15 June 2026

UPSC GS 2

ILO Convention No. 193

1. News:  The International Labour Organization adopted Convention No. 193, titled “Convention Concerning Decent Work in the Platform Economy”, at its 114th Session in Geneva.

2. About ILO Convention No. 193:

a. It is the first international treaty specifically designed to protect workers engaged in the platform economy, including both online and location-based gig work.

b. The convention seeks to ensure decent working conditions, fair remuneration, social protection, and labour rights for platform workers worldwide.

3. Enforcement:

a. The convention will enter into force 12 months after it is ratified by at least two ILO member states.

b. Ratifying countries will be required to establish effective enforcement, monitoring, and dispute-resolution mechanisms.

4. Key Features:

a. Comprehensive Coverage: The convention applies to both formal and informal platform workers, including those engaged in ride-hailing, food delivery, courier services, online freelancing, and other digital-platform-based work.

b. Worker Classification and Fair Pay: Governments must ensure that workers are correctly classified according to the actual nature of their work, preventing misclassification as independent contractors where an employment relationship exists. Workers must receive timely remuneration and, where classified as employees, at least the applicable minimum wage.

c. Fundamental Labour Rights: The convention guarantees freedom of association, non-discrimination, collective representation, and access to social security benefits. It also promotes decent working conditions and labour protections comparable to those available in traditional employment.

d. Occupational Safety and Health: Platform workers must be provided a safe and healthy working environment. They have the right to refuse dangerous assignments without facing penalties or adverse consequences.

e. Algorithmic Transparency: Digital platforms must disclose how automated systems are used to monitor, evaluate, allocate work, or make employment-related decisions. Workers have the right to request human review of significant automated decisions, including account suspension, deactivation, or withholding of payments.

f. Data Protection: The convention requires strong safeguards for the collection, storage, and use of workers' personal data.

g. Protection of Vulnerable Workers: Special provisions have been included to protect migrant and refugee platform workers from recruitment fraud, exploitation, and employment-related abuses.

5. About the International Labour Organization (ILO):

a. Establishment: The ILO was established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles and became the first specialized agency of the United Nations in 1946.

6. Membership: The organization has 187 member states. India is a founding member and has been a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since 1922.

7. Mandate: The ILO promotes social justice, decent work, and internationally recognized labour rights based on the principle that lasting peace can be achieved only through social justice.

8. Recognition: The ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to workers' rights, social justice, and international cooperation.

9. Major Reports:

a. World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO).

b. Global Wage Report.

c. World Social Protection Report.

RISA: Timeless Tribal

1. News:  The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, has launched a dedicated premium signature brand called RISA – Timeless Tribal.

2.  About RISA: Timeless Tribal:

a. RISA – Timeless Tribal is a premium brand created for tribal textiles, embroideries, and handicrafts of India.

b. It has been launched to showcase tribal heritage products in premium domestic and international markets while enhancing livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans.

3. Launched By: Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Implemented through TRIFED.

4. Objectives:

a. To create a distinct brand identity for tribal products.

b. To strengthen market linkages for tribal artisans and craft communities.

c. To facilitate design development and product diversification.

d. To promote tribal heritage and indigenous knowledge systems globally.

e. To generate sustainable livelihood opportunities while preserving traditional crafts.

5. First Phase – Tribal Textile and Embroidery Traditions: Seven tribal textile and embroidery traditions have been selected based on their cultural significance and market potential:

a. Eri Silk and Muga Silk from Assam.

b. Santal Cotton from Jharkhand.

c. Changpa Pashmina from Ladakh.

d. Kotpad Cotton and Dongria Embroidery from Odisha.

e. Toda Embroidery from Tamil Nadu.

6. First Phase – Handicrafts: Selected tribal handicrafts for focused promotion include:

a. Longpi Pottery of Manipur.

b. Turtuk Brass Cutlery of Ladakh.

c. Dokhra Art of Chhattisgarh.

7. Implementation Mechanism:

a. The initiative is being implemented through the National Design Centre (NDC), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Textiles.

b. Eminent fashion designers have been associated with the project to support design innovation and product development.

8. Key Components:

a. Design development and product diversification.

b. Creation of garment prototypes.

c. Capacity building of tribal weavers and artisans.

d. Establishment of stitching facilities.

e. Strengthening weaving and handicraft clusters.

f. Improvement in product presentation, branding, and packaging.

9. Packaging Support: The National Institute of Design Haryana has been engaged to develop premium and environmentally sustainable packaging solutions for products marketed under the RISA brand.

