Daily Current Affairs - 9th October 2025

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Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025

Metal-Organic Frameworks

1. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025.

2. The award has been conferred upon Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi.

3. They have been awarded for their pioneering role in the development of the first Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).

   • Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a type of molecular architecture.

   • MOFs are materials that can pack vast amounts of space into tiny structures.

   • This unique property is similar to Hermione Granger’s handbag from Harry Potter, which stored a large volume in a small space.

   • One gram of MOF material can have pores that collectively expose an internal surface area as large as a football pitch.

4. These pores act like tiny molecular rooms that can trap, separate, transform, or transport gases, ions, and other molecules.

5. In this way, MOFs resemble molecular hotels with countless tiny rooms.

6. Each room, or pore, is like a door programmed to admit only certain guests — i.e., specific molecules or ions.

7. Structurally, MOFs are made of metal ions connected by organic (carbon-based) linkers.

8. These components form a three-dimensional network with large, porous cavities.

9. The porosity of MOFs allows gases and liquids to pass through the material.

10. By changing the metal ions and organic linkers, chemists can control the size and shape of cavities in MOFs.

11. This customization enables the selective capture and storage of specific substances.

Applications of MOFs:

1. In Water Harvesting, MOFs can absorb water vapour from desert air at night.

   • The absorbed water is then released as potable water during the heat of the morning.

2. For Pollution Control, MOFs can filter out harmful pollutants such as Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

   • PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that are persistent in the environment and harmful to health.

3. MOFs can also catalyse the decomposition of crude oil and antibiotics in polluted water.

4. In Industrial Applications, MOFs can help extract rare-earth elements from wastewater.

   • They can also be used to store hydrogen, which is vital for clean energy solutions.

5. Additionally, MOFs can capture carbon dioxide, making them important for climate change mitigation.

6. In Healthcare, MOFs play a role in targeted drug delivery by transporting pharmaceuticals within the body.

   • They can safely manage extremely toxic gases, making them useful in hazardous environments.

7. MOFs can also encapsulate enzymes that break down residual antibiotics in the environment.

Researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

Fertilisation using DNA from skin cells

1. Researchers have successfully developed functional egg-like cells from human skin cells.

2. These lab-created eggs are capable of fertilization, marking a major breakthrough in infertility research.

3. This development offers a new possibility for treating infertility through a method called In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG).

   • In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) is the generation of gametes (sperm or eggs) in a laboratory setting.

4. In IVG, gametes are created using the patient’s own genetic material.

5. This genetic material can come from either isolated germ cells or induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs).

   • iPSCs are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells, capable of becoming any cell type.

About the Research Process:

1. To create the egg-like cells, scientists transplanted the nucleus of a human skin cell into a donor egg.

   • The donor egg used in the process had its own nucleus completely removed before the transplant.

2. This method is known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT).

   • SCNT is a type of IVG where the nucleus from a somatic cell (like a skin cell) is inserted into an enucleated egg cell.

Challenges in the Process:

1. A key challenge in IVG is ensuring that the resulting egg cell has the correct number of chromosomes.

2. Normal human cells like skin cells contain 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs.

3. In contrast, human gametes (sperm and eggs) must contain only 23 chromosomes, one from each pair.

4. Therefore, scientists needed to remove half of the chromosomes from the reprogrammed egg cell.

5. To achieve this, researchers developed a technique called "mitomeiosis".

   • Mitomeiosis is a method that mimics natural cell division, forcing the cell to discard one complete set of 23 chromosomes.

   • This technique allows the artificial egg to retain only 23 chromosomes, just like a naturally formed human egg.

6. With the correct number of chromosomes, these lab-generated egg cells could potentially be fertilized.

7. The breakthrough paves the way for future fertility treatments using a patient's own cells.

8. It also holds promise for same-sex reproduction, genetic research, and ethical debates in reproductive science.

Study Reveals Decline in India’s Sunshine Hours (SSH) Due to Rising Aerosol Pollution

1. A recent scientific study has revealed a decline in India’s Sunshine Hours (SSH) over the past three decades.

2. This decline is attributed to a phenomenon called “solar dimming”.

   • Solar dimming refers to the reduction in sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface.

3. Scientists have linked solar dimming in India to increased anthropogenic aerosol emissions.

   • Anthropogenic aerosols are pollution particles released by human activities, such as industrial emissions, biomass burning, and vehicular pollution.

Key Findings of the Study

1. The North Indian plains exhibited the steepest decline in sunshine, with a reduction of −13.1 hours per year (h/y).

2. In contrast, the Northeast region showed a slight seasonal leveling-off in sunshine hours.

3. This seasonal stability is due to regional weather patterns and a phenomenon called the Twomey effect.

   • The Twomey effect explains how more aerosol particles in the air result in brighter clouds.

