26 June 2025

• Cloudbursts killed two people in Himachal Pradesh, highlighting the forecasting limits for hyper-localised extreme rainfall events.
• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla reached the International Space Station as part of Axiom Mission 4, becoming the first Indian to do so in 41 years.
• RBI eased Priority Sector Lending requirements for Small Finance Banks, reducing the overall target from 75 per cent to 60 per cent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit.
• A modified CRISPR tool developed at Bose Institute Kolkata activates plant defence genes only during heat or disease stress, without cutting DNA.
• Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are in dispute over the Banakacherla water project, raising questions about the Godavari Tribunal's allocation framework.

GS area: GS-I Geography (Rainfall and Weather Phenomena); GS-III Disaster Management

Cloudbursts struck Kangra and Kullu districts in Himachal Pradesh, killing two people and causing flash floods and landslides.

• Definition: a cloudburst is defined as rainfall of 100 mm or more within a single hour over an area of approximately 10 square kilometres. The intensity distinguishes it from heavy rainfall events that deliver the same volume over many hours.
• Orographic lifting: moist air masses moving inland from the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea are forced upward when they encounter the Himalayas. The rapid ascent causes intense cooling and sudden condensation. This is the primary mechanism generating cloudbursts on Himalayan slopes.
• Convective currents: vertical air currents in the atmosphere can reach speeds of 60 to 120 km per hour during intense convective events. These currents carry large amounts of moisture upward quickly and release it in concentrated bursts.
• Localized convergence zones: areas where two air masses meet create zones of concentrated uplift. In Himalayan valleys these convergence zones shift unpredictably, making precise prediction difficult.
• Doppler Weather Radars (DWR): India has expanded its DWR network to cover major mountain zones. DWRs detect precipitation intensity and wind shear within storms at fine spatial resolution. They are the primary instrument for short-range cloudburst alerts.
• Moisture amplification: atmospheric moisture content rises approximately 7 per cent for every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature. A warmer atmosphere thus holds more water for sudden release, increasing the intensity of individual cloudburst events.
• NDMA Cloudburst Management Guidelines (2010): the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines prescribe early warning systems, community preparedness plans, real-time river monitoring, and land-use restrictions in cloudburst-prone zones.

Flash floods triggered by cloudbursts are the deadliest form of mountain disaster in the Indian Himalayan Region. The challenge for disaster managers is that the spatial footprint of a cloudburst is so small (10 sq km) that even dense radar networks cannot issue reliable warnings more than 30 minutes ahead.

Revises: Monsoon Meteorology; Disaster Management (NDMA); Himalayan Weather Systems.

GS area: GS-II Social Justice (Women's Empowerment; Governance); GS-I Society

Women hold 46 per cent of elected seats in urban local body governments but remain severely underrepresented in the technical and administrative positions that actually shape urban planning.

• Elected representation: women constitute 46 per cent of elected local government representatives. This is partly an effect of the 33 per cent reservation for women in panchayats and urban local bodies under the 73rd and 74th Amendments.
• IAS officers: approximately 20 per cent of IAS officers are women (2022 data). The IAS is the primary cadre that fills senior municipal commissioner and district collector roles.
• Police force: women constitute only 11.7 per cent of the total police force. Urban policing directly shapes women's safety outcomes and their perception of public space.
• Engineering: women are 14 per cent of government engineers despite constituting 40 per cent of STEM graduates. The drop-out from engineering graduation to government engineering employment reflects structural barriers and recruitment patterns.
• Benefits of representation: urban infrastructure decisions made with women in decision-making roles show better outcomes in street lighting, public transport design, safe footpaths and public toilet placement. These infrastructure choices directly affect women's mobility and economic participation.
• Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB): GRB is a fiscal policy tool that analyses how budget allocations affect women and men differently. Tokenism in GRB occurs when gender labels are applied to budget lines without analysing actual outcomes.
• Structural barriers: inflexible transfer policies, lack of family support infrastructure in postings, and informal networks in male-dominated departments compound the retention problem beyond initial recruitment.

The data point to a gap between formal electoral progress (driven by reservation) and substantive power (exercised through permanent bureaucracy). Urban policy is shaped more by commissioners and engineers than by elected councillors in practice.

