Current Affairs – July 04, 2025

{GS1 – WH – Events} American Independence

• Context (IE): The United States of America is celebrating its 249^th Independence Day on July 4, 2025.

Chain of events to the American Declaration of Independence

• In the 1760s–70s, the 13 colonies grew discontent over lack of representation in British Parliament and oppressive laws like the Sugar Act (1764), the Tea Act (1773), and the Intolerable Acts (1774).
• Enlightenment ideals of freedom and self-rule fueled their resistance.

Boston Tea Party

• On December 16, 1773, an anti-British group destroyed a British East India Company tea shipment in Boston, sparking colonial resistance.
• Citing “No taxation without representation,” the 13 colonies formed the Continental Congress to boycott British goods and seek new terms with King George III. By April 1775, they were at war with Britain—a conflict that lasted until 1783.

Declaration of Independence

• On July 2, 1776, twelve of thirteen colonies voted for independence. The Declaration of Independence, formally adopted on July 4, proclaimed them free and independent states, ending all ties with Britain.

{GS2 – IR – Issues} U.S. Imperialism and the Global Power Structures

• Context (TH): Amid the 12-day Israel-Iran war, U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, seen as unilateral and unlawful, have revived concerns over American imperialist foreign policy.

U.S. Imperialism in the Contemporary Context

• Declining Hegemony: Trump’s renewed emphasis on ‘America First’ reflects the U.S.’s declining ability to dominate the global order through economic and diplomatic means.
• Neoliberal Crisis: The internal discontent within the U.S., driven by neoliberal failures, has pushed successive administrations towards using military assertion abroad as a form of global control.
• Reckless Engagement: Recent U.S. interventions appear random and reactive, rather than part of a coherent strategic vision.

Implications for India and the Global South

• Shrinking Strategic Autonomy for India: As a rising regional power, India faces a strategic dilemma between leveraging multipolarity and managing growing regional security threats.
  • Participation in plurilateral forums has raised concerns over dilution of India’s traditional non-alignment policy.
• Erosion of Global South Solidarity: India’s silence on unilateral interventions undermines its credibility as a Global South leader. Weak regional and South-South cooperation reduces collective bargaining power in global forums.
• Economic Vulnerability: Protectionist U.S. policies like tariffs and trade wars disproportionately hurt export-dependent developing economies, hindering recovery and widening development gaps.
• Loss of Policy Sovereignty: U.S. dominance in the IMF, World Bank, and WTO limits Global South nations’ ability to pursue independent, context-driven development agendas, often overridden by structural adjustment and loan conditions.

Challenges to Global Multilateralism

• Emerging Bipolarity: China’s rapid economic and technological rise is seen as a challenge to U.S. dominance, fuelling strategic tensions from trade wars to military alliances in the Indo-Pacific.
  • This rivalry is pushing the world toward a new bipolar order, like Cold War-era divisions.
• Weakening Institutions: The UN system is increasingly sidelined by powerful states acting unilaterally, threatening the rules-based international order.
• BRICS and SCO Limitations:
  • BRICS: Expanding membership but lacking issue-based consensus.
  • SCO: Viewed as China-dominated, reducing India’s influence and utility.
• Missed Opportunities: India’s failure to condemn territorial violations even within BRICS weakens collective diplomacy.

Way Forward

• Reclaim Strategic Autonomy: India must avoid excessive alignment with any power bloc to safeguard independent foreign policy choices.
• Balance Security and Sovereignty: Build diverse partnerships, including within BRICS+, SCO, IORA, and other South-South platforms.
• Strengthen Norm-Based Order: Uphold international law, particularly regarding the use of force and respect for sovereignty.
• Global Governance Reform: Demand democratization of the UN Security Council and Bretton Woods institutions to reflect 21st-century realities.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Parliament} LARRDIS

• Context (TH): Experts demand reforming Indian Parliament’s ‘Library and Research, Documentation, and Information Service (LARRDIS)’, to make it more proactive, data-driven, and globally competitive.

What is ‘LARRDIS’?

• LARRDIS, which functions under the Lok Sabha Secretariat, serves as the Parliament’s dedicated wing for research, library, and information services to MPs.
• Its role encompasses preparing research notes, background papers, and fact sheets, as well as compiling parliamentary debates and committee reports.
• It has also digitised Lok Sabha proceedings, committee documents, and rare books, providing an online portal for MPs to access these resources.

