India’s Renewable Energy Revolution

Source: HT  

Why in News? 

India has emerged as a global clean energy leader, adding a record 29 GW of renewable energy in the year 2024 alone.  

• With 232 GW installed capacity and 176 GW under construction, India’s energy transition is driving global sustainability efforts, powered by bold reforms and visionary leadership. 

What Is the Current State of Renewable Energy Development in India? 

• Status: India ranks 3rd in solar, 4th in wind, and 4th in total renewable energy capacity globally. Solar capacity surged from 2.63 GW in 2014 to 108 GW in 2025 (a 41-fold increase), while wind capacity has crossed 51 GW. 
  • It aims to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030 and 1,800 GW by 2047.  
• Reforms Undertaken:  
  • Market-Driven Bidding: India replaced feed-in tariffs with transparent bidding, leading to a sharp decline in solar tariffs from Rs 10.95/unit in 2010 to Rs 1.99/unit in 2021. 
  • Waiver of ISTS Charges: Waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges has removed geographical barriers, enabling nationwide renewable energy flow. 
  • Flagship Programs and Initiatives:  
    • Due to PLI Scheme for Solar Manufacturing, India's solar module manufacturing capacity nearly doubled from 38 GW in March 2024 to 74 GW in March 2025.     
    • PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana targets 30 GW decentralized capacity across 1 crore households, with more than 10 lakh houses already onboarded.  
    • Under PM-KUSUM, Farmers get up to 60% subsidy on solar pumps under PM Kusum Yojana, ensuring daytime power and extra income.    
    • The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) aims to produce 5 MMT of green hydrogen annually by 2030, backed by investments in Green Energy Corridors and a robust 2030 transmission roadmap to ensure efficient grid integration. 
    • Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, ethanol blending in petrol rose from 1.5% (2013) to 15% (2024).  
      • This saved Rs 1.26 lakh crore in foreign exchange. 
    • The Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative has commissioned over 100 compressed biogas (CBG) plants and aims for a 5% CBG blending mandate by 2028. 
• Emerging Energy Frontiers: Offshore wind initiatives plan 37 GW of tenders by 2030, supported by viability gap funding, with pilot projects underway in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. 
  • Hybrid and round-the-clock power policy promotes wind-solar hybrids and firm & dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) to develop 24/7 clean energy solutions. 
• Investment and Global Leadership: The International Solar Alliance, launched by India, unites over 100 countries under the vision of One Sun, One World, One Grid. 
  • India’s renewable energy sector accounted for nearly 8% of total foreign direct investment inflows in the financial year 2024-25, up from about 1% in FY21.      
  • At RE-Invest 2024, global investors committed Rs 32.45 lakh crore by 2030 to India’s clean energy future. 

What are the Key Issues Associated with India's Renewable Energy Sector? 

• Roadblocks in Shifting from Coal to Renewables: India’s transition from coal to renewable energy faces major hurdles, including heavy dependence on coal for employment and local economies in states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and an infrastructure tailored to coal-based power.  
  • Further, policy inconsistency, such as continued coal plant approvals, undermines investor confidence in renewables. 
• Financing Gaps: To build its targeted 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, India needs Rs 2 trillion in funding annually—that is half its entire 2023-24 Union budget. 
  • Additionally, the high capital costs for renewable energy infrastructure, coupled with the relatively slow return on investment, create a barrier for many investors. 
• Grid Integration & Storage Challenges: The intermittent nature of renewable energy, especially solar and wind, challenges grid stability, demanding robust energy storage and improved infrastructure.  
  • As of March 2024, the cumulative installed energy storage capacity stood at 219.1 MWh versus a requirement of 411 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage capacity by 2032, while renewable-rich states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan face high AT&C losses of 18.9% and 18%, respectively. 
• Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: China remains India's largest solar cell supplier, accounting for nearly 56% share in FY2024, which also dominates wind turbine supplies. 
  • India is heavily dependent on China for critical minerals, importing majority of its lithium and cobalt requirement, with over 70% of lithium sourced from China, which are essential for manufacturing renewable energy components. 
• Land & Environmental Constraints: The rising demand for solar and wind farms brings significant land challenges, with solar power needing 4–5 acres/MW and wind energy requiring 2–40 acres/MW, based on location and infrastructure. 
  • The need for large tracts of land often leads to competition with agricultural use, urban development, and natural habitats, causing potential conflicts with local communities and ecosystems. 
  • E.g., the Sillahalla Hydro Project (Tamil Nadu) highlights concerns over biodiversity loss and resettlement, underscoring the challenge of balancing clean energy goals with social and environmental sustainability.  
• E-waste and End-of-Life Management Issues: The growing volume of e-waste, particularly from solar panels, poses a significant challenge for sustainable development, as improper disposal can release toxic materials like cadmium and lead into the environment. 
  • As per the International Renewable Energy Agency, India may become the 4th-largest producer of solar panel waste by 2050.  
  • There is no comprehensive solar recycling policy, and the lack of large-scale recycling facilities poses serious environmental risks.

