Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given permission for translocation of eight tigers from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. It is aimed to revive the big cat’s population in the northern Western Ghats.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve; Pench Tiger Reserve; Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
Sahyadri Tiger Reserve:
Location: Sahyadri Ranges of Western Maharashtra.
STR is spread across Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra.
The reserve was notified by amalgamating Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The central portion of STR is occupied by Shivsagar reservoir of Koyana river and Vasant Sagar reservoir of Warana river.
Pench Tiger Reserve:
Location: Southern slopes of Satpura range. Spread in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
PTR comprises Pench National Park and Mowgli Pench Sanctuary.
Pench river flows through the park from north to south and splits the park into two. Meghdoot dam on Pench river is located on the boundary of this Tiger Reserve.
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve:
Location: Chandrapur district, Maharashtra in the Vidarbha region.
The tiger reserve consists of Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Andhari river passes through this reserve.
Key Facts about Tiger:
Tiger is an umbrella species. Its conservation automatically ensures the conversation of a large number of flora and fauna and entire ecosystems.
India is home to 75% of the global tiger population.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census across India every 4 years.
Latest Tiger Census Report (2022): India has 3682 tigers. (2967 in 2018)
Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers (785) in India, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
Context: Recently, a sitting legislator (MLA) in Jammu and Kashmir was detained under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) for one year.
Relevance of the Topic : Prelims: Key features of PSA; Preventive Detention; Article 22
About Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act:
The Public Safety Act was enacted in 1978 by the J&K Legislative Assembly to curb timber smuggling in the state.
Over time, the Act has become a tool for preventive detention of political opponents, dissenters, journalists, and protesters. E.g., On the eve of Article 370’s abrogation, hundreds, including former Chief Ministers, were detained under PSA.
After the abrogation of Article 370, the PSA is now deemed a law passed by the Indian Parliament.
Key Provisions of the Public Safety Act:
Preventive Detention: The Act authorises detention without trial for up to 2 years, if individuals are considered a threat to the security of the state. Allows detention up to 1 year if they are deemed a threat to public order.
Grounds of Detention: Individuals can be detained if the administration is satisfied that they might act in a manner prejudicial to security or public order. The power is based on “subjective satisfaction” of the executive authorities (District Magistrates/Divisional Commissioners).
Communication of Grounds: Grounds of detention must be conveyed to the detainee. However, Section 13(2) allows the government to withhold grounds if disclosure is deemed against “public interest.”
Advisory Board Review: Detention orders must be reviewed by an Advisory Board (of High Court judges).
Restrictions on Legal Remedies: Individuals cannot directly represent themselves before the Advisory Board. Courts often avoid probing into the merits of detention if the executive claims satisfaction.
Concerns associated with J&K Public Safety Act:
The Act has been repeatedly flagged by UN Human Rights bodies as a “lawless law” because it:
permits prolonged preventive detention without trial
relies on vague definitions like public order
restricts legal remedies
undermines rights guaranteed under both the Indian Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Context: Recently, Israel’s Finance Minister visited India and signed a Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) with India.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA).
Key Features of Bilateral Investment Agreement
Israel has become the first Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member state with which India has signed a BIA under its new model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) framework.
Aim: To facilitate reciprocal investments by providing investors from both countries with legal certainty, transparency and protections.
The BIA replaces the earlier investment agreement signed in 1996, which was terminated in 2017.
Significance of Bilateral Investment Agreement:
Groundwork for FTA negotiations: The agreement lays the groundwork for future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and Israel.
Expected to increase bilateral investments between the two countries, which presently stands at a total of $800 million. Includes provisions to safeguard investments against expropriation, ensure transparency, and enable smooth transfers and compensation for losses.
Protection for investors: Incorporates provisions for independent dispute resolution through arbitration, ensuring that investors have recourse in case of disputes.
Labour mobility: Israel has already hired a large number of Indian blue-collar workers. BIA may further increase avenues for Indian labour mobility.
Balances investor protection with the State’s regulatory rights, preserving sufficient policy space for sovereign governance.
The agreement is expected to strengthen Israeli exports, open new opportunities for both Indian and Israeli investors, and expand trade flows.