Significance of LARRDIS

• Insights: It provides MPs with prompt and factual information through thoroughly researched background papers, data-driven analysis, and contextual details on bills, policies, and national issues.
• Debates: It enables well-informed, fact-based quality debates leading to high standards in law-making.
• Research: As a source of knowledge, it supports research fellows (Eg. under LAMPS).
• Bridges gaps: It holds key to bridging the information gap between the legislature and the executive.

Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament (LAMPS) is an initiative by PRS Legislative Research that provides young professionals with an opportunity to work closely with MPs, assisting them in legislative research, parliamentary questions, speech drafting, and policy analysis.

Issues with LARRDIS

• Reactive nature: It primarily responds to queries rather than engaging proactively, as it lacks voluntary initiative.
• Minimal Engagement: LARRDIS lacks active partnerships with academic institutions and think tanks across the nation.
• Silo Functions: Due to its silo-based approach, LARRDIS’s effectiveness is limited in its ability to provide comprehensive and forward-looking policy analysis.
• User issues: Out of current 700+ MPs, only about 40-50 have dedicated fellows for factual information & research. Most rely on their political parties for input, which undermines the body’s intended purpose.

Way Forward

• Wide Collaborations: Inclusion of talents from think tanks and international bodies, such as the World Bank, the IMF, and the OECD, can enable it to move beyond silo-based functions.
• Infrastructure: A state-of-the-art research service would encourage further consolidation of the quality of policy research.
• Evolve: LARRDIS should evolve from a reactive body to a proactive body by active engagement with academic institutions nationally and globally.
• Fellowships: Create attractive research fellowship programmes to attract young talent in policy analysis.
• Adopt Global Best Practices: E.g., European Union (EPRS) offers proactive policy digests, cost-benefit assessments, and collaborates with think tanks.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} Integrating Palliative Care into Health Care System

• Context (TH): In India, millions endure unnecessary suffering, making it imperative to integrate palliative care into its healthcare system.

What is Palliative Care?

• Palliative care is a form of specialised care that addresses a person’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
• Unlike curative treatment, which aims to eradicate disease, palliative care focuses on alleviating pain, reducing suffering, and improving the quality of life for patients and their families.
• The demand for palliative care is increasing constantly due to the global rise in non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions.
• According to WHO, an estimated 40 million people globally require palliative care each year, with 78% of them living in low & middle-income countries. However, only 14% of those in need receive such care.

Palliative Care in India

• Where an estimated 7-10 million people require palliative care annually, only 1-2% have access to it.
• India’s healthcare system, which is already strained, faces increasing pressure, making it essential to integrate palliative care to reduce unnecessary hospitalisations and ease the emotional and financial burden on families.
• The inclusion of palliative care in India’s National Health Policy (2017) marked a significant step toward recognising it as an essential component of comprehensive health care; however, challenges persist.

Challenges

• Accessibility: Access remains uneven, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged areas. Systemic inefficiencies continue to impede its effective delivery.
• Shortage of Trained Professionals: While India’s doctor-population ratio of 1:834 exceeds the WHO norm of 1:1000, the shortage of specialists in palliative care limits access to comprehensive pain management and end-of-life support.
• Limited Funding and Infrastructure: Inadequate financial support and poor infrastructure hinder the expansion and delivery of quality palliative care services.
• Incomplete Integration: Although palliative care is part of the primary healthcare framework, its integration into tertiary care settings remains insufficient.
• Cultural and Social Barriers: In many parts of India, discussions around death, terminal illness, and palliative care are taboo, making families reluctant to seek such services early.

Way Forward

• Community and Tele-Palliative Care: Leverage telemedicine and community-based models by training frontline workers like ASHAs to deliver basic palliative support and facilitate remote consultations in rural and underserved regions.
• Medical Education: Integrate palliative care into the MBBS curriculum to build doctors’ capacity, especially in underserved areas.
• Task-Shifting: Train nurses and allied health professionals to deliver palliative care, leveraging India’s large healthcare workforce.
• Insurance Coverage: Expand schemes like Ayushman Bharat to include palliative care, improving financial accessibility.
• Research & Policy: Promote evidence-based practices and continuous research to guide effective policy and implementation.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} Narrowing Calorie Gap

• Context (IE): The HCES 2023–24, released by MoSPI, highlights a significant narrowing of the calorie intake gap between India’s top 5% and bottom 5% households driven by reduced consumption among the richest and improved intake among the poorest.

HCES: Household Consumption Expenditure Survey is a nationally representative survey by the NSO that measures household spending and nutrient intake to assess living standards.

