18.04.25

IMB – Maritime Crime

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  • Increase in Maritime Piracy/Armed Robbery (2025): The IMB reported a notable increase in global piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first three months of 2025. Why: This highlights the continued threat to maritime security and the need for vigilance.

  • IMB’s Core Function: The International Maritime

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    Bureau (IMB) combats maritime fraud, malpractice, and piracy, established in 1981. Why: It’s a crucial organization for safeguarding international shipping and trade.

  • Part of ICC: The IMB is a specialized division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Why: This affiliation gives the IMB significant reach and influence within the global business community.

  • Information Hub: The IMB serves as a platform for cooperation and information sharing among governments, shipping companies, and law enforcement. Why: Collaboration is essential for effectively addressing maritime crime.

  • Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC): Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the PRC issues daily reports, alerts law enforcement, assists victims, and publishes piracy statistics. Why: The PRC is the operational arm of the IMB, providing real-time support and data.

  • UN and INTERPOL Recognition: The IMB has recognition/cooperation mandates from the UN’s IMO and observer status with INTERPOL. Why: This legitimacy strengthens the IMB’s role in international maritime security.

  • Services Provided:The IMB offers mediation, locates lost ships, recovers stolen cargoes and prepares customised

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    reports. Why: To resolve dispute in ammicable manner and provide security to the ships.

  • Head Office Location: The IMB’s head office is located in Limassol, Cyprus.

V2G Technology

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  • Kerala Pilot Project: KSEB, partnered with IIT Bombay, launched a V2G pilot project to assess feasibility in the state. This is important because it signals growing interest and investment in V2G tech in India.

  • V2G Definition: V2G enables EVs to send stored electricity back to the grid when idle, acting as decentralized energy storage. It’s important because it leverages EV batteries to potentially

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    balance energy supply and demand.

  • Bi-directional Flow: V2G involves both G2V (charging) and V2G (discharging), creating a two-way energy flow. This is important because it offers flexibility in grid management.

  • Grid Support: V2G stabilizes the grid by storing surplus energy and supplying it during peak demand, reducing strain on power stations. This is important for grid reliability and efficiency.

  • Renewable Energy Integration: V2G helps overcome the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources by using EV batteries as distributed storage. This is vital for broader adoption of renewables.

  • Global Traction: V2G is gaining traction in mature EV markets (Europe, US) with pilot projects and incentives for owners to supply power back to the grid.

  • India’s Nascent Stage: V2G is in early stages in India, with focus on EV charging infrastructure integration and pilot projects planned by DISCOMs.

  • Regulatory Changes Needed: India needs supportive regulatory changes to mainstream V2G due to the current electricity market structure’s limitations.

  • KSEB Project Goals: Kerala’s project aims to assess EVs’ ability to support the grid during peak demand, particularly when solar energy is unavailable, addressing concerns about rising electricity demand from EVs.

  • Potential for Utilities: V2G and smart charging can turn EV integration from a challenge to an opportunity for DISCOMs, encouraging charging during high solar generation and using EVs for storage.

  • Emergency Power:V2G provides decentralised storage for emergency and crisis situation and is actively being planned and tested in different regions like California.

CJI

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  • Upcoming CJI: Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai will become the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI) on May 14, 2025. His name was recommended to the law ministry by the outgoing CJI Sanjiv Khanna.
  • Succession: He succeeds Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who retires on May 13, 2025.
  • Tenure: Justice Gavai will serve as CJI until his retirement on November 23, 2025.
  • Historical Significance: He will be the second Dalit to hold the position of CJI, after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan.
  • Appointment Process: The outgoing CJI recommends the senior-most Supreme Court judge to the Union Law Ministry, followed by government approval and presidential appointment.
  • Seniority and Role: Justice Gavai is currently the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after CJI Khanna. The CJI leads judicial proceedings, including Constitution Benches, administers the Supreme Court,
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and acts as the “Master of the Roster,” deciding case allocations.
  • Constitutional Basis: Article 124(2) of the Constitution outlines the President’s power to appoint the CJI.
  • Removal: A CJI can be removed by the President on grounds of proved misbehavior or incapacity, following a special majority in both Houses of Parliament (Article 124(4)).

