1 August 2025 Current Affairs | NISAR Satellite, Medog Dam, SOFI Report – UPSC के लिए महत्वपूर्ण करेंट अफेयर्स

 🍚 India’s Food Security & Hunger Issues – As per SOFI 2025 Report

🧭 Syllabus Covered

Source:-DTE

• GS-2: Poverty & Hunger

• GS-3: Buffer Stocks & Food Security

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🌍 Why It Is In News?

1. A global report called The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 (SOFI 2025) says India has the highest rate of child wasting in the world.

2. It was launched during UN Food System Summit (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa.

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📕 What Is SOFI Report?

1. It tells us about hunger, malnutrition, and food availability across the world.

2. It is published annually to assess the status of SDG Goal 2, or "Zero Hunger."

3. It was jointly prepared by:

   • FAO (Food & Agriculture Organisation)

   • IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)

   • UNICEF

   • WFP (World Food Programme)

   • WHO (World Health Organisation)

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🌎 Main Highlights – World Level

🍴 Global Hunger Data (2024)

1. Hunger affected 673 million individuals, or 8.2% of the global population.

2. This is little better than 2023 (8.5%), but still too high.

🗺️ Regional Stats

3. Africa – 307 million people hungry (20.2%)

4. Asia – 323 million (6.7%)

5. Latin America – 34 million (5.1%)

6. South and Southeast Asia saw the biggest decrease in hunger. But Africa & West Asia hunger gone up.

🔮 Hunger Future (by 2030)

7. In 2030, 512 million people might still be hungry if nothing changes. And 60% of them will be from Africa.

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💰 Cost of Healthy Diet

1. A healthy diet cost around $4.46 PPP per day per person in 2024.

2. Around 2.3 billion people (28% of global population) couldn't afford a healthy diet.

3. Though it’s better than 2019 (2.76 billion people), still it’s a big problem.

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👶 Child & Women Health Issues (Global)

1. Child Stunting (low height for age) reduced to 23.2% (was 26.4% in 2012).

2. Child Wasting (low weight for height) stayed 6.6%, not much improvement.

3. Exclusive Breastfeeding improved to 47.8%.

4. Anaemia in Women (15–49 yrs) increased to 30.7% (was 27.6% in 2012) – very worrying.

5. Obese Adults increased from 12.1% to 15.8% – shows double burden of malnutrition (both hunger and obesity).

6. Minimum dietary diversity:

   • Only 1 in 3 kids (6–23 months) got diverse food.

   • Only 2 in 3 women had dietary diversity.

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🇮🇳 India’s Performance in SOFI 2025 – Not Good News

1. Wasting Among Children (Under 5)

• About 18.7% (21 million) kids in India are wasted.

• India has the highest child wasting rate in the world.
  🧠 Wasting means kids are too thin for their height – it’s an emergency-level nutrition issue.

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2. Stunting Among Children

• Around 37.4 million children are stunted.

• That means long-term malnutrition is a serious problem in India.
  👶 Stunting shows kids didn’t get proper nutrition from early age.

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3. Anaemia in Women (15–49 Years)

• 53.7% of women (around 203 million) are anaemic.

• This is one of the highest in the world, only behind few African countries.
  🩸 Anaemia means lack of iron – leads to tiredness, low immunity, poor productivity.

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4. Undernourishment

• In 2024, 172 million individuals, or 12% of India's total population, suffered from undernutrition.

• In Asia, India ranks 7th worst after Syria, Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Iraq, and Jordan.

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5. People Can’t Afford Healthy Diet

• In 2024, 42.9% Indians couldn’t afford a healthy diet.

• In 2017 it was $2.77/day, but now cost is $4.07/day (PPP).
  🍽️ Means nearly half of India’s population is eating only to fill stomach, not for health.

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6. Overweight & Obese Problem Growing

• Between 2012 and 2024, the number of overweight children rose from 2.7 million to 4.2 million.

• Obese adults rose from 33.6 million to 71.4 million in just 12 years.
   📈 This is known as the "double burden of malnutrition" since some people are overfed and others are underfed.

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🔍 Why This Matter for UPSC/India?

1. India has big schemes like Poshan Abhiyan, PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, ICDS, but still nutrition crisis continues.

2. High food inflation and poor diet diversity hurting poor people badly.

3. India needs better food security, nutrition education, and targeted healthcare for women & children.

✅ Conclusion 

This report clearly shows that just filling the stomach is not enough — people need healthy food to live a good life. In India, millions of people are still undernourished, while at the same time, many are becoming overweight or obese. This is a serious warning sign.

Even though the government is running big schemes like Poshan Abhiyan and free ration programs, it’s not fully solving the problem. The focus must shift from quantity to quality — people need food that’s nutritious, not just cheap.

If India wants to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030, then we need better planning, awareness, and stronger action — especially for poor children and women who suffer the most. It’s not just a health issue, it’s a question of our nation’s future.

❓ FAQ on SOFI 2025 and Food Security in India

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🔹 Q1: What is SOFI 2025?