Context: Swami Vivekananda delivered his iconic speech on Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893. This historic address marked his introduction of Vedanta, Hinduism and Indian spirituality to the Western world.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about Swami Vivekananda; Vedanta Philosophy. Mains: Relevance of Swami Vivekananda’s ideals in the modern world.
Swami Vivekananda, born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, spiritual leader, and advocate of Vedanta philosophy in India.
Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago:
The 1893 World's Parliament of Religions marks the first formal gathering of representatives of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths.
In a landmark speech on September 11, 1893, 30-year-old Vivekananda preached about religious tolerance and called for an end to fanaticism.
Swami Vivekananda introduced Vedanta to West:
He presented Vedanta (philosophical position of radical non-dualism) as an inclusive, universal religion.
His speech helped spread the ideals of Vedanta, Hinduism and Indian spirituality to the Western world. They included:
importance of tolerance and acceptance of different religious beliefs.
idea that all religions ultimately lead to the same truth.
need for harmonious co-existence of different faiths.
importance of recognising the divinity within each individual.
He highlighted the need for a balanced synthesis of Eastern spiritualism and Western materialism to foster global happiness and progress.
His teachings also popularised the practice of meditation and Hatha Yoga (now known only as yoga) in the West.
What is Vedanta Philosophy?
The term Vedanta literally means the “conclusion” (anta) of the Vedas. Vedanta is one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy.
The roots of the Vedanta philosophy are in the Upanishads (which were elaborations of the Vedas), and to the school that arose out of the study (mimamsa) of the Upanishads.
There arethree main concepts in Vedanta:
Brahman or Ishvara which is the ultimate reality.
Atman or the individual souls.
Prakriti or the physical world.
Three fundamental Vedanta texts:
Upanishads (Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, and Katha)
Brahma-sutras (also called Vedanta-sutras): brief interpretations of the doctrine of the Upanishads.
Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord).
Various Schools of Thought:
When it comes to the relationship between the three concepts (Brahman, Atman and Prakriti), there are many schools of thought.
Advaita Vedanta: Brahman and Atman are one and the same. It believes that all souls across space and time are one entity. It rejects rituals and advocates renunciation. The prominent teachers were Gaudapada (500 CE) and Adi Shankaracharya (8th century CE).
Dvaita Vedanta: Brahman and Atman are always totally different from each other. This is the opposite of Advaita. The most important philosopher was Madhvacharya (1238-1317 CE).
Vishishita Advaita Vedanta: Atman is different from the Brahman though connected to it as its root. The most famous philosopher was Ramanuja (1017-1137 CE), who stressed the importance of bhakti (devotion) to a personal god.
Neo-Vedanta (19th century): Combined Vedantic thoughts with nationalism. This school maintains that different schools of Vedanta are all different interpretations of a single truth. Prominent thinkers of this school include- Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo.
Context: India’s recently rationalised the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure. Among other sectors, GST reforms were announced in the Healthcare segment. The reforms mark a turning point in the journey towards achieving universal health coverage.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Issues relating to development and management of services relating to Health.
GST Reforms in the Healthcare Sector
Rationale: To make medical care more affordable and accessible for millions, especially for individuals struggling with high costs of treatment or health products.
Key Highlights of GST Reforms in the Healthcare Sector:
Removal of GST on Insurance:
Complete removal of GST on individual health and life insurance premiums. Earlier, an 18% GST rate was applied to the health insurance premiums.
The reform covers all types of individual life insurance: Term, Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP), Endowment, health insurance plans such as family floaters and senior citizen policies. Even reinsurance is included.
GST cut on Medicines:
GST on most medicines is lowered to 5%, and tax on life-saving drugs is cut to zero. This simplifies compliance and lowers prices in supply chains for health product manufacturers and service providers.
GST cut on Medical Devices:
Medical devices and diagnostic kits are now largely under a uniform 5% GST slab, from 12% GST or 18% GST earlier. E.g., CT scan machines are now taxed at only 5% compared to 18% earlier. This reduces the procurement costs of devices and would potentially lower patient charges over time.
Common services such as blood tests, X-rays, and MRIs at laboratories may also become a little cheaper.
GST exempt on Critical Care Units (unchanged):
All critical care units i.e., Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care Unit (CCU), Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU), and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are fully exempt from GST regardless of cost. This ensures that lifesaving care remains tax-free.
Non-intensive care unit (ICU) rooms above ₹5,000 per day would attract 5% GST without input tax credit.
