20 JUNE 2025 - Daily Current Affairs Updates

Topic: Nonia Rebellion Subtopic: Forgotten Regional Uprising during Colonial Rule

• Value Addition:

  • Preceded major national revolts, rooted in salt-producing communities of Bihar.

  • Lonia community’s occupational link to salt production made them an early economic target of British control.

  • The centenary celebration of Buddhu Nonia revives forgotten grassroots contributions to the freedom movement.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 1: Modern Indian History – Localised tribal and caste-based resistance movements.

  • Essay: "Unsung heroes are the backbone of every revolution."

Topic: Cyprus Visit by PM Subtopic: Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean

• Value Addition:

  • Cyprus acts as a geo-strategic gateway between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

  • Site of unresolved ethnic partition and UN peacekeeping — relevant to India’s principled stance on sovereignty and diplomacy.

  • EU member, yet politically and culturally divided — symbolic of global conflict resolution complexity.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 1: Geography – Strategic islands and their political geography.

  • GS 2: IR – India's outreach in Europe and its diaspora diplomacy.

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Topic: National Mission for Green India Subtopic: Climate Mitigation through Ecosystem Restoration

• Value Addition:

  • One of eight missions under NAPCC; aims to sequester 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂ by 2030.

  • Focus on degraded forests in Western Ghats, Himalayas, and Aravallis—India’s key ecological zones.

  • Community engagement via Joint Forest Management Committees ensures decentralised stewardship.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 2: Government initiatives for environment protection.

  • GS 3: Climate change adaptation and afforestation efforts.
    

Topic: Free-Space Quantum Communication Subtopic: Breakthrough in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)

• Value Addition:

  • IIT-Delhi and DRDO demonstration shows 1 km secure free-space data transfer using quantum entanglement.

  • Protects communication even if devices are compromised—potential military and governance application.

  • Paves the way for satellite-to-ground quantum encryption.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 3: Emerging tech – Quantum technologies for national security.

  • Essay: “Future wars may not be fought with weapons but with information.”

Topic: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) – NASA-ISRO NISAR Mission Subtopic: All-Weather Earth Imaging Satellite

• Value Addition:

  • Active microwave sensor for day/night, all-weather observation—useful for agriculture, disaster management, and glaciers.

  • Simulates a long antenna through motion and digital synthesis, enabling high-resolution data capture.

  • Key step for real-time Earth system science collaboration between ISRO and NASA.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 3: Space-tech collaboration, climate monitoring infrastructure.

Topic: Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and Missing Baryonic Matter Subtopic: Solving the Universe’s ‘Invisible Mass’ Puzzle

• Value Addition:

  • FRBs from distant galaxies act as "cosmic flashlights", dispersing as they pass through intergalactic plasma.

  • Enabled first direct measurement of missing baryonic matter (normal matter) across cosmic structures.

  • High-frequency research with cosmological implications—pushing boundaries of astrophysics.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 3: Science & Tech – Astronomy and frontier research.

  • Prelims: Universe composition; cosmic measurements.
    

Topic: Global Drought Outlook 2025 – OECD Subtopic: Rising Ecological and Economic Threats

• Value Addition:

  • 40% of global land faces regular droughts; crop loss up to 22%; water transport & hydro power impacted.

  • Long-term soil moisture loss and groundwater depletion across 37% of Earth.

  • Drought causes 34% of disaster-related deaths – often overlooked compared to floods and cyclones.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 3: Disaster management, resource scarcity, and food security.

  • Essay: “The world won’t run out of oil, but it might run out of water.”

Topic: Rinderpest Virus Containment – India’s Entry to Elite Group Subtopic: Post-Eradication Biosecurity Preparedness

• Value Addition:

  • Rinderpest (cattle plague) had 100% mortality in some livestock groups; eradicated globally in 2011.

  • India’s ICAR-NIHSAD now holds Biosafety Level-3 certified containment of RVCM (Rinderpest Virus Containing Material).

  • India joins five other nations with this designation, ensuring preparedness against re-emergence.

• Subject Analysis:

  • GS 3: Animal husbandry, zoonotic disease preparedness.

  • Prelims: Diseases eradicated vs. under control.