03.05.25

Tissue-cultured teak promotion: Tissue-cultured teak is being promoted as a high-yield, fast-return solution for India’s timber cultivation. This is aimed at boosting timber production and trade.

Debate on productivity: Claims of higher yields and faster returns from tissue-cultured teak are under debate, requiring further long-term field studies for verification.

Teak’s Value: Teak (Tectona grandis) is highly valued globally for its durability, strength, and resistance to pests and water, earning it the title “king of timbers.” It is used in shipbuilding, construction, furniture, and musical instruments.

India’s role: India holds a significant portion (35%) of the world’s planted teak forests, with Asia accounting for over 95% of global teak resources. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have the largest native teak forests.

Regulatory hurdles: Green felling in government forests is restricted by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and National Forest Policy, 1988, making private plantations crucial for meeting timber demand.

Traditional propagation issues: Natural teak regeneration faces challenges like low seed viability, while conventional vegetative methods have low success rates.

Inconsistent tissue culture results: Success of tissue-cultured teak varies greatly, depending on factors like genetic quality and plantation management.

Importance of management: Intensively managed teak plantations yield higher economic returns compared to unmanaged ones, highlighting the importance of proper spacing, irrigation, and fertilization.

Need for research: More research is needed to validate claims of accelerated growth and higher productivity from tissue-cultured teak under diverse field conditions.

The government is launching the “Depot Darpan” portal and mobile app to enhance quality and performance standards in food storage depots.

It is an initiative of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

Depot Darpan will digitize operations in 2,278 grain depots managed by FCI, CWC, and state agencies.

The portal allows depot managers to evaluate infrastructure, operations, and finances in near real-time. Geo-tagged data uploads generate automated ratings and action points.

Warehouses are assessed on infrastructure (safety, storage, environment, technology, statutory compliance) and operational efficiency (stock turnover, losses, space utilization, manpower, profitability).

A star rating is awarded based on composite scoring from both infrastructure and operational aspects.

Depot Darpan integrates smart warehousing technologies like CCTV, IoT sensors (temperature, humidity, CO2, phosphine gas, gate shutter, fire/smoke), AI for bag counting, ANPR for vehicle tracking,

The mobile app provides real-time warehouse performance tracking for supervisors, facilitating informed decisions and continuous improvement.

The portal’s purpose is to ensure food storage depots meet the highest quality and performance standards.

Supervisory officials will be able to track warehouse performance in real-time through the mobile app, aiding informed decision-making and continuous improvements.

Asia’s Largest Integrated Solar & BESS Project: Reliance, NU Suntech signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SECI for Asia’s largest single-location integrated solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project.

SECI’s Role: Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is the leading Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) for Renewable Energy (RE) development in India and is crucial for expanding RE capacity.

Sole RE CPSU: SECI is the only CPSU specifically dedicated to the renewable energy sector in India.

Establishment & Purpose: Incorporated in 2011, SECI was initially a non-profit and later converted to a commercial entity. Its establishment was to facilitate the National Solar Mission.

Ministry Control: SECI operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Miniratna Status: SECI has been granted the status of Miniratna Category-I CPSU.

NDC Implementation: SECI helps India achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by developing solar, wind, and hybrid projects.

Tariff-Based Bidding: SECI uses a tariff-based competitive e-bidding process to select RE developers.

Power Purchase & Sale Agreements: SECI signs 25-year PPAs with developers and 25-year Power Sale Agreements (PSAs) with DISCOMs for power procurement and sale.

Power Trading Licensee: SECI holds the highest-category power trading license, enabling it to trade power pan-India.

Consultancy Services: SECI offers Project Management Consultancy in the RE sector to government entities.

Significant Generation Capacity: SECI oversees 65.3 GW of awarded generation capacity, with over 40 GW being solar energy.

• Establishing forward operating bases.
• Building fortified police stations in reclaimed areas.
• Gathering intelligence through high-tech monitoring.
• Implementing a “generous surrender policy”.

International Hyena Day: Celebrated annually on April 27th to raise awareness about hyenas’ ecological importance and dispel negative perceptions.

Hyena Diversity: Four distinct species exist: spotted, striped, brown, and aardwolf, each with unique characteristics and ecological roles.

Habitat and Distribution: Hyenas inhabit diverse regions across Africa and parts of Asia, with specific species adapted to particular environments.

Ecological Importance: They regulate herbivore populations, prevent disease spread by scavenging, recycle nutrients, and control insect populations.

Threats: Hyena populations face decline due to persecution, habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, hunting, and accidental deaths.

Spotted Hyenas: Skilled predators living in female-led clans, crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance.

Striped Hyenas: Nocturnal scavengers/omnivores that use scent marking for communication.