GST exempt on Core Medical Services (unchanged):
Core medical services provided by hospitals, doctors, and paramedics remain GST-exempt, keeping treatment itself untaxed.
Push towards Preventive Healthcare:
GST on gymnasiums, fitness centres, yoga studios, salons, barbers and wellness services is down from 18% to 5%.
Cigarettes remain heavily taxed at 28% GST plus compensation cess, which adds up to an effective tax of between 52% and 88%.
A new 40% sin goods slab has been announced but will only apply once cess liabilities are cleared.
Sugary drinks (whether aerated, sweetened, or flavoured) have been moved to the new 40% slab, up from 28% plus cess, to discourage consumption.
Significance:
Increase insurance coverage: Insurance coverage in India is only ~3.7% of GDP at present, compared to a global average of 6.8%. However, clear monitoring is required to ensure insurance providers pass on the GST benefit to the consumers.
Reduce OOPE: Share of Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) in Total Health Expenditure was around 47% in FY20. Cutting costs for life-saving medicines, simplifying taxes on equipment, and lowering rates on preventive services supports the entire health-care chain and would reduce OOPE.
Context:Aedes-borne Viral Diseases (ABVD) that include Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya hurt India’s productivity. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bite during the day time. Mosquito control methods like outdoor fumigation are not that effective, which necessitates revised strategies against Aedes Mosquitoes.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Aedes-borne Viral Diseases; Wolbachia Method.
Aedes-borne Viral Diseases
1. Dengue:
Viral illness caused by the dengue virus, an RNA virus.
Transmission:
Bites of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
There is no evidence that dengue can be transmitted directly from person to person through casual contact, coughing/sneezing, or sexual contact.
Rare cases ofvertical transmission (from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth) have been reported, but this is not a common mode of spread.
Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms, including high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, and rash. In severe cases, it can lead to life-threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever.
2. Zika:
Caused by Zika virus, an RNA virus.
Transmission: Bites of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Can be transmitted from mother to foetus during pregnancy; through sexual contact, blood transfusion; organ transplantation.
Zika infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly (underdeveloped brain) and other congenital malformations.
3. Chikungunya:
Caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an RNA virus.
Transmission: Bites of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. An infected person cannot spread the infection directly to other persons (i.e. it is not a contagious disease).
Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, and rash. Severe joint pain (arthritis) which is the most common feature of the disease.
Chikungunya is diagnosed by blood test (ELISA).
Wolbachia Method for Mosquito Control
Wolbachia is a form of biological control method to reduce mosquito population.
In this method, naturally occurring Wolbachia bacteria is introduced into male population by infecting insects in a laboratory, and then releasing them into the wild.
These Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes mate with female mosquitoes (not infected with the same strain of Wolbachia).
These bacteria are passed on to their offspring through the normal reproductive process, and their offspring are less likely to survive or reproduce.
The method does not suppress mosquito populations or involve genetic modification, so it is safe for humans, animals and the environment.
Challenges in controlling Mosquito population:
Limitations of conventional methods: Aedes mosquito feeds indoors during the day, and at night under artificial light. Methods like outdoor fumigation, vaporisers, and bed nets are thus ineffective against it. Additionally, the mosquitoes have evolved to gain tolerance to these chemicals.
Lack of Vaccines: Dengue vaccine trials are underway, but these offer no protection against Zika or chikungunya.
Expensive: High costs and weak institutional support limit the adoption of advanced mosquito control methods like Wolbachia.
Increased plastic pollution: Plastic pollution is directly linked to the risk of ABVD transmission. Discarded plastics can collect water and act as mosquito breeding sites).
Way Forward
Application of safe non-insecticides (topical repellents) on the skin. By releasing volatile compounds, these repellants impair the mosquito’s sense of smell, thus making human hosts essentially invisible to them.
E.g., Para-menthane-diol (PMD), derived from the essential oil of the lemon eucalyptus plant; Picaridin (derived from pepper plant)
Using materials coated with delayed-release transfluthrin. These spatial emanators, like jute sheets, provide 15-days of continued protection in living spaces.
Local community actions to remove larval breeding sites of Aedes mosquitoes. Regular trash collection/flood management protects against ABVD.
