Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2025

• BNHS scientist Parveen Shaikh has won the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2025 for her innovative, community-led conservation of the endangered Indian Skimmer in the National Chambal Sanctuary.

Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2025:

• The Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award is an annual national honour that recognises exceptional contributions to wildlife conservation in India. It highlights field practitioners, scientists, and community leaders whose work safeguards ecosystems and threatened species.

Instituted By: Sanctuary Nature Foundation

2025 Winner: Parveen Shaikh (BNHS Scientist)

Key Contributions

1. Scientific Research & Monitoring:

• Conducted long-term studies on Indian Skimmer populations since 2016.
• Documented nesting behaviour, survival challenges, and threats from river-level changes and predators.

2. ‘Nest Guardian’ Model:

• Developed a community-led protection system for nests on sandbars.
• Trained locals to fence colonies, monitor nests, and deter predators.
• Raised nest survival from near zero to ~60%.

      3. Habitat & Threat Assessment:

• Studied effects of dams, altered flows, and sandbar accessibility on nesting.
• Proposed adaptive conservation measures tailored to river dynamics.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• Defence Minister of India inaugurated 125 BRO infrastructure projects worth ₹5,000 crore, the largest single-day launch in the organisation’s history.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO):

• BRO is a premier road construction executive force under the Ministry of Defence responsible for developing and maintaining strategic infrastructure in India’s border areas and in friendly foreign countries.

Established: 7 May 1960

Parent Body: Border Roads Development Board (BRDB)

Headquarters: New Delhi

Aim:

• To meet the strategic needs of the Armed Forces through efficient, time-bound and high-quality infrastructure development.
• To support socio-economic development of remote border regions.

Key Functions

1. Peace-time Role:

• Develop and maintain operational road infrastructure in border areas.
• Support socio-economic development in remote terrains.
• Execute projects in friendly countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka).

2. War-time Role:

• Construct and maintain roads required for troop mobility and logistics.
• Keep supply routes open by clearing snow, landslides and avalanches.
• Execute additional tasks assigned by the Government during conflict.

3. Other Functions:

• Construction of roads, bridges, airfields in extreme climatic and high-altitude environments.
• Use of indigenous technologies (e.g., Class-70 modular bridges).
• Employing local labour (over 2 lakh workers), aiding rural livelihoods.
• Disaster response support (tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, landslides).

Significance:

1. Strategic: Enhances military mobility along critical borders with China, Pakistan and in high-altitude regions.
2. Economic: Boosts trade, tourism, connectivity and local development in remote areas.
3. Geopolitical: Strengthens India’s neighbourhood outreach via infrastructure diplomacy.
4. Humanitarian: Plays a key role in rescue operations during natural disasters.

Hindu Rate of Growth

• Prime minister criticised the phrase “Hindu rate of growth” as a colonial and communalising label that unfairly tied India’s past economic stagnation to Hindu culture and identity.

What is meant by ‘Hindu rate of growth’?

• The “Hindu rate of growth” is an economic term for India’s persistently low GDP growth (about 3.5–4% per year) from the 1950s to the 1980s, before the 1991 reforms.
• It refers specifically to long-run real GDP growth, not to religion-based economic behaviour in any technical macro model.

Coined by:

• The term was coined by economist Raj Krishna (Delhi School of Economics) in the late 1970s (commonly dated to 1978).

Features:

1. Low and Persistent GDP Growth: India’s GDP stayed stuck around 3.5–4% annually from the 1950s to 1980s, and per capita income rose even slower due to high population growth, reflecting long-term structural stagnation.
2. Stability Across Shocks and Regimes: The growth rate barely changed despite wars, droughts, famines, political shifts, and policy variations, making economists view it as a deeply entrenched, system-wide equilibrium.
3. Licence-Permit-Quota Raj: A heavily controlled economy with industrial licensing, import substitution, high tariffs, and a dominant public sector restricted private enterprise and kept productivity low.
4. Mixed but State-Led Economic System: India pursued a mixed economy with the state controlling core industries, credit, trade, and planning, limiting market competition and foreign participation in growth sectors.
5. Contrast with East Asian “Miracle” Economies: While India grew at ~3.5%, East Asian economies like South Korea and Taiwan achieved 7–10%, underscoring India’s relative underperformance among post-colonial peers.
6. Turnaround Before 1991: Studies show growth accelerated to ~5.6–5.8% in the 1980s, indicating India had already moved beyond the old growth trap due to gradual deregulation and internal reforms pre-1991.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