10. First Exclusive RISA Store: The first exclusive RISA store has been established at Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan.

11. Significance: RISA aims to position tribal products in high-value markets, enhance incomes of tribal artisans, preserve traditional craftsmanship, and promote India's rich tribal cultural heritage at the national and global levels. 

UPSC GS 3

Caustic Soda

1. News:  The Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 mandate that caustic soda plants using membrane cell technology must pass a fish-survival test to assess the toxicity of their wastewater before discharge.

2. About Caustic Soda:

a.  Caustic soda, chemically known as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals in India and across the world.

b. It is also known as lye, soda lye, and sodium hydrate.

3. Production:

a. It is primarily produced through the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride (brine) solution, a process known as the chlor-alkali process.

b. It can also be produced by reacting naturally occurring sodium carbonate with calcium hydroxide.

4. Properties:

a. Caustic soda is a strong alkali (base) that readily neutralizes acids and is highly soluble in water.

b. At room temperature, it is a white, crystalline, odourless solid that readily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere (hygroscopic nature).

c. When dissolved in water or neutralized by acids, it releases a large amount of heat.

d. Its aqueous solution is colourless and denser than water.

e. It is highly corrosive and can cause severe burns to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.

f. It is also corrosive to many metals and other materials.

5. Applications:

a. Caustic soda is extensively used in industries such as soap and detergents, paper and pulp, textiles, aluminium, petrochemicals, and water treatment.

b. It is used in cotton processing, laundering, bleaching, metal cleaning and processing, oxide coating, electroplating, and electrolytic extraction processes.

c. It also serves as an important chemical reagent in numerous industrial manufacturing operations.

6. Significance:

a. Caustic soda is a key feedstock for several core industries and plays a crucial role in industrial production, manufacturing, water purification, and chemical processing.

b. Given its highly corrosive nature and potential environmental impacts, strict regulation of its production and wastewater discharge is essential for environmental protection and public safety.

ANCHOR (Atlas of Neurochemical Characterisation of the Human Brainstem)

1. News:  IIT Madras unveiled ANCHOR, the world's most detailed three-dimensional atlas of the human brainstem, during the 3rd BRICS Neuroscience Symposium.

2.  About ANCHOR:

a. ANCHOR stands for Atlas of Neurochemical Characterisation of the Human Brainstem with 3D Reconstruction.

b. It is the world's most detailed three-dimensional atlas of the human brainstem.

3. Developer: The atlas was developed by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC).

4. Technologies Used:

a. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was integrated to facilitate high-resolution brain mapping.

b. Cellular histology using Nissl staining was employed to study the cellular organization of the brainstem.

c. Immunohistochemistry techniques were used to map neurochemical architecture and identify different cellular components.

5. Key Features:

a. Comprehensive Coverage: The atlas contains more than 200 brainstem nuclei and fibre tracts, making it one of the most comprehensive brainstem maps ever developed.

b. Advanced Reconstruction: It was reconstructed using hundreds of serial brain sections and over 500 sections stained with eight complementary immunostains to achieve highly detailed anatomical mapping.

c. Life-Span Mapping: ANCHOR captures brainstem development across different stages of life, ranging from the prenatal period to childhood and adulthood.

d. Micron-Level Resolution: The atlas maps the brainstem at micron-level resolution, enabling visualization nearly 1,000 times more detailed than conventional MRI scans.

e. "Google Earth" for the Brainstem: It functions like a "Google Earth" for the brainstem, allowing users to seamlessly navigate from a whole-brainstem view down to individual cellular structures.

f. Public Accessibility: The atlas has been made publicly accessible through an online platform, enabling researchers, clinicians, educators, and patients worldwide to utilize the resource.

6. Significance:

a. ANCHOR is expected to advance neuroscience research by providing an unprecedented understanding of the human brainstem's structure and neurochemical organization.

b. It can support research on neurological and psychiatric disorders, improve clinical diagnosis, and contribute to the development of targeted therapies.

c. The atlas also strengthens India's position in global brain-mapping and neuroscience research initiatives. 

Eechathalakenda Incognita

1. News:  Scientists have discovered a new fish species, Eechathalakenda incognita, from the Western Ghats of Kerala.

2.  About Eechathalakenda Incognita:

a. It is a newly identified freshwater fish belonging to the cyprinid subfamily Torinae.

b. The species was discovered in various streams located within the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

3. Taxonomic Background:

a. The genus Eechathalakenda was established in 1999 for a single enigmatic fish species, Eechathalakenda ophicephala, which was originally described in 1941 from the Pamba River in Kerala.

b. For nearly 70 years, the newly discovered species was mistakenly identified as E. ophicephala.

