29 May 2025 - Daily Current Affairs Updates

GS 1 – Geography, History, Society

1. Topic: Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (2000–2024)

Subtopic: WHO–UNICEF Report on WASH Inequalities Value Addition:

• Global:

  • Open defecation in LICs = 4× global avg.

  • Safe sanitation access = 58% globally.

  • Safely managed drinking water rose from 68% (2015) → 74% (2024).

  • Gender burden: women spend more time fetching water.

  • Menstrual health gaps in 70 countries across income groups.

• India:

  • Achieved near-universal sanitation, but slippage in usage & waste mgmt.

  • Household tap connections expanded, yet safely managed water below universal.

  • Marginalised groups (tribals, poorest) lag behind.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 1: Social geography – water & sanitation inequalities.

• GS 2: Welfare – SDG 6 (clean water, sanitation).

• Essay: “Inequalities in WASH: the silent barrier to SDGs.”

GS 2 – Polity, Governance, IR

2. Topic: Joint Doctrines by CDS

Subtopic: Tri-Services Operational Integration Value Addition:

• Special Forces Doctrine: Common terminologies, joint training, command-control across land, maritime, air.

• Airborne & Heliborne Doctrine: Seamless Army–Navy–Air coordination, UAV integration, advanced air mobility.

• Multi-Domain Ops Doctrine (MDO): Whole-of-nation approach; integrates cyber, space, cognitive, non-military capabilities.

• CDS Role: Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee; principal military adviser to Defence Minister.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 2: Defence reforms, jointness, CDS functions.

• GS 3: Internal security – multi-domain integration.

• Prelims: MDO definition, CDS office (2019).

3. Topic: PM SVANidhi Scheme – Extension & Restructuring

Subtopic: Urban Livelihoods & Street Vendor Inclusion Value Addition:

• Central Sector Scheme (MoHUA).

• Extended till 31 March 2030; 1.15 cr beneficiaries (50 lakh new entrants).

• Loan tranches: ₹15k → ₹25k → ₹50k.

• UPI-linked RuPay card after 2nd tranche; emergency credit access.

• Cashback up to ₹1,600 for digital payments.

• Training: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, hygiene (with FSSAI).

Subject Analysis:

• GS 2: Governance – urban inclusion, DBT + digitalisation.

• GS 3: Economy – microfinance & livelihoods.

• Prelims: Nodal ministry, loan slabs, beneficiary cut-off date (24 Mar 2020).

GS 3 – Economy, Environment, S&T, Defence

4. Topic: Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2023–24

Subtopic: State & Sectoral Performance Value Addition:

• Top States (employment): TN > Gujarat > Maharashtra > UP > Karnataka.

• Top Industries (GVA): Basic metals, Motor vehicles, Chemicals, Food products, Pharma.

• Growth: GVA +11.89%, output +5.8%, avg wages +5.6%.

• Coverage: Factories under Factories Act, bidi/cigar units, electricity undertakings.

• Exclusions: Defence units, oil depots, railway workshops.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: Industry & economy – structural trends.

• Prelims: MoSPI, legal base (Collection of Statistics Act, 2017).

5. Topic: Blue Carbon

Subtopic: Oceans as Carbon Sinks Value Addition:

• Stored in mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses.

• Majority stored as CO₂ in ocean; rest in sediments, organisms, biomass.

• Protects from floods, storms; vital for SDG 13 (climate action).

• Struggles: degradation, poor policy incentives.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: Environment – carbon sinks, climate mitigation.

• Prelims: Blue vs Green Carbon.

6. Topic: Charge-Coupled Device (CCD)

Subtopic: Imaging Revolution Value Addition:

• Invented 1969 (Willard Boyle & George Smith, Bell Labs). Nobel Prize 2009.

• Works via photoelectric effect → light to electrical charges.

• High-precision digital imaging.

• Applications: Photography, CCTV, X-rays/CT/endoscopy, astronomy, spectrometry.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: S&T – imaging, electronics.

• Prelims: CCD inventor, Nobel year, principle.

7. Topic: Exercise Samanvay Shakti 2025

Subtopic: Military-Civil Integration in NE India Value Addition:

• Venue: Laipuli, Tinsukia (Assam).

• Stakeholders: Army, IAF, Assam & Manipur govts, police, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, IOCL, Railways, media.

• Goal: military–civil synergy, disaster coordination, regional security.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: Internal security, disaster mgmt integration.

• Prelims: Location, stakeholders.

8. Topic: Glanders – Revised National Action Plan

Subtopic: Zoonotic Disease Control Value Addition:

• Bacterial disease (Burkholderia mallei) – affects horses, donkeys, mules.

• Notifiable under PCICDA Act 2009.

• Zoonotic, life-threatening; no vaccine.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: Health & zoonotic disease control.

• Prelims: Pathogen, Act year.

9. Topic: Euglena – Indicator of Water Quality

Subtopic: Protists in Indian Urban Lakes Value Addition:

• Dual nutrition: photosynthesis + heterotrophy.

• Found in stagnant water; bloom gives red/pink color (pigment astaxanthin).

• Impacts: Oxygen depletion, scums blocking sunlight, fish mortality (toxins & gill clogging).

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: Environment – water pollution bioindicators.

• Prelims: Euglena traits, pigments.

10. Topic: Exercise Bright Star 2025

Subtopic: Tri-Service Multilateral Drill Value Addition:

• Venue: Egypt, with US since 1980.

• Biennial; one of world’s largest tri-service drills.

• India participating with 700+ personnel.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 2/3: IR + defence diplomacy.

• Prelims: Host nations, frequency, year started.

11. Topic: Hierarchical Reasoning Model (HRM)

Subtopic: Next-Gen AI Reasoning Framework Value Addition:

• Developed by Sapient (Singapore).

• Inspired by brain’s hierarchical processing → integrates info over multiple time scales.

• Modules: High-level (abstract planning), Low-level (detailed computation).

• Advantage over LLMs like ChatGPT: performs sequential reasoning in single forward pass.

Subject Analysis:

• GS 3: AI – future of reasoning models.

• Prelims: HRM vs LLM, Sapient origin.