Current Affairs: 27th Sept 2025

• Study says astronauts with diabetes can undertake space missions

Context: In a study conducted during the recent Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, of which Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was a part, it has been revealed that astronauts with diabetes can undertake space missions.

• Axiom Space, along with Burjeel Holdings, released the preliminary results of the ‘Suite Ride’ research conducted during the Ax-4 mission.
• “The research concluded that everyday diabetes tools used by millions on Earth can be used comprehensively to provide end-to-end diabetes monitoring from space to the ground and back to space — a breakthrough in opening the door to future astronauts with diabetes and providing new solutions in remote healthcare,” Axiom Space said.
• Burjeel Holdings is a healthcare services provider in the UAE, and building on these findings, it also announced its ambition of working towards sending the first astronaut with diabetes to space. Axiom Space and Burjeel Holdings had joined hands to conduct the research during the Ax-4 mission at International Space Station.
• “Sending up a suite of remote care capabilities, the Suite Ride initiative explored how to manage diabetes in space, marking a meaningful step towards making spaceflight accessible for those with historically disqualifying conditions,” Axiom Space said.
• It further said the research results found that continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pens can operate reliably in the extreme conditions of space.

Inspiring people

• “Early results suggest that CGM devices can perform with accuracy comparable to Earth-based readings, enabling real-time glucose monitoring of astronauts in microgravity and can communicate readings to the ground.
• Insulin pens flown on the space station are now undergoing post-flight testing to evaluate the integrity of the formulation,” it said.

Inspiring people

• “This is about inspiring people everywhere. A diagnosis shouldn’t end your dream of space exploration. Together, we’re advancing the potential to fly the first astronaut with diabetes and to unlock innovation in healthcare,” said Gavin D’Elia, global head of pharma at Axiom Space.
• The Ax-4 mission was launched on June 25, and during the 20-day mission, the crew comprising Group Captain Shukla and three others completed 320 orbits around the Earth,, covering 8.4 million miles of spaceflight, Axiom Space said. They also performed over 60 research activities and 23 outreach events.

• NISAR sends first radar images of Earth’s surface

Context: The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth-observing radar satellite has sent the first images of Earth’s surface as the joint mission between NASA and ISRO approaches full science operations later this year.

• NASA said that the images from the spacecraft, which was launched by ISRO on July 30, display the level of detail with which NISAR scans Earth to provide unique, actionable information to decision-makers in a diverse range of areas, including disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and agricultural management.
• “By understanding how our home planet works, we can produce models and analysis of how other planets in our solar system and beyond work as we prepare to send humanity on an epic journey back to the Moon and onward to Mars,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.
• He added that the successful capture of these first images from NISAR is a remarkable example of how partnership and collaboration between two nations, on opposite sides of the world, can achieve great things together for the benefit of all.
• NASA said that on August 21, the satellite’s L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, which was provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, captured Mount Desert Island on the Maine coast.
• “Dark areas represent water, while green areas are forest, and magenta areas are hard or regular surfaces, such as bare ground and buildings. The L-band radar system can resolve objects as small as 15 feet (five metres), enabling the image to display narrow waterways cutting across the island, as well as the islets dotting the waters around it,” NASA said.
• It added that on August 23, the L-band SAR captured data of a portion of northeastern North Dakota straddling Grand Forks and Walsh counties.
• The U.S. space agency further said that the images demonstrate how the L-band SAR can discern what type of land cover — low-lying vegetation, trees, and human structures — is present in each area.
• “This capability is vital both for monitoring the gain and loss of forest and wetland ecosystems, as well as for tracking the progress of crops through growing seasons around the world,” it said.

• ISRO invites proposals from nation’s scientists

Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) issued an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) inviting scientists within India to analyse archival data from past Venus missions.

• India’s maiden mission to Venus, Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2024.

Sun-Venus interaction

• The mission will involve a spacecraft orbiting Venus to study its surface, atmosphere, and the Sun-Venus interaction.
• “In order to promote, strengthen and to increase the scientific user community for the VOM, ISRO invites researchers through the AO call for promoting the analysis and modelling of archival data available for the planet Venus,” ISRO said.
• The space agency said that proposals could be submitted by individuals or a group of scientists and academicians belonging to national institutions, universities, colleges, planetaria and government organisations of India. “Only those having a minimum remaining service of four years before superannuation are eligible to lead the project as Principal Investigators (PI),” the space agency said.

