July 28, 2025

Current Affairs

Mangroves and role of M.S Swaminathan in Mangroves Conservation

Context: July 26 is observed as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. At the national level, M.S. Swaminathan was instrumental in revolutionising India's management of Mangroves.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts about Mangroves.

Mains: Significance of Mangroves and role of M.S Swaminathan in Mangroves Conservation.

What are Mangroves ?

Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in intertidal coastal zones, where the land meets the sea, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.

Key Features of Mangroves:

Halophytes: They thrive in salty brackish water.
Aerial Roots (Pneumatophores): Help in breathing in oxygen-poor (anaerobic) soil.
Vivipary: Seeds germinate while still on the parent tree- a unique adaptation.
Buttress and Prop Roots: Provide stability in loose, waterlogged soils.
Habitat: Found in estuaries, lagoons, backwaters, and river deltas.

Ecological Importance:

Coastal Protection: Act as natural barriers against tsunamis, cyclones, storm surges, and erosion.
Carbon Sink: Store large amounts of carbon- called "blue carbon".
Biodiversity Hotspots: Provide breeding grounds for fish, crabs, mollusks, and migratory birds.
Water Purification : Filter sediments and pollutants from water flowing to the sea.

Mangroves in India

According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, the total mangrove cover in India is 4,991.68 sq. km, which constitutes 0.15% of the country’s total geographical area.
Compared to ISFR 2019, there has been a net increase of 16.68 sq. km in mangrove cover across India.
Mangroves are known by different local names across various regions of India: Sundari Forest in West Bengal, Tivar Forest in Gujarat, Kandal Forests in Kerala etc.

Contribution of M.S Swaminathan in Mangroves Conservation

M.S Swaminathan played a pivotal role in mangrove restoration, conservation and management.

Highlighted mangroves as a key solution to rising sea levels and cyclones at a Tokyo conference on climate change, at the climate change and Human Responses Conference in Tokyo in 1989.
Proposed sustainable mangrove management as a climate adaptation measure, rooted in:
- Ecology- preserving coastal ecosystems
- Economics- protecting livelihoods
- Equity- involving local communities
Proposed using mangrove genes to develop salt-tolerant crops like rice.
Co-founded the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) and served as its first president (1990-93). ISME conducts assessment of economic and environmental values of mangrove forests, organises workshops on mangrove conservation and sustainable utilization, public World Mangrove Atlas.
Co-created the Charter for Mangroves and included it in the World Charter for Nature, prepared by the United Nations conference on Environment and Degradation.
Supported creation of the Global Mangrove Database and Information System (GLOMIS) to document mangrove experts, research, and species.
Guided the evaluation of 23 mangrove sites across nine countries, leading to a global network of Mangrove Genetic Resource Centres.

Revolutionised India's Management of Mangroves:

Moved attention from blaming local communities to identifying ecological causes of mangrove degradation, instead highlighted clear-felling and altered bio-physical conditions as the real cause of mangrove degradation.
Introduced the fishbone canal method, a hydro-ecological technique successfully tested in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. This technique is used to artificially inundate areas that do not get regular tidal inundation.
Advocated for Joint Mangrove Management (JMM) involving local communities and State Forest Departments,
His efforts led to increased government investments in mangrove conservation, especially after the 1999 Odisha cyclone and 2004 tsunami.

PARAM-1: India’s Foundational LLM

Context: In July 2025, the government-backed BharatGen released PARAM-1, a bilingual Large Language Model (LLM) built from scratch to reflect India’s linguistic and cultural realities, focusing on Hindi and English.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key Features of PARAM-1.

Foundational AI

Foundational AI: Large-scale AI models trained on very large datasets and over which numerous specific applications can be built, including generative AI.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are a type of Foundational AI model trained with vast datasets with at least one billion or more parameters. E.g., AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Grok.
Small Language Models (SLMs) are compact AI systems typically having fewer than 1 billion parameters (ranges from millions to a few billion parameters). Cheaper to run and maintain, and ideal for specific use cases.

In its mission to build open source Large Language Models (LLMs) for Indian researchers and developers, BharatGen, the government-backed AI Initiative, has released a LLM called PARAM-1.

About PARAM-1

PARAM-1 is a 2.9-billion parameter bilingual foundational AI model developed by the BharatGen team.
It reflects India’s linguistic and cultural realities- with 25% of its training data in Hindi and the rest in carefully curated English.