4. These brighter clouds form because aerosols increase the number of tiny droplets in clouds.

5. As a result, clouds reflect more sunlight, leading to cooler surface temperatures and reduced sunshine.

Causes Behind Solar Dimming

1. The long-term solar dimming trend is mainly caused by rising aerosol concentrations.

2. These aerosols are largely produced by industrial activities and human-induced pollution.

3. In the atmosphere, aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei.

   • Cloud condensation nuclei are tiny particles on which water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets.

4. When aerosols increase, they cause smaller but more numerous droplets, which form longer-lived clouds.

5. These extended cloud lifespans lead to overcast skies, thus reducing sunshine duration.

What Are Aerosols and its Types?

1. Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas medium, such as the atmosphere.

2. Primary aerosols are directly emitted into the atmosphere.

   • Examples of primary aerosols include sea spray, dust, smoke, and volcanic ash.

3. Secondary aerosols are formed through chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

4. These reactions typically involve gases and result in particles like sulfates, which originate from industrial emissions or biomass burning.

Impacts of Aerosols

1. Aerosols influence climate and weather by scattering or absorbing sunlight.

2. This alters local temperature, which affects cloud formation, monsoon behaviour, and rainfall distribution.

3. From a health perspective, aerosols — especially fine particulate matter — cause lung irritation, respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and even premature death.

4. Ecologically, aerosols like mineral dust carry nutrients that fertilize regions like the Amazon rainforest and promote ocean phytoplankton blooms.

5. In the energy sector, aerosols block sunlight from reaching solar panels, thereby reducing solar power output.

Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025

1. According to Energy think tank Ember, renewable energy has achieved a historic global milestone in 2025.

2. In the first half of 2025, renewable energy overtook coal to become the largest source of electricity worldwide.

Key Findings of the Report

1. In major economies like China and India, electricity generation from fossil fuels declined.

2. At the same time, these countries experienced clean energy growth that outpaced overall electricity demand.

   • Clean energy includes sources like solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear, which produce little or no greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions Trends

1. Despite a global rise in electricity demand by 2.6%, carbon emissions decreased in China and India.

2. In China, emissions declined by 46 million tonnes of CO₂ (MtCO₂) in the first half of 2025.

3. In India, emissions dropped by 24 MtCO₂ during the same period.

4. However, in contrast, emissions increased in the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).

Clean Energy Growth

1. Solar power generation grew by 25%, reaching a record-high growth rate in the first half of 2025.

2. Wind power generation increased by 29%, also setting a new global record.

3. This strong growth in solar and wind boosted the overall share of clean energy in global electricity production.

The Great Green Wall Initiative – Africa’s Climate and Land Restoration Effort

1. The Great Green Wall Initiative is an ambitious environmental and development project in Africa.

2. It was launched in 2007 by the African Union.

Objective and Vision

1. The initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land by 2030.

2. It also targets the sequestration of 250 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

   • Carbon sequestration refers to the long-term storage of carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.

3. Another major goal is to create 10 million green jobs for communities across Africa.

4. The project focuses on increasing the amount of arable land in the Sahel region.

   • The Sahel region is a semi-arid zone that borders the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.

Strategic Importance

1. The Great Green Wall is seen as a potential solution to several interlinked challenges in Africa.

2. It aims to address climate change, land degradation, and desertification.

3. It also seeks to combat drought, famine, conflict, and forced migration.

4. By restoring ecosystems and livelihoods, the initiative supports sustainable development and food security.

Current Challenges

1. Despite its ambitious vision, the Great Green Wall faces significant implementation challenges.

2. Issues include funding gaps, political instability, limited local capacity, and climatic variability.

3. These challenges threaten to slow down or derail the project's 2030 targets.

Snow Leopards – Status, Genetics & Conservation

1. Snow leopards are iconic big cats adapted to live in high-altitude mountain regions.

2. A recent genetic study found that snow leopards have very low genetic diversity.

   • Genetic diversity refers to the total variety of inherited traits and different genes within a population or species.

3. High genetic diversity is crucial for a species’ survival, as it enables adaptation to environmental changes and stresses.

4. The low genetic diversity in snow leopards is likely due to a persistently small population size throughout their evolutionary history.

5. This genetic condition is not primarily due to recent inbreeding, which typically reduces diversity in short timeframes.

Habitat and Geographic Distribution

1. Snow leopards are considered a flagship species of the mountain ecosystems of South and Central Asia.

2. A flagship species is one that is used to raise support for biodiversity conservation due to its ecological or cultural importance.

