Geography

Iran, Russia, China conduct joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman - The Hindu 

Iran, Russia and China have begun joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, marking the fifth year the three countries have conducted military drills together.

Gulf of Oman/Gulf of Makran

• Location: Western extension of the Arabian Sea.
• Connectivity: Connects the Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, leading into the Persian Gulf.
• Borders:
  • North: Iran, Pakistan.
  • South: Oman.
  • West: United Arab Emirates.
• Key Ports:
  • Oman: Ṣuḥār, al-Khābūrah, Muscat, Ṣūr.
  • Iran: Jāsk, Chāh Bahār.
• Islands: Sheytan Island, Al Fahal Island, Dimaniyat Islands, Sawadi Islands.
• Economic & Strategic Importance:
• Major shipping route for Persian Gulf oil exports.
• One-third of the world’s oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
• Vital for global energy security and international trade.

Society 

The gender budget — bigger allocations, little impact - The Hindu 

The Union Budget 2025-26 has been hailed for its increased allocation towards women-centric schemes, with the total gender budget rising to ₹4.49 lakh crore, marking a 37.25% increase from the previous fiscal year’s allocation of ₹3.27 lakh crore. The increased allocation is substantial even if one factors in an inflationary rate of approximately 3.61%.

Primary Concerns in Gender Budgeting

• Limited Impact: Gender budget allocations have risen, but economic benefits remain disproportionate.
• Limited effect of targeted schemes: Schemes like PM JANMAN etc have limited effect in addressing disadvantages of SC/ST women.
• Lack of intersectional approach: Factors like caste, class, and tribal identity are not adequately considered.
• Partial implementation: Gender budgeting has failed to incorporate previous learnings, making welfare programs ineffective for marginalized women.

Implementation Challenges

• Digital Exclusion
  • Digitisation excludes rural and tribal women due to lack of digital literacy.
  • Without digital literacy programs, digitized welfare delivery creates new barriers instead of eliminating old ones.
• Outdated Census Data
  • Last Census in 2011; policies rely on over a decade-old data.
  • No gender-disaggregated data to track how increased allocations benefit SC/ST women.
• Bureaucratic Inefficiencies
  • 35% of SC/ST Sub-Plan funds remain underutilized due to complex procedures and lack of community involvement.
  • Financial and bureaucratic jargon hinders access to benefits for many women.

Key Areas for Reform

• Intersectional Approach
  • Gender budgeting must consider caste, class, and tribal factors to improve access.
  • Conduct a comprehensive audit at central and state levels to ensure inclusivity.
• Strengthening Local Governance
  • Empower Panchayati Raj institutions with autonomy and resources.
  • Prevent ‘sarpanch husbands’ from controlling decision-making in women-led governance.
• Community-Led Planning
  • Involving SC/ST women in planning and monitoring can enhance implementation.
  • Kerala’s Kudumbashree model serves as a successful example.
• Data Collection & Transparency
  • Regular updates of gender-disaggregated data to track policy impact.
  • Establish a gender budget tracking portal for real-time fund utilization insights.
• Digital Literacy Investment
  • Essential for enabling rural and marginalized women to access welfare benefits.
  • Aligns with the government’s digitisation push for effective policy implementation.

Environment 

Massive Wildfire Rages In Udaipur’s Sajjangarh Sanctuary - The Hindu 

A wildfire has engulfed About 50 hectares of area of Sajjangarh Sanctuary of Udaipur. 14 fire tenders have been working to control the fire as it continues to rage for the fourth day recently.

Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: Outskirts of Udaipur, Rajasthan in the Aravalli hill range.
• Geography: Covers an area of 5.19 sq. km around Sajjangarh Fort, built by Maharana Sajjan Singh in 1874.
• Lake: Bari Lake (Tiger Lake) lies on the western slope, built by Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar.
• Vegetation: Comprises deciduous and semi-evergreen forests.
• Dominant trees: Teak, mango, neem, jamun, khair, and ber.
• Bamboo groves enrich the habitat.
• Fauna: Panthers, hyenas, wild boars, jackals, sloth bears, sambar deer, spotted deer, and four-horned antelopes.

Delhi world’s most polluted capital again; pollution cuts life expectancy in India by 5 years: Report - Indian Express 

With an average PM 2.5 concentration of 91.8 μg/m3, Delhi continues to be the most polluted Capital city in the world, according to the 2024 World Air Quality Report.

