A study links the widely used agricultural fungicide tebuconazole to increased resistance in Candida tropicalis, an important fungal pathogen associated with a 55-60% mortality rate in infections.
Why: This shows that agricultural practices can contribute to resistance against clinically used antifungal drugs like fluconazole and voriconazole, making treatment for severe human infections harder.
Tebuconazole promotes drug resistance in C. tropicalis by causing unexpected genetic changes, specifically aneuploidy (alterations in chromosome number).
Why: These changes lead to the overexpression or deletion of genes related to drug resistance, allowing the fungus to survive exposure to antifungals despite slower growth in their absence.
Resistant strains developed through tebuconazole exposure showed cross-resistance to medical azole drugs used for treating C. tropicalis infections.
Why: This directly impacts public health by reducing the effectiveness of standard medical treatments for potentially deadly fungal infections.
Overuse of tebuconazole in agriculture is identified as a key driver of this resistance.
Why: The widespread use of this fungicide, which works similarly to medical antifungals, creates selective pressure for resistant fungal strains to emerge and spread, posing a risk to human health.
Some tebuconazole-resistant strains were unexpectedly found to be stable haploids (having one set of chromosomes) capable of mating.
Why: This discovery suggests a potential new mechanism for resistant traits to be passed on and spread among fungal populations through sexual reproduction.
Axiom-4
Launch scheduled for June 25, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon “Grace”. Why: Utilizes modern commercial space technology and NASA facilities.
Crew includes Peggy Whitson (USA), Sławosz Uznański (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary), and Shukla (India). Why: Represents international collaboration and includes an Indian astronaut returning to space after 41 years.
Mission duration is 14 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Why: Longer duration than Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission, allowing for more extensive work.
Objectives include conducting over 60 scientific, educational, and commercial experiments. Why: Focus on diverse research including seven experiments from Indian researchers selected by ISRO, contributing to science and technology development.
Shukla is the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS). Why: A historic milestone for India in space exploration, differing from the previous mission to a Soviet station (Salyut 7).
Broader scientific goals and international/commercial involvement compared to the 1984 mission. Why: Reflects the evolving nature of space missions, incorporating diverse research areas and partnerships beyond national government programs.
Chilka Mud Crab MSC
Chilka Lake’s mud crab fishery is seeking MSC certification through a joint initiative by ICAR-CIFRI and Chilika Development Authority.
Why: To boost India’s inland fisheries.
MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) is an international non-profit promoting sustainable fishing through its eco-label and certification program.
MSC certification ensures sustainable fish stocks, low environmental impact, and effective management for wild-capture fisheries.
Why: It promotes responsible fishing to secure healthy oceans and sustainable seafood for future generations.
Certification enhances export value, supports biodiversity conservation, and ensures livelihood security for the fishery.
The Chilika mud crab is India’s first inland fishery nominated for MSC’s sustainability certification.
India is the second-largest fish producer globally, with inland fisheries accounting for over 75% of its total production.
Enhanced Rock Weathering
Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) is a technique spreading crushed basalt rock on farmland to speed up natural CO2 capture from the atmosphere.
It’s seen as a promising method to combat climate change by accelerating the process where rocks lock away carbon dioxide.
Tech giants and industries are showing significant investor interest, buying carbon credits from ERW projects to offset their emissions.
Specific examples like Google’s large carbon credit deal and an Indian startup winning the $50 million X Prize highlight the growing financial interest.
ERW is being trialled globally, from India to Brazil and the US, indicating widespread efforts to implement the technique.
Brazil has issued the first verified ERW carbon removal credits, marking a step towards market validation.
Besides carbon capture, it offers benefits like improving soil alkalinity, boosting crop yield, and potentially preventing downstream CO2 emissions from soil acidity.
However, its carbon removal effectiveness shows mixed results in studies, raising concerns about accurate measurement and the risk of overestimating carbon capture, which could inflate carbon credits.
There are risks like potential heavy metal release from some rocks, though the technique is generally considered safe as it mimics a natural process.
GST Council
The upcoming 56th GST Council meeting, expected in late June or early July 2025, is set to consider a proposal to eliminate the 12% GST slab.
Why: The primary goal is to simplify India’s Goods and Services Tax structure, reducing the current four-rate system (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to a three-tier structure.
Why: This move aligns with long-standing demands from industry and states for a less complex GST system and is supported by consistently strong GST collections.
Proposal: Items currently taxed at 12% would likely be shifted to either the 5% slab (for essential/common-use items) or the 18% slab (for non-essential/higher-value items).
Alternative: A less favored option involves merging the 12% and 18% slabs to create a new 15% slab.
Possible Impact: Rates on items like butter, ghee, fruit juice, processed food, and mobile phones, currently under the 12% slab, may be revised depending on which new slab they are moved to.
