Kar Saathi | E20 Petrol | India’s Push for Piped Natural Gas | India’s Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System | Indonesia | NCERT Granted Deemed University Tag

Kar Saathi

Economy

Context

• An AI-enabled digital chatbot platform launched by the Income Tax Department to provide 24×7 guidance on direct tax matters under the new Income Tax Act, 2025 framework.

Kar Saathi

• It provides round-the-clock assistance for queries related to ITR filing, tax provisions, forms, notices, deductions, refunds, and compliance.
• It brings all direct tax-related resources such as forms, challans, e-payment, e-verification, and FAQs under one platform.
• Supports taxpayer grievance resolution and compliance queries.

Connect with the basics –

Direct Tax

• A direct tax is paid straight to the government by the person or business that earns the income or profit.
• The burden of this tax cannot be shifted to anyone else; you are solely responsible for paying it.
• Governing Body: Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Key Examples:

• Income Tax: Paid by individuals on their annual earnings.
• Corporate Tax: Paid by companies on their yearly profits.
• Capital Gains Tax: Levied on profits from selling assets like property or stocks.
• Securities Transaction Tax (STT): Charged on the sale and purchase of securities on stock exchanges.

Indirect Tax

• An indirect tax is levied on the consumption of goods and services.
• Unlike direct taxes, the burden is transferable; a shopkeeper pays the tax to the government but recovers that cost from you through the selling price.
• Governing Body: Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

Key Examples:

• Goods and Services Tax (GST): The primary indirect tax in India that replaced multiple older taxes like VAT and service tax.
• Customs Duty: Imposed on goods imported into or exported out of India.
• Excise Duty: Still applicable to limited items like petroleum products and alcohol

E20 Petrol

Environment

Context

• India has officially mandated the nationwide rollout of E20 petrol at all fuel stations from April 1, 2025.

E20 petrol

• It refers to a fuel blend of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol.
• Objective – It is a critical part of India’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, which aims to reduce reliance on crude oil imports and lower vehicular emissions.
• Target Advancement: The initial target for 20% blending was 2030, but it was advanced to 2025–26 under the amended National Policy on Biofuels (2022).

Significance for India

India’s Push for Piped Natural Gas

Science and Tech

Context

• India is accelerating the expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections to reduce import dependence, improve energy security, and transition towards a cleaner fuel mix.

Types of Gases

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG):

• Composition: Propane and Butane.
• State & Storage: Stored as a liquid under moderate pressure in cylinders.
• Usage: Domestic cooking, water heating, and small-scale industrial applications.
• Key Characteristic: Heavier than air; collects on the ground if leaked.

Piped Natural Gas (PNG):

• Composition: Primarily Methane.
• State & Storage: Delivered as a gas through underground pipelines.
• Usage: Residential kitchens, commercial cooking, and industries.
• Key Characteristic: Continuous supply; no need for cylinder storage.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG):

• Composition: Primarily Methane.
• State & Storage: Compressed to high pressure (200-250 bar) in tanks.
• Usage: Vehicles (cars, buses, autos) and low-pressure industrial burners.
• Key Characteristic: Cleaner burning than petrol/diesel.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG):

• Composition: Primarily Methane.
• State & Storage: Cooled to roughly –160°C to become a liquid for transport.
• Usage: Transporting natural gas over long distances by sea, power generation.
• Key Characteristic: Volume is reduced by 600 times, making it easy to store in bulk.

India’s Shift Towards Piped Natural Gas (PNG)

• Reducing Import Dependence: India imports nearly 60% of its LPG requirement, with a large share coming from West Asia and supply routes like Strait of Hormuz are geopolitically vulnerable.
• Economic Efficiency: PNG eliminates logistics costs associated with cylinder transportation and storage.
• Pricing can be more stable compared to LPG, which is sensitive to global oil prices.
• Environmental Benefits: Natural gas burns cleaner than LPG, producing fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases.

India’s Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System

Environment

Context

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) received the National Award for e-Governance 2025 for its indigenously developed Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS).

Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS)

• Launched in 2024, it is a digital platform that automates decision-making in critical weather forecasting processes and provides forecast and warning services to the public, government, and non-government agencies, as well as specific stakeholders.
• Developed under Mission Mausam, the system has automated 90% of weather data processing and improved forecast accuracy by 30%, while reducing preparation time from six hours to three.
• It integrates real-time data from satellites, radars, and ground and upper air-based sensors into a centralized GIS-enabled platform, replacing outdated manual workflows.

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

• It was established in 1875 and completed 150 years of service in 2025.
• Functions under – Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Objective – It is a government agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology in India.

Mission Mausam

• It is an ambitious multi-faceted initiative launched by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
• Objective – to transform the country into a “weather-ready and climate-smart” nation. It aims to dramatically improve the accuracy and lead time of weather and climate forecasts.

Indonesia

Geography

Context

• A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Northern Molucca Sea off Indonesia’s Ternate island.

Indonesia

Basic Geography:

• World’s largest archipelagic state, located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, off mainland Southeast Asia.
• Major islands: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi, Papua.
• It shares land borders with East Timor (Timor-Leste), Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia.
• Capital: Jakarta (on the island of Java); new capital being developed — Nusantara in Kalimantan

Tectonic Setting:

• Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the seismically active belt where ~90% of the world’s earthquakes occur.
• The Molucca Sea — where the recent earthquake originated — is a highly active tectonic zone in Indonesia’s northern region.

Additional Information – Ring of Fire

• Known as – The Ring of Fire also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt is present along the land borders of the Pacific Ocean.
• Features – It is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
• Significance – It consists of 75% of Earth’s volcanoes i.e. more than 450 volcanoes are located along the Ring of Fire.
• Reason for the occurrence – The abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes along the Ring of Fire is due to the frequent movement of tectonic plates in this area.

Volcanoes in India

• Barren Island, Andaman Islands (India’s only active volcano)
• Narcondam, Andaman Islands
• Baratang, Andaman Islands
• Deccan Traps, Maharashtra

NCERT Granted Deemed University Tag

Government Initiatives

In News

• The Ministry of Education has declared the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) an Institution Deemed to be a University.

Impact of the Decision

• NCERT can now start courses and academic programmes and also award degrees.
• It has also been asked to begin research programmes, doctoral programmes, and innovative academic programmes.
• NCERT should also gradually expand into other academic domains in line with UGC norms and regulations, and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Additional Information – The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

• It is an autonomous organisation established in 1961
• Mandate – It assists and advises Central and State governments on policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of school education.

Key Roles and Functions

• Curriculum Development: NCERT is the nodal agency for developing the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which sets the standard for school education in India.
• Textbook Publication: It publishes model textbooks for Classes I to XII in English, Hindi, and Urdu.
• Educational Research & Training: It promotes research in school education and provides pre-service and in-service training for teachers.
• Digital Initiatives: Through platforms like ePathshala and DIKSHA, it offers free digital access to textbooks, audio, and video resources.