Current Context : The Delhi government approved five cloud-seeding trials in May 2025, partnering with IIT Kanpur to induce rain and mitigate severe air pollution episodes.

About Cloud Seeding

Cloud seeding is a scientific weather modification technique.

• Technique: Dispersal of silver iodide particles into moisture-bearing clouds to trigger precipitation.
• Agent: Silver iodide—a yellow inorganic compound, also used in photography and medicine.
• Applications:
  • Rain Enhancement: Boosts rainfall to wash out particulate pollutants.
  • Hail Suppression: Prevents hail formation by promoting uniform droplet formation.
• Advantages:
• Water Security: Augments water availability in urban reservoirs.
• Health Benefits: Reduces smog-related respiratory illnesses.
• Economic Gain: Lowers crop and infrastructure damage from drought or hail.

Current Context : Recently, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) notified the Competition Commission of India (Determination of Cost of Production) Regulations, 2025 to strengthen its ability to tackle predatory pricing by dominant enterprises.

About Predatory Pricing

• Definition: Selling goods or services below cost to eliminate competitors and then recoup losses via monopoly pricing.
• Legal Provision: Identified as an abusive practice under Section 4(2) of the Competition Act, 2002.

Key Features of Cost Regulations, 2025

• Sector-Agnostic Framework: Flexible, case-by-case cost determination adaptable to all industries, including digital markets.
• Primary Benchmark: Average Variable Cost serves as the main reference for predation.
• Alternative Measures: Permits use of Average Total Cost, Average Avoidable Cost, or Long-Run Average Incremental Cost (LRAIC) based on market dynamics.
• Expert Engagement: Allows CCI to engage independent experts (cost accountants, economists, chartered accountants) for technical accuracy.
• Repeal of 2009 Rules: Replaces outdated Cost Regulations, 2009 to align with evolving global competition practices.

Current Context : India’s Integrated Air Defence System (ADS) successfully intercepted and neutralized multiple hostile aerial incursions along the western frontier in May 2025.

About India’s ADS
An Integrated Counter-UAS Grid layers multiple Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems for comprehensive coverage:

S-400 “Triumf” (Sudarshan Chakra)

• Origin: Acquired from Russia; known as “Storm Shadow” in the UK.
• Role: Long-range, multi-target engagement; deep-strike capability.
• Range & Coverage:
  • Tracking: up to 600 km
  • Engagement: up to 400 km
  • Altitude: 30 m–30 km
• Features: Phased-array radars, 360° coverage, electronic-warfare counter-measures, layered-defence interoperability.

Barak 8 (LR SAM / MR SAM)

• Co-development: India & Israel (DRDO-IAI).
• Range: Up to 100 km
• Speed: Mach 2
• Variants: Land- and maritime-based
• Capability: Simultaneous multiple-target engagement via active radar seeker.

Akash Weapon System

• Indigenous: Developed by DRDO & Bharat Dynamics Ltd.
• Range: 4.5 km–25 km
• Altitude: 100 m–20 km
• Features: Command guidance, built-in ECCM, group/autonomous engagement, rapid “detect-to-kill” cycle, high jamming immunity.

Significance

• Layered Defence: Integrates long-, medium-, and short-range SAMs for seamless protection.
• Threat Response: Proven capability against low-signature drones, high-altitude aircraft, and cruise missiles.
• Strategic Deterrence: Enhances security along sensitive border sectors.

India and Buddhist countries celebrated Buddha Purnima on 12 May 2025, marking the birth, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana of Gautama Buddha.

About Gautama Buddha

• Born as Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini (present-day Nepal) in 563 BCE.
• Attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya and later gave his first sermon in Sarnath.
• Known as ‘Light of Asia’ for his message of non-violence, compassion, and spiritual awakening.

Observance

• Celebrated on the full moon day of Vaishakha month as per the Hindu lunar calendar.
• Includes prayers, meditation, sermons on Dhamma, and release of caged animals in Buddhist traditions.

Observed annually  on 12 May.

Objective : To celebrate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

About the Day

• Organized by the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
• Theme: “Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care.”
• Aims to recognize nurses’ role in healthcare systems globally and emphasize their critical contribution during crises (e.g., pandemics, disasters).
• ICN publishes an International Nurses Kit each year to guide global campaigns and awareness.

Celebrated globally on 11 May (second Sunday of May).

Aim : To honoring the contribution and love of mothers in family and society.

• Founded by Anna Jarvis in 1907 in the USA to honor her mother, Ann Jarvis.
• Officially recognized as a national holiday in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson.
• Celebrated worldwide, though dates and customs vary across cultures.
• Anna Jarvis later opposed its commercialization and spent her life fighting its commercial misuse.

India observed annually on 11 May.

Objective : to mark the anniversary of the successful Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998 that demonstrated India’s nuclear capability and scientific progress.

About the Day

• Commemorates India’s nuclear tests under Operation Shakti at Pokhran, Rajasthan, on 11 May 1998.
• Announced by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tests made India a nuclear-armed state.
• Observed since 1999, the day highlights the role of science and technology in national advancement.
• Also celebrates the first test flight of the indigenous Hansa-3 aircraft and the successful test of Trishul missile.

Current Context: Researchers from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Florida State University developed a new method using satellite data to estimate oceanic carbon export more accurately.

About the Model:

• Combines Lagrangian methods (tracking individual particles) + Advection (fluid movement) + Biological growth.
• Tracks phytoplankton succession and carbon movement in dynamic regions (e.g., California Current).

Key Innovations:

• Incorporates temporal and spatial lags in carbon export.
• Includes zooplankton activity and subsurface dynamics.
• Independent of ocean color data, overcoming limitations of traditional chlorophyll-based models.

Significance:

• Matches field data (e.g., Station M carbon monitoring).
• Enhances understanding of the biological pump—critical for climate change models and carbon sequestration

Context: India hosted the 12th edition of the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2025) from May 7 to May 9, 2025, in New Delhi.

Key Highlights:

• Theme: “Reaching New Worlds: A Space Exploration Renaissance,” emphasizing innovation, inclusivity, and international cooperation in space science.
• Organizers:
  • International Astronautical Federation (IAF)
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
  • Astronautical Society of India (ASI)
• Participation: Delegates from 35 nations, including officials from space agencies of China, Japan, Canada, and Europe, are attending the conference.
• Notable Absence: NASA did not send representatives to the conference, raising discussions on global space collaboration dynamics.

About IAF:

• Established: 1951
• Membership: Over 500 members from 78 countries, including major space agencies, private firms, research institutes, and universities.
• Motto: “Connecting @ll Space People”
• Vision: “A space-faring world cooperating for the benefit of humanity.”

Current Context : The Government of India approved a revised SHAKTI policy (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) to streamline coal linkages for thermal power plants.

About the Revised SHAKTI Policy

• Announced by: Ministry of Coal, approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
• Objective: Simplify coal allocation and ensure coal availability for power generation
• Structure:
  • Window I: Coal at notified price for Central/State TPPs
  • Window II: Coal via auction at premium for private players (even without PPA)

Key Features

• Tenure Options: Short-term (up to 12 months) to long-term (25 years)
• Flexibility: PPA not mandatory under Window II
• Implementation: Coal India Ltd & Singareni Collieries to act as nodal agencies

Benefits

• Reduces dependency on imported coal
• Encourages competitive electricity generation
• Allows surplus coal power to be sold via market-based mechanisms
• Helps India meet growing energy demands (302 GW target by 2031)