28 May 2025

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.