• The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is receiving around 45,000 data requests per month, as Central agencies and State police increasingly use the platform for real-time intelligence access.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID):

• NATGRID is a real-time integrated intelligence platform under the Ministry of Home Affairs that links multiple government and private databases for secure access by authorised security and law-enforcement agencies to counter terrorism and organised crime.
• Conceptualised: 2009 (after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks)
• Operationalised: 2023 (platform became functional and opened to wider agencies)

Aim:

• To provide seamless, real-time intelligence by integrating diverse datasets for faster investigations.
• To eliminate delays caused by agencies separately requesting data from multiple sources.

Functions:

1. Data Integration Across Databases: Connects datasets such as Aadhaar, driving licences, bank records, telecom data, airline PNRs, immigration logs, and social media activity.
2. Secure Access for Investigative Agencies: Provides authorised officers (now including SP-rank officials) access to sensitive information while maintaining user confidentiality.
3. Supports Intelligence & Investigation: Helps agencies “join the dots” without an FIR, enabling predictive intelligence, tracking suspicious behaviour, and analysing crime patterns.
4. Inter-Agency Coordination: Facilitates cooperation between IB, RAW, NIA, ED, FIU, DRI, NCB and State police by offering a single unified information platform.
5. Data Security & Cyber Protection: Uses advanced cybersecurity protocols to protect sensitive information amid rising cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

Significance:

1. Counter-Terror Backbone: Created after 26/11 to prevent intelligence gaps by providing faster, deeper, and integrated data access.
2. Reduces Investigation Time: Eliminates bureaucratic delays; accelerates terrorism, narcotics, financial fraud, and cybercrime probes.
3. Strengthens Federal Policing: Empowers State police forces by giving them the same intelligence access previously limited to central agencies.

200th anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji

• India celebrated the 200th birth anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji in 2025, honouring his legacy as a nationalist leader, economic thinker and early architect of the freedom movement.

Dadabhai Naoroji:

• Dadabhai Naoroji (1825–1917) was an Indian nationalist leader, economic theorist, social reformer, scholar, and the first Indian Member of British Parliament.

Early Life & Education:

• Born on 4 September 1825 in Bombay (some sources say Navsari), in a middle-class Parsi family.
• Educated at Elphinstone Institute, where he excelled in mathematics and English.
• Became the first Indian Professor at Elphinstone College, symbolising modern Indian intellectual awakening.

• Known worldwide as the “Grand Old Man of India.”
• Called the “Unofficial Ambassador of India” for championing India’s cause in Britain.
• Taught Gujarati at University College London, breaking academic barriers.
•  Among the first to scientifically analyse poverty in India using data-based methods.
• His 1906 INC presidential address was the first to adopt “Swaraj” as the national goal.

Contributions to the Indian Freedom Movement:

Economic Contributions:

• Drain of Wealth Theory - Systematically demonstrated how British rule drained India’s resources through salaries, pensions, remittances, and unequal trade.

Authored major works:

1. Poverty and Un-British Rule in India
2. Poverty of India
3. His advocacy led to the creation of the Welby Commission (1895) on Indian expenditure, where he served as a member.
4. Popularised economic nationalism and laid foundations for Swadeshi and fiscal self-reliance.

Political Contributions:

• Founding member of Indian National Congress (INC) and its President in 1886, 1893, and 1906.
• Elected first Indian MP in British Parliament (1892) from Central Finsbury on a Liberal Party ticket.
• Advocated self-government, constitutional methods, and parliamentary democracy.
• Played a unifying role between Moderates and Extremists, presiding over the 1906 Calcutta Session that adopted the demand for Swaraj.
• Mentored future leaders including Tilak, Gokhale, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Social Reform:

• Champion of women’s education-helped run special classes at Elphinstone and supported girls’ schooling.
• Founded Rast Goftar, a Gujarati newspaper promoting social reform.
• Co-founded Rahnumai Mazdayasan Sabha (1851) to reform Parsi society.
• Led efforts for compulsory primary education, submitting recommendations (with Jyotiba Phule) to the Hunter Commission (1882).

