National Coastal Mission 2.0 | Green Energy Corridor Phase III | Cholera Deaths Increased by 30% in 2025 | Mahanadi Water Dispute | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) | State of the World’s Forests 2026 | People’s Plan Campaign | Mahatma Gandhi

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Ramvilas

National Coastal Mission 2.0

Government Scheme

News

  • Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launched the Guidelines for implementation of National Coastal Mission (NCM 2.0).

National Coastal Mission 2.0

    • Type: Central Sector Scheme | Ministry: MoEFCC
    • Period: 2025–26 to 2030–31
    • Coverage: 9 coastal States + 4 UTs
    • Focus: Coastal resilience, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, pollution control & sustainable tourism.
  • Key measures:
    1. Climate adaptation & mitigation
    2. Conservation of mangroves and marine ecosystems
  • ICZMP & Coastal Marine Spatial Planning
  1. Resilient livelihoods for coastal communities
  2. Coastal pollution management
  3. Research, capacity building & awareness
  • Goal: Promote climate-resilient Blue Economy, Atmanirbhar Bharat and fulfil international environmental commitments.

Green Energy Corridor Phase III

Environment

News – 

  • The Union Cabinet approved the third phase of the Green Energy Corridor, with an outlay of about ₹1.86 lakh crore, to strengthen Intra-State Transmission Systems.

About

  • Ministry: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE)
  • Launched: 2015
  • Aim: Build transmission infrastructure to integrate and evacuate renewable energy into the national grid.
  • Target: Evacuation of up to 135 GW renewable energy by 2032–33.

Implementation:

  • Greenfield: Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB)
  • Brownfield: Cost-Plus Basis (CPB)
  • Agencies: State Transmission Utilities + Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
  • Phase III: 50 GWh Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to manage renewable-energy intermittency and grid congestion.

Cholera Deaths Increased by 30% in 2025

Health

News – 

  • Cholera deaths increased by 30% in 2025 as per World Health Organisation’s (WHO) latest edition of the Weekly Epidemiological Record.

Key Highlights

  • Cause: Vibrio cholerae; mainly transmitted through contaminated food & water.
  • Symptoms: Severe diarrhoea → dehydration → death if untreated.
  • Global burden: 7 countries—Angola, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan & Yemen—accounted for ~90% of reported global cases/deaths.
  • Worst-affected region: Africa; cases ↑ 34% and deaths ↑ 58% over 2024.
  • Vaccines: Oral cholera vaccine production increased from 30 million (2022) → ~80 million doses (2025).
  • Prevention: WASH, surveillance, community engagement and timely treatment.
  • 2030 Target (GTFCC): 90% reduction in cholera deaths and elimination in up to 20 countries.

Mahanadi Water Dispute

Polity

News – 

  • The Union Home Minister chaired a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Odisha in New Delhi to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute.

Mahanadi Water Dispute 

  • Parties: Odisha & Chhattisgarh over sharing of Mahanadi waters.
  • Issue: Odisha alleges that upstream barrages in Chhattisgarh reduce non-monsoon flow into the Hirakud Reservoir.
  • Tribunal: Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted in March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
  • Constitutional basis: Article 262.
  • Riparian position: Chhattisgarh = upper riparian; Odisha = lower riparian.
  • Other parties: Jharkhand, Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh.

Article 262

  • Parliament may provide for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.
  • Parliament may exclude the Supreme Court and other courts’ jurisdiction over such disputes.

Additional Information – Mahanadi

    • Length: ~851 km; major east-flowing Peninsular river.
    • Source: Near Pharsiya village, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh.
    • Course: Chhattisgarh → Odisha → Bay of Bengal; forms a delta near Cuttack.
  • Tributaries:
  1. Left: Seonath (longest), Hasdeo, Mand, Ib
  2. Right: Ong, Tel, Jonk
  • Major Projects: Ravishankar Sagar, Hirakud Dam, Naraj Barrage.
  • Hirakud Dam: Near Sambalpur, Odisha; noted as the world’s longest earthen dam (~25.8 km including dykes).
  • Hirakud Reservoir: Ramsar site (2021).
  • Satkosia Gorge: Mahanadi cuts through the Eastern Ghats in Odisha; located within Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

Polity

News – 

  • 1 October 2026 marks 100 years since the establishment of the Union Public Service Commission.
  • Present status: Independent Constitutional Body for recruitment to All India Services & Central Civil Services.
  • Constitutional basis: Articles 315–323, Part XIV.