Ans:
SOFI stands for The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.
The 2025 edition gives data on hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition around the world.
It helps track how close we are to achieving SDG Goal 2 – Zero Hunger by 2030.

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🔹 Q2: Who publishes this report?

Ans:
SOFI is prepared jointly by 5 UN agencies:

• FAO

• IFAD

• UNICEF

• WFP

• WHO

They use global data to track hunger and nutrition trends.

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🔹 Q3: Why is this report important for India?

Ans:
Because India has some of the worst hunger and nutrition indicators in the world, especially for children and women.
SOFI 2025 helps India understand where it is lagging and what needs to be improved.

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🔹 Q4: What does 'wasting' mean? Why is it serious?

Ans:
Wasting means a child is too thin for their height — it's a sign of acute (short-term) malnutrition.
It can lead to serious health problems or even death if not treated quickly.
India has the highest rate of wasting in the world — a major concern.

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🔹 Q5: What is 'stunting' and how is it different?

Ans:
Stunting means a child is too short for their age — a sign of chronic (long-term) undernutrition.
It affects brain development, learning ability, and even job prospects later in life.

🇨🇳 Medog Dam: China's Big Hydropower Project on Brahmaputra – Why India is Worried?

Syllabus: Geography (GS-1)
Source: TH

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🌊 1. What is the Medog Dam Project?

1. Location – The Medog Dam is planned in Medog County of Tibet (China). This is near the place where Brahmaputra River takes a sharp U-turn (called the Great Bend) and enters into Arunachal Pradesh (India).

2. River Name – In China, Brahmaputra is called Yarlung Zangbo.

3. Size & Power – It is a huge dam which will produce 60,000 MW electricity. If built, it’ll become the biggest hydropower project in the world!

4. Location Risk – This area is earthquake-prone and gets heavy rain. So building such a big dam here can be risky.

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⚔️ 2. Why This Dam Matters for India (Strategic Angle)

1. Close to Arunachal – This dam is very close to Upper Siang region of Arunachal Pradesh. China wrongly calls that region as South Tibet, so this dam has geopolitical value too.

2. More Control on Water – Since China is upstream (above), it can control water flow to India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. That gives China more hydro-political power.

3. No Water Treaty – India, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan are not part of any water-sharing treaty, so China has no legal limit on how much water it can hold or release.

4. Tensions with India – India and China are already having border tensions (like in Ladakh and Arunachal). This dam adds water tension also.

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🏞️ 3. Environmental & Livelihood Problems

1. River Flow Disruption – To generate electricity, China will store water, which may stop the normal flow of Brahmaputra. This can affect farming and fishery in Assam and Bangladesh.

2. Dangerous Water Releases – If China suddenly releases water from the dam, floods can occur in India and Bangladesh. Traditional farmers and people living near the river will suffer.

3. Earthquake Danger – The dam is in a high earthquake zone, same region where a big earthquake happened in 1950 (Assam–Tibet earthquake). If anything goes wrong, the dam can cause disaster.

4. Glacial Floods (GLOFs) – Himalayan glaciers are melting. If a glacial lake bursts, it may cause a flood that can break the dam or overflow it.

5. Monsoon Impact – The dam may change how water flows during monsoon. It can hurt groundwater recharge and make droughts or floods worse in Northeast India.

6. Loss of Biodiversity – The river has many fish species, wetlands, and ecosystems. A dam here may kill aquatic life and harm environment.

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🇮🇳 4. What India Can Do? (Strategic Options)

1. Don’t Just Build Dams – Instead of replying with our own dam, India can promote river cooperation and diplomacy in the region.

2. Improve Talks with China – We already have a system called Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) for river data sharing. We should make it stronger and ask China for real-time flood data.

3. Go Green Diplomacy – India can show leadership by promoting eco-friendly river management instead of dam competitions.

4. Disaster Preparation – India must invest in early warning systems, build flood-resilient roads & homes, and train local people in flood safety.

5. Form River Commission – India should create a Brahmaputra River Commission with Bangladesh and Bhutan to jointly manage water, plan for floods, and protect environment.

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🔚 Conclusion: It's Not Just About Megawatts

The Brahmaputra is not just a river. It's the lifeline for millions—a cultural, ecological, and economic artery for Northeast India and Bangladesh.

👉 China's Medog Dam may bring electricity, but it also brings big risks to lives, farms, and forests downstream.

So instead of water fights, the world needs hydrological harmony, not hydro hegemony.

🧾 FAQ – Medog Dam & Brahmaputra River Concerns

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❓1. What is the Medog Dam and where is it located?

Ans:
The Medog Dam is a hydropower project planned by China on the Yarlung Zangbo River (which becomes Brahmaputra in India).
It is located in Medog County, Tibetan Autonomous Region, near the Great Bend where the river turns into Arunachal Pradesh.

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❓2. How big is this project?

Ans:
The planned capacity is 60,000 MW, which will make it the world’s largest hydroelectric dam if completed.

