Current Affairs – January 25, 2026

{GS2 – Governance} Lowering Juvenile Age **

• Context (TH): A Bill proposes amending the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, to lower the transfer threshold from 16 to 14 years for children accused of heinous offences.

About Transfer System

• Legal Mechanism: Introduced “transfer system” allowing 16–18-year-olds accused of heinous offences (minimum punishment 7 years+) to be potentially tried as adults.
• Preliminary Assessment: Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) assesses mental capacity, understanding of consequences, and circumstances to decide adult trial transfer.
• Children’s Court Role: If transferred, the Children’s Court may try the child as an adult or deal with them as a child, depending on the case assessment.

Arguments in Favour of Lowering the Age Threshold

• Deterrence Logic: Supporters argue stricter treatment may discourage violent behaviour by 14–16-year-olds in heinous offences through stronger fear of consequences.
• Public Safety Demand: High-profile brutal crimes generate pressure for stronger accountability measures to prevent repeat offending and protect broader community safety.
• Victim Justice Focus: Emphasis on proportional punishment for severe harm, aligning consequences closer to adult-style responsibility and perceived moral accountability.
• System Credibility: Perception that juvenile safeguards allow misuse, weakening the fear of law and reducing seriousness in handling heinous offences.

Arguments Against Lowering the Age Threshold

• Crime Share Low: NCRB shows Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) cases at 31,365 in 2023, only 0.5% of total crimes nationally, weakening claims of a major youth crime wave.
• Older Teens Dominant: Of 40,036 CICL apprehended (2023), 79% (31,610) were 16–18 years across most States, showing younger adolescents are not primary drivers.
• Younger Group Limited: Only 21% (8,426) were aged 12–16 in the overall national trend, contradicting arguments that 14–16 is causing a significant crime surge.
• Arbitrariness Expands: Lowering age spreads a subjective transfer process to younger children, increasing inconsistent outcomes and unequal treatment across similar cases.
• Rehab Principle Diluted: Juvenile justice is founded on reform and reintegration; early adult trial exposure weakens restorative outcomes and long-term correction chances.

Way Forward

• Early Intervention: Strengthen early risk identification through schools, anganwadis and local bodies; E.g., Mission Vatsalya child protection framework.
• Mental Health Support: Integrate counselling and de-addiction for adolescents in conflict situations; E.g., Tele-MANAS for mental health support.
• Strengthen JJBs: Standardise preliminary assessment protocols and training to reduce arbitrariness.
• Rehab First Model: Expand education, skill training and restorative justice pathways; E.g., open learning & skill pathways through PMKVY linkage.

{GS2 – Vulnerable Sections} Adult Immunisation Gap in India’s Elderly Population

• Context (TH): India has nearly 130 million people aged 65+, but vaccine coverage for older adults is <5%, compared to 75–90% childhood coverage under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

Why Elderly Vaccination Matters?

• Immunosenescence Risk: Ageing weakens immunity, so infections last longer and complications become severe, increasing frailty and dependence.
• Shingles Threat: Herpes Zoster lifetime risk is ~30%, rising to ~50% by age ≥85, with complications like neuralgia, vision loss, and stroke risk.
• Influenza in India: India has two peaks (monsoon + winter), raising year-round exposure risks.
• Pneumococcal Fatality: Case fatality rate for invasive pneumococcal infections is 20–25% in ≥65 years, vs ~5–10% in younger adults.

Key Barriers in the Vaccination Drive

• Cost Burden: Uptake is limited because most adult vaccines are out-of-pocket for seniors, and high-cost vaccines (like shingles) deter demand; coverage remains <5%.
• Weak Systems: Low adult vaccine coverage (<5%) reflects weak surveillance, absence of adult registries, limited provider training and lack of public campaigns
• Hesitancy Myths: Low uptake is reinforced by misunderstandings like “not 100% effective = useless” and fear of side effects/injections.
• Follow-Up Failure: Influenza requires annual vaccination, and adult boosters are needed every 5–10 years, but reminder systems are largely absent.

