Australia has recently approved the world’s first vaccine designed to protect koalas from Chlamydia, a major health threat to the iconic marsupial.
Koalas (scientific name: Phascolarctos cinereus) are herbivorous marsupials native to Australia. They are most commonly found in eucalyptus forests and are arboreal, meaning they spend most of their time in trees. Known for their round ears and large, black noses, koalas are often mistakenly called koala bears, though they are not bears at all.
Habitat: Koalas are distributed across eastern and southeastern Australia, from Queensland to South Australia.
Diet: Koalas feed primarily on eucalyptus leaves, which are low in nutrients but high in fiber. This diet requires koalas to eat large quantities of leaves to sustain themselves.
Conservation Status: Koalas are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, disease, climate change, and human-related factors like road collisions.
Chlamydia is a serious disease for koalas caused by two types of bacteria: Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia pecorum. These bacteria can spread in several ways, including through mating, infected bodily discharges, and even from mother to offspring at birth.
Health Consequences: Infected koalas can develop a range of serious health problems, such as:
Eye infections leading to blindness
Urinary tract infections
Infertility, causing a decline in reproduction rates
Dehydration and weakness, making them more vulnerable to predators and bushfires.
Prevalence: In some areas of Australia, up to 70% of wild koalas are affected by Chlamydia, contributing significantly to their declining numbers.
Chlamydia's impact is compounded by habitat loss, climate change, and bushfires, which add to the koalas' vulnerability.
The newly approved vaccine is a groundbreaking development in the conservation of koalas. It is designed to protect them from Chlamydia infections, offering hope for combating one of the major threats to their survival.
Vaccine Approval: Australia’s approval of this vaccine marks a major step forward in efforts to save the koala population. It could potentially help reduce the spread of the disease, leading to healthier koala populations and more successful breeding.
Significance: This is the first time a vaccine has been developed and approved specifically for koalas to fight against Chlamydia. This will not only improve their individual health but also help protect the species from further declines in population.
Conservation Efforts: The introduction of the vaccine is part of broader conservation strategies, including habitat restoration and reducing human-induced threats like road traffic.
Recently, Adivasis from the Ho tribe staged a protest in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, voicing their opposition to the district administration's interference in their traditional Manki-Munda governance system.
The Ho tribe, also known as the Kolha people, are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group in India.
Self-Identification: They refer to themselves as Ho, Hodoko, or Horo, meaning 'human' in their language.
Distribution: The Ho tribe is predominantly found in Jharkhand’s Kolhan region, as well as parts of Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar.
Language: The Ho people speak the Ho language, which belongs to the Austroasiatic language family and is closely related to Mundari.
Occupation:
Most Ho tribe members are agriculturists, either as landowners or labourers.
A smaller proportion is engaged in mining.
Cultural Practices:
The Ho tribe places significant importance on traditional dance, often performed at an akhra (a village dancing ground) that is typically located under a tree.
Traditional music is a vital aspect of their culture, with instruments like the dama (drum), dholak, dumeng (mandar), and rutu (flute) playing key roles.
Religion: Over 90% of the Ho community practices Sarnaism, an indigenous religion.
Spiritual Leaders:
The Deuri serves as the village priest, performing rituals and guiding the community in spiritual matters.
The Deowa, or spirit doctor, conducts sacrifices to appease spirits and gods in a sacred grove located outside the village.
The Manki-Munda system is a traditional governance structure that has long been the backbone of the Ho tribe's self-regulation and dispute resolution.
Munda: The Munda is the head of a village and holds the responsibility for resolving socio-political disputes at the village level. The Munda’s position is hereditary.
Manki: The Manki oversees a larger region, typically a pidh, which consists of about 8 to 15 villages. The Manki’s role is to resolve issues that are not settled by individual Mundas.
Functioning:
The Manki and Munda do not deal with revenue or land-related issues.
The system operates as an internal self-governance mechanism, without external interference, and does not involve the collection of taxes.
This system is deeply rooted in the tribe’s customs, with no sovereign authority beyond the village and pidh levels.
This protest signals the ongoing tension between indigenous governance systems and modern state policies, which sometimes challenge or undermine traditional practices in the name of administrative reforms or legal frameworks.
The Ho tribe's protest underscores a broader issue faced by many indigenous communities in India: the preservation of their traditional governance structures amid growing state intervention. The Manki-Munda system, which has functioned effectively for generations, stands as a critical part of the tribe’s social fabric.
The Mar del Plata Canyon in Argentina has made headlines recently due to a groundbreaking expedition that uncovered over 40 potential new deep-sea species, including fascinating creatures like glass squids and pink lobsters..
Location: The Mar del Plata Canyon is located off the coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, about 250-300 km offshore from the city of Mar del Plata.
Significance: It is one of Argentina's largest submarine canyons and is part of a larger continental margin, which makes it a crucial site for marine life and research.
