Author: Ramvilas

Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM)

Government Schemes

Context

• The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is unlocking India’s tribal forest economy.

About PMJVM

• Launched in 2021-22, 

• • Financing- It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 

• Nodal agency – Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) 

Objectives

• Promote tribal entrepreneurship, livelihood and income generation.
• Focuses on Minor Forest Produce (MFP), tribal products and value addition.
• Supports tribal producer enterprises, SHGs and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
• Aims to strengthen tribal value chains, market linkages and access to finance.
• It also provides Minimum Support Price (MSP) for identified Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through direct procurement from tribal gatherers. 
• Key focus: From collection → value addition → branding → marketing of tribal products.

Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)

Polity and Governance

Context

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has transferred the processing of pending citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to District Collectors in eight States and Union Territories (UTs).
• District Collectors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have been authorised.

Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 

• Amends: Citizenship Act, 1955; received Presidential assent on 12 December 2019 and came into force on 10 January 2020.
• Eligibility: Provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014.
• Exclusion: Muslims are not included in this specific category.
• Naturalisation period: Reduced from 11 years to 5 years for eligible persons.
• CAA Rules, 2024: Notified on 11 March 2024, enabling implementation of the Act.
• Exemptions: Does not apply to Sixth Schedule tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, and areas covered by the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system.
• Key debate: Concerns relate to Article 14 (equality), secularism and the exclusion of Muslims, while the government describes it as a measure for persecuted minorities from the three specified countries.

GISAT-1A

Science and Tech

In News

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch the GISAT-1A Satellite.

GISAT-1A (Geo Imaging Satellite )

• • It is also referred to as EOS-05 under the new nomenclature .
  • It is a replacement satellite for the 2021-launched GISAT-1 (or EOS-03), which missed the orbit after the final propulsive segment of the rocket failed to ignite.
  • It is scheduled to launch aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). 
  • The mission will be Isro’s first launch since the PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 mission failed in January 2026.
  • Purpose :  GISAT-1A is designed for high-frequency imaging of large areas of the Indian landmass.
  • Its applications include monitoring natural disasters, agriculture, forestry and other changes on the ground. 
• The satellite has a planned 10-year mission life.

Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Environment

Context

• The Odisha government has formed a high-level inquiry committee to look into the displacement of villages from the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) amid allegations that the villagers were forcibly evicted.

Satkosia Tiger Reserve 

• • Location: Odisha, at the meeting point of the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.

• Established: In 2007 under Project Tiger.

• Area: The reserve includes the Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary and Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary, which together span an area of around 1,000 sq km.
• The Mahanadi River flows through the reserve and forms the spectacular Satkosia Gorge.
• Flora: Mixture of deciduous forests including Sal (Shorea robusta) and riverine forest.

Additional Information – Tiger Reserves Facts

• Legal basis: Declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, through the Project Tiger framework.
• Project Tiger: Launched in 1973 with 9 tiger reserves.
• Nodal authority: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
• Core + Buffer: Tiger Reserves have a Core/Critical Tiger Habitat and a Buffer area.
• Tiger census: Conducted every 4 years under the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE).
• Latest estimate: India had 3,682 tigers in 2022, according to the fifth AITE.
• India’s share: India supports around 75% of the world’s wild tiger population.
• Largest Tiger Reserve: Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh/Telangana).
• Smallest Tiger Reserve: Bohr(Maharashtra)
• First Tiger Reserve: Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand (among the original 9).
• State with most tiger reserves: Madhya Pradesh.
• Important point: A Tiger Reserve is not a separate category of protected area like a National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary; it can include one or more such protected areas.
• International initiative: Global Tiger Initiative / TX2 aims to double wild tiger numbers.

New Development Bank

International

News 

• Iran decided to join the New Development Bank to strengthen monetary, financial and banking cooperation with BRICS countries.

New Development Bank (NDB)

• Established: 2015 by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).
• Headquarters: Shanghai, China.
• Objective: Financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging and developing economies.
• Membership: Open to UN member countries; both borrowing and non-borrowing members are allowed.
• Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, UAE, Egypt, Algeria and Uzbekistan.
• Uzbekistan: 10th member and first Central Asian country to join NDB.