Brown Hyenas: Scavengers with a strong sense of smell, living in small clans.

Aardwolves: Specialized termite eaters, vulnerable to pesticide use.

Conservation Status: While some species are listed as “Least Concern,” overall hyena populations are declining, highlighting the need for conservation efforts.

Recurring Humid Periods: A recent study in Nature provides evidence of multiple “green phases” in the Arabian Desert over the past 8 million years. This challenges the perception of the region as perpetually arid.

Speleothem Evidence: Stalactites and stalagmites found in Arabian caves indicate periods of consistent rainfall, vegetation, and soil formation. Uranium dating and oxygen isotope analysis confirm these wetter periods.

Fossil Discoveries: Fossils in the Baynunah Formation (UAE) reveal the presence of hippos, elephants, giraffes, and primates, suggesting a savanna-like environment and a migratory route.

Green Arabia Hypothesis: The “Green Arabia Hypothesis” proposes that the Arabian Peninsula experienced cyclical wet phases, enabling human and animal migration and biodiversity.

Relevance to Human Evolution: The Arabian Desert is believed to have acted as a corridor for early human migration from Africa to Eurasia.

Supporting Evidence: Fossilized lakes, river channels, and ancient stone tools discovered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE support the hypothesis of a greener past.

Kendu Leaf Trade Deregulation Demand: Eight Gram Sabhas in Baipariguda, Koraput, Odisha, seek government notification to deregulate kendu leaf trade under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.

Significant Collection: Over 4 lakh bundles of kendu leaves have been collected by the communities in villages like Kalatha Jodi, Kupuli Guda, and Badali Beda, for the 2025 season.

Economic Impact: Deregulation is crucial for tribal communities, especially vulnerable groups, as kendu leaves (“Green Gold of Odisha”) are a vital income source. Failure to deregulate in the past resulted in substantial losses (estimated Rs 36 lakh).

FRA Empowerment: The FRA, 2006, grants tribal communities rights to collect, use, and sell Minor Forest Produce (MFP) like kendu leaves independently, without royalties or permissions.

Transit Permits: The Community Forest Rights Management Committee (CFRMC) should issue transit permits, as per FRA, overriding state laws.

Medicinal and Commercial Value: Kendu leaves are used for making bidis (local cigarettes) and have medicinal properties, making them economically significant.

Odisha’s Role: Odisha is a major kendu leaf producer, third-largest after Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

No Encroachment: Tribal communities assert they are harvesting from areas without designated Forest Department collection centers.

ITBP Success: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) successfully scaled Mt. Makalu (8,485m), the world’s fifth-highest peak, on April 19, 2025. This marks a first-time summit of Makalu by any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

Twin Expedition: The expedition was part of a historic twin summit attempt to Mt. Makalu and Mt. Annapurna, a first for the ITBP.

Makalu Team Success: The Makalu team, led by Deputy Commandant Anoop Kumar Negi, achieved an 83% success rate, with five climbers reaching the summit.

Annapurna Attempt: The Annapurna team reached 7,940 meters but retreated due to extreme weather conditions, ensuring a safe return.

Environmental Commitment: The ITBP team collected 150 kg of non-biodegradable waste as part of the “Clean Himalaya – Save Glacier” campaign.

ITBP Mountaineering Achievements: With this summit, ITBP has now scaled six of the world’s 14 “eight-thousanders” and a total of 229 peaks.

Mt. Makalu Facts: Mt. Makalu, located in the Nepal Himalayas on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is known for its challenging climb due to steep pitches and knife-edged ridges.

Historical Context: The first summit of Mt. Makalu was in 1955 by a French team.

Renewed Tensions: China and the Philippines are in a dispute over Sandy Cay Reef, with each asserting sovereignty.

China’s Actions: China’s coast guard claimed to have implemented “maritime control” over Tiexian Reef (part of Sandy Cay) and displayed a flag to assert sovereignty.

Philippines’ Response: The Philippines denies China’s claim, calling it “made-up” and an attempt to intimidate. They also released a photo of Filipino sailors raising their flag on the reef.

Conflicting Claims: Both countries accuse each other of “infringement and provocation” and ecological degradation of disputed landforms.

Strategic Location: Sandy Cay lies near Thitu Island (Pag-asa), where the Philippines has troops and a coast guard base.

SCS Dispute Context: This dispute is part of the broader South China Sea conflict, where China claims most of the sea via the “Nine-Dash Line,” a claim rejected by an international ruling.

Regional Concerns: US-Philippine joint military exercises (“Balikatan”) are viewed by China as provocative, further escalating tensions. Chinese warships have been spotted near the Philippines during these exercises.

Multiple Claimants: Besides China and the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim the reef.