Office of the Registrar General (Ministry of Home Affairs) released Special Bulletin on MMR in India 2019-21

• MMR is the number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births in a given time.
  • India has committed to the UN target for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for MMR at 70 by 2030. 

Key Highlights

• India’s MMR dropped to 93 (from 103 in 2017–19).
• Best-Performing States: Kerala (MMR 20), Telangana (45), Tamil Nadu (49), etc. 
• Poor Performance by Empowered Action Group (EAG) States: Madhya Pradesh (175), Assam (167) and UP (151) still report high MMR. 

Recently, Competition Commission of India has notified the Cost Regulations, 2025 providing new definitions to curb predatory pricing.

About Predatory Pricing

• Definition: The sale of goods or provision of services at a price below the cost with a view to reduce competition or eliminate competitors.
• Section 4(2) of the Competition Act, 2002 identifies predatory pricing by a dominant enterprise as an abusive practice.
• Impact of predatory pricing:
  • On customers: Beneficial in the short term with lower prices but they suffer in the long term due to lesser options and higher prices.
  • On Companies: Harms all companies in the short term but once competitors are driven out, the monopolised companies raise prices and recover lost profits.

CERT-In has issued advisory on DDoS attack threats to critical sectors after the Pahalgam terror attack.

What is a DDoS Attack?

• It is a malicious attempt to overwhelm a target server, network, or website with a flood of traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users.
• Attackers typically use a network of hacked devices (called a botnet) to send huge amounts of fake requests.
• These attacks can slow down an adversary’s computer systems or even to demand a ransom in lieu of restoring the services.

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment reviewed the implementation of the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) program. 

About SEED Programme

• Genesis: Launched in 2022.
• Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Objective: To provide quality coaching, health insurance, and housing aid to DNT and livelihood support to DNT/ NT (Nomadic Tribes)/ SNT (Semi-Nomadic Tribes) communities.
• Beneficiaries: Families with an annual income of ₹2.50 lakh or less, who are not availing benefits from similar schemes of the central or state governments.

The government has revised the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS).

About CGSS

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry 
• Benefits: Provides credit guarantees to loans extended to DPIIT recognised startups.
  • This in turn facilitates startups  availing collateral-free loans.
• Eligible Lending Institutions: Scheduled Commercial Banks, NBFCs and SEBI registered Venture Debt Funds (VDFs) 
• Latest Changes:
  • Guarantee cover doubled to ₹20 crore
  • Loan coverage increased up to 85% for loans up to ₹10 crore
  • Annual guarantee fee cut to 1% for key sectors

Scientists have identified a new subtype of Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY).

What is MODY?

• It is a rare, inherited form of diabetes caused by mutations in certain genes, leading to impaired insulin production or function. 
  • MODY is divided into 14 subtypes, each caused by mutations in different genes.
• It manifests in adolescents or young adults (typically age <35 years), distinguishing it from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
• There is a lack of significant obesity in the patients and its treatment requires low levels of insulin.

The Ministry of Coal signed the Coal Gasification Plant Development and Production Agreement (CGPDPA) with selected private and public sector companies under Category II of the CGFIS scheme.

• Coal Gasification is a process where coal is partially oxidized using air, oxygen, steam, or CO₂ to produce fuel gas under controlled conditions.

About CGFIS Scheme

• The scheme, launched in 2024, aims to achieve 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030, leveraging India’s abundant domestic coal reserves. 
• It is a key component of India’s clean coal transition strategy. 
• Category II of the CGFIS includes projects under both private sector companies and government PSUs.

Delhi government approved 5 cloud-seeding trials, to be implemented by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to combat air pollution. 

About Cloud Seeding

• Cloud seeding is a scientific weather modification technique that involves dispersing agents like Silver Iodide into moisture-bearing clouds to induce precipitation. 
  • Silver Iodide is a yellow inorganic compound that has applications in photography, medicine etc.
• It is also used to suppress hail storms to prevent damage from the hails.
• Advantages: May increase water availability and result in economic, environmental, and human health benefits.