Raichur Miyawaki Forest

Environment

In Context

• The Miyawaki method has been in the news repeatedly over the past year from Raichur’s Yakalaspura dumpsite-turned-forest in Karnataka, to Rajkot’s Nakrawadi landfill transformation in Gujarat, to urban afforestation drives in Mumbai.

Miyawaki Method

• Afforestation technique for creating dense, native, multi-layered forests in a short time, including small urban spaces.
• Developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki.
• Based on “Potential Natural Vegetation” — vegetation that would naturally occur in an area if left undisturbed.
• Key principle: Plant diverse native species closely together, creating competition for sunlight and nutrients and enabling rapid forest growth.
• Benefits: High biodiversity, carbon sequestration, improved soil quality and urban cooling.

Amazon Rainforest

Environment

Context

• A recent study published in Global Change Biology has found that just 15–25 tree species play a major role in regenerating deforested areas of the Amazon rainforest.

Amazon Rain Forests

• Location: The region belongs to nine nations of the South American continent.
• Surrounded by – It is bounded by the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Andes Mountains to the west, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
• Area Covered: The majority of the forest, 60%, is in Brazil, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Bolivia,Ecuador,French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
• Climate: Hot and humid climate with temperatures of 26-30°C throughout the year.There are no periodic seasons.The precipitation ranges from 2,000 mm to 10,920 mm annually. 
• Tribes: Yanomamo,Kayapo,Akuntsu,Matses,Tupi etc.
• Fauna: Anaconda,Jesus lizard,howler monkey, golden lion tamarin, jaguar,sloth, spider monkey,Amazon River dolphin,toucan and the scarlet macaw,poison dart frog and the glass frog.
• Flora: Moist broadleaf tropical rainforest like myrtle,laurel,palm, acacia,rosewood,Brazil nut,rubber tree, mahogany and Amazonian cedar. 

Significance of the Rainforests

• Lungs of the planet: Rainforests generate about 20% of the world’s oxygen and its trees play a key role in reducing pollutant levels.
• Fight climate change: They act as a crucial buffer in the global fight against climate change as it holds tremendous capacity to store carbon.
• Medicinal Properties: Many of these plants contain bioactive compounds capable of treatmenting diseases that are not yet curable, especially cancer.

Threat to the forests

• Climate Change: Due to climate change the forests are witnessing various challenges like changes in rainfall patterns,pollution etc.
• Deforestation: The size of the Amazon forest shrank dramatically as a result of settlers’ clearance of the land to obtain lumber and to create grazing pastures and farmland. 
• Wildfires: It causes threat to the survival of ecosystems and biodiversity. The 2019 forest fires in the region have led to widespread devastation in the region.

Additional Information – Amazon River

• It is the largest river by volume of water and second longest river after the Nile river of Africa in the world.
• Source:River has its source in the Peruvian Andes, at an elevation of 5,598 m.
• Length:6400 km.
• Basin:The basin includes the greater part of Brazil and Peru,some parts of Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia and a small area of Venezuela.
• Tributaries:Japurá , Juruá, Madeira, Negro, Purus, and Xingu rivers.
• Mouth:Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of Brazil.

South Zone Council

Polity

Context

• The 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting was held in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.

Zonal Councils — UPSC

• Statutory bodies established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 to promote Centre–State and inter-State cooperation.
• Chairman: Union Home Minister.
• Vice-Chairman: Chief Minister of one member State, rotationally.
• Nature: Advisory bodies; Standing Committee of Chief Secretaries examines issues before the Council.
• Five Zonal Councils: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern.
• North Eastern Council (NEC): Established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972 for the special problems of the Northeast.
• NEC States: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim (added in 2002).
• Key point: Zonal Councils ≠ Constitutional bodies; they are statutory and advisory.

Tamirabharani River

Environment

Context

• The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has declared Tamil Nadu’s Tamirabharani river a deity, thereby granting it legal personhood to curb pollution from funeral rites and waste dumping.

