Current Affairs – May 25-26, 2025
{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} Nagshankar Temple, Assam
- Context (TH): On World Turtle Day 2025, Nagshankar Temple in Biswanath, Assam, was recognised as a model temple for freshwater turtle conservation.
- Referred to as the ‘vultures of aquatic ecosystems’, turtles clean water bodies by consuming dead and decaying matter acting as Aquatic Scavengers.
- Ancient Heritage Site: A Shiva temple believed to be built by King Narasankar in the 4th century AD and renovated by Ahom king Su-sen-pha in 1480.
- It is situated on north bank of Brahmaputra within the administrative district of Biswanath in Assam.
- The temple premises feature a large pond, which houses 250-300 of world’s rarest species of turtles.
- In-Situ Conservation: Turtles are protected in their natural habitat within temple ponds, combining faith-based protection with scientific care.
- Ecological Hub: Hosts a large pond with 250-300 turtles, including several rare and endangered species.
- Spiritual-Ecological Link: Turtles are revered as reincarnations of Lord Vishnu, aiding their protection through traditional temple norms.
- The Nagshankar Turtle Conservation Project sustains 13 species of freshwater turtles, including critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN), and vulnerable (VU) ones.
- CR: Black softshell (Nilssonia nigricans), Assam roofed turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis).
- EN: Indian softshell, peacock softshell, Indian narrow-headed softshell, spotted pond.
- VU: Indian flapshell, Indian roofed turtle.
- Near Threatened: Brown roofed, Assam leaf turtle.
- Least Concern: Indian tent, Indian black turtle.
- Some turtles in the project are believed to be hundreds of years old, and the area also hosts peacocks, deer, and pythons.
- Role of Local Communities: ‘Kaso Mitras’ and women-led ‘Kaso Sakhi’ initiatives empower local communities in turtle conservation through grassroots protection efforts and awareness-driven livelihood activities like turtle-themed handloom weaving.
{GS3 – IE – Development} India Becomes 4th Largest Economy
- Context (LM): India has officially overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy in nominal GDP terms, as per the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook report.
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Key Highlights of the Report
- Sluggish Global Growth: Global GDP growth is projected at 2.8% in 2025, with a slight increase to 3.0% in 2026, reflecting ongoing economic headwinds.
- Advanced Economies Losing Momentum: The US economy is expected to grow at 1.8% in 2025, down from earlier forecasts, impacted by policy uncertainty and trade tensions.
- Emerging Markets as Growth Pillars: Emerging and developing economies are projected to grow at 3.7%, outperforming the global average but showing signs of slowing.
- Persistent Inflation Risks: Inflation is cooling but at a slower pace than expected, due to volatile financial markets and global trade disruptions.
- Demographic Shifts – From Dividend to Drag: Aging populations worldwide, driven by lower fertility and higher life expectancy, are shifting demographic dividends into growth challenges.
- The global average age is expected to rise by 11 years between 2020 and 2100.
- However, healthy ageing could add 0.4% to global GDP growth between 2025 and 2050.
India’s Economic Ascent
- Growth & Ranking: India is projected to grow at 6.2% in 2025, remaining the fastest-growing major economy. With a nominal GDP of USD 4.19 trillion, India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s 4th largest economy. China’s growth is forecast at around 4.0%.
- Key Growth Drivers:
- Domestic Consumption: Strong rural demand and an expanding middle class are expected to make India the 3rd-largest consumer market by 2026.
- Fiscal Health: Debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 56.8% (FY25), significantly lower than advanced economies like the US (~124%). Fiscal reforms and welfare spending support macroeconomic stability.
- Infrastructure & Digital Economy: Major investments under Bharatmala, Sagarmala, and Smart Cities missions. The digital economy contributes about 12% of GDP, led by fintech and e-governance.
- Demographic Dividend: The young workforce, with female labor participation, has risen from 23.3% (2017–18) to 41.7% (2023–24). Over 33 million jobs expected by 2028 in sectors such as technology, retail, health, and education.