Revises: 73rd and 74th Amendments; Gender and Governance; Urban Local Bodies.

GS area: GS-II Social Justice (Health); GS-II International Relations (Global Health)

India ranks second globally in the number of children who received no routine childhood vaccines, with 1.44 million zero-dose children recorded in 2023.

• Zero-dose children: children who have not received even a single dose of any routine childhood vaccine. They are considered the hardest to reach by public health systems.
• India's rank: 2nd globally in absolute numbers. Nigeria is 1st with 2.5 million zero-dose children.
• India's count: 1.44 million zero-dose children (2023 WHO-UNICEF estimates).
• Global trend: globally the number of zero-dose children declined from 58.8 million in 1980 to 14.7 million in 2019. COVID-19 disrupted immunisation services from 2020 and caused a reversal of this progress.
• Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP): India's national immunisation programme, administered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. UIP covers vaccines for tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, rubella and others. Mission Indradhanush is the targeted catch-up programme for zero-dose and under-immunised children.
• Drivers in India: geographic remoteness of tribal and border-area communities, vaccine hesitancy amplified by misinformation, supply chain failures in cold chain maintenance, and social mistrust of government health workers in conflict-affected or marginalised communities.

Revises: Universal Immunisation Programme; Mission Indradhanush; Global Health Governance.

GS area: GS-II International Relations (International Organisations)

The United Nations Secretary-General launched the UN80 Initiative to mark the UN's 80th anniversary year. The reform effort addresses efficiency, mandate relevance and structural duplication across the sprawling UN system.

• Three workstreams: efficiency and cost reduction; review of mandate relevance (auditing approximately 3,600 existing UN mandates); and structural reforms to reduce overlap among agencies and funds.
• Seven thematic clusters: Peace and Security; Development (Secretariat); Development (UN System agencies); Humanitarian; Human Rights; Training and Research; and Specialized Agencies and Treaty Bodies.
• Timeline: initial changes are planned for the 2026 Revised Budget. Larger structural changes will target the 2027-28 Programme Budget.
• 3,600 mandates: the UN General Assembly and Security Council have issued approximately 3,600 standing mandates since 1945. Many are outdated or duplicated. The mandate review aims to identify which can be terminated or merged.
• Specialized Agencies: the UN system includes 15 specialized agencies (WHO, ILO, FAO, UNESCO, IAEA etc.) that operate under their own charters and assessed budgets. They are legally distinct from the Secretariat but coordinate under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• India and UN reform: India has consistently advocated for reform of the UN Security Council, specifically for permanent membership as part of the G4 grouping (India, Germany, Brazil, Japan). The UN80 process covers administrative reform but not the more politically contested Charter amendments needed for UNSC expansion.

Revises: United Nations System; UNSC Reform; India's Multilateral Diplomacy.

GS area: GS-III Indian Economy (Banking; Financial Inclusion)

The Reserve Bank of India revised the Priority Sector Lending norms for Small Finance Banks, easing the overall targets while retaining the core focus on underserved borrowers.

• Small Finance Banks (SFBs): licensed under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. SFBs were created to deepen financial inclusion. They must maintain at least 25 per cent of their branches in rural areas and devote at least 50 per cent of their loan portfolio to MSME borrowers. Minimum net worth is Rs 100 crore.
• Priority Sector Lending (PSL): a RBI mandate requiring banks to direct a specified share of their credit to priority sectors: agriculture, MSME, export credit, education, housing, social infrastructure and renewable energy. PSL ensures that credit flows to sectors that would otherwise be underserved by commercial banking logic.
• Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC): the base on which PSL targets are calculated. ANBC is a bank's net bank credit plus investments in non-SLR bonds held to maturity, adjusted for certain deductions.
• Previous overall PSL target for SFBs: 75 per cent of ANBC. This was higher than the 40 per cent target for scheduled commercial banks, reflecting SFBs' financial inclusion mandate.
• Revised overall PSL target: reduced to 60 per cent of ANBC.
• Additional PSL (directed sub-sectors): reduced from 35 per cent to 20 per cent of ANBC.
• Retained requirement: SFBs must still direct 40 per cent of ANBC toward specific PSL sub-sectors.
• Rationale: the easing acknowledges that SFBs have matured and need greater flexibility in asset-liability management. The retained 40 per cent sub-sector requirement preserves the financial inclusion focus.

