Why in News

• The Indian Navy commissioned INS Samarthak, the first of the Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) class, on 16 October 2026.
• It is the first major warship built by an Indian private shipyard.

Key Facts

• Name: “Samarthak” means “The Proponent”, a dependable enabler for many missions.
• Design: It is a versatile platform for trials and evaluation.
• It can carry out maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Mains Angle

• Building warships in private shipyards widens India’s defence industrial base and reduces dependence on a few public sector yards.
• A trials platform helps domestic firms test new sensors and weapons, which speeds up indigenisation.
• Versatile ships can handle non-traditional threats at sea, such as disasters.

Why in News

• A study by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) found that fluctuations in the Indian Summer Monsoon shaped lake hydrology, vegetation and early farming in the Central Ganga Plain over the last 4,600 years.
• The findings can help with climate and agricultural adaptation, water security, wetland conservation and disaster risk reduction.

More on the News

• BSIP is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The study identified four environmental phases linked to climatic events, including the 4.2 ka arid event, the Roman Warm Period and the Little Ice Age.

Key Facts — About the study

• What the monsoon changed: The monsoon affected lake water levels, the movement of sediments, the type of plants growing, and the farming methods of early communities.
• Methods used: The team dated the lake sediments using radiocarbon dating and studied isotopes, grain size and pollen to rebuild past climate.
• Little Ice Age: In this colder phase, moisture from westerly winds caused flooding in the region.
• Why the Ganga Plain: It was a major centre of farming expansion after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization, and many migrations are recorded there.

About oxbow lakes

• Small oxbow lakes in the Central Ganga Plain are sensitive natural archives that preserve long-term monsoon records, ecosystem change and human-environment links.
• They give a baseline for understanding future change in one of India’s most densely populated and farmed regions.

Mains Angle

• Past monsoon records give a long-term baseline for climate models, which helps in planning for food and water security.
• The study shows that early farming communities adapted to monsoon swings, which offers lessons for present-day climate-resilient agriculture.
• Oxbow lakes are valuable for research and for flood control and groundwater, so they need protection as wetlands.

Science and Technology

• What was found: Indian scientists identified melanterite in Neyveli (Tamil Nadu) and gypsum in the Atacama Desert (Chile) and the Tiruchirappalli Badlands (Tamil Nadu). These places are similar to Mars, so they are called Martian analogue sites.
• Why these minerals matter: Both are formed by water and rock reacting. Gypsum shows that water was present in the past and can preserve signs of life. Melanterite shows short-lived wet and acidic conditions, like those thought to have existed on Mars.
• How it was done: The University of Kerala team used a laser Raman spectrometer, supported by DST-FIST, to identify the minerals. Data from satellites alone cannot fully identify minerals on Mars.
• The team will study similar sites in extreme conditions elsewhere to understand early life.