Key Findings of the Survey

• Top 5% Calorie Intake: Fell by 11.1% (urban) and 5.6% (rural) due to dietary shifts and lower activity.
• Bottom 5% Calorie Intake: Rose by 4.5% (urban) and 5.0% (rural) with improved access and incomes.
• Calorie Gap: Narrowed by 32% (urban) and 19.7% (rural) as top reduced and bottom improved.
• Average Calorie Intake: Declined by 0.4% (urban) and 0.9% (rural) amid changing diets.
• Protein Intake: Slight rise in urban (+0.3%) and dip in rural (–0.2%) linked to cost and access.
• Fat Intake: Urban declined (–1.0%) due to health factors; rural rose (+1.2%) with higher oil use.

Shifting Intake Patterns in India Since 2011-12

• Since 2011-12, intake levels have shifted slightly, with notable changes in fat and protein, especially in rural areas.
• Urban Calorie Intake: Increased by 1.5%, reflecting a stable improvement in food diversity.
• Rural Calorie Intake: Dropped by 0.9%, likely due to lower cereal share and changing work patterns.
• Fat Intake: Urban rose by 20.3%, rural by 31%, showing a greater rural dietary transition.
• Protein Intake Pattern: Rural intake was higher in 2011–12, but urban intake surpassed it by 2023–24 due to improved access.

Why Are the Gaps Narrowing?

Top Groups Cutting Down

• Health Awareness: Wealthier groups are shifting to low-calorie, nutrient-rich diets.
• Lower Activity: Sedentary urban lifestyles lead to reduced overall energy needs.
• Consumption Saturation: Already-high intake levels leave little room for increase.

Bottom Groups Increasing

• Rising Earnings: Better rural wages have expanded food choices for the poor.
• Welfare Expansion: PDS and nutrition schemes have strengthened baseline consumption.
• Improved Access: Remote areas now have access to diverse foods through roads and retail.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} 50 Years of CITES

• Context (UN): In 2025, the CITES treaty marks 50 years since it entered into force in 1975, becoming the first global legal framework to regulate the international wildlife trade.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

• CITES is a multilateral treaty regulating trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora.
• It was proposed in 1963 at an IUCN conference and formally signed in 1973 in Washington, D.C.
• CITES has 185 Parties (nearly all UN member states and the European Union). India ratified in 1976.
• The treaty is legally binding on Parties but does not override their national legislation.
  • Member countries are required to enact domestic laws to implement their obligations under CITES.

Objectives and Scope

• The purpose of CITES is to make sure that international trade does not endanger wild species.
• CITES currently protects over 40,900 listed species of animals and plants.
  • It covers both live specimens and derivatives like skins, tusks, roots, and timber.
  • It covers terrestrial and aquatic species traded globally for commercial or scientific use.

Institutional Framework

• The CITES Secretariat operates under UNEP and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It enables sustainable and traceable wildlife trade through a science-based permit system.
• Parties appoint a Management Authority for permits and a Scientific Authority for expert advice.
• The global CITES Trade Database is managed by UNEP–WCMC for transparency and recordkeeping.
• CITES decisions are reviewed at regular Conferences of the Parties (CoPs) held every 2–3 years.

Appendices and Trade Controls

• CITES species are listed under 3 appendices based on their conservation status and trade sensitivity.
• Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction, & trade is permitted only in exceptional cases.
• Appendix II includes species that are not endangered but may become so without regulation.
• Appendix III includes species protected in at least one country that seeks international cooperation.

Programmes and Initiatives

• MIKE: Monitors the Illegal Killing of Elephants through field-level data collection across Asia and Africa.
• ICCWC: Coordinates global enforcement by linking CITES with INTERPOL, UNODC, WCO, etc.
• Tree Species Programme: Regulates the trade of listed timber species like rosewood, mahogany, etc.
• Site-Based Monitoring: Connects local ecological surveillance systems with CITES trade permit system.
• Strategic Vision 2021–2030: Provides long-term guidance for aligning CITES actions with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

India and CITES

• India became a Party to CITES in 1976 by formally ratifying the Convention.
• ADG (Wildlife), MoEFCC, is the Management Authority responsible for CITES implementation in India.
  • Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) also acts as a Management Authority and issues permits.

Kunming–Montreal Framework: It is an agreement that sets 2030 targets for halting biodiversity loss and ensuring fair benefit-sharing from natural resources.