Revises: Priority Sector Lending; Small Finance Banks; RBI Regulatory Framework.

GS area: GS-II Governance (Inter-State Water Disputes); GS-I Geography (River Systems)

Andhra Pradesh is constructing the Banakacherla project to enhance irrigation from the Godavari river system. Telangana has formally objected.

• Godavari River: the second-longest river in India (after the Ganga). It originates at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik district, Maharashtra and flows eastward through Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before draining into the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari is shared by Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
• Andhra Pradesh's project: the Banakacherla project enhances the capacity of the Polavaram Right Main Canal from 17,500 to 38,000 cusecs and the Thatipudi Lift Canal from 1,400 to 10,000 cusecs. Andhra Pradesh claims it is using only surplus Godavari flows.
• Polavaram Project: Polavaram is the national project on the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. It is a multipurpose project for irrigation, drinking water and hydropower. Polavaram's right main canal is the conduit being enhanced.
• Telangana's objection: Telangana argues the project violates the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 (which bifurcated the state) and was implemented without clearances from the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) and the Central Water Commission (CWC).
• Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal: the tribunal allocated 968 thousand million cubic feet (TMCft) of Godavari water to Telangana. Telangana argues that Andhra Pradesh's enhanced diversion threatens this allocation.
• AP Reorganisation Act, 2014: the Act that bifurcated Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state. It mandates joint management of shared river waters through the KRMB and GRMB.
• Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956: governs the adjudication of river water disputes between states. Any state can approach the central government to constitute a tribunal under this Act.

Inter-state water disputes are non-justiciable in the Supreme Court under Article 262, read with the Inter-State Water Disputes Act. The tribunal route is the prescribed remedy.

Revises: Inter-State Water Disputes; Godavari River System; AP Reorganisation.

GS area: GS-III Internal Security (Border Infrastructure); GS-II Governance

The Union government approved Rs 10,637 crore for 19 infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir on 24 June 2025.

• Pir Ki Gali Tunnel (9 km): an all-weather tunnel on the Mughal Road connecting Shopian in the Kashmir Valley with Bafliaz in Jammu. The Mughal Road is a historic alternative to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) and is currently closed in winter. The tunnel will provide year-round connectivity.
• Sadhna Tunnel (7 km): connects Kupwara district with the Karnah subdivision along the Line of Control. Karnah currently becomes cut off during winter. The tunnel has direct border area development implications.
• Zaznar-Shopian Road (28 km): provides an additional link within the Kashmir Valley.
• Trehgam-Chamkote Road (68 km): connects Teetwal in Kupwara district to the Trehgam-Chamkote corridor. Teetwal is a border town on the Line of Control.
• Strategic rationale: border-area roads reduce dependence on NH-44, which is a single-point vulnerability in J&K's connectivity. Tunnel connectivity ensures that military logistics can be maintained even when surface routes are closed by snow or geologic events. Improved connectivity also accelerates disaster response and reduces the isolation of Line of Control communities.

Revises: Border Area Development Programme; J&K Geography; Strategic Infrastructure.

GS area: GS-III Science and Technology (Space)

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force reached the International Space Station aboard Axiom Mission 4, becoming the first Indian to do so.

• Mission name: Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). Axiom Space is a US-based private space company contracted by NASA to run commercial missions to the ISS.
• Launch: 25 June 2025 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The crew launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
• Crew: Commander Peggy Whitson (USA, Axiom Space); Pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India, Indian Air Force); Mission Specialist Slawosz Uznanski (Poland, ESA); Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
• Duration: approximately 14 days aboard the ISS.
• Significance for India: Shukla is the first Indian to reach the ISS. The previous Indian in space was Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew to the Soviet Salyut-7 space station in 1984 under a bilateral India-USSR agreement, 41 years earlier.
• Rakesh Sharma (1984): flew on Soyuz T-11 to Salyut-7 as part of the Soviet Intercosmos programme. The mission lasted 7 days 21 hours. Sharma is the only Indian citizen to have traveled to space prior to Shukla's mission.
• Scientific experiments: over 60 microgravity experiments planned, with a focus on agricultural biology, materials science and human physiology. Findings will support India's Gaganyaan crewed mission development.
• Gaganyaan: India's first indigenous crewed spaceflight programme, developed by ISRO. Gaganyaan aims to send Indian astronauts to orbit aboard an Indian rocket. India also plans to establish a Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station) by 2035.