Background- 

• • In 2017, the Uttarakhand High Court recognised the Ganga and Yamuna as legal persons. However, the Supreme Court later stayed the order, citing practical and administrative difficulties, particularly since the rivers flow across multiple states.

• Globally, New Zealand’s Whanganui River became the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person in 2017.

Additional Information- Tamirabharani River 

• Origin: Pothigai Hills (Western Ghats), Tamil Nadu.
• Course: Flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts.
• Mouth: Drains into the Gulf of Mannar.
• Type: One of the few perennial rivers of Tamil Nadu.
• Major tributaries: Manimuthar, Gadananathi, Pachaiyar and Chittar.
• Importance: Irrigation, drinking water and hydropower.
• Key feature: Supports agriculture in the Tirunelveli–Thoothukudi region.

BRICS calls EU’s Carbon Tax Punitive

International

Context

• BRICS environment and climate ministers opposed the European Union’s (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) calling it a discriminatory and protection measure that is not in line with international law.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

• It is a carbon tariff on carbon intensive products, such as cement and some electricity, imported by the European Union.

• Significance – As a price on carbon, it discourages emissions. As a trade-related measure, it affects production and exports.

Introduction of Blackbucks Into Banni Grassland

Environment

In News

• The Gujarat Forest Department, with technical support from Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Vantara, released 20 blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) into the Banni Grassland of Kutch.

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)

• Appearance: Males have striking spiral horns that can reach up to 75 cm (30 inches) in length and their coat is a dark brown to black color. Females are smaller and have a reddish-brown coat without horns.

• • Habitat: They are typically found in grasslands, savannas, and open forests. They prefer areas with short grass for grazing.
  • Threats: Earlier extensively hunted in the princely states of India, Habitat destruction,  Illegal Hunting for economic consumption

• Conservation Status: IUCN Status: Least Concern

• • • CITES: Appendix III

• Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

• State animal – Declared as state animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Cultural Importance: In Hinduism, the Blackbuck is considered a symbol of purity, with its skin and horns revered as sacred objects. In Buddhism, it represents good luck.

Banni Grassland

• Location – The Banni grasslands in Kachchh 
• Uniqueness – Asia’s largest natural grasslands
• Pastoral communities – Fakirani Jat.
• The region contains over 70 species of nutritious grasses and supports grazing of camels, buffaloes, sheep, and goats.
• Nearby – Chhari Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve is a Ramsar site important for migratory birds and local biodiversity.

Concerns 

• • Local communities fear loss of grazing land, cultural spaces, graveyards, and traditional livelihoods.
• Conservationists warn that solar infrastructure, light pollution, and human activity may disturb bird habitats and migratory routes.

India’s Makhana Sector

Economy

In News

• Makhana has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing agri-food sectors, driven by rising health awareness, expanding domestic demand, and strong export potential.

National Makhana Board

• Objective – to strengthen and modernize India’s Makhana sector.

• It is headquartered in Purnea, Bihar.

Makhana (Euryale ferox) 

• • It is a flowering plant classified in the water lily family (Nymphaeaceae). 
  • Climatic condition: Requires a temperature range of 20-35°C, and annual rainfall between 100- 250 cm. 
  • It is a fully organic non-cereal food found principally in India but also in Korea, Japan, as well as parts of eastern Russia. 

• Bihar accounts for ~90% of India’s makhana production. 

• GI Tag: In 2022, ‘Mithila Makhana’ was conferred a GI tag.

Dahi Handi Festival

History & Culture

Context

• The Maharashtra government is seeking UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage recognition for the Dahi Handi festival.
• It also plans to send ‘Govindas’, who form human pyramids during the festival, to Spain to showcase this traditional practice. 

Dahi Handi Festival

• Dahi Handi, held a day after Janmashtami to mark the birth of Lord Krishna.
• It combines religious devotion with community participation and sport.
• Participants, or Govindas, form tall human pyramids to reach and break an earthen pot filled with curd, butter, and milk.

India-Spain Connection

• • The traditional practice of building human pyramids and towers is the common link between the Dahi Handi festival and Spain, where communities practice building human towers called castells.

