31 July 2025

• Space: NISAR, the NASA-ISRO dual-frequency SAR satellite, was launched on 31 July 2025 aboard GSLV-F16 from Sriharikota. It will detect ground deformation below 1 cm across a 242 km swath.
• International: China's Medog Dam on the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Zangbo) is designed to generate 60,000 MW, making it the world's largest hydroelectric project, with major downstream implications for India.
• Trade: The USA imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods effective 1 August 2025, citing trade imbalances and India's energy ties with Russia.
• Finance: The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 takes effect 1 August 2025, revising the substantial interest threshold from 5 lakh rupees to 2 crore rupees and extending cooperative bank director tenures.
• Environment: At Ramsar COP15 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, a resolution was adopted promoting sustainable lifestyles for wise use of wetlands, aligning with Mission LiFE.

GS area: International Relations (China, transboundary rivers), Environment

China's Medog Dam project in Tibet, located at the Great Bend of the Yarlung Zangbo, will be the world's largest hydroelectric project if completed as planned.

• Location: Medog County, Tibetan Autonomous Region, at the dramatic gorge where the Yarlung Zangbo drops 2,000-plus metres over 50 km before becoming the Siang and eventually the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• Planned capacity: 60,000 MW, exceeding the Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW) by a wide margin.
• Geopolitical impact: China controls the upper reaches of multiple rivers flowing into South and Southeast Asia. Dam construction shifts riparian power asymmetry decisively toward China.
• Legal gap: India and China have no bilateral river-water treaty. The UN Watercourses Convention (1997), which India has signed but China has not ratified, provides no binding protection.
• Environmental concerns: Altered flow regimes affect monsoon hydrology in Northeast India. GLOF risk increases if dam infrastructure fails. Biodiversity disruption in one of the world's most biodiverse gorges.
• India's response: India has announced the Upper Siang Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh as a counter-measure to bank stored water before it can be regulated downstream by the Medog Dam.

Static linkage: International relations (India-China, transboundary rivers, GS-2), environment (river ecology, GS-3).

GS area: Science and Technology (space, earth observation)

The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite was launched on 31 July 2025 from Sriharikota aboard the GSLV-F16 rocket.

• Orbit: Sun-synchronous polar orbit at 747 km altitude.
• Radar configuration: Dual-frequency. L-band radar (24 cm wavelength, NASA contribution) and S-band radar (12 cm wavelength, ISRO contribution) operate simultaneously.
• Swath: 242 km width per pass, enabling rapid full-Earth coverage.
• Revisit cycle: 12-day revisit for any point on Earth.
• Precision: Detects ground surface deformation below 1 cm. Operates through clouds and darkness.
• Mission life: 5 years (2025 to 2030).
• Applications: Earthquake and landslide early warning (ground deformation), glacier and ice sheet movement, ecosystem dynamics monitoring, disaster response and agricultural mapping.
• Cost sharing: US$1.5 billion mission. NASA contributed the L-band radar and ground systems. ISRO contributed the S-band radar, satellite bus and launch services.
• Significance: The largest joint Earth observation mission between NASA and ISRO. Marks India's integration into the global Earth science data ecosystem.

Static linkage: Science and technology (ISRO, NASA, SAR, earth observation, GS-3).

GS area: International Relations (India-USA), Economy (trade)

The United States imposed a 25% ad valorem tariff on Indian imports effective 1 August 2025, following the fifth failed round of India-US trade negotiations.

• Stated reasons: High Indian trade barriers, India's energy imports from Russia and India's defence ties with Russia.
• Russian Sanctions Act link: The 25% tariff is separate from but related to the Russian Sanctions Act 2025 (Senator Graham), which proposes 500% tariffs on countries trading Russian energy.
• India's position: India cited its recent CETA with the UK as evidence of openness to fair trade. India also cited sovereign rights over energy sourcing.
• Affected sectors: Indian exports to the US in IT services, pharmaceuticals, textiles, engineering goods and agricultural products face increased cost competitiveness pressure.
• India-US trade baseline: Bilateral goods trade is approximately $125 billion. The US is India's largest single-country trading partner.
• Historical precedent: India and the US were in a dispute over GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) withdrawal in 2019. The current tariff is more severe.

Static linkage: International relations (India-USA trade tensions, tariff diplomacy, GS-2 and GS-3).

GS area: Economy (banking regulation), Governance

The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act 2025 takes effect from 1 August 2025, amending five banking laws.

