Current Affairs – May 02, 2025

{GS1 – A&C – Architecture} Jagannath Temple

• Context (IE): Servitors of Jagannath Temple in Puri are concerned about new Jagannath temple in Digha.

• The Digha temple, newly built in Digha in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, is a replica of the world-famous Puri Temple. It is built in sandstone in the Kalingan architectural style.

Historical Background

• The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism and two of his siblings, Balaram and Subhadra.
• Location: Puri (Odisha).
• Char Dham: Jagannath Temple is also known as the “White Pagoda” and is part of the Char Dham pilgrimages (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).
• Built by: The present temple was rebuilt from the 10^th century onwards on the site of an earlier temple and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
  • It was further developed during the reigns of the subsequent kings, including those of the Ganga dynasty and the Gajapati dynasty.
• Style: Kalinga temple architecture.

Credit: NCERT

Key Features

• Wood Idols: The idols of the holy trinity are carved out of wood rather than stone or metal idols. The ritual of changing the wooden forms of the deities is known as Nabakalebara.
• Kuruma Bheda and Meghnad Pachira: The entire complex, enclosed within two concentric walls known as the Kuruma Bheda and Meghnad Pachira.
• No Shadow: The main temple is constructed in such a way that no shadow of the temple falls on the ground at any time of the day.
• Nilachakra (Blue wheel): Perched on top of the temple, it is made of eight metals or asta dhatu.
• Patitapabana: The flag, or Patitapabana, flows in the opposite direction of the wind and is changed every day at sunset.

Festivals Associated with the Temple

• Devasnana Purnima: The annual bathing ritual, where the holy trinity has brought out from their sanctum on seated in a raised platform and bathed with purified water drawn from a well within the temple premises.
• Chariot Festival: This happens during the month of June/July. During the festival, the Lord comes out to the street to greet his devotees, people irrespective of caste, creed & colour can seek his blessings.

Read More> Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple

{GS1 – IS – Population} Caste Census Approved in Upcoming Population Count

• Context (IE | TH): The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved caste enumeration in the upcoming decennial Population Census, reversing the 2021 decision.

• Delayed Census: 2021 Census postponed due to COVID-19; next census dates still unannounced.
• It will be conducted digitally using a mobile app, enabling efficient data collection.
• A pre-coded drop-down caste directory will be used during the second phase to ensure accuracy and reduce inflated entries.

Constitutional and Legal Basis

• Union Subject: Census is listed as entry 69 in the Union List under Schedule VII, making it a Union subject under Article 246.
• Governing Legislation: Census Act, 1948 governs the entire population enumeration process.
• Article 340: Allows the President to appoint a commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes, supporting data-driven caste identification.
• Judicial Mandate: SC in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India (1992) emphasized objective evaluation to identify backwardness, necessitating caste data.
  • Periodic Review: The Court also mandated periodic re-assessment by a permanent expert body.

Historical Background

• British Era Enumerations: Caste data was collected from 1881 to 1931; the 1931 census was the last to include full caste details.
• Post-Independence Practice: Since 1951, only SCs & STs have been enumerated by caste in the Census.
• SECC 2011: A separate caste survey under the Rural Development Ministry; data remains unpublished due to classification inconsistencies.

Rationale and Significance

• Affirmative Action Foundation: Accurate caste data is essential for justifying and structuring reservations and affirmative action.
• Potential Impact on Reservation Policy: Caste census may trigger legal challenges to the 50% reservation cap upheld in Indra Sawhney vs. Union of India (1992).
• Quota Rationalisation: Enables sub-categorisation within OBCs for equitable distribution (e.g. ‘quota within quota’ model).
• Gender Inclusion: Enables delimitation for implementing women’s political reservation.
• Data-Driven Policy Making: Empowers evidence-based planning in education, health and employment schemes.
  • E.g. Bihar’s 2023 caste survey revealed OBC+EBC as 63% of the population, illustrating how real-time data strengthens planning.

Gaps and Concerns

• Complex Classification: India has multiple castes/sub-castes with overlapping categories (e.g., SC-OBC ambiguities).
• No Unified OBC List: Centre & states maintain separate OBC lists, leading to aggregation inconsistencies.
• Social Fragmentation Risk: Possibility of deepening caste identities and reinforcing social divisions.
• Accuracy Concerns: Risk of misreporting due to self-declaration and lack of caste awareness.
• Political Misuse: Potential for vote-bank politics and selective policy announcements based on caste arithmetic.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Judiciary} Appointment of Chief Justice of India

• Context (TOI): Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai appointed as the 52^nd Chief Justice of India (CJI).

