Archives
(PRELIMS Focus)
Bio-Based Chemicals
Category: Science and Technology
Context:
India has prioritised bio-based chemicals and enzymes as a priority area under the Department of Biotechnology’s BioE3 policy.
About Bio-Based Chemicals:
Definition: Bio-based chemicals are industrial chemicals produced using biological feedstocks like sugarcane, corn, starch, or biomass residues.
Production: These are often produced through fermentation or enzymatic processes.
Examples: These include organic acids (such as lactic acid), bio-alcohols, solvents, surfactants, and intermediates used in plastics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Difference with conventional chemicals: Unlike conventional chemicals, for which the largely available supplies are obtained through sources of fossil fuel, bio-based alternatives reflect a sustainable solution.
Drop-in: These are chemically identical to fossil-based versions (e.g., Bio-PET) and usable in existing infrastructure.
Novel: These offer new functionalities not possible with petrochemicals (e.g., certain bioplastics like PLA).
Ecological Benefits:
Reduced reliance on fossil fuels: The bio-based industry reduces reliance on fossil fuels by applying renewable feedstocks.
Low production of harmful byproducts: Biobased methods generate much lower amounts of hazardous waste than the conventional petroleum-based methodologies.
Reduced carbon footprint: The production of biochemicals generally requires less energy than their corresponding petroleum-based equivalents.
Waste minimization and circular economy: With bio-based chemicals mostly coming from organic waste resources, development of the circular economy will be based on recycling, efficiency in the use of resources.
Challenges and Risks:
Cost disadvantage: Higher production cost compared to petrochemical alternatives, which creates an entry level barrier.
Feedstock: availability of reliable feedstocks and supporting infrastructure required to produce different categories of bio-based chemicals at scale.
Market adoption: Uncertainty about adapting bio-based chemicals as substitutes over fossil fuel-based chemicals.
Strategic significance for India:
Import substitution: India imported approximately $480 million worth of acetic acid in 2023. Shifting to bio-alternatives reduces reliance on costly petrochemical imports.
Climate goals: These chemicals generally have a lower carbon footprint and contribute to a circular bioeconomy by using waste as feedstock.
Industrial efficiency: Many bio-based processes use enzymes which operate at lower temperatures and pressures, significantly reducing energy consumption.
Rural growth: Creates new markets for agricultural produce and crop residues, potentially boosting rural income.
Source:
The Hindu
White-Bellied Sea Eagle
Category: Environment and Ecology
Context:
Recently, the annual nest monitoring survey of the White-bellied Sea Eagle recorded 17 active nesting sites in Kannur and Kasaragod districts during this season.
About White-Bellied Sea Eagle:
Nature: It is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
Scientific name: Its scientific name is Haliaeetus Leucogaster.
Other names: It is also known as the white-breasted sea eagle.
Appearance: Adults feature a distinctive white head, neck, and underparts with dark grey/brown wings and a short wedge-shaped tail.
Habitat: It lives primarily in terrestrial habitats near the ocean, especially coasts, islands, and estuaries, but also live in forested areas with access to smaller bodies of water.
Distribution: It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Island, southern China, the Philippines, Wallacea, New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania, among other countries.
Uniqueness: It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females being slightly larger than males (wingspan of females reaching up to 2.2 meters).
Communication: The primary form of communication in white-bellied sea eagles is vocalizations.
Diet: They are carnivorous and primarily prey on aquatic animals, especially fish, eels, and crustaceans.
Behaviour: They are monogamous and territorial and they are known for spectacular aerial courtship displays involving cartwheeling with locked talons.
Indicator species: It is an apex predator in coastal ecosystems, and is considered an indicator of marine and coastal environmental health.
Conservation Status: It is classified under the category of ‘Least Concern’ as per the IUCN Red Data List.
Source:
The Hindu
African Union
Category: International Organisations
Context:
The Thirty-Ninth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) concluded recently at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
About African Union:
Nature: The African Union (AU) is a continental organization comprising 55 member states on the African continent.
Establishment: Formally launched in 2002 in Durban, South Africa, it succeeded the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963
Objective: It aims to promote unity, cooperation, and development among African nations while advancing the continent’s interests on the global stage.
Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Significance: It promotes the participation of African citizens and civil society through the Pan-African Parliament and the Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC).
G20 membership: Under India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20, giving Africa a direct voice in global economic governance.
Governance of African Union:
Assembly: It is the highest decision-making body, consisting of the heads of state and government of member countries.