• Substantial interest threshold: The threshold for "substantial interest" in a bank (the trigger for additional disclosure and conflict of interest rules) has been revised from 5 lakh rupees to 2 crore rupees. This updates a limit unchanged since 1968.
• Cooperative bank directors: Director tenure in cooperative banks extended from 8 to 10 years. This allows more continuity in cooperative bank governance.
• Unclaimed deposits: Public sector banks can now transfer unclaimed shares and interest to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF). This extends to banking what already applied to companies.
• Auditor remuneration: Public sector banks are empowered to determine statutory auditor remuneration themselves, rather than having it set externally. This strengthens audit independence.
• Reporting changes: Reporting frequency to RBI revised from weekly to fortnightly, monthly or quarterly depending on the report type, reducing compliance burden.

Static linkage: Economy (banking regulation, RBI, cooperative banks, audit independence, GS-3).

GS area: Environment (biodiversity, wildlife conservation)

India's first comprehensive assessment of small wild cat species across tiger landscapes revealed uneven resilience across nine species.

• Species assessed: Jungle cat, leopard cat, fishing cat, rusty-spotted cat, clouded leopard, marbled cat, Asiatic golden cat, caracal and Eurasian lynx.
• Most resilient: Jungle cats with 96,275 square km of estimated habitat occupancy. Highly adaptable to disturbed and agricultural landscapes.
• Most restricted: Clouded leopards occupy only 3,250 square km of dense northeast Indian forest habitat.
• Habitat specialists:
  • Fishing cats: restricted to wetland zones, making them highly sensitive to wetland drainage.
  • Marbled cats: confined to dense northeast forests with limited survey data.
• Protected area value: All species showed higher presence inside protected areas, confirming that the core wildlife reserve network is functional.
• Policy implication: Conservation has focused on flagship species (tiger, elephant, rhino). This study argues for smaller carnivore-specific management, particularly for wetland-dependent species like the fishing cat.

Static linkage: Environment (biodiversity, wildlife conservation, small carnivores, GS-3).

GS area: Environment (wetlands, international conventions)

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention, held at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, adopted a resolution on sustainable lifestyles for wise use of wetlands.

• Resolution title: "Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles for the Wise Use of Wetlands."
• Adoption date: 30 July 2025.
• Core message: Integrating pro-planet behavioural choices into wetland management, going beyond regulatory protection to lifestyle change.
• India link: Aligns with India's Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative launched by PM Modi at COP26 (2021) and formally adopted at COP27.
• SDG alignment: The resolution connects to SDGs 6 (clean water), 12 (responsible consumption), 13 (climate action), 15 (life on land) and 17 (partnerships).
• Ramsar Convention overview: Founded in Ramsar, Iran, 1971. 172 contracting parties. Over 2,400 Ramsar Wetlands designated globally covering 2.5 million square km.

Static linkage: Environment (Ramsar Convention, wetlands, Mission LiFE, SDGs, GS-3).

GS area: Economy (capital markets, financial inclusion)

The National Stock Exchange crossed 23 crore (230 million) unique trading accounts in July 2025.

• Growth rate: Reached 22 crore just three months earlier, adding 1 crore accounts in a quarter.
• NSE founding: Incorporated in 1992, recognised by SEBI in April 1993, commenced trading in 1994.
• Global rank: 5th largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. The world's largest derivatives exchange by contract volume.
• Key platforms: NSE IX (GIFT City), NSE Emerge (SME listings), Social Stock Exchange (launched 2023).
• Democratisation signal: The rapid account-opening growth reflects rising retail investor participation, partly driven by zero-brokerage platforms and mobile trading apps.

Static linkage: Economy (capital markets, financial inclusion, SEBI, stock exchanges, GS-3).

• Klyuchevskoy volcano: A stratovolcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula at 4,750 metres, the Northern Hemisphere's tallest active volcano. Continuously active since 1697. Erupted following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake on 30 July. Part of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO World Heritage Site. The July eruption is a reminder that major earthquakes can trigger proximal volcanic events through pressure redistribution.
• Indian harmonium: A free-reed aerophone with bellows and metal reeds in a wooden case. Prominent in Hindustani classical, bhajan, qawwali and folk traditions. Operates without electricity, making it portable for field performance. Tuning is weather-dependent. The harmonium was introduced to India by European missionaries in the 19th century and was naturalised into Indian classical music despite early AIR restrictions on its use.