Way Forward

• National Policy: Launch a structured adult immunisation schedule by age/condition integrated into primary care; E.g., ACIP Adult Immunisation Schedule (USA)
• Cost Support: Subsidise high-impact vaccines for 65+ through pooled procurement. E.g., deliver via Ayushman Bharat–Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) under NHM.
• Outreach Delivery: Community/home vaccination drives to reduce access barriers; E.g., polling-booth style outreach at senior centres.
• Reminder Systems: Use SMS/phone alerts for annual/booster schedules; E.g., CoWIN-like reminder architecture for adult vaccines.

{GS3 – IE} NITI Aayog Sector-wise Green Transition Roadmaps **

• Context (NOA): NITI Aayog released three landmark reports outlining decarbonisation roadmaps for India’s cement, aluminium, and MSME sectors.

Green Transition in the Cement Sector

• Global Status: India is the world’s second-largest cement producer after China, contributing about 13% of global output.
• Emission Impact: In 2023, cement output was 391 million tonnes, accounting for ~7% of India’s total GHG emissions.
• Future Growth: Cement production is projected to rise sevenfold to 2,100 million tonnes by 2070 to support infrastructure expansion.
• Decarbonisation Goal: The roadmap aims to reduce carbon intensity from the current 0.63 tCO₂ to 0.09-0.13 tCO₂ per tonne by 2070.

Recommendations for the Cement Sector

• Clinker Reduction: Reduce the limestone-to-cement ratio using fly ash and slag to lower emissions.
• Fuel Switching: Replace coal in cement kilns with Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) from municipal waste.
• Carbon Capture: Deploy Carbon Capture, Utilisation, & Storage (CCUS) to manage residual emissions.
• Standard Reform: Shift from input-based norms to performance-based standards to encourage low-carbon cement blends.

Green Transition in the Aluminium Sector

• Production Rank: India is the second-largest producer of primary aluminium, contributing 6% of global output; 40-50% of India’s primary aluminium output is exported.
• Emission Burden: Aluminium production reached 4 million tonnes in 2023, accounting for about 2.8% of national emissions.
• High Intensity: The current emission intensity is 20-21 tCO₂ per tonne, well above the global average of 15 tCO₂.

Recommendations for the Aluminium Sector

• Short-term: Shift to Renewable Energy Round-the-Clock (RE-RTC) to decarbonise the smelting process.
• Medium-term: Adopt small modular reactors or captive nuclear plants for a stable zero-carbon baseload.
• Long-Term: Integrate CCUS with existing coal-based power plants to manage deep decarbonization.
• Recycling Expansion: Promote secondary aluminium production through scrap recycling.

Green Transition in the MSME Sector

• Sector Size: India has nearly 69 million MSMEs, which contribute 30% of GDP & 45.7% of total exports.
• Emission Share: MSMEs emitted 135 million tonnes of carbon in 2022, accounting for about 3-4% of national emissions.

Recommendations for the MSME Sector

• Central Coordination: Establish a National Project Management Agency (NPMA) to coordinate the MSME green transition across industrial clusters.
• Cleaner Fuels: Replace coal and furnace oil with cleaner fuels such as natural gas or biomass.
• Green Power: Enable MSMEs to procure renewable electricity through the Green Open Access Rules.
• Green Finance: Allocate dedicated credit-guarantee funds to help MSMEs manage high upfront costs for green technologies.

Read More > Clean Energy Transition in India

{GS3 – Envi} CAQM Synthesis Report on Air Pollution Sources **

• Context (TH): Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) released a synthesis report on air pollution sources in the National Capital Region.

• Objective: The report aims to establish a uniform, evidence-based understanding of pollution sources to inform actionable air quality policies.
• Judicial Mandate: Recently, the Supreme Court directed this meta-analysis to resolve conflicting datasets and policy paralysis.