    • Fixed-Dose Combinations

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    • Ban on 35 FDC Drugs: India’s CDSCO banned 35 fixed-dose combination drugs due to safety violations.
    • Reason for the Ban: The drugs were approved without the required safety and efficacy evaluations under
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      the NDCT Rules, 2019. State drug regulators approved them without central oversight.
    • FDC Definition: Fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs combine two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients in a single dosage form.
    • Regulatory Oversight: New FDCs classified as “New Drugs” require central approval from CDSCO, not State Licensing Authorities (SLAs), as per NDCT Rules, 2019.
    • Advantages of FDCs: Can improve patient compliance, provide synergistic action, potentially reduce treatment costs, and prevent microbial resistance (in cases like TB/HIV).
    • Concerns and Risks: Some FDCs have irrational combinations lacking scientific validation and can contribute to antimicrobial resistance. They increase the risk of adverse effects, lack individualized dosage options, and utilize regulatory loopholes.

    Giant Squid

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    • First Ever Footage: Marine scientists have captured the first-ever video of a colossal squid swimming freely in its natural habitat, nearly a century after its identification. A juvenile colossal squid was filmed in the deep sea, marking a significant event.

    • Sighting Details: The footage, announced on April 16, 2025, by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, shows a young squid, about 1 foot (30 centimeters) long, at a depth of 1,968 feet (600 meters) in the South Atlantic Ocean near the South Sandwich Islands.

    • Verification: Researchers waited to verify the species identification with independent scientists before releasing the footage

    • Physical Characteristics:

      • Adults can reach up to 7 meters (23 feet) and weigh as much as 500 kilograms.
      • Young colossal squids are almost entirely transparent.
      • Adults change to opaque dark red or purple.
      • They have the largest eyes of any known animal and sharp, swiveling hooks on their tentacles.

    • Significance of the Discovery: The sighting provides valuable insights into the elusive colossal squid’s life cycle and behavior in its natural environment. This is especially significant because researchers are now testing different cameras, hoping to catch an adult colossal squid.

    • Conservation Status: The colossal squid

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      is currently classified as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List.

    FGD: Sulphur Removal

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    • Controversy over FGD Mandate: A study advises the Union Environment Ministry to roll back its 2015 policy mandating FGD installation in all Indian coal-fired plants.
    • Selective Application Proposed: The study suggests FGD implementation should be limited to plants using imported or high-sulfur (>0.5%) coal due to the low sulfur content of most Indian coal (0.3%-0.5%).
    • Cost and Implementation Issues: Only 8% of plants have installed FGD despite extended deadlines, with full compliance now pushed to 2027-2029. FGD installation costs ₹1.2 crore per MW.
    • Rationale for Rollback: The study argues that high stack heights and Indian climatic conditions already mitigate SO2 pollution. Furthermore, FGD increases CO2 emissions and freshwater consumption.
    • Acid Rain Not Significant: An IIT-Delhi study found that acid rain is not a major issue in India, questioning the necessity of widespread FGD implementation.
    • Alternative Solution: PM Control: The study recommends focusing on controlling
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      particulate matter (PM) pollution by installing electrostatic precipitators, which are cheaper and more effective for Indian coal’s high ash content. PM pollution is a bigger threat. Electrostatic precipitators cost only ₹25 lakh
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      per MW and reduce PM pollution by 99%.
    • Global Warming Argument: The study highlights that removing short-lived SO2 emissions while increasing long-lived CO2 emissions through FGD could worsen global warming.
    • Study Origin: The study was commissioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.

    Webb Telescope

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    • Possible Extraterrestrial Life Detection: JWST data suggests potential signs of life on exoplanet K2-18b (124 light years away), specifically the detection of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a gas primarily produced by living organisms on Earth.
    • Significance of DMS: The amount of DMS
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      detected on K2-18b is far greater than Earth’s levels.
    • JWST’s Role: JWST, launched in December 2021, made these observations, highlighting its ability to analyze exoplanet atmospheres.
    • JWST’s Capabilities: JWST is the largest and most powerful space observatory, a collaboration between NASA, ESA, and CSA. It orbits the L2 Lagrange Point (1.5 million km beyond Earth).
    • Infrared Observation: JWST primarily observes in the infrared spectrum, enabling it to see through cosmic dust and view early galaxies, unlike the Hubble Telescope which observes in visible and ultraviolet light.
    • JWST’s Objectives: JWST studies the formation of stars, galaxies, and planetary systems, and it is analysing exoplanet atmospheres.
    • JWST Components: Key components include the Optical Telescope Element (OTE), Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), Sunshield, and Spacecraft Bus.