- Manufacturing & Reforms: Initiatives like Make in India and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes boost manufacturing and reduce import dependency. Financial inclusion promotes formal economic growth and entrepreneurship.
- Technology & Innovation: Indian startups are projected to add USD 1 trillion to GDP and create 50 million jobs by FY30. Digitization enhances productivity across sectors.
- Global Trade & Integration: India’s share of global services exports rose to 4.3% in 2023. Increased integration in global value chains and new trade agreements bolster economic resilience.
Also Read >IMF: Governance, Finances & Reforms Needed
{GS3 – IE – Development} Tyre Particles from EVs as Pollution Threat *
- Context (IE): Researchers reveals that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute significantly to microplastic pollution through tyre wear.
About Tyre Particles
- Tyre particles are microplastics and nanoplastics generated by the mechanical degradation of tyres due to road friction, braking, and acceleration. Composed of synthetic rubber and petrochemical polymers, these particles vary in size.
- Size and Impact:
- 1–10 micrometres: Remain airborne, can penetrate deep into human lungs, posing respiratory and cardiovascular health risks.
- 100 micrometres: Settle on roads and soil, potentially contaminating water bodies through runoff, harming ecosystems.
Mechanism of Tyre Degradation
- Primary Fragmentation: Caused by abrupt braking, potholes, and rapid acceleration, releasing predominantly small, airborne particles. Heavier and faster vehicles, especially EVs, undergo more intense primary fragmentation, releasing more small particles.
- Sequential Fragmentation: Due to gradual wear from rolling friction, producing larger particles that settle on surfaces.
Key Findings of the Study
- EVs weigh 15–20% more petrol vehicles due to heavy batteries (300–900 kg) and reinforced chassis.
- Higher torque and rapid acceleration of EVs increase tyre stress, resulting in greater emission of microplastic particles.
- Smaller particles (<10 micrometres) remain suspended longer in the air and are not covered by existing PM2.5/PM10 air quality standards.
- Larger particles pollute soil and water, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem health.
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Also Read,> Electric Vehicles (EVs), Air Pollution
{GS3 – IE – RBI} RBI Surplus **
- Context (TH): The RBI announced a record transfer of ₹2.69 lakh crore surplus to the Central government for the financial year 2024-25, significantly exceeding the previous year’s record and surpassing government budget estimates.
What is RBI Surplus Transfer?
- RBI surplus refers to the balance of profits transferred to the Central government under the RBI Act, 1934, after covering operational expenses and maintaining risk buffers.
- It is not termed as a dividend since RBI is a statutory central bank without shareholders. This transfer is mandated by law and represents a significant non-tax revenue source for government spending.
- Sources of Surplus:
- Seigniorage: Profit from issuing currency—difference between currency’s face value & printing cost.
- Interest Earnings: From loans extended to central and state governments, and commercial banks.
- Foreign Investments: Income from foreign bonds & gains due to fluctuations in Forex rates.
- RBI’s Mandate: RBI’s core role is maintaining monetary and financial stability, not generating profits. Surplus arises as a byproduct of fulfilling this mandate.
RBI’s Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB)
- CRB is a financial reserve that safeguards the RBI’s balance sheet against unforeseen losses and economic shocks, and it has formed a key part of the Economic Capital Framework (ECF) recommended by the Bimal Jalan Committee in 2018.
- Initially set between 5.5% and 6.5% of RBI’s balance sheet, the CRB range was widened in 2024-25 to 4.5%–7.5%, giving RBI greater flexibility.
- The CRB has progressively increased from 5.5% (2018-22) to the current 7.5% (2024-25). While a higher CRB enhances financial stability, it limits the surplus funds available for transfer to the government.
- Record Surplus Transfer: In 2024-25, RBI transferred ₹2.69 lakh crore despite the highest-ever CRB, driven by strong foreign exchange sales, forex asset earnings, and effective liquidity management.