How can India Accelerate Renewable Energy Adoption to Meet Rising Energy Demand?

• Optimize Land and Water Resources: Leverage reservoirs, lakes, and coastal areas to implement the floating solar revolution by installing floating solar panels (e.g., Omkareshwar Floating Solar Park in MP), which conserve land, reduce water evaporation, and improve energy efficiency.  
  • Simultaneously, promote land leasing and agrivoltaics to enable dual land use for clean energy generation and agriculture through long-term solar farming leases. 
• Develop Renewable Energy Clusters: Establish Renewable Energy Special Economic Zones (RE-SEZs) with streamlined clearances, fiscal incentives, and integrated value chains from R&D to manufacturing to boost clean energy growth.  
  • Promote Renewable Energy Parks on degraded or non-agricultural land with integrated transmission access to optimize land use without impacting agriculture. 
• Leverage Digital and Emerging Technologies: Adopt blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer renewable energy trading to decentralize markets and empower prosumers.  
  • Concurrently, invest in smart grids, pumped hydro, and battery storage to effectively manage the variability of renewable energy supply. 
• Expand Renewable Infrastructure: India can boost renewable energy by installing Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) on rooftops to capture urban wind, alongside decentralized solutions like rooftop solar, microgrids, and solar irrigation pumps.  
  • These systems enhance rural electrification, reduce carbon footprints, and provide reliable energy to off-grid areas. 
• Promote Waste-to-Energy and Bioenergy: Develop Circular Waste-to-Energy Parks (e.g., Jamnagar Waste-to-Energy Park) using anaerobic digestion, gasification, and pyrolysis to convert waste into energy and valuable byproducts. 
  • Scale up biofuels and compressed biogas (CBG) through ethanol blending and SATAT to boost rural income and diversify energy sources. 
• Expand Global Engagement:  India can tap into global financing tools like the Loss and Damage Fund and Green Climate Fund to secure financial resources for large-scale renewable projects. 
  • Strengthen technology transfer through partnerships with G20, International Solar Alliance (ISA), and other international institutions to boost renewable energy deployment and technology adoption. 
  • India can collaborate with international bodies like IRENA to establish global standards for renewable energy, including shared frameworks for financing, technology adoption, and capacity building. 

Conclusion 

India's renewable energy push positions it as a global clean energy leader. Despite challenges like financing gaps and grid integration, innovations such as floating solar, RE-SEZs, and green hydrogen can drive progress toward the 500 GW target by 2030. This transition supports SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), ensuring energy security, promoting sustainable growth, and advancing climate action. 

Drishti Mains Question: Discuss the key reforms that have enabled India’s rapid renewable energy expansion and their impact on global sustainability efforts.

Synchronising Irrigation and Cropping

Source:FE 

Why in News?

India’s agriculture has long assumed that expanding irrigation automatically changes cropping patterns toward water-intensive crops, but 2011-12 to 2022-23 data shows irrigation and cropping decisions are made together, driven by immediate factors like rainfall and market conditions.  

• Understanding this dynamic is critical to making irrigation investments more effective and sustainable. 

What is the Relationship Between Irrigation and Cropping? 

