Home  /  2025 ( Page 318 )

Yearly Archives: 2025

News In Short-13-05-2025

Context

  • Glaciologists and local communities mourned the loss of Nepal’s Yala glacier, believed to be the first Nepalese glacier to be declared “dead”.

    • About

  • Location: It is situated in Langtang National Park, in Nepal’s Himalayan region.
  • Altitude: It lies at an elevation of about 5,000 meters above sea level.
  • Type: It is a small plateau glacier often used as a training site for glaciological studies and mountaineering.
  • Size: It has shrunk by 66% and retreated 784 meters since the 1970s. It is expected to vanish completely by 2040.

    • Read More

    Centre Approves Additional FCI Rice for Ethanol Production

    In Context

  • The Union Government approved an additional 2.8 million tonnes of rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) stock for ethanol production, raising the total allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024–25 to 5.2 million tonnes.

    • What is Ethanol and the EBP Programme?

  • Ethanol is an alcohol-based biofuel made through the fermentation of sugar, starch, or cellulose derived from crops like sugarcane, maize, and rice. When blended with petrol, it helps reduce vehicular emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
  • The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme was launched in 2003 and accelerated since 2014. It mandates the blending of ethanol with petrol. 
  • India has achieved its E20 target — 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025 — and now aims to reach 30% blending by 2030.

    • Read More

    Geotubing: A Breakthrough in Coastal Erosion Control

    Context

  • A recent study has found that geotubing technology deployed at Poonthura, Kerala, has been highly effective in controlling coastal erosion.

    • Geo-Tubing Technology for Coastal Erosion

  • Geotubes are large fabric containers filled with sand or slurry, placed strategically along the coast.
  • They act as wave barriers, diminishing the force of incoming waves and preventing shoreline erosion.
  • The multi-layered geotube system ensures long-term stability, even under intense sea motion.

    • Read More

    India’s Rising E-Waste and the Need to Recast Its Management

    Context

  • India, now among the top global generators of electronic waste (e-waste), faces a critical challenge in managing the growing volume of obsolete electronic devices.

    • E-Waste in India

  • E-waste refers to the discarded electronic and electrical devices that have reached the end of their lifespan or become obsolete due to rapid technological changes, including computers, phones, TVs, and other equipment.
  • India ranks as the third-largest producer of electronic waste globally, following China and the United States. 
  • Growth: India’s e-waste increased by 151.03% over six years, from 7.08 lakh metric tonnes in 2017-18 to 17.78 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24.

    • Read More

    Psychological Warfare

    Context

  • Pakistan is indulging in psychological warfare with the spread of misinformation across social media platforms aimed at misrepresenting India’s military actions and preparedness.

    • Psychological Warfare

  • Psychological warfare involves the planned use of propaganda and other psychological operations to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of opposition groups.
  • Propaganda: Spreading biased or misleading information to shape public opinion or sow confusion.
  • Often used to glorify one side and demonize the enemy.
  • Fear and Intimidation: Threats, displays of overwhelming force, or rumors to instill fear and undermine morale.

    • Read More

    US & China have Agreed to Temporarily Slash Tariffs

    Context

  • The U.S. and China agreed to suspend most tariffs on each other’s goods.

    • Why were Tariffs Levied?

  • Trade Imbalance: The U.S. Trade Representative pointed to a $1.2 trillion trade deficit with the rest of the world as justification for tariffs.
  • The Trump administration viewed this as the U.S. being “ripped off” by trading partners who protected and subsidized their own industries while benefiting from open U.S. markets.
  • Strategic Protectionism: The administration believed that talking had not helped change global trade behavior, so high tariffs were seen as a tool to force other countries to open their markets.

    • Read More

    संक्षिप्त समाचार 13-05-2025

    संदर्भ 

  • ग्लेशियोलॉजिस्ट और स्थानीय समुदायों ने नेपाल के याला ग्लेशियर के नष्ट होने पर शोक व्यक्त किया, माना जाता है कि यह “मृत” घोषित होने वाला पहला नेपाली ग्लेशियर है।

    • पहले लुप्त हुए ग्लेशियर

  • भूटान का लेमथांग ग्लेशियर: 2017 में ग्लेशियल झील के फटने से आई बाढ़ के बाद गायब हो गया।
  • आइसलैंड का ओके ग्लेशियर (2019): विश्व का प्रथम ग्लेशियर जिसे “मृत” घोषित किया गया।
  • पिज़ोल ग्लेशियर, स्विटज़रलैंड (2019): 2006 के बाद से ग्लेशियर ने अपना 80% से अधिक आयतन खो दिया है।
    अयोलोको ग्लेशियर, मेक्सिको, 2021
    बासोडिनो ग्लेशियर, स्विटज़रलैंड, 2021।

    • Read More

    केंद्र ने इथेनॉल उत्पादन के लिए अतिरिक्त FCI चावल को मंजूरी दी

    संदर्भ 

  •  केंद्र सरकार ने भारतीय खाद्य निगम (FCI) के भंडार से इथेनॉल उत्पादन के लिए अतिरिक्त 28 लाख टन चावल को मंजूरी दी है, जिससे इथेनॉल आपूर्ति वर्ष (ESY) 2024–25 के लिए कुल आवंटन 52 लाख टन हो गया है।

    • परिचय

  • यह निर्णय इथेनॉल मिश्रित पेट्रोल (EBP) कार्यक्रम के अंतर्गत लिया गया है, जिसका उद्देश्य जैव ईंधन के उपयोग को तेज़ करना है।
    हालाँकि, इससे खाद्य सुरक्षा के लिए निर्धारित खाद्यान्न को ईंधन आवश्यकताओं की ओर मोड़ने को लेकर चिंताएँ फिर उभर आई हैं।

    • इथेनॉल और EBP कार्यक्रम क्या है?

  • इथेनॉल एक शराब-आधारित जैव ईंधन है, जिसे गन्ना, मक्का और चावल जैसी फसलों से प्राप्त शर्करा, स्टार्च या सेलुलोज के किण्वन से बनाया जाता है। 
  • इसे पेट्रोल में मिलाने से वाहन उत्सर्जन कम होता है और जीवाश्म ईंधन पर निर्भरता घटती है। इथेनॉल मिश्रित पेट्रोल (EBP) कार्यक्रम 2003 में प्रारंभ किया गया था और 2014 से इसे तेज़ी से बढ़ाया गया।

    • Read More

    scroll to top