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Implications for Fiscal Governance and RBI Autonomy
- RBI surplus transfers constitute an important source of non-tax revenue, supporting government expenditure and fiscal deficit management.
- Maintaining adequate buffers like the CRB is essential to protect RBI’s financial health and ensure resilience to economic shocks.
- A balance between the government’s fiscal needs and RBI’s financial autonomy is needed to preserve the central bank’s credibility and monetary policy effectiveness.
- Transparent, rule-based frameworks for surplus transfers underpin macroeconomic stability and sustainable fiscal governance.
Also refer to 90 years of RBI.
{GS3 – IS – Cyber Security} Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) *
- Context (PIB): Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) was launched by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications.
- Developed under the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) to counter rising cyber-enabled financial frauds.
- Specifically targets vulnerabilities in India’s fast-expanding UPI and digital payments ecosystem.
- Provides advance, risk-based fraud intelligence to banks, Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFCs), and UPI platforms. Enables real-time preventive action before fraudulent digital transactions are executed.
Key Features
- Risk Classification: Flags mobile numbers as medium, high, or very high risk based on fraud probability.
- Multi-dimensional Analysis: Uses data from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), DoT’s Chakshu Platform, and inputs from financial institutions.
- Real-time Alerts: Sends early warnings when suspicious numbers are used in transactions.
- Pre-transaction Validation: Acts as a cyber shield, allowing platforms to block risky transactions.
- Stakeholder Empowerment: Enables service providers to implement stronger customer protection.
- Industry Adoption: Platforms like PhonePe and Google Pay have started integrating FRI-based alerts.
- Collaborative Action: Promotes joint response across the telecom and financial sectors to mitigate fraud.
Also Read > Cybercrimes.
{GS3 – IS – Security Forces} CAPF Officers as Organised Service
- Context (LL | TH): SC ruled in favor of recognising CAPF Group A officers as part of Organised Group A Services (OGAS), ending a prolonged legal battle.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
- CAPFs are India’s primary paramilitary forces, maintaining internal security and guarding national borders.
- Administrative Authority: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the controlling authority for all CAPFs.
Forces Under CAPFs
- Assam Rifles (AR): Guards the Indo-Myanmar border.
- Border Security Force (BSF): Guards India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF): Handles law and order, anti-Naxal operations and crowd control.
- Central Industrial Security Force (CISF): Secures industrial units, airports and key installations.
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP): Protects the India-China border and operates in high altitudes.
- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB): Guards India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
Organised Group A Services (OGAS)
- Organised services are centrally constituted civil services, specifically formed by the Cadre Controlling Authority with a structured hierarchy and time-bound career progression.
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Key Benefits:
- Defined career pathways with timely promotions.
- Eligible for Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) & Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG).
- Protection from stagnation due to external deputations.
- Recognising CAPFs as OGAS grants them equal standing with other central services like IAS, IFS & IRS.
Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU)
- Objective: Addresses career stagnation by financially upgrading officers based on their batchmate’s promotions in equivalent services.
- Mechanism: Officers not promoted in their cadre still receive pay upgrades if their batchmates in other services are promoted.
- Introduced in 2006 as part of Sixth Central Pay Commission to address stagnation in Group A services.
- Relief Mechanism: Ensures financial parity & motivation among peers in long-tenure services like CAPF.
Career Progression Challenges in CAPFs
- Stagnation: Officers waited 25-30 years for promotions to ranks like Commandant or DIG.
- Lateral Entrants: IPS officers occupied senior ranks (20% of DIG, 50% of IG), blocking internal promotion.
- Impact: Resulted in frustration, low morale, high attrition; >50,000 CAPF personnel quit in past 5 years.
Key Highlights of the SC Verdict
- Historic Recognition: Group A CAPF officers from batches as early as 1986 now officially part of Organised Group A Services.
- Deputation Cap on IPS Officers: IPS deputation at SAG and IG levels to be phased out within 2 years.
- Mandated Cadre Review: Recruitment rules and cadre structure must be revised within 6 months.
