Daily Current Affairs

May 27, 2025

Current Affairs

Regenerative Braking System

Context: India has launched the country’s first 9000 HorsePower (HP) electric freight locomotive engine at Dahod, Gujarat with regenerative braking capability. 

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Regenerative Braking System.

Dahod-9000 Electric Engine: 

  • Manufactured in: Dahod, Gujarat in collaboration with German engineering firm Siemens. 
  • 9000 horsepower (HP) locomotive engine. Haulage capacity- 5800 tonnes.
  • Has regenerative braking capability, i.e., when the engine brakes, it becomes a generator and produces power.
  • Six-axle electric engine with an average speed of 75 km/h (max speed of 120 km/h). No noise or vibration (in this engine). 
  • Advantages: High quality; low cost; high export potential; boost freight movement; reduce CO2 emissions.

What is a Regenerative Braking System? 

  • A regenerative braking system is a technology used in electric and hybrid vehicles to recover the kinetic energy of the vehicle that would otherwise be lost during braking. 
    • Braking is the mechanism by which an automotive vehicle in motion slows down. 
    • A vehicle moving faster has more kinetic energy than a vehicle moving slower, so the process of braking removes (mostly) kinetic energy from the vehicle. 
    • In the traditional braking systems, when the brakes are applied the kinetic energy from the vehicle is converted into heat, which is then dissipated into the environment. 
  • In regenerative braking systems, instead of converting the kinetic energy into heat, it is converted into electrical energy which can then be stored in the vehicle's battery for later use. This is done by using the electric motor in the vehicle which acts as a generator during the braking process.
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How does a Regenerative Braking System work?

  • Kinetic Energy Conversion: When a vehicle is in motion, it possesses kinetic energy. When the driver applies the brakes, the regenerative braking system starts working. 
  • Motor as a Generator: The electric motor which normally drives the wheels, operates in reverse during braking. It starts acting as a generator, converting the vehicle's kinetic energy into electrical energy.
  • Energy Storage: The electrical energy generated during braking is directed to the vehicle's battery or a supercapacitor for storage.
  • Energy Reuse: The stored energy can be used later to power the vehicle, reducing the need to draw as much power from external sources and improving the vehicle's overall efficiency.

Benefits of Regenerative Braking:

  • Improved Energy Efficiency & reduced emissions: By recovering and reusing energy, regenerative braking reduces the overall energy consumption of the vehicle and reduces emission of heat. 
  • Reduced Wear and Tear: Because regenerative braking reduces reliance on traditional friction brakes, it can decrease wear and tear on brake components, leading to lower maintenance costs.

Limitations:

  • Efficiency Variations: The efficiency of energy recovery decreases as the vehicle's speed drops. (Lesser the speed of vehicle, lesser kinetic energy is available for conversion to electrical energy and storage)
  • Not a Complete Replacement: Regenerative braking often cannot bring a vehicle to a complete stop on its own and must be supplemented with conventional braking systems.

What is Anaemia?

Context: 57% of women in their reproductive age in India have undiagnosed and untreated Anaemia. This increases the risk of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and life-threatening maternal complications which contribute to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about Anaemia. 

About Anaemia

  • Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells (RBCs), and consequently their oxygen-carrying capacity, is insufficient to meet the body’s physiological needs. 
  • Anaemia impairs the body’s ability for gas exchange by decreasing the number of RBCs transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide.
    • The function of the RBCs is to deliver oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. 
    • This is accomplished by using haemoglobin (Hb), a protein composed of haem and globin. 
  • Symptoms: Fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath etc.
  • Treatment: Anaemia is preventable and treatable. Treatments include folic acid supplements, iron chelation, and blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants (in advanced cases).

Factors causing Anaemia

Anaemia results from one or more of the following process:

  • Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia globally (around 50% cases).
    • Iron is necessary for synthesis of haemoglobin (Hb). 
  • Other nutritional deficiencies (including folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A)
  • Defective red cell production, increased red cell destruction or blood loss.
    • Inherited or acquired disorders that affect Hb synthesis, red blood cell production or red blood cell survival can all cause anaemia. 
  • Acute and chronic inflammation, helminths infestation (hookworm, flukes), parasitic infections (like Malaria). 

Impacts

  • Iron deficiency anaemia results in impaired cognitive and motor development in children and decreased work capacity in adults.
  • In pregnancy iron deficiency anaemia can lead to perinatal loss (miscarriage, still birth), prematurity and low birth weight babies. 
  • Iron deficiency anaemia adversely affects the body’s immune response.
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Burden of Anaemia in India

  • India’s anaemia burden has grown alarmingly with NFHS-5 (2019-21) finding that:
    • 57% of women in the age group (15-49)
    • 67% of children between 6-59 months
    • 59% in adolescent girls (15-19 yrs)
    • 31% in adolescent boys (15-19 yrs)
  • This is a rise from the data in NFHS-4 (2015-16). 