Executive Council: Made up of foreign affairs ministers, it handles policy matters and makes recommendations to the Assembly.
AU Commission: Headquartered in Addis Ababa, it is the administrative arm responsible for implementing the decisions of the Assembly and the Executive Council.
The Peace and Security Council: It is responsible for maintaining peace and security on the continent.
Strategic Frameworks and Key Projects:
Agenda 2063: It is a 50-year strategic framework (adopted in 2015) for Africa’s long-term socio-economic and political transformation.
AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area): It is aimed at creating a single market of 1.3 billion people to boost intra-African trade and industrialization.
Peacekeeping missions: It includes missions like the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and previously ATMIS.
Source:
African Union
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
Category: Economy
Context:
Union Minister of Cooperation recently launched a modern Public Distribution System (PDS) based on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
About Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC):
Nature: Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are digital versions of a country’s fiat currency, issued and regulated by the central bank.
Objective: These digital currencies aim to modernize financial systems, increase financial inclusion, and improve payment efficiency, offering a government-backed option for everyday transactions.
Uses: CBDCs can be used for a variety of purposes, including daily transactions, cross-border payments, and enhancing financial inclusion while providing a more secure and efficient form of digital money.
Global adoption: The Bahamas was the first country to launch a nationwide Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), named the Sand Dollar, in 2020. In April 2020, China became the first major economy to pilot its digital currency, the e-CNY or Digital Yuan.
Steps taken by India: India has introduced the e-Rupee, a form of digital currency, through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The e-Rupee aims to modernize the financial infrastructure, ensure financial inclusion, and reduce transaction costs.
Types: CBDCs can be divided into two primary categories– wholesale and retail, each serving different functions in the financial system.
Wholesale CBDCs: These are designed for use by financial institutions and market participants for large-scale transactions, such as interbank transfers and securities settlement.
Retail CBDCs: These are government-backed digital currencies designed for public use, enabling consumers and businesses to make transactions.
CBDCs vs Cryptocurrency:
Centralization vs Decentralization: CBDCs are issued and controlled by central banks, making them a centralized currency. Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, operate on decentralized networks, meaning no central authority oversees their creation or distribution.
Stability: CBDCs are designed to be stable and maintain their value, as they are backed by the government. Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, are volatile and can experience significant price fluctuations.
Legal Tender: CBDCs are legal tender, meaning they are recognized by governments as an official form of payment. Cryptocurrencies, although accepted by some businesses, are not legally recognized as official currency in most countries.
Usage: CBDCs are primarily intended for official use within a national economy, while cryptocurrencies are often used as a store of value or for speculative investment.
Significance of CBDCs:
Financial inclusion: By providing access to digital money, CBDCs can bring unbanked populations into the formal financial system, improving financial access for all.
Reduced transaction costs: CBDCs can lower the costs of transactions by eliminating intermediaries, thus making payments more efficient and affordable.
Enhanced monetary policy: With direct control over the digital currency, central banks can more effectively implement monetary policy, such as controlling inflation and managing interest rates.
Security: CBDCs offer greater security compared to physical currency, as they are resistant to counterfeiting and fraud, with transactions being traceable.
Challenges associated:
Privacy Concerns: The digital nature of CBDCs makes it easier for governments to track and monitor transactions, raising concerns about user privacy and surveillance.
Cybersecurity: With increased reliance on digital systems, CBDCs are susceptible to cyberattacks, requiring robust security measures to safeguard against potential breaches.
Infrastructure and Accessibility: Implementing a CBDC system requires significant digital technological infrastructure, which could be a challenge for developing nations with limited digital infrastructure.
Impact on the Banking System: The widespread adoption of CBDCs could disrupt traditional banking models, potentially reducing the role of commercial banks in credit distribution.
Source:
PIB
Urban Challenge Fund
Category: Government Schemes
Context:
Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of India approved the launch of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF).
About Urban Challenge Fund (UCF):
Nodal ministry: It is a new centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Objective: It aims to build resilient, productive, inclusive and climate-responsive cities, positioning those as key drivers of the country’s next phase of economic growth.
Financial outlay: It provides for the total Central assistance of ₹1 lakh crore.
Tenure: It will be operational from FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, with an extendable implementation period up to FY 2033–34.
Financing mechanism: A minimum of 50 per cent of project financing has to be mobilised from market sources, including municipal bonds, bank loans and Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs). The remaining share may be contributed by States, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) or other sources.
Project selection: Projects will be selected through a transparent and competitive challenge mode, ensuring support to high-impact and reform-oriented proposals.