• Spain’s Catalan Castells (human towers)— is already recognized by UNESCO. 

• Spanish teams regularly visit Mumbai and Thane to participate in the Dahi Handi festival. 

Connect with the basics – Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO defines “intangible” as “expressions that have:

1. Passed from one generation to another.
2. Evolved in response to their environments.
3. Contributed to giving us a sense of identity and continuity.

• • According to an official document by UNESCO, ‘intangible cultural heritage’ includes “oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.”

• To date, 16 Indian elements have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List (including Deepavali)
• 1. Garba of Gujarat (2023)
  2. Durga Puja in Kolkata (2021)
  3. Kumbh Mela (2017)
  4. Navroz (2016)
  5. Yoga (2016)
  6. Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab (2014)
  7. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur (2013)
  8. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir (2012)
  9. Chhau dance (2010)
  10. Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan (2010)
  11. Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala (2010)
  12. Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas (2009)
  13. Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre (2008)
  14. Tradition of Vedic chanting (2008)
  15. Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana (2008)
  16. Deepavali (2025) – Recently added

Communal Award

History & Culture

In News 

• Recently, the anniversary of the Communal Award announcements was observed.

Communal Award

• Announced by – Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932.

• Objective – It Granted separate electorates to the Depressed Classes and 71 reserved seats.
• Also provided separate electorates for Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians and Europeans.
• Aim: political representation and protection of minorities.

Gandhi’s Response

• Gandhi opposed separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, arguing they would divide Hindu society.
• He began a fast unto death at Poona on 20 September 1932.
• M.C. Rajah and B.G. Horniman also opposed separate electorates.

Ambedkar’s Views

• Ambedkar strongly supported separate electorates for the Depressed Classes.
• He believed they needed independent political representation.
• Initially, he refused to compromise, prioritising their interests.

Poona Pact

• Signed on 24 September 1932 after negotiations between Gandhi and Ambedkar.
• Separate electorates were replaced by joint electorates.
• Reserved seats increased from 71 to 148 in provincial legislatures.
• The Pact became a modification of the Communal Award.
• Political reservation for SCs continued after independence.

Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS)

Economy

Context

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) approved projects collectively worth ₹7,877 crore for incentives under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS).

Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS)

• Launched: 2025 by the Government of India.
• Objective: To develop a strong domestic ecosystem for electronic components and reduce import dependence.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
• Outlay: ₹22,919 crore over 6 years.
• Focus: Manufacturing of components such as PCBs, camera modules, display modules, connectors, and other electronic sub-assemblies.
• Benefits: Attracts investment, creates jobs, strengthens supply chains and promotes Make in India.
• Significance: Supports India’s goal of becoming a global electronics manufacturing hub.

MQ-9B Sea Guardian Unmanned Aircraft

Science & technology

Context

• The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with the U.S. General Atomics Aeronautical to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for the Indian Navy.

MQ-9B SeaGuardian Unmanned Aircraft

• Type: High-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft.
• Manufacturer: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, USA.
• Role: Maritime surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
• Key feature: Can operate for 40+ hours and cover vast maritime areas.
• India: The Indian Navy is acquiring MQ-9B SeaGuardians to strengthen maritime domain awareness and surveillance in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Significance: Enhances India’s ability to monitor ships, submarines and suspicious maritime activity over long distances.
• Note: It is an unmanned aircraft, but is remotely controlled by operators rather than being fully autonomous.

Draft SHANTI Rules 2026

Polity

Context

• Recently, the government has released the draft SHANTI Rules, 2026, 

Draft SHANTI Rules, 2026

• Full form – Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India
• Purpose: Operationalise the SHANTI Act, 2025 and expand India’s nuclear energy sector.

• Private participation: Framework for greater private-sector involvement in nuclear activities.
• Licensing: Provides for a composite licence covering the nuclear installation lifecycle.
• Safety: Strengthens requirements for nuclear safety, radiation protection and emergency preparedness.
• Liability: Operators must maintain insurance/financial security against nuclear damage.
• Nuclear Liability Fund: Proposed fund supported through operator levies for compensation.
• Technology: Facilitates use of foreign nuclear technologies, subject to Indian regulatory requirements.
• Goal: Supports India’s target of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047 and net-zero by 2070.

