Latest News
The United States has activated SOLAR-1, its first dedicated operational space weather monitoring satellite, to provide early warnings of solar storms that can disrupt GPS navigation, communication systems, satellites, aviation, and power grids.
About SOLAR-1
SOLAR-1 (Space Weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness–1) is the first U.S. satellite exclusively designed for continuous operational monitoring of space weather. It is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and forms a key part of the United States’ efforts to improve resilience against solar storms.
Originally known as Space Weather Follow-On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), the mission was later renamed SOLAR-1 to reflect its operational role in enhancing space weather preparedness.
Mission and Objectives
The primary objective of SOLAR-1 is to continuously monitor the Sun's activity, particularly solar wind and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and provide timely warnings before these disturbances reach Earth.
Its data enables governments and industries to protect electric power grids, satellites, communication networks, navigation systems, aviation, and human spaceflight missions from the harmful effects of intense space weather.
Launch Details
SOLAR-1 was launched on 24 September 2025 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
Orbit and Strategic Location
SOLAR-1 is positioned at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), located approximately 1.5–1.6 million kilometres from Earth towards the Sun.
The L1 Lagrange Point provides an uninterrupted view of the Sun, allowing the satellite to continuously monitor solar activity before it reaches Earth. Because the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth nearly balance at this location, the satellite requires very little fuel to maintain its orbit, making it ideal for long-term observations.
Key Instruments and Capabilities
SOLAR-1 carries a Compact Coronagraph, a specialised telescope that continuously observes the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona) to detect Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
In addition, it carries instruments that make real-time measurements of the solar wind, including its speed, density, temperature, and magnetic field.
A major technological advancement is its ability to transmit CME images to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center within just 30 minutes, compared to up to eight hours required by earlier monitoring systems.
Importance of SOLAR-1
SOLAR-1 significantly improves space weather forecasting, enabling earlier warnings of severe solar storms.
Its observations help protect:
Satellites from radiation damage.
GPS and navigation systems from signal disruption.
Power transmission grids from geomagnetic disturbances.
Communication networks and aviation operations.
Astronauts and future deep-space missions from harmful solar radiation.
Aurora forecasting, improving predictions of Northern and Southern Lights.
What is Space Weather?
Space weather refers to the changing environmental conditions in space caused by the Sun's activity, including solar flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and high-speed solar winds.
These events can disturb Earth's magnetic field (magnetosphere), interfere with radio communications, damage satellites, disrupt navigation systems, induce currents in power lines, and increase radiation exposure for astronauts.
What are Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)?
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is a massive eruption of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's outer atmosphere (corona).
When directed towards Earth, CMEs can trigger geomagnetic storms, resulting in satellite malfunctions, GPS disruptions, radio blackouts, power outages, and spectacular auroral displays.
What are Lagrange Points?
Lagrange Points are five locations (L1 to L5) in a two-body system where the combined gravitational forces of the two bodies balance the orbital motion of an object.
The Sun–Earth L1 point is particularly valuable for solar observation because spacecraft positioned there receive the earliest possible view of solar events before they affect Earth.
Why in News?
The Government of India notified the Rules for all four Labour Codes in May 2026, completing the legislative framework nearly six years after the Codes were enacted between 2019 and 2020. While the government views this as a major labour reform, trade unions and labour experts argue that the Rules leave several important issues unresolved, particularly regarding job security, wages, social security, trade union rights, and occupational safety.
Background
India's labour laws were previously governed by 29 Central labour legislations, many of which had overlapping provisions and created regulatory complexity. To simplify and modernise the labour law framework, these laws were consolidated into four Labour Codes between 2019 and 2020.
The notification of Rules in May 2026 enables these Codes to become fully operational across the country.
The Four Labour Codes
Code on Wages, 2019
The Code on Wages, 2019 consolidates laws relating to minimum wages, payment of wages, bonus, and equal remuneration. It extends the concept of minimum wages to all employees, regardless of sector, and empowers the Central Government to prescribe a national floor wage, below which States cannot fix minimum wages.
