News in Shorts: 01 May 2025

PM Chairs 46th PRAGATI Interaction

Context: The Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the 46th edition of PRAGATI, an ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.

About PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation)

• It is the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.
• It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
• The system has been designed in-house by the PMO team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC). 
• It is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
• Significance:
  • Enables cooperative federalism: It brings on one stage the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States.
  • Promotes e- Governance: It is a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.

Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal Project

Context: Punjab and Haryana are in conflict over the release of water from Bhakra and Pong dams, managed by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).

About Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project

• The Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) is a 214-km long canal. 
• This canal links the Sutlej River in Punjab to the Yamuna River in Haryana.
  • It creates a pathway to divert water from Ravi and Beas (through the Sutlej) towards Haryana.
• Significance of the canal
  • Resolves Disputes: Aims to settle the long-standing water conflict between the two states.
  • Supports Agriculture: Provides water for irrigation, boosting crop production.
  • Promotes Development: Reliable water access helps in economic and industrial growth.
• Background of the SYL Canal Project
  • 1966 – Creation of Haryana: The division of Punjab created Haryana, raising concerns about its share of river waters.
    • To provide Haryana access to Ravi-Beas waters, the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal was planned.
  • 1982: Project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Kapoori village, Patiala.

National Security Advisory Board

Context: Alok Joshi, former chief of RAW, has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB).

What is the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)?

• NSAB is an advisory body that provides inputs to the National Security Council Secretariat.
• It was first conceptualised by India’s first National Security Advisor (NSA), Brajesh Mishra. 
• Composition: Includes experts from diverse fields such as diplomacy, military, internal security, science, technology, and economics.
• Non-Statutory Nature: It has no statutory or constitutional status.
  • Its recommendations are not binding but carry significant weight in policymaking.
• Established in 1998: It was created as part of India’s efforts to institutionalize the process of national security policymaking.
• Historical signficance: The National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) played a crucial role in drafting India’s nuclear doctrine in 1999
• Functions: Focuses on internal and external security, border management, maritime security, and strategic industries.
• New members who have been elected: The revamped seven-member board includes retired officers from armed forces and civil services:
  • Air Marshal PM Sinha (former Western Air Commander)
  • Lt General AK Singh (former Southern Army Commander)
  • Rear Admiral Monty Khanna (from Navy)
  • Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh (retired IPS officers)
  • B. Venkatesh Varma (former IFS officer)

Syria’s Alawites

Context: After President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rise to power, security forces have forcibly evicted hundreds of Alawites from their private homes in Damascus, Syria.

About Alawites

• Alawites are a religious minority in Syria, constituting about 12% of the population.
  • They are an offshoot of the Shiite sect of Islam, with distinctive beliefs and rituals.
• Geographic Distribution: Historically, Alawites have been concentrated in Syria’s coastal provinces,especially in Latakia and Tartus.
• Presence Beyond Syria: The community also extends north into Turkey, where some Arabic-speaking Alawites live.
• Alawite Rise to Power: The Alawites rose to power in 1970 when Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, seized control. Under his rule, and later his son Bashar’s, Alawites secured key military and government roles.

Successful Return of Shenzhou-19 Mission

Context: Recently China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft and its three astronauts landed safely in Dongfeng Landing Site in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.

About Shenzhou-19 Mission

• Shenzhou 19 is the spaceflight mission under China’s human spaceflight program.
• It was docked with the Tiangong space station for a long-duration mission.
• During their 180-day mission, the Shenzhou-19 crew conducted 86 scientific experiments, notably exposing a simulated lunar soil brick to space conditions. 
  • This is an experiment crucial to China’s goal of a crewed Moon landing by 2030 and building a permanent lunar research station by 2035.

Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Sugarcane

Context: The Central Government has approved an increase in the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane to ₹355 per quintal for the 2025-26 sugar season.

About FRP

• Definition: FRP is the minimum price that sugar mills must pay to sugarcane farmers for their produce, fixed by the Central Government.
• Authority: It is determined by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) based on recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• Purpose:  To ensure a fair return to farmers while keeping the interests of the sugar industry in mind. 
• Legal Backing: FRP is mandated under the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966, issued under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955.
• Committee: The FRP is based on the Rangarajan Committee report on reorganizing the sugarcane industry.
• State Advisory Price (SAP): Some states fix a higher SAP than FRP, in such cases, sugar mills must pay the higher of the two.

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)

• CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Establishment:  Set up in 1965, originally named the Agricultural Prices Commission; renamed CACP in 1985.
• Purpose: To recommend Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) and Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRPs) for various agricultural crops, ensuring farmers get a fair income.
• Recommendations Not Binding: The government may or may not accept CACP’s recommendations in full.

50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War

Context: April 30 of this year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City, which was formerly known as Saigon. 

About Vietnam War

• The Vietnam War (also known as the Second Indochina War) was a long conflict that lasted from 1955 to 1975. 
• Parties Involved: It involved North Vietnam and its communist allies fighting against South Vietnam and its main ally, the United States.
• Causes: The war stemmed from the Cold War-era conflict between communism and anti-communism.
• End of War: The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, with the Fall of Saigon, leading to the surrender of South Vietnam. 
  • Vietnam was then unified under communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.