In News:

At the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva (May 2025), the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized Papua New Guinea (PNG) and India for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. This marks a significant milestone in global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

What is Trachoma?

• Cause: Bacterial infection by Chlamydia trachomatis
• Transmission:
  • Direct contact with infected eye/nasal discharges (via hands, clothes, bedding)
  • Flies that have come into contact with infected discharges
• Reservoir: Predominantly spread among children in endemic regions
• Symptoms:
  • Early: Red eyes, discharge, pain, light sensitivity
  • Advanced:Trachomatous trichiasis – inward-turning eyelashes causing corneal damage and irreversible blindness

Risk Factors & Epidemiology:

• Major Risk Factors:
  • Poor hygiene and sanitation
  • Overcrowded housing conditions
  • Limited access to clean water
• Gender Disparity: Women are 4 times more affected due to caregiving-related exposure
• Global Burden (as of 2023):
  • Endemic in 38 countries
  • Affects 1.9 million people with visual impairment/blindness
  • Over 130,000 surgeries and 32.9 million antibiotic treatments administered globally in 2023

Trachoma Elimination in Papua New Guinea (2025):

• Validation: Based on detailed epidemiological data and surveillance (2015–2020)
• Key Findings:
  • Presence of mild active trachoma in children but negligible trichiasis
  • No need for mass drug administration or surgical interventions
• Intervention Strategy:Emphasis on surveillance, community-level assessments, andtargeted response
• Support & Partnerships:WHO, Fred Hollows Foundation, Australian DFAT, PNG Eye Care, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, among others
• Significance: First NTD eliminated in PNG; part of WHO’s NTD Road Map 2021–2030

Trachoma Elimination in India (Certified in May 2025):

• Timeline:
  • Declared trachoma-free in October 2023
  • WHO Certification in May 2025
• India’s Strategy:
  • Implemented active surveillance through NPCBVI since 2019
  • National Trichiasis Survey (2021–2024) covered 200 districts
• Regional Achievement:India is the third country in WHO South-East Asia Region, after Nepal and Myanmar, to eliminate trachoma

Global Status of Trachoma Elimination:

• Countries Validated for Elimination: 22 countries including India, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Vietnam, Mauritania, and PNG
• Part of Broader NTD Goals: WHO supports member countries to eliminate at least one NTD under the 2021–2030 roadmap

In News:

The 5th State-Level Shirui Lily Festival resumed in Ukhrul district, Manipur from May 20–24, 2025, after a two-year pause due to ethnic unrest. It marks a symbolic step towards peace, as it involved significant movement through previously restricted areas with heightened security.

About the Shirui Lily Festival:

• Organised by: Manipur Tourism Department
• First Held: 2017
• Venue:Shirui Village, Ukhrul District
• Objective: Promote eco-tourism and create awareness about the endangered Shirui Lily
• Special 2025 Edition: Commemorates the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the Shirui Lily

Key Features (2025 Edition):

• Cultural Events: Traditional dances, gospel rock shows, and live performances at the ShiRock music festival
• Eco-Initiatives: Trash collection drives and conservation awareness campaigns
• Competitions:
  • SheChef Cooking Contest (vegetarian & childhood memory dishes)
  • Miss Shirui Lily 2025 beauty pageant
  • Sports (football, wrestling, tug of war, mini-marathon)
• Adventure Activities: Ziplining, camping, biking
• Special Ceremonies: Unveiling of the 75th Anniversary Memorial and a drone show
• Closing Function: Hosted by senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism

About Shirui Lily (Lilium mackliniae):

• Botanical Name:Lilium mackliniae
• Discovered by: Botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward in 1946, named after his wife Jean Macklin
• Local Name:KashongTimrawon
• Geographic Range: Exclusively found in the Shirui Hills (2,673 m altitude) of Ukhrul district
• State Flower of Manipur

Ecological and Cultural Significance:

