Society 

Why is active mobility necessary in India? - The Hindu 

Sporadic reports of accidental deaths and injuries of pedestrians, cyclists, street-hawkers, and others in the metro cities of India are on the rise. While urban development in various metro cities include patches of dedicated service lanes for pedestrians and cyclists, motor vehicles tend to ply on them as well. As a result, the risk of accidents are as high on these pathways as on the main roads with vehicular traffic. 

Active Mobility

• Definition: Refers to human-powered transport like walking, cycling, skateboarding
• Exclusions: Excludes motorised modes and recreational activities
• Relevance in India: Rising traffic, pollution, pedestrian deaths, and health concerns
• Support: Promoted under policies like NTOD, Smart Cities Mission, Paris Agreement
• Legislative Initiatives:
  • Karnataka Active Mobility Bill, 2022 – Legal rights for pedestrians and cyclists
  • Delhi – Cycling tracks under EV policy
  • Pune – 300+ km of bicycle lanes
  • Chennai – Pedestrian-friendly road redesigns under SCM
  • Kochi – Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system

• Economic Benefits:
  • Reduces fuel and healthcare costs
  • Boosts footfall for local businesses
• Environmental Benefits:
  • Lowers carbon emissions from road transport
  • Reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality
• Health Benefits:
  • Reduces risk of chronic diseases
  • Enhances physical and mental well-being
• Barriers to Active Mobility:
  • Infrastructure Gaps: 85% of roads lack basic safety for pedestrians/cyclists (2021); limited dedicated infrastructure, poor urban planning.
  • Social & Practical Factors: Extreme weather, long commute distances; motorised transport linked to social status

• Global Best Practices:

• Netherlands: 35,000+ km of cycling lanes
• European Union: Vision Zero initiative to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities
• Germany (Berlin): Mobility Act mandates wider sidewalks, bike lanes, reduced motor speed

Polity 

Limits to Governor's powers - Indian Express 

By exercising its extraordinary powers to virtually grant assent to 10 Bills that were pending with Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, the Supreme Court sent a strong signal recently, expressing its displeasure with the actions of the Raj Bhavan.

Supreme Court Ruling on Tamil Nadu Governor 

• Exercise of Article 142: Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to grant assent to 10 Tamil Nadu Bills pending with Governor R.N. Ravi.
• Time Limit on Governor’s Powers: Court set a one-month deadline for Governors to act on Bills.

Judicial Precedents on Governor’s Powers

• Shamsher Singh (1974): Governor is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
• Rameshwar Prasad (2006): Governor’s personal opinion not valid for President’s Rule.

• Mercy Powers (2006): Governor’s decisions on pardon are subject to judicial review.

• Nabam Rebia Case (2016): Governor cannot summon the House unilaterally.

Recent Governor-State Conflicts

• Punjab (2023): Dispute over Governor’s refusal to summon Budget session.
• SC Observation: Governor can call floor test only under Article 163 when House is not in session.

Economy 

Amid US tariffs trouble, why the Andhra CM is worried - Indian Express

Amid US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister has written to the Centre, seeking help for the state’s fish farming products.

Reason for Andhraa’s Concern

• US tariffs: US imposed a 27% tariff on Indian aqua exports, along with a 5.77% countervailing duty and 1.38% anti-dumping duty.
• Issues: Indian exporters, operating on 5–6% margins, face steep cost increases.
• DIscrimination: Competing nations like Ecuador face only 10% tariff, threatening India's competitiveness.
• Impact on Andhra’s Aquaculture Sector:
  • Exporters may raise prices, making Indian products less attractive.
  • Potential decline in exports could force farmers to cut production.
  • Over 5 lakh aqua farmers may suffer income losses.
  • Allied industries (cold storage, processing, packaging) may face job cuts.

Size and Role of Aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh

• Andhra’s contribution: 0.94 million tonnes to India's total 1.84 million tonnes aqua output (2023–24).
• 4 lakh acres under aquaculture: Aim is 10 lakh acres by 2029–30.
• Share in GSDP: Contributes around 8–11% of Andhra’s GSDP.
• Employment: Employs around 8 lakh people directly or indirectly.

