Current Affairs 15 April 2025

Content:

1. Telangana govt. formalises categorisation of SCs for granting separate quotas
2. How is spaceflight safety ensured?
3. How governmentality exacerbates the problem of farmers’ stubble burning
4. ASI seeks to shed new light on Dwarka through explorations
5. Miniature laser grown onto silicon chip could revolutionise computing
6. Land-holding farmers doing non-farming activities helps efficiency’

Telangana govt. formalises categorisation of SCs for granting separate quotas

Telangana has become the first state to implement sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes for targeted reservations, following the Supreme Court’s 2024 verdict upholding such classification. The move aims to ensure equitable access to opportunities for the most marginalised SC sub-groups.

Relevance : GS 2(Polity & Governance)

 Legal and Constitutional Context

• SC Categorisation Legally Validated: Follows the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment (Aug 1, 2024), which upheld the constitutionality of sub-classifying SCs/STs for targeted reservation within communities.
• Act Enacted: Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025 implemented through gazette notification.
•  Effective From: April 14, 2025 (Ambedkar Jayanti) — symbolically chosen to align with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision.

Key Features of Categorisation

• Total SC Sub-Castes: 59
• Three-Group Model based on empirical data (socio-economic, educational, employment, political):
  • Group I: Most Backward SCs
    • 15 sub-castes
    • 0.5% of SC population
    • Reservation: 1%
    • Rationale: Over-representation not needed; instead, targeted upliftment through higher per-capita allocation.

• Group II: Marginally Benefitted SCs 18 sub-castes Reservation: 9%

•  Group III: Relatively Better-Off SCs26 sub-castesReservation: 5%

 Impact on Recruitment & Administration

• Govt. Jobs: Future recruitment will strictly follow this categorisation.
• Retrospective Non-Applicability: Does not apply to already notified vacancies.
• Youth Encouraged: Govt calls on SC youth to make use of these targeted opportunities.

 Continuity & Change in Classification

• No Major Shakeup:
  • 33 sub-castes retained their earlier categories.
  • Only 26 sub-castes (3.43% of SC population) underwent reclassification.

 Empirical & Policy Foundations

• Based on:
  • Socio-economic and educational surveys
  • Political representation and public employment trends
•  Guided by data-driven social justice principles

Future Course

• Post-2026 Census Review:
  • Govt plans to revisit and possibly enhance SC reservations based on fresh data.
  • Signals dynamic policy rooted in demography and equity.

National Significance

•  First State in India to operationalise SC categorisation post-SC verdict.
• May act as a template for other States considering similar steps.
• Reflects a shift from monolithic treatment of SCs to intersectional affirmative action.

Critical Takeaways

• Equity over Equality: Recognises internal stratification within SCs to ensure meaningful representation.
• Landmark Policy Moment: Represents a progressive realignment of reservation policy to address deepest layers of deprivation.
• Constitutional Morality in Action: Upholds Ambedkarite vision of justice through institutional mechanisms.

How is spaceflight safety ensured?

ISRO is preparing for its first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, by implementing robust safety protocols across all mission phases. These draw from past global experiences like Apollo-1 and current best practices to ensure astronaut safety.

Overall Safety Strategy

• ISRO is drawing from global best practices, past incidents, and recent research to ensure astronaut safety.
• Safety is addressed across three phases: launch, orbit, and reentry — each with tailored protocols and systems.

Relevance : GS 3(Space ,Technology )

Launch Phase Safety

a) On the Launchpad

• Inspired by the 1967 Apollo-1 fire tragedy, ISRO has set up:
  • Ziplines and fireproof bubble lift at SHAR (Sriharikota) to enable rapid crew evacuation.

b) During Lift-off

• Human-rated LVM3 (HLVM3) includes a Crew Escape System (CES):
  • Tower-like structure above the crew module.
  • In case of failure, CES detaches and pulls the crew module to safety using solid fuel motors.
• ISRO uses tractor-type CES (pulls the capsule); contrast: SpaceX uses pusher-type (pushes the capsule).

c) Abort Modes

• Low-altitude Escape Motor (LEM): activates shortly after ignition.
• High-altitude Escape Motor (HEM): kicks in later in flight.
• Pad abort mode: both LEM and HEM fire to distance crew rapidly from danger.
• Post-abort, crew module splashes down at sea at pre-designated recovery zones.

Orbit Phase Safety

a) Crew & Service Module Configuration

• Gaganyaan’s spacecraft has:
  • Crew Module: living space for astronauts.
  • Service Module: engines, fuel, life-support systems.

b) In-Orbit Emergency Protocols

• In case of malfunction, the service module’s propulsion and crew module’s thrusters can initiate controlled reentry.
• Though Gaganyaan won’t dock with ISS, astronauts are trained in docking protocols.

c) Docking & Space Station Safety (for future missions)

• Capsules used for docking serve as “lifeboats” in emergencies.
• Safe refuge zones exist within stations, with shielding against fires, debris impacts, and solar radiation.
• Redundancy in escape capsules ensures no astronaut is stranded (e.g., NASA’s spare docked capsules).

