On June 17th, 2025, India witnessed key developments spanning science, technology, and economic policy. In Ahmedabad, authorities began the critical process of DNA identification for victims of the tragic Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash. Simultaneously, environmental concerns deepened in Punjab, where government efforts to reduce the state’s overreliance on paddy cultivation are failing, raising alarms over groundwater depletion and stubble burning.

Awareness regarding daily UPSC current affairs is crucial for cracking the UPSC Prelims, excelling in UPSC Mains. It helps perform well in the UPSC personality test, thus becoming an informed and effective UPSC civil servant.

Below are the current affairs and headlines of the day taken from The Hindu, Indian Express, Press Information Bureau & All India Radio as required for UPSC preparation:

DNA Identification in Air India Crash

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS Paper III (Science & Technology)

IN NEWS 

• Following the tragic Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, authorities are extensively employing DNA identification techniques to confirm the identities of the victims. 

• This crucial process involves collecting DNA samples from human remains found at the crash site and matching them with reference samples obtained from the victims’ biological relatives, aiding in accurate and respectful identification.

How is DNA Identification Done?

The process typically involves a systematic approach:

Step 1: Collection of DNA Samples

• Victim Remains: Samples are meticulously collected from the human remains, with a preference for hard tissues like bones and teeth, or well-preserved soft tissues, as DNA degrades less rapidly in these.
• Reference Samples from Relatives: Biological reference samples are obtained from known family members. These can include:
  • First-degree relatives: Parents and children.
  • Second-degree relatives: Siblings (maternal or paternal).
  • Lineage relatives: Maternal relatives for mtDNA analysis, or paternal male relatives for Y-chromosome analysis.
• Personal Items: In some cases, personal items used by the victim, such as toothbrushes, razors, or hairbrushes, can serve as sources for reference DNA.

Step 2: Storage of DNA Samples

• Optimal Conditions: To minimize DNA degradation, samples are ideally stored frozen at −20∘C or preserved in 95% ethanol, particularly for soft tissues.
• Environmental Impact: DNA degrades faster in hot and humid conditions; conversely, it is better preserved in cold and dry environments. Hard tissues (bones and teeth) offer better long-term preservation of DNA compared to soft tissues (skin and muscles).

Step 3: DNA Extraction and Analysis

• Extraction: DNA is extracted from the collected samples using specialized laboratory techniques.
• Analysis: The extracted DNA is then analyzed using various methods, the choice of which depends on the quality, quantity, and preservation state of the sample.

Methods of DNA Analysis

• Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Analysis
  • Description: This is the most widely adopted and powerful technique in forensic DNA profiling. It analyzes short, repeating sequences of DNA (STRs) found at specific locations on chromosomes, which exhibit significant variations between individuals.
  • Application: Highly effective for individual identification and establishing direct biological relationships (parent-child, full siblings) with very high confidence.
  • Requirement: Primarily requires non-degraded nuclear DNA.
• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis
  • Description: Used primarily when nuclear DNA is highly degraded or available in very small quantities. mtDNA is inherited exclusively from the mother and is present in multiple copies per cell, making it more robust against degradation.
  • Application: Useful for establishing maternal lineage (mother, maternal siblings, maternal grandmother, etc.).
  • Reference: Reference samples can be taken from any maternal relative.
• Y Chromosome Analysis
  • Description: This technique focuses on Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) located on the Y chromosome, which is passed directly from father to son.
  • Application: Particularly useful for identifying individuals through paternal lineage (father, son, brother, paternal uncle, paternal grandfather). It is employed when closer relatives suitable for STR analysis are unavailable but paternal male relatives exist.
• Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Analysis
  • Description: Applied in cases where DNA is severely degraded, making STR analysis difficult. SNPs are single base variations in the DNA sequence.
  • Application: Less powerful than STR analysis for individualization but can still provide valuable information for identification, especially when sufficient reference DNA is available from personal items or distant relatives.

