Kalam IAS Academy was founded by a team of committed individuals who believe that the traditional way of UPSC preparation needs to be changed.
Current Edge Daily Brief 29th October 2025
Quote of the Day
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – PHILIP PULLMAN
What the Others Say
“Russia’s president has been convinced that his forces could always outlast Ukraine’s. If the EU can make good on its commitment to replace US funding and Trump’s White House holds firm on its new sanctions, the costs to Moscow will become much higher.” – FINANCIAL TIMES, UK
Table of Contents
THE BIG PICTURE
- IE Explained: Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses: How it aims to increase pulses production, why (Harikishan Sharma)
- IE Explained: Cyclone Montha likely to hit east coast: How do tropical storms occur, and who names them?
- TH Science: Setting up an early warning system for the Himalayas poses unique challenges (Divya Gandhi)
- IE Opinion: Robert Badinter’s humanism, opposition to death penalty, will inspire generations to come (Ashwani Kumar)
The Big Picture
IE Explained: Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses: How it aims to increase pulses production, why
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Agriculture
Why in New?
→ Govt launched Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025-31) to boost domestic production & reduce import dependency.
Mission Overview
- Duration → 2025-26 to 2030-31 (6 yrs)
- Outlay → ₹11,440 cr
- Targets → ↑ production by 45% (242→350 LMT), ↑ area by 13% (275→310 lakh ha), ↑ yield by 28% (881→1130 kg/ha)
Core Focus →
- Climate-resilient, high-protein seeds
- Productivity ↑ via tech & FLDs
- Better post-harvest mgmt & storage
- Assured remunerative MSP
Current Pulse Scenario (2023-24)
- Top states (area ha) → Rajasthan (54.7 L ha), MP (51), Maharashtra (44), UP (30)
- Top states (production L MT) → MP (59.7), Maharashtra (40), Rajasthan (33), UP (31)
- Seasonal share → Rabi ≈ 50% area & >60% output
- Major crops →Gram > Moong > Tur > Urad > Masoor
- Yield gap → India 881 kg/ha vs Canada 2200 kg/ha & China 1815 kg/ha
Need & Significance
- India =
largest producer + consumer of pulses - Demand ↑ → 268 L MT (by 2030), 293 L MT (by 2047)
- Imports ↑ from Myanmar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Australia, Canada
- Aim → cut import bill, ensure protein security, strengthen rural incomes
largest producer + consumer of pulsesFocus Crops → Tur, Urad, Masoor
- Share ≈ 34% of total pulse area
- High yield gap → priority for intervention
- Area Expansion Plans →
- Tur (+9 L ha) → Karnataka, Maharashtra, UP, Gujarat, Jharkhand + NE
- Urad → rice fallows of UP, AP, Maharashtra
- Masoor → rice fallows of WB, Bihar, Chhattisgarh
Institutional & Financial Framework
- Mission to subsume Pulses component of NFSM
- ↑ FLD assistance → ₹10k/ha (vs ₹9k earlier)
- 100% procurement (4 yrs) → Tur, Urad, Masoor by NAFED & NCCF under PM-AASHA (PSS)
- Tech integration → Aadhaar-based farmer verification + direct procurement
Implementation Strategy
- Cluster-based model → ≥10 ha (per cluster), 2 ha in NE/hilly areas
- Selection criteria →
- HA-HY / HA-LY / LA-HY / LA-LY districts (NITI Aayog typology)
- Rice-fallow & rainfed zones
- PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana districts
- Aspirational, LWE, Border & Adarsh Gram districts
- NE & Himalayan regions prioritized
Expected Outcomes
- Domestic self-sufficiency (Aatmanirbharta) in pulses by 2030-31
- ↓ Imports → saves foreign exchange
- ↑ Farmer income + protein nutrition security
- Boost to climate-resilient agriculture & rural value chains.
Test Your Knowledge 01
Q. With reference to the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (2025–31), consider the following statements:
- It aims to increase the total pulses production in India by 45% by 2030–31.