Reentry Phase Safety

a) Controlled Reentry

• Capsule fires thrusters to exit orbit and initiate descent.
• Reentry causes frictional heating up to 1,800º C.
• Ablative heat shields protect astronauts during descent.

b) Deceleration & Landing System

• Multi-phase parachute deployment ensures controlled descent:
  • Apex cover separation parachutes deploy at 15.3 km.
  • Drogue parachutes stabilize descent (to 70 m/s at 3 km).
  • Three primary canopies reduce speed to 10–12 m/s.
• Retrograde thrusters and pyrotechnic release mechanisms assist in final touchdown and splashdown.

Case Studies & Historical Lessons Used by ISRO

• Apollo-1 (1967): Pad fire; led to modern launchpad safety upgrades.
• Soyuz T-10 (1983): Rocket fire before liftoff; CES saved crew.
• Blue Origin NS-23 (2022): In-flight engine failure; capsule escape system worked successfully.

Conclusion

• ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission is adopting a layered, redundancy-based safety approach.
• Every phase — launch, orbit, and reentry — has fail-safe mechanisms to protect astronauts.
• Learning from both historical tragedies and successful recoveries has been vital in shaping current protocols.

How governmentality exacerbates the problem of farmers’ stubble burning

A study analyzes how governmentality and market failures exacerbate the issue of farmers’ stubble burning in India. It highlights how policies like MSP push farmers toward mono-cropping and unsustainable practices, with stubble burning seen as a survival tactic.

Relevance : GS 3(Economic Development,Agriculture)

Governmentality and Its Role in Exacerbating Stubble Burning:

• Governmentality: The concept introduced by Michel Foucault emphasizes how governments exert control indirectly, influencing self-regulation in individuals rather than using direct coercive measures.

• Indirect Government Control: The study suggests that the Indian government’s emphasis on increasing agricultural production, particularly wheat and rice, inadvertently encourages behaviors like stubble burning. Farmers are left with few choices and little support, leading to the adoption of unsustainable practices.

Neoliberal Policies and Market Failures:

• Minimum Support Price (MSP) Paradox: While MSP guarantees prices for crops, it discourages crop diversification and leads to over-reliance on wheat and rice. This increases dependency on practices like stubble burning to prepare soil for the next crop cycle.

• Mono-cropping: Farmers, incentivized by MSP, often focus on mono-cropping, which in turn creates soil health degradation and an overproduction of certain crops (wheat and rice). This system encourages stubble burning as an immediate and cheap solution for residue disposal.

• Market Dysfunction: The agricultural market system in India, influenced by neoliberal policies, remains skewed against farmers. The role of middlemen (arhtias) exacerbates the issue, as they dictate prices and credit terms, trapping farmers in a cycle of debt and limited financial agency.

Farmers’ Perceptions and Government Policies:

• Contradictory Signals: Farmers report receiving conflicting signals from the state—while stubble burning is penalized, no affordable alternatives are provided. The government seems to prioritize urban-industrial interests over rural communities, aggravating the alienation of farmers.

• Debt Dependency: Farmers rely heavily on arhtias for credit and price determination, perpetuating a cycle of debt bondage. The stagnant MSP rates, which have not kept pace with the rising cost of inputs like labor and equipment, further contribute to financial strain.

• State’s Role in Marginalization: The study asserts that stubble burning should not be viewed as merely an individual act of negligence but as a result of a larger systemic failure rooted in government policies and market dynamics.

Market and Policy-Based Solutions to Mitigate Stubble Burning:

• Developing a Market for Stubble: The authors propose creating a market for stubble and stubble-based products (e.g., fodder, bioenergy, packaging) to provide farmers with alternative, income-generating options. This market could reduce the incentive for burning.

• Strengthening the Value Chain: To make stubble-based products viable, technological interventions and a supportive ecosystem are essential. This will require policy and market interventions, including stakeholder involvement from both state and market actors across the agricultural value chain.

Regulatory Interventions:

• Prohibitions and Permits: The government could consider a mix of regulatory strategies: enforcing a ban on stubble burning, managing it through selective permits, and promoting stubble utilization for value-added products.

• Addressing Market Inefficiencies: Ensuring that farmers receive fair prices for their produce is a crucial intervention. Enhancing price transparency, fairness, and reducing the influence of middlemen will help alleviate the economic pressures that drive stubble burning.

