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Offshore Security Coordination Committee

Recently, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) chaired the 137th meeting of the Offshore Security Coordination Committee (OSCC) in New Delhi.

About Offshore Security Coordination Committee:

It was constituted in 1978 to ensure the effective functioning of offshore security arrangements.
Since then, the committee has contributed effectively in framing policies and providing guidance and resolution to Offshore Defence Area related issues.
It was constituted to ensure smooth and efficient functioning of offshore security arrangements, and to identify peace-time threats to offshore installations, such as terrorism and sabotage.
The OSCC develops contingency plans to be implemented by various agencies in respect of offshore security.
The exponential growth in the offshore Oil and Natural Gas sector has necessitated a manifold increase in the responsibilities of the ICG, in terms of responding to breaches of security, or likely threats, as well as fishing activity in the vicinity of oil platforms that could jeopardize safety.
Chairman: Director General, ICG

Key Facts about Indian Coast Guard

It is an armed force that protects India’s maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.
It was formally established in 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 as an independent Armed force of India.
It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
It is headed by the Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG).
Headquarters: New Delhi.

SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) Scheme

Reasi is poised to become the second district in Jammu and Kashmir, after Srinagar, to implement the SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme.

About SMILE Scheme:

It is a multi-faceted initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
It has a total allocation of ₹365 crore covering 2021-22 to 2025-26. This scheme will be implemented across the country.
It includes two central sector sub-schemes that focus on the comprehensive rehabilitation of transgender persons and individuals engaged in begging.
Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons:
It provides support through scholarships for students from Class IX to post-graduation, skill development opportunities through the PM-DAKSH scheme, and financial assistance for gender-reaffirmation surgeries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
Additionally, ‘Garima Greh’ (shelter homes) offer transgender persons accommodation, medical care, and skill development, creating safe spaces for their growth and empowerment.
The establishment of Transgender Protection Cells in each state ensures that offences against transgender persons are properly registered, investigated, and prosecuted, providing them with necessary legal protection.
Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in Begging:
It addresses the needs of this marginalized group through a structured approach encompassing four key areas: Survey and Identification, Mobilization, Shelter Homes and Rehabilitation.
Surveys are conducted to identify beneficiaries and create a national database, which is crucial for targeted interventions.
Mobilization involves outreach and awareness campaigns to encourage individuals engaged in begging to utilise the services offered by the government.
Shelter homes provide basic services such as food, clothing, medical facilities and education for children, alongside counselling and psychological support.
Rehabilitation is achieved through skill development and vocational training, helping these individuals transition into wage or self-employment, thus paving the way for their social reintegration and economic independence.

SMILE-75 Initiative:

The SMILE-75 initiative was launched to extend the benefits of the SMILE scheme to 75 municipal corporations and municipalities across the country.
This initiative, which commenced in FY 2023-24, has a budget allocation of ₹100 crore spread over five years.
The cities targeted include metropolitan areas, pilgrimage sites, cultural and tourist destinations, aspirational districts, and cities in the Northeast, ensuring a wide geographical spread.

PM-WANI Scheme

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently prescribed a cap on tariffs charged to Public Data Offices (PDOs) under the PM-WANI scheme, in order to keep public Wi-Fi affordable.

About PM- WANI Scheme:

The Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme was launched by the Department of Telecommunication in December 2020.
The scheme aims to enhance the proliferation of public WiFi hotspots to create robust digital communications infrastructure in the country, especially in rural areas.
Through better access to public hotspots, the government aims to increase employment for small and micro-entrepreneurs and provide low-cost internet to the underserved urban poor and rural households.
The scheme encourages local shops and establishments to provide Wi-Fi for last-mile internet delivery, which does not require a licence or charge a registration fee.

PM-WANI Ecosystem Components:

Public Data Office (PDO):

It will establish, maintain, and operate only WANI-compliant Wi-Fi access points and deliver broadband services to subscribers. No license is required from DoT.
The local shops and small establishments as PDOs may earn extra income from selling internet without any requirement of license, registration, and/or any fees to DoT.
Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): It will be an aggregator of PDOs and perform the functions relating to authorization and accounting.
App Provider: It will develop an App to register users and discover WANI-compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the same within the App for accessing the internet services.

Central Registry:

It will maintain the details of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs.
It is currently maintained by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT).