About the Chief Justice of India (CJI)

• Eligibility Criteria to be appointed as the CJI:
  • The candidate must be a citizen of India.
  • The person must have served as a Judge of a High Court for at least five years.
  • Alternatively, they should have been an advocate in a High Court for at least ten years.
  • The President may also appoint someone considered a distinguished jurist to the position.
• Tenure: IC does not specify a fixed tenure for SC judges. However, it states that a judge serves until the age of 65. Any questions regarding a judge’s age are to be determined by an authority and manner provided by Parliament.

• Grounds for Removal (Article 124 (4)): The CJI can only be removed by an order from the President following an address by Parliament, supported by a special majority (i.e., a majority of the total membership of each House and at least two-thirds of the members present and voting).

Procedure for Appointment of CJI

• Seniority-Based System: The senior-most judge of the SC is appointed as the CJI. Aims to ensure the appointment of a highly experienced and qualified judge.
  • The outgoing CJI traditionally recommends their successor strictly based on seniority—not age, but the duration of service in the Supreme Court.

• Recommendation by outgoing CJI: The incumbent CJI recommends the name of the senior-most judge to the Union Law Ministry for the position of the next CJI.

• Union Government’s role: After receiving the recommendation, the Union Minister of Law presents the recommendation to the Prime Minister.
  • The PM, after deliberations, advises the President on the official appointment of the new CJI.

• Consultation for fitness: In case there are concerns about the fitness of the senior-most judge to hold the office of CJI, other judges of the Supreme Court are consulted, as stipulated in Article 124 (2).

• Memorandum of Procedure: Process follows the Memorandum of Procedure, which outlines the steps and procedures for appointing SC Judges, ensuring transparency and consistency in the process.

Role of CJI

• Allocates cases to different benches and determines the composition of those benches.
• Heads the Collegium that appoints and transfers judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts, ensuring independence and integrity in judicial appointments.
• Significant authority over the administrative functioning of the court, appointment of ad-hoc judges under Article 127, staff management and oversight of daily judicial operations.
• Holds a leadership position, they are “first among equals”, ensuring that judicial decision-making is collective and consensus-driven, with no superior power over fellow judges.

Read more > Collegium System.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} Restricting Antibiotics in Animal-Based Food Production

• Context (IE): India announced a national ban on specific antibiotics in meat, milk, poultry and aquaculture, to combat rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Need for the Ban

• Rising AMR Threat: Overuse of antibiotics in livestock promotes resistant bacterial strains that can transfer from animals to humans, threatening treatment efficacy.
• Public Health Priority: Urgent need to safeguard medically important antibiotics used for treating human infections.
• Global Commitments: India aligns with the Muscat Ministerial Manifesto (2022) which aims to cut antimicrobial use in agri-food systems by 30-50% by 2030.

Antimicrobial Growth Promoters (AMGPs)

• AMGPs are antibiotics administered in low doses to livestock to enhance growth, reduce gut inflammation and increase feed efficiency.
• Resistance Mechanism: They suppress gut bacteria, but also create selective pressure that fosters antibiotic-resistant strains, compromising future treatments.

Global Bans

• Sweden: First to ban AMGPs in 1986.
• Denmark: Banned avoparcin in 1995 due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) concerns.

AMR Trends in India’s Livestock Sector

• Sectoral Growth: Livestock grew at 7.9% CAGR (2014-15 to 2020-21); Share in agriculture GVA increased from 24.3% to 30.1%.
• High Antibiotic Use: India ranked 4^th globally in antimicrobial use in food animals by 2010.
• Projected Surge: BRICS nations projected to double antimicrobial use (AMU) in food animals (2010–2030) despite only 20% population growth.

Evidence from Indian Surveillance (INFAAR, 2019–22)

• Aquaculture: 91.3% Staphylococcus aureus resistant to penicillin; 54.8% of freshwater fish resistant to ciprofloxacin; 40.8% shrimp resistant to erythromycin.
• Poultry: Resistance to ampicillin, cefotaxime and tetracycline.
• Pigs: Significant resistance found in E. coli isolates.

Challenges in Implementation

• Economic Pressures: Demand for cheap, mass-produced animal protein leads to routine antibiotic use.
• Structural & Cultural Factors: Intensive farming and poor hygiene promote AMU dependence; Backyard farms lack veterinary oversight and hygiene.
• Policy Gaps: Fragmented reforms & top-down bans struggle without integrated, community-led efforts.