• Endemic Habitat: The species is not viable for transplantation outside its native micro-climate
• Flowering Season: April to June, marked by a breathtaking bloom of pinkish-white bell-shaped flowers
• Cultural Reverence: Associated with the local deity Philava, symbolising spiritual and ecological identity of the Tangkhul Naga tribe
• Global Recognition: Awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society at the London Flower Show in 1950

Conservation Status and Efforts:

• Threats: Habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change
• Conservation Status:Endangered
• Scientific Interventions: ICAR-NEH, under Dr. Manas Sahoo, has developed micropropagation techniques for in-situ conservation

In News:

Amid rising climate-induced disasters—floods, heatwaves, droughts—the Union Home Minister recently called for proactive climate risk assessments. India, however, lacks a comprehensive and standardised system to assess Climate Physical Risks (CPR), exposing critical gaps in preparedness.

What is Climate Physical Risk (CPR)?

Definition: CPR refers to the potential damage from:

• Acute events: Floods, cyclones, heatwaves.
• Chronic stresses: Changing monsoon patterns, droughts.

IPCC Formula:

CPR = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability

• Hazard: Climate threats like floods or wildfires.
• Exposure: Presence of people/assets in risk-prone areas.
• Vulnerability: System's capacity to withstand and recover.

Why CPR Assessment Matters for India

• High Risk: Over 80% of Indians reside in districts exposed to climate disasters (World Bank).
• Systemic Threat: Affects not just the environment, but public health, agriculture, economy, and national security.
• Future-proofing Development: Long-term planning must consider CPR for sustainable infrastructure and financial stability.

Challenges in India’s CPR Management

• Fragmented Efforts: Multiple agencies (IMD, IITs, NIDM) conduct isolated studies with no integration.
• Lack of Standardised Data: No central repository for CPR metrics at the district or panchayat level.
• Modelling Limitations: Global models like RCPs and SSPs fail to capture India's hyper-local climate variations.
• Private Sector Constraints: Businesses lack tools to evaluate climate risks across supply chains.

Global Best Practices

• Mandatory Climate Disclosures: Global frameworks like ISSB S2 and EU Taxonomy require companies to report CPRs.
• Adaptation as Priority: Nations, including the Global North, are investing in adaptation infrastructure, recognizing its economic returns.
  • UNEP estimates: $1 in adaptation = $4 saved in disaster recovery.

Initiatives by India

• Adaptation Communication (2023): India’s first report to the UNFCCC under Article 7 of the Paris Agreement.
• National Adaptation Plan (NAP): In progress; covers 9 thematic sectors with district-level focus.
• RBI Framework: Climate risk integrated into financial supervision and regulatory assessments.

In News:

In Tamil Nadu’s Kunnapattu, Irula families who have lived on the land for generations face eviction and denial of rights, as nearly half remain without legal ownership or recognition.

Who are the Irulas?

• Ethnic Group: Indigenous Dravidian community, primarily in Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala.
• Constitutional Status: Recognized as a Scheduled Tribe and classified under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Tamil Nadu.
• Population: Second largest Adivasi group in Tamil Nadu.
• Language: Speak Irula, a Dravidian language related to Tamil and Kannada.
• Traditional Occupations: Snake-catching, healing, collection of forest produce, cattle rearing, and agricultural labour.
• Religious Beliefs: Pantheistic with reverence for spirits; worship Kanniamma (virgin goddess associated with cobras).
• Living Structures: Reside in small clusters called mottas, typically located on hill edges near forests.

Irulas and Snake Venom Economy

• The Irula Snake Catchers’ Cooperative Society supplies nearly 80% of venom for the production of anti-snake venom (ASV) in India.
• The community uses traditional knowledge to locate and capture snakes humanely, extract venom, and release them safely.

The Crisis in Kunnapattu and Beyond

Core Issue: Denial of Land Rights

• In Kunnapattu village, near Mamallapuram, ~40 Irula families have lived for generations. However, nearly 20 families lack legal land documents (pattas).
• The land is classified as meikalporamboke (grazing land), making it ineligible for patta allocation under current policies.
• Without pattas, families are denied access to electricity, government housing, and welfare schemes.