Government Initiatives to tackle Anaemia burden

1. Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy (2018):

6X6X6 strategy to reduce prevalence of anaemia in children, adolescents, and women. 

  • Reduce Anaemia among six beneficiary age groups:
    • children 6-59 months
    • children 5-9 years
    • adolescents 10-19 years
    • women of reproductive age (15-49 years)
    • pregnant women
    • lactating women 
  • Implementation of six interventions:
    • Prophylactic Iron Folic Acid Supplementation
    • Periodic deworming (Albendazole tablet)
    • Intensified year-round Behaviour Change Communication Campaign
    • Testing of anemia using digital invasive haemoglobinometer
    • Point of care treatment
    • Mandatory provision of Iron Folic Acid fortified foods in public health programmes
  • Addressing non-nutritional causes of anemia in endemic pockets, via six institutional mechanisms.

2. Mission Poshan 2.0:

  • Supplementary nutrition is provided to children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers and Adolescent Girls (14 to 18 years in Aspirational districts and North-East States). 
  • Poshan Maahs and Poshan Pakhwadas: Celebrated in September and March-April, dedicated activities for awareness on anaemia are conducted.

3. Rice Fortification Initiative:

  • Government is supplying fortified rice enriched with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme in all States and Union Territories.

4. Diet and Biomarkers Survey in India (DABS-I) survey (2022):

  • New survey launched to map diet, nutrition and health status pan India. It will collect individual dietary intake data of different age groups for correct estimates of anaemia among urban and rural populations.

5. AnemiaPhone:

  • It is a latest technology to accurately, quickly, and cheaply assess iron deficiency, recently transferred to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
  • It requires a small finger prick, a drop of blood is placed on a test strip, and the device can determine iron deficiency in a few minutes. It would enable access to rapid screening, and diagnosis of iron deficiency at the point of need.

Growing Digital Divide in Indian Schools

Context: The recent data from the Ministry of Education shows that the majority of schools in rural areas in India lack robust digital infrastructure and internet access.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts related to UDISE+ 2023-24 report.

Mains: Mains: Reasons behind digital divide and measures to bridge it.

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India’s education system has been known to draw criticism on several counts. One is the lack of access to basic amenities and adequate infrastructure and other is the consequential rise in dropout rates. However, one important criticism is the growing digital divide in Indian schools.

The recently released Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 report by the Ministry of Education underscores this crisis.

State of Digital Infrastructure in Schools

  • As per UDISE+ 2023-24 report: 
    • Around 50% of our schools do not have access to modern information and communications technology (ICT), despite proclaimed increases in investment in education both by Centre and the States.
      • Functional computers are available in only ~52% of schools.
      • The Internet is accessible in only 54% of schools.
    • These figures mark a marginal improvement from FY22, when just 45% of schools had computers and 34% had internet access.
  • Rural-Urban Gap in Internet Connectivity: Rural schools are behind urban schools in terms of internet connectivity by 29%. 69% of urban schools have access to digital infrastructure against 45% of rural schools. This indicates that a gap of 24% percent exists between urban and rural schools. 
  • Persistent post-pandemic digital deprivation: A CRY survey during the pandemic found most school children lacked access to online classes, and this deprivation continues post-pandemic, despite the adoption of hybrid learning to improve access to quality education.
  • Tele-Density Imbalance: Urban tele-density and rural tele-density stood at 134% and 59% respectively, as of March 2024, highlighting a substantial difference of 75%, between tele-density in rural and urban areas. 

Reasons for growing Digital Divide

Despite an overall increase in digital penetration, divide been growing because of following reasons: 

  • Lack of infrastructure in rural areas:
    • Even though 89.7% of schools have access to functional electricity (UDISE+ 2023-24), frequent power outages especially in rural areas due to transmission and distribution losses often render digital infrastructure redundant and unusable.
    • Digital India School programme under the Digital India Campaign has failed to make any impact in rural schools due to poor internet connectivity. 
  • Shortage of qualified teachers: Limits the quality and reach of computer literacy programs.
  • Gaps in education system: Although computer education is part of the school curriculum, there are disparities in access and instructional standards, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged areas. E.g: Assam (17.6%), Bihar (20.4%), Madhya Pradesh (21%).
  • Limited access for older demographics: Older age groups often lack motivation or access to learning resources for computer literacy.
  • Unequal distribution of resources: There is a significant disparity in resource allocation for computer literacy initiatives, leading to unequal progress across different states and regions.
  • Delays in BharatNet Project: The persistent digital divide is partly due to delays in BharatNet Project, which aimed to connect 6 lakh villages with broadband by May 2023. As of October 2024, only 2.14 lakh villages were connected, pushing the deadline to 2025.

