Current Affairs – May 10, 2025

{GS1 – Geo – EG – Mineral Resources} Revised SHAKTI Policy

• Context (PIB): Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Revised SHAKTI Policy.

Key Highlights of the Revised Policy

• Simplified Allocation Mechanism: Reduced from 8 categories to 2, Window-I (nomination-based for Gencos) and Window-II (auction-based for all power producers).
  • Window-I: Coal linkages at notified prices will continue to be provided to thermal power plants owned by Central and State Governments, including their joint ventures & subsidiaries.
  • Private Sector Enablement: All thermal power producers, including those using domestic or imported coal, can now secure domestic coal even without PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) under Window-II, paying a premium over the notified price.
• Flexible Coal Linkages: Tenure of coal supply ranges from 12 months to 25 years, allowing long-term and short-term planning.
• Import Substitution Push: Imported coal-based plants can switch to domestic coal, reducing dependency on imports.
• Sale of Surplus Power Allowed: Unrequisitioned surplus power can now be sold in open power markets, enhancing efficiency.
• Operational Cost Efficiency: Linkage rationalization and support to pithead plants reduce landed coal cost and overall tariffs.
• Decentralised Implementation: Empowered Committee and delegated powers to ministries enable quick decisions and effective coordination.
• Preference to ‘Pithead’ Power Plants: Promote the setting up of Greenfield Thermal Power Projects primarily at pithead sites, i.e., nearer to the coal source.

Institutional and Legal Reforms Supporting SHAKTI

• Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015: Allowed transparent auction and private participation.
• Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2021: Introduced composite Prospecting Licence-cum-Mining Lease (PL-cum-ML) for faster mine development.
• Commercial Coal Mining (2020): Opened coal mining to private players without end-use restriction.
• Digital Oversight Tools: Coal Mines Surveillance and Management System and Khanan Prahari App for curbing illegal mining.

{GS1 – Geo – PG – Climatology} Atmospheric Memory *

• Context (DTE): A recent study reveals that monsoons, including India’s southwest monsoon, are influenced by accumulated atmospheric moisture, not just solar radiation.

Key Findings

• Monsoon and Atmospheric Memory: Monsoons hold “memory” in the form of stored water vapour, which influences rainfall patterns over time, playing a critical role in onset & retreat of monsoon season.
• Hysteresis in Monsoon Dynamics: It refers to the delayed withdrawal or lingering effect of the monsoon system even after primary driving factors have weakened. This lag occurs due to ocean-atmosphere interactions & land surface feedback, causing asymmetry between monsoon onset & retreat.
  • Monsoons exhibit hysteresis: Once certain moisture levels are reached, rainfall continues even if solar radiation declines. Conversely, dry conditions make initiating rainfall more difficult.
• Threshold for Monsoon Activation: The monsoon switches on when atmospheric moisture exceeds ~35 kg/m². Below this threshold, monsoon system deactivates, exhibiting a threshold-based response.
• Global Implications: The study suggests that disruptions to monsoon systems, especially due to climate change and pollution, could have severe consequences, affecting water availability, agriculture, and climate stability, particularly in vulnerable regions like India, Indonesia, and Brazil.
• The research raises concerns about the risk of abrupt collapse of current monsoon systems due to external factors like global warming.

Potential Tipping Points

• Bistability of Monsoon Systems: The study reveals that monsoons exhibit bistability, where they can flip between wet and dry states without requiring thermal inertia from oceans.
  • The tipping point of this system lies in atmospheric moisture levels, which directly impact rainfall. (Tipping Point is a critical threshold where a small change in conditions leads to a significant and often irreversible shift in the system’s state or behaviour.)

Also refer to Indian Monsoons and its Mechanism.

{GS2 – MoSDE – Schemes} National Scheme for ITI Upgradation and Skilling

• Context (BS | PMI): Union to upgrade 1,000 ITIs and set up 5 National Centres of Excellence for Skilling.

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, with a total outlay of ₹60,000 crore over 5 years (Centre: ₹30,000 cr, States: ₹20,000 cr, Industry: ₹10,000 cr).
• Global Co-Financing: 50% of Centre’s share jointly financed by Asian Development Bank & World Bank.
• Implementation Strategy: Industry-led Special Purpose Vehicle model for need-based investment & flexible fund allocation enables sustained industry involvement in planning, execution & governance.
• Main Goal: Transform ITIs into aspirational, industry-aligned, govt-owned & industry-managed institutes.
  • Revamp 1,000 government ITIs under a hub-and-spoke model with revamped trades.
• Youth Skilling Target: Skill >20 lakh youth in 5 years with industry-relevant courses.
• Industrial Linkage: Ensure local workforce-industry demand alignment, benefiting industries.
• NSTIs Boost: Capacity augmentation of 5 National Skill Training Institutes at Chennai, Kanpur, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Ludhiana & establish 5 National Centres of Excellence for Skilling within these NSTIs to train trainers and lead innovations in skilling.
• Significance: Tackles past suboptimal funding by enabling infrastructure improvement, capital-intensive trades, and capacity expansion.

