Why in the News?

• The Supreme Court has flagged the misuse of the POCSO Act in consensual adolescent relationships, reopening the debate on India’s age of consent.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Age of Consent (Legal Framework, Arguments in Favour of Review, Concerns, Judicial Responses, Way Forward)

Legal Framework Governing the Age of Consent in India

• The age of consent refers to the legally defined age at which an individual is considered capable of giving valid consent for sexual activity.
• In India, this age is 18 years, as stipulated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which classifies anyone below 18 as a “child.”
• Consequently, any sexual activity involving a minor is treated as statutory rape, irrespective of consent.
• This position was reinforced by the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which aligned Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code with the POCSO threshold.
• The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, has retained this framework, reaffirming that consent is legally irrelevant if the individual is below 18.
• Historically, India’s age of consent has evolved from 10 years (IPC, 1860) to 12 years (1891), then 14 and 16 years, before being raised to 18 years in 2012.
• It is distinct from the minimum age of marriage, which is 18 years for women and 21 years for men under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

Arguments Supporting a Review of the Age of Consent

• A key driver of the current debate is the sharp rise in POCSO cases involving adolescents aged 16-18 years, often arising from consensual romantic relationships.
• In many such cases, the minor involved testifies that the relationship was voluntary, yet the law mandates criminal prosecution.
• Empirical data strengthen this concern. The NFHS-4 (2015-16) indicates that 39% of girls reported sexual debut before the age of 18.
• Further, studies by civil society organisations analysing thousands of POCSO judgments show that nearly one-fourth of cases involve consensual adolescent relationships, with a large majority of victims refusing to testify against the accused.
• Supporters of reform argue that the current law fails to acknowledge adolescent sexuality and autonomy, leading to the criminalisation of normal teenage relationships.
• They point out that the original intent of POCSO was to combat sexual abuse and exploitation, not to penalise peer relationships.
• Many also cite international practices, where several countries fix the age of consent at 16 years, often coupled with “close-in-age” or “Romeo-Juliet” exemptions to prevent misuse.

Concerns Against Lowering the Age of Consent

• Opponents of lowering the age of consent emphasise that the existing bright-line rule provides an unambiguous and uniform standard for child protection.
• Any dilution, they argue, risks creating loopholes that could be exploited by traffickers, abusers, and those in positions of trust.
• Evidence suggests that child sexual abuse is frequently perpetrated by known persons, family members, neighbours, teachers, or caregivers.
• A Ministry of Women and Child Development study (2007) found that over 50% of abusers were known to the child, raising concerns that claims of consent in such contexts may mask coercion or manipulation.
• Parliament has consistently upheld this protective approach.
• Multiple parliamentary committees and the Law Commission of India (283rd Report, 2023) have warned that reducing the age of consent could weaken POCSO and undermine efforts against child marriage, trafficking, and exploitation.

Judicial Responses and Emerging Nuances

• Courts have increasingly struggled to balance the letter of the law with the real-life consequences of its application.
• While several High Courts have acknowledged the need to view consensual adolescent relationships differently, they have also reiterated that, under POCSO, consent of a minor has no legal validity.
• The Supreme Court has reaffirmed this position, even while exercising extraordinary powers in select cases to mitigate harsh outcomes.
• Recent judicial observations suggest growing recognition of the trauma caused when consensual relationships are prosecuted, but without altering the statutory framework.

Way Forward

• The debate underscores the need for a calibrated legal response, rather than a binary choice between protection and autonomy.
• Many experts advocate limited close-in-age exemptions for adolescents aged 16-18, combined with judicial oversight to detect coercion or abuse.
• Beyond legal reform, long-term solutions lie in comprehensive sex education, accessible adolescent health services, and gender-sensitive policing.
• Strengthening social support systems can reduce misuse of the law while ensuring that genuine cases of abuse are addressed effectively.

Why in News?

• The Union Government is considering legally enforcing Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR) for smartphones, involving 83 security standards, including source code disclosure, software controls, and user-permission restrictions.
• This has triggered strong resistance from global smartphone makers like Apple (5% market share in India), Samsung (15%), Google, and Xiaomi (19%), who argue that many provisions lack global precedent and threaten proprietary technologies.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background
• Key Features of the Proposed Security Standards
• Key Challenges and Way Ahead
• Conclusion

Background:

• India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market with nearly 750 million users.
• Rising online fraud, cybercrime, and data breaches have prompted the government to strengthen device-level security.
• The proposals align with the Indian PM’s broader push for digital security and data sovereignty.
• Similar tensions have emerged earlier over mandatory cyber safety apps (later revoked), and stringent testing norms for security cameras due to national security concerns.

