1 . CapaCITIES Programme
Syllabus Mapping: GS3: Environment; Climate Change; Urban Development
- Recently, the CapaCITIES Programme completed a decade, with an event titled “Scaling Urban Climate Resilience: The CapaCITIES Legacy and Way Forward”. The programme has helped Indian cities mainstream low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development into planning and governance.
- CapaCITIES stands for Capacity Building for Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Cities.
- It is an Indo-German technical cooperation programme.
- It is jointly implemented by:
- National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) , Mo Housing and Urban Affairs
- ICLEI South Asia
- GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) on behalf of the German Government.
- The programme supports national, state and city governments in integrating climate adaptation and climate mitigation into urban planning.
- It focuses on:
- Climate-resilient urban planning
- Nature-based solutions (NbS)
- Low-carbon development
- Climate finance
- Capacity building of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
- The programme also helps cities access climate finance for implementing resilience projects.
2. North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC)
Syllabus Mapping: GS3: Space Technology; Remote Sensing; Disaster Management
- Recently, the Union Minister reviewed NESAC’s role in strengthening border management, disaster management, agriculture, natural resource planning and governance through space-based applications in the North Eastern Region. NESAC is currently implementing nearly 130 projects across the Northeast.
- NESAC stands for North Eastern Space Applications Centre.
- It was established in 2000 as a joint initiative of the Department of Space (DoS) and the North Eastern Council (NEC).
- Headquarters: Umiam (Barapani), Meghalaya.
- It functions under the Department of Space (DoS), Government of India.
- It is the nodal centre for applying space technology for the socio-economic development of the North Eastern Region.
- NESAC assists all eight North-Eastern States.
- Major application areas include:
- Flood forecasting & early warning
- Landslide hazard mapping
- Forest & biodiversity monitoring
- Agriculture & crop assessment
- Water resource management
- Urban & regional planning
- Border & infrastructure mapping
- Geo-spatial mapping of the India–Myanmar border and inter-state boundaries in the Northeast is one of its ongoing strategic projects.
- NESAC has also developed the GeoTourism ‘ManzilNE’ Dashboard to promote tourism through geospatial technologies.
3. Vanadium Oxide–Vanadium Sulphide (VOx/VS₂) Ammonia Sensor
Syllabus Mapping: GS3: Science & Technology; Nanotechnology
- Recently, scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, developed an ultra-sensitive ammonia sensor based on a Vanadium Oxide–Vanadium Sulphide (VOx/VS₂) heterostructure. The sensor can detect ammonia at 319 ppb while operating at room temperature.
- The sensor is portable, wearable and self-powered, making it suitable for industrial safety, environmental monitoring and healthcare applications.
- The sensor is based on a heterostructure—a material formed by combining two different semiconducting materials to improve performance.
- It combines Vanadium Oxide (VOx) and Vanadium Sulphide (VS₂) to enhance charge transport and create more active sites for ammonia adsorption.
- The sensor operates at room temperature, unlike many conventional gas sensors that require high operating temperatures.
- Detection limit: 319 parts per billion (ppb), well below occupational exposure limits.
- It exhibits high selectivity, detecting NH₃ while minimizing interference from other gases.
- The device is flexible and can be fabricated on polymer, paper and textile substrates.
- It is self-powered, harvesting mechanical energy from body movements to operate without an external power source.
- The technology has applications in:
- Fertiliser industry
- Refrigeration plants
- Chemical industries
- Smart wearables
- Environmental monitoring
4. GeoTourism ‘ManzilNE’ Dashboard
Syllabus Mapping: GS3: Space Technology; GIS; Tourism
- Recently, the Union Minister directed NESAC to strengthen the GeoTourism ‘ManzilNE’ Dashboard by increasing participation of the private tourism sector to promote the natural, ecological and cultural heritage of North-East India.
- ManzilNE is a GIS-based GeoTourism Dashboard developed by North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC).
- It is designed for planning, management, monitoring and promotion of tourism in the North Eastern Region (NER).
- The dashboard integrates satellite imagery, GIS, UAV (drone) data, 3D visualisation and AI-enabled geospatial tools for tourism planning.
- It enables location-based information on tourist destinations, accessibility, infrastructure, cultural sites and eco-tourism resources.
- The platform supports sustainable tourism, destination planning, carrying-capacity assessment and decision-making by governments.
- It is being developed by NESAC in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC) and State tourism departments.
5. Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
Syllabus Mapping: GS3: Agriculture; Food Safety; International Institutions
- Recently, India participated in the 88th Executive Committee Meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CCEXEC88), reaffirming its commitment to science-based international food standards and safe global food trade.
- Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
- It is an intergovernmental body responsible for developing international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice.
- The term Codex Alimentarius means “Food Code” in Latin.
- Headquarters (Codex Secretariat): FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy.
- Members: 189 Members (188 countries + European Union).
- India became a member in 1964.
- The Commission aims to:
- Protect consumer health.
- Ensure fair practices in international food trade.
- Harmonise food standards globally.
- Codex standards are voluntary, but they are recognised as the international benchmark under the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement).