Key Features:

Bilingual focus: Trained in Hindi and English, incorporating government documents, literary works, educational and community content.
Script-aware Tokeniser:
- Tokeniser is the first step in how a language model processes text. It breaks sentences into smaller units, or tokens, which the model can interpret.
- Standard tokenisers (built for English) perform poorly on Indian scripts, splitting words into too many fragments.
- PARAM-1 addresses this with a script-aware tokeniser that recognises Hindi and other Indic scripts, creating fewer and more meaningful tokens. This improves both accuracy and efficiency.
Three-phase training focuses on language fluency, factual consistency, and long-context understanding. This allows the model to gradually develop fluency, retain factual information, and improve performance on tasks that require reading and reasoning over longer texts.
India-centric evaluation: Tested on Indian benchmarks like MILU (competitive exam questions) and SANSKRITI (cultural knowledge), besides global ones like MMLU and ARC.

Limitations:

Currently supports only Hindi and English, excluding India’s wider linguistic diversity. Raises concerns over the model’s inclusivity, especially in a country where linguistic identity often intersects with regional politics and access to services.

Molecular Imaging: Caltech’s Angstrom-Scale Microscope

Context: Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a breakthrough imaging technique that enables real-time filming of Brownian motion (molecular motions). This imaging technique indirectly detects molecules by observing their interactions with light and tapping into Brownian motion.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Basic idea about working of Microscope; Brownian motion; Applications of high-resolution Molecular Imaging.

Conventional Microscope

Conventional light microscopes work by using visible light to magnify and resolve small objects or structures.
Limitations:
- Conventional microscopes are invasive (disturb or damage the sample being studied) either physically, chemically, or by introducing heat or radiation.
- Have limited fields of view. They can not distinguish individual molecules, which are around tens of Angstroms in size (1 Angstrom = 0.0000000001 m).

Brownian Motion:

Brownian motion is the random movement of particles in a fluid (liquid or air) due to their collisions with other atoms or molecules. The more massive a particle, the slower its Brownian motion.
Examples of Brownian Motion include:
- The motion of pollen grains on still water
- Movement of dust motes in a room (although largely affected by air currents)
- Diffusion of pollutants in the air
- Diffusion of calcium through bones
- Movement of "holes" of electrical charge in semiconductors.

Breakthrough Imaging Technique

The breakthrough imaging technique utilises Brownian motion, ultrafast lasers, and light-matter interaction to indirectly detect and visualise molecular behaviour by observing their interactions with light.
Their technique taps into the Brownian motion of particles. By measuring how fast a molecule changes the properties of light, researchers could determine its size.
- The more massive a particle, the slower its Brownian motion.
- Small molecules spin fast and disturb the light more than larger ones. This fact allows the size estimation of molecules by observing their interaction with light.
Benefits of the Microscope: Non-invasive; Can help visualise molecular sizes in real-time at the Angstrom scale (higher resolution). No existing technique till date has achieved this level of detail.

Significance: This new imaging technique could help better visualise processes and transform biomedical research, disease detection, drug design, and nanomaterial fabrication.

Applications of high-resolution Molecular Imaging:

Early detection of diseases (like cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative) by visualising specific biomarkers associated with disease progression.
Drug design and targeted drug delivery: Help researchers visualise delivery of drugs to specific tissues or cells, and optimise the design of nanocarriers for improved therapeutic outcomes.
Efficient electronics: Observing the movement of electrons, and manipulating it to design more efficient electronic devices.
Nanomaterial fabrication: Helps understand molecular processes in nanomaterial synthesis.

Also Read: Nobel Prize in Physics for Attosecond Physics

2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

Context: India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on 14-15 July 2025.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About BIMSTEC and BIMSTEC Ports Conclave.

BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

India hosted the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam.
Organised recently by Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA).
Aim: To operationalise the recently signed BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC), facilitate dialogue on port-led development, and foster deeper integration in maritime trade, logistics, cruise tourism, and skill development.
Theme: Navigating the Future- Blue Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Partnerships.

Key Highlights of the Conclave:

Member countries pushed for greater collaboration between the members of the grouping.

In line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the participants were in agreement on the need for deeper BIMSTEC collaboration in port-led growth, digital integration, and skill development to unlock regional prosperity.