Key Features of the Proposed Security Standards:

• Source code disclosure:
  • Manufacturers must submit proprietary source code for review and vulnerability analysis by government-designated labs.
  • Objective: Detect backdoors and systemic vulnerabilities.
  • Industry response:
    • The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) calls it “not possible” due to corporate secrecy and privacy norms.
    • No such requirement exists in the EU, North America, Australia, or Africa.
• Background permission restrictions:
• Apps cannot access camera, microphone, or location in the background. Mandatory continuous status-bar alerts when permissions are active.
• Concern: No global precedent or standardized testing method.
• Permission review alerts: Devices must periodically prompt users to review app permissions. Industry wants alerts limited to “highly critical” permissions to avoid user fatigue.
• One-year log retention:
  • Phones must store security audit logs (logins, app installs) for 12 months.
  • Industry concern: Consumer devices lack sufficient storage capacity.
• Periodic malware scanning: Mandatory automatic malware scans. Concerns: Battery drain, slower device performance, etc.
• Removal of pre-installed apps: All non-essential pre-installed apps must be removable. Companies argue many apps are integral system components.
• Mandatory notification of software updates:
  • Manufacturers must inform the National Centre for Communication Security before releasing major updates or patches.
  • Industry view: This will be impractical during zero-day vulnerabilities. Delays may increase user exposure to active cyber threats.
• Tamper detection (Rooting/Jailbreaking): Devices must detect tampering and show persistent warnings. Industry response: No reliable universal detection mechanism exists.
• Anti-rollback protection: Blocking installation of older software versions, even if manufacturer-signed. Concern: No global standard; may restrict legitimate use cases.

Key Challenges and Way Ahead:

• Data Security vs proprietary rights: Risk of exposing trade secrets. Risk-based regulation focusing on critical vulnerabilities rather than blanket controls.
• Lack of global precedent: Potential regulatory overreach. Adopt global best practices aligned with OECD and EU cybersecurity norms.
• Ease of doing business: Compliance costs may deter investment. Ensure time-bound clearance mechanisms for security updates. Strengthen user-level security awareness alongside device-level controls.
• Operational practicality: Update delays, battery drain, storage constraints. Explore independent third-party audits instead of direct source code disclosure.
• Innovation chill: Excessive regulation may impact R&D. Maintain a balance between national security, privacy, and innovation.

Conclusion:

• India’s proposed smartphone security framework (ITSAR) reflects legitimate concerns over cybersecurity, data protection, and national security in a rapidly digitising economy.
• However, enforcing intrusive measures like source code disclosure without global precedent risks undermining innovation, trust, and market competitiveness.
• A consultative, proportionate, and globally harmonised approach is essential to safeguard users while preserving India’s attractiveness as a major digital and manufacturing hub.

Context

• India’s milestone achievement in 2025, when fast track special courts disposed more child sexual offence cases than registered under the POCSO Act, generated widespread optimism.
• That year recorded a 109% disposal rate with 87,754 cases concluded against 80,320 registered. The moment appeared to signal decisive progress against chronic backlogs.
• Yet rising speed has coexisted with falling conviction rates and inadequate support for child survivors, revealing a justice system where efficiency outpaces fairness.

From Backlog to Breakdown: When Speed Distorts Justice

• The POCSO Act, enacted in 2012, sought to recognise the distinctive nature of offences against children and ensure a child-friendly justice process.
• Trials were expected to be time-bound, trauma-sensitive, and supported by welfare mechanisms designed to prevent secondary victimisation.
• In pursuit of these goals, 773 fast track special courts were established, 400 dedicated exclusively for POCSO cases and funded primarily through the Nirbhaya Fund after Supreme Court directives in 2019.
• These courts processed 9.51 cases per month compared to 3.26 in regular courts, clearing over 350,000 cases by September 2025.
• Despite these gains, conviction rates have steadily declined. National convictions fell from 35% in 2019 to 29% by 2023, while fast track courts averaged just 19%.
• Statistically, a 90% disposal rate in 2023 should have pushed convictions to roughly 45% based on earlier baselines.
• Instead, the gap widened, indicating that accelerated hearings often coincided with weaker investigations, incomplete charge sheets, and delayed forensics rather than improved adjudication.