• Irrigation and Cropping Patterns: Reliable irrigation enables farmers to shift from traditional subsistence crops (like millets) to high-value crops (like fruits, vegetables, and cash crops such as sugarcane and cotton). 
  • Irrigation facilitates multiple cropping (double or triple cropping) by reducing dependence on monsoons, thereby increasing land use efficiency.  
  • Areas with better irrigation infrastructure (e.g., Punjab, Haryana) , supported by Green Revolution investments in canals and tube wells, benefit from flat terrain and fertile soil.  
    • These regions exhibit more intensive and commercialized cropping patterns compared to largely rain-fed areas in Central and Eastern India. 
  • High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs) require assured water supply. Irrigation supports the adoption of such varieties, especially in the Green Revolution regions (Punjab, Haryana, and  western Uttar Pradesh). 
• Timing of Irrigation: Irrigation is most effective when it aligns with the sowing season. When infrastructure becomes available with a delay of one or two years, its impact weakens or turns negative. 
  • Farmers consider present-day rainfall, prices, seed and fertiliser availability, and policy signals when deciding what and when to plant. Delayed irrigation doesn't help them in such scenarios. 
• Crop Choices Beyond Irrigation Infrastructure: Though irrigation is vital, farmers' crop choices often depend on real-time factors like water availability, weather, input accessibility, and market prices, not solely just irrigation infrastructure. 

What are the Trends in Irrigation and Cropping in India? 

• Gross Irrigated Area (GIA):  It was increased from 91.8 million hectares in 2011-12 to 122.3 million hectares in 2022-23. 
  • GIA is the sum total of the areas irrigated under all crops over the various seasons in the agricultural year, under GIA, area irrigated twice/thrice in the same year is counted as two/three times. 
• Gross Sown Area (GSA): It rose from 195.8 million hectares to 219.4 million hectares during the same period. 
  • The share of sown area under irrigation grew from 46.9% to 55.8%. 
  • GSA is the sum total of the areas under all crops over the various seasons in an agriculture year, under GSA, area sown twice/thrice in the same year is counted as two/three times. 
• Crop Yields: Improved from 841 kg/acre to 1,009 kg/acre, with an average annual growth rate of 1.67%.

What are the Different Irrigation Systems?  Click here to Read: Different Irrigation Systems

What is the Need for Synchronising Irrigation and Cropping? 

• Efficient Water Use: Aligning irrigation with actual crop cycles helps reduce water losses and prevents over-irrigation. 
  • In Punjab, farmers use drip irrigation with soil moisture sensors for cotton and maize, reducing water use by up to 30% and increasing yields by targeting key crop stages 
• Higher Productivity: Timely irrigation supports optimal crop growth, especially for high-yielding and water-sensitive varieties. 
• Adaptation to Climate Risks: With erratic monsoons and rising extreme weather events, synchronised planning ensures that irrigation buffers crop failure during dry spells. 
• Cost-Effective Infrastructure: Investments in canals, micro-irrigation, or groundwater systems yield better returns when they meet farmers’ real-time cropping needs. 
• Environmental Sustainability: Reduces risks of waterlogging, salinization, and groundwater depletion caused by poorly timed irrigation. 

What are the Flaws in Traditional Irrigation Planning? 

• Mismatch with Sowing Cycles: Long gestation infrastructure projects (like Maharashtra’s long-delayed Gosikhurd irrigation project) often miss peak sowing windows, leading to underutilised systems. 
  • Canal repair or desilting works under centrally managed schemes are often completed post-monsoon, making them redundant for the kharif season. 
• Top-Down Approach Ignores Local Context: Centralised irrigation planning does not reflect local agro-climatic conditions or cropping preferences. 
  • In Punjab and Haryana, continued government support for water-intensive paddy, combined with canal irrigation, has led to alarming groundwater depletion (the total estimated groundwater depletion in India is in the range of 122–199-billion-meter cubes), showing the ecological cost of rigid planning. 
    • Excessive borewells use, due to free electricity has led to critical aquifer depletion, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and western UP. 
  • Additionally, poor maintenance, seepage, and theft cause up to 40% water loss in canal-fed areas. There is very little integration of traditional water harvesting structures in formal irrigation planning. 
• Lack of Input Convergence: Irrigation alone doesn’t raise productivity unless combined with quality seeds, fertilisers, credit, and extension services. 
  • In Uttar Pradesh, irrigation expansion did not boost yields significantly due to poor access to certified seeds and soil health inputs. 
• Absence of Real-Time Data Use: Irrigation planning rarely incorporates timely weather forecasts, soil moisture maps, or cropping patterns to guide water allocation. 
  • States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have begun integrating remote sensing and crop water requirement data to make irrigation more adaptive, but such models are still not widespread. 
• Technological and Financial Barriers: Traditional planning does not integrate modern micro-irrigation or renewable-powered systems.  Poor farmers are often excluded from drip irrigation due to high costs. 
• Soil Salinization: Lack of efficient drainage planning causes waterlogging and soil salinization in irrigated areas. 
  • By 2025, around 13 million hectares of irrigated land in India may be affected by waterlogging and soil salinity, worsened by saline groundwater use and climate change.  
  • These conditions can reduce crop yields by up to 80% and lead to land abandonment.  
  • In Haryana alone, waterlogged saline soils cause annual losses of over 2 million tons of crops.

