Highlights
- Polity: The Veer Savarkar birth anniversary (28 May 1883). His ideology of Hindutva and role in the freedom movement remain contested.
- Environment: India's forest cover increased by 1,445 sq km in 2023-24 per FSI data. Total cover now 21.76 per cent of geographic area.
- Economy: GST collections in April 2025 crossed Rs 2.37 lakh crore, a record high. Year-on-year growth of 12.6 per cent.
- Science: IIT Delhi developed a biodegradable plastic alternative from seaweed-derived alginate fibres.
- International: India was elected chair of the United Nations Committee on Information for 2025-26.
1. India's forest cover: FSI 2024
GS area: Environment, Geography, Governance
India's forest cover increased by 1,445 sq km in 2023-24 according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
- Total forest cover: 7,15,343 sq km, comprising 21.76 per cent of India's geographic area.
- Tree cover: Additional 2.91 per cent of geographic area (outside recorded forest areas).
- Combined: Forests plus tree cover = 24.62 per cent of geographic area. India's national target is 33 per cent under National Forest Policy, 1988.
- States with highest cover:
- Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq km): highest absolute cover.
- Arunachal Pradesh (66,964 sq km).
- Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km).
- States with highest percentage cover: Mizoram (85.3 per cent); Arunachal Pradesh (79.6 per cent); Meghalaya (76.6 per cent).
- Definition: FSI uses satellite imagery and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) data. Forest is defined as patches of 1 hectare or more with over 10 per cent canopy density.
Static linkage: Forest cover, FSI, National Forest Policy, biodiversity.
2. GST record collections in April 2025
GS area: Economy, Taxation, Fiscal Policy
India's Goods and Services Tax collections hit a record Rs 2.37 lakh crore in April 2025.
- April traditionally strong: Year-end transactions, March quarter compliance and increased economic activity drive April GST collections.
- GST architecture: Dual GST (CGST for Centre, SGST for states, IGST for interstate, UGST for Union Territories). GST Council: constitutional body under Article 279A (inserted by 101st Constitutional Amendment).
- GST Council composition: Union Finance Minister as chair; Finance Ministers of all states and UTs. Decisions by three-fourths majority. Centre has one-third weight; states together have two-thirds.
- Revenue performance: Total FY25 GST collections exceeded Rs 22.08 lakh crore, a 10.3 per cent growth. Average monthly collections of Rs 1.84 lakh crore.
- Evasion measures: E-way bill; e-invoicing for businesses above Rs 5 crore turnover; GSTN analytics; real-time return matching.
Static linkage: Indirect taxation, GST Council, fiscal federalism, Article 279A.
3. Hindutva, Savarkar and constitutional discourse
GS area: Modern Indian History, Polity
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883-26 February 1966) was a key ideologue of Hindu nationalism.
- Hindutva: The term was coined by Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet. Defined Indian nationhood as based on Hindutva (Hinduness), not Hinduism. Hindu in his definition = one for whom India is both Pitribhumi (fatherland) and Punyabhumi (holy land).
- Role in freedom movement: Was a member of India House, London; imprisoned in Cellular Jail, Andaman (1911-1921). Wrote "The First War of Indian Independence" on the 1857 uprising.
- Social reform: Advocated inter-caste dining and rationalism; opposed untouchability.
- Controversy: Signed mercy petitions to the British, which critics cite as collaboration. Tried as a co-conspirator in Gandhi's assassination (acquitted 1948 for lack of evidence).
- Supreme Court on Hindutva (1995): Manohar Joshi v. Narayan Rane: SC held Hindutva is a "way of life" and not necessarily a religious appeal during elections, but later judgments have qualified this.
Static linkage: Freedom movement, Constitution, secularism, election law.
4. Alginate-based biodegradable plastic
GS area: Science and Technology, Environment
IIT Delhi researchers developed biodegradable plastic films from seaweed-derived alginate fibres.
- Alginate: A natural polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed (Phaeophyceae). Already used in food (thickeners), pharmaceuticals (wound dressings) and textiles.
- Innovation: The IIT Delhi team created high-tensile alginate films that can replace single-use plastic packaging. Biodegrades in soil within 3-6 months (versus 400-1,000 years for conventional plastic).
- Properties: Transparent; moisture-resistant (through cross-linking with calcium chloride); printable; food-safe.
- Plastic crisis context: India generates about 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Single-use plastics banned under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 from 1 July 2022.
- India's seaweed potential: India has 1,382 species of seaweed. Major production in Tamil Nadu (Ramanathapuram, Pamban), Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Static linkage: Plastic pollution, biodegradable materials, seaweed economy.
GS area: International Relations, Multilateral Governance
India was elected chair of the United Nations Committee on Information (UNCOI) for 2025-26.
- UNCOI: A subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly's Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee). Oversees UN communications policy. Focuses on the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC).
- Significance of chairmanship: India will oversee global UN information policy, shape narratives around UN activities, and influence how information is disseminated in multilateral forums.
- India's communication goals at UN: Promote India's perspective on issues like climate, counter-terrorism and multipolar world order; counter Pakistan's narrative on Kashmir; project India's development successes.
- Context: India's chairmanship comes alongside its growing UN profile through G20 presidency (2023), non-permanent UNSC membership (2021-22) and SCO chairmanship (2023).
Static linkage: UN multilateralism, India's diplomacy, UN General Assembly.
6. Briefly noted
- National Milk Day (26 November): India is the world's largest milk producer (approximately 230 million tonnes per year). Operation Flood, led by Dr Verghese Kurien, transformed India into the largest dairy economy.
- Amul (GCMMF): Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. Founded 1946 in Anand. "Amul" means "priceless" in Sanskrit. Headquartered in Anand, Gujarat. Dr Verghese Kurien's White Revolution is a template for India's cooperative success.
- CAMPA funds: Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority. Set up under the CAMPA Act, 2016. Receives money paid by industries that divert forest land; uses it for afforestation.
Practice MCQs