- The Mission will subsume the pulses component of the National Food Security Mission (NFSM).
- It targets an increase in average yield to match the global average of 2200 kg/ha.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Hint: Target yield = 1130 kg/ha (not 2200 kg/ha). The mission subsumes NFSM-pulses component.
Q. With reference to India’s pulse economy, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- Over 60% of India’s pulse production occurs during the rabi season.
- Rajasthan has the largest area under pulses cultivation.
- India’s pulse yield is higher than China’s but lower than Canada’s.
Select the correct answer using the code below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Hint: India’s yield (881 kg/ha) < China (1815 kg/ha) < Canada (2200 kg/ha).
IE Explained: Cyclone Montha likely to hit east coast: How do tropical storms occur, and who names them?
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Disaster Management
Why in News?
IMD warns that a deep depression over SE Bay of Bengal is intensifying into Cyclone Montha, expected to impact east coast states with heavy rainfall.
Formation of Tropical Cyclones
Formation of Tropical Cyclones- Definition → Large low-pressure system → inward spiralling winds → anticlockwise (N hemisphere) / clockwise (S hemisphere)
- Conditions → Warm Sea (>27°C) + Coriolis force + high humidity + weak vertical wind shear
- Energy source → Latent heat release → condensation of water vapour → warm core forms
- Stages → Low Pressure → Depression (31–49 km/h) → Deep Depression (50–61 km/h) → Cyclonic Storm (≥62 km/h)
- Types →
- Tropical Cyclones → warm core, develop over tropics
- Extratropical Cyclones → cold-core, form outside tropics
Why Bay of Bengal Faces More Cyclones?
Why Bay of Bengal Faces More Cyclones?- Topography → Funnel-shaped bay → concentrates storm surges & wind energy
- Coastline shape → Complex deltas (Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna) ↑ vulnerability
- Sea Surface Temp (SST) → BoB warmer than Arabian Sea → ↑ convection → ↑ cyclone intensity
- Moisture inflow → From Pacific (via South China Sea) → fuels storms
- Seasonal pattern → Oct–Nov = post-monsoon peak → ideal SST + low wind shear
- Climate change → Rising SSTs → ↑ intensity + frequency (Arabian Sea also catching up)
Naming of Cyclones
Naming of Cyclones- System → WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC), 2000 onwards
- Members (13 nations) → India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, +5 (Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen)
- Naming method → Rotational list → 13 names/country → 169 names (IMD 2020 list)
- Purpose → Easy ID, communication, public awareness, disaster coordination
- Rules → Neutral to politics/religion/culture; short & easy to pronounce
- Current name → Montha → given as per PTC naming sequence
Expected Impact of Cyclone Montha (IMD Forecast)
Expected Impact of Cyclone Montha (IMD Forecast)- Regions likely hit → Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh
- Effects → Heavy–very heavy rain, gusty winds, storm surges
- Preparedness → CM Naidu’s alert → essential services readiness, fishermen recalled.
Test Your Knowledge 02
Q. Consider the following statements about the Bay of Bengal’s cyclone proneness:
- Its funnel-shaped topography amplifies storm surges.
- It has higher sea surface temperatures than the Arabian Sea.
- Low vertical wind shear over the Bay enhances cyclone formation.
- The Bay witnesses more landfalls due to the orientation of monsoonal winds.
Which of the above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Hint: All statements valid—topography + warm SST + conducive shear + monsoon wind direction → high landfall frequency
TH Science: Setting up an early warning system for the Himalayas poses unique challenges
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Disaster Management
Why in News?
Frequent extreme weather & disasters in the Himalayas highlight urgent need for robust, locally operable Early Warning Systems (EWS).
