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Type: Prelims Only

  • Air Pollution

    Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Why in the News?

    The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the Delhi–NCR as air quality slipped into the ‘poor’ category (AQI 211) after more than three months.

    What is Air Quality Index (AQI)?

    • Purpose: Quantifies pollution levels and health impact using major pollutants — PM₂․₅, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, NH₃, Pb.
    • Scale:
      1. 0–50 = Good
      2. 51–100 = Satisfactory
      3. 101–200 = Moderate
      4. 201–300 = Poor
      5. 301–400 = Very Poor
      6. 401–450 = Severe
    • >450 = Severe Plus
    • Interpretation: Higher AQI ⇒ greater exposure risk, particularly for children, elderly, and respiratory patients.

    About Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP):

    • Objective: To ensure anticipatory, graded, and region-wide responses that reduce PM₂․₅ and PM₁₀ concentrations, controlling emissions from vehicles, dust, and industries.
    • Coverage: Applies across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other NCR districts, ensuring uniform regional implementation.
    • Legal Mandate: Issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, binding on all NCR states and agencies.
    • Genesis: Approved by the Supreme Court in 2016 (M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India) and notified in Jan 2017 by MoEFCC under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
    • Implementation: Initially enforced by EPCA (till 2020); now implemented by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) established via ordinance in Oct 2020.
    • Functioning: CAQM works with CPCB, IMD, and IITM Pune, which provide forecast-based modelling for pre-emptive action.
    • Key Stages of Action:
      1. Stage I (Poor: 201–300): Road sweeping, water sprinkling, dust control at sites, solid-waste removal, old-vehicle enforcement.
      2. Stage II (Very Poor: 301–400): Hotspot regulation, DG set restrictions, enhanced public transport.
      3. Stage III (Severe: 401–450): Ban on BS-III petrol & BS-IV diesel cars, construction halt, school closures.
      4. Stage IV (Severe+ >450): Complete construction ban, truck entry restriction (essentials exempted), curbs on non-essential vehicles.
    [UPSC 2024] According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?

    Options: (a) Locomotives using fossil fuels

    (b) Ships using fossil fuels

    (c) Extraction of metals from ores

    (d) Power plants using fossil fuels*

     

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  • Judicial Reforms

    Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS)

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Executive & Judiciary

    Why in the News?

    The Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, inaugurated the “Live Cases” Dashboard under the Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS) at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

    About LIMBS Portal:

    • Overview: A centralised, web-based litigation management platform developed by the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice, under the Digital India initiative.
    • Purpose: Enables real-time monitoring, coordination, and analysis of court cases involving the Union of India, covering all ministries, PSUs, and autonomous bodies.
    • Design & Function: Serves as a single digital interface connecting nodal officers, legal cells, and advocates for streamlined case management and reduced duplication.
    • Policy Alignment: Implements the Prime Minister’s directive to minimise government litigation, improve inter-ministerial coordination, and enhance transparency and efficiency.
    • Scale (2025): Tracks 7.23 lakh live cases from 53 ministries/departments; over 13,000 ministry users and 18,000 advocates actively update records.
    • Integration: Linked with national judicial databases for automated case updates and status tracking.

    Key Features:

    • Dashboard Monitoring: Real-time visual dashboard showing ministry-wise pending, disposed, and contempt cases for trend analysis.
    • Court Connectivity: Integration with the Supreme Court, 25 High Courts, District Courts, and 9 Tribunals for live order retrieval.
    • Advanced Search: Multi-parameter filtering by court, advocate, ministry, judgment date, or financial value.
    • User Hierarchy: Tiered access for Nodal Officers, Admins, and Advocates ensuring accountability and data integrity.
    • Document & Fee Management: Digital upload of pleadings, notices, and advocate bills for secure, paperless workflow.
    • Accessibility & Security: 24×7 open-source platform with cybersecurity compliance and uninterrupted access.

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  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    Crew Escape System (CES) in the Gaganyaan Mission

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Why in the News?

    The Crew Escape System is ISRO’s most critical safety innovation for Gaganyaan. This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in The Hindu.