Measures and Sustainable Alternatives

• Biosecurity Practices:
  • External: Limit cross-farm pathogen transfer.
  • Internal: Improve on-farm hygiene and disease control.
• Animal Health Improvements:
  • Vaccination, genetic selection, and better husbandry reduce disease risk.
  • Replace AMGPs with nutrition, space, and welfare-based care.
• Sustainable Feed Additives: Use probiotics, prebiotics, bacteriophages, and organic acids to support healthy growth.
• Low-AMU and Organic Systems: Encourage systems that naturally demand fewer antimicrobials.
• Holistic System Reforms: Pair bans with awareness drives, technical training, and incentives for adopting safer practices.

{GS3 – Agri – Initiatives} Guidelines for Setting up of Bio-input Resource Centres

• Context (DTE): The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has issued guidelines for setting up of BRCs under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF).

What are Bio-Resource Centres (BRCs)?

• BRCs are cluster-level enterprises designed to support local production and ensure the availability of ready-to-use bio-inputs for farmers practicing natural farming.
  • BRCs are envisioned as hubs for sharing knowledge and practical guidance to help farmers navigate the challenges of transitioning to natural or organic farming.
• The initiative was first announced by Union Finance Minister in the 2023-24 budget, with a target of establishing 10,000 BRCs across the country.

Key Highlights of Guidelines

• The guidelines mandate a BRC entrepreneur group/entity must be practising natural farming or have such members with prior experience of natural farming.
  • These centres should be using bio-inputs in their own farms.
• In case there is no member is initially practising natural farming, the state natural farming cell, headed by the secretary in-charge of agriculture, shall identify a farmer entrepreneur who is willing to initiate and practice natural farming starting from the immediate crop season.
• The bio-inputs should be prepared as per requirements of the local farmers, local land-use patterns, soil types and locally practiced crop systems.
• The state natural farming cell and district-level monitoring committee must also ensure that the cost of bio-inputs sold at BRC must be affordable for all types of farmers, including small & marginal farmers.
• A financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh, in two tranches of Rs 50,000 each, will be provided to set up a BRC.
• The guidelines also talked about exploring convergence with other schemes/programmes such as Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs, National Mission on Edible Oilseeds.

{GS3 – IE – Banking} Green Municipal Bonds (GMBs)

• Context(PIB): Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) has issued India’s first Certified Green Municipal Bond under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban.

About Green Municipal Bonds (GMBs)

• GMB are debt instruments issued by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to finance environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects.
• These are combination of:
  • Municipal bonds: Non-convertible debt securities issued by municipal bodies or entities entrusted with functions under Article 243W of the IC, to raise capital for local public infrastructure.
  • Green bonds: Bonds used specifically to fund climate mitigation, adaptation, and other environment-friendly, low-carbon projects.
• GMBs are typically backed by municipal revenues, user charges, or project-specific income.
  • They qualify as ‘green’ when they fund projects with verifiable environmental benefits and comply with certification and disclosure norms.

Significance of GMBs

Alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs)

• Supports SDG-6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities), and SDG-13 (Climate Action).
  • Example: Ghaziabad’s TSTP promotes circular economy in wastewater reuse, reducing freshwater dependency and enhancing urban water sustainability.

Financial advantages

• Provides low-cost, long-term capital, often cheaper than traditional commercial loans.
• Attracts Environment, Social and Governance (ESG)-oriented investors, expanding the funding base.
• Enhances financial discipline and creditworthiness of ULBs by improving transparency and accountability.

Boost to climate resilience and urban innovation

• Enables cities to finance projects in clean energy, solid waste management, and water security.
• Promotes adoption of advanced technologies (e.g., membrane filtration in Ghaziabad), fostering innovation in sustainable urban infrastructure.

Challenges in Raising Green Municipal Bonds (GMBs)

• Limited institutional capacity in ULBs: Many ULBs lack the technical, legal, and financial expertise needed to design, issue, and manage green bonds effectively.
• High credit risk perception: Investors often perceive ULBs as financially weak or unreliable, leading to low confidence and higher interest demands.
• Insufficient green project pipeline: There is a shortage of well-structured, bankable projects with clearly defined and verifiable environmental outcomes.
• Lack of standardised green certification frameworks: Absence of a national taxonomy, third-party verification norms, and consistent impact reporting reduces investor trust and comparability.
• Need for policy support and credit enhancements: Lack of government-backed guarantees, fiscal incentives, or mechanisms like partial credit enhancement limits participation from private and institutional investors.

