PRELIMS
Fentanyl
Why in News: India placed on the U.S. Major’s List (2025) as a significant source of fentanyl precursors, after two Indian firms were charged for exporting them illegally.
About the Major’s List
- Compiled annually by the U.S. President.
- Highlights regions where geography, commerce, or industry contribute to flow of narcotics/precursors.
- Not necessarily a reflection of a country’s anti-narcotics efforts.
- However, nations like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bolivia, Venezuela described as having “failed demonstrably” under international drug-control obligations.
About Fentanyl
- A synthetic opioid (developed in 1960s) prescribed in controlled doses for extreme pain relief.
- Illicitly used: ~50 times stronger than heroin.
- 2 mg dose can be fatal → depresses brainstem respiratory centres → causes respiratory failure.
- Antidote: Naloxone (competitive antagonist of mu-opioid receptor).
- U.S. data (Aug 2023–Aug 2024): 57,000+ deaths from opioid overdose (mostly fentanyl).
Fentanyl Precursors
- N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP).
- 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (4-ANPP).
- Dual-use: legitimate pharma/industrial use but can be diverted to illicit labs.
Why Difficult to Monitor?
- Lab-made, not plant-derived → easier to synthesize.
- Requires small amounts of precursors → easily shipped.
- Simple organic chemistry techniques can convert precursors → fentanyl.
- Hidden within legal pharmaceutical/chemical trade channels.
Global Supply Chain
- China & India: Produce key precursors.
- Mexican cartels: Convert precursors into fentanyl powder.
- U.S. entry: Smuggled across Mexico border → mixed with other narcotics / pressed into counterfeit pills.
- U.S. response: sanctions, prosecutions, visa bans, trade penalties.
Blending Isobutanol with Diesel
Why in News: On September 11, 2025, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is exploring blending isobutanol with diesel after ethanol–diesel blending trials failed.
If successful, India would be the first country to blend isobutanol with diesel.
About Isobutanol
- Type: Alcoholic compound, used as solvent in paint, chemical industries.
- Property: Inflammable, miscible with organic solvents.
- Production: From sugarcane syrup, molasses, grains, etc. using engineered microbes instead of conventional yeast.
Why Considered Better than Ethanol for Diesel?
1. Higher Flash Point – Safer than ethanol (less volatile).
2. Better Blend with Diesel – Miscibility superior to ethanol.
3. No Complement Needed – Blends without requiring efficiency enhancers.
4. Surplus Utilisation – Allows diversion of raw materials from surplus ethanol production.
5. Emission Benefit – Helps in lowering emissions and import substitution.
Economic Feasibility
- Retrofit Requirement: Existing ethanol plants can be modified with fermentation + distillation tanks.
- Output Example: A 150 KLPD (kilo litres per day) plant → 125 KLPD ethanol + 20 KLPD isobutanol.
- Cost Factor: Comparable to ethanol with minor additional investments.
Challenges & Issues
1. Cetane Number – Isobutanol has much lower cetane than diesel → poorer ignition quality.
2. Knocking Risk – Can cause reduced engine power & damage unless corrected with additives.
3. Miscibility Issues – Needs biodiesel mixing for stable blending.
4. Additive Costs – Raising cetane number requires chemical additives, increasing costs.
5. Blending Limit – Experts suggest ≤10% blending to avoid engine damage.
Status
Global First: India could pioneer diesel–isobutanol blending if trials succeed.
UPSC Static Info Pointers:
- Cetane Number: Measure of diesel fuel’s combustion quality.
- Flash Point: Lowest temperature at which vapours ignite.
- Biodiesel: Made from non-edible vegetable oils, used cooking oil, or animal fats.
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)
Why in News: NCST has set up a special committee to examine how it can perform 8 additional functions assigned by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under a 2005 notification.
Constitutional Status
- Established in 2004, under Article 338A (inserted by the 89th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003).
- Separated from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), earlier combined under Article 338.
- Composition: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and 3 other members (at least one woman). Appointed by the President.
Functions under Article 338A
1. Safeguard Monitoring – Investigate matters on constitutional and legal protections for STs.
2. Inquiry Powers – Inquire into complaints of rights deprivation.
3. Advisory Role – Advise Union & State govts on socio-economic development of STs.
4. Annual Reports – Submit reports to President; tabled in Parliament with action taken memoranda.
5. Program Evaluation – Review and monitor welfare schemes for STs.
Powers of NCST
- Can summon witnesses, examine records, requisition public documents, issue commissions.
- Investigative Authority – may act suo motu or on petitions.
- Direct Reporting – reports directly to the President, ensuring autonomy.
Institutional Response & Challenges
- 2005 Annual Report: NCST admitted being “severely handicapped” due to lack of staff & funds.
- Subsequent reports: No mention of steps to meet extended mandate → highlights neglect of institutional strengthening.
Ig Nobel Prize 2025
Why in News: Two Indian engineers Vikash Kumar and Sarthak Mittal won the 35th annual Ig Nobel Prize (Engineering Design category).
Context
- Recognised for analyzing, from an engineering design perspective, how foul-smelling shoes affect the experience of using a shoe-rack.
- This is the 22nd Ig Nobel Prize for India.
About Ig Nobel Prize
- Aim: Celebrates the unusual, honors the imaginative, and stimulates interest in science, medicine, and technology.
- Motto: “First make people laugh, and then make them think.”
- Created: 1991 by Marc Abrahams, editor of Annals of Improbable Research (AIR).
- Organised by: Scientific humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research.
- Awarded Annually: 10 prizes across categories – Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economics, Peace, Public Health, Engineering, Biology, Interdisciplinary Research.
- Venue: 2025 ceremony held virtually from Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, USA.
India’s Past Ig Nobel Wins
- 2022: Mechanical Engineering Prize → Intl. team (India, China, Malaysia, US) for re-animating dead spiders as mechanical gripping tools.
- 2020: Peace Prize → India & Pakistan for diplomats ringing each other’s doorbells at night and running away.
UPSC Static Pointer:
- Ig Nobel Prize ≠ Nobel Prize (humor + science awareness).
- Started in 1991, Harvard connection, categories = 10.