    Back2Basics: Gaganyaan Mission:

    • Overview: India’s first human spaceflight mission, initiated in 2007, to send 3 astronauts into Low Earth Orbit (400 km) for 3 days, followed by Arabian Sea splashdown.
    • Rocket: Human-Rated LVM3 (HLVM3), adapted from GSLV Mk3, certified in 2025 for safe human use.
    • Significance: India to become the 4th nation (after US, Russia, China) with crewed spaceflight capability.
    • Latest Timeline (as of Sept 2025):
      • Dec 2025: First uncrewed mission (G1) with humanoid Vyommitra.
      • 2026: Two more uncrewed flights for life-support, avionics, and escape tests.
      • Early 2027: First crewed mission – 3 astronauts in orbit for 3 days.
    • Progress so far:
      • 80–85% development complete: avionics, parachutes, crew safety systems validated.
      • Integrated Air Drop Test (Aug 2025): Confirmed crew module deceleration.
      • Crew Escape System: Multiple ground and flight tests successful.
      • Recovery: Indian Navy and Australian Space Agency conducting splashdown drills.
      • Four IAF test pilots shortlisted: Shubhanshu Shukla, Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap, Ajit Krishnan.
      • All trained in Russia, now in advanced Indian training. Final crew of three will be chosen for maiden flight.

    What is Crew Escape System (CES)?

    • Purpose: A critical safety mechanism in ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission, enabling astronaut rescue in case of launch vehicle failure during the atmospheric ascent phase.
    • Placement & Function: Mounted atop the Human-Rated LVM3 (HLVM3) rocket; rapidly separates the crew module and propels it to safety using high-thrust solid motors.
    • Performance: Escape motors generate acceleration up to 10 g, using high burn-rate propellants for faster thrust than the launcher. Astronauts withstand this briefly in a “child-in-cradle” posture.
    • Safety Systems: Incorporates redundant subsystems, heritage-based design, and real-time health monitoring through the Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) network for millisecond-level response.
    • Types of CES:
      1. Puller-Type: Used in Gaganyaan; solid-fuel motors pull the crew module away. Also adopted by Russia’s Soyuz, China’s Long March, and US Saturn V missions.
      2. Pusher-Type: Used in SpaceX Crew Dragon (Falcon 9); liquid-fuel thrusters push the capsule away.
    • Comparison: Puller systems suit high-thrust, short-duration extractions; pusher systems integrate better with reusable modules.

    Operational Sequence & Recovery:

    1. Automatic Activation: On anomaly detection, IVHM triggers CES instantly; escape motors fire, propelling the crew module clear of the rocket.
    2. Separation & Descent: After reaching safe distance, CES detaches and the module descends under multistage parachutes, drogue, main, and reserve, ensuring controlled speed and stability.
    3. Splashdown & Safety: The module lands in the sea, impact forces within safe physiological limits, allowing quick recovery.
    4. Significance: Serves as the core life-saving system of India’s human spaceflight programme, ensuring crew survival during catastrophic launch failures.
    [UPSC 2025] Consider the following space missions:

    I. Axiom-4 II. SpaDeX III. Gaganyaan

    How many of the space missions given above encourage and support microgravity research?

    (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three* (d) None

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    What are Climate Tipping Points?

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Why in the News?

    The Global Tipping Points Report (2025), authored by 160 scientists from 23 countries, warns that warm-water coral reefs have already crossed their thermal tipping point, triggering irreversible dieback.

    About Tipping Points:

    • Overview: Tipping Points are critical thresholds in Earth’s natural and climate systems beyond which self-reinforcing and often irreversible changes occur.
    • Mechanism: Once crossed, feedback loops accelerate transformation — e.g., melting permafrost releases methane, which increases warming and causes more melting.
    • Irreversibility: Even if greenhouse gas emissions are later reduced, many systems cannot revert to their original stable state.
    • Significance: Tipping Points determine long-term planetary stability, climate predictability, and biosphere resilience.

    Important Definitions:

    • Climate Tipping Point (IPCC): A critical threshold at which small changes in temperature or forcing cause a large, often irreversible shift in a climate subsystem.
    • Feedback Loop: A process where an initial change triggers further effects that amplify the original disturbance (positive feedback).
    • Hysteresis: The property of a system where reversing to its prior state requires conditions much different from those that caused the initial change.
    • Cascade Effect: A phenomenon where crossing one tipping point triggers others in connected Earth systems, leading to compounded impacts.
    • Thermal Tipping Point (for Coral Reefs): The temperature threshold (~1.2°C above pre-industrial) beyond which coral survival and recovery become impossible.