Government Initiatives to promote Digital Literacy: 

  • Digital India Campaign 2015: To transform the country into a digitally empowered society.
  • Education Integration: Computer education is being integrated into the formal education system from an early age. E.g., Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
  • Skill Development: Various programs target underprivileged communities to bridge the digital divide. E.g., Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA).

The growing digital divide highlights the urgent need to prioritise basic infrastructure in schools, especially in rural areas. Only after addressing these foundational gaps education system will become truly inclusive and effective. 

Also Read: Right to Digital Access part of Article 21: SC  

India-Africa Digital Partnership

Context: India and Africa are entering a new phase of development partnership centered around digital innovation.

Relevance of the Topic: Mains: India-Africa Digital Partnership

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India’s development partnership with Africa is evolving into a digitally-driven collaboration, aligned with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020-2030) which places digital innovation at the core of socio-economic progress.

For decades, India’s engagement with Africa included:

  • Concessional Lines of Credit (LoCs) for infrastructure development.
  • Capacity-building programmes through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC).
  • Pan-African e-Network (2009) which provided tele-medicine and tele-education through satellite and fibre-optic infrastructure, implemented by TCIL on behalf of the Indian government.
  • Grant-in-aid projects and humanitarian support. 

Shift Towards Digital Diplomacy: 

  • Expanding on traditional diplomacy, and building on the success of its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) systems, such as Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, and DIKSHA, India is now focusing on sharing and co-creating digital solutions to tackle fundamental governance and service delivery challenges in Africa. 

For Example : 

  • In 2021, Togo’s National Agency for Identification signed an MoU with IIIT-B (India) to implement the Modular Open-Source Identification Platform as the foundation for its national digital ID system.
  • In 2023, Zambia signed an MoU with the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure at IIIT-B to support the implementation and scaling up of the Smart Zambia Initiative, a national effort to advance digital transformation across government services.
  • In 2024, the Bank of Namibia signed a pact with the National Payments Corporation of India for developing a UPI-like instant payment system. 
  • Ghana is also linking its payment system with India’s UPI to enable faster transactions. 
  • The new IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar offers courses in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and works with Indian companies to provide scholarships. This helps build local skills and supports Africa’s digital growth.

These partnerships reflect a growing interest in India’s DPI model, which offers affordability, scalability, and a public-oriented design. 

However, these advances of India’s digital diplomacy in Africa are not occurring in a vacuum.

  • African nations prioritise digital partners based on their ability to meet national needs, with China often favoured for its low-cost, state-backed infrastructure support.
  • Apart from China, the European Union, the U.S., and India are competing for influence. 
  • What sets India apart is not just its technology, but its framing of DPI as a digital public good, open-source, and its adaptability. 

Opportunity for India

  • Deepening digital partnerships helps India strengthen diplomatic ties and build long-term goodwill with African nations, a region of growing strategic importance.
  • India’s DPI model offers a public-oriented alternative unlike some other countries that promote costly or surveillance-heavy systems. The real opportunity is not just in transferring technology but in working closely with African governments to build solutions that suit local needs.

Challenges:

  • Africa is home to the world’s largest digital divide.
  • High cost of data plans and devices hinder widespread digital adoption.
  • Stark rural-urban disparities in connectivity.
  • Persistent gender gap in digital access and literacy.
  • Many African states also face gaps in institutional capacity, regulatory frameworks, and digital literacy, which can hinder DPI adoption. 
  • Expansion of digital infrastructure requires reliable energy supply, a critical bottleneck in many African countries.

Despite challenges like limited access and energy constraints, Africa is progressing in digital governance, with widespread adoption of national ID and biometric systems. 

A scalable India-Africa Digital Compact rooted in mutual respect, co-development, and open-source innovation can build on this foundation to drive inclusive and sustainable digital transformation across the continent.

Also Read: Global Digital Compact: advancing digital innovation in a sustainable fashion

India-Oman FTA faces ‘Omanisation’ Policy Hurdle

Context: India and Oman are currently negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at deepening bilateral trade, investment, and strategic engagement. ‘Omanisation’ is the last key issue in conclusion of India-Oman FTA talks.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts related to FTA, CEPA.

Mains: Significance of India-Oman FTA and challenges.