Socio-Cultural Factors:

• Aspirational Consumption Pressure: Farmers often face socio-economic pressure to consume aspirational goods despite limited income. Addressing this pressure may involve shifting cultural norms and promoting a mindset that values sustainability over material aspirations.

• Role of Cultural Organizations: The involvement of religious and cultural organizations in demarketing non-essential aspirational consumption can play a role in mitigating the socio-cultural pressure on farmers, thereby contributing to long-term changes in behavior.

Conclusion:

• Governmentality and Market Failures: The study concludes that governmentality, along with neoliberal policies and market failures, exacerbates the problem of stubble burning. The existing system marginalizes farmers and incentivizes unsustainable practices.

• Holistic Solutions Needed: Effective solutions require an integrated approach, involving both regulatory interventions and market-based strategies that empower farmers economically, address the root causes of stubble burning, and provide viable alternatives.

ASI seeks to shed new light on Dwarka through explorations

Context :The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is undertaking new efforts to explore and study the submerged remains at Dwarka, Gujarat, a site of great cultural and historical significance.

Relevance : GS 3 (Research and Development)

• A nine-member team from the Underwater Archaeology Wing is engaged in both onshore and offshore expeditions at Dwarka and Beyt Dwarka.
• The goal is to identify, document, and analyze submerged archaeological remains, with a particular focus on establishing their age through scientific methods like sediment and marine deposit analysis.

Historical and Cultural Significance of Dwarka:

• Dwarka is deeply linked to ancient Indian literature, and its historical and cultural importance has long attracted the attention of historians and archaeologists.
• The city of Dwarka is believed to be associated with Lord Krishna, with Beyt Dwarka, an island off the Gujarat coast, housing the Dwarkadhish Temple.

Recent Fieldwork and Investigations:

• A 5-member ASI team conducted preliminary investigations in February 2025, focusing on the Gomati Creek area, southeast of Dwarka.
• The goal was to assess previously explored sites, monitor their current condition, and identify new potential areas for further exploration.
• Key archaeological features were documented through photography for future studies.

Previous Archaeological Findings (2005-2007):

• Between 2005 and 2007, the Underwater Archaeology Wing conducted systematic investigations both onshore and offshore, revealing several significant archaeological findings.
• Items discovered included ancient sculptures, stone anchors, and other objects of historical value, which were indicative of the site’s past significance.
• The archaeological efforts involved scientific surveys of large areas and targeted underwater excavations conducted by ASI archaeologists and Navy divers.
• Submerged remains were cleaned and studied, with excavations revealing clusters of submerged objects, and areas with thick calcareous deposits were carefully analyzed.

Specific Excavation near Dwarkadhish Temple (2007):

• A focused excavation was conducted near the northern gate of the Dwarkadhish Temple in 2007.
• The excavation uncovered a 10-meter deep deposit containing 26 layers, revealing a variety of antiquities, including iron objects, beads, copper items, rings, and pottery.
• The pottery and other artifacts were subjected to in-depth analysis to understand their historical context.

Expansion of Current Investigations:

• The new study aims to expand the scope of archaeological work in Okhamandal, an ancient city near Dwarka.
• The ASI team is exploring additional potential sites within the area to understand the broader historical context of Dwarka and its surroundings.
• The exploration involves both archaeological excavations and scientific studies, including diving operations, to collect and document artifacts.

Scientific and Archaeological Methods:

• The investigations combine traditional archaeological methods with modern scientific techniques, such as diving and sediment analysis, to enhance the understanding of the artifacts’ age and historical significance.
• The study will focus on collecting a wide range of archaeological remains, ensuring that these are properly documented, studied, and scientifically analyzed.

Conclusion and Future Prospects:

• The ASI’s ongoing research at Dwarka aims to provide new insights into the city’s ancient past, contributing significantly to the understanding of India’s cultural history.
• The expanded investigations will help clarify the role of Dwarka in ancient civilization, exploring its connection to mythology, history, and archaeology.

Miniature laser grown onto silicon chip could revolutionise computing

Scientists have successfully integrated lasers directly onto silicon wafers, marking a breakthrough in silicon photonics. This innovation promises faster, more energy-efficient data transmission and could revolutionize computing, particularly in data centers and quantum computing.

Relevance : GS 3(Science and Technology)

Revolutionizing Computing with Silicon Photonics:

• Silicon photonics involves replacing electrons with photons (particles of light) for storing and manipulating information, which has the potential to enhance computing efficiency.
• Laser integration on silicon chips marks a significant breakthrough, allowing lasers to be grown directly onto silicon, eliminating the need for separate laser light sources.
• This integration can make photonic chips scalable, more efficient, and easier to produce compared to previous methods.

