Piprahwa Gems

Prelims – History of India.

Mains – General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture).

Why in news?

The Indian government has recently condemned an auction of ancient Indian gems and issued a legal notice to stop the “unethical” sale of the relics, stating that it should be treated as the sacred body of the Buddha.

• Piprahwa Gems date back to the Mauryan Empire, circa 240 to 200 BC.
• The precious stones consist of thousands of pearls, rubies, topazes, sapphires and patterned gold worked into jewels and maintained in their natural forms.
• They were originally buried in a dome-shaped funeral monument called a stupa in Piprahwa in modern-day Uttar Pradesh.
• They are believed to be mixed with some of the cremated remains of the Buddha, who died about 480 BC.

William Peppe

• In 1898, William Peppe's archaeological discovery was claimed by the British under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act, reflecting colonial-era laws.

The 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act establishes the legal framework for buried wealth. Treasure is defined as "something of any value hidden in the soil, or in anything affixed thereto, “It only applies to riches that have been buried for less than 100 years.

• The relics, including bones and ash, were presented to King Chulalongkorn of Siam (modern Thailand), highlighting diplomatic engagements of the time.
• The majority of the approximately 1,800 gems found are now part of the Indian Museum in Kolkata, an important institution for Indian heritage.
• Notably, Peppe retained about a fifth of the gems, categorized as "duplicates" by British administrators, a decision indicative of the colonial administration’s handling of such finds.

Stance of the Indian Government

• Indian government argued that the Piprahwa gems are the heritage of both the Buddha’s descendants and of Buddhists worldwide.
• India’s government has called on Chris Peppe to halt the sale of the gems, issue a public apology to Buddhists worldwide and to provide a full disclosure of the provenance of the relics.
• Failure to comply, would result in legal proceedings in Indian and Hong Kong courts and through international bodies “for violations of cultural heritage laws”.
• The Ministry noted that “the relics of the Buddha cannot be treated as ‘specimens’ but as the sacred body and originally interred offerings to the sacred body of the Buddha” and the proposed auction “offends the sentiments of over 500 million Buddhists worldwide”.

Reference

1. The indian express | Piprahwa relics
2. Al Jazeera | Piprahwa Gems

Human Development Index (HDI)

Prelims – Current events of national and international importance | Indian Polity and Governance | Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development.

Mains – General Studies- II (Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources | Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance)

Why in news?

The Human Development Index (HDI), 2025 was recently released by the United Nations Development Programme.

• HDI – Is a summary measure of average achievement in 3 key dimensions of human development, including:
  1. A long and healthy life
  2. Being knowledgeable
  3. Having a decent standard of living
• It is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

• India – India has ranked 130 out of 193 countries in the 2025 edition of HDI.
• India’s HDI value increases from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023, placing the country in the medium human development category.
• India’s latest HDI score of 0.685 is comparable to its neighbours Bangladesh (0.685), and higher than Nepal (0.622) and Pakistan (0.544).

Key Findings of the 2025 Human Development Report on India

• Life Expectancy – India’s life expectancy rose from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023, the highest ever recorded.
• Education Gains – Expected years of schooling increased to 13 years (from 8.2 in 1990), but quality remains a concern.
• Income Growth – GNI per capita significantly increased to USD 9046.76 (2023 PPP) from USD 2167.22 (1990), contributing to 135 million escaping multidimensional poverty (2015-21).
• High Inequality – India faces significant inequality (30.7% HDI loss), particularly in income and gender, despite improvements in health and education.
• AI Leadership – India is a leading AI hub with the highest self-reported skills penetration and increasing domestic talent retention, leveraging AI for inclusive growth across sectors.
• Global Slowdown Impact – India is part of a global trend of slower human development progress, risking delays in achieving very high development levels.
• AI as a Choice – The report emphasizes that AI's impact depends on policy choices, requiring a focus on human augmentation, needs, and values to prevent deepening inequalities.

Reference

1. UNDP | HDI
2. UNDP | HDI

Gene Editing using CRISPR

Prelims: Science and Technology | Current events of national and international importance

Why in News?

Recently, India has developed the world’s first-ever genome-edited rice varieties.

• Gene editing – It entails mere “editing” of genes naturally present in the host species, leading to mutation or changes in their DNA sequence.
• No foreign genes or DNA are incorporated.

A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes are made up of DNA. Some genes act as instructions to make molecules called proteins, which are needed for the body to function. However, many genes do not code for proteins, instead they help control other genes.

• Recent technology – Targeted genome editing using “CRISPR/Cas9” (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9).
• It was originally identified and adapted from a naturally-occurring immunity mechanism in bacteria, which is employed against invading viruses.

• Working – Technology involves to produce RNA complementary to a specific target DNA sequence in the genome of an organism.