Organisational Building:

Founded or co-founded key institutions to internationalise India’s cause:

1. London Indian Society (1865)
2. East India Association (1866)

These groups later merged with the INC and served as platforms for India’s political diplomacy.

Seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7)

A deep divide has emerged among member states over UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (2026–2030), triggering tense negotiations as UNEA-7 opens in Nairobi.

Seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7):

• UNEA-7 is the world’s highest environmental decision-making forum, convened under the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). It brings together all UN member states to negotiate resolutions and chart global environmental policy.
• Venue: UNEP Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

Historical Background:

• UNEA was created in 2012 after the Rio+20 Conference to elevate environmental diplomacy to the same status as UN bodies on peace and development.
• Since 2014, six assemblies have adopted 105 resolutions on issues ranging from plastics to illegal wildlife trade.
• Theme of UNEA-7 (2025): “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.”

Aim:

• To secure a coherent global environmental agenda for 2026–2030.
• To approve UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) and align it with global treaties.

Key Features of UNEA-7:

• Intense Negotiations on UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (2026–2030): Countries are split on whether the MTS should be reopened, renegotiated, or adopted as drafted.

Funding Crisis within UNEP:

• UNEP’s regular UN budget share dropped by 20% due to the US halting payments.
• Contributions to the Environment Fund have declined by 11–12%.
• Slimmer Set of Resolutions: Of 19 proposed resolutions, only 15 survive, many “on life support.”
• Importance of UNEA in Global Green Diplomacy: UNEA is the only forum addressing climate, biodiversity, and pollution together.

Key features of UNEP Medium-Term Strategy 2026–2030:

• Climate Stability: Scale mitigation and adaptation measures; strengthen science-policy interfaces.
• Thriving Biodiversity: Support implementation of nature-positive restoration and conservation frameworks.
• Zero Pollution: Tackle waste, plastics, chemicals, and air pollution with life-cycle solutions.
• Resilient Land & Ecosystems: Address land degradation and desertification.
• Sustainable Resources & Consumption: Shift economies toward circularity and efficiency.
• Strengthened Environmental Governance: Enhance compliance systems, data platforms and transparent monitoring.

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana’s Mulugu forest officials are set to launch safari services for the first time inside the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, creating new eco-tourism opportunities.

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary is one of Telangana’s oldest protected areas, known for its rich Deccan Plateau ecosystem, diverse wildlife, and unique cultural–ecological heritage.
• Located In: Mulugu District, Telangana
• Situated along the Godavari River
• Lies close to the Telangana–Maharashtra–Chhattisgarh tri-border region

History:

• Established: 30 January 1952 (one of the earliest sanctuaries in the state)
• Notified: 7 July 1999 under wildlife protection rules
• The region has evidence of ancient human dwellings, stone-age remains, and sites like Rakshasa Gullu.
• Hosts Asia’s largest tribal congregation, Medaram Jatara, celebrated every two years at Tadvai within the sanctuary.

Key Features:

1. Biodiversity:

• Fauna: Tigers, leopards, gaurs, sambar, chital, blackbuck, nilgai, wolves, pythons, antelopes.
• Flora: Dominated by Teak (Tectona grandis) and mixed dry deciduous vegetation.

2. Landscape & Ecology:

• Located in Deccan dry deciduous forest zone.
• Dense forest patches, riverine tracks, and undulating terrain support high wildlife diversity.

Significance:

1. Ecological Importance: A critical habitat linking forested regions across three states, supporting predator–prey balance.
2. Cultural Heritage: Home to the Medaram Jatara, enriching tribal identity and traditional conservation practices.
3. Tourism Potential: Safari services and accommodation facilities can generate livelihoods for local communities and enhance conservation awareness.

SC Directives for PwDs in Prisons

• The Supreme Court mandated penal action under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, against prison authorities abusing or neglecting disabled inmates.
• Section 89 of the RPwD Act, 2016, prescribes penalties for anyone violating the Act or its rules.

