19 March 2025

• Polity: Women's electoral participation reached 65.78 per cent female voter turnout in the 2024 general election, exceeding male turnout.
• Geography: The Indian Ocean's strategic role in India's external trade and energy security was reaffirmed.
• Culture: Kamba Ramayanam, the 12th-century Tamil Ramayana by Kambar, was highlighted for its literary significance.
• Environment: Wular Lake in J&K was brought back into the governance spotlight over encroachment concerns.
• Innovation: India's first PPP-model green waste processing plant went live in Indore.

GS area: Polity (Elections), Society

The Election Commission of India confirmed that female voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections reached 65.78 per cent, surpassing male turnout.

• Male turnout 2024: 65.6 per cent. Female turnout: 65.78 per cent. A historic first.
• Registered women voters: Over 47 crore as of 2024.
• Women candidates 2024: 797 women contested; 74 won (13.6 per cent of 543 seats).
• SVEEP: Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation Programme by the Election Commission. Targets women, youth and differently-abled voters.
• 33% Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023): Provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Comes into effect after the next delimitation exercise.
• Comparison: Rwanda leads globally with 61 per cent women in Parliament.

Static linkage: Polity (elections, parliament, gender).

GS area: International Relations (Indian Ocean)

The Indian Ocean's strategic role was discussed in the context of Indian foreign policy and the Raisina Dialogue.

• Trade share: 80 per cent of India's external trade and 90 per cent of India's energy imports (oil) pass through the Indian Ocean.
• Chokepoints: Strait of Hormuz (oil from Gulf), Bab-el-Mandeb (Red Sea to Mediterranean), Malacca Strait (trade to East Asia).
• IONS: Indian Ocean Naval Symposium. A cooperative forum of Indian Ocean rim navies. India is a founding member.
• IORA: Indian Ocean Rim Association. 23 member states. Dialogue partners include US, UK, China and Japan. Secretariat: Ebene, Mauritius.
• SAGAR: PM Modi's vision: Security and Growth for All in the Region. India as a net security provider.
• String of Pearls: China's strategy of building ports and infrastructure around India (Gwadar, Hambantota, Chittagong). India's counter: Necklace of Diamonds through IOR partnerships.

Static linkage: International relations (Indian Ocean strategy).

GS area: Polity (Tribal Administration, North East)

Tribal groups in Manipur, specifically Hmar and Zomi people, renewed demands for Sixth Schedule status.

• Sixth Schedule: Articles 244(2) and 275(1). Provides for autonomous district councils (ADCs) in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• ADC powers: Can make laws on land management, forest use, social customs, moneylending and village administration. Subject to state assembly approval.
• Manipur exclusion: Manipur's hill districts (Churachandpur, Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong, Ukhrul) are governed under the Fifth Schedule. Tribal communities here lack the self-governance features of ADCs.
• Fifth Schedule: Applies to Scheduled Areas in other states. Empowers Governor to apply or exclude laws from Scheduled Areas.
• Manipur context: The 2023 Manipur violence (Meitei-Kuki-Zo conflict) has intensified demands for Sixth Schedule or separate administrative structures.

Static linkage: Polity (tribal administration, Fifth and Sixth Schedules).

GS area: Culture, History (Medieval India)

Discussions on India's literary heritage placed Kambar's Tamil Ramayana in focus.

• Kambar (Kamban): Tamil poet, lived in the 12th century CE (1180 CE approx). Court of the Chola king Kulottunga III.
• Kamba Ramayanam: Also called Ramavatharam. Composed in Tamil. About 10,500 verses. Considered the greatest work of Tamil literature after Sangam poetry.
• Distinctive features: Kambar drew from Valmiki's Sanskrit original but added Tamil cultural elements and philosophical depth. Kamba's Lanka is rich and virtuous, unlike Valmiki's; this frames Ravana as a tragic anti-hero.
• Sangam literature: Classical Tamil texts from roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE. Ainkurunuru, Purananuru, Akananuru are major anthologies.
• Thiruvalluvar: Author of Thirukkural (circa 200 BCE to 500 CE). Considered the supreme Tamil classic.

Static linkage: History (medieval literature), culture.

GS area: Environment (Energy), Science and Technology

Geological surveys in France identified a large natural hydrogen deposit, reviving interest in naturally occurring "white hydrogen."

• White hydrogen: Naturally occurring geological hydrogen, found in rock fissures and volcanic activity zones.
• French discovery: Up to 46 million tonnes potentially accessible. Estimated value at current pricing: 92 trillion US dollars.
• Green hydrogen: Produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy. India's National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million tonnes per year by 2030 at a cost of 1 to 3 dollars per kg.
• Grey hydrogen: From fossil fuels. Most current hydrogen production.
• Blue hydrogen: From fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
• Colour coding summary: Green (clean), Grey (unclean), Blue (cleaner than grey), White (geological natural), Pink (nuclear-powered electrolysis).

Static linkage: Environment (energy), science and technology.

GS area: Environment (Wetlands), Geography

Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir came under focus due to encroachment and declining ecological health.

• Location: Bandipora district, Jammu and Kashmir. In the Kashmir Valley.
• Size: Largest freshwater lake in India (by surface area). Area varies seasonally from 24 to 260 sq km.
• Ramsar designation: 1990. India's Ramsar sites now number over 80.
• Feeder rivers: Jhelum River flows through it.
• Threats: Encroachment of lakeside land, agricultural runoff, silting, weed overgrowth (Typha grass), and reduced water levels during dry years.
• NLCP: National Lake Conservation Plan (under Ministry of Environment). Provides financial assistance for restoration.

Static linkage: Environment (wetlands, Ramsar sites), geography.

GS area: Governance (Sanitation, Urban), Environment

Indore launched India's first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model green waste processing plant under Swachh Bharat Mission.

• Plant capacity: Processes 250 tonnes of green/garden waste per day.
• Output: Compost, biochar and energy pellets.
• Indore's track record: Indore has been ranked India's cleanest city under Swachh Survekshan for 7 consecutive years (2017-2023).
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0: Launched October 2021. Focus on waste processing and source segregation.
• 3R approach: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga) applies the same logic to river management.
• Model: The private operator is paid a tipping fee per tonne by the municipal corporation.

Static linkage: Governance (urban sanitation), environment.

• MACS 6222 wheat: ICAR-developed heat-tolerant wheat variety (MACS 6222) showed 12 per cent higher yield under high-temperature stress, relevant given the record February heat.
• Haj 2025: India received its full Haj quota of about 1.75 lakh pilgrims for 2025. Ministry of Minority Affairs manages the Haj Committee of India (statutory body).