General Studies Paper-2

Context: WHO Member States approved a historic resolution calling for adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, aimed at making the world safer from future pandemics.

WHO Pandemic Agreement

• The agreement is the result of over three years of negotiations initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic to address global inequities and improve pandemic preparedness and response.
• This includes equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
• It was adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.
• It seeks to enhance collaboration among countries, WHO, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders to prevent pandemics and improve response systems.
• It will open for signature and ratification after the annex is finalized. It will enter into force once 60 countries ratify it.
• It complements the International Health Regulations (IHR) amendments adopted in 2024.

Key Provisions

• Establishment of a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, to be negotiated and presented at next year’s World Health Assembly.
• Creation of a Coordinating Financial Mechanism and a Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) to ensure equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products.
• Pharmaceutical companies in the PABS system must provide 20% of their real-time production of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to WHO for equitable distribution, prioritizing developing countries.

Significance of an Agreement

• This landmark global accord reflects a unified international commitment to ensure a stronger, faster, and fairer response to future pandemic threats, grounded in equity, solidarity, and scientific evidence.

Current Context : The Ministry of Home Affairs launched the e-Zero FIR initiative—piloted in Delhi—to automatically convert financial cybercrime complaints over ₹10 lakh into FIRs when reported via the 1930 helpline or National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP)

About Zero FIR

• Definition: A Zero FIR may be registered at any police station, regardless of where the crime occurred.
• Origin: Recommended by the Justice Verma Committee (2013) after the Nirbhaya case to eliminate jurisdictional delays.
• Process:
  • Complainant approaches any police station.
  • The station registers a Zero FIR and sends a copy to the jurisdictional station.

About the e-Zero FIR Initiative

• Objective: Streamline registration of financial cybercrime complaints above ₹10 lakh, eliminating delays in FIR creation and enhancing recovery prospects.
• Legal Basis: Enabled under Sections 173(1) and 1(ii) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
• Mechanism:
  1. Complaint filed via 1930 helpline or National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
  2. Automatic Zero FIR generated at the e-Crime Police Station, Delhi.
  3. Auto-routing of the Zero FIR to the appropriate local cybercrime station.
  4. Complainant converts the Zero FIR to a regular FIR within 3 days.

Current Context : Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched the new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Portal in New Delhi, aiming to streamline services for over 5 million OCI cardholders and new applicants .

About the OCI Scheme & Portal

• Scheme Origin: Introduced via amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955 in August 2005 to allow lifelong visa and related privileges to eligible foreign nationals of Indian origin.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • Citizens of India on or after 26 January 1950, or eligible under that date.
  • Descendants up to great-grandchild of such citizens.
  • Minor children of eligible persons.
  • Spouse of Indian citizen/OCI cardholder with 2-year continuous marriage.
  • Exclusions: Those with parental links to Pakistan, Bangladesh, or notified countries.
  • Must be ordinarily resident in India or abroad (continuous 6 months’ residence).
• Portal Features:
  • User-friendly interface with auto-fill of profile details and dashboard for application status.
  • Integrated payment gateway, in-built image cropping
  • Segregated menus for fresh applications and existing cardholder services.
  • Enhanced security and improved functionality for seamless registration and service delivery .

Current Context : The World Health Organization (WHO) member states adopted the first-ever global pandemic treaty during the 78^th  World Health Assembly in Geneva. 

Voting Outcome: 124 countries in favor, 11 abstentions (including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, and Iran); no votes against. Notably, the United States did not participate.

About the Treaty

• The treaty aims to enhance global preparedness and response to future pandemics by addressing the shortcomings observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It emphasizes equitable access to health tools, strengthens international coordination, and promotes a One Health approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.

Key Objectives

• Equitable Access: Ensure fair distribution of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics during pandemics.
• International Coordination: Strengthen global health infrastructure and cooperation among nations.
• One Health Approach: Integrate human, animal, and environmental health strategies to prevent future outbreaks.
• Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS): Establish a system for sharing pathogen samples and related benefits, with provisions to be finalized in an annex by 2026.
• Research and Development: Encourage geographically diverse research and development, along with local manufacturing capabilities.
• Technology Transfer: Facilitate the sharing of technology and knowledge to build global capacity for pandemic response

About WHO

• Established: Founded on April 7, 1948, as a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Membership: Comprises 194 Member States and two associate members.
• Mission: To attain the highest possible level of health for all people, defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Current Context : CISF Sub-Inspector Geeta Samota became the first officer of the Central Industrial Security Force to scale Mount Everest (8,849 m), marking a historic milestone for the force.