Children in Court: Support Promised, Support Denied

• Children who testify in POCSO cases require more than quick hearings.
• They need trained support persons, sensitive police and lawyers, timely compensation, and functioning child welfare committees.
• When these protections remain under-implemented, speed becomes superficial and children navigate the legal system without emotional safety or procedural clarity.
• Support persons mandated under Section 39 and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in 2021 are still unavailable in many jurisdictions.
• Their absence leaves children uninformed about trial processes, exposing them to intimidation and re-traumatisation.
• Some regional initiatives demonstrate that child-centred design can improve outcomes.
• In Madhya Pradesh, expedited forensic processes and protected testimony scheduling improved conviction rates, showing that accelerated handling and substantive justice can be compatible when implemented deliberately rather than reactively.

The Missing First Line of Defence: Para-Legal Volunteers

• At the policing stage, the absence of para-legal volunteers (PLVs) represents a critical weakness.
• PLVs provide guidance at the moment when families first approach the police, helping secure First Information Reports (FIRs), protect evidence, and prevent coercion.
• The Supreme Court ordered PLV deployment across all police stations for POCSO cases in December 2025, yet implementation remains minimal.
• Andhra Pradesh has PLVs in only 42 of 919 stations, and Tamil Nadu has none across more than 1,500.
• Without PLVs, families often enter police stations alone, frightened, and unprepared to confront institutional power.
• Examples from Uttar Pradesh illustrate the consequences.
• In Unnao, FIR registration was delayed and the family allegedly threatened. In Lalitpur in 2022, a 13-year-old gang-rape survivor was assaulted again within the police station, and her FIR was filed only after intervention by a non-governmental organisation.
• Proper PLV deployment could have prevented coercion, secured timely documentation, and protected the survivor and evidence from contamination.

Compensation, Class, and the Unequal Burden of Seeking Justice

• Economic vulnerability shapes access to justice. Courts are empowered to award interim compensation at any stage to protect schooling, health, and safety, yet many wait until final verdicts years later.
• By then, the harm to education, income, and family stability is often irreversible, and survivors receive payments that arrive too late to offset the debts incurred during trial.
• Daily wage families miss work for hearings, and mothers frequently leave employment to accompany children to court.
• Many spend more on travel and subsistence than the State eventually reimburses. Justice thus becomes economically extractive, particularly for marginalised

Conclusion

• India’s POCSO system has reached a point where rising disposal rates mask falling conviction rates, inadequate welfare protection, inconsistent forensic practices, and judicial interpretations that deviate from statutory purpose.
• Efficiency without support leaves children more harmed than protected and erodes trust in the legal system.
• Durable reform requires shifting evaluation metrics from backlog-clearance to substantive outcomes and expanding welfare infrastructures such as PLVs, support persons, forensic capacity, and timely compensation.
• Only then can the system deliver justice that is not merely fast but genuinely child-centred, protective, and fair.

Why in news?

Mustard is India’s largest indigenous source of edible oil, cultivated across nearly nine million hectares, mainly in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal.

However, the crop is increasingly threatened by Orobanche aegyptiaca, a parasitic weed that attaches to mustard roots and siphons off water and nutrients, leading to poor plant growth and reduced seed yields.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• How Orobanche Damages the Crop?
• Why Mustard Matters for India?
• Herbicides as a Possible Control Tool

How Orobanche Damages the Crop?

• Orobanche attaches itself to mustard roots underground and siphons off water, nutrients and carbon.
• This leads to wilting, yellowing, stunted plant growth and ultimately sharp declines in seed yields.
• Because the parasite remains hidden below the soil initially, damage is already extensive by the time it becomes visible.
• Farmers See Sharp Yield Losses
  • Farmers report steep yield declines despite following recommended control measures.
  • In Haryana’s Sirsa district, yields have fallen from 9–12 quintals per acre earlier to nearly 6 quintals per acre in recent seasons.
  • Even herbicide sprays have shown little effect, pushing farmers to reduce mustard acreage in favour of wheat, chickpea and barley.
• Why Infestation Is Spreading Fast?
  • Each Orobanche plant produces thousands of tiny seeds that can remain viable in soil for up to 20 years and spread through wind and water.
  • Fields repeatedly planted with mustard are especially vulnerable, as irrigation creates ideal conditions for seed germination and rapid underground attachment to crop roots.
  • The rising infestation has shaken farmer confidence in mustard, traditionally valued for its low irrigation needs.
  • As Orobanche spreads, many farmers are cutting back on mustard cultivation, raising concerns over future domestic edible oil production.