    Key Global Tipping Points Identified:

    • Ice Sheets: Collapse of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, committing the planet to multi-metre sea-level rise.
    • Coral Reefs: Permanent dieback of warm-water reefs due to ocean warming and acidification, destroying marine biodiversity.
    • Amazon Rainforest: Shift toward a savannah ecosystem, reducing carbon storage and regional rainfall.
    • Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC): Potential shutdown below 2°C, disrupting global heat distribution and monsoon patterns.
    • Permafrost Thaw: Release of methane and CO₂, reinforcing global warming.
    • Boreal Forests & Mountain Glaciers: Increased risk of widespread dieback and loss of freshwater reserves.
    • Sub-Polar Gyre (SPG): Destabilization in North Atlantic circulation, altering marine ecosystems and heat flow.

    Highlights from the Latest Reports (Global Tipping Points 2025):

    • Study Scale: Conducted by 160 scientists from 23 countries, assessing multiple Earth-system thresholds.
    • Coral Crisis: Since January 2023, 84.4% of coral reefs across 82 nations have suffered bleaching — marking the fourth global mass event, the worst on record.
    • Temperature Thresholds: Exceeding 1.5°C global warming risks triggering multiple tipping points; 1.2°C already breached for warm-water reefs.
    • AMOC Collapse Risk: Could occur below 2°C, potentially plunging northwest Europe into severe winters and disrupting global food and water systems.
    • Amazon Dieback: Widespread collapse possible below 2°C, directly affecting 100+ million people dependent on its ecosystem.
    • Interconnected Risk: Earth’s systems form a tipping network — crossing one threshold may accelerate others, creating a domino-like cascade.
    • Policy Warning: Current Paris Agreement pledges and net-zero targets are inadequate to limit warming below 2°C.
    [UPSC 2024] One of the following regions has the world’s largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years’ worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and the possible destruction of which can exert a detrimental effect on the global climate.

    Which one of the following denotes that region?

    Options: (a) Amazon Basin (b) Congo Basin* (c) Kikori basin (d) Rio De La Plata Basin

     

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  • Global Geological And Climatic Events

    Delhi Morphological Ridge

    Prelims Only | Geography | Mains Paper 1: Geographical Features & Their Location

    Why in the News?

    The Delhi government has decided to declare 41 sq. km of the Southern Ridge as a reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, following long-pending directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

    Delhi Morphological Ridge

    About Delhi Morphological Ridge:

    • The Delhi Ridge is the northern extension of the ancient Aravalli Range, stretching approximately 35 km from Tughlaqabad to Wazirabad, along the Yamuna River.
    • It is composed mainly of quartzite rock, is over 1.5 billion years old, and significantly older than the Himalayas.
    • It functions as Delhi’s green lungs, aiding in carbon sequestration, temperature regulation, and air pollution reduction.
    • It acts as a natural barrier against desert winds from Rajasthan and supports rich biodiversity, making Delhi one of the world’s most bird-rich capitals.
    • It is divided into four zones: Northern Ridge, Central Ridge, South-Central Ridge, and Southern Ridge.
    • Key conservation areas include the Northern Ridge Biodiversity Park and the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

    Land Use Regulation in the Ridge:

    • Although the area shares ecological features with the Delhi Ridge, it is NOT officially notified as forest land, but it enjoys judicial protection.
    • A 1966 directive prohibits any NON-forest use or encroachment without court approval.
    • Any change in land use must be cleared by the Ridge Management Board (RMB) and the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
    • The area is mapped using data from the Delhi Forest Department and the 2006 Seismic Zonation Map.
    • Formal notification as a Reserved Forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, is pending due to the absence of ground-truthing.
    • In revenue records, it is often marked as “gair mumkin pahad”, meaning uncultivable rocky hill.
    • The terrain is ecologically fragile, with shallow soil and rocky outcrops, making it unsuitable for construction.
    [UPSC 2001] The approximate age of the Aravalli range is-

    Options: (a) 370 million years (b) 470 million years (c) 570 million years (d) 670 million years

     

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  • Nobel and other Prizes

    Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 2025

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Why in the News?