• This “guide” RNA binds itself only to that target sequence and no other regions of the genome.
• The Cas9 enzyme will, in turn, follow the guide RNA and cut the 2 strands of DNA at the targeted location.
• At this stage, the cell knows that the DNA is damaged and tries to repair it.
• Such genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 is possible through 3 different approaches -Site-Directed Nuclease (SDN) 1, 2 and 3.
• The researchers can now use the natural DNA repair machinery to introduce changes, including by adding or deleting genetic material.

Gene Modification

• It is different from Gene Editing.
• It involves introduction of genes from unrelated species into host plants.
  • For example, be genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil bacterium, that code for the production of proteins toxic to various insect pests in cotton.

Reference

PIB| Gene Editing using CRISPR Technology

2025 Access and Benefit Sharing Regulation

Prelims: Bio-diversity | Current events of national and international importance

Why in News?

The National Biodiversity Authority has released a new set of rules to manage sharing of benefits generated through the use of biological resources.

• New regulation – The Biological Diversity (Access to biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulation 2025.
• It will guide the sharing of benefits for the use of biological resources, including digital sequence information associated with it.
• It puts in place, the requirements for benefit sharing by researchers and for those who want to apply for intellectual property rights.
• It also outlines how benefits would be shared with the claimants.

Biological Diversity Regulation 2025 replaces ‘The Guidelines on Access to Biological Resources and Associated Knowledge and Benefits Sharing Regulations 2014’, which did not include digital sequence information in the ambit of genetic resources.

• Benefit sharing slabs – It has set slabs based on the annual turnover of the person or the industry accessing the resource.

• For high conservation or economic value resources - The benefit sharing shall not be less than 5 % of the proceeds of the auction or sale amount or the purchase price.
  • For example, red sanders, sandalwood, agarwood and threatened species notified under Biodiversity Act 2002.
• The benefit sharing component could go up to more than 20 % in case of commercial use.
• Exemptions - The extent of benefits the medicine manufactures would need to share is not clear as the Regulation exempts users of cultivated medicinal plants.
  • Top companies – Patanjali, Baidyanath, Dabur India
• It is in line with the controversial Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act 2023, which had replaced the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
• 2025 notification indicates that in case a product contains both cultivated and uncultivated plants, benefits would not need to be shared on products identified.
• Fund collected - Of the total collected, around 10-15 % would be retained by the National Biodiversity Authority.

Quick facts

• Benefit sharing on the use of digital sequence information - A multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits accrued from the use of digital sequence information was put in place during COP16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia, last year.
  • Users of biodiversity such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, and the biotechnology industry.
• National Biodiversity Authority – It was established in 2003 to implement India’s Biological Diversity Act (2002).
• It is a statutory body and that performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory function for Government of India on issue of Conservation, sustainable use of biological resource and fair equitable sharing of benefits of use.

References

Down to Earth| Notification of Access and Benefit Sharing Regulation 2025

Revised SHAKTI Policy

Why in News?

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved grant of fresh coal linkages to Thermal Power Plants of Central Sector/State Sector/ Independent Power Producers (IPPs) through revised SHAKTI policy.

• SHAKTI - Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India.
• Introduced in – 2017.
• Aim – To allocate coal linkages through an auction / tariff-based bidding instead of nomination-based allocation.

Central Sector Thermal Power Projects (TPPs) shall continue to get coal linkage on nomination basis on the recommendation of Ministry of Power, whereas, the linkages earmarked to the States on nomination basis on the recommendation of Ministry of Power may be utilized by the States in the State Generating Company.

• Revised SHAKTI policy – 2 windows have been proposed for coal linkages with thermal power plants.
  • Window-I - Coal linkage at notified price
  • Window-II - coal linkage at premium above notified price
• Expenditure – It would not involve any additional cost to the coal companies.
• Number of beneficiaries – Thermal Power Plants, Railways, Coal India Limited / Singareni Collieries Company Limited, End Consumers and State Governments would be benefitted.
• Implemented by - Coal India Limited (CIL)/ Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
• Advantages
  • Simplification of the linkage process
  • Caters to the dynamic coal requirement of the Power Sector
  • Providing the power plants the flexibility to sell the electricity as per their choice.
  • Enabling Independent Power Producers (IPPs)/Private Developers for thermal capacity addition
  • Promote Coal Import Reduction/Substitution
  • Preference to ‘Pithead’ power plants

The revised SHAKTI Policy, besides supporting Brownfield expansion, will promote setting up of Greenfield Thermal Power Projects primarily at pithead sites (nearer to the coal source).

• • Reduce tariff for electricity consumers.
  • Provides for delegation of powers for enabling minor changes, in the policy, at the level of concerned Ministries.

Reference

PIB| Notification of Revised SHAKTI Policy