Why Mustard Matters for India?

• Mustard is India’s most important edible oilseed crop, contributing over 4 million tonnes out of the country’s 10.5–10.6 million tonnes of annual indigenous edible oil production.
• It is central to efforts to cut India’s heavy dependence on edible oil imports.
• 
• Reducing Import Dependence - India imports nearly 16 million tonnes of edible oils every year — mainly palm, soybean and sunflower oil — costing $15.9 billion in 2023–24 and $18.3 billion in 2024–25.
  • Improving mustard yields is therefore a key national priority to reduce this import bill.
• Rising Disease and Pest Pressure - Mustard’s increasing vulnerability to Orobanche (margoja), along with pests like aphids and fungal diseases such as white rust, leaf blight, stem rot and powdery mildew, has emerged as a serious concern for productivity and farmer confidence.
• Farmers Flag Changing Threat Patterns
  • Farmers report that Orobanche infestation is now appearing earlier in the crop cycle and in fertile soils, unlike earlier when it emerged later and mostly in sandy fields.
  • This shift signals a growing and more aggressive threat.
  • The buildup of long-lasting Orobanche seed banks in soil has increased the weed’s damage potential, enabling early emergence and greater yield losses.
  • This has left farmers increasingly uncertain, sowing mustard largely on hope rather than confidence.

Herbicides as a Possible Control Tool

• Chemical control using herbicides such as glyphosate is one possible way to tackle Orobanche.
• However, this approach has major limitations with conventional mustard varieties.
• Why Conventional Herbicides Don’t Work?
  • Glyphosate and similar broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicides kill all plants by blocking the EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) enzyme essential for protein formation.
  • Applied to normal mustard, they destroy the crop along with the weed.
  • At currently recommended low doses, they are also ineffective against Orobanche.
• Role of Herbicide-Resistant Mustard
  • A new approach lies in breeding mustard varieties that can tolerate specific herbicides.
  • Farmers are testing a hybrid mustard that is resistant to imidazolinone herbicides, allowing selective control of Orobanche without harming the crop.
  • The hybrid ‘Pioneer-45S42CL’ can tolerate imazapyr and imazapic herbicides.
  • Sold with a compatible herbicide formulation, it requires a single spray after 25 days of sowing and has shown encouraging early results in farmers’ fields.
• GM Mustard as a Future Option
  • Researchers have also developed GM mustard lines resistant to glyphosate and other herbicides, offering multiple chemical options and reducing the risk of resistance buildup.
  • Given mustard’s strategic importance and the rising weed threat, policymakers face a critical decision on permitting GM crops.
  • Any decision, experts argue, should be guided by science and farm economics rather than ideology.

Why in news?

Every winter, dense fog—especially in northern India—disrupts travel plans, causing delays and cancellations across rail and air networks. Low visibility affects safety and scheduling, forcing operators to slow down or halt services.

Indian Railways faces severe congestion during foggy periods, with cascading delays and cancellations. To mitigate risks, it equips loco pilots with fog safety devices and is investing in improved fog-related technologies, while prioritising safety over speed.

Airlines have managed fog better through advanced navigation technology and specialised operating procedures. However, surging passenger volumes mean that even brief disruptions can trigger widespread knock-on delays across airports and flight schedules nationwide.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why Fog Lingers Over North India?
• How Flights Operate in Low-Visibility Conditions
• Why Fog-Related Flight Disruptions Cannot Be Fully Avoided?
• How Indian Railways Manages Train Operations During Fog?

Why Fog Lingers Over North India?

• Northern India is mainly affected by radiation fog, which forms on clear winter nights when the ground cools rapidly, moisture condenses, and calm winds trap the fog near the surface.
• This leads to frequent episodes of extremely low visibility that disrupt train and flight operations.
• Air pollution worsens the problem. Smog mixes with fog, making it denser, lowering it closer to ground level, and prolonging poor visibility even after sunrise.
• High pollution levels, especially around Delhi, have increasingly intensified and extended fog-related disruptions over the years.

How Flights Operate in Low-Visibility Conditions?