Government Response

• Officials proposed relocation with promised housing and legal ownership, but Irulas resist displacement due to ancestral ties, rituals, and local livelihoods.
• Affected families submitted multiple petitions, seeking in-situ recognition rather than relocation.

Broader Pattern across Tamil Nadu

Similar Issues in Other Villages

• Ottiyambakkam, Iyankulam, Keerapakkam, Chinnakayar, and Nemmeli show the same trend: ancestral tribal settlements without legal tenure, facing:
  • Forced or incentivized relocation.
  • Inadequate or delayed infrastructure (roads, electricity, water).
  • Joint pattas that complicate individual welfare access.

Urbanization vs Indigenous Habitat

• Irula hamlets are increasingly surrounded or displaced by real estate developments.
• Some families resist high-rise housing due to loss of space, cultural disconnect, and impracticality for community rituals.

Notable Success: Senneri Model Village

• Near Chengalpattu, Senneri-Hanumantapuram-Dargesh is a model Irula settlement:
  • Home to Padma Shri awardees in snake-catching.
  • Over 10 active SHGs working in traditional medicine.
  • Gender-inclusive education and organized habitation.
• However, even here, funding and timely housing construction remain challenges.

Challenges and Needs

• Lack of individual pattas limits access to electricity, housing schemes (e.g., PMAY-G), water, sanitation, and health services.
• Infrastructural gaps persist even in relocated areas.
• Traditional knowledge and community bonds are under threat from urban pressures and displacement.

In News:

In a significant breakthrough, NASA scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hawaii’s W. M. Keck Observatory have captured first-ever evidence of convective cloud activity in the northern hemisphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The observations were conducted in November 2022 and July 2023.

About Titan:

• Second-largest moon in the Solar System (after Jupiter’s Ganymede).
• Only moon known to have a dense atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbon bodies (methane and ethane lakes/seas).
• Exhibits Earth-like weather, including clouds, rainfall, and seasonal cycles, making it unique among planetary satellites.

Key Findings:

• Clouds were observed in the mid- and high-latitudes of Titan’s northern hemisphere, the region where most of its methane seas (e.g., Kraken Mare, Ligeia Mare) are located.
• This marks the first confirmed evidence of convection-driven weather in Titan’s north, suggesting active atmospheric dynamics during Titan’s summer season.
• These findings expand our understanding of Titan’s methane cycle, which parallels Earth’s hydrological cycle, though methane replaces water.
• The JWST also detected a key organic molecule — the methyl radical, a reactive compound with an unpaired electron, involved in complex hydrocarbon chemistry.
  • This is significant because sunlight and Saturn’s charged particles break apart methane in Titan’s atmosphere, initiating prebiotic chemical reactions.

Scientific Significance:

• Offers a rare opportunity to study active chemical processes in real time — likened by scientists to seeing "a cake rising in the oven" instead of just its ingredients or finished form.
• Enhances understanding of prebiotic chemistry and the potential for habitability on icy celestial bodies.
• Builds on the legacy of the Cassini–Huygens mission (2004–2017), which studied Titan’s southern hemisphere.

Dragonfly Mission: The Next Leap

• NASA's Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered octocopter, is scheduled for launch in 2028 (on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy) and expected to reach Titan in 2034.
• Aims to conduct in-situ analysis of Titan’s surface, hopping between locations to study chemistry, weather, and possible signs of life.
• Recently passed the Critical Design Review, moving into the manufacturing phase.

About the W.M. Keck Observatory:

• Located at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at 4,200 m elevation — ideal for infrared astronomy.
• Houses two 10-meter telescopes (Keck I and II), the world’s largest optical/infrared system.
• Features segmented mirrors and real-time computer-actuated adjustments for precision imaging.
• Uses stressed mirror polishing, a major advancement in off-axis mirror technology.