Context

A streak of industrial accidents — four workers killed in a Surat septic tank and nine in a Visakhapatnam steel-plant explosion — is a reminder of persistent safety failures in Indian industry, even as inconsistencies in official data (a Hindu editorial plus a Data Point) reveal severe lapses in the reporting of industrial accidents.

Background & Key Facts

• Confined-space deaths: The Surat pattern — first victims followed by would-be rescuers entering without protection — is well known. Such septic-tank/manual-scavenging deaths are rarely "accidents" but failures of basic safety management (mechanical ventilation, breathing apparatus, harnesses, retrieval lines, standby rescue, no unprotected entry).
• Organisational weaknesses: A major accident is almost always the accumulation of organisational weaknesses — reduced staffing, heavier workloads, ageing equipment, deferred maintenance, and rising dependence on contract labour (who get less training and operate under fragmented accountability).
• The OSH Code: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020 — one of the four labour codes — had its rules notified only last month. It is implemented through the DGFASLI, now renamed the Directorate General of Occupational Safety and Health.
• Reporting mismatch: Each Standard Reference Note (SRN) records accidents from two sources — the Labour Bureau and DGFASLI's own correspondence with Chief Inspectors of Factories — and the two never match, pointing to reporting lapses.
• Inspection deficit: DGFASLI struggles with heavy vacancies; India lacks enough factory inspectors even in industrialised States, so only a small fraction of factories is inspected each year, and many States simply do not report the required details.

Context

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) released a working paper recommending multi-factor criteria for a "targeted" splitting of seats in India's next delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies — going beyond population alone and maintaining each large State's current proportion of seats.

Background & Key Facts

• The model: Authored by EAC-PM member Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor (ISI), it splits 170 of the existing 543 seats (59 two-way, 111 three-way), raising the Lok Sabha to 824 seats.
• State-wise illustration: Kerala 20→30, Tamil Nadu 39→59, Uttar Pradesh 80→120; smaller States/UTs (Mizoram, Puducherry, Sikkim, Ladakh, A&N, Nagaland, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep) roughly double.
• Preserving proportions: Southern States' aggregate share stays ~23.6% (from 23.7%); the six most populous northern States ~45.2% (from 45.6%). The model is designed to "respect" a 50% per-State expansion.
• The freeze: The existing seats-per-State proportion was frozen on the 1971 Census via a 1976 Constitutional Amendment; the next delimitation would be the first since then to alter per-State seat counts.
• Methodology: Using LS election data (2009–24), the paper estimates a statistical relationship between voter turnout, constituency size and five compositional features (urban share, SC share, ST share, linguistic polarisation, linguistic diversity), then designs a "turnout-maximising" plan that splits the largest, most turnout-responsive seats.
• Recommendations: Split on the joint demographic-and-linguistic profile (not size alone); time delimitation (after the 2027 Census) with a "fresh booth-rationalising cycle"; release gender-disaggregated electoral statistics; and address a residual women's-turnout gap in urban areas with women-only booths and targeted roll-update drives.

Context

A year after the Air India AI-171 crash that killed 260 people (June 12, 2025), an op-ed (by aviation-safety expert Capt. A. Ranganathan) argues that the investigation has strayed from its promised "transparent and factual" path, with only a Preliminary Report (July 2025) in the public domain and no final report — leaving families without closure.

Background & Key Facts (as argued in the op-ed)

• The recorders: The forward Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) — which records flight data and cockpit voice — was located on June 16, 2025, meaning the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) could analyse the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) early.
• Fuel control switches (FCS): The report notes Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel control switches moved from "run" to "cut-off" one second apart, then later back to "run". The author stresses the FCS is a spring-loaded gated switch that cannot be moved by a software error or power failure.
• CVR snippet: The only CVR line cited: one pilot asks the other why he cut off, and the other says he did not.
• Ram Air Turbine (RAT): The RAT (an emergency backup that deploys automatically under certain conditions, or manually) began supplying hydraulic pressure ~08:08:47 UTC, indicating deployment a few seconds earlier — the author argues RAT focus is a "red herring" distracting from who moved the FCS.
• The co-pilot's role: The author credits First Officer Clive Kunder with steering the crippled aircraft away from crowded areas despite a blank instrument panel and both engines without power.
• Comparators: The US NTSB and UK AAIB have more experience deciphering EAFR/DFDR/CVR data; precedents (SilkAir 1997, China Eastern 2022) where "deliberate human intervention" was established are cited.

Context

An opinion piece argues that higher education has become an important site through which the changing dynamics of Indian federalism are expressed — with regulatory authority, curriculum, language policy, funding and digital governance turning the sector into a contest between competing visions of the Union and the States. Separately, the Education Ministry issued Letters of Approval to the Universities of Bristol, York and New South Wales (UNSW) to set up India campuses.