Major Importing Countries

• USA (2,97,571 MT)
• China (1,48,483 MT)
• EU, Southeast Asia, Japan, Middle East
• Key exports: Vannamei shrimp, Black Tiger shrimp, frozen squid/fish, Surimi
   

MeitY launches Digital Threat Report 2024 for banking, financial services, insurance sector - PIB 

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently launched the Digital Threat Report 2024 for the Banking, Financial Services, and insurance (BFSI) sector.

Digital Threat Report 2024

• Overview: Released by SISA in collaboration with CERT-In (MeitY) and CSIRT-Fin.
• Focus: Cybersecurity risks in India's BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector.
• Basis: Based on real-world incident data and frontline threat intelligence.
• Key Findings:
  • Social Engineering Attacks;
    • Rise in Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing with targeted, sophisticated tactics.
  • Supply Chain Vulnerabilities:
    • Threats introduced via third-party vendors and open-source software.
    • Calls for stronger vendor risk management.
    • Regulatory Shifts
      Compliance frameworks evolving towards integration.
    • Seen as a strategic tool for cyber resilience and operational efficiency.
  • Control Gaps:
    • Issues like misconfigurations, excessive access privileges, and weak access controls persist.
  • AI-Driven Threats:
    • Artificial Intelligence used by both attackers and defenders.
    • Forecasts large-scale, personalized cyber attacks powered by AI.

Sci and Tech 

PSLV Orbital Experimental Module makes atmospheric re-entry: ISRO - The Hindu 

The upper stage (PS4) of PSLV-C60 (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module in short POEM-4) which was launched on December 30, 2024, by ISRO re-entered the atmosphere and impacted recently in the Indian Ocean.

POEM-4 (PSLV Orbital Experiment Module-4)

• Overview: Developed by ISRO as part of the SpaDeX mission.
• Working: Uses the spent PS4 stage of the PSLV rocket as an orbital platform.
• Series: Fourth in the POEM series, following POEM-3.
• Capacity: 3× payload capacity compared to POEM-3.

• Total payloads: 24
  • 14 from ISRO
  • 10 from non-government entities (startups, academia)
• Key payloads:
  • Walking Robotic Arm (RRM-TD) – inchworm motion for space servicing.
  • Debris Capture Robotic Manipulator – space debris management (by VSSC).
  • Gradient Control Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) – enhances attitude control (by IISU).
• Launch: Launched on 30 December 2024 via PSLV-C60.
• Orbit: Deployed at 475 km altitude with twin SPADEX satellites.

• PS4 converted to POEM-4: Lowered to 350 km circular orbit with 2° inclination.

Rare blood cancer now detectable using a CRISPR-based test - The Hindu 

Recently, a new test developed using CRISPR technology can quickly and accurately diagnose acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, under three hours and costs less than existing tests.

Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)

• Overview: A rare, aggressive subtype of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
• Incidence: Accounts for 10–15% of newly diagnosed AML cases.
   
• Cause: PML-RARA gene fusion, disrupting blood cell formation.
• Impact:
  • Leads to low white blood cells and platelets, increasing infection and bleeding risk.
  • Can cause fatal internal bleeding in lungs or brain if untreated.
• Cure: Early detection and treatment can lead to high cure rates.

• Median diagnosis age in India: 34 years.
• Male-to-female ratio: 1.5:1.
• Symptoms:
  • Gum and nose bleeding
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Bone pain
• Diagnosis: Requires CBC and cell morphology for confirmation.
   

CAPTCHA: a digital border between humans and bots - The Hindu 

In the ever-changing world of Internet technology, keeping users safe and verifying their identities is important. One of the most important security systems for this is CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). It’s like a puzzle that is easy for us to solve but hard for machines.

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart)

• Basis: Turing Test created by Alan Turing (1950) to assess if a computer can mimic human behavior.
• Focus: How human-like the responses are, not on correctness.
• Purpose: Designed to present tasks difficult for bots but easy for humans.

• Examples:
  • Typing distorted characters from an image.
  • Identifying specific objects in image grids.
  • Clicking a box labeled "I am not a robot" (behavioral analysis-based CAPTCHAs).
• Use Cases:

• Employed by websites to block bots and ensure only human interaction.
• Helps in spam prevention, cybersecurity, and protecting web services.