About Geeta Samota

• Joined CISF: 2011, currently posted at Udaipur Airport.
• Mountaineering Milestones:
  • 2019: First woman from any CAPF to summit Mount Satopanth and Mount Lobuche.
  • 2025: First CISF officer to summit Mount Everest, fulfilling her “Seven Summits” quest to climb the highest peak on each continent.
  • Expeditions:
    • Mount Satopanth (7,075 m): 2019
    • Mount Lobuche (6,119 m): Nepal
    • Mount Everest (8,849 m): 202

About Mount Everest

• Name: Mount Everest
• Location: Border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China
• Height: 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet) above sea level, as jointly confirmed by China and Nepal in 2020.
• First Ascent: May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal.
• Climbing Routes:
  • Southeast Ridge (Nepal): The standard and most frequently used route.
  • North Ridge (Tibet): Less commonly used due to political and logistical challenges.
• Climbing Season: Primarily in spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October), with spring offering more favorable weather conditions.
• Challenges:
  • Altitude Sickness: Due to the “Death Zone” above 8,000 meters, where oxygen levels are insufficient.

Current Context : Banu Mushtaq’s Kannada short-story collection Heart Lamp, was announced as the winner of the International Booker Prize 2025 at a ceremony in London’s Tate Modern.

About

• What is it?
• The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a work of fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 stories originally written in Kannada.

About the Book

• Title: Heart Lamp
• Author: Banu Mushtaq
• Translator: Deepa Bhasthi
• Publisher: And Other Stories
• Language: Originally in Kannada
• Themes: Women’s rights, caste, faith, power, and oppression
• Content: A collection of 12 short stories written between 1990 and 2023, portraying the lives of women and girls in patriarchal communities in southern India.

• Significance : It is the first Kannada-language book and the first short-story collection to win the International Booker Prize, and Deepa Bhasthi is the first Indian translator to receive this award.

Current Context : Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled the ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ initiative during the International Day for Women in Maritime celebrations in Mumbai to boost women’s representation at all levels of the maritime sector.

About

• What is it?
• ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ is a policy framework of the Government of India, launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, aimed at creating a gender-equitable maritime workforce from dockside roles to decision-making boards.
• Background : The initiative aligns with Maritime India Vision 2030 and the government’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) objectives, addressing the historical under-representation of women in the sector.
• Objectives : Empower women through inclusivity, safety, leadership training, skill development, and the dismantling of gender-based barriers within maritime professions. A target of 12% female representation in technical maritime roles by 2030 has been set.
• Growth in Women Seafarers : Women seafarers in India grew from 341 in 2014 to 2,557 in 2024, a 649% increase, with nearly 2,989 women receiving government financial assistance during this period.
• Linkages with SDGs : Supports SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by fostering equitable employment and leadership opportunities for women.

Current Context : Dr. M. R. Srinivasan, a pioneering Indian nuclear scientist and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, passed away, at the age of 95 in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.

About

• Who was he?
• Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan was instrumental in developing India’s nuclear power programme, contributing significantly to the nation’s self-reliance in nuclear energy.
• Education
  He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in 1950 and completed his master’s and Ph.D. in gas turbine technology from McGill University, Canada, by 1954.
• Institutional Roles : As the founding Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), Dr. Srinivasan oversaw the development of 18 nuclear power units, significantly advancing India’s nuclear energy capabilities.
• Awards and Honours : He was honored with the Padma Shri (1984), Padma Bhushan (1990), and Padma Vibhushan (2015) for his outstanding contributions to science and engineering.
• Global Recognition : Srinivasan served as a senior adviser at the International Atomic Energy Agency and was a founding member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).

Current Context : Renowned Indian astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar passed away at the age of 86. He was renowned for his contributions to theoretical physics, particularly the Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity

About Hoyle-Narlikar theory of gravity

• What is it?
• The Hoyle–Narlikar theory of gravity is a conformal theory of gravity that incorporates Mach’s principle, proposing that the gravitational constant is determined by the mean density of matter in the universe.
• Background / History
• Developed in the 1960s by Fred Hoyle and Jayant Narlikar, the theory was inspired by the Wheeler–Feynman absorber theory for electrodynamics and aimed to provide an alternative to the Big Bang theory.
• Scientific Impact
• The theory contributed to the development of the quasi-steady state model of the universe and sparked discussions on the nature of gravity and cosmology.

Observed globally on May 23.

• Theme : “Dancing Turtles Rock!”
• Objective : The day encourages human action to help turtles and tortoises survive and thrive, focusing on habitat preservation and protection from illegal trade and other threats.
• Background : Established in 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a nonprofit organization founded in 1990, the day aims to raise awareness about the threats faced by these reptiles.