2 Minute Series_12 September 2025

12^th September 2025

1. Red Ivy Plant: Recently, the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Palode, developed an innovative multi-layered wound-healing pad by unlocking the therapeutic properties of the red ivy plant.

Key Highlights: Plant source: Red ivy plant (Strobilanthes alternata), locally called murikooti pacha, Acanthaceae family.
Key discovery: Identification and isolation of acteoside molecule from red ivy plant for the first time.
Product developed: Multi-layered wound-healing pad using nanomaterials (electro-spun nanofibers).
Key ingredient: Acteoside molecule (effective even at 2% concentration) + antibiotic neomycin sulfate.
Pad design: Electro-spun nanofiber layer (biodegradable, non-toxic, allows gas exchange).
Sodium alginate-based super absorbent sponge (absorbs wound exudate).
Activated carbon layer (absorbs and prevents odour).
Benefits: Prevents microbial growth, speeds healing, absorbs secretions, controls odour.
Efficacy: Animal studies show significantly faster wound healing.
Availability: First multifunctional wound dressing pad of this kind in India.
Affordability: Materials are accessible and cost-effective, enabling large-scale production.

2. Household Surveys: Recently, the National Statistics Office (NSO) under MoSPI announced two flagship nationwide household surveys — the All India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS) and the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households.

About AIDIS: India’s most detailed survey on household finance.
Originated as the All India Rural Credit Survey (1951-52); expanded in 1961-62 to cover both debt and investment.
Conducted once every 10 years; latest round in 2019 (77th Round) on request of the RBI.
Provides insights on: Levels of household indebtedness
- Asset ownership and distribution in rural vs. urban areas
- Credit markets and financial inclusion trends
About SAS of Agricultural Households: Introduced in 2003 to study the economic status of farming households. Expanded in 2013 to cover all agricultural households; further strengthened in 2019 round.
Tracks a wide set of indicators such as: Household income and expenditure
Indebtedness and access to credit
Land and livestock ownership
Crop and livestock production patterns
Farming practices and adoption of technology
Access to government schemes and crop insurance

3. Samudra Pradakshina: Recently, Raksha Mantri Shri virtually flagged off ‘Samudra Pradakshina’, the world’s first Tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition from the Gateway of India, Mumbai.

The mission was described as a symbol of Nari Shakti, Armed Forces unity, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and India’s global vision, highlighting the courage of the 10 women officers on this voyage.
About Samudra Pradakshina Vessel: Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni, an indigenously built 50-foot Class A yacht from Puducherry.
Duration: 9 months (September 2025 – May 2026).
Route: Approx. 26,000 nautical miles on an easterly course.
Rounds the three great Capes – Leeuwin, Horn, and Good Hope.
Covers all major oceans including the challenging Southern Ocean and Drake Passage.
Crew to conduct scientific research with the National Institute of Oceanography:
- Study of microplastics.
- Documentation of ocean life.
- Awareness campaigns on marine health.
IASV Triveni represents Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence innovation and maritime self-reliance.

4. Special Economic Package: Recently, Mauritius and India held discussions to strengthen ties, leading to the announcement of a Special Economic Package covering health, infrastructure, maritime cooperation, and strategic projects.

About Projects: Construction of New Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital.
Establishment of an AYUSH Centre of Excellence.
Setting up of a Veterinary School and Animal Hospital.
Provision of helicopters.
Projects on Grant-cum-Line of Credit (LOC): Completion of new ATC tower at SSR International Airport.
Development of Motorway M4.
Development of Ring Road Phase II
Strategic Cooperation (Agreed in principle): Redevelopment and restructuring of Port in Mauritius.
Assistance in development and surveillance of Chagos Marine Protected Area.

5. Biosignatures: Recently, NASA announced its strongest evidence that life may have once existed on Mars, after the Perseverance rover detected potential biosignatures in a rock sample.

Key Findings: Initial scans revealed chemical compositions and structures suggesting possible microbial activity from billions of years ago.

Presence of: Organic carbon, Sulphur, Oxidised iron (rust), Phosphorus, Clay and silt, in rocks

On Earth, such materials are excellent preservers of microbial life.
Biosignature: Any object, structure, or chemical composition that may suggest a biological origin.
Cheyava Falls minerals could have formed via electron-transfer reactions, a process microbes use to generate energy.
But: Similar mineral combinations can also arise abiotically (without life).

6. Non-Communicable Diseases: Recently, a Lancet study revealed a rise in deaths from non-communicable diseases in India between 2010 and 2019, contrasting with a global decline.

Key Findings India-Specific: Rising NCD mortality risk in India, especially among women, unlike the global decline.
Males: Probability of dying from NCDs (birth–80 years) rose from 56% (2001) → 8% (2010) → 57.9% (2019).
Females: Probability was 7% (2001) → dipped slightly to 46.6% (2010) → then sharply increased to 48.7% (2019).
Major contributors: heart disease and diabetes.
Lung cancer mortality rose in India (along with Armenia, Iran, Egypt, Papua New Guinea), while globally male lung cancer mortality declined in 92% of countries.
Global: From 2010–2019, NCD mortality declined in ~80% of countries, covering 70%+ of global population.
Reductions in cardiovascular disease mortality (heart attacks, strokes) drove much of global improvement.
Gains offset by rising deaths from dementia, neuropsychiatric conditions (alcohol use disorder), and cancers like pancreatic & liver.

7. Isobutanol Blending: Recently, India started exploring isobutanol blending with diesel after unsuccessful ethanol-diesel trials. This move aims to boost biofuels, support farmers, reduce oil imports, and promote sustainable energy use.

About Isobutanol: A four-carbon alcohol (C₄H₁₀O), colorless, flammable, and long used as a solvent in paints, coatings, and chemical industries.
Produced through both petrochemical routes and biomass fermentation.
Properties (Compared to Ethanol): Higher energy density than ethanol, making it closer to diesel in performance.
Lower hygroscopicity – absorbs less water than ethanol, which reduces corrosion risks in engines and fuel pipelines.
Blending & Fuel Trials: ARAI is conducting trials with 10% isobutanol–diesel blends.
Also being studied as a standalone fuel.
Under evaluation for CNG–isobutanol flex-fuel applications, especially in tractors and agricultural machinery.
Benefits for India: Strengthens energy security by providing a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.
Aligns with National Biofuel Policy (2018) targets for energy transition.
Supports farmer incomes by creating new markets for bio-based fuel feedstock.

8. Pallas’s Cat: Recently, a wildlife survey in Arunachal Pradesh captured the first-ever photographic evidence of the elusive Pallas’s cat in the state. This rare finding adds to the region’s rich biodiversity significance.

About Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul): A small wild feline, well camouflaged and adapted to survive in cold continental climates.
It was first described in 1776 by naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, after whom it is named, based on specimens from near Lake Baikal, Russia.

Distribution: Native to Central Asia, with a range spanning: Western Iran, Mongolia, China, Russia (Mongolia–China border), Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Prefers rocky montane grasslands and shrublands where snow cover remains under 15–20 cm.
Primary prey includes lagomorphs (hares, pikas) and rodents
Key Features: Roughly the size of a domestic cat, with soft, dense fur.
Fur colour: pale silvery-gray to light brown.
Distinctive traits: Broad head, high-set eyes, and low-set ears.
Tail tipped and ringed with black.
Some individuals show faint dark body markings.
Adaptation: longer fur on the underparts (twice the length of upper fur) to provide insulation while lying on cold ground.
Conservation Status:
CITES: Appendix II
IUCN Red List: Least Concern