11 August 2025

• Defence: India's defence production at Rs 1.51 lakh crore in FY 2024-25. Asiatic lion count reaches 891 : a 32 per cent jump.
• Economy: IMEC stalled but remains India's strategic corridor bet; AI restructures the IT sector.
• History: Kakori Conspiracy centenary : the 1925 train interception that produced four revolutionary martyrs.
• Governance: Khelo India ASMITA launches India's first affirmative-action football league for girls under 13.
• Space: Bhagirathi River altered course after flash flood : the confluence point at Dharali shifted.

GS area: Environment and Ecology

The 16th Lion Population Estimation Report recorded 891 Asiatic lions in 2025, up from 674 in 2020 : a 32.2 per cent increase.

• Adult females: 330 individuals, a 26.9 per cent increase. Female count is the ecologically significant measure because lionesses bear and raise cubs.
• Satellite populations: 497 lions now live across nine locations outside the core Gir forest, in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar and other adjoining areas.
• Highest concentration: Amreli district : 82 adult males, 117 females, 79 cubs.
• Conservation concern: All Asiatic lions live in one ecosystem. A single disease event or catastrophic flood could threaten the entire population. The proposed second population at Kuno-Palpur, Madhya Pradesh has not materialised despite Supreme Court directions.
• IUCN status: Vulnerable. Protected under Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Static linkage: Wildlife conservation, biodiversity, environment.

GS area: History (Freedom Struggle)

August 9, 2025 marked the centenary of the Kakori train robbery. Events continued into August 11.

• Hindustan Republican Association: Founded in 1924 in Allahabad. The Kakori action was planned to raise funds for revolutionary activities.
• Ram Prasad Bismil: Led the Kakori group. Hanged December 19, 1927 at Gorakhpur Jail.
• Ashfaqulla Khan: Bismil's closest associate. The Hindu-Muslim friendship between Bismil and Ashfaqulla is a recurring theme in nationalist historiography.
• Chandrashekhar Azad: Escaped the British net after Kakori. Later reorganised the HRA into HSRA and died in a confrontation at Alfred Park, Allahabad in 1931.
• Legacy: The HSRA's ideology : combining nationalism with socialism : influenced the Indian left's engagement with the freedom struggle.

Static linkage: Freedom struggle, revolutionary nationalism, modern history.

GS area: Economy (Energy), Governance (Schemes)

The PM E-Drive scheme received a Rs 10,900 crore budget with an extension through 2027-28.

• Demand incentives: Rs 3,679 crore for direct subsidies. Two-wheeler subsidy: Rs 5,000 per kWh of battery capacity, maximum Rs 10,000 per vehicle.
• Infrastructure: Rs 7,171 crore for e-buses and charging infrastructure.
• Charging targets: 22,100 fast chargers for four-wheelers, 1,800 for buses, 48,400 for two-wheelers and three-wheelers.
• Timeline nuance: Two-wheeler and three-wheeler subsidies end March 31, 2026. The scheme extension primarily covers infrastructure and e-bus deployment.
• Relationship to FAME: PM E-Drive replaced the FAME II scheme. FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) ran until March 2024.

Static linkage: Electric vehicles, energy transition, welfare schemes.

GS area: Economy, Science and Technology

Private sector's share in India's defence production reached 23 per cent in FY 2024-25.

• Growth trajectory: From 21 per cent in the previous year. The long-term shift reflects policy changes : the Negative Import List prohibiting procurement of listed items from foreign sources, and the higher Foreign Direct Investment limit in defence (74 per cent under automatic route, 100 per cent under government route).
• Key private players: Tata Advanced Systems (C-295), L&T (defence vessels and artillery), Bharat Forge (artillery), Adani Defence (ammunition, UAVs).
• DPSUs: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited and six others still account for 77 per cent.
• Export engine: Defence exports grew 12 per cent to Rs 23,622 crore. Private sector firms lead the export effort.

Static linkage: Defence manufacturing, Make in India, economy.

GS area: Geography, Disaster Management

The flash flood in Dharali, Uttarkashi altered the course of the Bhagirathi River. The Kheer Gad tributary was forced back to its old channel.

• Bhagirathi river basics: One of the two headstreams of the Ganga. Originates from the Gaumukh glacier at 3,892 metres in Uttarakhand. Flows through Gangotri, Harsil, Uttarkashi, Tehri and joins the Alaknanda at Devprayag to form the Ganga.
• Key tributaries: Kedar Ganga, Jadh Ganga, Asi Ganga, Bhilangna River.
• Geomorphic significance: River course changes during floods are a natural process in active Himalayan channels. They become dangerous when settlements occupy historic floodplains.
• Devprayag: The confluence point of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. After this point, the combined river is called the Ganga.

Static linkage: River systems, Himalayan geography, disaster management.

GS area: Governance (Sports)

India launched Khelo India ASMITA : the country's first affirmative-action football league for girls aged 13 and under : in Jalgaon, Maharashtra.

• Purpose: Create a structured competitive pathway for young girls in football, with special focus on marginalised communities.
• Age cap: Under-13. The focus on early development is deliberate : identifying and developing talent before drop-out rates peak.
• Khelo India framework: The broader Khelo India programme funds sports infrastructure, athlete support and competition. ASMITA is its gender-targeted league component.
• Location significance: Jalgaon was chosen for its existing grassroots football tradition and its access to underserved communities.

Static linkage: Sports governance, gender equity, schemes.

• PM E-Drive details: The scheme's two-wheeler subsidy ends March 2026 but the bus and charging infrastructure component runs to FY 2027-28. Total budget Rs 10,900 crore.
• Tritium study: A Fukushima Daiichi study confirmed that treated radioactive water released from the plant poses negligible risk to human health. Tritium (radioactive hydrogen-3) emits only low-energy beta radiation and is harmful only if inhaled or ingested in large quantities.
• Animal Stem Cell Biobank: National Institute of Animal Biotechnology in Hyderabad opened India's first facility for banking animal genetic material under the Department of Biotechnology.