What Reforms are Needed in Irrigation Planning to Ensure Sustainable  Cropping? 

• Adopt an Agro-Ecological, Region-Specific Irrigation Strategy: Shift focus from blanket irrigation expansion to region-specific planning based on soil types, rainfall patterns, and water availability. 
  • Promote millet, pulses, and oilseeds in arid zones under schemes like the Millet Mission, reducing pressure on water resources. 
• Integrate Irrigation with Input Services: Link irrigation investment with timely access to seeds, credit, fertilisers, and weather-based advisories through the Digital Agriculture Mission and electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). 
  • Encourage models like Andhra Pradesh’s Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS), using satellite data, soil moisture sensors, and cropping maps for precise irrigation scheduling. 
• Expand Micro-Irrigation and Small-Scale Innovations: Scale up the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) by offering cluster-based, demand-driven subsidies and custom hiring centers for micro-irrigation tools. 
  • Encourage low-cost, farmer-friendly innovations like solar-powered pumps, smart drip kits, and mobile-based irrigation alerts. 
• Rationalise Input Subsidies: Replace free or flat-rate electricity and water subsidies with targeted direct benefit transfers (DBTs) to discourage over-extraction and incentivize efficient water use. 
  • Expand Punjab’s “Paani Bachao, Paise Kamao” scheme to other groundwater-stressed states, offering financial rewards for using less water. 
  • Link Minimum Support Prices (MSP) with sustainable cropping patterns, rewarding cultivation of less water-intensive crops. 
• Restore Traditional Water Harvesting: Integrate traditional systems (like tanks in Tamil Nadu, johads in Rajasthan) with modern irrigation grids under MGNREGA and Jal Shakti Abhiyan. 
• Address Drainage, Salinity, and Waterlogging Proactively: Launch a National Drainage Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti to tackle waterlogging and soil salinity, especially in Indo-Gangetic plains. 
  • Promote salt-tolerant crop varieties (sorghum, oats and barley) and conjunctive use of surface and groundwater to control salinity. 
• Capacity Building and Awareness: Educate farmers through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and NGOs on water-saving practices, climate risks, and efficient irrigation methods.

Conclusion 

India’s irrigation planning needs to evolve from infrastructure-centric to climate-smart, farmer-responsive, and ecologically sustainable systems. This shift demands policy convergence, behavioural change, and technology integration, supported by strong community participation and institutional reforms. Only then can irrigation truly enable sustainable cropping and secure water, food, and livelihoods for the future. 

Drishti Mains Question: Reforming Irrigation, Reshaping India’s Future: The Path to Sustainable Agriculture” – Discuss.

World Milk Day 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

World Milk Day is celebrated to highlight the nutritional, economic, and environmental significance of milk, as well as the role of the dairy industry in the economy. 

• Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2001, World Milk Day 2025 is themed “Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” highlighting dairy’s role in nutrition, rural livelihoods, economic growth, and sustainability. 

What is the Current Status of Milk Production in India? 

