7 January 2025

• Agriculture: Groundwater recharge increased by 15 BCM between 2017 and 2024 as the share of over-exploited assessment units fell from 17% to 11%.
• Polity: UGC Draft Regulations 2025 proposed a three-member committee for Vice Chancellor appointments at universities.
• Economy: PLI Scheme 1.1 for steel was announced covering five product categories.
• Biodiversity: India's first organic fisheries cluster was established in Soreng District, Sikkim.
• Heritage: The Indus Valley script, found on steatite seals averaging five symbols, remains undeciphered and dates to 2600-1900 BCE.

GS area: Environment (Water Resources)

A government assessment covering 2017 to 2024 showed measurable improvement in India's groundwater situation.

• Recharge gain: Groundwater recharge increased by 15 BCM (billion cubic metres) over the period.
• Extraction decline: Groundwater extraction decreased by 3 BCM.
• Safe units: Assessment units classified as "safe" rose from 62.6% to 73.4%.
• Over-exploited units: Declined from 17.24% to 11.13% of total assessed units.
• Key schemes driving improvement:
  • Atal Bhujal Yojana (2020): Groundwater management programme across seven states, World Bank-funded.
  • Mission Amrit Sarovar (2022): Creates or rejuvenates 75 water bodies per district nationally.
  • NAQUIM (National Aquifer Mapping): Covers 25 lakh sq km of geological surveys.
  • Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Rainwater harvesting campaign with community participation.

Static linkage: Water resources (Geography), environment (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Agriculture, Economy

Minimum Support Price (MSP) debates continued in January 2025 with fresh farmer demands for legal guarantee.

• MSP coverage: Declared for 23 crops annually.
• Recommending body: Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends MSP to the Cabinet.
• Farmer access to MSP: Over 80% of farmers rely on local markets rather than government procurement. MSP as a legal entitlement would cost an estimated Rs 7.5 lakh crore annually (about 17% of the Union Budget).
• e-NAM: The National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is an electronic trading platform for transparent price discovery across agricultural produce market committees.
• Context: MSP was fixed after the three Farm Laws of 2020 were repealed following farmer protests. A legal guarantee for MSP remains a pending demand.

Static linkage: Agricultural policy (Economy, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Ancient Indian History

The Indus Valley Script (also called Harappan script) has been in the news due to fresh research on its decipherment.

• Period: Approximately 2600-1900 BCE, corresponding to the Mature Harappan phase.
• Medium: Most commonly found on steatite seals that are typically 2.54 cm square.
• Inscriptions: Average five symbols per inscription; the longest known inscription has 26 symbols.
• Early phase: Proto-writing forms appeared in the Ravi Phase (circa 3500-2700 BCE) and Kot Diji Phase.
• Animal motifs: Unicorn, bull, tiger, and elephant appear on seals alongside the script.
• Undeciphered status: No bilingual text like the Rosetta Stone exists for the Harappan script. The language family it belongs to remains debated. Most scholars believe it is not related to Sanskrit.

Static linkage: Ancient Indian history (Harappan/Indus Valley Civilisation, GS Paper 1).

GS area: Governance (Education)

The University Grants Commission released draft regulations for Vice Chancellor appointments, aligned with NEP 2020.

• Three-member selection committee: Proposed formation of a search-cum-selection committee for VC appointments.
• Non-academics eligible: Persons with 10 or more years of experience in public policy or administration would be eligible for VC posts, not just academics.
• UGC nominee: A UGC nominee must be on the selection committee for state universities.
• NEP 2020 alignment: The regulations implement governance reform goals of NEP 2020.
• Federal concern: Tamil Nadu and Kerala raised objections, arguing state governments have constitutional authority over state universities. The Supreme Court in Kalyani Mathivanan vs K.V. Jeyaraj (2015) supported a standardised framework.

Static linkage: Centre-State relations in education, UGC (Governance, GS Paper 2).

GS area: Agriculture (Fisheries)

India's first organic fisheries cluster was established in Soreng District, Sikkim.

• Scheme: Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), launched in 2020 to raise fish production and double fishers' incomes.
• Species cultivated: Amur carp, an introduced cold-water species well-suited to Sikkim's mountain rivers.
• Support: NABARD provided financial and technical support. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are the implementing unit.
• Significance: Organic fisheries must avoid antibiotics, synthetic chemicals, and GMO feed, and meet international certification standards. This makes the produce eligible for premium export markets.

Static linkage: Fisheries, agricultural schemes (Economy, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Governance (Internal Security)

The Ministry of Home Affairs launched BHARATPOL, a real-time information sharing platform for INTERPOL-related requests.

• Operated by: CBI, which is India's National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL.
• Function: Enables seamless processing of INTERPOL notices including Red Notices (seek arrest and extradition), Blue (gather information), Green (warn about criminals), Yellow (help locate missing persons), and other colour-coded notices.
• Access: Through the CBI official website, accessible to law enforcement agencies.

Static linkage: Governance, internal security (GS Paper 3).

• Artesian conditions in Rajasthan: A newly discovered artesian well in Taranagar, Jaisalmer showed natural upward water flow. Artesian conditions occur when groundwater is trapped between impermeable rock layers under pressure. When the confining layer is breached, water rises without pumping.
• Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary: Located in Bhandara and Nagpur districts of Maharashtra, connected to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve via the Wainganga River corridor. Harbours tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, and gaur.