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❓3. Why is this dam a problem for India?

Ans:

• It is very close to Arunachal Pradesh, which China wrongly claims as its own.

• China will get control over water before it reaches India.

• There is no water-sharing treaty to protect downstream countries like India or Bangladesh.

• It adds more tensions to the India-China border conflict.

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❓4. What are the ecological risks of this dam?

Ans:

• Stops natural river flow, harming irrigation and fish in Assam/Bangladesh.

• High flood risk if water is released suddenly.

• The area is prone to earthquakes and glacial floods (GLOFs).

• It may damage the monsoon water cycle and river biodiversity.

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❓5. What can India do to protect its interest?

Ans:

1. Strengthen talks with China using the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM).

2. Avoid dam race, instead push for river cooperation.

3. Set up a Brahmaputra River Commission with Bangladesh and Bhutan.

4. Invest in flood warning systems and disaster response.

5. Become a leader in eco-friendly river management.

🇮🇳 India Successfully Launched the NISAR Satellite (NASA–ISRO)

📚 Syllabus Covered
GS Paper-3: Science & Technology

📰 Source: TOI

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🌍 What is NISAR?

1. Full Form – NISAR means NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.

2. This is a joint satellite mission by NASA (USA) and ISRO (India) to monitor Earth.

3. It uses dual-frequency radar to track changes on land and ice, like earthquakes, landslides, floods, etc.

4. It's the first time NASA and ISRO made such a big satellite together for Earth observation.

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🚀 Launch Details

5. Launched on 31 July 2025 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

6. It went up on a rocket named GSLV-F16, and this was ISRO’s first polar orbit launch using GSLV.

7. The satellite is placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit at about 747 km height, so that it gets similar sunlight every day, making photos clear.

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⏳ Mission Life

8. NISAR will work for 5 years from 2025 to 2030.

9. It will revisit the same location every 12 days, to notice even small changes in land and ice.

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🎯 Objectives of NISAR

10. It can detect even smallest changes (in centimetres) on the Earth's surface.

11. Helps in monitoring natural disasters – like earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions.

12. Keeps watch on forests, glaciers, wetlands, and soil moisture.

13. Will support agriculture, climate studies, coastal planning, and infrastructure safety.

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🛰️ Key Features of the Mission

14. Dual-frequency Radar – Uses two types of radars:

• L-band radar (by NASA)

• S-band radar (by ISRO)

15. It covers a very wide area (242 km swath) and can give high-resolution pictures.

16. Works 24x7, day and night, even if it’s raining or cloudy.

17. Has a special 12-metre big antenna which helps it capture changes in Earth’s surface using SweepSAR tech.

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🤝 What India & USA Contributed

18. NASA gave: L-band radar, deployable boom, reflector antenna, GPS system, solid-state recorder, and communication systems.

19. ISRO gave: S-band radar, satellite body (I-3K bus), launcher (GSLV-F16), solar panels, data systems, and ground support.

20. Both agencies are managing the mission together – NASA via JPL and ISRO via centers like SAC, URSC, VSSC, etc.

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💡 Significance of NISAR

1. Scientific Power

21. NISAR can help us see real-time changes on Earth like glacier melting, forest loss, floods, etc.

22. This data is super helpful in disaster alert and climate science.

2. Stronger India-USA Partnership

23. It shows deep trust and cooperation between India and USA in space technology.

24. It's also a great example of "science diplomacy" – using science to build global friendships.

3. Climate & SDGs

25. The satellite will help countries track climate change, plan better agriculture, and save natural resources.

26. It supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by giving data for environment & society.

4. Free Data For All

27. Data from NISAR will be free for all countries, helping developing nations and researchers.

28. This makes India a leader in Earth science & open knowledge sharing.

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✅ Conclusion (Simple Words)

29. So in short, NISAR is not just a satellite, it’s a symbol of technology + friendship + responsibility.

30. It shows that India is now not only using space for utility (like TV or GPS), but also for knowledge, science, and global welfare.

31. It also shows that India’s space journey is moving from "doing for self" to "doing for the world" 🌍🚀

🧠 FAQ on NISAR Satellite (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

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❓1. What is the full form of NISAR?

Ans: NISAR stands for NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.

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❓2. Why is the NISAR satellite important?

Ans:
Because it will monitor Earth’s surface very closely using advanced radar tech, helping in disaster management, climate study, and agriculture planning.

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❓3. When and where was NISAR launched?

Ans:
It was launched on July 31, 2025, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota using GSLV-F16 rocket.

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❓4. What is unique about NISAR?

Ans:
It’s the first Earth-observing satellite in the world to use dual-frequency SAR (L-band from NASA and S-band from ISRO). Also, it’s the first joint mission of NASA and ISRO for Earth observation.

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❓5. What is the main use of dual-frequency SAR?

Ans:
Dual-frequency SAR helps detect very small changes (centimetre-level) in land, ice, forests, wetlands, and even soil moisture — useful for disaster tracking and climate monitoring.