• Global Ranking: India has been the world’s top milk producer since 1998, now producing 25% of global milk. Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, milk production rose 63.56%, from 146.3 million tonnes to 239.2 million tonnes. 
  • In 1950-51, India produced less than 21 million tonnes of milk annually. 
• Top Milk-Producing States: As per the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2024, top 5 Milk producing States are Uttar Pradesh (16.21%), Rajasthan (14.51%), Madhya Pradesh (8.91%), Gujarat (7.65%), Maharashtra (6.71%).  
• Per Capita Availability of Milk: In 2023-24, the per capita availability of milk was over 471 grams of milk daily, well above the world average of 322 grams.  
• Milk Production by Animal Type: 

What is White Revolution 2.0?  Click Here to Read: White Revolution 2.0

What is the Significance of the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Backbone of Rural India: Dairy industry contributes over 6% to the country’s GDP and supports the livelihoods of over 80 million dairy farmers. Around 12-14% of agricultural income comes from dairying. 
• Nutritional Security: At 471 grams/day (vs. global average of 322 grams), milk is a critical protein source, especially in vegetarian diets. 
  • Dairy provides calcium, Vitamin B12, and high-quality protein, addressing deficiencies like anemia and stunting.  
• Women Empowerment: India’s dairy industry sees strong female participation, with 35% women in cooperatives and 48,000 women-led societies, driving inclusive growth and rural empowerment. 
• Supports Integrated Farming: India’s large livestock population (around 303.76 million bovines and 74.26 million goats) supports integrated farming by providing manure for crop fertilization, enhancing soil fertility, and enabling biogas production for energy. 
• Sustainability & Climate Resilience: The Gobar-Dhan scheme boosts farmers' income by converting cattle dung and agricultural waste into bio-CNG and organic fertilizers for commercial sale, creating an additional revenue stream.  
  • It reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, lowers input costs, and promotes waste-to-wealth practices—supporting clean energy, emission reduction, rural entrepreneurship, and economic resilience. 
• Future Growth: White Revolution 2.0 aims to boost milk procurement by cooperatives from 660 to 1,000 lakh litres per day, targeting 100 million kg daily by year five.  
  • It focuses on milk production, women’s empowerment, and combating malnutrition. 

What are the Challenges in the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Environmental & Climate Pressures: Heatwaves may reduce milk yields by 10–30%, especially in northern states, which contribute 30% of India’s total milk production, posing a significant threat to the dairy sector’s productivity and income stability.  
• Rising Production Costs: Quality cattle feed prices have surged by 246% over the last 30 years, while milk prices have only increased by 68%, reducing profit margins for farmers. 
• Productivity Challenges: India's dairy productivity is low, with 50 million cows and 40 million buffalo in 2014 producing 140 million tons of milk.  
• Disease Outbreaks & Animal Health: Recent outbreaks like Lumpy Skin Disease (2022–23) led to a 10% drop in milk output, while mastitis causes annual losses of Rs 14,000 crore.  
  • Heatwaves and humidity fuel diseases like haemorrhagic septicaemia, with treatment costs eroding farmers’ incomes. 
• Unorganised Sector Dominance: Only 28% of milk in India is handled by the organised sector, including cooperatives, while over 70% remains in the unorganised sector. 
  • This results in poor quality control, lack of cold chain infrastructure, and limited market and credit access for small producers. 
• Threat to Indigenous Breeds: Crossbreeding boosts productivity, but over-reliance on crossbred cattle risks the survival of native breeds. 
  • With Kerala leading at 96% and a national average of 30% in crossbreed adoption, conserving indigenous breeds is vital for biodiversity, disease resistance, and sustainable dairying. 
• Marketing and Misleading Narratives: Marketing hype around A2 milk (opposed to A1 milk) may unfairly criticize crossbred cows, which produce 30% of India’s milk, despite little scientific proof. 
  • A1 and A2 milk differ by a small genetic change in beta-casein protein.  