Vocational Training Landscape

• ITIs have been a core pillar of vocational education in India since the 1950s.
• Current status: 15,034 ITIs in India; 78% are pvt managed; oversight by Directorate General of Training.
• Existing Schemes:
  • STRIVE (Centrally Sponsored): Strengthens industrial training delivery.
  • Model ITI (Central Sector): Upgrades select ITIs to benchmark standards.
  • Enhancing Skill Development Infrastructure in North Eastern States (Centrally Sponsored).

{GS3 – S&T – Defence} IMDEX Asia 2025

• Context (PIB | IA): INS Kiltan, an Indian Naval Ship, to participate in IMDEX Asia 2025.

• IMDEX Asia (International Maritime Defence Exhibition), established in 1997, is a premier biennial maritime and defence exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, held in Singapore.
• The event is jointly organised by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
• It serves as a platform for navies, coast guards, and maritime defence industries to showcase naval platforms, debut maritime technologies, and engage in strategic dialogues.
• The International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC), established in 2009, is a key event during IMDEX, promoting security, maritime domain awareness, and cooperative solutions.

INS Kiltan

Source: Wikipedia

• Indigenous Anti-Submarine Corvette, the third warship in the Kamorta-class built under Project 28 after INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt.
• Named after Kiltan Island in the Aminidivi subgroup of Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands, constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

Structural and Stealth Features

• Carbon fibre superstructure reduces weight, radar signature and maintenance while enhanced design improves stealth.
• Weapon Systems: Equipped with heavyweight torpedoes, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rockets, a 76 mm gun and twin 30 mm guns with fire control for layered threat engagement.
• Integrated with missile decoy systems (Chaff) for defensive deception & survivability.
• Sensors and Surveillance: Fitted with advanced Revathi ESM (Electronic Support Measures) system radar and bow sonar for comprehensive detection, tracking and electronic warfare.
• Future Upgrades include integrating a short-range SAM for aerial threats and equipping the system with an anti-submarine warfare helicopter for enhanced maritime operations.

{GS3 – S&T – Space} Kosmos 482

• Context(IE): Kosmos 482, a Soviet spacecraft, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere again after spending over 50 years in orbit.

Credit: unmid

Key Features of Kosmos 482

• It was a part of the Soviet Union’s Venera Space Programme, designed to explore Venus, due to its extreme surface conditions and potential for research on atmospheric composition.
• Launched in 1972, to land on Venus and transmit critical data about its atmosphere and surface.
• The spacecraft was unable to reach Venus due to a malfunction in the upper rocket stage’s timer.
  • Causing the spacecraft to become stranded in low Earth orbit, where it remained for over five decades, orbiting the planet without completing its intended mission.

Issues with Kosmos 482

• Rocket Malfunction: The upper stage of the rocket shut down too early due to a timer malfunction, preventing the spacecraft from escaping Earth’s orbit.
  • As a result, the main spacecraft burned up upon re-entry into the atmosphere, but the lander module continued to orbit the Earth.
• Current Situation: The 500 kg lander module is now in an unstable orbit and is set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere around May 10, 2025, which is concerning due to the unpredictable nature of its re-entry.

{Species – Misc} Limb Regeneration in the Animal Kingdom *

• Context (IE): Recent studies spotlight remarkable regenerative abilities in several animal species, offering insights into survival mechanisms and potential biomedical applications.

Sharks

Source: Wikipedia, Researchgate

• Physical Characteristics: Sharks are cartilaginous fish with a streamlined body and sharp teeth.
• Regeneration: Exhibits rapid tooth regeneration, replacing thousands of teeth throughout its lifespan.
• Behaviour: Sharks are carnivorous predators, using keen senses to track prey.
• Habitat: Shallow & deep waters across the world, typically in coastal & open-ocean regions.
• Conservation Status: Several shark species are vulnerable or endangered due to overfishing and habitat loss, including the great white and hammerhead sharks.

Also refer to the Pondicherry Shark & the Ganges Shark.

Starfish

• Physical Characteristics: Starfish are marine invertebrates with radial symmetry and five arms belonging to the phylum of Echinodermata.

• Regeneration: Can regrow multiple arms and even regenerate an entire body from a single arm.
• Behaviour: Starfish move using tube feet on their underside and feed on bivalves like clams.
• Habitat: Found in a variety of marine environments, from tide pools to deep-sea regions.
• Conservation Status: Sunflower Sea Star: IUCN: CR | Tasmanian Live-Bearing Seastar: IUCN: CR
• Threats: Climate change, particularly in warmer waters, but no species is globally endangered.
  • Can regrow multiple arms and even regenerate an entire body from a single arm.
  • Stores nutrients in limbs to sustain the regeneration process until vital organs like the mouth are reformed.