Research areas

• The research proposals are invited in the following research areas: venusian morphology, topography and sub-surface studies, geological mapping, mineralogy and surface composition of Venus, venusian atmosphere structure, dynamics and composition, venusian Ionosphere and solar wind interaction and modelling of venusian atmospheres and Ionospheres.
• The space agency said that it expects the project to be completed within three years.
• On October 1, 2024, ISRO revealed the targeted launch window for the mission.
• According to the targeted launch window for the VOM, the Earth departure date is scheduled on March 29, 2028, and the arrival date on Venus is July 19, 2028.
• The space agency had said that the VOM will be launched by the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3).

• State records highest maternal mortality in 2023; experts call for urgent action

Context: With Karnataka recording the highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) among southern States during 2021–2023, public health experts and policymakers have called for urgent measures to address the gap.

• According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2023, released this month, Karnataka’s MMR has shot up to 68 deaths per one lakh live births in 2021-23 from 58 in 2020-22, while Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu report figures largely in 30s. Telangana’s MMR is 59.
• The issue was the focus of a day-long conference on “Reducing Maternal Mortality in Karnataka,” organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Karnataka Regional Branch, in partnership with R.V. University’s Centre for Global Health and Development, in Bengaluru.
• Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, in his keynote address, said the State Cabinet had approved a mission to guarantee round-the-clock maternal health services at taluk hospitals and major community health centres. “In this year’s Budget, our Chief Minister has announced a ₹320-crore mission to bring preventable maternal deaths to zero.
• Our immediate target is to bring MMR down from 68 to 40 within two-and-a-half years, and eventually to 20 to meet global benchmarks,” he said.
• Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash R. Patil stressed the need to integrate maternal health priorities into medical training and workforce planning.
• Calling preventable maternal deaths a “silent crisis,” Ranjini C. Raghavendra, Director of the Centre for Global Health and Development, R.V. University, observed that Karnataka’s achievements were inadequate compared to neighbouring States. “For a State of our intellect and resources, failing to keep pace with our neighbours is a harsh truth. The ₹320-crore mission must be more than an allocation — it must be a guarantee,” she said.
• B. L. Sujatha Rathod, Director of Medical Education, underlined the need for continuous upgrading of skills to handle high-risk pregnancies.
• The conference concluded with a call for a State-level maternal mortality acceleration plan, combining immediate lifesaving interventions with long-term investments in infrastructure, workforce and community engagement.

• In 2019, three Ministries gave nod to Ladakh’s tribal status

Context: Ministries of Home, Tribal Affairs, and Law, and NCST concurred on Sixth Schedule; but in 2022, Centre said the UT administration was ensuring the ‘development’ that tribal status would bring.

• Weeks after the Union Territory of Ladakh was created in August 2019, three Ministries of the Union government gave a green light to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to recommend Ladakh’s inclusion as a tribal area under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, according to minutes of an NCST meeting held on September 11, 2019.
• Six years ago, the NCST had taken suo motu cognisance of the demand for the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule. In a meeting on September 11, 2019, it had recommended “after careful consideration” that the “UT of Ladakh be brought under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution”.

‘No objection’

• As per the minutes of this 119th meeting of the Commission, the panel had consulted the Ministries of Home, Tribal Affairs, and Law and Justice in a meeting on September 4, 2019, to discuss the issue. In this meeting, the Commission said that after deliberations, the “Ministries were of the opinion that they have no objection in case the Commission recommends for granting Tribal area status to the UT of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.”
• Accordingly, the Commission had recommended the UT’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, also noting that before the creation of Ladakh as a UT, the locals had certain agrarian rights and rights over land that restricted people from outside the region from purchasing or acquiring land in Ladakh.
• In its recommendation, the committee said it felt that Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule would protect these agrarian rights, including rights on land.
• While the Ministry of Tribal Affairs issued a statement on this recommendation of the Commission at the time, this statement had left out the opinion of the Ministries.
• The Home Ministry told Parliament in December 2019 that the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1997, already provided for the creation of autonomous hill development councils in the Ladakh region, the powers for which are “more or less in line with the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India”.