Himalayan Vulnerability
- Rapid ↑ in disasters → 11 (1963–72) → 68 (2013–22) = 44% of all India’s disasters
- 1,121 landslides (2007–17, NASA) → glacial lake bursts, floods, quakes, fires
- Warming rate ↑ 0.15–0.60°C/decade → faster than global avg
- Climate + developmental stress → fragile terrain, glacier melt, erratic precipitation
Early Warning Systems (EWS): Present Gaps
- Sparse coverage → few functional systems in 2,400 km Himalayan arc
- Tech challenges → rugged terrain, remoteness, weak mobile networks
- Lack of indigenous, low-cost, weather-proof, easy-to-operate models
- Drones → limited range in windy, icy zones; Satellites → costly, low scalability
- Local participation ↓ → poor training, maintenance, response readiness
Governance & Policy Issues
- Low priority → limited funding, institutional inertia
- Weak coordination → centre-state-local agencies
- Absence of national Himalayan disaster policy integration
Technological & Scientific Solutions
- AI models → transform live data → credible, predictive alerts
- Multi-input systems → in-situ + remote sensing → real-time transmission
- Example → Chinese Cirenmaco GLOF EWS (unmanned boat, satellite data)
- Hazard maps → flood depth, velocity, intensity levels → guide evacuation
- India examples → hailstorm EWS (U’khand, H.P.) using AI + local weather models
Way Forward
- Deploy EWS valley-wise → trans-boundary coverage
- Empower local communities → training, ownership, rapid response
- Use affordable AI-satellite hybrid systems → scalable, rugged design
- Learn from Alps model → local vigilance + tech synergy → lives saved
Test Your Knowledge 03
Q. Which of the following is not a direct monitoring parameter for a GLOF EWS?
(a) End-moraine displacement
(b) Ice-collapse signals
(c) Downstream runoff volume
(d) Precipitation variability in lower plains.
Hint: GLOF EWS focuses on glacial & hydrological variables, not plain rainfall.
IE Opinion: Robert Badinter’s humanism, opposition to death penalty, will inspire generations to come
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Ethics
Why in News?
→ Pantheonisation ceremony (Oct 9, Paris) honours Robert Badinter — France’s anti–death penalty crusader & humanist — with a cenotaph in the Pantheon.
Robert Badinter: Life & Legacy
- Jurist, philosopher, statesman → Justice Minister under François Mitterrand (1981–86)
- Architect of France’s abolition of death penalty (1981) → landmark moral shift
- Later → President, Constitutional Council (1986)
- Advocate of human rights, liberty, equality, fraternity → core of French republican ethos
- Partner & intellectual ally → Elizabeth Badinter, noted philosopher
Humanism & Opposition to Death Penalty
- Viewed capital punishment → “ultimate affront to human dignity” ✦ negates essence of justice
- Believed death penalty ✦ failed deterrent (no ↓ in crime rates globally) ✦ irreversible injustice (risk of wrongful conviction) ✦ dehumanising & morally regressive
- Championed abolition (1981) → landmark law under Mitterrand govt → France joins 35th abolitionist nation
- Compared with Enlightenment ideals → Voltaire, Condorcet, Zola, Hugo → justice rooted in reason, not revenge
- Advocated universal abolition → led France’s campaign at UN (1986) → influenced Europe-wide ban (Protocol 6, ECHR)
- Vocal against executions in USA, China, Iran → urged moral leadership of democracies
- Example → dialogues with Indian jurists (Ashwani Kumar, others) → challenged retention of death penalty amid terrorism debate
Symbolism of Pantheonisation
- Pantheon = shrine of France’s moral conscience → resting place of national icons
- Macron’s tribute → Badinter embodies “fulfilled promise of Revolution 1789”
- Ceremony → literary readings, music, bipartisan participation ✦ national unity over ideology
- Message → reaffirmation of rule of law, human dignity, anti-antisemitism, tolerance
Contemporary Relevance
- Liberal democracy under strain → ↑ majoritarianism, ↓ human rights sensitivity
- Badinter’s ideals → reminder to uphold justice over vengeance, moral conviction over populism
- His torch → inspires new generations to defend freedom, equality, compassion.