Revises: India's Space Programme; ISRO; International Space Cooperation.

GS area: GS-III Science and Technology (Biotechnology; Agriculture)

Scientists at the Bose Institute in Kolkata developed a modified CRISPR-based tool that activates plant defence genes only when the plant is under heat or disease stress.

• Standard CRISPR-Cas9: a genome editing tool that uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 protein to a specific DNA sequence, which it then cuts. The cut enables insertion, deletion or replacement of genetic material. Standard Cas9 permanently alters the genome.
• dCas9 (dead Cas9): a modified version of Cas9 in which the DNA-cutting ability has been disabled. dCas9 can still be directed to a specific gene by a guide RNA but it does not cut. Instead it acts as a gene activation or repression platform when fused to regulatory proteins.
• The innovation: instead of permanently editing plant DNA, the Bose Institute tool uses dCas9 fused to the natural tomato protein NACMTF3. NACMTF3 functions as a stress-responsive regulator: it activates target genes only when the plant is experiencing heat stress or pathogen attack.
• Target defence genes: CBP60g and SARD1 (activated during bacterial pathogen attack); NAC2 and HSFA6b (activated during heat stress).
• Why it matters: permanent genome edits that constitutively express defence genes impose a metabolic cost on the plant even when no threat is present, which can reduce yield. A conditional system avoids this cost.
• Solanaceous crops: the tool was tested in tomato and has direct applicability to potato, brinjal and chilli, all of which belong to the family Solanaceae. These are economically important crops across South Asia.
• Regulatory distinction: dCas9-based activation without DNA cutting may face different regulatory treatment than conventional GMO editing, as the plant genome is not permanently altered.

Revises: CRISPR-Cas9 Technology; Agricultural Biotechnology; Genomics.

GS area: GS-I Geography (Rivers of India); GS-III Environment (River Ecology)

The Tawi River is Jammu's primary freshwater source and an ecologically significant Himalayan tributary of the Chenab.

• Origin: the Kailash Kund glacier near Bhaderwah in Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Course: flows through Doda district, then Udhampur district, then Jammu city. The river passes through Jammu before crossing into Pakistan and draining into the Chenab River.
• Length: approximately 141 km.
• Significance for Jammu: the Tawi is the primary source of drinking water for Jammu city. Multiple intakes and treatment plants draw from the river.
• Religious importance: the Tawi is traditionally associated with the sun god (Surya). It is known as Surya Putri (daughter of the sun) in local Hindu tradition.
• Indus Waters Treaty (1960): the Tawi is a tributary of the Chenab. The Chenab is a Western River allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty. India has rights to use the Tawi's waters for run-of-river hydropower and consumptive use before it crosses the international boundary, within treaty limits.
• Sand mining: unregulated sand extraction from the Tawi's bed has accelerated bank erosion and threatened the river's ecological baseline. Regulatory enforcement has been intermittent.

Revises: Rivers of Jammu and Kashmir; Indus Waters Treaty; River Conservation.

• Banakacherla and GRMB: the Godavari River Management Board was established under the AP Reorganisation Act to manage shared Godavari waters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Its clearance is mandatory for new diversion projects.
• Gaganyaan astronaut training: the four Gaganyaan astronaut designates (including Shukla) underwent training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia. Shukla's Ax-4 flight is considered a precursor familiarisation mission.
• UN80 and UNSC reform: India's demand for permanent UNSC membership requires Charter amendment under Article 108, which must be ratified by all five permanent members. UN80 administrative reforms do not touch Article 108.
• Cloudburst forecasting horizon: IMD issues nowcasts (0 to 3 hours) for cloudburst-prone districts using DWR data. The spatial accuracy remains limited to roughly 25 km resolution in complex terrain.
• SFB conversion pathway: several Urban Co-operative Banks have applied for conversion to SFB status. RBI's revised PSL norms will apply to all SFBs including new entrants.