BJP’s poll promise

• However, the following year, when the Hill Council of Leh went to polls in 2020, the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised constitutional safeguards for the region under the Sixth Schedule in its manifesto.
• Yet, in December 2022, responding to a Parliamentary panel’s suggestion to explore the possibility of Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh, the Home Ministry had said: “The main objective for inclusion of tribal population under Fifth/Sixth Schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development, which, the UT Administration has already been taking care of since its creation. Sufficient funds are being provided to Ladakh to meet its overall developmental requirements.”

• Modi unveils scheme for women in Bihar, criticises RJD’s reign

Context: 75 lakh women get ₹10,000 each to start business; PM says women bore the brunt of lawlessness and corruption under previous RJD regim.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a State-funded assistance scheme for women in Bihar.
• He rolled out the self-employment scheme through videoconferencing from Delhi, and directly transferred ₹10,000 each into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women in the poll-bound State.
• Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as well as Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP joined the event from Patna.
• The scheme is meant to help women start their own business. Based on their performance, the government will provide an additional ₹2 lakh after six months. The assistance can be utilised in areas of their choice, including agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, tailoring, weaving, and other small-scale enterprises.

• AFSPA extended in parts of Manipur, Arunachal, and Nagaland for six months

Context: The Union Home Ministry extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in parts of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland for six months.

• In Manipur, the AFSPA has been extended in the whole State, except in jurisdictions of 13 police stations in five valley districts.
• The excluded police station limits are Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Irilbung, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, and Kakching.
• In Nagaland, the AFSPA was extended for six months in nine districts — Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, Peren and Meluri — and 21 police station limits of five districts (Kohima, Mokokchung, Longleng, Wokha and Zunheboto), another notification said.
• Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts in Arunachal Pradesh, and the areas falling within the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur and Chowkham police stations in Namsai district, bordering Assam, were declared “disturbed areas” for six months.
• The 1958 law gives power to the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant, and protection from prosecution and legal suits without the Union government’s sanction.

• MiG-21 jets fly into history after 6 decades of service

Context: Defence Minister calls aircraft symbol of India-Russia ties, says its legacy must serve as lesson for upcoming indigenous platforms; highlights its role in 1971 war, Kargil conflict, Operation Sindoor

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday described the MiG-21 as not just an aircraft or a machine but a testament to the deep ties between India and Russia, as the Indian Air Force formally decommissioned the iconic fighter jet at the Chandigarh Air Force Station.
• “We bid farewell to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 from its operational journey. I believe we are closing a chapter that will be written in golden letters not only in the history of the Indian Air Force, but in the history of our entire military aviation,” Mr. Singh said.
• The last of the MiG-21 jets, belonging to No. 23 Squadron, nicknamed Panthers, were given a grand send-off.
• Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh led the final sortie of the MiG-21 Bison with the call sign Badal 3, demonstrating what the Defence Minister called “the credibility of this machine and the respect it holds in the hearts of air warriors”.
• A ceremonial switch-off of six MiG-21 aircraft in front of the dignitaries marked the culmination of the aircraft’s operational service. The aircraft document Form-700 was handed over to the Chief of the Air Staff by officers and airmen of No. 23 and Commanding Officer of 28 Squadron.
• The event was attended by former IAF chiefs A.Y. Tipnis, S.P. Tyagi, and B.S. Dhanoa, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and scores of veterans, many of whom had flown the aircraft. Pilots, engineers, technicians, and ground staff who had worked with the MiG-21 also joined the farewell.
• The Surya Kiran aerobatic team, along with Tejas and Jaguar fighters, performed breathtaking manoeuvres during the ceremony.
• Mr. Singh highlighted role of MiG-21 in the 1971 war, the Kargil conflict, the Balakot air strike, and Operation Sindoor.
• On the future of India’s air power, the Defence Minister said the MiG-21’s legacy must serve as “a lesson and a DNA” for upcoming indigenous platforms. “We must consider the success of the LCA-Tejas as the beginning of our next mission, and instil confidence in our upcoming fighter aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA),” he said.
• The decommissioning of the last squadrons has brought down the Air Force’s jet squadron strength to a mere 29 for all practical purposes, the lowest since the 1960s when MiG-21s were inducted.