Background & Key Facts

• Constitutional position: Education is on the Concurrent List, giving both the Union and States legislative authority — yet the governance dynamic increasingly favours the Union via the Ministry of Education, UGC and accreditation bodies.
• Flashpoints: Tamil Nadu's opposition to NEP 2020's three-language formula and the UGC's third-language circular; disputes over Vice-Chancellor appointments and Governors' powers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal.
• NEP 2020 restructuring: Four-year undergraduate programmes, Academic Bank of Credits, multidisciplinary universities and internationalisation — extending central influence into State domains.
• Funding leverage: Access to central funding (e.g., Institutions of Eminence, ANRF research mechanisms) is increasingly tied to compliance with national reform agendas.
• Regulatory overhaul: The proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 (to replace the UGC and others) has raised fears of eroding State authority; the Academic Bank of Credits expands central capacity to standardise and monitor.
• Foreign campuses: Bristol, York and UNSW received Letters of Approval — advancing NEP's internationalisation vision; the Union sets the framework while States provide land, clearances and infrastructure.
• Negotiated federalism: Many States, including Opposition-ruled ones, selectively adapt reforms to local contexts — a "strategic adaptation".

Context

The US and Iran traded fire after Washington launched air strikes following the downing of a US military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran retaliated against US bases in the region. Two Indian seafarers were killed and one reported missing after a US strike on an oil tanker off Oman — directly implicating Indian interests.

Background & Key Facts

• The exchange: US Central Command said it struck Iranian air defence, ground control and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz as a "proportional response"; Iran said it struck US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in response to "aggression".
• Blockade: The US announced a blockade on Iran's ports on April 13 after talks in Islamabad failed; President Trump called it a "steel wall".
• Indian seafarers: Two Indians killed and one missing after a US strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello off Oman (CENTCOM said it "violated the blockade" by transporting oil from Iran); 21 Indians were rescued. India summoned the US Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission and lodged a "strong protest".
• Pattern: Days earlier, a strike on tanker Marivex off Oman saw 24 Indian sailors rescued.
• India's position: The MEA flagged attacks on shipping as "deeply worrisome", calling for an end to targeting of commercial shipping and restoration of free and unimpeded navigation per international law.
• Strait of Hormuz: The world's most critical oil chokepoint, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman; remains under Iran's control.

Context

India proposes to build 74 additional land ports along the International Border in the coming years — including three along the China border and six along the Pakistan border — to strengthen trade and the seamless movement of people, per the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI).

Background & Key Facts

• China border: Proposed land ports at Namgia (Himachal Pradesh), Gunji (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La (Sikkim) — India currently has no operational land port along the China border.
• Border trade points (China): Three designated points — Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand, since 1992), Shipki La Pass (Himachal Pradesh, since 1995) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim, since 2006) — but all border trade has been suspended since the 2020 pandemic. (Trade points differ from land ports, which integrate immigration, customs and goods-vehicle movement.)
• Pakistan border: Proposed at Teetwal, Adusa and Chakan Da Bagh (J&K), Attari railway station and Hussainiwala (Punjab), and Munabao railway station (Rajasthan). Only Attari (Punjab) is currently operational; trade via Salamabad (Uri) and Chakkan-da-Bagh (Poonch) has been suspended since the Pulwama attack.
• Phase II: 13 land ports proposed along the Nepal border, 12 along Bangladesh, four along Bhutan and two along Myanmar.
• Smart Borders: Tied to the new Land Port Management System (VINIMAY) and a four-pronged "Smart Borders" strategy.

Context

India's reservoirs can host about 102 GW of floating solar capacity, according to the first comprehensive national assessment by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under the MNRE — framing panels on water as a way around the sector's most intractable obstacle: land.

Background & Key Facts

• Why floating solar: Ground-mounted systems (dominating India's ~100 GW installed solar) need 3–4× more area per MW than the panels occupy; land acquisition is costly, slow and conflict-prone — a chokepoint for the 500 GW non-fossil target by 2030.
• Methodology: NISE applied six geospatial filters (water bodies >10 ha; water present ≥11 months/year; depth 3–30 m; solar irradiance >4.5 kWh/m²/day; within 10 km of roads and substations) and capped use at 20% of any reservoir's surface — yielding 1,946 sq km of feasible area = 102.18 GW.
• Top States: Maharashtra (16.28 GW), Madhya Pradesh (14.89), Karnataka (13.69), Odisha (12.81), Telangana (10.72).
• Flagship: The Omkareshwar floating solar park on the Narmada (Khandwa, MP) — 278 MW, India's largest, scaling to 600 MW. NISE flagged loosening float joints, misaligned platforms and breaking cables there.
• Costs: No India-specific cost estimate; cites a US benchmark that floating units cost ~25% more upfront than ground-mounted. MNRE is in talks with the Finance Ministry to promote floating solar and agri-photovoltaics (panels mounted over farm beds).
• Global: ~9.6 GW by 2024, ~90% in Asia; China leads (e.g., a 120 MW plant on Poyang Lake).

Context

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed capping the number of airport "bundles" awarded to a single bidder at two to three (roughly five to six airports) in the third round of airport privatisation (11 airports), to prevent an "oligopoly" — even as one conglomerate has grown into India's largest private airport operator.