Call to make the BIMSTEC maritime economy more innovative and inclusive. Despite the grouping’s 1.7 billion population and a combined GDP of $4.5 trillion, its intra-regional trade stands at just 7%, as against 25% in the ASEAN maritime zone.
Industry and government representatives called for:
- Unifying digital port platforms for seamless tracking and trade
- Creation of a regional skill certification framework for maritime professionals
- Promotion of coastal shipping and cruise tourism circuits to boost connectivity and culture.
The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways urged the member countries to ratify and implement the recently inked BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC).

BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC):

AMTC was signed during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand (April 2025).
The agreement seeks to facilitate dialogue on port-led development and foster greater integration of maritime trade, logistics, cruise tourism, and skill development.

Key initiatives:

The conclave also hammered out key initiatives, including :

Regional collaboration through the Kaladan corridor linking northeast India with Myanmar,
A BIMSTEC cruise tourism circuit.
Launch of a real-time maritime dashboard for regional project tracking.
Leveraging public-private partnerships to build world-class port and logistics infrastructure.

Significance of BIMSTEC Ports Conclave

Strategic Connectivity Boost: Strengthens multimodal links like the Kaladan project, enhancing access to India’s Northeast and deepening India-ASEAN connectivity.
Maritime Trade & Blue Economy: Supports India's SAGAR vision by fostering regional maritime trade, cruise tourism, and port-led development.
Geopolitical Leverage: Enhances India’s leadership role in the Bay of Bengal amidst growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Digital and Skill Diplomacy: Promotes digital port integration and regional skilling, aligning with India’s push for innovation and capacity-building in neighbourhood diplomacy.

About BIMSTEC

BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
Established: 1997 through Bangkok Declaration.
Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
Objective: To promote regional cooperation in areas like trade, technology, transport, energy, tourism, fisheries, and security.
Permanent Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh
BIMSTEC constitutes a unique link between South and South-East Asia, with:
- five members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka)
- two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand).

States cannot demand Delimitation claiming parity with J&K: SC

Context: The Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking the Delimitation of Assembly Constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on grounds of parity with the recent delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir (2022).

Relevance of the topic : Prelims : Article 170(3), Delimitation process and legal provisions

What is Delimitation Exercise?

Delimitation refers to the process of redrawing the boundaries of constituencies or electoral areas. This ensures that each constituency has a roughly equal number of voters, based on the principle of ‘one vote, one value’.
The Constitution under Article 82 mandates delimitation after each census to readjust the seats as per changes in population. (Article 82 for Lok Sabha and Article 170 for State Legislative Assemblies).
After each census, a readjustment is to be made in:
- allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to the States
- division of each State into territorial constituencies.
Such an exercise was carried out after the 1951, 1961 and 1971 Census.
The 42nd Constitution Amendment Act, 1976 put the delimitation exercise on freeze for 25 years until the 2001 Census to encourage population-limiting measures.
Further, 84th Amendment Act, 2001 put on hold the delimitation exercise again until the first Census after 2026.

The Supreme Court rejected the petition as Article 170 (3) imposes a freeze on delimitation of State Legislative Assembly seats until the first Census after 2026.

What Article 170 (3) says?

Article 170 deals with the composition of Legislative Assemblies.

Article 170 (1): Subject to the provisions of Article 333, the Legislative Assembly of each State shall consist of not more than 500, and not less than 60 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the State.
Article 170 (2):
- Each State must be divided into territorial constituencies in such a way that the population per seat is roughly equal across the State. This division is based on the most recent census for which final figures have been published.
- Until the figures of the first post-2026 census figures are published, the term “last census” will mean the 2001 Census. (84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001)
Article 170 (3): Until the relevant figures for the first Census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust:
- Total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of each State as fixed by the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976; and
- Division of each State into territorial constituencies as made by that Order.

Why was Delimitation allowed in Jammu & Kashmir ?

Jammu & Kashmir became a Union Territory in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370. As a Union Territory, it is not bound by the freeze under Article 170(3).
The delimitation exercise in 2022 was based on the 2011 Census, following the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

The Supreme Court also held that:

Allowing delimitation for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through a judicial dictum would foster discontent among other States and breed inequality.
Granting such a relief would prompt unabated challenges from other similarly situated regions. In particular, the four NorthEastern States- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland, which were expressly excluded from the scope of delimitation by way of a Central notification in 2021.

Also Read: Delimitation and concerns of South Indian States