Industrial Relations Code, 2020
The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 governs trade unions, industrial disputes, retrenchment, layoffs, and closure of establishments. It introduces Fixed-Term Employment (FTE) as a regular form of employment and seeks to simplify dispute resolution while promoting industrial harmony.
Code on Social Security, 2020
The Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidates various social security laws relating to Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), Employees' State Insurance (ESI), maternity benefits, gratuity, employee compensation, and welfare schemes.
For the first time, the Code recognises gig workers, platform workers, and unorganised workers, enabling the government to design dedicated social security schemes for them.
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2020
The OSHWC Code integrates laws relating to workplace safety, health standards, welfare facilities, contract labour, inter-state migrant workers, factories, mines, plantations, and working conditions.
It aims to create safer workplaces while simplifying compliance for employers.
Importance of Rules
The Rules provide the operational framework for implementing the Labour Codes. While the parent legislation establishes broad legal principles, the Rules specify procedures, implementation mechanisms, compliance requirements, and safeguards.
Since many provisions in the Codes were broadly worded, the Rules offered an opportunity to strengthen worker protections. However, critics argue that several important safeguards have not been adequately incorporated.
Major Concerns with the Labour Codes Rules
Fixed-Term Employment (FTE) and Job Security
The Industrial Relations Code formally recognises Fixed-Term Employment, allowing employers to hire workers for a specified duration without creating permanent employment.
However, the Rules do not prescribe any minimum contract period or place any limit on repeated renewals. This creates the possibility of employers continuously renewing short-term contracts instead of offering permanent employment, thereby reducing job security and increasing employment uncertainty.
Social Security for Gig and Platform Workers
The Social Security Code legally recognises gig workers and platform workers, but the Rules continue to classify them as part of the unorganised workforce rather than as employees.
Consequently, they remain outside several statutory labour protections available to regular workers.
The Rules also fail to operationalise the provision relating to mandatory gratuity insurance, leaving workers vulnerable if employers fail to pay gratuity.
Trade Union Recognition
The Industrial Relations Rules require a registered trade union to secure at least 30% membership of workers in an establishment before it can be recognised as the sole negotiating union.
Critics point out that this 30% threshold does not appear in the parent legislation and has been introduced through subordinate legislation. Smaller unions may therefore find it difficult to gain recognition, weakening collective bargaining and workers' negotiating power.
Occupational Safety and Contract Labour
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules do not adequately specify which activities may be outsourced to contract labour and fail to distinguish between core and non-core activities.
This ambiguity may encourage greater dependence on contract labour even in core operations, accelerating the informalisation of employment.
The Rules also omit certain welfare measures for plantation workers, particularly relating to housing and medical facilities, which were available under earlier labour laws.
Government's Perspective
The Government maintains that the Labour Codes aim to simplify India's labour regulatory framework, improve the ease of doing business, encourage formal employment, reduce compliance burdens for industries, and create a more flexible labour market while extending social security coverage to previously excluded categories such as gig workers.
Concerns Raised by Trade Unions and Experts
Trade unions argue that the Labour Codes shift the balance in favour of employers by increasing labour market flexibility while reducing long-term employment security.
They contend that vague provisions relating to Fixed-Term Employment, wage determination, contract labour, gig worker protection, and trade union recognition weaken labour rights and could accelerate informalisation of the workforce.
Way Forward
Why in News?
The Government of India, citing data from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), stated that 91.1% of the 135 assessed marine fish stocks were sustainable in 2022. However, this claim has been questioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and marine experts, who argue that Indian marine fisheries have plateaued due to overfishing, ecological degradation, and governance gaps.
Status of Marine Fisheries in India
India possesses an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 2.37 million sq. km, extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coastline, making it one of the world's major marine fishing nations. Marine fisheries support millions of coastal livelihoods, contribute significantly to food security, and are an important source of export earnings.
Despite official claims of sustainability, fish catches in many coastal regions have stagnated, several commercially important species have declined, and traditional fishing communities increasingly report lower catches and shrinking fish diversity.