• Low Visibility Procedures (LVP) - When dense fog sharply reduces visibility, airports activate Low Visibility Procedures. These include Low Visibility Take-Offs and precision landings using advanced navigation aids.
• Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT IIIB – ILS, a ground based radio navigation system, provides pilots with accurate horizontal and vertical guidance during landing. CAT IIIB, one of the highest precision categories, allows landings with visibility as low as 50 metres.
• Limited Airport and Aircraft Capability - Only select Indian airports, most notably Delhi, are equipped for CAT IIIB operations.
  • Airports without such systems must resort to delays or cancellations during heavy fog.
  • Aircraft and flight crew also require specific certification to operate under CAT IIIB conditions.
• Airline Preparedness - Airlines plan rosters to ensure enough CAT IIIB-trained pilots and crew are available at fog-prone airports. They also position CAT IIIB-certified aircraft at these hubs to reduce disruption.
• Forecasting and Regulation - The aviation regulator has designated December 10 to February 10 as the official fog season. Airlines and airports rely on real-time weather data, predictive analytics, and AI-based tools to anticipate fog and manage operations more efficiently.

Why Fog-Related Flight Disruptions Cannot Be Fully Avoided?

• Safety Limits Under Low Visibility Procedures - Even with Low Visibility Procedures in place, operations slow down significantly. Aircraft need greater spacing during take-offs and landings, which reduces overall airport capacity.
• Reduced Airport Throughput - In dense fog, major hubs like Delhi see hourly aircraft movements drop sharply. Recovery from even one hour of fog can take two to three hours, creating cascading delays.
• Ground Movement Constraints - Taxiing between runways and terminals becomes much slower in poor visibility, adding to congestion and delaying both arriving and departing flights.
• Mismatch Between Landing and Take-Off Visibility - CAT IIIB landings can occur at lower visibility than take-offs. This can cause arriving aircraft to pile up while departures remain grounded, leading to parking congestion and diversions.
• Visibility Below Operational Thresholds - If visibility falls below 50 metres, even CAT IIIB operations may be suspended, forcing a halt to landings until conditions improve.
• Flight Diversions and Alternate Airports - Airlines plan fair-weather alternate airports for diversions during fog. Final diversion decisions depend on real-time weather and the availability of engineering support at alternate locations.

How Indian Railways Manages Train Operations During Fog?

• Dense winter fog in northern India causes severe train delays, sometimes exceeding 12 hours.
• Safety concerns make fog management a critical operational priority for Indian Railways.
• Fog Safety Devices for Loco Pilots
  • Indian Railways uses Fog Safety Devices (FSDs)—GPS-based handheld tools that give audio-visual alerts to drivers about signals, stations, crossings, and obstacles in geo-fenced areas.
  • In December 2025, 25,939 FSDs were deployed, with around 23% allocated to Northern Railway, the most fog-prone zone.
• Modified Signalling to Reduce Risk
  • To prevent congestion and accidents during fog, Northern and North Central Railways use modified automatic signalling, limiting train movement to two trains between stations. Luminous strips on signals improve visibility.
• Kavach: Automatic Train Protection System
  • Indian Railways is rolling out Kavach, its Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which displays signal information inside the locomotive cabin and automatically applies brakes if needed.
  • This allows safer operations even in dense fog.
  • The advanced Kavach 4.0 has been commissioned on 738 route km, covering key sections of the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah high-density corridors.

Context:

• Southern States that invested early in health, education, and family planning have successfully slowed population growth.
• However, this success has led to unintended disadvantages. Since population size carries a 50% weight in Finance Commission allocations, southern States now receive a smaller share of Union tax revenue.
• The longer-term concern is political. With delimitation due before the 2029 elections, Lok Sabha seats are expected to be reallocated based on population.
• While the proportional share may remain similar, northern States—where population growth since 1991 has been much higher—will gain more seats in absolute terms.
• This would widen the representation gap, reducing the political influence of southern States.
• The core question is whether States that performed better on health and education should lose fiscal resources and political power for managing population growth responsibly.
• This article highlights how India’s upcoming delimitation exercise risks penalising southern States for successfully controlling population growth, and explores fair, constitutional alternatives—especially degressive proportionality—to protect federal balance and political equity.

