Read Current Affairs
- Why in News?
- The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has proposed introducing market coupling in the Day Ahead Market (DAM) segment of India's power exchanges to bring greater efficiency and transparency in electricity pricing.
- What is Market Coupling?
- Market coupling refers to the integration of buy and sell bids from all power exchanges into a single platform to discover a uniform market clearing price (MCP) for electricity. At present, India's three power exchanges—Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL), and Hindustan Power Exchange (HPX)—independently collect bids and determine their own MCPs. This results in minor differences in electricity prices across platforms.
- Under market coupling, all bids would be centrally matched to establish one common price for electricity nationwide. While exchanges will still receive bids, price discovery and dispatch will be centralized.
- Benefits include: improved market efficiency, reduced energy losses, enhanced liquidity, and increased participation in the electricity market.
- Why in News?
- The Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for the first time in recorded history, with the event occurring on August 2, 2025, just days after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake nearby. The eruption sent ash plumes soaring up to 20,000 feet into the atmosphere.
- About Krasheninnikov Volcano:
- Located in eastern Kamchatka, a region within the Pacific "Ring of Fire," Krasheninnikov is an active stratovolcano formed within a 9 km-wide collapsed caldera. It features two eruptive cones, with the southern cone housing a crater 800 meters wide and 140 meters deep. Standing at 1,886 meters, it had remained dormant for nearly 400–600 years.
- Stratovolcanoes are steep, conical volcanoes commonly found above subduction zones. Built from alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic material, they are prone to explosive eruptions due to the buildup of pressure from viscous lava. Stratovolcanoes are the most common volcanic type globally and are often highly hazardous.
- Why in News?
- The Government of India has significantly expanded the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), now active in all 36 States and Union Territories, covering 751 districts across the country.
- About PMNDP:
- Launched in 2016 under the National Health Mission (NHM), the programme aims to provide free dialysis services to Below Poverty Line (BPL) patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease. Implemented in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the initiative offers both Haemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis treatments at district hospitals.
- A key development is the introduction of the PMNDP portal, designed to digitally link all NHM-supported dialysis centres. This enables the creation of a renal registry and supports service portability—first at the state level (One State One Dialysis) and eventually nationwide (One Nation One Dialysis).
- The programme is funded by NHM, ensuring dialysis services are accessible and affordable, regardless of geographic location. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the nodal authority for its implementation.