31 January 2025

• Disaster Management: Maha Kumbh stampede on Mauni Amavasya (29 January) killed 30 people; NDMA guidelines on crowd safety under review.
• History: Devi Ahilyabai Holkar's birth anniversary. The 18th-century Holkar queen rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and established welfare infrastructure across India.
• Space: Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) preparation was underway; India's Shubhanshu Shukla would be its pilot, becoming the first Indian on the ISS via a private mission.
• Environment: Yamuna River ammonia contamination caused disruption to Delhi's water supply, highlighting industrial discharge problems.
• Economy: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana reached significant rooftop solar installation milestones.

GS area: Disaster Management

A deadly stampede occurred on 29 January 2025 (Mauni Amavasya) at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, killing 30 people and injuring 60.

• Context: Mauni Amavasya is the most auspicious bathing day at Kumbh Mela. An estimated 50-60 million pilgrims arrived at Prayagraj on a single day.
• Immediate causes: Crowd surge near barricades during the pre-dawn bathing window, collapse of crowd-control barriers, and inadequate one-way flow enforcement.
• NDMA guidelines for mass gatherings:
  • Mandatory crowd estimation using sensors, CCTV, and drones.
  • Designated entry and exit points with one-way flow.
  • Real-time communication to reroute crowds when density exceeds safe limits.
  • Pre-positioned Quick Response Teams, paramedics, and ambulances.
  • Staged entry windows (time-slotting) to prevent simultaneous arrival.
• Kumbh Mela rotation: Kumbh Mela rotates among Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain (Nashik), and Tryambakeshwar. The Maha Kumbh (once every 12 years) takes place only at Prayagraj, where the Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati meets.

Static linkage: Disaster management, crowd safety (GS Paper 3).

GS area: Medieval and Modern Indian History

The birth anniversary of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 to 13 August 1795) was commemorated.

• Dynasty: Holkar dynasty, a Maratha chieftaincy that ruled Malwa (Madhya Pradesh). The Holkars were one of the major Maratha chiefs alongside the Peshwas, Scindias, Bhonsles, and Gaekwads.
• Capital: Maheshwar, on the banks of the Narmada River in present-day Madhya Pradesh. She developed it into a cultural and commercial centre.
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple: The original temple was destroyed by Aurangzeb in 1669. Devi Ahilyabai rebuilt it at Varanasi in 1780. (Note: The modern Kashi Vishwanath Corridor was completed by PM Modi in 2021.)
• Welfare works: Built dharamshalas (rest houses), ghats (bathing platforms), water tanks, temples, and roads across the Indian subcontinent, including at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Somnath, Gaya, and Rameshwaram.
• Textile patronage: Revived the Maheshwari weaving tradition (Maheshwari sarees). The town became a major handloom centre.
• Legacy: Regarded as a philosopher-queen who governed on Dharmic principles. Honoured on Indian postage stamps.

Static linkage: Maratha Empire, medieval and early modern India (GS Paper 1).

GS area: Science and Technology (Space)

India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was designated pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), making him the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) via a private spaceflight.

• Mission operator: Axiom Space (private US company) in partnership with NASA and SpaceX.
• Launch vehicle: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
• Commander: Peggy Whitson (NASA veteran and Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight).
• Mission duration: Approximately 14 days at the ISS.
• India-NASA framework: This mission was arranged under the framework of the India-US Strategic Technology Partnership and the ARTEMIS Accords (India signed in June 2023).
• ISRO's human spaceflight program (Gaganyaan): India's own crewed orbital mission. Shukla's Ax-4 mission provides pre-Gaganyaan spaceflight experience.
• Previous Indian in space: Rakesh Sharma flew on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 mission in April 1984, as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.

Static linkage: Space technology, India-US relations (GS Papers 2 and 3).

GS area: Environment, Governance

Delhi's water supply faced disruption due to elevated ammonia levels in the Yamuna River.

• Source: Industrial and agricultural discharge from Haryana into the Yamuna upstream of Delhi, particularly from the Panipat and Sonipat industrial corridors.
• Regulation: The permissible limit for ammonia in drinking water is 0.5 mg/l (WHO) or 1 mg/l (BIS). Readings near Delhi's intake points exceeded 3-4 mg/l during this period.
• Effect: At high concentrations, ammonia disrupts water treatment plants because standard chlorination does not remove it. Chlorine reacts with ammonia to form chloramines, which are less effective disinfectants.
• Yamuna basin: The Yamuna originates at Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarakhand and joins the Ganga at Prayagraj. It passes through Delhi, which discharges about 80% of its untreated sewage into the river (Delhi Jal Board data).
• National Clean Ganga Mission: The Yamuna is a priority river under the NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga). Despite investments, industrial effluent from Haryana remains a chronic issue.

Static linkage: Rivers, water management, pollution (Environment, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy, Environment (Renewable Energy)

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (launched 13 February 2024) crossed significant installation milestones by January 2025.

• Objective: Install rooftop solar panels on one crore (10 million) households; provide up to 300 units of free electricity per month to eligible beneficiaries.
• Subsidy structure:
  • Up to 2 kW: Rs 30,000 per kW subsidy (central).
  • 2-3 kW: Rs 18,000 per kW for the additional 1 kW.
  • Above 3 kW: No additional central subsidy.
• Financing: Subsidised loans at 7% through public sector banks.
• Target states: Pan-India, with highest uptake projected in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
• National Solar Mission: PM Surya Ghar sits within the broader National Solar Mission framework under the NAPCC (National Action Plan on Climate Change).

Static linkage: Renewable energy, climate commitments (Economy and Environment, GS Paper 3).

GS area: Economy (Financial Regulation)

The Reserve Bank of India announced consultations on modernising the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSSA).

• PSSA 2007 mandate: Regulates and supervises payment systems in India. Designates the RBI as the regulator.
• Covered systems: RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer), IMPS, UPI, and card networks (Mastercard, Visa, RuPay).
• Why update: The Act predates UPI (2016) and the explosion of digital payments. New payment intermediaries (payment aggregators, fintechs, Buy Now Pay Later providers) are not fully covered.
• Key proposals being considered: Interoperability mandates for wallets, mandatory escrow for payment aggregators, and framework for cross-border payment systems.
• UPI scale: UPI processed 16.73 billion transactions worth Rs 23.25 lakh crore in December 2024.

Static linkage: Monetary policy, banking regulation (Economy, GS Paper 3).

• Water-guzzling crops in Uttar Pradesh: A study found that paddy and sugarcane cultivation in western Uttar Pradesh consumed 46 BCM (billion cubic metres) of groundwater in 2023, far exceeding recharge. The Ganga-Yamuna doab is among India's most groundwater-stressed regions. The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) targets Jal Sanchay (water conservation) and Har Khet Ko Paani.
• Sariska Tiger Reserve: A rare case of tiger relocation success. After local tiger extinction due to poaching (around 2004), tigers were relocated from Ranthambore. The reserve now has over 40 tigers, making it India's most celebrated rewilding success.