23 August 2025

• Governance: India's regulatory burden : 39,000 compliances, 5 crore court cases, 1,445-day contract enforcement average.
• Environment: WHO-WMO report: 4 billion workers globally face heat stress; India faces 34 million job losses in agriculture and construction by 2030.
• Polity: UN famine declaration in Gaza : IPC criteria for famine require 20 per cent of households in extreme food shortage.
• Diplomacy: Indian Army Chief visits Algeria : defence partnership strengthening.
• Urban: Sundarbans Tiger Reserve expansion confirmed as India's second-largest reserve.

GS area: Economy, Governance

India leads in fintech and digital adoption but imports Rs 1.2 lakh crore of semiconductors annually and contributes less than 5 per cent to global AI patents.

• Regulatory burden: Over 39,000 compliances across sectors. Contract enforcement averages 1,445 days : among the slowest for a major economy.
• Court backlogs: 5 crore cases pending in India's courts. This directly hits business confidence for both domestic and foreign investors.
• Talent drain: About 2 lakh STEM students migrate abroad annually. Without competitive research infrastructure and career prospects, retention is structurally difficult.
• Success example: The Bengaluru-Chennai technology corridor and UP's semiconductor policy show state-level ambition filling a central policy gap.
• What the argument demands: Civil service reform, regulatory modernisation, judicial transformation and greater federal empowerment to states to set their own technology investment incentives.

Static linkage: Economy, governance, technology policy.

GS area: Environment (Climate Change), Economy

A joint WHO-WMO report "Climate Change and Workplace Heat Stress" (2025) quantified the global and Indian impact of rising temperatures on workers.

• Global scale: 4 billion workers face heat stress. 22.85 million injuries annually linked to heat. 18,970 heat-related worker deaths. 2.09 million DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years) lost.
• Productivity loss: Each 1 degree Celsius rise in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature above 20 degrees reduces productivity by 2 to 3 per cent.
• India-specific projection: ILO projects 34 million job losses in agriculture and construction by 2030 due to heat stress : these are India's two largest employment sectors.
• 2024 climate benchmark: The warmest year on record : 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• Best practice cited: Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan : a city-level early warning and response system that has measurably reduced heatwave mortality. Implemented since 2013.
• Policy recommendations: Heat-index-based work regulations, cooling shelters in agricultural areas, mandatory health screenings for outdoor workers.

Static linkage: Climate change, labour rights, disaster management.

GS area: International Relations, Governance (Humanitarian)

The UN declared famine in Gaza affecting nearly 500,000 people.

• IPC criteria for famine declaration: At least 20 per cent of households face extreme food shortages. Acute malnutrition exceeds 30 per cent in children under five. Mortality exceeds 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day from starvation or disease.
• IPC: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification : the UN's standard framework for classifying food security from Phase 1 (minimal) to Phase 5 (famine).
• Recent famine declarations: Somalia (2011 and 2022), South Sudan (2017), Yemen, Ethiopia's Tigray (2021) and Sudan.
• India's response: India has been part of UN humanitarian funding discussions. India's position on the Gaza conflict involves calls for ceasefire and humanitarian access while avoiding direct engagement with the conflict's underlying disputes.

Static linkage: International relations, humanitarian law, food security.

GS area: Economy (Tourism, Governance)

NITI Aayog released "Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways" in collaboration with IAMAI on August 22, 2025.

• NITI Aayog basics: Established January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission. Chairperson is the Prime Minister. Vice Chairperson is the operational head.
• IAMAI: Internet and Mobile Association of India : the industry body for the digital ecosystem.
• Report focus: The homestay sector sits in a regulatory grey zone. State rules vary enormously. Digital platforms (Airbnb, UrbanStay) operate under e-commerce rules while homestay hosts face tourism and property laws.
• Policy gap: No uniform national framework for registration, quality standards or taxation of homestay properties.

Static linkage: Tourism, economy, governance.

GS area: Environment and Ecology

The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve's expanded area of 3,629.57 sq km makes it India's second-largest tiger reserve.

• Added area: 1,044.68 sq km of buffer and core zone extension.
• Mangrove significance: The Sundarbans is the world's largest contiguous mangrove forest. Mangroves store blue carbon at rates up to four times higher than tropical forests.
• Blue carbon: Carbon stored in coastal ecosystems : mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes. More efficient than terrestrial carbon sinks per unit area.
• Ramsar Wetland: Designated in 2019.
• UNESCO WHite: World Heritage Site since 1987. Biosphere Reserve 1989.
• Royal Bengal Tiger: Adapted to the tidal, saline Sundarbans environment. Tigers here are known to swim between islands.

Static linkage: Wildlife conservation, mangroves, ecology.

GS area: Governance (Social Justice)

The Greater Chennai Police established specialised senior citizen helplines demonstrating citizen-centric governance.

• Helpline 1253: In operation since 2004. Received 2,242 calls in 2025, including legal assistance requests.
• Bandham Helpline (9499957575): Launched 2024 for citizens aged 75 and above. Received 1,191 calls in 2025.
• Total: 3,433 calls in 2025 : emotional support, legal aid referrals and welfare checks.
• Legal framework: The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 obligates families to maintain parents and senior citizens financially. Police helplines are the enforcement and support arm.

Static linkage: Governance, social justice, elderly welfare.

• Algeria visit by Indian Army Chief: The Chief of Army Staff visited Algeria to strengthen defence cooperation. Algeria is North Africa's largest country by area. Capital: Algiers. Borders Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco.
• Great Nicobar Project: Rs 72,000 crore project. 13,000 hectares of forest proposed for diversion. Components: transshipment port, international airport, gas plant, township. Forest Rights Act versus Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation 1956 conflict.
• Extreme heat policy: Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan (2013) is cited globally as a model : it includes pre-season coordination, colour-coded heat alerts, cooling centres and trained community health workers.