A recent study has shown that coral reefs in the Gulf of Eilat underwent a 3,000-year period of halted growth because of global cooling, but eventually made a natural recovery from deeper waters.

• The Gulf of Eilat, also known as the Gulf of Aqaba, is a northern extension of the Red Sea, positioned between the Sinai Peninsula to the west and the Arabian Peninsula to the
• The Gulf of Eilat shares its borders with four countries along its coastline:
• Egypt – Northwest
• Israel – North
• Jordan – Northeast
• Saudi Arabia – East and Southeast
• The Gulf of Aqaba is known for its coral reefs, which are some of the northernmost in the world.

• Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as India’s 26^th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
• He is a 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre.
• He is an IIT Kanpur graduate in Civil Engineering, also studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard.
• The Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body responsible for administering elections to the Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.

• The Himachal Pradesh government has launched a bio-engineering initiative to combat landslides using vetiver grass.
• The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) has launched a pilot project to combat landslides using vetiver grass, in collaboration with the Vetiver Foundation-Climate Resilience and Sustainability Initiatives (CRSI) from Tamil Nadu
• The HPSDMA has received 1,000 saplings from CRSI, which have been planted in a nursery at Berti village in Solan
• Vetiver’s deep roots, which can grow up to four meters, bind soil and reduce the risk of landslides by preventing soil erosion and slowing water runoff.
• Vetiver also absorbs excess water, reducing soil saturation, making it a cost-effective and sustainable solution. This initiative aims to protect steep slopes ahead of the 2025 monsoon season.

• The 8th Indian Ocean Conference is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman on February 16-17, 2025 in Muscat, Oman.
• The theme for this year’s Conference is “Voyages to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership”.
• India, in partnership with Singapore and Oman, is hosting the Eighth Indian Ocean Conference
• The Indian Ocean Conference was started by India Foundation in 2016 at Singapore, with participation from 30 countries.
• The Indian Ocean, the third-largest ocean in the world, spans 70.56 million square kilometers and connects Asia, Africa, and Australia.
• It has historically served as a natural trade corridor influenced by Indian civilization and maritime networks.
• Surrounding the Indian Ocean are 26 coastal nations, including India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Oman, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, and Somalia.
• The Indian Ocean is a global trade hub, facilitating 70% of global container traffic and 90% of India’s energy imports, making it a crucial economic corridor.

 TRUST INITIATIVE

• India and the United States have launched the TRUST Initiative to enhance supply chains for critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials.

• The Transforming Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) is a bilateral agreement between India and the United States to boost cooperation in critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials.
• It builds on India’s involvement in the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) and the Minerals Security Finance Network (MSFN), with the goal of diversifying supply chains, reducing dependence on China, and promoting technology transfer
• The initiative focuses on building strong supply chains for essential materials like lithium and rare earth elements (REEs).
• The TRUST initiative aims to foster innovation in defense, AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, energy, and space.
• It seeks collaboration among governments, academia, and the private sector to drive advancements in these sectors.
• The TRUST initiative focuses on strengthening pharmaceutical supply chains, especially for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which rely on minerals like lithium and magnesium.
• As the second-largest API manufacturer, India’s focus is key to supporting its pharmaceutical industry.

• Recently, India hosted the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) India Conference 2025 in New Delhi from February 10-14, marking the country’s first time hosting the event.
• The theme of the conference was “Next Generation Administrative Reforms – Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile.”
• The event was inaugurated by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.
• Key figures featured at the event included Ra’ed Mohammed BenShams, President of the IIAS, and Srinivas, Secretary of DARPG.
• The conference, jointly organized by the IIAS and DARPG, Government of India.
• Experts from over 55 countries discussed innovations in public administration, governance, and policymaking.
• The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), founded in 1930 and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is a key global organization focused on advancing public administration.

• At Invest Karnataka 2025, Karnataka’s Energy Minister K J George introduced the Clean Mobility Policy for the years 2025 to 2030.
• The policy aims to attract investments of ₹50,000 crore and generate one lakh jobs in Karnataka.
• It also supports efforts to reduce carbon emissions and enhance air quality.
• Karnataka provides subsidies of up to 25% on capital expenditure for clean mobility projects.
• Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts are eligible for a 20%
• Karnataka plans to develop clean mobility clusters in Gauribidanur, Dharwad, and
• The policy aims to set up 2,600 new EV charging stations, complementing the 5,403 existing stations, and supporting over 2.5 lakh registered electric vehicles.
• With a focus on strengthening its position in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, the state plans to become a hub for clean mobility innovation in Asia.

• The Teesta-3 Dam was in the news due to a recommendation by an expert committee on January 27, 2025, to rebuild it after being destroyed by a glacial lake outburst flood in October 2023.
• The Teesta-III Chungthang hydroelectric dam, with a capacity of 1,200 MW, was destroyed by a flash flood.
• Triggered by a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from South Lhonak Lake, a glacial lake in North Sikkim
• The Teesta River originates from Tso Lhamo Lake in North Sikkim and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it merges with the Brahmaputra River (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh).
• Spanning 414 km, its major tributaries include the Ranget, Lachung, Lachen, and Dikchu
• The river is home to hydropower projects such as Teesta-III, Teesta-IV, and Teesta-V dams in Sikkim.
• A long-pending water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh remains unresolved, marking a key bilateral issue.

• Taj Mahotsav is a grand cultural festival held annually in Agra, India.
• The 10-day event takes place every year from February 18 to February 27 at Shilpgram, near the iconic Taj Maha
• Inspired by the Mughal and Nawabi culture of 18th and 19th century Uttar Pradesh, the festival showcases a rich blend of traditional music, dance, crafts, and cuisine.
• ‘The Heritage’ program of the World Designing Forum will showcase the incredible cultural and traditional diversity of India.

• Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu recently laid the foundation for North India’s first 1-MW green hydrogen plant in Dabhota, Nalagarh tehsil of Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
• The plant, which will cost Rs 9.04 crore, is expected to produce 423 kg of green hydrogen daily using renewable energy.
• This initiative supports the state’s aim to become India’s first green energy state by March 2026.
• Developed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) and Oil India Limited, the plant is set to be completed within a year.
• By using electrolysis with renewable energy, the plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner energy

• The 12th World Government Summit began in Dubai, UAE, on February 10, 2025.
• India was represented by Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
• He took part in the High-Level Roundtable on the Future of Mobility and the XDGs 2045 Ministerial Roundtable session.
• It is an annual global gathering that brings together world leaders, policymakers, experts, and thought leaders from various fields to discuss and address pressing global issues.
• The theme of this year’s summit is “Shaping Future Governments.”
• The summit is organized by a non-governmental organization, also called the World Government Summit, which was created in 2013 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
• WGS 2025 hosts multiple forums, including the Future of Work Forum, Artificial Intelligence Forum, and the Future of Mobility Forum. Each forum is designed to explore emerging trends and challenges in its respective sector.