25 January 2025

• Polity: 15th National Voters' Day observed. The Election Commission of India was established on 25 January 1950.
• International: India-Indonesia relations highlighted ahead of Republic Day 2025, when Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was chief guest.
• Defence: Sanjay Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) by the Indian Army and BEL nearing induction.
• Economy: Fiscal Health Index 2025 (NITI Aayog): Odisha ranked first among 18 major states.
• Environment: Black Panther sightings in Kabini Forest, Karnataka, raised conservation awareness.

GS area: Polity (Electoral Process)

The 15th National Voters' Day was observed on 25 January 2025.

• Date significance: 25 January marks the establishment of the Election Commission of India on 25 January 1950.
• National Voters' Day: Instituted in 2011, observed annually to encourage voter registration and electoral participation.
• Theme 2025: "Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure."
• Publications released: "India Votes 2024: A Saga of Democracy" and "Belief in the Ballot."
• Best Electoral Practices Awards: Presented by the President to District Election Officers, Superintendents of Police, and states with exemplary conduct.
• Article 324: Vests the superintendence, direction, and control of elections in the Election Commission of India.
• 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Included 96.6 crore registered voters, the largest electorate in history.

Static linkage: Electoral process, ECI, Articles 324-329 (Polity, GS Paper 2).

GS area: International Relations

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto was invited as Chief Guest for India's 76th Republic Day.

• Formal diplomatic ties: 1950.
• Treaty of Friendship: 1951.
• Bandung Conference (1955): Both India and Indonesia participated in the foundational Non-Aligned Movement conference.
• Strategic partnership elevated: 2005.
• Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: 2018.
• Bilateral trade (FY 2023-24): $29.4 billion. Target: $50 billion by 2025.
• India's investments in Indonesia: $1.56 billion.
• Indonesia's trade with China: $139 billion, dwarfing India-Indonesia trade.
• Joint exercises: Samudra Shakti (naval), IND-INDO CORPAT (coordinated patrols).

Static linkage: India-ASEAN relations, Act East Policy (International Relations, GS Paper 2).

GS area: Defence, Science and Technology

The Sanjay BSS, jointly developed by the Indian Army and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), neared induction.

• Development cost: Rs 2,402 crore.
• Category: "Buy (Indian)" under the Defence Acquisition Procedure.
• Function: Integrates sensor data from ground and aerial sources into a Common Surveillance Picture (CSP), enabling real-time situational awareness on the battlefield.
• Networks: Operates on secured Army Data and Satellite Communication Networks.
• Induction timeline: March-October 2025.

Static linkage: Defence technology, Make in India in defence (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy, Governance

NITI Aayog released the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2025.

• Data source: Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
• Base year: 2022-23.
• Coverage: 18 major states.
• Time period analysed: 2014-15 to 2022-23.
• Five sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index, and Debt Sustainability.
• Top three states (2022-23):
  • Odisha: 67.8
  • Chhattisgarh: 55.2
  • Goa: 53.6

Static linkage: Fiscal federalism, state finances (Economy, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Environment, Biodiversity

Black Panther sightings in Kabini Forest, Karnataka generated conservation interest.

• What is a Black Panther: Not a separate species. The term refers to a melanistic leopard (Panthera pardus) or melanistic jaguar (Panthera onca). Melanism is caused by a dominant genetic mutation producing excess melanin.
• Conservation status: IUCN: Vulnerable (for leopard). CITES: Appendix I. India's Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
• Indian habitats: Kabini Forest and Nagarhole National Park (Karnataka), Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala), Silent Valley (Kerala), Sundarbans (West Bengal).
• Global range: Southwest China, Southern India, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

Static linkage: Wildlife, biodiversity (Environment, GS Paper 3).

• Cauvery-South Vellar Link Project: Tamil Nadu's proposal to divert surplus Mettur Dam water to Sarabanga Basin in Salem district. Karnataka opposes it, claiming it reduces their allocated Cauvery share. The Centre's approval is pending. The Cauvery originates at Talakaveri in Karnataka's Western Ghats and empties into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.
• SEBI Sachetisation Plan: SEBI introduced a Rs 250 per month minimum SIP for new investors, available across a maximum of three funds per investor. Excluded from this plan: debt, sectoral, thematic, small-cap, and mid-cap equity funds. Payment via UPI auto-pay or NACH.