PRELIMS
Exercise Siyom Prahar
Why in News: Indian Army held Exercise Siyom Prahar in Arunachal Pradesh (Sept 2025) to test drone warfare tactics.
Conducted by: Indian Army, 8–10 September 2025, Arunachal Pradesh.
Type: Major field training exercise under realistic battlefield conditions.
Focus: Validating the use of drone technology in modern tactical operations.
Objectives
- Test & develop new tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for future battlefields.
- Seamless employment of drones alongside conventional forces.
Scope of Drone Employment
- Persistent surveillance & reconnaissance.
- Target acquisition and precision strikes.
- Demonstrated role of drones as force multipliers.
Integration with Conventional Forces
- Combined drone inputs with artillery & infantry operations.
- Joint targeting processes refined for accurate and timely strikes.
Significance
- Highlights technology as a decisive factor in battlefield superiority.
- Reinforces Indian Army’s commitment to drone warfare and future readiness.
First Koala Chlamydia Vaccine
Why in News: Australia’s veterinary medicine regulator approved the world’s first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia infections.
Developer: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; led by Prof. Peter Timms.
Type: Single-dose vaccine (no booster required).
Effectiveness: Reduced symptoms during breeding age & decreased mortality by ~65% in wild populations.
Usage: Approved for wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics, and field use.
Significance: Chlamydia causes up to 50% of koala deaths; infection rates often 50–70% in colonies of Queensland & New South Wales.
Conservation Debate:
- Supporters: Vaccine addresses a major health threat.
- Critics (Australian Koala Foundation, QCC): Stress habitat loss from wildfires & urbanisation remains the bigger issue.
Koala Status: Listed as Endangered in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Impact of Disease: Causes urinary infections, infertility, blindness, and death; antibiotics risk disrupting eucalyptus digestion.
Pink Tax
Why in News: Renewed focus on Pink Tax as a hidden gender-based price discrimination despite GST relief on sanitary napkins (2018).
Definition: Not an actual tax, but a pricing phenomenon where women pay more for products/services marketed to them compared to men’s variants.
Examples: Haircuts, toys, shampoos, razors, dry cleaning, clothing, deodorants, skincare, salon services.
Origin of Term: U.S., California (1994).
Global Data:
- U.S. study: Women’s personal care products 13% costlier, accessories 7%, adult clothing 8%.
UN Stand: In 2017, UN urged member states to end gender-based price discrimination to promote women’s economic equality.
Pink Tax in India
- Awareness: 67% Indians have never heard of Pink Tax (IFSA study).
- Policy step: July 2018 – Sanitary napkins & tampons exempted from 12% GST.
- Legal angle: No specific law; NCDRC ruling – companies must follow fair pricing and avoid gender-based price discrimination.
How to Avoid Pink Tax?
- Choose gender-neutral or men’s variants.
- Compare price per unit (ml/gram) instead of package.
- Opt for unisex salons; ask for gender-neutral pricing.
- Support gender-neutral brands & consumer advocacy groups.
Significance:
- Adds hidden economic burden on women, worsened by existing gender pay gap.
- Affects household savings where women are not part of workforce.
Bamboo-Based Ethanol Plant
Why in News: PM inaugurated India’s first bamboo-based 2G ethanol plant in Assam’s Golaghat, a zero-waste facility boosting clean energy, rural livelihoods, and energy security.
2G Ethanol Technology:
- Converts lignocellulosic biomass (like bamboo, agri residues, bagasse) into ethanol.
- Differs from 1G ethanol (sugarcane, corn) → avoids food vs. fuel conflict.
Why Bamboo?
- Classified as a grass (not a tree) under the Indian Forest (Amendment) Act, 2017 → easier to cultivate, transport, and trade.
- Fast-growing, renewable resource; regenerates without replanting.
- Provides livelihood diversification for tribal & rural communities.
Energy & Environment Linkage:
- Carbon mitigation: Reduces fossil fuel dependence, lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
- “Zero-waste” concept: By-products (furfural, acetic acid, CO₂) have industrial applications.
Strategic Dimensions:
- Enhances energy security → reduces oil import bill.
- Supports India’s Viksit Bharat vision by combining growth with sustainability.
- Fits into circular economy model → waste-to-wealth.
Socio-economic Angle:
- Promotes tribal economy by incentivising bamboo cultivation in NE India.
- Creates rural jobs in bamboo clusters (harvesting, preprocessing, logistics).
Scarborough Shoal Dispute
Why in News: China approved a nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, angering the Philippines, which claims the reef lies within its EEZ.
Location: Chain of reefs in the South China Sea, ~200 km off the Philippines coast, inside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Names:
- Philippines: Panatag Shoal / Bajo de Masinloc.
- China: Huangyan Island.
- Western origin: Named after British ship Scarborough.
Why Important?
- Rich in fish stocks and has a lagoon for safe vessel anchorage.
- Strategic position: In the middle of the South China Sea, near shipping lanes worth >$3 trillion annual trade.
Sovereignty Status
- Both China & Philippines claim it.
- China seized control in 2012 after standoff; maintains coast guard and militia.
- Permanent Court of Arbitration (2016): Ruled in Manila’s favour on South China Sea issues, but sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal was not decided.
- Ruling said China’s blockade violated international law.
Risk of Conflict
- Frequent close encounters between Chinese coast guard and Philippine vessels/aircraft.
- Philippines exploring international arbitration again.
- US–Philippines Mutual Defence Treaty (1951): Covers attacks “anywhere in the South China Sea.”