Context: The GST Council is the constitutional body established under Article 279A, responsible for making key decisions regarding GST rates and administration in India through a process involving both central and state governments.
India’s Water Crisis
Severe water stress: 600 million Indians face high to extreme stress. Why: India has only 4% of global freshwater for 18% of the population, demand projected to double by 2030 creating a huge gap.
Groundwater depletion: Over 60% irrigation/85% drinking water relies on groundwater, which is rapidly depleting. Why: Unsustainable extraction due to lack of surface water availability and policy/crop choices.
Poor water quality: 70% of sources contaminated, leading to 2 lakh deaths annually. Why: Untreated sewage and pollution, posing major public health risks.
Climate change impacts: Erratic monsoons, extreme rainfall (floods), increasing drought-prone areas, glacier melt. Why: Affects water availability for agriculture and rivers, projected to cut India’s GDP significantly by 2050.
Urban crisis: Major cities face shortages, some nearly ran dry. Why: Over-extraction, poor infrastructure, lack of planning exacerbate urban water stress.
Policy gaps: National Water Mission efficiency target lacks tracking; funding for adaptation is low; large gap in water financing. Why: Existing policies are insufficient or lack effective implementation to tackle the scale of the crisis.
Governance challenge: Success requires integrated management, community engagement, and policy alignment across sectors. Why: Crisis is not just environmental but rooted in mismanagement and fragmented efforts.
Migrant Voting Rights
Migrants, constituting a significant part of the population, are often unable to vote in their registered constituencies due to temporary movement for work or family, leading to disenfranchisement and undermining universal adult franchise.
They face challenges in registering at their current location due to lack of permanent address proof, complicated procedures, lack of awareness, and insufficient ECI support campaigns.
Enabling migrant voting is vital to ensure their equal participation in democracy, uphold universal adult franchise, ensure representation for accountability on welfare issues, correct low voter turnout in source states like Bihar, and include groups like women migrants.
Proposed mechanisms include enforcing polling-day holidays and providing transport support for intra-state migrants to return home to vote.
Remote Electronic Voting Machines (RVMs) are being piloted for inter-state migrants but face political and logistical challenges regarding transparency and integrity.
Extending postal ballots, similar to the armed forces model, is administratively easier but requires extensive systems for registration and ballot management.
Allowing constituency change for long-term migrants based on residence promotes local representation but may face political resistance and requires robust documentation.
Targeted electoral drives are necessary for women migrants (marriage-related) to facilitate their registration in new areas.
A mixed approach combining various methods is needed due to the diverse migrant population, requiring collaboration and leveraging technology for simplified registration and voting.
Politically including migrants is seen as a democratic imperative, not just a logistical issue, essential for strengthening democracy and achieving economic justice.
Global SciPol CW&P Panel
Key Point: The Global Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution has been established under the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Uruguay.
Why in News: It fills a crucial gap in global environmental governance by specifically addressing pollution and waste, which, along with climate change and biodiversity loss, forms the triple planetary crisis.
Key Point: It complements existing bodies like the IPCC (climate change) and IPBES (biodiversity), creating a comprehensive set of science-policy panels for major environmental challenges.
Why in News: This unified approach allows for better coordination and evidence-based policymaking across the interconnected threats of the triple planetary crisis.
Key Point: The panel aims to strengthen global efforts against pollution, managing hazardous chemicals and waste, and protecting health.
Why in News: Rising chemical use and waste generation pose significant and growing health and ecological risks (e.g., projected surge in municipal solid waste, increased pollution-related deaths).
Key Point: Its functions include providing independent scientific advice, conducting assessments, identifying research gaps, supporting capacity building for developing countries, and horizon scanning for emerging threats.
Why in News: These functions ensure that policies on chemicals, waste, and pollution are based on robust science, aiding effective control measures and preventive action globally.
CRISPR
CRISPR technology is revolutionizing agriculture by enabling precise and rapid gene editing to create crops resistant to biotic (diseases) and abiotic (heat, drought) stresses, offering a faster alternative to traditional breeding.
This involves editing specific genes, such as disabling disease susceptibility genes (e.g., BoBPM6 in cabbage) or enhancing stress tolerance genes (e.g., SiEPF2 in foxtail millet), which improves plant immunity and stabilizes yields under challenging conditions.
A new, modified CRISPR tool (dCas9) has been developed that acts as a “smart switch” instead of cutting DNA, specifically activating plant defense and heat tolerance genes only when the plant is under stress.
This smart switch uses a natural biological mechanism (a protein domain acting as a tether) to ensure it only enters the plant’s control center (nucleus) and turns on protective genes (like CBP60g, SARD1 for defense; NAC2, HSFA6b for heat) exactly when needed.
The dCas9 smart switch was successfully tested in crops like tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco, proving effective in helping tomatoes fight bacterial disease during heat waves, addressing a major challenge intensified by climate change.