Background & Key Facts

• The proposal: 11 airports grouped into five bundles, each mixing metro and non-metro airports to improve viability of smaller ones — Amritsar & Kangra; Varanasi, Kushinagar & Gaya; Bhubaneswar & Hubli; Raipur & Aurangabad; and Trichy & Tirupati.
• The cap: Recommended in response to PPPAC queries to ensure other bidders get a fair opportunity and avoid discouraging future investment.
• Precedent: In the 2019 second round, the Adani Group won all six airports on offer despite no prior airport experience; the PPPAC then brushed aside DEA/NITI Aayog recommendations to cap awards at two and require prior operational experience.
• Concentration: The group later acquired GVK's stake in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports, expanding to eight facilities handling ~78 million passengers a year — nearly 25% of India's air traffic.

Context

The Supreme Court used its powers under Article 142 to set aside a POCSO conviction, observing that the parties — who had married as adults — should be allowed to live peacefully as spouses. The case is a fresh occasion to revisit the constitutional scope of Article 142. (This is a legally and socially sensitive area; the focus here is the constitutional mechanism.)

Background & Key Facts

• Article 142: Empowers the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary for doing "complete justice" in any cause or matter pending before it — a residual, equitable power to fill gaps where existing law falls short.
• The case: The man had been sentenced to 10 years under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act; the SC invoked Article 142 in the specific circumstances of the case.
• De facto vs statute: Article 142 lets the Court do equity in exceptional situations, but cannot override express statutory provisions as a rule — a recurring debate about its limits.
• Famous uses: Article 142 has been used in landmark matters such as the Bhopal gas tragedy settlement, the Ayodhya land dispute, cleaning of the Taj Trapezium, and dissolving "irretrievably broken" marriages — illustrating both its reach and its controversy.

Context

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has begun an effort to require Union Ministries to develop comprehensive disaster management plans and hazard-specific response frameworks, as part of a broader push to build a "Resilient India 2047" aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision.

Background & Key Facts

• Statutory basis: Hazard-specific plans under Section 35 of the Disaster Management Act and Ministry Disaster Management Plans under Section 37 were discussed at an inter-ministerial meeting.
• Goal: Strengthen institutional preparedness and integrate disaster risk reduction into government policies.
• NDMA: Apex body for disaster management, chaired by the Prime Minister, set up under the DM Act, 2005.
• Alignment: Linked to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–30) principles of risk reduction and resilience, and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Context

Amid a boom in commercial genetic testing, geneticists caution that an individual's genetic make-up is not their destiny — there is no single "obesity gene", "fat gene" or "lazy gene"; genetics gives a helpful but incomplete picture, with epigenetics and lifestyle playing major roles.

Background & Key Facts

• Genes & mutations: Genes are DNA segments that code for proteins; copying errors produce mutations (variants/alleles). Only ~2% of the human genome is protein-coding; the rest is non-coding (regulating gene expression).
• First disease gene: In 1983, Huntington's disease was the first to be traced to a single gene mutation (chromosome 4). Since then ~5,000 disease-linked genes have been found.
• Monogenic vs polygenic: Monogenic/oligogenic diseases (e.g., Huntington's) involve one or a few genes and are usually rare (<1% of population). Common diseases (diabetes, obesity, coronary artery disease, schizophrenia) are polygenic — obesity involves 100+ genes, type 2 diabetes ~250.
• Methods: Candidate-gene and linkage studies historically; now genome-wide association studies (GWAS) compare DNA across many people to find variants.
• Effect size: Most variants have small effect sizes; even the FTO gene (the largest effect on obesity risk) predisposes only to a modest weight increase — so there is no deterministic "obesity gene".
• Epigenetics: Physical, behavioural and social factors affect gene expression. Likened to a piano — a faulty key (gene) can be compensated by how others are played (gene expression). High-intensity exercise can reduce FTO expression and attenuate obesity risk.
• Beneficial variants: Some mutations help — PCSK9 variants reduce coronary-artery-disease risk; clinicians now silence PCSK9 to cut cholesterol.
• Testing caveat: Genetic tests should be followed by genetic counselling; for non-monogenic traits, predictive value is limited.

Context

An opinion piece (by VCK MP D. Ravikumar) argues that what holds an opposition coalition together should not merely be shared apprehension about a dominant party, but a positive commitment to defending federalism and the Constitution — using the INDIA bloc as the illustration. (An authored perspective; the exam value lies in the federalism principle.)

Background & Key Facts

• The argument: Coalitions formed merely out of fear of a dominant party cannot endure; the principle of federalism and the Constitution must be the real binding force.
• National vs regional parties: The bloc comprises both; the author argues regional parties prioritise State rights, while national parties must internalise federalism — not just secularism — to be a genuine alternative.
• Federalism as basic structure: Federalism is recognised as a basic feature of the Constitution; concentration of power in the Union threatens parliamentary democracy, secularism and federal principles.
• Coalition coherence: The piece contends that defending State rights and democracy gives a coalition coherence and organisational structure beyond electoral arithmetic.