UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelimbits 24-06-2025

Ambubachi Mela

Prelims : Current events of national and international importance

Why in News?

Thousands of devotees have arrived in Assam for the Kamakhya Temple’s annual Ambubachi Mela.

• It is one of the largest religious gatherings in Northeast India.
• The festival is held during the monsoon, generally in June, at the Kamakhya Temple in Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam.
• It is a shrine to the Goddess Kamakhya and one of the most important centres of Tantrik Shaktism.
• The period of Ambubachi is believed to be the period of the goddess’s annual menstruation, and the shrine is closed for this.
• At the end of the period, the shrine’s doors are opened ceremonially, and devotees flock for darshan of the deity.
• The festival is associated with fertility, with the onset of monsoon, and the common historical association across cultures of the Earth as a fertile woman.
• The name ‘Ambubachi’ itself translates to water flowing.
• Ambubachi Mela is not an image of the Goddess but rather a process, a formal process of menstruation.
• It is believed that during monsoon rain the creative and nurturing power of the menses of mother Earth becomes accessible to devotees at this site during Ambubachi.
• During this period, there is an entire cessation of all ploughing, sowing and other agricultural activities.
• Fragments of cloth stained with the blood-mark of the Goddess are distributed to the devotees and pilgrims preserve these in their houses as protective amulets.

Reference

The Indian Express | Ambubachi Mela

Air Bubbles Trapped in Ice as a Message Storage System

Prelims: Science and technology Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

Recently, a team of researchers from China and Czechia has developed a novel method of storing information using air bubbles trapped in ice.

• The technique offers an alternative for storing messages in extremely cold environments, where traditional storage methods fail.
• Inspiration – The idea is inspired by natural air bubbles preserved in glaciers, which have held ancient atmospheric samples for thousands of years.
• Recognizing the ability of ice to trap and preserve air, researchers explored controlled bubble formation to encode information.
• Working principle – Freezing air bubbles to store data when water freezes, it traps air bubbles.
• The shape, size, and arrangement of these bubbles depend on the freezing speed.
• By controlling freezing speed, scientists can create bubble patterns representing data, similar to:
  • Morse Code (dots and dashes)
  • Binary Code (0s and 1s)

Morse code is a telecommunications method which encodes text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called dots and dashes.

• Types of bubbles formed – Researchers identified two primary bubble shapes:
  • Egg-shaped bubbles
  • Needle-shaped bubbles
• By measuring bubble height and width, regions within the ice could be categorized as:
  • Egg-shaped only
  • Both egg and needle-shaped
  • Needle-shaped only
  • No bubbles
• Creating information layers – Scientists induced rapid temperature changes to control freezing speed, generating bubble layers at precise locations.
• Multiple bubble layers can be created in a single ice slice by repeating the temperature control process.
• Message encoding process – The storage process involves:
• Converting the desired message (letters/numbers) into a temperature-control pattern.
• Using the pattern to guide the freezing process and form bubble layers.
• Scanning the ice slice with a camera.
• Using a computer algorithm to interpret light and dark bands in the image as encoded information.
• Potential applications – Storage of information in extremely cold places, where electronics or paper are impractical in,
  • Arctic and Antarctic regions
  • Moon or Mars missions
• Long-term information preservation in glacial environments or space exploration.

Reference

The Hindu| Air Bubbles Trapped in Ice as a Message Storage System

DGCA's Comprehensive Aviation Safety Audit

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a comprehensive safety audit across India's aviation sector following tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad.

• Safety Audit – It is a systematic, independent, and documented examination to evaluate the effectiveness of safety management systems and give recommendations for corrective actions to enhance safety.
• Previous DGCA’ safety audits – Different DGCA directorates conducted independent, area-specific safety checks (pilot licensing, aircraft maintenance, airport safety) without coordination, often planned or unplanned.
• Lack of holistic oversight – The isolated approach led to poor cross-department coordination, missed systemic risks, and limited focus on proactive, comprehensive safety assessment.
• New comprehensive aviation safety audit – DGCA launched a 360-degree Special Safety Audit, moving beyond fragmented checks to a holistic, ecosystem-wide evaluation to detect systemic vulnerabilities and enhance safety.
• Aim – To enhance safety, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance in line with global standards.