Major Concerns with the Official Sustainability Claims
Reliance on Landing Data Instead of Scientific Stock Assessment
The CMFRI primarily estimates fish stock health using landing data, which measures the quantity of fish brought ashore by fishermen.
However, most advanced fishing nations conduct scientific stock assessments at sea, using surveys, acoustic monitoring, and ecosystem modelling to estimate actual fish populations.
Decline of Inshore Marine Ecosystems
India's continental shelf, where marine productivity is highest, is relatively narrow along most of the coastline, except in Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra.
These shallow coastal waters serve as important breeding, feeding, and nursery grounds for commercially valuable species such as shrimp and marine fish. However, the construction of dams, destruction of mangroves, coastal pollution, and habitat degradation have significantly reduced the ecological productivity of these areas.
Expansion of Mechanised Bottom Trawling
The introduction of mechanised trawlers during the 1960s transformed India's fishing sector but also accelerated marine ecosystem degradation.
Bottom trawlers drag heavy nets across the seabed, destroying coral habitats, seagrass beds, benthic organisms, and juvenile fish populations. Continuous trawling has reduced biodiversity and affected the long-term sustainability of fisheries, particularly in nearshore waters.
Governance Challenges
The 5-nautical-mile no-trawling zone, intended to protect traditional fishers and coastal ecosystems, is poorly enforced due to inadequate patrol vessels, limited manpower, and weak monitoring mechanisms.
Traditional fishing communities remain largely excluded from co-management arrangements, reducing local participation in conservation and compliance. Consequently, both mechanised and artisanal fishers are increasingly competing in already stressed offshore fishing grounds.
Government Initiatives for Sustainable Marine Fisheries
Marine Fishing Regulation Acts (MFRAs)
Since fisheries are a State Subject under the Constitution, every coastal State and Union Territory has enacted its own Marine Fishing Regulation Act (MFRA) to regulate fishing practices, licensing, and conservation measures within territorial waters.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
The PMMSY aims to promote the sustainable development of India's fisheries sector while improving the livelihoods of fishers.
The scheme encourages mariculture, seaweed cultivation, and open-sea cage farming, thereby reducing pressure on nearshore fisheries. It also includes the development of 100 Climate-Resilient Coastal Fishermen Villages (CRCFVs) to strengthen coastal resilience.
National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017
The policy provides a comprehensive framework for responsible, inclusive, and sustainable marine fisheries management, balancing conservation with livelihood security.
Regulation of Fishing Practices
The Government has prohibited paired bottom trawling (bull trawling) and the use of LED lights for fishing within India's EEZ to reduce ecological damage.
It has also advised States to make the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) mandatory in trawl nets to minimise accidental capture of endangered marine turtles.
Annual Uniform Fishing Ban
To facilitate fish breeding and ensure fisher safety during the monsoon season, India imposes a 61-day annual fishing ban in the EEZ.
East Coast: 15 April – 14 June
West Coast: 1 June – 31 July
This seasonal closure allows fish populations to regenerate naturally.
Role of National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), in collaboration with research institutions and State Fisheries Departments, undertakes awareness programmes, capacity building, and scientific research to promote sustainable fisheries management.
Way Forward
India needs to adopt scientific stock assessment methods based on ecosystem surveys rather than relying predominantly on landing data.
Greater investment is required in satellite monitoring, Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), and stronger coastal surveillance to effectively regulate fishing activities.
Mechanised trawling must be better regulated, while strict enforcement of the 5-nautical-mile no-trawling zone should protect traditional fishing communities and coastal biodiversity.
Conservation efforts should prioritise mangrove restoration, pollution control, environmental flows in rivers, and protection of nursery habitats, which are essential for healthy marine ecosystems.
Latest News
Recently, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) held in Geneva, Switzerland.
About the International Labour Conference (ILC)
The International Labour Conference (ILC) is the highest deliberative and decision-making body of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Often referred to as the "World Parliament of Labour," it brings together representatives of governments, employers, and workers from all 187 ILO Member States to formulate global labour standards and discuss key issues related to employment, social justice, and workers’ rights.
The Conference is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland, providing a global platform for framing international labour policies and strengthening cooperation among member countries.