Public Health Campaign in Delhi: 10 Weeks, 10 AM, 10 Minutes
Called the rule of 10, “10 Weeks, 10 AM, 10 Minutes,” it reinforces larval source reduction as the primary strategy.
It encourages every residential welfare association to mobilise each household to set aside 10 minutes at 10 AM every Sunday for 10 weeks from September to November.
The goal is to find and eliminate sources of stagnant water during this high-risk season.
Context: India and China have renewed diplomatic activity such as border patrol agreements, resumption of direct flights and efforts to expand trade and cultural exchanges.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: India - China bilateral relations.
India-China border is un-demarcated and is referred to as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The border length is around 3,488 km as per India, while China claims it to be about 2,000 km. The different interpretations by the two countries leads to frequent disputes.
The border is divided into three main sectors
Western Sector (Ladakh, ~1597 km): Aksai Chin (~38,000 sq. km) under Chinese occupation, and China also controls Shaksgam Valley ceded by Pakistan in 1963.
Middle Sector (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, ~545 km) which is the least disputed, though differences exist near the Barahoti plains.
Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, ~1346 km) where China claims about 90,000 sq. km of Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet,” while the Sikkim boundary is formally settled but still faces PLA activity.
India-China Border Dispute
Historically, the 1914 Simla Agreement drew the McMahon Line between British India and Tibet, but China rejected it.
China occupied Tibet in 1950 and built a road in Aksai Chin in the 1950s.
The 1962 India-China war resulted in India’s defeat, with China retaining Aksai Chin and withdrawing from its advances in Arunachal Pradesh, leaving the boundary issue unresolved. India-China relations after the 1962 war remained tense, with little progress on the boundary dispute.
In 1988, Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Beijing marked a turning point, as it re-opened dialogue after decades of mistrust.
However, political instability in India (1989-1991) slowed progress until P.V. Narasimha Rao’s government (1991-1996) was able to re-focus on China.
Initial Steps (1988-1992):
Between 1988 and 1993, six rounds of talks of the Joint Working Group (JWG) were held.
The dialogue included both diplomats and military commanders, with first meetings at Bum La (eastern sector) and Chushul/Moldo (western sector) in 1992.
Border trade resumed in 1992 after a gap of over 30 years, and consulates were re-opened in Mumbai and Shanghai in December 1992.
Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement (BPTA), 1993:
Signed during Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s visit to Beijing in September 1993.
Core Principle: The boundary dispute would be resolved peacefully, and neither side would use or threaten force.
The Agreement recognised the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the first time in an official bilateral document. Both sides agreed :
Not to cross the LAC; if intrusions occurred, forces would withdraw upon caution.
To jointly check and determine contested segments of the LAC.
To maintain minimal force levels along the LAC and reduce them on the principle of mutual and equal security.
To freeze the military situation, acknowledging India’s geographic disadvantage compared to China’s easy access through the Tibetan plateau.
The agreement emphasised setting aside the boundary dispute to build cooperation in other areas.
1996 Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures:
Signed during Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s visit to India in 1996.
Expanded upon the 1993 BPTA by specifying military confidence-building measures (CBMs).
Both sides agreed :
Not to use force and to continue peaceful consultations.
To reduce or limit military forces and heavy weaponry (tanks, artillery, missiles) in border areas.
To avoid large-scale military exercises near the LAC; if held, exercises would be directed away from the other side.
Article X: Stressed the need for a common understanding of the LAC alignment. Both sides committed to exchange maps for clarification and confirmation.
Challenge of LAC Clarification
In 2000, both sides exchanged maps of the relatively undisputed Central sector.
In 2002, maps of the western sector were exchanged, but were rejected within minutes as they represented maximalist positions of both sides.
By 2005, efforts to clarify the LAC were abandoned.
Key contested areas included: Samar Langpa, Trig Heights, Depsang, Kong Ka La, Pangong Tso, Spanggur Gap, Mount Sajun, Dumchele, Demchok, and Chumar. These same areas became flashpoints in later standoffs, including in 2020.
The 1993 and 1996 agreements marked important milestones in institutionalising peace and stability along the border. However, the failure to define and clarify the LAC meant that the agreements could only postpone and not prevent future confrontations.
The failure to achieve a mutually accepted definition of the Line of Actual Control left the core dispute unresolved making subsequent tensions and face-offs inevitable.
