27 March 2025

• Polity: The NJAC judgment (2015) was revisited in the context of collegium appointments debates.
• Economy: India's bioeconomy reached 165 billion US dollars in 2024, representing 4.2 per cent of GDP.
• Governance: The Gold Monetisation Scheme's medium- and long-term deposits were discontinued from March 26, 2025.
• Heritage: Bodh Gaya in Gaya district, Bihar, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2002).
• Defence: India's Pamban Rail Bridge, the country's first vertical-lift sea bridge, entered advanced testing.

GS area: Polity (Judiciary)

Parliamentary debates and bar council discussions revisited the Supreme Court's 2015 NJAC verdict.

• 99th Constitutional Amendment (2014): Replaced the collegium system with the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). The NJAC had 6 members: CJI, 2 senior SC judges, Law Minister, and 2 eminent persons.
• Verdict: Supreme Court struck down the 99th Amendment 4:1 in October 2015. Found it violated the "basic structure" of the Constitution (independence of judiciary).
• Collegium restored: The collegium (CJI + 4 senior SC judges) continues to recommend judicial appointments and transfers.
• Criticism of collegium: Lack of transparency, no diversity mandate, no public accountability.
• Memorandum of Procedure (MoP): Governs the collegium process. Negotiations between government and judiciary on MoP revision have stalled.

Static linkage: Polity (judiciary, constitutional law).

GS area: Science and Technology (Biotechnology), Economy

A report placed India's bioeconomy at 165 billion US dollars in 2024.

• Share of GDP: 4.2 per cent.
• Target: 300 billion US dollars by 2030.
• Sectors: Biopharmaceuticals (largest share), agricultural biotech, industrial biotech (enzymes, biofuels), bioinformatics.
• National Biotech Policy: India has a Biotechnology Strategy 2021-25 from the Department of Biotechnology.
• BIRAC: Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council. Funds biotech start-ups through schemes like SPARSH and BIG.
• BioSaarthi: BIRAC's six-month mentoring cohort for biotech entrepreneurs.
• Vaccine exports: India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Biological E are major players.

Static linkage: Science and technology (biotechnology), economy.

GS area: Economy (Finance, Gold)

The Union government discontinued the Medium- and Long-Term Gold Deposit components of the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS), effective March 26, 2025.

• Gold Monetisation Scheme: Launched 2015. Allowed individuals to deposit idle gold (minimum 10 grams) with banks for interest.
• Three components: Short-Term Bank Deposit (STBD): 1-3 years; Medium-Term Government Deposit (MTGD): 5-7 years; Long-Term Government Deposit (LTGD): 12-15 years.
• Discontinued: MTGD and LTGD from March 26, 2025. STBD continues with banks.
• Reason: Low participation in MTGD and LTGD due to lengthy lock-in periods and procedural complexity.
• India's gold holdings: About 27,000 tonnes estimated to be held by Indian households. GMS aimed to mobilise this idle gold.
• Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB): Continues as the primary vehicle for government-backed gold investment.

Static linkage: Economy (finance, gold policy).

GS area: History, Culture

Bodh Gaya was highlighted in heritage tourism discussions.

• Location: Gaya district, Bihar. On the bank of the Niranjana River.
• Significance: Site where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment (Bodhi) under the Bodhi Tree.
• Mahabodhi Temple: UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2002). Originally built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Current structure: 5th-7th century CE.
• Bodhi Tree: A sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) believed to be a descendant of the original tree under which the Buddha meditated.
• Buddhist circuit: Bodh Gaya is one of the four sacred sites. Others: Lumbini (Nepal, birth), Sarnath (first teaching), Kushinagar (Mahaparinirvana).
• Pali Canon: The Tipitaka, the Buddhist scriptural canon in Pali, preserves the Buddha's teachings.

Static linkage: History (ancient India), culture (Buddhism).

GS area: Science and Technology (Infrastructure)

The new Pamban Rail Bridge, India's first vertical-lift railway sea bridge, was in advanced testing.

• Location: Connects Rameswaram Island (Tamil Nadu) to mainland India across Palk Strait.
• Cost: 531 crore rupees.
• Technology: India's first vertical lift span. The central 63-metre span can be raised by 17 metres to allow ships to pass.
• Old bridge: The earlier Pamban Bridge (1914) is being retired. The old bridge had a Scherzer Rolling Lift (horizontal rotation).
• Significance: Facilitates rail connectivity to Rameswaram (a major pilgrimage and tourist destination).
• Rameswaram: One of the four dhams (Char Dham). Located on Pamban Island. Home of the Ramanathaswamy Temple.

Static linkage: Science and technology (infrastructure), geography.

GS area: Environment (Marine Ecology)

Research revealed a dramatic decline in Great White Shark populations off South Africa's coast, threatening marine ecosystem balance.

• Cause: Orcas (killer whales) developed coordinated hunting behaviour targeting great white shark livers, causing sharks to abandon traditional feeding grounds.
• Great White Shark: Carcharodon carcharias. Apex predator. IUCN: Vulnerable.
• Ecological role: As apex predators, sharks regulate populations of prey species. Their decline can trigger trophic cascades.
• CITES Appendix II: Great White Sharks are listed on CITES Appendix II, restricting international trade.
• Indian Ocean populations: Great Whites patrol South African, Australian and Sri Lankan waters. Population recovery is slow due to low reproductive rates.

Static linkage: Environment (marine ecology, wildlife).

GS area: Governance (Education), Economy

Tamil Nadu and Kerala raised concerns about 4,000 crore rupees in Samagra Shiksha funds pending from the Centre.

• Samagra Shiksha: A centrally sponsored scheme integrating three earlier schemes (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Teacher Education) for school education.
• Coverage: Pre-primary to Class 12. Covers about 1.5 million schools, 8.5 million teachers and 250 million children.
• Funding: 60:40 Centre-State ratio (60:40 for general states, 90:10 for NE states and hill states).
• National Education Policy 2020: Samagra Shiksha is the implementation vehicle for NEP 2020's school reforms.
• PM SHRI schools: PM Schools for Rising India. 14,500 model schools being developed under NEP 2020.

Static linkage: Governance (education), economy.

• BISAG-N MoU with CAG: The CAG signed an MoU with BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics) to use geospatial analytics for audit purposes.
• Kaizen Quality Circle (Gujarat): A "Kaizen Circle" improvement initiative at Gujarat's industrial cluster won a national productivity award.