WiFEX-II aims to deliver localized, runway-specific fog forecasts for enhanced airport safety across North India.

Safai Apnao, Bimaari Bhagao (SABB) 2025 Campaign

Context: MoHUA recently launched a nationwide campaign for monsoon preparedness, cleanliness, and public health.

Key Objectives of the campaign

• Prevent monsoon-related diseases (malaria, dengue).
• Promote ‘6 Swachhata Mantras’: clean hands, homes, neighbourhoods, toilets, drains, public spaces.
• Enhance urban safety and community participation.