- EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT ROUTE COMES TO THE RESCUE AS ARMY TRIES TO BUY VERY SHORT RANGE AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM
SUBJECT: DEFENCE
- Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD)is a critical last-line defence against enemy aircraft.
- Army has tried multiple deals (Igla-S from Russia, Star streak from Thales) under the emergency procurement (EP)route.
- EP allows quick acquisitions (under ₹300 crore) with fast delivery deadlines (6-12 months).
- Man-Portable Air Defence: Enhances tactical flexibility in conflicts.
- Ongoing War in Ukraine: Underscores the importance of robust air defence systems.
- Challenges & Challenges: Delivery Delays: Strict timelines are tough for vendors.
- Indigenous Development:DRDO’s VSHORAD project aims for self-reliance in defence tech.
2. INDIA’S COTTON IMPORTS SHOOT UP AS FARMERS BATTLE LOW YIELDS PRICES
SUBJECT: AGRICULTURE
- Sharp rise in raw and waste cotton imports from August 2024 to January 2025.
- Indian farmers face low yields(~450 kg/ha vs. 1,800-2,000 kg/ha in Brazil) and low prices.
- Cotton Mission announced to improve productivity
- Challenges:High Cost of Production vs. low Minimum Support Price (MSP).
- Weak international prices and better deals for mills on imported cotton.
- Solutions: Productivity Enhancement: Better seeds, technology, agronomic practices.
- Market Competitiveness: Strengthening R&D, reducing costs, leveraging global supply chains.
- Policy Support:Streamlined MSP operations, possible import duty adjustments, farmer training.
3. INDIA PROMISED TO BUY MORE U.S OIL
SUBJECT: ECONOMY
- India aims to increase its energy imports from the U.S. (from $15 billion to $25 billion).
- Part of a strategy to diversify oil sources and reduce dependence on a few suppliers.
- Enhances energy security and supports the goal of doubling bilateral trade.
- Key Terms & Figures:
- Crude Oil Imports:India relies on imports for over 85% of its crude needs.
- LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas):Increasing focus on LNG imports for clean fuel diversification.
- Bilateral Trade:Current goods trade deficit with the U.S. and ongoing efforts to balance energy and economic interests
4. WHY ARE INDIAN FIRMS RACING TO BUILD LOVAL AI
SUBJECT: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- India AI Mission:A government-led initiative with an outlay of over ₹10,000 crore to boost domestic AI development.
- AI Kosha:A national dataset platform aggregating non-personal data from various ministries to support AI model development.
- Common Compute Facility:Provides access to GPUs for startups and researchers; currently, 14,000 GPUs commissioned.
- Generative AI Models:Require significant computational power (GPUs) for training and inference.
- Local Data Bias:Addressing the reliance on Western datasets by building India-specific translation models and other localized datasets.
- AI Safety & Governance:Efforts to establish an AI Safety Institute to set ethical guidelines and manage risks
5. 100 DAY TB ELIMINATION CAMPAIGN FAR FROM ACHIEVING MAIN OBJECTIVE
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT
- Launched across 455 intervention districts; aimed at intensified case detection.
- Focus on screening vulnerable/high-risk groups(diabetics, smokers, alcoholics, people living with HIV, past TB patients, elderly, household contacts).
- Use of chest X-rays (enhanced with AI)to detect subclinical/asymptomatic TB, followed by bacteriological confirmation (molecular tests).
- Results & Criticism: Reported detection of over 3.5 lakh TB cases from intervention districts; however, national TB notifications increased by only 44,585 compared with the previous year.
- Data inconsistencies:Overall national TB notifications remain nearly constant year-on-year.
- Limitations:Limited use of portable X-ray vans (836 units for 10 crore high risk individuals); untested AI-assisted chest X-ray interpretation tool.
