1.AUKUS

Why in the news?

AUKUS members are considering cooperation with Japan on advanced capabilities projects.

More on news

• Japan’s inclusion in Pillar II (not a new full member yet) could enhance alliance partnerships, capability integration and standardisation, as well as potentially rationalise export control and information security regulations among the four countries.
  • Japan already has a close bilateral defense partnerships with all three countries (Australia, the UK and US).

Concerns related to AUKUS                   

• AUKUS lacks clarity in its narratives and strategic purpose.
• China opposes AUKUS, which may trigger regional tensions in Indo-pacific.
• Australia’s intent to acquire nuclear-powered submarines also resulted in a deterioration of Australia’s relations with France following the cancellation of plans to acquire diesel-electric Attack Class submarines.
  • AUKUS has widened the divide in the trans-Atlantic relationship between France and AUKUS states, especially after USA’s unilateral decision to pull its troops out of Afghanistan.
• AUKUS is different from Quad: AUKUS prioritizes defense partnership, unlike Quad, which has a broader focus on strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a group of US, Australia, India, and Japan which commits for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region that is prosperous and resilient.

India and AUKUS Importance of AUKUS for India: 2Complements the Quad: AUKUS would strengthen Quad to deal with China as a common threat and to keep the Indo-Pacific region free, open and inclusive. Strategic collaboration with France: It also provides a window of opportunity for strategic collaboration with France and deepening trust with European nations. Australia’s switch from a diesel-powered submarine deal with France to AUKUS (US providing nuclear-powered submarines to Australia) prompted France to offer India a contract for six nuclear submarines, reshaping Indo-Pacific strategic dynamics.Concerns for IndiaErosion of India’s regional influence in the Eastern Indian Ocean with the crowding of nuclear attack submarines in the future. AUKUS may shift balance of power in Indo-pacific, and may also diminish the value and usefulness of the Quad

2.INCOME INEQUALITY IN INDIA

Several reports have underscored high income and wealth inequality in India, triggering a debate on economic inequality, concentration and distribution of wealth.

About Economic Inequality in India

Gender Pay Gap: In India, men earn 82 % of the labour income, whereas women earn 18 % of it (World Inequality Report 2022).

Wealth Inequality: India is one of the most unequal countries. Rich are getting richer at a much faster pace while the poor are still struggling to earn a minimum wage (Oxfam report). 

Income Inequality: 22.6% of the national income went to the top 1% (World Inequality database, 2022-23). It is among the very highest in the world, higher than even the US.

Rural-Urban Divide: Average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure is Rs. 3,773 in rural and Rs. 6,459 in urban India (Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23).

Key findings of the Oxfam Report

• Top 1 % income shares have consistently increased. 
• Share of the income of the bottom 50% has consistently declined.
• The top 5% of Indians own more

Reasons for Rising Economic Inequality

• Uneven Economic Growth: Benefits of economic growth have been unevenly distributed, with the certain states, and certain sectors benefiting disproportionately.
  • E.g., Service sector which contributes about 60% of the GDP is mainly concentrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka etc.
• COVID-19 Pandemic: COVID-19 has led to the diminishing of wealth for the bottom 50% of the Indian population.
  • Total number of billionaires in India increased from 102 in 2020 to 166 billionaires in 2022, while the number of hungry Indians has increased from 19 crores to 35 crores.
• Tax System: Government reduced corporate tax slabs from 30% to 22%, while excise duties and GST on goods and services were substantially increased.
  • Approximately 64% of the total GST in the country came from the bottom 50% of the population, while only 4% came from the top 10%. 
• Lack of Quality Education and Healthcare: It perpetuates intergenerational poverty and limits economic mobility, especially in rural areas and among marginalized communities.
  • Lack of education, have trapped some people in low-paid jobs and depressed the growth of the bottom 50 % and middle 40 % of Indians (world Inequality lab).
• Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG): Telecom and civil aviation benefitted the most from LPG reforms while agriculture and small-scale industries remained neglected.
  • Large proportion of India’s workforce employed agriculture and small-scale industries, often receives low wages, lack of social security etc.