Key Features of the Safety Audit

• 360-Degree evaluation – The audit will assess the entire aviation ecosystem: safety management, operations, and regulatory adherence.
• Multidisciplinary teams – Teams will include experts from:
  • Flight Standards
  • Air Safety
  • Airworthiness
  • Licensing
  • Air Navigation Services
  • Aerodrome Standards
• Surprise inspections – Special audits and inspections can be conducted without prior notice.
• Categorisation of Findings
  • Level-1: Immediate Corrective Action required for critical safety risks.
  • Level-2: Short-Term Corrective Action for less urgent but necessary improvements.
• Compliance with global standards – The audit aligns with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
• Significance – It supports India's commitment to a world-class, safe, and efficient aviation system.
• Establishment of India as a global benchmark for aviation safety oversight
• It looks to restores the public confidence post-Ahmedabad crash

Reference

The Hindu| DGCA's Comprehensive Aviation Safety Audit

Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with Insect-Based Livestock Feed

Prelims: Sustainable development | Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

Recent studies have shown that the use of insect-based feed can be more cost-effective because it provides better digestible proteins than fishmeal- or soybean-based feeds.

• Antibiotic overuse in livestock – Animal husbandry accounts for over 50% of global antibiotic use, expected to reach 200,000 tonnes by 2030, a 53% rise from 2013 levels.
• Antibiotics are used to treat diseases and promote growth, but overuse fosters AMR.
• AMR in Livestock – Antibiotic residues in livestock intestines lead to bacteria acquiring resistance genes, which then spread to soil, water and ultimately to humans.

By 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections could cause 10 million deaths annually, up from 700,000 in 2014.

• Human over-exposure to such antibiotics can cause kidney disease, cancer, aplastic anaemia, etc.
• Insect-Based Feed – Insect-based feed is more cost-effective than traditional feeds like fishmeal or soybean meal.
• It acts as natural diet for many aquatic and terrestrial animals.
• It provides better digestible proteins, improving growth and immunity in livestock.
• Insects like Black Soldier Flies, House Crickets, Mealworms, etc., are rich in digestible proteins, fats, fibres and micronutrients (zinc, calcium, iron).
• Nutritional Benefits – 1 kg fishmeal (standard protein source) can be replaced with:
  • 0.76 kg Crickets
  • 0.85 kg Black Soldier Flies
  • 0.91 kg Locusts
• AMR mitigation through insect feed – Healthier livestock require fewer antibiotics for growth promotion or disease prevention, lowering the risk of AMR development.
• Improves gut health of livestock – Some insect-based feeds promote better gut microbiota balance, enhancing immunity naturally.
  • It reduces dependence on non-essential antibiotics in livestock production.
  • It limits environmental release of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  • It supports safer, more sustainable food chains.
• Environmentally sustainable – Insect farming produces far fewer greenhouse gases, uses less land and water, and converts organic waste into high-quality protein.
• Indian Initiatives – ICAR-CIBA (Central Institute of Brackish water Aquaculture) in partnership with private firms, is promoting insect-based feeds for aquaculture (shrimp, seabass) and livestock.

Reference

The Hindu| Fighting AMR with Insect-Based Livestock Feed

Debt Mutual Funds

Prelims: Indian Economy| Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

RBI has recently started a rate-cutting cycle and FD rates declining, which makes investors shifting to debt funds.

• Debt Mutual Funds – Investment funds that pool money to buy fixed-income securities like government bonds, corporate bonds, treasury bills, etc.
• Regulated by – Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• Lower risk – It generates steady returns with lower risk compared to equities.
• It is popular among risk-averse investors and those looking for diversification.
• Categories of Debt Funds as per SEBI,
  • Liquid Funds
  • Ultra-Short Duration Funds
  • Short Duration Funds
  • Gilt Funds
  • Dynamic Bond Funds
  • Credit Risk Funds

Significance of Debt Mutual Funds

• Stable returns – It offers more predictable and stable returns compared to equity funds.
• Diversification for investors – They provide an opportunity to diversify portfolios, balancing risk especially for conservative investors or those nearing financial goals.
• Better tax efficiency – Debt funds that held for more than 3 years can enjoy indexation benefits, reducing the tax liability compared to fixed deposits.
• Liquidity – Most debt mutual funds offer higher liquidity than traditional fixed deposits, allowing investors to redeem investments partially or fully.
• Relationship with interest rates – The debt fund performance is closely tied to the Monetary Policy stance of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and is in inverse relationship with interest rates that means,
• When interest rates fall, bond prices rise and Debt fund returns increase.
• When interest rates rise, bond prices fall and Debt fund returns decline.
• Reason – Existing bonds offer higher fixed returns than newly issued bonds during falling interest rates, making them more attractive.
• During rising interest rates, new bonds offer better yields, reducing demand and price for existing bonds.

Reference

The Hindu| Debt Mutual Funds