How can you access the PM-WANI internet?

A user who wants to access broadband through public wifi will need to download the relevant app, get authenticated, and thereafter access broadband at any public wifi hotspot.
When the user reaches a public wifi hotspot, the app on the mobile phone will show various available networks.
The user can then choose the wifi network of choice, pay an amount—either online or through voucher—and use the network till the balance is exhausted.

Operation Sindhu

India recently announced launching ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as fears of an all-out Israeli-American military strike on Iran increased.

About Operation Sindhu:

It was launched by the Government of India to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran in view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
More than 10,000 Indians are currently in Iran, including around 6,000 students.
In the first leg of the operation, 110 Indian students from northern Iran were successfully evacuated and transported by road to Yerevan, Armenia, under the supervision of Indian Missions in Iran and Armenia .
The Indian embassy in Tehran, together with the mission in Armenia, has been actively relocating citizens from high-risk areas within Iran to safer zones while coordinating further evacuation efforts via all available routes.
To oversee and support the operation, the government has established a 24×7 Control Room in New Delhi to monitor the situation and provide assistance to affected nationals.
Additionally, the Embassy of India in Tehran has set up its own 24×7 emergency helpline to assist citizens on the ground.
Additional phases of Operation Sindhu are anticipated to proceed as developments occur.

Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary

Following the arrest and subsequent bail of farmers accused of entering the Sharavati Lion Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar taluk with country-made weapons, the situation has become increasingly tense.

About Sharavathi Lion Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary:

It is located in the Sharavathi River Valley of Sagar taluk in Shivamogga District,
The sanctuary is part of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The area of the sanctuary is around 431.23 sq. km., with the Linganamakki reservoir covering 124 sq.km.
It was formed by combining the existing Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Aghanashini Lion-Tailed Macaque Conservation Reserve, and the adjoining reserve forest blocks.
The sanctuary shares its southwestern boundary with the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary.
The overall terrain of the sanctuary is highly undulating, with altitude ranging from 94 m to 1102 m.
Vegetation: It mainly consists of tropical evergreen to semi-evergreen types of forests, moist deciduous forests, and grasslands and savanna.
Flora: The sanctuary is immensely rich in species like Dhoopa, Gulmavu, Surahonne, Mavu, Nandi, etc.

Fauna:

It is considered a key habitat for protecting the endangered lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), considered endemic to the Western Ghats.
Other mammals include the tiger, leopard, wild dog, jackal, sloth bear, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, wild pig, common langur, bonnet macaque, Malabar giant squirrel.

Samson Option

As Israel’s conflict with Iran escalates and threats loom from multiple regional actors, the world’s attention is once again drawn to the Samson Option—Israel’s veiled but potent nuclear deterrent.

About Samson Option:

The Samson Option is Israel’s presumed doctrine of massive nuclear retaliation in the event of an existential threat to the state.
The term, drawn from the biblical story of Samson, who destroyed himself along with his enemies, encapsulates the idea of apocalyptic retaliation.
Though Israel has never officially confirmed its nuclear arsenal, a widely accepted policy of amimut (Hebrew for "deliberate ambiguity") maintains strategic uncertainty.
Foreign analysts estimate Israel holds between 80 to 400 nuclear warheads, deliverable via land-based missiles, aircraft, and sea-based systems.
Like its nuclear programme, Israel has never openly spoken of its so-called "Samson Option".
First coined in public discourse through Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh’s 1991 book The Samson Option, the doctrine is not a Cold War relic but an active element of Israel’s defence strategy, hinted at over decades by former officials.
The Samson Option is not designed to deter a nuclear adversary from a first strike or counter strike—Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the region. Rather, its purported purpose is to ensure Israel’s survival.
Under the Samson Option, nuclear weapons would be deliberately used against a non-nuclear adversary as a last resort to prevent an Israeli defeat.

Central American Integration System

Recently, India and the Central American Integration System (SICA) held a virtual dialogue to strengthen bilateral cooperation and deepen engagement across key sectors.

