6 June 2025

• Infrastructure: PM Modi inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge in Reasi, J&K, the world's highest railway arch bridge at 359 metres, completing the USBRL project.
• Governance: UMEED portal for Waqf property digitalisation launched by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
• Legal: Bar Council of India amended rules to allow foreign lawyers to practise in India, limited to non-litigious and international arbitration matters.
• Finance: SEBI released its operational framework for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) debt securities, requiring third-party verification and annual impact disclosure.
• Welfare: the NAMASTE scheme's waste picker enumeration app aims to register 2.5 lakh waste pickers for Ayushman Bharat health coverage and occupational identity.

GS area: Economy (Infrastructure), Geography

PM Modi inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, completing the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and connecting Kashmir to India's railway network for the first time.

• Height: 359 metres above the Chenab River. This is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.
• Total length: 1,315 metres. Main arch span: 785 metres.
• Location: between Bakkal and Kauri villages, Reasi district, J&K.
• Executing agency: Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.
• Project: USBRL is 272 km long and cost approximately Rs 43,780 crore. It includes 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges.
• Specifications: wind resistance up to 266 km/h; earthquake resistance up to magnitude 8; design lifespan of 120 years; train speed up to 100 km/h; temperature tolerance down to minus 20°C.
• Additional bridge inaugurated: PM Modi also inaugurated India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, on the same corridor.
• Significance: Kashmir was the only major region of India without rail connectivity. The USBRL provides all-weather connectivity, including through winter when road links are often blocked.

On the same day, two Vande Bharat Express trains were flagged off between Katra and Srinagar.

Static linkage: Economy (transport infrastructure), Indian geography (J&K, Chenab river system).

GS area: Polity (Legal system, Governance)

The Bar Council of India amended its rules to permit foreign lawyers to practise in India for the first time.

• Restriction: foreign lawyers may advise only on non-litigious matters. They cannot appear before Indian courts or practise Indian domestic law.
• Permitted areas: international commercial law, international arbitration advisory, and transactional work.
• CJI's remarks: Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai praised the BCI's move at the Indo-UK Arbitration Conference where the announcement was made.
• Bar Council of India: statutory body constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961. It regulates the legal profession and legal education in India.
• Advocates Act, 1961: the central legislation governing the legal profession. Section 29 restricts legal practice to persons enrolled under this Act.
• Significance: India is a growing hub for international arbitration. Allowing foreign lawyers in advisory roles positions India to attract more international commercial dispute resolution.

Static linkage: Polity (legal system, statutory bodies), Governance (arbitration ecosystem).

GS area: Governance, Polity (Minority institutions)

The Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the UMEED portal on 6 June 2025 for centralised digital registration of Waqf properties across India.

• Full form: UMEED stands for Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development.
• Purpose: create a centralised database of Waqf properties with geotagging and precise measurements.
• Registration deadline: Waqf properties must be registered within 6 months of the portal's launch. Unregistered properties after the deadline are referred to Waqf Tribunals.
• Waqf: a religious endowment in Islamic law. Property dedicated as Waqf cannot be sold, gifted or inherited. Income from it is used for charitable or religious purposes.
• Central Waqf Council: statutory body under the Ministry of Minority Affairs that oversees state Waqf Boards.
• Context: the portal follows the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which tightened regulation of Waqf properties and their administration. It is a significant reform step in bringing Waqf assets, estimated at lakhs of crores in value, into a transparent registry.

Static linkage: Polity (minority institutions, statutory bodies), Governance (digital governance).

GS area: Economy (Capital markets, Sustainable finance)

SEBI released its operational framework for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) debt securities, effective 5 June 2025.

• Bond types covered: social bonds, sustainability bonds, and sustainability-linked bonds.
• Third-party verification: mandatory for all ESG debt securities. An independent verifier must certify that the bond meets the stated ESG criteria.
• Annual impact disclosure: issuers must report annually on how the funds were used and what environmental or social outcomes were achieved.
• Fund utilisation tracking: proceeds must be tracked separately and not commingled with general funds.
• Classification: based on the primary project objective rather than the issuer's overall sustainability record.
• SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India, established 1988, given statutory powers in 1992 under the SEBI Act. It regulates capital markets and protects investor interests.
• Purpose of the framework: global ESG bond issuance has grown rapidly. India's framework gives investors confidence that ESG labels on bonds carry verified substance rather than greenwashing.

Static linkage: Economy (capital markets, SEBI, green finance).

GS area: Governance, Social Justice (Welfare schemes, Sanitation)

The NAMASTE scheme's waste picker enumeration app aims to formally register 2.5 lakh waste pickers across India.

• NAMASTE: National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem. Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Implementation agency: National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
• Benefits for enumerated waste pickers: occupational identity cards; health insurance under Ayushman Bharat; personal protective equipment; skill development training; capital subsidy for waste-collection vehicles.
• Dry waste collection centres: support for 750 such centres across the country.
• Context: waste pickers are informal workers who collect, sort and sell recyclable materials. They are not covered by formal labour protections despite their role in urban waste management and recycling.
• NSKFDC: a statutory corporation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that provides financial assistance to manual scavengers and sanitation workers.

Static linkage: Governance (welfare schemes, sanitation), Social Justice (manual scavengers, informal workers).

• Chenab River geography: rises in the upper Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh (where it is called Chandra-Bhaga). Enters J&K, then flows into Pakistan. Tributary of the Indus. The Chenab is part of the western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.
• IIAS presidency: India won the Presidency of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for 2025-2028 with 61.7 per cent of the vote in the first ballot-based election in IIAS history. IIAS was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It publishes the International Review of Administrative Sciences.
• Greater Flamingo Sanctuary, Dhanushkodi: a 7-hectare sanctuary in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve. The sanctuary recorded 10,700-plus wetland birds including greater flamingos in 2023-24 surveys. It lies on the Central Asian Flyway.