Current Affairs

Agricultural Losses: Plant viruses cause over $30 billion in annual global losses, with pests and diseases destroying nearly 40% of annual crops.

Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV): CMV infects over 1,200 plant species, causing significant yield losses (e.g., 25-30% in Indian banana plantations, up to 70% in pumpkin/cucumber/melon crops). Spread by aphids.

RNA Silencing: Plants naturally use RNA silencing (dsRNA triggers DCL enzymes to produce siRNAs, destroying viral RNA) as a defense against viruses.

HIGS vs. SIGS: Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) involves genetically modifying plants for continuous

New “Effective dsRNA” Approach: Researchers developed a new approach that enhanced the effectiveness of RNA silencing against CMV.

Engineered dsRNA: Genetically engineered dsRNA enriched with highly functional siRNA.

Key Advantages: The new approach: (i) precision, directing the plant’s immune system toward the viral particles’ most vulnerable genetic regions, boosting its ability to fight infection. (ii) a stronger defense because the more-effective dsRNA targets multiple regions of the viral genome simultaneously, making it harder for the virus to mutate and escape. (iii) effective dsRNA can be redesigned in about a month to target new viral strains.

Promising Results: Demonstrated up to 80% viral load reduction in lab settings using Nicotiana benthamiana. Effective against multiple CMV strains.

Future Steps: Developing spray-based solutions and field trials are underway to test effectiveness in natural conditions.

Broader Applications: The technology could

Challenges: RNA stability in outdoor conditions (sunlight, rain), cost and scalability of production, and regulatory approvals.

Largest Bilateral Exercise: Balikatan is the largest military exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military. Why: Highlights the scale and importance of the cooperation.

Deterrence Focus: Exercise simulates a “full-scale battle scenario,” aimed at deterring potential aggression in the region, implied to be China. Why:

Mutual Defense Treaty Support: Balikatan is designed to enhance military interoperability and readiness in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines. Why: Reinforces the legal and strategic basis for the exercise.

40th Iteration: The 2025 exercise marks the 40th year of Balikatan. Why: Emphasizes the long-standing nature of the partnership.

Full Battle Test (FBT): Balikatan 2025 introduces a Full Battle Test, incorporating real-world forces and events into a virtual scenario. Why: Shows a significant upgrade in the complexity and realism of the exercise.

Multi-Domain Operations: The exercise spans all domains: air, land, sea, space, and cyber, testing interoperability in defending Philippine sovereignty. Why: Highlights the comprehensive nature of the training, covering modern warfare aspects.

Four Primary Components:

• Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS)
• Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA)
• Command-and-Control Exercise (C2X)
• Multilateral Maritime Exercise (MME)
  Why: Details the specific areas of training and cooperation, showcasing a diverse set of capabilities.

Modified ECS Claim: India has submitted a revised claim to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its Extended Continental Shelf in the Central Arabian Sea by nearly 10,000 sq km.

Avoiding Dispute: The move aims to avoid a maritime dispute with Pakistan over the Sir Creek area while securing valuable seabed resources.

What is ECS: Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) extends beyond a coastal State’s territorial sea, either up to the natural edge of the continental margin or up to 200

Initial Claim & Objections: India’s initial claim (2009) faced objections from Pakistan (2021) due to overlaps near the disputed Sir Creek area. The CLCS rejected India’s claim in the Arabian Sea in 2023, allowing resubmission.

Strategic Splitting: India split its original claim into two parts to ensure that its claim in the Central Arabian Sea region isn’t affected.

Resource Security: Securing the ECS is critical for accessing minerals, polymetallic nodules, and oil reserves to support India’s economic interests.

Strategic Control: With the ECS, India’s seabed area would nearly equal its land area, reinforcing maritime sovereignty and regional influence.

UNCLOS Framework: The claim is made under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with CLCS recommendations expected in August 2025.

Other Overlaps: Some parts of India’s continental shelf claims in the Arabian Sea overlap with that of Oman. However the two countries have an agreement in place since 2010 that while the continental shelf between them is yet to be delimited, it is ‘not under dispute.’

• UDAN Yatri Cafes: Affordable food options at airports.
• Seaplane Operations: Focus on connecting water bodies; UDAN Round 5.5 launched. Guidelines released in August 2024 focusing on safety and operational viability.
• Krishi UDAN Scheme: Supports farmers with air logistics for agri-produce. Covers 58 airports.

Delays in Report Submission: Annual reports from the National Commissions for SCs, STs, and OBCs are significantly delayed, with some pending for up to seven years.

Constitutional Mandate Violated: Articles 338, 338A, and 338B mandate these commissions to submit annual reports to the President, reviewing

Accountability Concerns: Untabled reports in Parliament raise concerns about government accountability and timely implementation of welfare measures.

Policy Influence Impaired: Delays hinder the commissions’ ability to influence policy decisions related to reservations, creamy-layer criteria, and welfare interventions.

Resource Constraints: Commissions face resource limitations and a lack of experts, slowing down report compilation and review.

Ministry Prioritization Issues: Nodal ministries may not prioritize the tabling of these reports, causing further delays.

Outdated Methodologies: Reliance on manual data collection methods and limited integration of digital data hinders efficiency.

Lack of Clear Deadlines: Absence of fixed deadlines for additional reports contributes to delays.

Loss of Faith: Outdated reports undermine the relevance of the commissions, causing marginalized communities to lose faith.

Emerging Issues Unaddressed: New forms of discrimination and economic exclusion may remain unaddressed due to delays.

Inadequate Pressure: Limited public and parliamentary pressure allows delays to persist without consequences.

Impact on Welfare Schemes: Delays disrupt the timely influence of report recommendations on government policies.