Key Findings of the Report

• Secondary Particles: Secondary particulate matter is the largest contributor to winter pollution, accounting for 27% of the PM2.5 load, followed by transport and biomass burning.
• Transport Emissions: The transport sector remains the largest primary (direct) source of pollution, contributing 23% to the total winter load.
• Ammonia Sources: Agricultural fertilisers and livestock excreta account for 77-80% of the ammonia emissions that drive secondary particle formation.
• Seasonal Shift: Dominant pollution sources flip seasonally, with combustion sources (vehicles/biomass) driving winter pollution and crustal dust dominating the summer months.
• Airshed Approach: Scientific consensus confirms that precursor gases travel across state borders, validating a regional ‘airshed approach’ over ineffective city-specific bans.
• Health Limits: Winter PM2.5 concentrations in the region average nearly 35 times the WHO’s annual safe exposure limit of 5 µg/m³.
• Health Risks: Exposure to these fine sulphate and nitrate particles increases risks beyond respiratory illness to include ophthalmic (eye) diseases, hypertensive disorders, and lung cancer.

Read More > Controlling Air Pollution

{GS3 – Envi} Urban Noise Pollution **

• Context (NI): India’s urban noise levels are rising sharply, but monitoring systems still treat noise as a nuisance rather than a measurable public health threat.

Current Status of Urban Noise Pollution in India

• High Daily Exposure: Routine urban sound levels sit around 65–75 dB(A) in monitored areas.
• Traffic Dominance: Road traffic remains the primary driver, with city environments exceeding 70 dB(A).
• Peak Spikes Normalised: Honking-driven peaks can reach ~80 dB(A) in dense corridors.
• Limited Network Reach: National monitoring coverage remains thin, with a fixed-station network of ~82 stations (including 26 in Delhi), missing many hyper-local hotspots.

Why Urban Noise is a Serious Health Issue?

• Cardio Strain: Chronic exposure around ~70–80 dB(A) is associated with cardiovascular strain, stress activation and hypertension-linked risk.
• Sleep Disruption: Night-time sound near ~68.6 dB(A) in “quiet” areas can still disrupt sleep.
• Cognitive Fatigue: Workplace noise above 80 dB(A) is linked to concentration loss, headaches and fatigue, reducing daily functioning capacity.
• Hearing Harm: Sustained high exposure increases tinnitus risk and auditory strain over time.
• Frequency Effects: High-frequency noise (2–8 kHz) is linked with hearing damage, while low-frequency noise (<250 Hz) is associated with hypertension and cognitive fatigue.

Safeguards For Noise Pollution in India

Constitutional Safeguards

• Article 21: Right to life includes protection from harmful noise affecting health and sleep.
• Article 19: Speech/religion freedoms are subject to public order & cannot override others’ liberty.
• Article 48A & Article 51A(g): Environmental protection as a State duty and citizen duty supports stricter enforcement against noise pollution.

Legal Safeguards

• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: Central framework enabling standards and enforcement directions for pollutants, including ambient noise.
• Noise Pollution Rules, 2000: Sets ambient noise standards for zones and regulates loudspeakers, public address systems and time restrictions.

Institutional Safeguards

• NANMN Monitoring Backbone: The Central Pollution Control Board’s National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) runs a fixed-station system to track ambient noise trends.
• State Boards Enforcement: State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) are primary field enforcers for ambient noise standards.

Key Judgements

• In Re: Noise Pollution (SC, 2005): Supreme Court tightened regulation of loudspeakers/firecrackers and upheld night-time peace as a legal right.
• Church of God Case (SC, 2000): Religious activity cannot justify noise pollution; others’ right to quietness and health must be protected.

Key Gaps in India’s Noise Governance

• Silent Zones Breached: “Silence/residential” zones have been recorded as high as 77 dB(A), with night levels in “quiet” areas reaching 68.6 dB(A).
• Sparse Monitoring: With only ~82 fixed stations nationwide, many hotspots remain unmeasured.
• Exposure Misclassification: Multiple overlapping sources create measurement confusion, weakening the clean linkage between exposure and outcomes in real streets.
• Average Bias: Stations often report only 65–75 dB(A) averages, missing peak spikes that drive stress.
• Micro-Climate Impact: Dense built form and local conditions (wind/humidity/temperature) shape propagation, making the same source more harmful in compact streets.