4. Distinguishing Features:

a. Detailed morphological and genetic analyses confirmed that Eechathalakenda incognita is distinct from E. ophicephala.

b. While E. ophicephala possesses rhomboid-shaped scales, the new species has circular scales on the upper part of its body.

c. It also exhibits a unique dark lateral stripe, a different fin-ray count, and a genetic divergence of approximately 4.9–5.3%.

d. These characteristics clearly distinguish it from its closest relative.

5.  Distribution:

a. The geographic range of both species is extremely restricted.

b. E. ophicephala is confined to the headwaters of the Pamba River at elevations above 1,000 metres.

c. E. incognita is found only in specific fast-flowing rocky streams within the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

6.  Conservation Importance:

a. The species is considered a point-endemic fish, meaning it is restricted to a single geographical location in the world.

b. Eechathalakenda incognita is the ninth point-endemic fish species recorded from the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

7.   Significance:

a. The discovery highlights the exceptional freshwater biodiversity and endemism of the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot.

b. It also underscores the importance of protected areas such as the Periyar Tiger Reserve in conserving unique and highly localized aquatic species.

Epichlorohydrin

1. News: The Bureau of Indian Standards has introduced stringent standards for tea bags, including restrictions on the use of harmful chemicals such as epichlorohydrin.

2.  About Epichlorohydrin:

a. Epichlorohydrin is an organic compound and an epoxide in which one of the methyl hydrogens is replaced by chlorine.

b. It is an important industrial chemical used as an intermediate in the manufacture of several commercial products.

3. Properties:

a. It is a clear, colourless, volatile, and flammable liquid with an irritating chloroform-like odour.

b. Chemically, it is a chlorinated cyclic ether.

c. It is soluble in water.

d. When heated to decomposition, it releases toxic fumes containing hydrochloric acid and other chlorinated compounds.

4. Applications:

a. Epichlorohydrin is primarily used in the manufacture of glycerol and epoxy resins.

b. It is also used in the production of elastomers, water-treatment resins, surfactants, ion-exchange resins, plasticizers, dyes, pharmaceutical products, oil emulsifiers, lubricants, and adhesives.

5. Health Impacts:

a. Exposure to epichlorohydrin can irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.

b. Prolonged or high-level exposure may lead to chemical pneumonitis, pulmonary oedema, and kidney damage (renal lesions).

c. Due to its potential health risks, its use in food-contact materials is subject to strict regulation.

Pseudocapritermes Novus

1. News:  Researchers have discovered a new species of soil-dwelling termite, Pseudocapritermes novus, in the forests of West Bengal.

2. About Pseudocapritermes Novus:

a. It is a newly identified species of soil-feeding termite discovered during an exploration of the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary.

b. Unlike many termites that are known for damaging wood and structures, this species belongs to a group of termites that feed primarily on soil and humus.

3. Ecological Importance:

a. Soil-feeding termites play a crucial role in nutrient recycling, soil formation, and the decomposition of organic matter.

b. They contribute to soil fertility by breaking down humus and improving nutrient availability.

c. Their presence is often considered an indicator of healthy and fertile soil ecosystems.

4. Significance of Discovery:

a. The discovery increases the number of known Pseudocapritermes species in India to five.

b. It highlights the rich but still underexplored biodiversity of India's forest ecosystems.

5. Key Features:

a. The species is distinguished from its close relatives by the unique structure of its mouthparts and body armour.

b. It belongs to a specialized group of termites known for their asymmetrical snapping jaws, which are used for defence and for producing alarm signals through loud clicking sounds.

6. Distinguishing Characteristics:

a. Compared to its closest known relative, P. bhutanensis, Pseudocapritermes novus possesses a strongly bent left jaw with a slightly incurved tip, a more rounded swollen section below the beak, and a longer and wider postmentum (the lower part of the mouth).

b. It also has strong and prominent spurs on its forelegs.

c. Compared with P. tikadari, the new species has a noticeably broader head.

7. Classification:

a. Group: Termites

b. Genus: Pseudocapritermes 

c. Species: Pseudocapritermes novus 

8. Importance: The discovery enhances scientific understanding of termite diversity, soil ecology, and ecosystem functioning, while emphasizing the importance of conserving forest habitats that support such specialized and ecologically valuable species.