Achievements of CITES

• Global Framework: CITES created the first international system to regulate cross-border wildlife trade.
• Species Recovery: Trade controls enabled the recovery of species such as the Nile crocodile.
• Permit Standardisation: The treaty sets uniform rules for export, import, and re-export of listed species.
• Collaboration: The ICCWC platform improved coordination among customs and enforcement agencies.

{GS3 – IE – Employment} Centre Allows Bike Taxis

• Context (IE): The Union government has, for the first time, permitted the use of bike taxis through aggregators, subject to approval from state governments.
• It is seen as bringing some relief to bike taxi operators, especially in states like Karnataka, where a recent ban on bike taxis had reportedly stripped thousands of gig workers of their primary source of income.

What is the Gig Economy?

• A gig worker is a person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of traditional employer-employee relationships (Code on Social Security, 2020).
• A gig economy is a free market system characterised by the prevalence of temporary positions. Organisations often hire independent workers for short-term projects.
• The gig economy is undergoing rapid transformation, digitalisation, and a shift toward flexible work arrangements. Millions of workers are entering gig roles.

Types of Gig Workers

• Platform-Based Workers: Whose work is based on online software apps or digital platforms.
• Non-platform Gig Workers: They are generally casual wage workers and own-account workers in the conventional sectors, working part-time or full-time.

Growth Drivers of the Gig Economy

• Technological Advancements: Rapid rise of online marketplaces and digital platforms made it easier for individuals to showcase their skills and connect with potential customers.
• Expansion of Gig Platforms: E.g., Uber, Ola, and Swiggy have created new opportunities for flexible, app-based work.
• Job Market Fluctuations especially during events like the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a demand for flexible, contactless work arrangements.
• Emergence of Startup Culture: It has driven the preference for hiring contractual or project-based professionals to reduce fixed costs and enhance efficiency.
• Government Initiatives: E.g., Digital India and Startup India have supported digital entrepreneurship and platform-based employment.

Significance of the Gig Economy

Beorganizations organisations

• Reduced Cost: Companies reduce operational costs by outsourcing short-term tasks, avoiding long-term commitments like pensions, health insurance, and other employee benefits
• Greater Agility by organisations to quickly increase or decrease team size and composition in response to market unpredictabilities.

Benefits to the workers

• Flexibility: Gig workers can choose when, where and how much to work allowing for better work-life balance.
• Non-discriminatory access due to the lack of entry barriers.
• Diverse income streams are provided by providing flexibility to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Socio-economic benefits

• Expanding Labour Participation for women & students who may only be available for part-time work.
• Development Of Rural Areas by allowing artisans to sell their products and farmers to directly sell their products to a broader market, eliminating intermediaries and increasing their earnings

The Scale of Gig Work in India

• In 2020- 21, 77 lakh (7.7 million) workers were engaged in the gig economy.
• The gig workforce is expected to expand to 2.35 crore (23.5 million) workers by 2029-30.
• The concentration of workers in medium-skilled occupations is gradually declining, while that of low-skilled and high-skilled occupations is increasing.

Government Initiatives for Gig Economy

• Code on Social Security (2020): It clearly defines a gig worker and also envisages various benefits for gig workers through the formulation of schemes like life and disability cover, accident insurance
• E-SHRAM Portal (Launched in 2021): It is a national portal for unorganised workers, including gig workers. It offers Access to government welfare schemes and social security benefits.
• National Social Security Board: Constituted to oversee and coordinate the implementation of social security for organised or unorganised sector workers, including gig workers. It recommends welfare schemes for gig workers.
• State-Level Initiatives:
  • Rajasthan Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023: Requires employers and aggregators to deposit a monthly welfare cess for the benefit of gig workers in the state.
  • Karnataka Gig Workers Bill, 2024: Proposes to establish the Gig Workers’ Welfare Board.

Challenges of Gig Workers

• Income Instability and Poor Job Security: Gig workers are not covered under major labour laws such as the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, which guarantees minimum wage protection to formal employees.
• Lack of Social Security Net: Gig workers are excluded from benefits such as health insurance, pensions, and paid leave, leading to increased informalization of labour.
  • The individualised and scattered nature of unionisation makes it difficult, reducing workers’ ability to negotiate fair wages and conditions.
• Regulatory Challenges: The absence of a nationwide protection regulation for gig workers leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and insecurity.
• Regional Disparity: Limited internet connectivity in certain areas restricts Access to gig opportunities, deepening the urban-rural digital divide.
• Algorithmic Control: Workers are subject to opaque platform algorithms that can penalise or deactivate them without transparency.

