Jan Man Survey

Context:
To commemorate 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the NaMo App launched the ‘Jan Man Survey’, which received over 5 lakh (500,000) responses within just 26 hours.

Jan Man Survey:

• What is it?

A large-scale citizen engagement initiative launched via the NaMo App to gather public opinion on key governance-related topics.

• How it Works?

Citizens across India participate through the app by answering questions related to:

• National Security
• Governance
• Cultural Pride
• Youth Development, etc.

• Significance:

• Promotes direct democracy by integrating citizen feedback into policymaking.
• Encourages digital participation and builds a culture of political accountability.
• High engagement shown: 77% of participants completed the entire survey, indicating strong public interest and involvement.

📚 Relevance for UPSC Exam Syllabus:

• GS Paper II – Governance:

• Example of citizen-centric governance and use of ICT tools for policy feedback.
• Relevant to themes such as e-Governance, transparency, and citizen participation.

• GS Paper IV – Ethics & Integrity:

• Demonstrates ethical governance through transparency and responsiveness.
• Reflects public service values and the effective use of surveys for administrative accountability.

AI Crowd Management System

Context:
In preparation for the 148th Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad, the city police will deploy an AI-powered anti-stampede system to manage crowds and prevent disasters during the large religious event.

 About Ahmedabad Police’s AI Crowd Management System:

• What it is:

An AI-based crowd monitoring system integrated with CCTV cameras and drones, designed to prevent stampedes by analyzing real-time crowd data during large religious processions.

• How it works:

• Real-Time Surveillance:
  AI-enabled CCTV cameras use pixel-counting and thermal imaging to detect crowd density live.
• Threshold Alerts:
  The system issues alerts to the police when crowd density crosses safe thresholds, enabling quick action.
• Predictive Analytics:
  Uses data trends to predict potential bottlenecks and suggests alternative dispersal routes.
• Integrated Deployment:
  Works in coordination with drone-based surveillance system (GP-DRASTI) to provide dynamic crowd control along congested routes.

 Significance:

1. Proactive Disaster Prevention:
   Identifies early warning signs of overcrowding to prevent stampedes.
2. Real-Time Decision Support:
   Improves police responsiveness and public safety in high-risk zones.
3. Data-Driven Planning:
   Helps in future event planning by recording and analyzing crowd behavior and risk-prone areas.

 Limitations:

1. Technical Gaps:
   AI might face challenges like poor lighting, bad weather, or crowd occlusion (when people are blocked from view).
2. Privacy Concerns:
   Constant surveillance raises ethical issues and privacy concerns in public spaces.
3. Operational Dependency:
   Despite automation, success still depends on human personnel and timely intervention.

 Relevance in UPSC Syllabus:

• GS Paper II – Governance:

• Illustrates the application of technology in public service delivery and urban safety.
• Example of e-Governance and use of AI in disaster management and law enforcement.

• GS Paper III – Disaster Management:

• Demonstrates the role of early warning systems in crowd disaster prevention.
• Highlights technological innovations to reduce risks during mass public gatherings.

Blue NDC Challenge

Source: Down to Earth (DTE)

Context:

At the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held in Nice, France, Brazil and France jointly launched the “Blue NDC Challenge”. The initiative aims to integrate ocean-based solutions into national climate strategies ahead of UNFCCC COP30, which will take place in Belem, Brazil.

🌊 About the Blue NDC Challenge:

• What is the Blue NDC Challenge?

A multilateral initiative that urges countries to incorporate ocean-centric actions into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as part of efforts to:

• Address climate change
• Enhance coastal resilience
• Align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal

• Launched by:

• Brazil and France
• Announced during: UNOC3 in June 2025, as part of pre-COP30 mobilization

• Participating Countries:

• Australia, Fiji, Kenya, Mexico, Palau, and Seychelles

• Core Objective:

To promote the inclusion of ocean-focused climate actions in updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of UNFCCC COP30, contributing to global climate goals.

🔹 Major Features of the Blue NDC Challenge:

1. Ocean-Integrated NDCs:
   Encourages the integration of marine ecosystems, mangroves, and coastal zones in national climate action plans.
2. Sustainable Blue Economy:
   Promotes climate-resilient fisheries, ocean renewable energy (like wave, wind, and tidal energy), and carbon-smart aquaculture.
3. Phasing Out Offshore Fossil Fuels:
   Calls for a gradual elimination of offshore oil and gas exploration, particularly in ecologically sensitive marine areas.
4. Restoration and Conservation:
   Emphasizes restoration of mangroves, coral reefs, and salt marshes to:
   • Enhance carbon sequestration
   • Improve coastal protection
5. Global Partnerships & Support:
   The initiative is supported by:
   • Global Mangrove Alliance
   • UN High-Level Climate Champions
   • World Resources Institute (WRI)
   • Ocean Breakthroughs under the Marrakech Partnership

KATRIN Experiment

Source: The Hindu (TH)

Context:

The KATRIN experiment in Germany has released the most stringent upper limit yet on the combined mass of the three types of neutrinos, restricting it to 8.8 × 10⁻⁷ times the mass of an electron—twice as precise as previous measurements.

• What is KATRIN?

KATRIN stands for Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment. It is a precision physics project aimed at measuring the mass of neutrinos by observing the beta decay of tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen).

• Developed by:

Led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, the experiment is an international collaboration involving major research institutions from Germany, the United States, and other European countries.

Objective:

To directly measure the absolute mass of neutrinos, solving one of the biggest open questions in particle physics.

Key Features of the KATRIN Experiment:

• Massive Detector:
  Employs a 200-tonne spectrometer to carry out ultra-precise measurements of electron energy emitted during tritium decay.
• Tritium Decay Monitoring:
  Tracks the beta decay of tritium to analyze the maximum energy of the emitted electrons, from which the neutrino mass can be inferred.
• Robust Data Collection:
  Has studied over 36 million electrons during 259 days of data-taking, making it one of the most comprehensive neutrino experiments.
• Direct Measurement:
  Unlike cosmological methods, KATRIN does not rely on assumptions about the early universe or theoretical models—making its results model-independent.

Significance of the KATRIN Experiment:

1. Breakthrough in Neutrino Physics:
   Established a new upper limit on the combined neutrino masses, a crucial parameter for exploring physics beyond the Standard Model.
2. Challenges Established Theory:
   Confirms that neutrinos have mass, thereby challenging the Standard Model, which originally assumed neutrinos to be massless.
3. Path to New Discoveries:
   Opens avenues for exploring new forces or particles, such as distinguishing between Majorana and Dirac neutrinos—a fundamental question in particle physics.
4. Model-Independent Results:
   Since it doesn’t rely on cosmological assumptions, its conclusions are more reliable and free from theoretical bias.
5. Lays the Groundwork for Future Research:
   Sets technical and experimental standards for upcoming neutrino detectors and radioactive decay-based experiments across the world.