    The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Memory of Alfred Nobel) was awarded to Joel Mokyr (Northwestern University, US), Philippe Aghion (Collège de France, INSEAD, LSE), and Peter Howitt (Brown University, US) for their pioneering explanations of innovation-driven economic growth.

    What is the Nobel Economics Prize?  

    • Officially called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, established in 1968.
    • It is NOT part of the original Nobel Prizes created by Alfred Nobel in 1895.
    • Created by the Swedish central bank to honor Alfred Nobel’s legacy.
    • Although not an original Nobel Prize, it is presented alongside the other Nobel Prizes on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.
    • Includes a diploma, gold medal, and a one-million-dollar prize for the laureates.

    Who are the Nobel Laureates for 2025?

    • Joel Mokyr (Northwestern University, USA): An economic historian, renowned for studying how scientific knowledge, cultural openness, and institutional change during the Enlightenment triggered the Industrial Revolution.
    • Philippe Aghion (Collège de France, INSEAD, LSE): A leading growth theorist, known for advancing the Schumpeterian model of innovation-driven growth and the economics of creative destruction.
    • Peter Howitt (Brown University, USA): Collaborator of Aghion, co-developer of the Aghion–Howitt growth model, integrating firm-level innovation dynamics into macroeconomic theory.

    Their Contributions:

    1. Joel Mokyr:
      • Demonstrated that before the 18th century, societies possessed “prescriptive knowledge” (how things worked) but lacked “propositional knowledge” (why they worked).
      • Showed that the Scientific Revolution merged science with craftsmanship, turning discovery into applied innovation.
      • Highlighted that the Enlightenment’s intellectual openness enabled acceptance of “creative destruction,” allowing new technologies to replace old ones without institutional backlash.
    2. Philippe Aghion & Peter Howitt:
      • Developed the 1992 Schumpeterian Growth Model, mathematically linking innovation, competition, and economic growth.
      • Explained that constant firm turnover—where new innovators replace old incumbents—creates long-term, stable growth.
      • Introduced the idea of “general equilibrium in innovation”, connecting household savings, financial markets, R&D investment, and production into a single dynamic framework.

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  • Differentiated Banks – Payment Banks, Small Finance Banks, etc.

    RBI introduces Unified Markets Interface (UMI)

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Why in the News?

    RBI Governor has unveiled the Unified Markets Interface (UMI) a next-generation financial market infrastructure developed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

    What is Unified Markets Interface (UMI)?

    • Overview: The UMI is a next-generation financial market infrastructure conceptualized by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to tokenize financial assets and settlements using the wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
    • Purpose: It aims to modernize India’s financial markets by enabling blockchain-based asset transactions, improving market transparency, and streamlining settlements through digital automation.
    • Significance: The UMI represents India’s entry into asset tokenization, the conversion of real-world financial instruments into digital tokens, thereby integrating CBDC, smart contracts, and digital public infrastructure within a single interoperable ecosystem.

    Features of UMI:

    • CBDC-Enabled Settlement: Uses the wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to execute high-value settlements instantly and securely.
    • Asset Tokenization: Converts traditional financial assets into digital tokens on blockchain, allowing fractional ownership and seamless transferability.
    • Unified Infrastructure: Creates an integrated, interoperable market interface linking banks, investors, and financial intermediaries on a single digital framework.
    • Smart Contract Automation: Employs programmable contracts for real-time clearing, settlement, and compliance, reducing manual intervention.
    • Transparency and Efficiency: Blockchain ensures immutable transaction records and enhances traceability, reducing fraud and settlement delays.

    Back2Basics: Asset Tokenization

    • Definition: The process of converting real-world assets, such as bonds, real estate, commodities, or equities, into digital tokens stored on blockchain networks.
    • Mechanism: Each token represents fractional ownership, enabling smaller investors to participate in high-value assets traditionally limited to institutions.
    • Technology Base: Built on blockchain and smart contracts, ensuring transparent, secure, and automated transactions.
    • RBI’s Application: Tokenized financial assets under UMI will settle through wholesale CBDC, providing real-time, tamper-proof, and traceable transactions.