Composition & Tenure

  • Appointment: Chairman + members appointed by the President.

  • Number of members: Not fixed by Constitution; usually 9–11 members.

  • Qualification: At least ½ of members must have 10 years’ government service.

  • Tenure: 6 years or age 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Removal — Article 317

  • The President can remove members for insolvency, outside paid employment or physical/mental infirmity.

  • For misbehaviour: Supreme Court inquiry → report → Presidential removal.

Constitutional Provisions

  • Article 315: Provides for a Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission (PSC) for each State.

  • Article 316: Deals with the appointment and term of office of members.

  • Article 317: Deals with removal and suspension of members.

  • Article 318: Provides for regulations regarding conditions of service and staff.

  • Article 319: Provides restrictions on holding offices after ceasing to be a member.

  • Article 320: Specifies the functions of Public Service Commissions.

  • Article 321: Enables Parliament or a State Legislature to extend the functions of a State PSC.

  • Article 322: Deals with expenses of the Commission.

  • Article 323: Deals with submission of reports by the Commission.

State of the World’s Forests 2026

Environment

News –  

  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has published the State of the World’s Forests 2026

About

  • Published by: FAO.
  • Theme: Restoring Forests and Landscapes – The Way Forward for a Sustainable Future.
  • Forest & Landscape Restoration (FLR): Restoring ecological functionality + human well-being across degraded/deforested landscapes.
  • Key point: FLR is not merely tree planting; it restores entire landscapes for multiple benefits and land uses.
  • Global forest area (2025): 4.14 billion ha (~32% of global land area).
  • Degraded forests: >460 million ha.
  • Major drivers: Climate change, population growth, urbanisation and infrastructure development.
  • Degradation impacts: Forest fires, forest-cover loss, unsustainable harvesting, land-use change, soil erosion and overgrazing.
  • 2030 target: Under Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Target 2), nearly 469 million ha need effective restoration.

People’s Plan Campaign

Polity

News – 

  • Special Gram Sabhas were convened on Gandhi Jayanti to mark the launch of the People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27, “Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas”.

About

  • Launched: 2018 by Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR).
  • 2026–27 Theme: “Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas”.
  • Aim: Prepare participatory & comprehensive Panchayat Development Plans (PDPs) for economic development and social justice.
  • Coverage: All 29 subjects of the 11th Schedule.
  • Process: Gram Sabha → identifies local needs/priorities → Panchayat prepares plan → uploaded on eGramSwaraj.
  • Nodal Ministry: MoPR; State Panchayati Raj Departments coordinate with line departments.

Gram Sabha 

  • Article 243(b): Body of persons registered in electoral rolls of a village within a Panchayat area.
  • Article 243A: Powers/functions determined by the State Legislature.
  • Not a tier of Panchayati Raj: It is a permanent body of village voters.
  • Functions: Discuss/approve development plans, review expenditure and monitor Panchayat activities.

Mahatma Gandhi

History & Culture

News – 

  • India observed Mahatma Gandhi’s 157th birth anniversary on October 2, 2026, celebrated globally as the International Day of Non-Violence.

About

    • Born: 1869, Porbandar, Gujarat; studied law in London.
    • Ideological influences: Bhagavad Gita, Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God Is Within You, Ruskin’s Unto This Last.
    • South Africa (1893–1914): Natal Indian Congress (1894), Indian Opinion (1903), Phoenix Settlement (1904), Tolstoy Farm (1910).
    • Returned to India: 9 January 1915.
  • Early Satyagrahas:
  1. Champaran (1917): Indigo/tinkathia system.
  2. Ahmedabad (1918): Mill workers’ dispute; first hunger strike.
  3. Kheda (1918): Land revenue issue.
  • Congress President: Only once — Belgaum Session, 1924.
  • Dandi March: 12 March–6 April 1930; 240 miles, from Sabarmati to Dandi; 78 followers; broke Salt Law.
  • Gandhi-Irwin Pact: 1931; Gandhi attended Second Round Table Conference as Congress representative.
  • Quit India Movement: 8 August 1942, Gowalia Tank Maidan; “Do or Die” call.
  • Constructive Programme: Harijan Sevak Sangh (1932); Village Industries; Nai Talim/Wardha Scheme (1937).
  • Works: Hind Swaraj (1909), The Story of My Experiments with Truth; edited Young India, Navajivan and Harijan.

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