Key Directives of the Supreme Court

• Disability Guidelines: The disability-inclusive guidelines issued in the L. Muruganantham judgment (2025, Tamil Nadu) must now be extended to all prisons across India.
• Accessibility Measures: Prisons must ensure grievance systems, early disability identification, ramps, accessible toilets, wheelchair pathways, and therapeutic support.
• Visitation Rights: Prisoners with benchmark disabilities are entitled to extended visitation rights to sustain family contact and allow close monitoring of their needs.
• Staff Training: All prison staff, medical officers, and legal-aid lawyers must undergo training on the RPwD Act and the needs of disabled inmates.
• Manual Revision: State Prison Manuals must be reviewed and amended within a fixed timeframe to align with the RPwD Act and relevant UN human-rights standards.
• A ‘person with benchmark disability’ is defined under the RPwD Act, 2016, as an individual with at least 40% of a specified disability.

About RPwD Act, 2016

• The RPwD Act, 2016, protects the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities (PwDs) and aims to ensure equal opportunities for them in all aspects of life.
• It replaced the 1995 Act to align India’s disability framework with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
• It defines a “person with disability” as someone with a long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment that, combined with societal barriers, limits their full participation in society.
• The Act broadened disability criteria and raised the number of disability categories from 7 to 21.
• Accessibility Mandate: It mandates universal accessibility in infrastructure, information, and communication technology for both government and private organisations.
• Key Provisions: The Act guarantees free, inclusive education, reservations in education and jobs, access to justice, social security, health services, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

23rd India-Russia Annual Summit

• The 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit was held in New Delhi, marking 25 years since the Strategic Partnership declaration of 2000.
• The annual summit is the highest institutionalised dialogue mechanism for reviewing and guiding their “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership” between the two countries.

Key Outcomes of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit

Trade and Economy

• A new bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030 from the current USD 68 billion.
• “Programme 2030 for Strategic Areas” was adopted to diversify trade beyond energy and defence.
• Russian markets opened to Indian potatoes, pomegranates, and processed foods.
• Continued development of Rupee-Ruble settlement systems and payment system interoperability.
• 96% of bilateral trade settlements are already conducted in national currencies.
• Commitment to early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.
• Eurasian Economic Union: Economic Union of five post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
• A customs protocol signed to exchange pre-arrival information for faster border clearance.
• Long-term fertiliser supply to India and a joint urea production plant in Russia.

Defence and Security

• Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support (RELOS) was finalised for mutual access to ports and facilities.
• Joint ventures in India for manufacturing spare parts for Russian-origin defence equipment.
• Discussions on expedited delivery of remaining S-400 squadrons and future cooperation on the S-500 air-defence system.
• An agreement to combat irregular migration and ensure maritime safety.
• Reaffirmed zero tolerance for cross-border terror networks and related financing.

Energy

• Construction of six new nuclear units in India and a second Russian-designed nuclear plant.
• Assurance of uninterrupted crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies to India.
• Potential cooperation on small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants.

Connectivity and Arctic Cooperation

• Work towards operationalising the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor to reduce transport time.
• Development of the Northern Sea Route as a viable alternative trade corridor.
• An MoU to train Indian seafarers for specialist polar and Arctic operations
• Removal of logistics bottlenecks for full utilisation of the International North–South Transport Corridor.

Climate and Global Governance

• A Joint Working Group on climate change and low-carbon development was established.
• Russia reaffirmed support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council.
• Russia adopted the Framework Agreement to join the India-led International Big Cat Alliance.

Human-to-Human and Institutional Cooperations

• India announced a forthcoming unilateral 30-day free e-tourist visa for Russian citizens.
• Agreement to facilitate the temporary labour activity for skilled Indian workers in Russia
• ISRO-Roscosmos collaboration in human spaceflight, satellite navigation, and planetary exploration.
• Agreements on healthcare cooperation, medical education and infectious disease surveillance.

SEBI Action Highlights Finfluencer Issue

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) barred trader Avadhut Sathe for allegedly offering unregistered investment advice, placing finfluencer regulation under sharper scrutiny.

Finfluencers

• Finfluencers are individuals offering financial opinions or investment-related content on social media without necessarily being registered or qualified.
• Regulation: SEBI treats real-time stock cues or return-linked claims as investment advisory activity that requires registration under SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations.
• Risk: Unregistered finfluencer activity raises concerns of inducement, misleading claims, undisclosed paid partnerships and weakened investor protection.
• Action: SEBI now restricts regulated