Background on Silicon Photonics:

• Silicon chips, a cornerstone of modern communication technologies, have traditionally used electrons to carry information.
• Researchers are now exploring silicon photonics to carry information via photons, as they move faster, offer greater data capacity, and experience fewer energy losses than electrons.
• While photons are promising, integrating a light source (laser) directly onto the silicon chip was a major challenge.

Challenges in Integrating Lasers with Silicon:

• Silicon’s inefficiency in emitting light: Silicon has an indirect bandgap, meaning electrons cannot emit photons efficiently without external energy sources, unlike direct bandgap materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs).
• The mismatch between silicon and gallium arsenide (used for efficient light emission) led to defects, which hindered light emission and reduced efficiency.

Key Innovations in the Study:

• Researchers successfully fabricated miniaturized lasers directly onto a silicon wafer, solving the integration problem by using a nanostructured design with gallium arsenide.
• Nanometer-wide ridges were carved into a 300-mm silicon wafer, with silicon dioxide serving as an insulating material. This confined defects to the trench’s bottom, allowing for defect-free gallium arsenide growth above.
• Indium gallium arsenide layers were deposited, replacing some gallium atoms with indium to optimize light emission, forming the laser.

Efficient Laser Fabrication:

• The team successfully embedded 300 functional lasers on a single 300-mm silicon wafer, the industry standard for semiconductor manufacturing, ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure.
• The laser emitted light with a wavelength of 1,020 nm, suitable for short-range transmissions between computer chips.
• The laser operates with a low threshold current (5 mA), similar to that of an LED in a computer mouse, making it energy-efficient.

Promising Results and Future Prospects:

• Energy efficiency: The laser’s output reached around 1MW, and it could run continuously for 500 hours at room temperature (25°C), although efficiency drops at higher temperatures (55°C).
• Challenges in temperature stability: While the laser is efficient at lower temperatures, research has demonstrated continuous operation at higher temperatures (up to 120°C) for optical silicon chips, highlighting areas for further improvement.
• Scalability and cost-effectiveness: The monolithic fabrication process is scalable, meaning more lasers can be integrated on larger wafers at a relatively low cost, offering a potential breakthrough in chip manufacturing.

Impact on Computing:

• The integration of lasers directly onto silicon chips could lead to faster and more energy-efficient data transmission within data centers, where speed and energy consumption are critical factors.
• This new photonic silicon chip technology could significantly boost computing performance, making it viable for quantum computing and other high-demand applications.

Conclusion:

• The demonstration of monolithic laser diodes on silicon wafers represents a major milestone in the evolution of silicon photonics, opening the door to next-generation computing technologies.
• With the process being cost-effective and scalable, this innovation is poised to transform industries by enhancing performance and reducing the energy footprint of future computing systems.

‘Land-holding farmers doing non-farming activities helps efficiency’

Study Focus: The study explores how land-holding farmers in rural India, who engage in non-farming activities, experience improved labour efficiency on their farms.

Relevance : GS 3 (Economic Development, Agriculture, and Science & Technology)

Key Findings:

• Impact of Non-Farm Activities: Engaging in non-farming activities allows farmers to make better decisions about allocating labor between farm and non-farm tasks, leading to more efficient use of farm labor.
• Migration Benefits: Farmers who migrate, either within their state or outside, gain new knowledge about farming practices, which they apply to their own farms upon returning.
• Financial Flexibility: Larger farmers with more financial resources can hire labor during off-seasons or when they are involved in non-farm work, improving farm operations.

Study Methodology:

• Data from the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) was used, covering states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, and others.
• Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a mathematical technique, was used to estimate labor use efficiency without getting into how exactly tasks were performed.

Role of Non-Farm Activities:

• Business Ventures: Farmers diversify into non-farm activities such as carpentry, craftsmanship, or running small businesses. This provides income stability amid agricultural risks.
• Learning from Migration: Farmers who migrate for work often observe and adopt improved farming practices, contributing to more efficient farming when they return home.

Challenges:

• Credit Constraints: Farmers often lack the capital required to start non-farm businesses, limiting their ability to diversify.

Recommendations:

• Governments should facilitate non-farm employment opportunities and offer financial support to help farmers start businesses or diversify income sources. This can maximize positive spillover effects on farming.
• Structured non-farm employment opportunities should be promoted in rural areas to ensure long-term sustainability for farmers.

Implications for Farming:

• Diversification: The study emphasizes the importance of farmers diversifying into non-farm activities to reduce the risks associated with farming, such as climatic shocks and price fluctuations.
• Policy Recommendations: The study suggests that policymakers should provide support to rural farmers, helping them balance farm and non-farm activities, ultimately leading to improved efficiency and sustainability.

Conclusion: Non-farm activities, especially through migration or entrepreneurship, can enhance labor efficiency in farming. By diversifying into non-farming sectors, farmers can better manage risks and improve the overall productivity of their agricultural operations.