Way Forward

• Regulatory & Legal Measures: Mandating basic labour protection like minimum wages, maximum working hours, paid leaves, etc.
• Fiscal incentives, such as tax holidays or grants, are provided to businesses that employ socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
• Providing Social Security: Mandatory coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana may be considered.
• Empowering gig workers by introducing peer-to-peer mentoring and establishing hybrid sharing platforms (offline and online) to enable workers to connect.
  • Guarantee protection from algorithmic abuse, including arbitrary deactivation & wage deductions.
• Skill Training & Career Pathways: Invest in training programs that help gig workers transition into higher-skilled or permanent employment opportunities.

{GS3 – IE – Industry} NITI Aayog Report on Indian Chemical Industry

• Context (PIB): NITI Aayog released “Chemical Industry: Powering India’s Participation in Global Value Chains” report.

Vision 2030 for the Chemical Sector

• Target: India aims to become a global chemical manufacturing hub by 2030 with a targeted 5–6% share in the global chemical value chain (GVC). It also plans to double current production levels to meet growing domestic and international demand.
• Exports: Increasing chemical exports by USD 35–40 billion and attaining Net zero on imports.
• Enablers: Develop top-tier chemical clusters, adopt advanced technologies, streamline regulatory processes, and generate around 7 lakh skilled workforce.

Report Highlights

Key Challenges

• Import Dependence: India faces a high level of import dependence for chemical feedstocks.
• Low R&D: India’s chemical sector suffers from a very low focus and budgetary support for R&D, with just 0.7% of GDP, significantly below the global average of 2.3%, which limits innovation.
• Labour Issues: 30% Shortfall in skilled professionals, particularly in emerging areas such as green chemistry, nanotechnology, and process safety.
• Regulatory Delays: Frequent delays in obtaining environmental clearances and other regulatory approvals hamper the timely execution of chemical projects, discouraging investment.
• Low Integration: India remains weakly integrated in the GVC, holding only a 3.5% share, which reflects limited global competitiveness and underutilisation of export potential.
• Structural Gaps: India’s chemical sector struggles with outdated infrastructure and high logistics costs (14%), which not only reduce competitiveness but also affect ease of doing business.

Roadmap for making India a chemical powerhouse

Fiscal interventions

• Free Trade Agreement: Specific provisions in FTA negotiations on tariff reduction, duty exemption on critical raw materials.
• Strengthen R&D Ecosystem:  Budgetary support through increased private sector investment in R&D is essential to drive innovation in the chemical industry.
• Subsidy scheme: A targeted subsidy scheme can incentivise incremental sales and imports for a fixed duration, boosting industry growth.

Non-Fiscal interventions

• Collaborations: Global partnerships with MNCs, to gain access to new and critical technologies.
• Cluster-based approach: Focusing on building new world-class chemical clusters by creating a dedicated “Chemical fund”, Viability gap funding, etc.
• Management: Decentralisation of the new chemical clusters through dedicated administrative bodies.
• Governance: A fast-track mechanism for environmental clearances allows DPIIT to monitor timelines and compliance, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Skill upgradation: Expansion of ITI facilities to meet the new demand for skilling, periodic teacher trainings, and Industry-academia collaboration on relevant subjects like polymer science.

{GS3 – IS – Cyber Security} Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI)

• Context (PIB): RBI advised banks to use Financial Fraud Risk Indicator to combat cyber threats frauds.

About Financial Fraud Risk (FRI)

• The FRI is a risk-classification tool that identifies mobile numbers associated with financial fraud. It is developed by DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU).
• It employs API integration for real-time data exchange between banks and DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).
• It leverages data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’s (I4C) National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), DoT’s Chakshu platform, banks and financial institutions.
• It employs real-time risk tags, enabling institutions to allow, flag, or block transactions instantly.

I4C’s NCRP Platform: The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal under I4C enables users to report cyber frauds directly. DoT’s Chakshu Platform: Chakshu enables users to report suspicious calls and SMS, aiding in the identification of fraudulent numbers.

{Prelims – In News} Operation MED MAX

• Context (PIB): Under Operation MED MAX, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) dismantled a pan‑continental drug cartel in a coordinated crackdown targeting illegal trade of controlled pharmaceutical substances.

• The NCB is India’s apex drug law enforcement agency, headquartered in New Delhi. It enforces drug laws, aids state police, and counters narco-terror threats nationwide.

Major Legislation Governing Drugs Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985: It is the principal law regulating narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and related penalties in India. Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940: It governs the manufacture, sale, and distribution of prescription and controlled drugs. Prevention of Illicit Traffic in NDPS Act, 1988: This Act allows preventive detention of persons involved in illicit narcotic drug trafficking.