- Rules to align with OGAS standards, paving way for internal promotion and service parity.
Implications of the Ruling
- Internal Promotion Enabled: Officers will now progress without external interference, fostering institutional strength.
- Reinforced Internal Chain of Command: Elimination of IPS dominance ensures leadership continuity and institutional ownership.
- Financial Equity: NFFU will ensure fair compensation in line with peer services.
- Structural Reform: Amendments to recruitment rules expected shortly; Cadre review to address skewed hierarchy and ensure timely progression.
- Morale Boost: Recognition and career clarity expected to enhance job satisfaction and retention.
Broader Significance for Security Governance
- Operational Autonomy: Enhances institutional integrity by reducing external domination.
- Organisational Stability: Encourages long-term career planning and reduces attrition.
{GS3 – S&T – Chemistry} Xenon Gas
- Context (FP): Four former British special forces soldiers who scaled Everest in record time have found themselves in the middle of controversy due to their use of xenon gas.
- They used xenon to speed up the acclimatisation process, which gives the climbers’ bodies time to adjust to the thinner atmosphere and the lack of oxygen.
- Those who do not acclimatise properly can face altitude sickness or hypoxia, which can result in serious injuries or even death.
- Xenon is thought to aid in producing red blood cells and helps to protect the body from altitude sickness. However, there is no conclusive evidence supporting this.
- It is a banned substance by all professional sporting organisations.
Key Facts About Xenon Gas
- Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It belongs to the so-called ‘noble gases’ of the periodic table.
- Discovery: It was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W Travers.
- Characteristics: Over 4.5 times heavier than air, xenon is colourless, odourless and tasteless.
Occurrence in Nature
- Xenon is found in the Earth’s atmosphere at extremely low concentrations, i.e., roughly 0.086 parts per million (ppm) by volume.
- Xenon is rare on Earth and in the solar system, making it one of the least abundant stable elements.
- It is obtained commercially through the fractional distillation of liquid air. It is also found in some minerals and radioactive decay products but only in trace quantities.
Uses
- Lighting and Optics: Xenon is used in high-intensity lamps like xenon arc lamps for cinema projectors and car headlights. It is also used in strobe lights and UV lamps.
- Medical Field: Xenon is a general anaesthetic because it is non-toxic and non-reactive. It is used in computed tomography (CT) as a contrast agent.
- Space Exploration: Xenon fuels ion propulsion systems used in spacecraft like NASA’s Dawn mission. Its high atomic mass makes it ideal for slow, efficient thrust in deep space missions.
- Nuclear Energy: Xenon isotopes are used in nuclear reactors to monitor nuclear explosions.
- Other: Xenon is soluble in water and hydrophobic solvents, so is used to image various soft living tissues.
{GS3 – S&T – Space} India’s Draft Space Activities Bill
- Context (IE): India is finalising the Space Activities Bill to provide a legal framework for private sector involvement in the space sector and to grant statutory powers to IN-SPACe.
Evolution and Policy Background
- 2017 Draft Bill: First proposed in 2017 but not introduced in Parliament; sought public feedback.
- Creation of IN-SPACe (2020): Established to promote and authorise private space activities.
- Indian Space Policy 2023: Clarified roles of ISRO, IN-SPACe & private entities in India’s space ecosystem.
- Emergence of Private Players: Growing start-ups and private investment necessitate a regulatory framework for transparency, liability, and licensing.
- International Obligations: India, as a signatory to UN space treaties, is responsible for space activities under its jurisdiction.
Constitutional and Legal Basis
- Constitutional Provision: Under Articles 51 and 253, Parliament has power to legislate on treaty implementation, even though “space” is not listed explicitly in the Union List.
- UNCOPUOS Framework: Aligns with global norms on peaceful and responsible use of outer space.
- UN Outer Space Treaty, 1967: Obligations include regulation & liability for all national space activities.