Surrogate Advertisements

Polity

Context

• Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued show-cause notices to actors alleging that their advertisement for Vimal Elaichi amounts to surrogate advertising for Vimal Pan Masala.

Surrogate advertising 

• • It is a form of marketing used to promote products banned or limited from advertising under government regulations, such as alcohol, tobacco, and pan masala. 

• Maharashtra has prohibited gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine since 2012 under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. 

Misleading Advertisement Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019

• Legal Definition (Section 2(28)) –  Any advertisement that falsely describes products, gives deceptive guarantees, or deliberately conceals material information.
• Enforcing Body: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) regulates violations and enforces the 2022 Guidelines to protect consumer rights.Surrogate 
• Advertising: Strictly banned to stop restricted items (alcohol/tobacco) from using permitted shadow products (soda/cardamom) for branding.
• Coaching Institute Crackdown: Penalises institutes that hide course details when using toppers’ photos (e.g., claiming a mock-interview student as a full-time student).
• Greenwashing & Labels: Targets unverified, misleading eco-friendly or health claims like “100% natural” to ensure scientific accuracy.
• Financial Penalties: Fines up to ₹10 Lakh for a first offence and up to ₹50 Lakh for subsequent violations.
• Targeted Liability: Punishes manufacturers, publishers, and celebrity endorsers, with endorsers facing a product endorsement ban of up to 3 years.

Saptadhara

Economy

News

• Prime Minister launched a seven-point ‘Saptadhara’ reform framework to fast-track India’s goal of attaining a Viksit Bharat by 2047, 

Saptadhara 

1. Manufacturing Power: Scaling up quality and global integration.
2. Agricultural Power: Boosting processing, storage, and food exports.
3. Technology & Innovation: Advancing AI, semiconductors, and R&D.
4. Connectivity: Enhancing multimodal logistics and infrastructure.
5. Defence Power: Achieving self-reliance in high-tech armaments.
6. Green & Blue Economy: Expanding renewables and ocean resources.
7. Soft Power: Promoting culture, tourism, and heritage globally.

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA)

Health & Society

Context

• Many Indian communities practice consanguinity.
• It greatly increases the risk of genetic diseases that are otherwise rare, Friedreich’s ataxia is one such disease.

Friedreich’s ataxia, or FRDA

• It is a genetic disorder that progressively damages the nerves and the heart.
• The affected individuals typically begin to show symptoms between the ages of 5 and 15. 

Symptoms: 

• • Unsteady and impaired coordination.
  • Speech slows down and slurs, swallowing becomes difficult, Hearing and vision deteriorates. 
  • Fatigued, lost sensation, eventually, most patients die relatively young, of heart disease. 

• There is no cure.

• • FRDA is more likely when both parents carry the defective gene. 

• FRDA is caused by mutations in the FXN gene.
• Consanguineous marriages (marriages between relatives, such as cousins) increase the chance that both parents carry the same rare genetic mutation.

Hara Mangrove Forests

Environment

Context

• A major oil spill off the southern coast of Iran has emerged as a serious ecological threat to the Hara mangrove forests.

Hara Mangrove Forests

• It also known as the Qeshm–Hara mangrove forests
• Location – It is located around Qeshm Island and the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.
• They are dominated by the grey mangrove (Avicennia marina), a species highly adapted to saline coastal environments.
• The area has been recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Mangroves  

• Definition: A mangrove is a woody plant which lives between the sea and the land, in areas which are flooded by tides for part of the time. 

• Halophytes – Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants, also called halophytes.
• Climatic conditions – receiving rainfall between 1,000 to 3,000 mm and temperature ranging between 26-35°C. 
• Ecotone – Since mangroves are located between the land and sea they represent the best example of ecotone.

Sundarbans Location: 

• Location – The Sundarbans Forest located on the delta of Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna in South Asia (India & Bangladesh).
• Global Significance: It is the largest mangrove forest in the world. 
• It is Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Site.

Vaishya Tekri Stupa in Ujjain