Focus areas: A strong thrust on reforms across Urban Governance, Market & Financial systems, Operational efficiency, and Urban Planning
Emphasis on Tier-II and Tier-III cities: A dedicated ₹5,000 crore corpus will enhance the creditworthiness of 4223 cities including Tier- II and Tier-III cities, particularly for first-time access to market finance.
Coverage: The Fund will cover
All cities with a population of 10 lakh or more (2025 estimates);
All State and Union Territory capitals not covered above; and
Major industrial cities with a population of 1 lakh or more
Additionally, all ULBs in hilly States, North-Eastern States, and smaller ULBs with population below 1 lakh will be eligible for support under the Credit Repayment Guarantee Scheme.
Source:
PIB
(MAINS Focus)
Institutionalising Scientific Expertise: The Case for an Indian Scientific Service (ISS)
(GS Paper II – Role of Civil Services in a Democracy; Government Policies & Interventions; GS Paper III – Science & Technology- Developments and their Applications in Governance)
Context (Introduction)
India’s post-Independence administrative framework was designed around a generalist civil service model suited for nation-building and territorial integration. Over the decades, however, governance has become increasingly shaped by complex scientific, technological, environmental, and public health challenges. Despite the growing centrality of science in policymaking, India lacks a dedicated scientific cadre with institutional safeguards and tailored service rules.
Scientists within government continue to operate under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, originally designed for administrative governance, creating a structural mismatch between scientific inquiry and bureaucratic norms.
The Structural Mismatch: Administrator vs Scientist
Different Professional Pathways: Civil servants are recruited through a generalist competitive examination and trained for governance roles, whereas scientists undergo specialised education, peer review, and domain-specific expertise development.
Absence of Tailored Career Frameworks: Unlike administrators, scientists often lack structured training, career progression pathways, and clearly aligned institutional authority within governance systems.
Reactive Role of Science: Scientific inputs are frequently commissioned for immediate regulatory or legal needs, rather than embedded as continuous policy guidance.
Limited Institutional Authority: Government scientists often function in advisory capacities without formal weight in final decision-making processes.
Governance Complexity Expansion: Sectors such as climate change, oceans, nuclear safety, AI, biotechnology, and disaster management demand sustained scientific integration into policy design.
Why Administrative Rules Are Not Neutral
Service Rules Shape Institutional Culture: Conduct rules emphasising discipline and neutrality may constrain the questioning ethos central to scientific inquiry.
Scientific Integrity Requires Transparency: Effective science-based governance demands the ability to formally record uncertainties, risks, and dissenting assessments.
Risk of Symbolic Consultation: Without structural safeguards, scientific advice may become decorative rather than determinative.
Need for Professional Autonomy: Scientists must be able to flag ecological or technological risks without fear of institutional reprisal.
Science vs Policy Distinction: Final decisions rest with elected authorities, but scientific advice must remain independent and documented.
Comparative International Experience
Dedicated Scientific Cadres: Countries such as France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US maintain structured scientific services within government.
Scientific Integrity Policies: The US framework protects scientists from political interference and mandates transparency in documentation.
Institutionalised Evidence Use: Advanced economies embed scientists directly in ministries and regulatory agencies.
Professional Safeguards: Separate service rules protect career progression and research independence.
Policy Credibility Enhancement: Transparent scientific input strengthens public trust and regulatory legitimacy.
The Case for an Indian Scientific Service (ISS)
Permanent All-India Scientific Cadre: The ISS could function alongside existing civil services, ensuring integrated scientific participation in governance.
Rigorous Recruitment Model: Selection through peer evaluation and national-level assessment tailored to scientific expertise.
Separate Service Rules: Dedicated scientific conduct and appraisal frameworks protecting professional independence.
Transparent Documentation: Mandatory recording of scientific assessments and risk evaluations within institutional processes.
Complementary Governance Model: Administrators ensure coordination and execution, while scientists provide evidence-based foresight and risk analysis.
Proposed Structural Framework
Indian Environmental and Ecological Service: Focused on biodiversity, ecosystems, and environmental regulation.
Indian Climate and Atmospheric Service: Dedicated to climate modelling, mitigation, and adaptation policy integration.
Indian Water and Hydrological Service: Addressing river basin governance, groundwater, and water security.
Indian Public Health and Biomedical Service: Integrating epidemiology and biomedical research into health governance.
Indian Disaster Risk and Resilience Service: Embedding scientific risk modelling into disaster preparedness frameworks.