Tripartite Structure – A Unique Feature
The ILC follows the unique tripartite model of the ILO, where each member country sends four delegates consisting of two Government representatives, one Employers’ representative, and one Workers’ representative (2–1–1).
A distinctive feature of this system is that each delegate votes independently, ensuring balanced representation of the interests of governments, employers, and workers, unlike most international organisations where only governments participate in decision-making.
Major Functions of the International Labour Conference
Framing International Labour Standards
The Conference adopts ILO Conventions and Recommendations, which serve as internationally accepted labour standards on issues such as working conditions, occupational safety, wages, social security, forced labour, child labour, gender equality, and freedom of association.
Monitoring Implementation of Labour Standards
The Conference reviews whether member countries are implementing ratified ILO Conventions through its Committee on the Application of Standards, thereby promoting compliance with international labour obligations.
Approving the ILO Budget and Programme
Every two years, the Conference approves the ILO's Programme and Budget and determines the financial contributions of member countries, ensuring the effective functioning of the organisation.
Electing the Governing Body
The Conference elects members of the ILO Governing Body, which acts as the executive council responsible for implementing the organisation’s policies and supervising its work between Conference sessions.
Admission of New Members
The ILC has the authority to admit new Member States that are not members of the United Nations, thereby expanding the global reach of the ILO.
Policy Discussions and Resolutions
The Conference debates the Director-General’s Report and adopts resolutions that guide the future priorities, policies, and activities of the ILO on emerging labour and employment issues.
Importance for India
For India, the International Labour Conference provides an opportunity to present labour reforms, participate in the formulation of global labour standards, strengthen cooperation on employment generation and social security, and align domestic labour policies with international best practices. It also enables India to contribute to discussions on future of work, digital employment, skill development, gig economy regulation, and workers' welfare.
Latest News
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), has launched "RISA: Timeless Tribal", a dedicated premium brand for promoting India's tribal textiles, embroideries, and handicrafts in domestic as well as international markets.
About RISA: Timeless Tribal
RISA: Timeless Tribal is a premium branding initiative launched to create a distinct identity for tribal products and enhance their market value. The initiative aims to preserve India's rich tribal heritage while generating better livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans through improved branding, design, packaging, and marketing.
The programme is implemented by TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with the objective of transforming traditional tribal crafts into globally recognised premium products.
Objectives of the Initiative
The initiative seeks to strengthen market linkages for tribal artisans by connecting them with premium domestic and international buyers. It also promotes design development, product diversification, and improved product presentation while preserving traditional craftsmanship and indigenous knowledge.
Another important objective is to ensure that tribal communities receive higher incomes through value addition and direct access to organised markets.
Implementation Mechanism
The project is being implemented through the National Design Centre (NDC), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Textiles. Renowned fashion designers have been associated with the initiative to modernise product designs while retaining their traditional identity.
The National Institute of Design (NID), Haryana, has been entrusted with developing premium and environmentally sustainable packaging, making tribal products more competitive in global markets.
First Phase of the Initiative
In the first phase, seven tribal textile and embroidery traditions have been selected based on their cultural significance and market potential. These include Eri Silk and Muga Silk of Assam, Santal Cotton of Jharkhand, Changpa Pashmina of Ladakh, Kotpad Cotton and Dongria Embroidery of Odisha, and Toda Embroidery of Tamil Nadu.
The initiative also promotes important tribal handicrafts such as Longpi Pottery of Manipur, Turtuk Brass Cutlery of Ladakh, and Dokhra Art of Chhattisgarh.
Major Components
The programme includes design development, garment prototyping, capacity building of tribal artisans, establishment of stitching facilities, strengthening of weaving and handicraft clusters, and improvement in branding and packaging. These interventions are intended to improve product quality and enhance market competitiveness.
Significance
RISA represents a major step towards promoting tribal entrepreneurship, preserving traditional knowledge systems, and creating sustainable livelihoods. It also supports the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Vocal for Local, and inclusive economic development by positioning tribal products as premium heritage brands.
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We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.
Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
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