About Central American Integration System:

It is the institutional framework of Regional Integration in Central America.
Background: It was established on December 13, 1991, by the signing of the Protocol to the Charter of the Organization of Central American States (ODECA) or Tegucigalpa Protocol, which amended the Charter of ODECA, signed in Panama on December 12, 1962, and formally came into operation on February 1, 1993.
It was created by the States of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Subsequently, Belize and Dominican Republic joined as full members.
The SICA initiative was widely supported by the United Nations General Assembly, with the Tegucigalpa Protocol being duly registered with the UN.
This allows it to be invoked internationally as it also allows SICA's regional bodies and institutions to interact with the United Nations System.

Objectives

The fundamental objective of SICA is to realize regional Peace, Liberty, Democracy and Development, based firmly on the respect and promotion of human rights.
The other objectives of the Group include integration of the region, formation of a Free Trade Area and later a Customs Union, integration of infrastructure, common position on regional and global issues and common passport and visa policy.
The Presidency of SICA rotates every six months.
Secretariat: It is located in the Republic of El Salvador.

Croatia

Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited Croatia and appreciated Croatia for expressing solidarity with India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

About Croatia:

Croatia is located in the southeastern region of the European Continent, on the north western part of the Balkan Peninsula.
Bordering countries: It is bordered by Slovenia in the northwest, Hungary in the northeast; Serbia in the east; Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro in the southeast.
It is also bounded by the Adriatic Sea in the west. Croatia shares a maritime border with Italy.
Its strategic location on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea positions it as a crucial maritime gateway to Europe.
It is made up of fertile and mostly flat plains in the north, and low mountains and highlands along the coast.
It is a member of both the European Union and NATO.
The country's major ports—Rijeka, Split, and Ploce—are integral components of the European Union's core TEN-T network, supporting trans-European transport infrastructure.
Mountain ranges: The Dinaric Alps and a few smaller mountain ranges (Velebit and Velika Kapela) slice through the country.
Climate: Mediterranean climate.
Rivers: Rivers like Drava, Krka and Save drains in Croatia.
Capital: Zagreb – the capital and the largest city of Croatia. Zagreb is the country’s main administrative, cultural, industrial, economic and transport hub.

Extreme Helium Star

Researchers have uncovered a cosmic twist in a star named A980 that belongs to a rare class called Extreme Helium (EHe) stars, carrying a surprisingly high amount of germanium—a metallic element never before observed in this type of star.

About Extreme Helium Star:

It is a low-mass supergiant that is almost devoid of hydrogen.
These rare and enigmatic stars seem to consist primarily of helium, rather than the ubiquitous hydrogen that makes up the bulk of typical stars such as the sun.
EHe stars are thought to originate from the merger of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf with a less massive helium white dwarf.
There are 21 of them detected so far in our galaxy.
These have effective temperatures in the range of 8000-35000 K.
The first extreme-helium star, HD 124448, was discovered at McDonald Observatory in Austin in 1942 by Daniel M. Popper of the University of Chicago.

Key Facts about Germanium

It is a chemical element between silicon and tin in Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table.
It has the chemical symbol Ge and the atomic number 32.
It is a silvery-gray metalloid ,intermediate in properties between the metals and the nonmetals.
It has a diamondlike crystalline structure, and it is similar in chemical and physical properties to silicon.
Germanium is stable in air and water and is unaffected by alkalis and acids, except nitric acid.

Major Producers:

The major worldwide producer of germanium is China, responsible for around 60% of total production.
The remaining production of germanium comes from Canada, Finland, Russia, and the United States.

Global Drought Outlook Report

Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released the Global Drought Outlook Report.

About Global Drought Outlook Report

It assesses how countries can strengthen drought management to adapt to a changing climate.
It provides new insights into the rising human, environmental, and economic impacts of droughts and offers practical policy solutions to minimise losses, build long-term resilience, and support adaptation to a drier future.

Key Findings:

Droughts across the world: 40% of the world’s land area faces increasingly frequent and severe droughts.
Economic impact: 3% - 7.5% annual increase in the economic cost of an average drought episode.
35% minimum projected increase in drought-related economic losses by 2035
Since 1980, 37% of global land has experienced significant soil moisture loss, while water levels in many rivers and aquifers globally are in decline.
The majority of monitored groundwater table levels have also shown widespread declines in recent decades.
Despite accounting for only 6% of natural disasters, droughts cause 34% of all disaster-related deaths and exacerbate displacement and migration, especially in SubSaharan Africa.