Also refer > Urban Commission, Swachh Survekshan Awards, 2023

{Prelims – Awards} Padma Awards 2025

• Context (Live Mint): Padma Awards 2025 recognised 139 individuals for their exceptional contributions across various fields.

2025 Notable Padma Awardees

• Padma Vibhushan: Dr. Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy (Gastroenterologist), Dr. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (Violinist), Osamu Suzuki (posthumously) he was former chairman of suzuki motor corporation etc.
• Padma Bhushan: Ajith Kumar (Tamil Actor), Pankaj Udhas (Ghazal Singer), Anant Nag (actor), Jose Chacko Periappuram (Cardiac Surgeon), Bibek Debroy etc.
• Padma Shri: Arijit Singh (Singer), Ravichandran Ashwin (Cricketer), Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid (Vedic Scholar), Tushar Durgeshbhai Shukla (Gujarati Poet) etc.

What are Padma Awards?

• The Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours, recognising outstanding contributions across fields like arts, literature, sports, social service, public affairs, and more.
• Announcement of Awards: Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, is announced every year on the occasion of Republic Day (except for a brief period during the years 1978 & 1979 and 1993-1997).
• Eligibility:
  1. All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards.
  2. Government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards.
• Conferment: Presented by the President of India, the awards are conferred at a ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, typically held in March/April each year.
• 3 Categories:

1. Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service)
2. Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order)
3. Padma Shri (distinguished service)

• Recommendations: The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee (headed by the Cabinet Secretary), which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
  • The nomination process is open to the public. Even self-nomination can be made.
• Total Awards: The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to NRI/foreigners/Overseas Citizens of India) should not be more than 120.
• Other:
  • The award is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the Government could consider giving an award posthumously.
  • The award does not amount to a title & cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name.
  • A higher category of Padma award can be conferred on a person only where a period of at least five years has elapsed since conferment of the earlier Padma award. However, in highly deserving cases, a relaxation can be made by the Awards Committee.

{Prelims – Sci – Bio – Diseases} Swyer Syndrome

• Context (IE | IE): Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s Olympic qualification reignited the global debate on gender eligibility in sports due to her alleged DSD condition, possibly Swyer syndrome.

• Swyer syndrome, also called 46 XY gonadal dysgenesis, is a rare genetic disorder, a type of defect hypogonadism. This syndrome is one of many “Disorders of Sex Development” (DSDs).
• Genetically Male But Phenotypically Female: Individuals have XY chromosomes in each cell (typically associated with males) but develop female external genitalia and characteristics.
• Genetic Basis: Caused by mutations in the SRY gene on the Y chromosome, preventing testosterone production and male gonadal development.
• Phenotypic Presentation: Individuals appear female with a vagina, underdeveloped uterus and breasts, but lack ovaries; internal gonads are typically “streak gonads“.
  • The phenotype is usually similar to Turner syndrome (45,X0) due to a lack of X inactivation.
• Diagnosis: Often diagnosed during adolescence due to primary amenorrhea (failure to start menstruation by age 15 or 13 if there are no secondary sexual characteristics).
  • Confirmed via karyotyping, which reveals a genetic anomaly like a 46,XY chromosome pattern.
• Medical Breakthrough: Swyer syndrome patients can achieve pregnancy through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).

{Species – Plants} Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

• Context (Businessline): While the US is urging India to cut import duty on alfalfa fodder seed, India is moving to restrict the entry of its genetically modified (GM) version.

• The US grow both GM and non-GM varieties of alfalfa.

About Alfalfa

• Alfalfa, also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. Alfalfa derives its name from the Arabic word al-fasfasa that means the best forage.
• Origin: Alfalfa is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean region.
• Use: It is cultivated as an important forage crop & used for grazing, hay, & silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop.
• Climatic Conditions: The crop is grown under a wide range of climates where average daily temperature during the growing period is above 5°C.
  • Temperature: The optimum temperature for growth is about 25°C and growth decreases sharply when temperatures are above 30°C and below l0°C.
  • Soil: Can be sown in spring or fall, and does best on well-drained soils with a neutral pH of 6.8–7.5. It requires sustained levels of potassium and phosphorus to grow well.
    • It is moderately sensitive to salt levels in the soil.
• Production:
  • Global: US is the world’s largest alfalfa producer.
  • India: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are major Alfalfa producing states.
• Significance: Owing to its deep root system, it helps to improve soil nitrogen fertility and protect from soil erosion..