Conclusion
India has built strong scientific institutions, but institutional design has not kept pace with governance complexity. As India aspires to global leadership in climate action, technology, and public health, evidence-based policymaking must move from episodic consultation to structural integration. The creation of an Indian Scientific Service would represent a forward-looking reform that strengthens governance resilience, enhances scientific integrity, and aligns administrative systems with 21st-century challenges.
Mains Question
Examine how the creation of an Indian Scientific Service (ISS) could strengthen evidence-based policymaking and democratic accountability. (250 words)
Source: The Hindu
Rollback of Climate Regulation and Its Global Spillovers
(GS Paper III – Environment and Ecology; Conservation; Climate Change; Environmental Pollution and Degradation)
Context (Introduction)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revocation of the 2009 ‘endangerment finding’ under President Donald Trump marks a major reversal in American climate governance. The original finding, rooted in the U.S. Supreme Court judgment in Massachusetts vs EPA (2007), classified greenhouse gases (GHGs) as “air pollutants” under the Clean Air Act and required the EPA to regulate them if found harmful to public health and welfare.
In 2009, the EPA concluded that six GHGs, including carbon dioxide and methane, posed such a threat, relying heavily on IPCC assessments and U.S. scientific bodies. This legal foundation enabled federal fuel economy and GHG standards for vehicles from 2012 onward, accelerating a structural shift in the global automobile industry toward fuel efficiency, hybridisation, and electric vehicles (EVs).
The rollback attempts to dilute or dismantle these regulatory standards.
Significance of the ‘Endangerment Finding’
Legal Basis for Climate Regulation: It empowered the EPA to regulate emissions from the transportation sector under the Clean Air Act.
Trigger for Federal Vehicle Standards: It led to GHG and fuel efficiency norms for cars and light trucks (2012–2025).
Technological Transformation: Manufacturers invested in hybrid systems, lightweight materials, and electric vehicle technologies.
Global Market Influence: Regulatory credit systems benefited firms such as Tesla and shaped EV markets worldwide, including in India.
Signal Effect in Climate Governance: It reinforced science-based policymaking aligned with international climate commitments.
Implications of the Rollback
Weakening of Climate Accountability: Revocation undermines the scientific recognition of GHGs as threats to public health and welfare.
Short-Term Political Signalling: The move aligns with narratives of reviving fossil fuel industries and traditional auto manufacturing.
Limited Industrial Reversal: Global production lines are already optimised around electrification and emissions control.
Geopolitical Realities: China’s dominance in EV supply chains limits the feasibility of reverting to fossil fuel-intensive models.
Global Regulatory Uncertainty: It may embolden climate scepticism or regulatory dilution in other jurisdictions.
Why a Return to the ‘Gas-Guzzler’ Era Is Unlikely
Structural Investment Lock-in: Automakers have invested heavily in EV and hybrid platforms over multi-decadal horizons.
Export-Oriented Strategy: Major markets such as the EU continue to tighten emission norms, shaping global production strategies.
Technological Path Dependency: Battery supply chains, charging infrastructure, and emission standards create irreversible momentum.
Consumer Preferences Shift: Growing climate awareness and urban pollution concerns favour cleaner vehicles.
Global Climate Commitments: International agreements and carbon pricing mechanisms reinforce decarbonisation trends.
Risks for India
Regulatory Spillover: Indian automakers may cite U.S. dilution as a pretext to weaken domestic fuel efficiency norms.
Policy Inconsistency: India’s climate targets under the Paris Agreement require progressive decarbonisation of transport.
Public Health Concerns: Vehicular emissions significantly contribute to urban air pollution in Indian cities.
Missed Industrial Opportunity: Dilution of standards may delay India’s integration into global EV supply chains.
Strategic Alignment: Climate-linked industrial policy is increasingly central to trade competitiveness.
Conclusion
The revocation of the EPA’s ‘endangerment finding’ represents more than a domestic regulatory rollback; it signals an attempt to turn back the clock on science-based environmental governance. However, structural technological shifts and global market forces make a wholesale fossil fuel revival improbable. For India, the episode underscores the importance of insulating domestic environmental standards from external political oscillations. Climate-linked fuel efficiency norms should function not as external impositions but as strategic anchors guiding sustainable industrial transformation.
Mains Question
Discuss the significance of the retreat of USA from global climate consensus. What lessons should India draw from the recent rollback of U.S. environmental regulations? (250 words)
Source: The Hindu