    Curiosity on Mars

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    • Carbon-Bearing Minerals Discovered: Curiosity Rover found carbonate mineral siderite (containing carbon and oxygen) in Martian rocks. This marks the first solid evidence of a carbon cycle on Mars.
    • Discovery Location: The find was made in an ancient lakebed in the Gale Crater, during exploration of an 89-meter stretch of terrain.
    • Siderite’s Significance: The rocks contain 5-10% siderite, suggesting a significant amount of Mars’ past CO₂ might be trapped in the crust.
    • Evidence of a Slow Carbon Cycle: The presence of iron oxyhydroxides indicates siderite may have dissolved in acidic water, releasing some CO₂ back into
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      the atmosphere. This points to a limited and slow carbon cycle.
    • Curiosity’s Mission: Launched in 2011 as part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Curiosity aims to determine if Mars ever had conditions suitable for life, study its climate, and analyze its geology.
    • Landing Site: Curiosity landed in Gale Crater in 2012, an area believed to have once contained water.
    • Power Source: The rover runs on a thermoelectric power generator that uses the radioactive decay of plutonium, instead of solar panels.
    • Objectives: Determine whether life ever existed on Mars, Characterise Mars’ past and present climate, Understand the geology of Mars and Prepare for future human exploration.

    V2G Technology

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    • V2G Technology: Enables EVs to discharge power back to the grid, acting as decentralized energy storage.
    • Pilot Project: Kerala, in collaboration with IIT Bombay, has launched a project to explore V2G implementation.
    • Modes:
      • Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V): Charging EVs from the grid.
      • Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Discharging EV power back to the grid.
    • Need: Supports renewable energy integration, enhances grid stability, provides emergency power, and offers decentralized storage.
    • Global Adoption: U.S., U.K., and Netherlands are leading in V2G adoption, compensating EV owners for supplying power during peak demand. California encourages participation in grid stability services.
    • India’s Status: Early stages, focusing on EV charging infrastructure. CEA has formed a committee on reverse charging. Current market structure not suited for V2G.
    • KSEB-IIT Bombay Project Goals: Assess EV’s ability to support the grid during peak demand when solar energy is unavailable.
    • Benefits for Utilities: Smart charging and V2G integration can turn EV charging from a challenge to
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      an advantage. Encourages EV charging during high solar generation times.
    • Regulatory Changes Needed: Supportive changes are required to mainstream V2G in India, given the variable nature of renewable energy.
    • Decarbonization through RE: V2G enables EVs to act as a storage source for
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      excess solar generation, which can be used at night, thus enabling decarbonization with RE.
    • Grid Stability: V2G can modulate EV battery power to reduce the impact of variable RE on the grid.

    Big Cat Alliance

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    • India to Host IBCA Headquarters: India will host the headquarters and secretariat of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), solidifying its leadership role in global big cat conservation efforts.

    • Agreement Signed: An official agreement has been signed between India and the IBCA, establishing the legal framework for the headquarters’ operation. The agreement includes provisions for visas, privileges, and immunities for IBCA personnel and premises.

    • Financial Commitment: India has pledged ₹150 crore (approximately $18 million USD) from 2023-24 to 2028-29 to the IBCA. This funding will establish a corpus fund, build infrastructure, and cover recurring expenses.

    • IBCA Objectives: The IBCA aims to conserve seven major big cat species: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar, and Cheetah.

    • Formal Establishment: The IBCA is now a treaty-based intergovernmental organization after ratification by five countries: India, Nicaragua, Eswatini, Somalia, and Liberia. India formally joined IBCA in September

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      2023. The alliance formally became a global legal entity after five signatory countries ratified the IBCA framework agreement.

    • Implementation Agency: The IBCA is implemented through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), under the Ministry

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      of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

    • Membership Open: Membership is open to all UN Member States, including range countries (where big cats naturally occur) and non-range countries interested in supporting conservation.

    • Combating Threats: The IBCA will address poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss. The IBCA aims to foster transboundary cooperation among range countries for big cat conservation.

    • Leveraging Expertise: India will leverage its Project Tiger experience to lead research, training, and conservation financing initiatives under the IBCA.