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  • Innovation Ecosystem in India

    Anna Mani and her contributions in India’s Atmospheric Research

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

    Anna Mani and her contributions in India’s Atmospheric Research

    Why in the News?

    The National Book Trust has released a book on highlighting physicist Anna Mani’s pioneering ozone and pollution studies in Pune decades before “climate change” entered discourse.

    Who was Anna Mani (1918–2001)?

    • Overview: Indian physicist and meteorologist from Peermade, Kerala; pioneered India’s meteorological instrumentation and atmospheric science.
    • Alma mater: Studied physics at Presidency College, Chennai (1939); trained at Imperial College, London; joined IISc Bengaluru under C.V. Raman, publishing five crystallography papers.
    • Professional Career: Joined the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1948; later headed its Instruments Division; earned the title “Weather Woman of India.”

    Key Contributions:

    • Meteorological Instrumentation: Designed and standardized 100+ weather instruments, including India’s first pyranometers and sunshine recorders, ending dependence on imports. Established the Regional Instrumentation Centre, Pune, for nationwide calibration.
    • Measurement Infrastructure: Created a national network of solar, wind, and radiation observatories; introduced WMO-grade calibration; data later used for India’s first Wind Energy Atlas.
    • Ozone & Atmospheric Research: In 1964, developed India’s first ozonesonde balloon measuring ozone up to 35 km; integrated into the WMO Global Ozone Mapping Programme. Her studies on ground-level ozone and urban aerosols anticipated modern air-pollution science.
    • Instrument Design & Ethics: Innovated with glass and Teflon components to remove chemical errors in ozonesondes; upheld the credo “wrong measurements are worse than none.” Her Pune lab became a model of scientific precision.
    • Publications: Authored “Handbook for Solar Radiation Data for India” (1980) and “Wind Energy Resource Survey in India” (1992), both still reference standards for renewable-energy studies.
    • Environmental Vision: Warned early about CFC emissions and ozone depletion; connected industrialization to atmospheric alteration, foreshadowing the Anthropocene concept.
    • Legacy: Her datasets form India’s earliest continuous record of ozone, radiation, and aerosol change, anchoring present-day climate-model validation and policy research.

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  • Innovations in Sciences, IT, Computers, Robotics and Nanotechnology

    RRI technique yields Certified Randomness with one Qubit

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

    Why in the News?

    The Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru team has mastered the Leggett–Garg Inequality (LGI)–based quantum randomness certification technique.

    What is Quantum Randomness?

    • Overview: Quantum randomness means true unpredictability, results that even nature or science cannot predetermine. They arise from the laws of quantum physics, not from computer programs or hidden causes.
    • Ordinary Computers: In normal computers, random numbers come from formulas called pseudorandom generators. They look random but can be predicted if someone knows the starting point (the “seed”).
    • Quantum Systems: In quantum physics, when you measure something tiny, like the spin of an electron or the path of a light particle (photon), the result is decided only at the moment of measurement. No one, not even nature, “knows” the answer before that.
    • Why it Matters: True randomness is important for data security, safe online transactions, scientific research, and encryption, where predictability can lead to hacking or errors.

    What has RRI achieved?

    • Discovery: Scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, led by Prof. Urbasi Sinha, have found a way to create and verify true quantum randomness using a regular cloud-based IBM quantum computer.
    • Why it’s Important: Earlier, proving quantum randomness needed expensive lab equipment. Now it can be done remotely and cheaply, accessible to anyone with internet and quantum cloud access.
    • How it Works: The RRI team used just one qubit (the quantum version of a computer bit) to show that the randomness came from quantum effects, not from hardware noise or computer errors.
    • Key Finding: This demonstrates that even imperfect quantum computers can still generate trustworthy and verifiable random numbers, a capability that classical computers cannot achieve.

    What is the Leggett–Garg Inequality (LGI)–Based Test?