{Prelims – Sci – Physics} Altermagnets

• Context (PIB): Scientists at S.N. Bose National Centre discovered Direction-Dependent Conduction Polarity (DDCP) in Chromium Antimonide (CrSb) which is a newly discovered altermagnet.

About Altermagnets

• Altermagnets are novel magnetic materials that have properties of both ferromagnets and antiferromagnets.
  • Ferromagnets: Their atomic spins align in the same direction, creating strong magnetism; for e.g., Iron (Fe).
  • Non-Ferromagnets: Their atomic spins cancel each other, so no net magnetism is seen; e.g., Manganese Oxide (MnO).
• Altermagnet’s atomic spins cancel out like in antiferromagnets, resulting in no external magnetism, but their symmetry still influences electron movement, as in ferromagnets.
• They exhibit a spin splitting property where electrons with different spins move on separate paths without any magnetic field-this reduces the need for extra components.
• Use in Electronics: They can be used in faster, low-energy devices, reducing device heating and allowing for faster switching.

Atomic Spin: It refers to the natural angular motion of electrons, which gives rise to magnetic properties in materials.

About Chromium Antimonide (CrSb)

• CrSb is an altermagnet with direction-sensitive conduction, i.e. its behavior changes with direction. It is the first known material to show Direction-Dependent Conduction Polarity (DDCP).
• It is useful in spintronics as it carries current made of electrons spinning in the same direction, which reduces energy loss and helps devices work faster.
• CrSb remains stable at high temperatures, making it suitable for long-term electronic use.
• It is made of non-toxic elements, making it suitable for environmentally safe and sustainable devices.

Spintronics is a type of electronics that uses the spin of electrons, along with their charge, to store and transfer data more efficiently than traditional methods.

About Direction-Dependent Conduction Polarity (DDCP)

• DDCP indicates that the material has a positive (p-type) charge in one direction and a negative (n-type) charge in another within the same structure.
• Applications:
  • DDCP improves spintronic performance by guiding electrons with the same spin more efficiently.
  • It boosts heat-to-electricity conversion by better controlling the direction of charge flow.

{Prelims – Sci – Physics} Light as a Supersolid

• Context (TH): Scientists have created a supersolid state of light using a quantum mechanical approach that relied on the properties of polaritons.

• Polaritons are hybrid particles of light and matter that form in specialized quantum setups.

What is Supersolid?

• Supersolid is a unique state that combines a crystal’s solid framework with frictionless fluid movement.
• Physicists predicted the idea of a supersolid in the 1960s and first created it in a laboratory in 2017.

Key Characteristics

• Stable Yet Dynamic: Particles can shift position or density without disturbing the overall structure.
• Quantum Coherence: Maintains a single macroscopic quantum state.
• Low Temperature: Typically created near absolute zero (around –273°C).

Macroscopic Quantum State: A large number of particles behave as one unified quantum system.

Why Can’t Light Be Solidified Naturally?

• Massless Photons: Photons have no rest mass, so they never remain stationary.
• No Mutual Interaction: Light particles do not interact with each other naturally.
• Constant Motion: Light always moves as waves or particles, never static.
• Needs Mediation: Only interacts when coupled with matter, e.g., in polaritons.

Potential Applications

• Quantum Computing: Helps build more stable and controllable optical qubits for quantum logic.
• Optical Circuits: Enables efficient, low-loss light-based computing components.
• Secure Communication: Supports tamper-proof quantum data transfer systems.
• Precision Measurement: Useful for ultra-accurate quantum sensing and metrology.
• Basic Research: Aids study of new quantum states and light–matter behaviour.

{Species – Discovery – Plants} Garcinia

• Context (TH): New Garcinia species, Garcinia kusumae, was discovered in Manas National Park, Assam.

Credit: Meghalayan Express

• Locally known as Thoikora in Assamese, Garcinia reflects rich biocultural heritage of Northeast India.
• Garcinia is the largest genus in the Clusiaceae family, comprising resinous, evergreen trees and shrubs. They produce fleshy, coloured fruits with juicy arils.
• Pantropical: Found across Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
• Climate: Most species thrive in humid tropical climates with high rainfall and partial shade.
• Soil: They prefer well-drained, organic-rich forest soils.
• India accounts for 33 of the 414 known species globally, along with 7 recorded varieties.
  • Assam hosts the highest species diversity, followed by the Andaman Islands and the Western Ghats.