Daily Current Affairs – 01-06-2025
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Among Top Five Heat-Risk States in India: CEEW Report
® Tamil Nadu ranks fifth among Indian states facing high to very high heat risk, as per a report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). ® The study follows 2024, the hottest year on record globally, with India experiencing its longest heatwave since 2010. In Tamil Nadu: ® 46% districts face very high heat risk ® 43% districts face high risk ® 11% districts face moderate risk ® No districts fall under low or very low risk categories ® Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Goa share the top position as the most heat-vulnerable states. ® The findings highlight the urgent need for localised climate adaptation and heat action plans.
Eliya Aalumai &
Uzhavarai Thedi Schemes – Tamil Nadu
® Tamil Nadu CM launched ‘Uzhavarai Thedi’ for agricultural outreach in all 17,116 revenue villages, with teams visiting farmers twice a month to provide guidance on crop yield, cultivation, and protection. ® Simultaneously, the ‘Eliya Aalumai’ (SimpleGov) scheme aims to digitize public services, enabling online access to licenses and certificates including sanitary and building licenses, old age home approvals, and NOCs for passport issuance.
Commemorative Stamp Released for 125 Years of Kodaikanal Solar
Observatory
® The Department of Posts has issued a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 125th anniversary of the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO). ® Established in 1899, KSO is one of India’s oldest solar observatories and is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). ® The observatory has played a significant role in solar research, including long-term observations of sunspots, solar prominences, and solar cycles. ® The stamp release highlights India’s contribution to astronomical science and heritage.
ISRO’s PSLV-C61 Mission Fails – Third Failure in PSLV History
® India’s PSLV-C61 mission, aimed at deploying the EOS-09 Earth observation satellite, failed due to anomalies during the PS3 (third stage) solid motor phase. ® The PS3 stage uses hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as solid fuel. ® EOS-09, equipped with C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), was designed for all-weather Earth observation and strategic surveillance, but failed to reach the intended 525 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). ® This marks the third failure out of 63 PSLV launches, and the first failure since 2017, raising technical concerns in ISRO’s otherwise highly reliable PSLV program.
India’s First
Space-Based Nutrition Experiment – BioE3 Initiative
® India is set to undertake its first-ever biological experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) under the BioE3 initiative, led by ISRO in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology. ® The experiments aim to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on the growth of edible microalgae, a potential nutrient-rich food source for long-duration space missions. ® The goal is to identify the most suitable microalgal species for sustainable space-based food systems. ® Microalgae are ideal for space nutrition due to their high nutrient content, rapid growth (some species mature within 26 hours), and ability to recycle carbon dioxide into oxygen, supporting life support systems.
Global River
Contamination by Antibiotics
® A recent global study has highlighted alarming levels of antibiotic contamination in rivers, primarily due to human antibiotic usage. ® Between 2012 and 2015, approximately 29,200 metric tons of the 40 most commonly used antibiotics were consumed annually. ® Of this, nearly 8,500 metric tons (around one-third) were discharged into rivers, posing serious ecological and public health risks. ® Amoxicillin, the world’s most-used antibiotic, was identified as the most prevalent at risky concentration levels, especially in Southeast Asia. ® Antibiotics are partially absorbed by humans, livestock, and aquaculture species, with the remainder excreted into water bodies, contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and environmental contamination.