3. Snow leopards are found across 12 countries in Asia.

4. In India, they inhabit the Western Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

5. They are also found in the Eastern Himalayas, specifically in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Conservation Status and Legal Protection

1. On the IUCN Red List, snow leopards are classified as Vulnerable.

   • Vulnerable species face a high risk of extinction in the wild.

2. Under Indian law, snow leopards are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

   • Schedule I offers the highest level of protection under the Act, prohibiting hunting and trade.

3. Snow leopards are also declared as the state animal of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

Unique Characteristics

1. Snow leopards are solitary animals, typically living and hunting alone.

2. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

3. Unlike other big cats, snow leopards do not roar.

Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) – Russia’s Withdrawal

1. Russia’s lower house of parliament has formally approved withdrawal from the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA).

2. The PMDA was a bilateral arms control agreement between Russia and the United States.

3. It was originally signed in the year 2000 by both countries.

Objective of the Agreement

1. Under the agreement, both nations committed to irreversibly dispose of at least 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium each.

   • Weapons-grade plutonium is a highly radioactive material used in nuclear weapons production.

2. Plutonium, with atomic number 94, is the heaviest naturally occurring element.

3. It has a high melting point and is known for its radioactivity and nuclear fission capability.

Disposition and Conversion

1. The main goal of the PMDA was to convert surplus weapons plutonium into safer forms.

2. These safer forms include MOX fuel and reactor irradiation processes.

   • MOX fuel (Mixed Oxide Fuel) is a blend of plutonium and natural or depleted uranium, used to generate electricity in nuclear reactors.

Suspension and Withdrawal Timeline

1. In 2016, Russia had already suspended the implementation of the PMDA.

2. Russia cited U.S. sanctions and deteriorating bilateral relations as reasons for the suspension.

3. The 2025 parliamentary withdrawal marks a formal and complete exit from the agreement by Russia.

NITI Aayog Unveils Roadmap on AI for Inclusive Societal Development

1. NITI Aayog has released a groundbreaking roadmap focused on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for inclusive development.

2. The initiative aims to leverage AI and frontier technologies to improve the livelihoods of India’s 490 million informal workers.

   • Frontier technologies refer to cutting-edge innovations, such as AI, machine learning, blockchain, and IoT.

Current State of Informal Workers in India

Transforming Informal livelihoods with AI

1. The informal sector is the largest employment generator in India.

2. It employs around 90% of the country’s labor force.

3. However, the sector suffers from low productivity, averaging only $5 per hour.

4. This is half the overall national productivity average.

5. There is also a significant social security gap within the informal sector.

6. Only 48% of informal workers have access to any form of social security coverage.

Key Challenges Faced by Informal Workers

1. Workers face financial fragility, with irregular wages, payment delays, and absence of formal contracts.

2. They often lack timely access to social benefits due to the informal nature of their employment.

3. There are major gaps in market access and demand linkages.

   • Informal workers have fragmented job opportunities, no verified digital identities, and low visibility on job platforms.

   • Skilling and technology adoption remain limited across the sector.

   • Only 2–5% of informal workers have received any vocational training.

4. There is a lack of comprehensive worker data, affecting targeted policy support.

   • Social protection and occupational safety are largely absent in informal jobs.

   • Most workers lack health insurance, pension benefits, accident compensation, and safe working conditions.

5. Productivity remains low due to manual workflows, limited mechanization, and lack of digital tools.

Key Recommendations by NITI Aayog

1. Launch Mission Digital ShramSetu to create a national mission for empowering informal workers using AI solutions.

2. The mission aims to build a future-ready labor force by integrating AI into the informal economy.

3. Develop an inclusive AI infrastructure that is multilingual and voice-first.

   • Voice-first AI tools allow users with low literacy to interact using spoken language in regional dialects.

   • Such tools will help overcome language and literacy barriers common in the informal sector.

4. Promote multi-stakeholder engagement by involving state governments and local community networks.

5. This approach ensures localized implementation and increased acceptance among grassroots beneficiaries.

6. Leverage existing digital schemes like e-Shram and UDYAM for better service delivery.

7. Integrating AI into these platforms will improve identification, skilling, and benefits delivery for informal workers.

Draft National Labour & Employment Policy – Shram Shakti Niti 2025

1. The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) has unveiled the draft of the National Labour & Employment Policy (Shram Shakti Niti 2025).

2. The policy sets out a renewed vision for a fair, inclusive, and future-ready world of work.

3. It aligns with the national aspiration of building a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

Institutional and Digital Architecture for Implementation

1. At the national level, the policy proposes the establishment of the National Labour and Employment Policy Implementation Council (NLPI).