Crop Diversification Failing in Punjab

Source: The Indian Express

Syllabus: GS Paper I (Geography)

IN NEWS 

• Punjab is expected to witness near-record paddy cultivation again in 2025, with over of the kharif cropped area dedicated to it. This situation persists despite ongoing government efforts to promote crop diversification. 

• Last year (2024), Punjab recorded an all-time high of 32.44 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation. This trend continues amid rising concerns over severe groundwater depletion, widespread soil degradation, and the perennial issue of stubble burning.

What is the Issue? 

Punjab’s agricultural sector is grappling with an entrenched overdependence on paddy cultivation during the kharif season. This monocultural practice has engendered a complex web of environmental, economic, and sustainability challenges. Despite various initiatives, efforts aimed at diversifying the cropping pattern towards more sustainable alternatives like maize, cotton, pulses, and oilseeds are largely failing to bring about a meaningful shift.

Read the article on Crop Diversification!

Why Attempts of Diversification are Failing?

Several interconnected factors contribute to the persistent failure of crop diversification in Punjab:

• Unattractive Alternatives
  • Weak MSP Support: Non-paddy crops, such as maize and pulses, often receive inadequate Minimum Support Price (MSP) support, making them financially less appealing compared to the assured returns from paddy.
  • Limited Procurement Infrastructure: The lack of widespread and efficient government procurement mechanisms for alternative crops further disincentivizes farmers from switching away from paddy, which benefits from well-established procurement systems.
• Free Electricity and Input Subsidies
  • Incentivizing Paddy: The provision of free 8-hour electricity for irrigation, coupled with generous fertilizer subsidies, heavily incentivizes water-intensive paddy cultivation, making it an economically rational choice for farmers despite its environmental costs.
• Policy Inertia
  • Entrenched Frameworks: Decades of agricultural policy frameworks and procurement systems have historically favored paddy cultivation, creating a systemic bias that is difficult to overcome and dislodge.
• Small-Scale Diversification Efforts
  • Limited Impact: Pilot projects designed for diversification, such as the proposed 12,000-hectare maize cultivation plan, are often too small in scale to induce a significant, state-wide transformation in the cropping pattern.
• Farmer Risk Aversion
  • Lack of Assurance: Farmers exhibit significant risk aversion in the absence of clear market assurance, price stability, and robust institutional support for alternative crops. The guaranteed procurement and MSP for paddy provide a sense of economic security that is currently lacking for other crops.

Government Initiatives to Deal with Paddy-Linked Issues

The government has undertaken several initiatives to address the adverse impacts of paddy overdependence, though with varying degrees of success:

• Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act (2009)
  • Objective: Enacted to regulate the transplanting dates of paddy, primarily to conserve groundwater by delaying transplantation until after the onset of the monsoon.
  • Unintended Consequences: While successful in water conservation to an extent, this Act has inadvertently led to narrow sowing windows, often resulting in increased stubble burning as farmers have less time between harvesting paddy and preparing for the next crop.
• Diversification Pilot Projects (2025)
  • Plans: Include targets to shift 12,000 hectares to maize cultivation and increase the area under cotton by 15%.
  • Challenges: The limited scale of these pilot projects often restricts their overall impact on Punjab's vast agricultural land, making systemic change difficult.
• Promotion of Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)
  • Objective: DSR is encouraged as a water-saving technique, as it eliminates the need for puddling and reduces water requirements compared to traditional transplanted paddy.
  • Adoption Challenges: Despite its benefits, the adoption rate of DSR among farmers remains low due to various agronomic, technical, and socio-economic factors.
• MSP Procurement for Alternatives (Limited Success)

Reality: While MSPs exist for various crops, there is a lack of wide-scale, assured government procurement of non-paddy crops like maize, pulses, and oilseeds that is comparable to the robust system in place for paddy. This absence of assured market and price support remains a significant disincentive for farmers to diversify.