Environment: The canyon’s environment is dominated by fine sand mixed with terrigeneous material and planktonic foraminifera substrate, offering a rich, productive habitat for marine species.
Ocean Currents: The canyon lies in an area influenced by the Argentine Shelf-break Front, where the subantarctic shelf waters meet the cooler, saline waters of the Falkland-Malvinas Current. This creates a significant thermohaline front that greatly impacts the productivity of the ecosystem.
Submarine canyons are steep, narrow valleys that cut into the continental slope or rise of the ocean floor, formed by the flow of water and sediments over time. These canyons play a crucial role in oceanic ecosystems and are often home to unique and diverse marine life due to their high productivity.
Formation: They typically form on the continental slopes or shelves where they erode the seafloor, creating steep-sided channels.
Length and Width: While many submarine canyons are less than 48 km (30 miles) long, some, like the Grand Bahama Canyon, stretch over 320 km (200 miles). They can be several kilometers wide, offering a large area for sediment deposition.
Sediment Transport: Submarine canyons act as important conduits for the transport of sediments and nutrients from the continental shelf into deeper ocean basins. This process helps to support a range of marine life.
Nutrient Transport: Submarine canyons are key to transporting organic carbon, nutrients, and sediments from the continental shelf to the deep ocean. This makes them vital for maintaining the health and balance of oceanic ecosystems.
Biodiversity: Due to their high productivity, these canyons are often hotspots for biodiversity. The deep-sea species discovered in the Mar del Plata Canyon, such as glass squids and pink lobsters, are a testament to the richness of life these ecosystems can support.
Sediment Deposition: The canyon's current system leads to the creation of submarine fans at the canyon’s mouth, which resemble river deltas and are critical to the ocean’s carbon cycle.
The discovery of over 40 potential new species in the Mar del Plata Canyon is particularly exciting because it unveils the unknown depths of the deep-sea ecosystem. Species like glass squids and pink lobsters are not only visually captivating but could offer important insights into the adaptations of life at extreme ocean depths. This discovery also underscores the need for continued exploration and conservation efforts in submarine canyons, which are often under-studied
The Clean Slate Doctrine under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has been recently reinforced by the Delhi High Court, confirming that successful resolution applicants should not inherit the criminal liabilities of a corporate debtor’s past management. This principle has significant implications for the resolution process and for corporate restructuring in India.
The Clean Slate Doctrine is a legal principle embedded in the IBC, 2016, which provides that once a company undergoes the insolvency resolution process and is successfully taken over by a new buyer, the new owner is not held liable for the company’s pre-existing debts, penalties, or liabilities. Essentially, it offers the company a fresh start—a clean slate free from the past management's financial or legal troubles.
Fresh Start: The resolution applicant, i.e., the new buyer or owner, is free from liabilities incurred by the company before the insolvency resolution process. This includes debts, penalties, and even criminal liabilities related to past management actions.
Court Rulings: This doctrine has been reinforced by several landmark court rulings in India, particularly by the Supreme Court (SC), establishing its central role in the IBC framework.
Essar Steel India Case:
The Supreme Court emphasized that one of the main objectives of the IBC is to streamline insolvency procedures, ensuring that all claims are handled under a unified system.
It ruled that once a resolution plan is approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), all previous liabilities—including debts and penalties—are extinguished. This means any claims not included in the approved resolution plan cannot be pursued after the resolution process.
Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Case:
The SC ruled that government dues, such as taxes and duties, are extinguished if they are not part of the resolution plan, further strengthening the clean slate principle.
Surya Exim Case:
The Gujarat High Court also reinforced the Clean Slate Doctrine by declaring that tax demands issued after the NCLT’s approval of a resolution plan should be cancelled, highlighting the principle that claims not included in the resolution plan are no longer valid.
The Delhi High Court recently upheld this doctrine by ruling that successful resolution applicants cannot be burdened with the criminal liabilities of a corporate debtor’s past management. This ruling is seen as an important step in reinforcing the intent of the IBC, which is to provide a clean start to companies and their new owners after the insolvency resolution process.
Encourages Investment: It provides legal clarity and confidence for investors, knowing that they won't be held responsible for the previous management's actions or liabilities, which could have been a major deterrent for prospective buyers.
Facilitates Corporate Reforms: The doctrine encourages restructuring, as it allows companies to be revived without being shackled by past financial mismanagement or legal issues.
Debt Resolution Efficiency: It streamlines the debt resolution process, ensuring that only those liabilities which are part of the approved resolution plan are dealt with, which promotes faster and more efficient recovery.
Legal Clarity: The confirmation of this doctrine clarifies that liabilities not included in the resolution plan cannot be carried over to the new ownership, even if those liabilities are related to criminal or government dues.
Promotes Economic Revival: By providing a clean slate, companies can revive their operations, allowing new management to focus on rebuilding the business instead of dealing with unresolved past liabilities.
Corporate Governance: This also signals a shift towards better corporate governance, as companies going through the resolution process are expected to improve their management practices and avoid repeating past mistakes.
