Published on: April 11, 2025
Snippets : 11 APRIL 2025
Snippets : 11 APRIL 2025
- Karnataka is set to become the first Indian state to establish a Cyber Command Unit (CCU), a specialized body under the Home Department, aimed at overhauling cybercrime investigations. Headed by DGP Pronab Mohanty, the CCU involves no additional expenditure and will lead efforts in cybersecurity threat response, data breach investigations, and future crime prevention through its Quick Response Team (QRT). Investigators are carefully selected based on technical expertise, with targeted training provided. A strong emphasis is placed on eliminating corruption, especially in financial crime handling. The CCU will oversee 45 CEN police stations and the DGP will act as Chief Information Security Officer. Integration with RBI, payment gateways, and other institutions, alongside managing fake news, is also planned. A key goal is to standardize cybercrime investigation procedures through clear SOPs and ensure coordination among departments.
- The Government of India launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to enhance self-reliance in the critical minerals sector and support the country’s clean energy transition and net-zero emission goals. This mission is strategically aligned with India’s climate targets of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 (from 2005 levels). Critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements (REEs), and graphite are vital for clean technologies, national security, and industrial development, but they face high supply chain risks due to geographical concentration. To address this, 30 critical minerals were identified in 2022, with 24 added to Part D of Schedule I of the MMDR Act, 1957, giving exclusive auction powers to the Central Government. A Centre of Excellence for Critical Minerals (CECM) was also established for policy guidance. Key institutions such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI), IREL (India) Ltd, and the Department of Atomic Energy play major roles in exploration and processing. Internationally, KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) has signed MoUs with Argentina and Australia to secure overseas lithium and cobalt resources. Major global producers include Chile, China, Indonesia, Congo, Australia, and South Africa.
- The Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) scheme, launched in September 2021 to replace the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, aims to provide nutritious meals to students of Bal Vatikas (pre-primary), primary (classes 1–5), and upper primary (classes 6–8). Covering 11.2 crore students in over 10.36 lakh schools, the scheme ensures a minimum of 700 calories per student per day. For the financial year 2025–26, the Centre has raised its contribution due to inflation, resulting in a 9.5% hike in cooking costs, increasing the daily per-student cost to ₹6.78 for Bal Vatikas & Primary, and ₹10.17 for Upper Primary. The Centre will bear an additional ₹954 crore, while continuing to cover 100% of foodgrain and transportation costs, supplying 26 lakh tonnes annually via FCI. Meals are designed with specific quantities of pulses, vegetables, and oil per age group. The scheme also emphasizes nutritional gardens, involvement of FPOs and women SHGs, Tithi Bhojan (community meals on festivals), and supplementary nutrition (milk, eggs) for aspirational districts. The adoption of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) ensures payments to cooks and helpers, while nutrition experts monitor students’ health metrics. A social audit is mandated for accountability and better implementation.
- Recently, physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment reported the first confirmed evidence of Charge-Parity (CP) violation in baryons, specifically in lambda-b (Λb) baryons, marking a critical milestone in understanding the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. Matter, which constitutes the physical universe, is made of atoms and molecules, whereas antimatter is composed of particles with opposite charges to their matter counterparts—like positrons instead of electrons. Both were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang, yet today, the universe is dominated by matter. The CP symmetry, which combines Charge Conjugation (C) and Parity Transformation (P), is expected to be conserved between matter and antimatter. However, CP violation occurs when this symmetry is broken—leading to differences in behavior between matter and antimatter, a crucial key to solving the mystery of matter’s dominance. The LHCb experiment observed statistically significant CP violation in the decay of Λb baryons, crossing the five-sigma threshold, which is the standard benchmark for a confirmed discovery in physics. This reinforces CERN’s pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the fundamental forces shaping the universe.
- India has recently offered the indigenously developed Akash Air Defence Missile System to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reflecting India’s rising prominence in the global defence export market. The Akash is a Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), Hyderabad. It was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014 and the Indian Army in 2015, while Armenia became its first foreign buyer in 2022. The missile system, which operates in the 4.5 to 25 km range and up to 20 km altitude, is capable of engaging multiple aerial targets such as fighter jets, helicopters, and UAVs using command guidance. It incorporates advanced Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM), is deployed on mobile platforms, and uses an open system architecture for future adaptability. A critical component is the Rajendra 3D passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar, which enables high-precision tracking and missile guidance. The Akash system underlines India’s self-reliance in defence, supports the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, and enhances strategic ties with partner nations.
- Suruchi Singh asserted her undisputed class as she defeated three Chinese, with a 2.4 point margin for the women’s air pistol gold, in the shooting World Cup in Buenos Aires
- Recently, ancient relics estimated to be 2,000 years old from the Megalithic Period were discovered in Manimoola village, Bandadukka, Kerala. Megaliths, large stones used to build prehistoric monuments, can serve various functions, including burial (sepulchral) and commemorative (non-sepulchral) purposes. Most Indian megaliths date back to the Iron Age (1500 BCE to 500 BCE), but some sites are believed to be as old as 2000 BCE.
- Vijayveer Sidhu defeated Riccardo Mazzetti of Italy 29-28 for the 25m rapid fire pistol gold in the shooting World Cup in Buenos Aires
- President Droupadi Murmu was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Constantine The Philosopher University here for her “distinguished career in public service”.