Source: IUCN

Sea Cucumber

• Physical Characteristics: Cylindrical, soft-bodied creatures with leathery skin. Appears similar to cucumber, with small tentacle-like tube feet for locomotion and feeding.
• Sea cucumbers are part of a larger animal group called echinoderms, like starfish and sea urchins.

• Size: Less than an inch (2.5 centimetres) to over six feet (1.8 meters).
• Habitat: Inhabit deep ocean floors, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.
  • Range: Benthic (live on the ocean floor). Larvae are planktonic (float in the ocean currents). Found in virtually all marine environments.
• Diet: Scavengers. Feeds on small food items in the benthic zone (seafloor) and plankton floating in the water column. They also eat algae, aquatic invertebrates, and waste particles.
• Life span: 5 to 10 years.
• Behaviour:
  • Both Sexual and asexual reproduction. Eggs undergo external fertilisation. Females release eggs into the water that are fertilised by coming into contact with sperm that males have released.
  • Often burrows into the seafloor, scavenging for organic matter.
  • Sea cucumbers can confuse or harm predators by propelling their own toxic internal organs from their bodies in the direction of an attacker.
  • Uses organ ejection as a defensive distraction tactic against predators like turtles or crabs.

• Regeneration: Regrows internal organs within a week as a rapid response to injury.
• Threat: Overfishing.
• When disturbed, sea cucumbers can expose skeletal hooklike structures that make them harder for predators to eat.
• Sea cucumber presence prevent pathogens from sickening co-occurring corals.
• Sea cucumbers, scavengers of the seafloor that resemble cylindrical vegetables, have been consumed as a delicacy in Asia for centuries.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: LC

Source: IUCN

Salamander

• Physical Characteristics: Slim-bodied amphibians, usually with smooth skin and a long tail.
• Regeneration: Capable of regenerating fully functional tails, including spinal cord and nerve tissues. Regenerative process involves migration and specialization of wound-site cells into new tissues.

• Behavior: Primarily terrestrial, but some species are aquatic. Known for their ability to absorb moisture through their skin.
• Habitat: Found in temperate regions, mostly in moist environments.
• Threat: Some species are threatened due to habitat destruction and climate change.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: VU

Source: IUCN

Axolotl (Mexican Salamander)

Source: IUCN

• The axolotl is a species of salamander.
• Habitat: The species is found only in Lake Xochimilco, Mexico City.
• Physical Characteristics:
  • Axolotls exhibit a wide range of colors, including brown, black, albino, golden & spotted varieties.
  • Posses feathery gills that protrude from the sides of heads, enabling them to breathe underwater.
  • Axolotls don’t have legs when they hatch; they develop them a few weeks later.
• Life span: 10–15 years.

• Regeneration: Known for complete regeneration of limbs, tail, spinal cord, skin and even parts of its heart and brain.

• Behavior: Primarily aquatic, axolotls are nocturnal and prefer slow-moving waters. They are carnivorous and feed on small fish, insects, and invertebrates.
• Axolotls are known for their neotenic characteristics, meaning they retain their aquatic larval features throughout their lives.

• Threats: Habitat loss, water pollution and invasive species.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: CR.

Mexican Tetra (Astyanax mexicanus)

• Physical Characteristics: Small, silvery fish with elongated bodies.
• Regeneration: River-dwelling tetras regenerate heart tissue post-injury; cave variants form scars.
• Behavior: River tetras are active swimmers, while cave tetras are blind and rely on other senses.
• Habitat: River tetras live in fast-moving streams, while cave tetras are found in underground, pitch-black caves.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: LC, but some cave-dwelling populations are at risk due to the fragility of their unique habitat.

Source: IUCN

Reptiles with Regenerative Powers

Chameleons

• Physical Characteristics: Known for their color-changing abilities, chameleons have zygodactylous feet and elongated bodies.
• Regeneration: Regrow limbs and tails following trauma, and can repair damaged nerve tissues.
• Behavior:
  • Chameleons are arboreal, primarily feeding on insects.
  • Their color change is a response to temperature, light, and mood.
  • Chameleons’ independently mobile eyes constantly scan separate views, but align forward for stereoscopic vision when hunting.
• Habitat: Typically found in tropical forests & woodlands, particularly Madagascar & sub-Saharan Africa.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: LC Eg- Asian Chameleon and panther chameleon.

Source: Wikipedia

Scientific Importance

• Biomedical Interest: Species like axolotl & Mexican tetra are central to regenerative medicine research.
• Evolutionary Insight: Regeneration offers clues on survival priorities, immune system roles, and energy investment in healing.