Delimitation Challenge: Possible Solutions for Southern States

• The 84th Constitutional Amendment (2001) froze Lok Sabha seat redistribution until after the first Census post-2026, to reward States that successfully implemented family planning.
• With the delayed Census now expected by 2028 and delimitation before the 2029 elections, southern States face the risk of losing political influence as population-heavy northern States gain more seats.
• Proposed Solutions to Ensure Fair Representation
  • Expand Lok Sabha Without Redistributing Seats - Increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats while retaining the 2011 Census-based distribution. This avoids seat losses for any State but still favours States with higher population growth.
  • Balance Power Through Rajya Sabha Reform - Increase Lok Sabha seats and give equal representation to all States in the Rajya Sabha, similar to the U.S. Senate model. This would strengthen federal balance but is politically contentious.
  • Strengthen State-Level Representation - Expand Vidhan Sabha seats to equalise population-to-representative ratios across States, improving governance at the State level while keeping the Lok Sabha unchanged.
  • Mixed Formula for Lok Sabha Allocation - Allocate 60% of Lok Sabha seats based on population and 40% based on population-control performance. Inspired by the EU’s degressive proportionality model, this rewards demographic responsibility while preserving fairness.
• A united southern position, especially around the mixed formula approach, could provide a fair compromise—balancing population size with demographic performance and preventing political marginalisation.

Using Degressive Proportionality as a Fair Principle

• The Finance Commissions have long addressed regional inequities by using multiple criteria for fund allocation, not population alone.
• These include income distance to support poorer States, population to reflect expenditure needs, demographic performance to reward population control, and tax effort to incentivise fiscal responsibility.
• Since this balanced approach is already accepted in fiscal redistribution, the same logic can guide political representation.
• Applying the principle of degressive proportionality in delimitation would reward States that invested in health and education while still accounting for population size, making it a fair and defensible basis for reform.

Conclusion

• A fair delimitation framework must balance population size with demographic responsibility, ensuring States are not politically weakened for investing in health, education, and long-term national stability.

About Indian Giant Squirrel:

• Also known as the Malabar Giant Squirrel, the Indian Giant Squirrel is a large rodent species native to India.
• More specifically, it is a type of tree squirrel.
• It is one of the largest squirrels in the world.
• Scientific Name: Ratufa indica
• Distribution:
  • It is found primarily in the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, and Satpura Range.
  • Their ranges include many states, including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
  • It is Maharashtra’s state animal and locally known as Shekru.
• Habitat: It is arboreal, spending most of its time in trees. It makes its shelter within holes in trees.
• Features:
  • They are distinguishable by their striking, multi-colored hues.
  • They are typically solitary animals, being seen only rarely in pairs during the breeding season.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

About Ethylene Glycol (EG):

• It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, and water-soluble organic compound.
• It is usually produced by the reaction of ethylene oxide with water.
• It is the simplest member of the glycol family of organic compounds.
• Its chemical formula is C2H6O2, and it is a diol (a compound containing two hydroxyl groups).
• Applications:
  • It has a wide range of other applications in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, chemical synthesis, and plastics production.
  • It is primarily used as an antifreeze and coolant in automotive and industrial applications due to its ability to significantly lower the freezing point of liquids.
  • It is used as an ingredient in hydraulic fluids, printing inks, and paint solvents.
  • It is also used as a reagent in making polyesters, explosives, alkyd resins, and synthetic waxes.
• EG Poisoning?
  • EG is highly poisonous; animals or humans that drink the solution become very ill and may die.
  • Automotive antifreeze, containing 95% EG, is the most common source of EG poisoning.

About Boeing E-4B Nightwatch:

• The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, widely known as the “Doomsday Plane”, is the most secretive aircraft in the US military’s arsenal.
• It serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and functions as a flying command post.
• It is designed to keep the US government operational during extreme scenarios such as nuclear war, catastrophic attacks on US soil, or the destruction of ground-based command centres.
• Its mission is to ensure the US government can continue to function even if “doomsday" arrives.
• It is a core component of the military’s Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications system, often referred to as NC3, which enables senior leaders to authorize and manage nuclear forces under all conditions.
• Features:
  • It is built on a heavily modified Boeing 747-200
  • The aircraft is hardened against electromagnetic pulse effects, shielded against nuclear and thermal radiation, and equipped with multiple layers of secure communications.
  • The aircraft can remain airborne for extended periods using in-flight refuelling, allowing national leadership to operate independently of ground infrastructure.