Way Forward

• Hyper-Local Monitoring: Expand short-duration monitoring at hotspots like junctions and hospital zones; E.g., adopt IoT-based horn-tracking pilots used by startups like Yhonk India.
• Noise Mapping: Create ward-level city noise maps to target enforcement and redesign traffic flows; E.g., follow EU-style strategic noise maps under Environmental Noise Directive practice.
• Biological Metrics: Shift from average dB reporting to loudness/peaks/frequency indicators for health relevance; E.g., deploy app-based acoustic indicators like NEERI real-time monitoring tools.
• Silent Zone Enforcement: Enforce strict penalties and redesign “no-honking corridors” around institutions; E.g., implement Delhi-style declared silent zones with automated challan systems.
• Urban Design Fixes: Build noise-reducing road design and buffers (barriers/green belts) into planning.

{GS3 – Envi} Environmental (Protection) Fund Rules, 2026

• Context (TOI): Government notified rules for utilisation of Environmental (Protection) Fund (EPF) to ensure penalties collected under environmental laws are used for pollution control.

About Environmental (Protection) Fund (EPF)

• Legal Backing: Enabled through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which decriminalised minor environmental offences but retained monetary penalties.
• Core Idea: Converts “polluter pays” penalties into restorative environmental outcomes.
• Penalty Pool: Fund is built from penalties/compensation imposed under key environmental laws like the Air Act, Water Act, and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Administrative & Digital Architecture

• Nodal Authority: MoEFCC will administer the fund (or notify another competent body).
• PMU Model: Dedicated Project Management Units at the Centre and States for implementation.
• Online Portal: CPCB online portal enables tracking of allocation, utilisation and project outputs.
• CAG Audit: Fund to be audited periodically by CAG to prevent misuse/diversion.
• Centre–State Sharing: 75% penalty amount transferred to the Consolidated Fund of the concerned State & 25% retained by the Centre for national-level environmental initiatives.
• Permitted Activities: Rules allow fund use across 11 broad categories.

Permitted Uses of the Fund

• Pollution Control: Prevention, control and mitigation of air, water, and soil pollution.
• Site Remediation: Restoration of contaminated/degraded environmental sites.
• Monitoring Systems: Installation, operation and maintenance of monitoring equipment.
• Lab Strengthening: Building/upgrading lab infrastructure for environmental testing and compliance.
• Institutional Capacity: Capacity building of regulators & technical personnel for stronger enforcement.
• Clean-Tech Push: Research, innovation and adoption of clean/green technologies for sustainability.

{Prelims – A&C} Granth Kutir

• Context (TH): President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Granth Kutir at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

• The scripture library aims to preserve India’s literary heritage across its 11 classical languages.
• It houses about 2,300 books and 50 rare manuscripts written on palm leaf, bark, cloth, and paper.
• It explicitly replaces colonial-era texts with curated works rooted in indigenous knowledge systems.
• The initiative promotes unity in diversity and raises citizen awareness of India’s civilisational traditions.

{Prelims – Polity} National Voters’ Day 2026 *

• Context (PIB): The 16^th National Voters’ Day (NVD-2026) is being observed on January 25, 2026.

• The theme “My India, My Vote,” with the tagline “Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy,” highlights voters’ central role in democracy.
• Chief Guest: President Droupadi Murmu will preside over the national-level function in New Delhi.

About National Voters’ Day

• It is observed annually to mark the establishment of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 1950.
• The Government of India first instituted the day in 2011 to address low youth voter enrolment.
• The Day aims to facilitate and maximise voter registration, especially among newly eligible voters.
• The day includes the conferment of National Awards for Best Electoral Practices and promotes SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation), the ECI’s voter awareness programme.

Read More > ECI

{Prelims – Envi} Digital Climate Atlas (ACASA-India) *

• Context (ET): The Government launched a digital climate atlas, the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in Indian Agriculture (ACASA-India).

• It marked 15 years of the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme.
• Developed By: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Borlaug Institute for South Asia.
• ACASA-India is designed to support location-specific, data-driven adaptation planning to safeguard agri-food systems from climate stress.
• It synthesises 15 years of NICRA research outputs to guide future climate-risk investments.
• Significance: It strengthens India’s climate-resilience ecosystem and Viksit Bharat @2047 goals.

Read More > Climate-Resilient Agriculture Imperative