World Air Quality Report 2024

• Published by: Swiss organization IQAir annually.
• Coverage: Assesses 8,954 cities across 138 countries, regions, and territories.
• Delhi: World's most polluted capital city with PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 μg/m³.
• Most Polluted Cities:
  • 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally are in India.
  • Byrnihat (Assam-Meghalaya border) is the most polluted city.
• Other highly polluted cities: Faridabad, Loni (Ghaziabad), Gurgaon, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Noida, Muzaffarnagar, New Delhi (Central Delhi), and Delhi (citywide average).
• India's Global Rank:
  • 5th most polluted country with an AQI of 50.6 μg/m³.
  • Pollution level 10 times higher than WHO’s annual PM2.5 guideline (5 μg/m³).
  • Declined from 3rd position in 2023.

Sci and Tech 

Isro undocks SpaDeX satellites 2 months after docking them in space - Indian Express 

Nearly two months after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully demonstrated its docking capability, it disengaged and undocked the two satellites, SDX01 and SDX02, recenty.

SpaDeX Mission

• About: ISRO’s mission to test autonomous docking and undocking of satellites in orbit.
• Components: 2 220-kg satellites (SDX01 and SDX02) maneuvered into the same orbit.
• Docking: Successfully joined on January 16, 2025.
• Power Sharing: Operated as a single composite unit after docking.
• Undocking: Successfully separated on March 14, 2025 after thorough analysis.

Significance

• Lunar Orbit Docking: The ascender module carrying lunar samples will dock with a transfer module.
• Earth Orbit Docking: The transfer module will dock with a re-entry module to return samples to Earth.
• Bharatiya Antariksha Station: Planned by 2035, requiring multiple modules to dock in space to form a functional station.
• Human Spaceflight & Resupply Missions:Docking crucial for future astronaut missions and cargo transport, similar to the ISS.

ISRO’s Indigenous Docking System

• Inspiration: International Docking System Standard used for the ISS.
• Simplified Design: Uses only two motors compared to 24 in ISS docking system.
• Androgynous Design: Identical docking systems for both chaser and target satellites.

6,046 cyber criminals arrested with help of 'Pratibimb' module: Govt - Indian Express 

The 'Pratibimb' module, launched by the Union Home Ministry's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which tracks the locations of criminals, has led to the arrest of 6,046 accused, 17,185 linkages, and 36,296 cyber investigation assistance requests. A coordination platform for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), called 'Samanvaya', has also been launched for cybercrime data sharing and analytics.

Pratibimb Module

• Developed by: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Type: GIS-based software.
• Objective: Real-time mapping of cybercriminal networks to assist law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Features:

• Projects mobile numbers linked to cybercrimes onto a GIS map.
• Helps state police and enforcement agencies track cybercriminal activity.
• Allows LEAs and service providers to identify actual locations of numbers used in crimes.

Samanvaya Platform

• Developed by: Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Purpose: Coordination platform for cybercrime data sharing and analytics.
• Function: Analyzes interstate linkages of cybercrimes and criminals across States/UTs.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

• Established by: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Purpose: Comprehensive and coordinated approach to cybercrime prevention and enforcement.
• Location: New Delhi.
• Functions:
  • Acts as the nodal agency for combating cybercrime.
  • Enhances coordination between Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and stakeholders.
  • Supports R&D in cyber forensics through collaboration with academia and research institutes.
  • Prevents misuse of cyberspace for extremist and terrorist activities.
  • Recommends amendments to cyber laws in response to evolving technology.
  • Facilitates Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) for international cooperation in cybercrime cases.
  • Encourages public participation through the Cyber Crime Volunteers Program to assist in cybercrime detection and reporting.

 Defence 

INS Imphal to participate in Mauritius National Day celebrations 2025 - PIB 

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Imphal arrived at Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, on Monday for its maiden port call ahead of the country’s 57th National Day celebrations on March 12.

INS Imphal

• Commissioned: December 2023.
• Class: Third of four Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class stealth-guided missile destroyers.
• Other ships in class: INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, INS Surat.
• Designed by: Warship Design Bureau (Navy).
• Built by: Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL).

• Significance: 
  • First warship named after a Northeast city (Imphal, Manipur).
  • First naval warship with accommodation for women officers and sailors.
• Size: 164 meters in length, displacement over 7,500 tonnes.
• Speed: 56 km/hr (maximum).
• Indigenous Content: 75% made-in-India, including:
  • BrahMos missile.
  • Medium-range surface-to-surface missile.
  • Torpedo tube launchers.
  • 76mm super rapid gun mount.
• Capabilities: Anti-submarine warfare operations.
• Surveillance System: Modern radar for target data to gunnery weapon systems.
• Protection System: Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) for defense against chemical, biological, and nuclear threats.
• Depicts Kangla Palace (left): Historical and archaeological site, former seat of Manipur's kingdom.

• Features ‘Kangla-Sa’ (right): Mythical creature with a dragon’s head and lion’s body. Symbol of protection and state emblem of Manipur.