UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 24-04-2025

One Liners 24-04-2025

Polity & Governance

Poshan Tracker

Recently, Poshan Tracker application has received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2024 in the Innovation (Centre) category.

• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
• Objective – To improve nutrition through technology and data-driven governance under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0.
• Focus areas – It emphasizes grassroot implementation, inter-departmental convergence, tech-driven approaches via Poshan Tracker, and community empowerment through the Beneficiary Module.
• Significance – This award highlights Poshan Tracker's vital role in advancing national nutrition goals.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-Academia Interface

Recently, BIS will offer 500 internship opportunities in standardisation to students from its partner institutions.

• It is an 8-week internship program, which will involve pre-standardisation work, QCO compliance surveys, and site visits, focusing on manufacturing, testing, and quality assessment.
• Vision – To integrate a culture of quality and standardisation within academia.
• Focus on – The Annual Convention promoted action-oriented collaborations, curriculum integration, standards formulation, and student engagement through Standards Clubs.
• Significance – It includes standardisation modules in 15 institutes, over 130 R&D projects, 50+ BIS Corners, 198 Standards Clubs, and 3,400+ students in national quizzes.

International Relations and Issues

Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)

Recently, India and the UK countries are actively negotiating the Free Trade Agreement, a bilateral investment treaty (BIT), and a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.

• DTAA – It is an agreement signed between two countries to prevent individuals or businesses from being subject to double taxation on their income.
• It is also known as a tax treaty.
• Purpose – To allocate taxing rights between the countries involved.

Central Asian Republics (CARs) Program

Recently, Department of Revenue (DoR), in collaboration with MEA and NSCS, organized a first-of-its-kind capacity-building program for Central Asian Republics (CARs).

• It is a 2-day program addressed to Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) through cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding, and non-profit organizations.
• Aim – To enhance the technical skills and understanding of emerging terrorism financing risks specific to the Central Asian region through interactive discussions and best practice sharing.
• Regional collaboration – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan participated, engaging with Indian authorities and an expert from the Eurasian Group (EAG).
• Significance – This initiative signifies a crucial step in bolstering regional cooperation and resilience against terrorism financing, underscoring India’s dedication to global counterterrorism endeavors.

Agriculture

Root Rot

Recently, farmers cultivating the prized 'pichi poo' (red jasmine), are facing substantial losses due to a devastating fungal infection causing root decay in their crops.

• It is a soilborne disease attacking plant roots trunks and stems, leading to wilting and potentially plant death.
• Caused by – Pathogens like numerous fungi, including Armillaria mellea, Clitocybe tabescens, and Fusarium, along with oomycetes like Pythium, Phytophthora, and Aphanomyces.
• Impact – These pathogens spread through soil water and infect weakened plants.
• Overwatering, which depletes soil oxygen and suffocates roots, and the presence of fungal-like pathogens that thrive in such conditions.
• Preventive measures – Planting in well-drained soils or raised beds, using resistant plant varieties, and selecting plants suited for wet conditions.
• Affected plants should be removed, and some fungal treatments can be applied to the soil.

Security

Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), 2025

Recently, Indian Navy ships INS Chennai and INS Kesari participated in the sea phase of AIKEYME 2025, conducting joint manoeuvring exercises and Visit, Board, Search & Seizure (VBSS) drills.

• It is a joint naval exercises, to maritime security and interoperability with partner nations in the African region.
• INS Chennai – It is the final Kolkata-class stealth-guided missile destroyer (Project 15A), was built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai and commissioned in 2016.
• Operating under the Western Naval Command, this 164-meter, 7,500-tonne vessel boasts a top speed of over 30 knots.
• Features – Powered by 4 gas turbines, indigenous defence systems 'Kavach' and 'Mareech' against missiles and torpedoes, can operate 2 helicopters, equipped for NBC warfare and armed with BrahMos & Barak-8 missiles.
• INS Kesari – It is a Shardul Class Landing Ship Tank (LST), built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and commissioned in 2008.
• Features – To transport troops, tanks, armored vehicles, and military equipment, primarily supporting amphibious operations and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions.

Science

Asteroid Donaldjohanson

Recently, NASA's Lucy spacecraft is preparing for a flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson and it is a significant milestone in its 12-year mission to explore ancient asteroids.

• Located in – 139 million miles from Earth within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• It is formed about 150 million years ago.
• Asteroid characteristics – During the flyby, Lucy gathered vital data, primarily focusing on determining the precise size and shape of Donaldjohanson.
• Scientists anticipate a unique form, potentially like a bowling pin or a snowman.
• Lucy Mission – Launched in 2021 and it is the 1^st spacecraft to explore the Trojan asteroids.
• Aim – To study primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter, remnants from the solar system's formation, acting as time capsules of early planetary conditions.
• Importance of the upcoming flyby – The Donaldjohanson flyby serves as a crucial preparatory phase for Lucy's future encounters with the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter, allowing for instrument testing and preliminary data collection.  

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Recently, India nominated Ms M. Revathi as its candidate for the Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau position at ITU.

• Established in – 1865, is the oldest United Nations (UN) specialized agency for digital technologies (ICTs).
• Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.
• Membership – 194 member states and more than 1000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations.
• 3 sectors – ITU-T (Standardization), ITU-D (Development), and ITU-R (Radiocommunication).
• Radiocommunication Bureau – It manages the global radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbit resources, ensuring countries and technologies (like 5G, aviation, space missions, etc.) don’t interfere with one another.

Miscellaneous

World Earth Day, 2025

World Earth Day was recently celebrated to create environmental awareness and action for a sustainable planet.  

• Celebrated on – 22^nd April, every year.
• Theme – Our Power, Our Planet.
• Objective – To drive positive environmental change through renewable energy, sustainable practices, and supportive policies.  
• Historical roots – Initiated by Senator Gaylord Nelson in response to environmental crises, the 1^st Earth Day in 1970 mobilized 20 million Americans.
• Global evolution – Earth Day has grown into a global movement, engaging over 1 billion people in 192 countries in environmental protection efforts.

National Yak Day, 2025

Recently, Nepal observed its first ‘National Yak Day’ on April 20, 2025, recognizing the yak's significant cultural, ecological, and economic contributions in the Himalayan region.

• ICIMOD's call to action – International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) urged stakeholders to prioritize the yak in sustainable development agendas across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).  
• Historical role – The indigenous communities like the Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Rai, and Limbu in yak herding, linking it to food security, cultural identity, and biodiversity conservation.  
• Yaks – Wild yaks (Bos mutus) and domesticated yaks (Bos grunniens) are inhabit on the high-altitude alpine tundra across the Himalayan region.
• Biological adaptations – It include a large lung capacity, smaller red blood cells, and long, shaggy hair for survival in low-oxygen environments.  
• Conservation status – IUCN – Vulnerable (Wild yaks).