Major Highlights: 

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  • Initiated in November 2023, the CEPA was expected to be concluded by mid-2024. However, progress has been impeded by Oman’s ‘Omanisation’ policy.
  • Omanisation policy implemented by Oman aims to boost the employment of its citizens in the private sector. The policy mandates companies to meet specific quotas for hiring Omani nationals. These quotas vary by sector and are periodically revised. 
  • India’s Response: India wants that the regulations on compulsory employment of Omanis in various sectors be frozen at the current level for India, and not increased after the India-Oman CEPA is signed. 

India-Oman Trade Relations

  • Oman is India’s third largest trading partner in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The bilateral trade was ~$9 billion in FY2024.
  • India’s key imports from Oman: petroleum products and urea account for over 70% of imports. Other important items- propylene and ethylene polymers, pet coke, gypsum, chemicals and iron and steel. 
  • India’s main exports to Oman: petroleum products, iron and steel, rice (particularly basmati), processed minerals, ships, boats and floating structures, electrical machinery, machinery parts, tea, coffee, spices, fruits and meat products.
image 58

Potential Gains from CEPA

  • Boost to Indian Exports: Indian goods worth $3.7 billion like gasoline, iron & steel, electronics, machinery may benefit from removal of 5% import duty in Oman.
  • Services Sector Opportunity: India hopes to send more professionals to Oman, and hence does not want increased restrictions related to employment of expats.
  • Strategic Leverage in West Asia: India-Oman CEPA can widen India’s access to West Asia, fostering economic and strategic ties in a region of critical importance. Enhances India’s trade connectivity and access to critical maritime routes and markets in the Gulf.

India-Oman CEPA holds strategic and economic significance for India’s outreach to West Asia. Resolving the ‘Omanisation’ hurdle is key to unlocking trade potential, enhancing market access, and strengthening bilateral ties in a critical region.

India’s Lawfare Strategy to Combat Terrorism

Context: India should adopt a “lawfare strategy” - using international law and forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to hold Pakistan accountable for sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Terrorist Bombing Convention, Jurisdiction of ICJ.

Mains: Lawfare Strategy as a strategic tool to combat Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Apart from military actions like Operation Sindoor and diplomatic measures, India should also adopt a "lawfare" strategy to hold Pakistan accountable for sponsoring terrorism.

Lawfare Strategy

  • Lawfare strategy means utilising laws, especially international laws and judicial platforms like the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as a tool to take action against countries that support terrorism.

International Legal Instruments supporting Lawfare Strategy: 

India should identify specific provisions in international terrorism conventions that sanction terrorism, and highlight customary international laws that Pakistan is violating.

  • SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism: India and Pakistan are both parties to SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism (1987) and its Additional Protocol. Article 6 of the Additional Protocol mandates states to take all practical measures via domestic legislation to prevent, suppress and eradicate the financing of terrorism, and for effective international cooperation. 
  • International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT) is a United Nations treaty (1999) that defines terror financing as a criminal act. Article 2(1) of ICSFT states that any person by any means, directly or indirectly, unlawfully and wilfully, provides or collects funds with the intention that they should be used to carry out terrorist acts, commits an offense. Both India and Pakistan are parties to the convention which obligates them to prevent terror financing. 
  • United Nations Security Council Resolutions: UNSC Resolution 1373 (2001) mandates the member states to undertake measures to deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist attacks.
  • Using International Court of Justice (ICJ) as Strategic Forum: India can use ICJ as a legal forum to expose Pakistan’s support for terrorism. Many international terrorism treaties allow state parties to bring disputes to be resolved by the ICJ. For example:
  • Article 20(1) of the Terrorist Bombing Convention
  • Article 24(1) of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT). 

Ukraine used this clause to sue Russia at the ICJ for allegedly financing terrorism in the Donbas region. India can also use the compromissory clauses in these terrorism treaties to take Pakistan to the ICJ, just as it did in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. 

However, there are two significant Challenges: 

  • Pakistan’s Reservation under ICSFT: ICSFT allows disputes to be taken to the ICJ but Pakistan has made a reservation, it has declared that it does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction under this treaty. This weakens India’s ability to force Pakistan to face trial under ICSFT. Nevertheless, India can still file a case with the ICJ to draw global attention to the issue.
  • India’s Reservation under Terrorist Bombing Convention: India has opted out of ICJ jurisdiction under this treaty, while Pakistan has accepted it which prevents India from taking Pakistan to the ICJ using that treaty. This obstacle can be overcome if India withdraws its reservation, allowing it to initiate proceedings against Pakistan at the ICJ. 

India should utilise the legal proceedings in ICJ to assiduously promote a global narrative against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. India should have fool-proof evidence and devise its legal strategy accordingly.

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