Key Provisions of the Draft Space Activities Bill
- Statutory Empowerment of IN-SPACe: Grants legal authority to IN-SPACe to authorise and regulate private space activities.
- Penal Provisions: Up to 3 years imprisonment or fines exceeding ₹1 crore for unauthorised space activities, false information or space pollution.
- IPR Clarification: Revised earlier clause; does not mandate automatic government ownership of intellectual property generated in outer space.
- Role of Govt:
- Mandatory Licensing: A non-transferable licence is mandatory for any commercial space activity, to be issued by the Central Government.
- Central Govt shall also define clear criteria, procedures for application & renewal and associated fees.
- Central Govt to supervise, ensure safety standards & investigate space-related incidents or accidents.
- Govt to provide technical and professional support for private commercial space operations.
- Government maintains a registry of all space objects launched or to be launched.
- Insurance Provisions: Includes access to affordable insurance for space assets to support start-ups and mitigate high costs. It provides rules to manage third-party damage liabilities and ensures financial guarantees of compensation.
- Pricing Transparency: Requires transparent pricing mechanisms for products and technologies developed through space activities.
- Universal Applicability: Applies to all Indian citizens and entities conducting space activities within or outside India.
- Manufacturing Ecosystem: Creation of state-led space manufacturing hubs with central incentives.
- Tamil Nadu (launch vehicles), Gujarat (satellites), Karnataka (general).
Significance for India’s Space Ambitions
- Economic Target: Supports India’s goal of expanding the space economy to $44 billion by 2033, with $11 billion from exports.
- Enabling Growth: Encourages domestic private players to innovate, manufacture and compete globally.
- FDI and Global Participation: Clear regulatory framework to attract foreign investments and enhance India’s competitiveness.
- Strategic Manufacturing: Space manufacturing hubs linked to state policies to boost employment and technology localisation.
- Global Best Practices: Incorporates lessons from global space laws and practices to build a future-ready regulatory regime.
Concerns and Criticism
- Lack of Clarity: Ambiguity around use, ownership, and management of space objects and liabilities.
- Excessive Government Control: Potential for arbitrary powers in licensing and monitoring may deter private and foreign investment.
- Liability Gaps: Inadequate clarity on the government’s role in case of third-party damage, especially when authorising private activities.
{GS3 – S&T – Tech} Super Fast Charging Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB)
- Context (PIB): A research team at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), has developed a super-fast charging sodium-ion battery (SIB).
- Unlike conventional SIBs that suffer from sluggish charging and short lifespan, this new battery uses a clever mix of chemistry and nanotechnology.
- It is based on a NASICON-type cathode and anode material. Researchers engineered a novel material for the anode and optimized it in 3 critical ways –
- Shrinking the particles to nanoscale;
- Wrapping them in a thin carbon coat;
- Improving the anode material by adding a small amount of aluminium.
- These tweaks made sodium ions move faster and more safely, enabling both speed and durability.
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Significance
- Super Fast Charging: It can charge up to 80% in just six minutes and last over 3000 charge cycles.
- Cheaper: Sodium is cheap and abundantly available in India, unlike lithium which is largely imported.
- Commercial Use: These sodium-ion batteries could power everything from electric vehicles and solar grids to drones and rural homes, making clean energy accessible where it’s needed the most.
- Self Reliance in Energy Storage Technology: A battery built on sodium instead of lithium could help the country to become self-reliant in energy storage technology.
Sodium-Ion Batteries And Lithium-Ion Batteries
- Sodium-ion batteries are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries – currently the most widely used type of rechargeable battery.
Read More >Lithium batteries.
{Prelims – Festivals} Shirui Lily Festival
- Context (IE): The Shirui Lily Festival is being organised by the Manipur government’s Department of Tourism after a two-year pause because of the long-drawn conflict in the state.
- First held in 2017, it is one of two major tourism festivals organised by the state government. It is named after the Shirui Lily, recognised as the state flower of Manipur.
- The other major festival is Sangai festival named after the Sangai (Manipur brow-antlered deer), recognised as its state animal.