These advancements, particularly the development of the smart gene switch, pave the way for ‘smart agriculture,’ enabling food crops to better withstand environmental threats and ensuring more stable production in a changing climate.
Payment Intelligence
Digital Payment Intelligence Platform (DPIP) is a new RBI-led Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
Why: Aims to curb surging digital payment frauds in India.
Why: Needed because bank frauds tripled in FY25 to â‚ą36,014 crore, showing the scale of the problem.
Why: Addresses specific fraud types affecting public (loan) and private (internet/card) banks.
Development: Built by Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) in partnership with 5–10 major banks.
Why: Collaborative approach leverages industry expertise.
Oversight: Guided by a high-level committee chaired by A.P. Hota.
Why: Ensures expert supervision for effective implementation.
Timeline: Expected to be operational within a few months.
Why: Reflects urgency in addressing the fraud issue.
Key Feature: Real-Time Intelligence Sharing between banks.
Why: Allows instant sharing and action on fraud data to prevent escalation.
Key Feature: AI-Powered Risk Analysis.
Why: Detects patterns to identify potential scams proactively.
Expected Impact: Strengthens digital transaction security and promotes trust in the payment ecosystem.
Why beneficial: Creates a unified industry response and reduces dependency on delayed manual reporting.
Strengthen Committees
Lok Sabha Speaker highlighted Parliamentary Committees are complementary to the government, urging serious consideration of recommendations for Prelims (Speaker of Lok Sabha).
Parliamentary Committees are bodies constituted by Parliament, deriving authority from Article 105 (powers/privileges) and Article 118 (business rules) of the Constitution, relevant for Prelims (Parliament Committees, Article 105, Article 118).
Types include Standing (permanent, e.g., DRSCs, Financial Committees) and Ad hoc (temporary, specific task, e.g., JPCs) committees for Prelims.
Committees significantly enhance Executive Accountability (scrutiny, public record), facilitate Informed Lawmaking (expert consultation, detailed scrutiny), act as Mini-Parliaments (bipartisan, proportional), and aid Capacity Building for MPs, crucial for Mains (Parliament Committees and its Significance).
Key Challenges include Limited Powers (recommendations non-binding, weak follow-up), Resource & Research Constraints, Low MP Participation (around 50% attendance), Inadequate Parliamentary Time leading to less scrutiny of bills, Political Influence, and Overburdened DRSCs with fragmented oversight, important for Mains (Related Challenges).
Measures for effective functioning include Strengthening Institutional & Research Support, Institutionalizing Accountability (mandating Action Taken Reports), Increasing Referral of bills & DRSC Specialization, Improving MP Participation & Capacity Building, and Promoting Transparency & Citizen Engagement, vital for Mains (Measures for their Effective Functioning).
Committees are crucial for legislative oversight and democratic accountability, needing revitalization as noted by the Speaker for effective governance.
Relevant for Prelims are concepts like Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in relation to committee constitution.
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (World Drug Day) was commemorated on June 26th, 2025, with events like the national one organized by India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), highlighting its continued importance.
The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1987 to promote global cooperation towards a drug-free world and increase action against illicit drug use.
The 2025 theme, “Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime,” calls for focused, long-term action against organized drug networks and encourages tackling root causes by investing in prevention through justice, education, healthcare, and alternative livelihoods.
Global drug use is a growing concern, with the UNODC reporting 292 million users globally in 2022, a 20% increase over the past decade, emphasizing the scale of the challenge.
Commonly used drugs include cannabis, opioids, amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy; significant drug-affected regions like the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle persist.
India demonstrates a zero-tolerance policy through efforts led by MoSJE as the nodal agency for demand reduction, implementing programs like Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and using digital tools like NIDAAN and NCORD portals to combat the issue.
The global observance aims to raise public awareness about the significant threat illegal drugs pose to society and encourages worldwide support and collaboration.
NATO Security
At a summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025, NATO members agreed to significantly increase defence and security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
This commitment is the alliance’s largest military spending rise since the Cold War.
The 5% target is broken down into 3.5% for core defence (troops, weapons) and 1.5% for broader security (innovation, civil preparedness).
Member countries will undergo annual progress reviews, with a formal check-in set for 2029.
The decision reaffirms collective defence amid rising threats from Russia, terrorism, and cyber warfare.
It follows long-standing U.S. pressure for greater burden-sharing among European allies.
While broadly supported, some countries like Spain, Belgium, and Slovakia anticipate difficulties meeting the 5% target due to budget constraints.
The move supports NATO’s rearmament efforts and aims to enhance deterrence, readiness, and adaptability to modern threats like the war in Ukraine and cyberattacks.
NATO, founded in 1949, is a political and military alliance based on collective defence under Article 5.