What can be Done to Improve the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Genetic Refinement: The introduction of sex-sorted (SS) semen can increase the likelihood of female calves from high-yield breeds like Kankrej and Gir boosting the number of future milk-producing cows. 
  • Sex-sorted (SS) semen allows for the production of offspring of a desired sex e.g., only female calves. 
• Embryo Transfer (ET) Technology: ET technology can boost the productivity of high-genetic-merit (HGM) cows by producing multiple embryos for implantation into surrogate cows.  
  • This allows a single HGM cow to produce up to 12 calves per year, compared to just 5-7 calves in a lifetime through normal breeding. 
• Improved Diet Quality: Feeding easily digestible forages like legumes and grains shortens fermentation time, reducing methane production. Certain feed additives can directly block methane-producing microbes. 
  • E.g., Amul is setting up Total Mixed Ration (TMR) plants, which will produce affordable ready-to-eat fodder mixes consisting of maize, jowar, and oat grass for animals. 
• Climate-Resilient Breeds: Strengthen Rashtriya Gokul Mission to improve A2 milk-producing cattle (A2 milk is safer than A1), which are heat-resistant and produce low emission.   
• Adopt Technology & Digital Solutions: Deploy IoT collars and AI-based udder scanners to detect mastitis, and use automated milking machines to reduce contamination and labor costs. 
  • Implement the Bharat Pashudhan database with 12-digit livestock IDs to track health, breeding, and milk quality. 
• Strengthen Infrastructure & Cold Chains: Expand solar-powered chilling units to increase formal milk processing and upgrade village-level collection centers with quality-testing tools. 
  • Improve Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards to access global markets. 

Conclusion 

India's dairy sector, the world's largest, drives rural livelihoods, nutrition, and economic growth. However, climate change, low productivity, and disease outbreaks pose challenges. Leveraging technology (AI, sex-sorted semen), climate-resilient breeds, and organized infrastructure can boost sustainability. Strengthening schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission will ensure India retains its dairy leadership while addressing future risks. 

Drishti Mains Question: Q. Discuss the significance of the dairy industry in India’s rural economy and nutritional security.

PM-PRANAM Scheme

Source: BL 

Why in News? 

The PM-PRANAM scheme, aimed at reducing synthetic fertilizer use, has shown initial success with a reduction of 15.14 lakh tonnes of fertilizers in 2023–24, resulting in substantial subsidy savings. 

What is the PM-PRANAM Scheme? 

• About: PM-PRANAM (Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth) was approved in June, 2023 to reduce chemical fertilizer use by incentivizing states to adopt alternative fertilizers. 
  • It is operational for a period of 3 years (FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26). 
• Target Savings: The ultimate goal of PM-PRANAM is to achieve a ₹20,000 crore reduction in fertilizer spending, a significant target that reflects the long-term strategy to reduce chemical fertilizer dependency while promoting sustainable agriculture. 
  • It encourages the balanced use of chemical fertilizers alongside biofertilizers and organic fertilizers through organic and natural farming practices.  
• Tracking Mechanism: The Integrated Fertilisers Management System (iFMS) is the platform envisaged to track the use of fertilisers. 

How Can the PM-PRANAM Scheme Contribute to Sustainable Agricultural Practices in India? 

• Reduction in Chemical Fertilizer Use: PM-PRANAM encourages States to minimize excessive chemical inputs like urea, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate), NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), and MOP (Muriate of Potash), thereby reducing environmental risks like soil degradation, water contamination, and biodiversity loss. 
  • A state's urea consumption reduction will be measured against its three-year average to determine eligibility for subsidy savings and grants. 
• Resource Conservation Technologies: The Centre grants 50% of subsidy savings to states, with 70% allocated for assets supporting alternative fertilizer technology and production, and 30% for rewarding farmers, panchayats, and stakeholders involved in fertilizer reduction and awareness. 
• Organic and Alternative Farming: The scheme strongly supports the shift towards organic farming and sustainable alternatives, aiming to improve soil health and decrease dependency on synthetic fertilizers. 
• Positive Environmental Impact: The scheme is being  financed by savings from existing fertilizer subsidies from the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, with no separate budget allocated for PM-PRANAM. 
  • It helps mitigate water contamination, soil salinity, and biodiversity loss associated with electricity subsidy to farmers. 

Flipkart Gets NBFC Licence

Source: LM 

Flipkart has become the first Indian e-commerce company to receive a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), enabling it to directly lend to its customers and sellers. 