- The Shirui Lily festival coincides with the blooming season of this rare flower and it is held in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, which is home to the Tangkhul Naga community.
- The festival is designed as an eco-tourism festival to raise awareness about the Shirui Lily and to promote tourism to the hills of Ukhrul.
- The festival includes cultural performances, music concerts, a beauty pageant, a trash collection marathon, and a cooking competition.
About Shirui Lily (Lilium mackliniae)
Credit: Wikipedia
- Location: The Shirui Lily is endemic to the upper reaches of the Shirui Hill range in Ukhrul district, Manipur at an elevation of 2,673 m above sea level.
- Mythalogical Origin: Locals had long been familiar with the plant calling it the ‘Kashsong Timrawon’ after Timrawon, the daughter of mythical goddess Philava who resides and protects the hills of Shirui.
- Scientific Name: In 1946, botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward identified it and gave it its scientific name. The name, Lilium mackliniae, draws from his wife Jean Macklin’s name.
- Flowering: They are seasonal flowering plants and at their best in May and June when it blooms.
- Shade-loving lily has pale bluish-pink petals. Shows seven colours through a microscope.
- Soil Requirement: Grows well in moist humus soil and is sheltered from direct summer sunlight.
{Species – Reptiles – VU} Operation Olivia for Olive Ridley turtles
About Operation Olivia
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Rationale Behind Operation Olivia
- To protect vulnerable Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings from natural predators like feral dogs, pigs, ghost crabs and jaguars that threaten their survival on nesting beaches.
- To prevent human-induced threats such as illegal poaching, coastal development, climate change and beach erosion that endanger turtle populations and nesting habitats.
- Initiated in the early 1980s by the Indian Coast Guard to protect Olive Ridley turtles during their mass nesting season (November to May) along Odisha’s coast.
- Focuses on major arribada beaches including Gahirmatha, Rushikulya, Devi & Dhamra river mouth.
- Enforcement Measures: Includes banning sea fishing near nesting sites, regular coastal patrolling, aerial surveillance and detention of violators under relevant wildlife laws.
- Community Engagement: Involves training of local fishing communities, promotion of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) and awareness campaigns to reduce human-turtle conflict.
- Collaborative Framework: Operated in coordination with Odisha Forest Department, NGOs and State Pollution Control Boards, under legal provisions like Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982.
About Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Source: IUCN
- Species Profile: Second-smallest and most abundant sea turtle species globally; identified by an olive-green, heart-shaped carapace and weighing up to 45 kg.
- Males and females grow to similar sizes; females have more rounded carapaces. Hatchlings are dark grey and appear black when wet.
- Habitat & Distribution: They are found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and warm areas of the Atlantic Ocean.
- Major Indian nesting sites include Gahirmatha (world’s largest rookery), Rushikulya, Devi river mouths, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
- Nesting Behavior: Known for arribada, the synchronized mass nesting from November to April; females lay 100-110 eggs, hatchlings emerge in 45-60 days.
- Philopatry: Females return to their birth beaches using magnetic field imprints, reinforcing nesting site fidelity across generations.
- Ecological Role: Arribadas influence beach ecosystems & help maintain population dynamics; cold-core eddies (nutrient-rich ocean currents) & temperature, salinity & slope affect nesting site selection.
- Sex Determination: Temperature-dependent; warmer incubation leads to more female hatchlings.
- Diet: They are carnivorous, especially in the immature stages of their lifecycle.
- Threats: Faces natural threats (predation by dogs, pigs, ghost crabs, jaguars) and human-induced threats (bycatch, poaching, coastal development, tourism, climate change, beach erosion and marine debris).
- Conservation Status: IUCN: Vulnerable | CITES: Appendix I WPA: Schedule I
- Cultural Significance (Kurma Mela): Kurma Mahotsav celebrates Olive Ridley mass nesting, symbolizing protection & continuity, & highlights local communities’ spiritual & ecological bond with marine life.