    • Basic Idea: The Leggett–Garg Inequality (LGI) is a scientific test that checks whether something behaves like everyday objects (predictable) or like quantum systems (unpredictable).
    • How it was Used: The RRI scientists measured one qubit at three different times to see if its behavior followed normal physics or quantum rules.
    • Two Conditions Checked:
      • LGI Violation – confirmed the qubit was behaving in a truly quantum way.
      • No Signalling in Time – ensured that each measurement was independent and not influenced by the previous one.
    • Result: Meeting both tests proved that the numbers generated were certified as truly random, coming purely from quantum physics, not from any background noise or interference.

    Real-life Applications:

    • Cybersecurity: Such randomness can make unbreakable encryption keys, protecting sensitive data from hackers.
    • Cloud Computing: People using quantum computers online can now access trusted random numbers for research or secure systems anywhere in the world.
    • Testing Quantum Machines: Helps scientists check the quality of quantum computers, since randomness shows how genuinely quantum the machine is.
    • Better Science: Used in simulations, artificial intelligence, and data analysis where unpredictability makes results more reliable.
    • Big Scientific Message: Confirms that the quantum world is truly uncertain, proving one of the most fascinating truths of modern science, that randomness is built into nature itself.
    [UPSC 2025] Consider the following statements:

    I. It is expected that Majorana 1 chip will enable quantum computing.

    II. Majorana 1 chip has been introduced by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

    III. Deep learning is machine learning.

    How many of the statements given above are correct?

    (a) I and II only (b) II and III only (c) I and III only * (d) I, II and III

     

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  • Promoting Science and Technology – Missions,Policies & Schemes

    Maitri II Research Station in Antarctica

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

    Why in the News?

    The Finance Ministry has approved the establishment of Maitri II, India’s newest Antarctic research station, to be built in eastern Antarctica by January 2029.

    About Maitri II Research Station:

    • Objective: Advance research in climatology, glaciology, seismology, biology, and atmospheric sciences while maintaining eco-compliance.
    • Overview: India’s upcoming 4th Antarctic base, to be completed by January 2029 near Schirmacher Oasis, eastern Antarctica, replacing the aging Maitri (1989) which will operate as a summer camp.
    • Implementing Agency: Executed by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES); estimated cost ₹2,000 crore.
    • Design & Technology: Features AI-enabled systems, automated sensors, solar and wind power, and upgraded modular accommodation with strict environmental standards.
    • Construction Phases: Prefabrication in India → shipment via Cape Town → transport to Indian Barrier (120 km from Maitri) → on-site assembly during Antarctic summer.

    Back2Basics: India’s Polar Programmes

    • Antarctica Programme: Began in 1981; coordinated by NCPOR.
      • Dakshin Gangotri (1983) – first base, now decommissioned.
      • Maitri (1989) – inland station near Lake Priyadarshini.
      • Bharati (2012) – modern coastal station 3,000 km east.
      • Maitri II (2029) – to be India’s largest and greenest base.
      • Research covers ice-core climate records, marine ecosystems, space weather, and climate modelling.
    • Arctic Programme (2007): Also led by NCPOR; permanent station Himadri at Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard, Norway) studies Arctic warming, polar-monsoon linkages, biodiversity; India holds Observer Status in the Arctic Council (since 2013).

    Key Laws & Treaties governing Polar Expeditions:

    • India Antarctica Act 2022: Implements the Antarctica Treaty (1959); creates Central Committee on Antarctica Governance; bans mining, nuclear activity, non-native species; introduces permit system and Antarctica Fund; severe penalties (up to 20 years).
    • Antarctica Treaty (1959): 54 members (India joined 1983); ensures peaceful scientific use, bans territorial claims and military activity, upholds environmental cooperation.
    • Madrid Protocol (1991): Declares Antarctica a “natural reserve for peace and science”; forbids mineral extraction; mandates Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
    • Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR, 1982): Conserves Antarctic marine biodiversity, regulates fishing and resource use to maintain ecosystem balance.
    [UPSC 2015] The term ‘IndARC’, sometimes seen in the news, is the name of Options: (a) an indigenously developed radar system inducted into Indian Defence

    (b) India’s satellite to provide services to the countries of Indian Ocean Rim

    (c) a scientific establishment set up by India in Antartic region

    (d) India’s underwater observatory to scientifically study the Arctic region *

     

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