2. NLPI will be the apex inter-ministerial body, chaired by the Union Minister for Labour & Employment.

3. At the state level, the policy envisions setting up State Labour Missions.

4. These missions will ensure contextual, need-based implementation and inter-agency coordination within states.

5. At the district level, the policy proposes District Labour Resource Centres (DLRCs).

   • DLRCs will function as single-window hubs for services like worker registration, job matching, skilling, start-up incubation, and grievance redressal.

Strategic Objectives of Shram Shakti Niti 2025

1. A key objective is to ensure Universal and Portable Social Security for all workers.

2. This includes creation of a Universal Social Security Account (USSA).

   • The USSA will integrate major existing schemes like EPFO, e-SHRAM, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

3. The policy also prioritizes Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards.

4. It promotes effective implementation of the OSH Code, 2020 with risk-based inspections and gender-sensitive safety norms.

   • Risk-based inspections target high-risk sectors for improved enforcement, while gender-sensitive standards ensure safety for all genders.

Employment Promotion and Future Readiness

1. The policy redefines the Ministry of Labour & Employment as an Employment Facilitator rather than just a regulator.

2. It proposes to utilize the National Career Service (NCS) as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for employment services.

   • DPI refers to open, interoperable digital systems enabling scalable and inclusive service delivery.

Empowering Women and Youth

1. The policy sets a target to increase women's labour force participation to 35% by 2030.

2. This includes strategies for skill development, safe workplaces, and workforce re-entry.

Ease of Compliance and Formalization

1. A single-window digital compliance system is proposed for businesses, especially MSMEs.

2. This system will include self-certification and simplified return filing processes to reduce the regulatory burden.

3. MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) are crucial employers in India's informal and semi-formal economy.

Technology Integration and Green Transition

1. The policy aims to leverage technology for governance, skilling, and job creation.

2. It also emphasizes the promotion of green jobs to support India’s climate and sustainability goals.

   • Green jobs are employment opportunities that help protect or restore the environment.

Unified Digital Labour Governance

1. The policy proposes to establish coherence across institutions, data systems, and legal jurisdictions.

2. This will be achieved through a unified digital labour-governance framework, enabling real-time, integrated data and service delivery.

Electronic Bank Guarantees (e-BGs) – A Step Toward Paperless Banking

1. The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

2. The MoU aims to integrate digital document execution for Electronic Bank Guarantees (e-BGs).

About NeSL

1. NeSL is India’s first Information Utility (IU).

2. It is registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).

   • Information Utilities (IUs) are entities that act as digital repositories of financial information, especially related to debts and claims under insolvency proceedings.

What are Electronic Bank Guarantees (e-BGs)?

1. Electronic Bank Guarantees (e-BGs) are digitally issued bank guarantees.

2. They eliminate the need for physical paperwork usually involved in issuing a traditional bank guarantee.

3. This digital transition enhances transparency, security, and speed in the issuance process.

4. e-BGs significantly reduce the turn-around time for issuance and delivery of guarantees to the beneficiaries.

Understanding Bank Guarantees

1. A Bank Guarantee (BG) is a financial instrument issued by a bank.

2. It is a promise by the bank to pay a specified sum to a third party (beneficiary).

3. This payment is triggered if the bank’s customer (the applicant) fails to meet a contractual obligation.

4. BGs are commonly used in infrastructure, construction, and procurement contracts to ensure performance or payment.

Agrienics Programme

1. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced the transfer of technology under the Agrienics Programme.

2. The Agrienics Programme is a national initiative by MeitY focused on research, development, deployment, demonstration, and commercialization of technologies in the fields of agriculture and environment.

3. The programme is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata, which acts as the nodal agency.

   • A nodal agency is an organization designated to coordinate and oversee implementation of a specific programme or project.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM)

1. India plans to scale up its flagship scheme PM-KUSUM and share its success with developing nations through the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

2. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

3. PM-KUSUM was launched in 2019 with the goals of providing energy and water security to farmers, de-dieselising the farm sector, and reducing environmental pollution.

4. The scheme aims to add about 34,800 MW of solar capacity by March 2026.

Components of PM-KUSUM

1. Component A focuses on setting up 10,000 MW of solar capacity through small solar power plants.

2. Component B involves the installation of stand-alone solar agriculture pumps for irrigation.

3. Component C aims at the solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps, including feeder-level solarisation.

4. Feeder-level solarisation means integrating solar power at the level of electricity distribution feeders to support agricultural pumps efficiently.

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