Gogabeel Lake Declared India’s 94th Ramsar Site

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Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced Gogabeel Lake in Bihar as India’s 94th Ramsar Site.

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• The addition of Gogabeel Lake raises Bihar’s total Ramsar sites to six, placing the state third in India after Tamil Nadu (20 sites) and Uttar Pradesh (10).
• Gogabeel Lake is Bihar’s first community reserve, managed and conserved by the local community.
• Gogabeel Lake is an oxbow lake in Katihar district, located between the Ganga and Mahananda rivers.
• The lake connects with both rivers during flood events, enhancing its ecological significance and hydrological linkage.
• Union Environment Minister announced that India has added 67 Ramsar sites in the last 11 years, covering 13,60,805 hectares.

About the Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in the city of Ramsar (Iran) on 2 February 1971.

• World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on 2nd February since 1997. 

Its aim is the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands to preserve biodiversity and maintain ecological balance.

According to the Convention, Wetlands are defined as areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.

Ramsar Sites in India

• India acceded to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on February 1, 1982.
• India has the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia and the third highest in the world after the United Kingdom (176) and Mexico (144). 
• These wetlands are protected under various national laws, including the Indian Forest Act (1927), the Forest (Conservation) Act (1980), the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972). 

PLI scheme for Specialty Steel

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Recently, the Union Minister of Steel and Heavy Industries launched the third round of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Specialty Steel.

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The launch marked the beginning of PLI 1.2, which aims to push advanced steel grades such as super alloys, cold-rolled grain-oriented (CRGO) steel, stainless steel long and flat products, titanium alloys and coated steels.

The announcement highlighted that the scheme has been designed to strengthen domestic value addition and reduce dependence on imports in critical sectors such as defence, power, aerospace and infrastructure.

The first round of the PLI Scheme for Specialty Steel (PLI 1.0) was approved in July 2021, followed by the second round (PLI 1.1) in January 2025.

• Since its launch in 2021, the scheme has attracted ₹43,874 crore in committed investment and is expected to add 14.3 million tonnes of new specialty steel capacity. 

Key Highlights of the Third Round (PLI 1.2)

• Application Window: Applications are invited through the online portal for a period of 30 days from the date of launch.
• Eligibility: Companies registered in India engaged in end-to-end manufacturing of the notified products are eligible to apply.
• Product Coverage: The third round of the PLI Scheme covers 22 product sub-categories across five broad target segments, including strategic steel grades, commercial grades (Categories 1 and 2), and coated/wire products.
• Incentive Rates: Incentives will range from 4% to 15% of incremental sales, depending on the product sub-category and year of production.
• Incentive Period: Benefits will be available for a maximum of five years starting from FY 2025–26, with incentive disbursal commencing in FY 2026–27.
• Other changes: Base Year for prices has been revised from 2019-20 to 2024-25 to reflect current trends.

IKSHAK Survey Vessel

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Recently, the Indian Navy commissioned Ikshak, the third Survey Vessel (Large), at Naval Base Kochi. 

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• The vessel is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata, under naval production oversight.
• Ikshak reflects more than 80% indigenous content, demonstrating progress under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. 
• The ship is designed to conduct full-scale hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours and deep-water channels.
• The name Ikshak means “Guide” in Sanskrit, symbolising its role in ensuring safe maritime navigation.
• The ship is the first in the Survey Vessel Large (SVL) class to provide dedicated accommodation for women crew members, reflecting the Navy’s inclusive approach.
• The SVL project contract was signed in October 2018 for four vessels. 

Features of Ikshak

• The vessel carries state-of-the-art hydrographic and oceanographic equipment for accurate seabed mapping and navigation charting.
• The vessel carries advanced hydrographic systems including a multi-beam echo sounder, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle and Survey Motor Boats.
• The ship features a helicopter deck that enhances mission flexibility and operational range.
• Beyond its primary role of hydrographic survey operations, Ikshak is designed with dual-role capability, serving as a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) platform and as a hospital ship during emergencies.

Maharashtra inks LOI with Starlink to Expand Satellite Internet Connectivity

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Maharashtra becomes the first state in India to sign a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink to deliver high-speed satellite internet services across government institutions and remote areas.

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• The agreement will progress only after Starlink secures statutory clearances from the Government of India.
• The collaboration targets districts with poor or no internet access, including Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv and Washim.
• The state will also deploy satellite terminals in schools, primary health centres, disaster control rooms and forest and coastal outposts.
• The collaboration aligns with the state’s Digital Maharashtra mission and supports initiatives on electric mobility, coastal development and disaster preparedness.

Key Highlights of the LOI

• The programme focuses on connecting public institutions before expanding to household users to ensure broad community benefits.
• The service supports essential digital functions such as online education, telemedicine, e-governance and disaster communication.
• The initiative brings high-speed connectivity to tribal schools, rural hospitals and administrative centres that currently lack stable digital access.
• The model aims to make satellite connectivity sustainable through public funding and shared institutional infrastructure.

About Starlink

• Starlink, a project of SpaceX (founded by Elon Musk), is a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet constellation that provides high-speed broadband connectivity, especially in remote or underserved regions where traditional fibre or mobile networks are difficult to deploy.
• It operates through a network of over 6,000 active satellites (as of 2025) orbiting about 550 km above Earth, enabling low-latency internet access. 

Project Suncatcher

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Recently, Google announced Project Suncatcher to develop scalable AI data centres using solar-powered satellites in low Earth orbit.

Key Highlights of the Project

• Google’s Project Suncatcher envisions deploying AI data centres in space, using satellite constellations equipped with Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to perform large-scale machine learning and data processing in orbit.
• The satellites will operate in dawn–dusk sun-synchronous low Earth orbit (LEO), where solar panels can harvest near-continuous sunlight, generating energy up to eight times more efficiently than Earth-based systems.
• By shifting compute workloads off Earth, the project aims to reduce the environmental footprint of conventional data centres — notably electricity and water consumption, land use, and carbon emissions.
• Satellites will communicate via free-space optical (laser) links, enabling tens of terabits per second (Tbps) of bandwidth for distributed AI training and real-time synchronization across the constellation. 
• Google’s research team achieved 1.6 Tbps bidirectional data transfer in a laboratory demonstration, confirming the feasibility of ultra-fast inter-satellite communication for AI computation. 
• The Trillium TPU v6e chip successfully passed radiation exposure tests exceeding five-year mission thresholds, proving its suitability for low Earth orbit deployment without performance degradation. 
• Google plans to launch two prototype satellites by early 2027, in collaboration with Planet Labs, to validate TPU performance, system integration, and communication architecture in real orbital conditions.