• Limited Resources: India’s limited financial resources often constrain the government’s ability to allocate sufficient funds for comprehensive programs targeting economic inequality.
• Governance and Implementation Challenges: Inefficient governance, corruption, and poor implementation of policies and programs.
• Resistance to Structural Reforms: Vested interests and resistance to structural reforms, such as land reforms, labor reforms, and progressive taxation.

3.Higgs Boson

ABOUT

It is an elementary particle and it is popularly known as the God particle. 

• It is a type of boson, a force-carrying subatomic particle.
  • Other bosons include photons (light, carrying electromagnetic force), gluons (particles that act as force carriers in the nucleus), etc. 
• It gets its mass just like other particles—from its interactions with the Higgs field.
• Properties of Higgs Boson:
  • Mass: It has a mass of 125 GeV/c2 (a unit of mass used for subatomic particles), which is about 130 times the mass of a proton.
    • A Higgs boson can also interact with another Higgs boson (this property helped in knowing that mass of Higg’s Boson is greater than that of protons or neutrons).
  • Spin: It is a scalar particle and has ‘0’ spin that is why it does not possess any angular momentum.
    • It is the only elementary particle with no spin.
  • Lifetime: Very short and it rapidly decays into other particles after it is produced in high-energy collisions. 
  • Detection: It is detected indirectly by observing the particles it decays into.
    • It normally decays into pairs of photons or pairs of W or Z bosons (the recent discovery has found the Higgs Boson decaying with a photon and Z boson, which is unusual)
• Importance/Relevance: 
  • The Higgs bosons have confirmed the predictions of the standard model of particle physics.
  • Also, recent evidence of its decay can provide indirect evidence of the existence of particles beyond those predicted by the Standard Model. 
  • It can be a unique portal to finding signs of dark matter due to its distinctive characteristics and properties.
    • Indirectly, it can help in providing clues about the conditions of the early universe. 

Related Information

Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

• It is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, set up in 2008 at CERN near Geneva.
• The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnsets to boost the energy of the particles along the way.
• The particle beams travelling close to the speed of light are collided inside the LHC.
• Primary goal of the LHC project is to understand the fundamental structure of matter by re-creating the extreme conditions that occurred in the first few moments of the universe according to the big-bang model.

White Rabbit (WR) Technology

• CERN has launched the White Rabbit Collaboration (WRC) to foster the uptake of White Rabbit technology by Industry.
  • The Collaboration aims to provide dedicated support and training, facilitate R&D projects in the technology.
• WR technology
  • It was developed at CERN to provide sub-nanosecond accuracy and picosecond precision of synchronisation for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerator chain. 
  • It was first used in 2012 and in 2020, it was included in the worldwide industry standard known as Precision Time Protocol (PTP).

4.Dysbiosis

Context: The overuse and misuse of  antibiotics pose significant dangers, particularly to the microbiome, the complex community of microorganisms in the human body.

• While antibiotics are vital for treating infections, they also indiscriminately kill beneficial bacteria, leading to a disruption known as dysbiosis.
• Dysbiosis can have severe and long-lasting effects on health, contributing to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, weakened immune function, and metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.
• It also affects various “gut-organ axes,” impacting the brain, liver, skin, and respiratory systems.

Misuse of these “miracle” drugs can turn them into poisons, disrupting the delicate balance of the microbiome and leading to a range of health problems.

5.Neelakurinji

Context: Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), a flowering shrub native to the Western Ghats, has been officially listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

• Known for its once-in-12-years mass blooming that attracts significant tourist attention, the species was only recently assessed by the IUCN.
• The shrub is endemic to high-altitude grasslands in southwest India, with blooming cycles that create striking purple-blue landscapes.
• Habitat loss due to tea and softwood plantations, urbanization, invasive species, and climate change have contributed to its vulnerability.

The assessment highlights that approximately 40% of Neelakurinji’s habitat has been lost, with the remaining areas under threat from various factors.