• Kodava community confused over how to record religious identity

Context: The Kodava community appears to be in a dilemma over how to record their identity in the ongoing Social and Educational Survey being conducted by the government of Karnataka.

• At the heart of the debate is whether Kodavas should be registered as followers of the Hindu religion or as adherents of a separate ‘Kodava’ faith.
• A section of community leaders have been urging Kodavas to declare ‘Kodava’ in the caste, language, and religion columns, while another section has been appealing to people to continue identifying themselves as ‘Hindu’ in religion column.
• Paradanda Subramani Kaverappa, president of the Akhila Kodava Samaja, maintained that the community should be recorded as ‘Kodava’ across all three categories.
• “Before the 1941 census, Kodavas were classified as a rare and distinct tribal group. Kodavas do not follow caste divisions, sects, or a formalised religion,” he argued.
• The small population of Kodavas, which has been shrinking in recent decades, risks losing its unique cultural essence if subsumed within larger communities, he added.
• Mr. Kaverappa acknowledged that there are differing viewpoints within the community. A recent meeting convened by the Samaja failed to arrive at a consensus.
• He said that the choice ultimately rests with individuals.
• “There is no compulsion. Each family can decide for themselves. This survey is only meant to reflect the current social and economic situation of communities to the government,” Mr. Kaverappa said.
• He clarified that documenting Kodavas under a separate religion would not alter existing practices. “Even if people mention Kodava as their religion, traditional rituals, temple worship, and the influence of Hindu practices will continue as they always have. Our customs have drawn inspiration from Hinduism for generations,” he explained.
• Mr Kaverappa highlighted concerns among Kodava youth regarding shrinking opportunities. He said recognising Kodava as a distinct category could eventually open doors to benefits, such as reservations.
• “This survey could also help establish a record for the future, especially when the Central Government carries out its census. We are encouraging people to document their identity as Kodava, but it is entirely voluntary,” he added.

Debate over identity

• On the other side of the debate, several leaders from the community have been appealing to Kodavas to continue identifying with Hinduism.
• “Our culture reflects Hindu traditions, be it the worship of Naga and Aiyappa deities in our homes and villages, or the celebration of festivals like Tula Sankramana and Puthari, which follow Hindu customs,” said A. Manu Muthappa, former president of the Napoklu Kodava Samaja.
• Some Kodava families have been holding discussions in their ainmane (ancestral homes) on how the religion column should be filled in during the survey.
• Mohan Devaiah, a resident of Ponnampet, said, “I have come across several videos from different clans where meetings were convened, and decisions were taken to either mark Hindu or Kodava under the religion category.”

Recognition of Kodavas

• The Codava National Council (CNC) has launched a campaign urging Kodavas to declare their identity solely as ‘Kodava’ in all three columns.
• CNC president Nandineravanda U. Nachappa said, “This is about cultural survival and legal recognition. Only when the government documents us as Kodava across all categories can we preserve our uniqueness.”
• Karnataka Backward Classes Commission Chairperson Madhusudan Naik has said that there is not much significance for the religion column in the enumeration in the current survey since religion does not come under the purview of the commission. “We will not be evaluating on the basis of religion, and information is being sought under a broader category,” he had said.

• ‘Give location of usage of Aadhaar to police to trace missing person’

Context: Though the High Court of Karnataka found no fault with the action of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in rejecting the plea of a man for providing Aadhaar data to the police to trace his elder son, missing since 2019, the court directed the authority to issue details of location of use of his Aadhaar from the time of filing of the missing complaint till date to the Hubballi-Dharwad police to probe the case.

• Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the direction for sharing only location of use of Aadhaar by the petitioner’s missing son to the police after noticing that certain data of Aadhaar could be disclosed only on the direction given by a High Court as per Section 33(1) of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
• The court passed the order on the petition filed by Krishnamurthy, a resident of Hubballi whose son, Vijay K.S, went missing in December 2019 during apprenticeship in a technological servicing company.
• Making it clear that apart from the location of usage of Aadhaar of the petitioner’s son no other details shall be furnished, the court said the police should not share such details/information with anyone else, apart from that required for the purposes of investigation.