The Clean Slate Doctrine is a cornerstone of India’s Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), ensuring that companies emerging from insolvency can truly start afresh, free from the financial and legal baggage of their past. The recent Delhi High Court ruling further strengthens this doctrine, reaffirming its importance in creating a more efficient and investor-friendly insolvency process.
India has made remarkable strides in the field of innovation, moving up from 48th position in 2020 to 38th in 2025 among 139 global economies, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This marks a significant improvement, reflecting India's growing capabilities and investments in innovation.
India's Rank: India ranks 38th, an impressive jump from 81st in 2015. It is also ranked 1st among lower-middle-income economies and in Central & Southern Asia.
Strengths: India excels in Knowledge & Technology Outputs (ranked 22nd) and Market Sophistication (ranked 38th).
Weaknesses: Areas needing improvement include Business Sophistication (64th), Infrastructure (61st), and Institutions (58th).
1st: Switzerland
2nd: Sweden
3rd: United States
4th: South Korea
5th: Singapore
10th: China (for the first time in the top 10)
1st: Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou (China)
2nd: Tokyo-Yokohama (Japan)
Labor Productivity: Increased by 2.5% globally in 2024.
Life Expectancy: Reached 73 years.
Extreme Poverty: Reduced to 817 million (half of what it was in 2004).
Technological Gains: Supercomputing efficiency and battery prices improved, but progress in wind power and genome sequencing has slowed.
India’s investment in Research & Development (R&D) is about 0.65% of GDP, which is far below countries like China (2.43%), South Korea (2.5%), and Brazil (1.15%). This gap in funding, particularly in private-sector R&D, remains a significant barrier to India’s innovation ecosystem.
6th in the World: India is the 6th largest filer of patents globally.
Patent-to-GDP Ratio: India’s patent-to-GDP ratio grew significantly from 144 in 2013 to 381 in 2023, indicating a rising correlation between patent activity and economic output.
India has implemented several key initiatives:
Startup India, Make in India, and the Production Linked Initiative (PLI) schemes.
The Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore, and the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) scheme aim to boost private sector R&D.
Startup India Seed Fund Scheme provided Rs 945 crore in 2023 for seed funding.
India now has over 100 unicorns, making it the 3rd largest unicorn ecosystem in the world.
The cleantech sector is particularly thriving, with leading startups like Ather Energy and Ola Electric playing a major role in India's transition to clean energy.
Over 45% of DPIIT-recognized startups have emerged from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, thanks to initiatives like Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), which are decentralizing innovation efforts.
India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is around 0.7% of GDP, much lower than the United States (3.5%) and South Korea (4.9%). This highlights a critical funding gap, especially in areas like deep-tech research, which require long-term capital.
Private Sector Contribution: The private sector contributes only 36.4% to R&D funding (2020–21), which is much lower than in advanced economies.
Lack of Industry-Academia Collaboration: There is a gap between academic research and industry needs, limiting interdisciplinary collaboration and the commercialization of research.
India has historically concentrated R&D efforts on defense and space technology. While these areas have achieved great success (e.g., Agni missile systems, ISRO's space missions), there has been limited investment in emerging sectors like semiconductors and advanced materials.
Many Indian industries prefer importing proven technologies instead of investing in high-risk, long-gestation R&D for indigenous technologies.
Startups tend to focus on business model innovations in IT services and e-commerce, rather than foundational deep-tech research.
While India has made strides in institutions like DRDO, ISRO, and BARC, technology transfer to the market is hindered by procedural delays, intellectual property challenges, and lack of streamlined processes.
India needs to significantly increase its R&D spending over the next decade, especially by boosting private sector and philanthropic contributions. The Rs 1 lakh crore Innovation Fund must be deployed effectively within the next 3-5 years to accelerate deep-tech research.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can play a pivotal role in expanding upstream research and driving knowledge frontiers that industry can commercialize. Encouraging collaborative projects between universities and industry will bridge the gap between research and application.
India should establish sector-specific innovation hubs in emerging fields like AI, semiconductors, and clean energy, linking government, academia, and industry. These hubs can provide shared resources such as testing facilities, prototype labs, and venture funding.
Industry councils focused on specific sectors can guide policies, identify funding gaps, and channel resources to critical innovation areas. For example, a CleanTech Council could prioritize areas like solar energy, electric vehicles (EVs), and energy efficiency.
Fostering regional innovation clusters in non-metro areas can create localized ecosystems that promote entrepreneurship and innovation. These clusters can support rural agri-tech, social enterprises, and startups with funding, mentorship, and infrastructure.
India has made substantial progress in innovation, climbing to 38th in the GII 2025, but to maintain this momentum, it must overcome barriers like inadequate R&D investment, a disconnected innovation ecosystem, and a risk-averse industrial culture. By boosting investment, enhancing collaboration, and focusing on emerging technologies, India can transform from a startup hub into a global innovation leader.
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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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