• Requirements to get NBFC Licence:  To register as an NBFC under the RBI Act, 1934, a company must be incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 or 2013. 
  • It must maintain a minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) of Rs 10 crore.  
• NBFC: It is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 or 2013, primarily engaged in lending, investments in securities, leasing, or hire-purchase.  
  • It excludes entities whose main business is agriculture, industry, trade in goods/services, or real estate.  
  • Companies that primarily receive deposits through schemes or arrangements, either as lump sums or installments, are classified as Residuary Non-Banking Financial Companies (Residuary NBFCs). 
• NBFCs and Banks: Unlike banks, NBFCs cannot accept demand deposits, are not part of the payment and settlement system (so they cannot issue cheques), and depositors under NBFCs are not protected by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). 

Read more: RBI to Review NBFCs

Thermophilic Bacteria for AMR Treatment

Source: TH 

Thermophilic bacteria thriving in extreme heat environments like hot springs in Rajgir (Bihar) hold great promise as sources of potent antibiotics against resistant bacteria and have significant industrial and agricultural applications. 

• About the Study: In Rajgir, Actinobacteria, known producers of antimicrobials like streptomycin and tetracycline, comprised 40-43% of the bacterial population. 
  • A compound, diethyl phthalate, extracted from Actinomycetales bacterium, showed inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes, a dangerous foodborne pathogen. 
  • Rajgir hot springs were studied using 16S rRNA metagenomics to identify microbial diversity, especially focusing on antibiotic producers. 
    • Metagenomics is the study of genetic material (DNA/RNA) recovered directly from environmental samples (like air, soil, water, gut microbiomes) without the need for culturing individual organisms in a lab. 
• Significance of the Study: The extraction of potent antibacterial compounds is vital to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—a silent epidemic fueled by antibiotic overuse.  
  • AMR has increased healthcare costs, often requiring multiple antibiotics per infection, with the WHO projecting global healthcare costs to reach USD 1 trillion by 2050. 
• About Thermophilic Bacteria: Thermophilic bacteria (heat lovers) inhabit hot springs, deep-sea vents, and compost piles, exploiting mineral-rich, low-competition niches. 
  • Thermophiles from Saudi Arabia produce antibiotics effective against gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. 
  • Application: PCR test enzyme (used for Covid-19) and a bacterial combination from a Leh hot spring promote plant growth. 

Read More: Metagenomics

India as a Global Biotechnology Hub

Source: PIB 

India showcased its rising prominence in the global biotechnology sector at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) meeting in New Delhi. 

• India inaugurated first of its kind public-funded DST-ICGEB Bio-foundry, a platform for scaling up bio-based innovations, supporting startups, and researchers. 
• ICGEB, established in 1983, is a premier intergovernmental organization with 69 member countries, with centres in New Delhi, Trieste, and Cape Town. 
  • Under the BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment), India aims to build a resilient bio-manufacturing ecosystem. 
  • India's bioeconomy grew from USD 10 billion (2014) to USD 165.7 billion (2024), targeting USD 300 billion by 2030. 
• India ranks 12^th globally, 3rd in Asia-Pacific in biotechnology, and is the largest global vaccine producer, with over 10,000 biotech startups in 2024 (up from 50 in 2014). 
• Notable Achievements Include: 
  • ZyCoV-D- World's first DNA-based Covid vaccine developed under Mission Covid Suraksha. 
  • Nafithromycin, country's first indigenous Macrolide antibiotic. 
  • Quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (qHPV) vaccine, CERVAVAC, has been developed to help prevent cervical cancer. 
  • Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), Pneumosil, has been developed to protect against pneumococcal diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, especially in children.

Read More: BioE3 Policy and Biotechnology in India

India Elected to IIAS Presidency

Source: PIB 

India has been elected President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for the term 2025–2028. 

• It marked the first time in the organization’s history that elections were held through a ballot, with India securing the top position by winning 61.7% votes. 
• About IIAS: IIAS, established in 1930 and headquartered in Brussels, is an international non-profit organization with scientific objectives.  
  • IIAS is a global federation of 31 Member Countries, 20 National Sections, and 15 Academic Research Centres, collaboratively developing public governance solutions to contemporary policy challenges. 
  • Notable member countries are India, Japan, China, Germany, Italy, Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Mexico, etc. 
  • IIAS works closely with the United Nations, contributing to the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (UN CEPA) and the UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN), though not formally affiliated to the UN. 
• India has been a Member State of IIAS since 1998, represented by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

Read More: Major Administrative Reforms