18 September 2025

• Infrastructure: Over 1,065 dams in India are 50-100 years old; 224 exceed 100 years. The Dam Safety Act, 2021 mandates inspections and Emergency Action Plans.
• Heritage: Sarnath officially nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status (2025-26 cycle) after a 27-year wait where the Buddha gave his first sermon.
• Energy: National Policy on Geothermal Energy 2025 India has 381 hot springs, 10 geothermal provinces, and 10 GW potential.
• Tribal welfare: De-notified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) approximately 13 crore people, historically stigmatised as "born criminals" under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871.
• Elections: EVMs to display colour photos of candidates, starting with Bihar Assembly elections.

GS area: Environment, Governance, Disaster Management

India's ageing dam infrastructure poses a serious safety risk, accelerated by climate-change-driven extreme rainfall.

• Scale of ageing: Over 1,065 dams are 50-100 years old (as of 2023 data). 224 dams exceed 100 years. By 2050, approximately 4,200 dams will cross the 50-year threshold.
• Sedimentation: Bhakra Nangal has lost 23 per cent of original storage capacity to silt; Hirakud 25 per cent; Lower Bhavani 20-30 per cent.
• Design gaps: Many dams were designed using historical rainfall data. Climate change has shifted flood patterns spillway capacities are inadequate for present-day extreme rainfall events.
• Seismic vulnerability: Dams near fault lines (Mullaperiyar Idukki fault; Koyna dam 1967 induced seismicity earthquake) require seismic risk assessment.
• Dam Safety Act, 2021: Establishes National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and mandates State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs). Requires pre- and post-monsoon inspections, Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), and inundation maps.
• DRIP (Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project): World Bank and AIIB-funded; covers 736 dams across phases I, II, and III. Structural strengthening, spillway retrofitting, and instrumentation.
• Policy gap: No decommissioning policy exists for dams that are structurally compromised beyond repair. A decommissioning framework is needed.

Static linkage: Environment (water resources), disaster management, governance.

GS area: Economy, Environment

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified the National Policy on Geothermal Energy 2025.

• India's geothermal potential: Estimated 10 GW. 381 hot springs identified across 10 geothermal provinces.
• High-potential zones:
  • Puga Valley, Ladakh (highest potential; accessible due to low elevation in a plateau).
  • Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh.
  • Tattapani, Chhattisgarh.
  • Bakreshwar, West Bengal.
• Applications beyond electricity: Geothermal energy (heat at various temperatures) can support district heating and cooling, cold storage for food preservation, aquaculture (heating fish ponds), tourism, and desalination.
• Fiscal incentives: 100 per cent FDI permitted; GST and import duty exemptions for equipment; tax holidays; accelerated depreciation; Viability Gap Funding (VGF).
• Implementation: Single-window clearance by state governments; Geothermal Centres of Excellence for R&D.
• Comparison with solar/wind: Unlike solar and wind, geothermal provides 24/7 baseload power not intermittent. This makes it uniquely valuable for grid stability.
• Global context: Iceland meets ~65 per cent of its primary energy needs from geothermal. Kenya generates 47 per cent of electricity from geothermal.

Static linkage: Economy (renewable energy), environment.

GS area: Art and Culture, History

Sarnath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) was formally nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site listing in the 2025-26 cycle after a 27-year wait on India's tentative list.

• Religious significance: One of the four holiest Buddhist pilgrimage sites. The Buddha delivered his first sermon here (Dhamma Chakra Pravartana) to his five disciples after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. This event is called "setting in motion the Wheel of Law."
• Historical timeline:
  • 3rd century BCE: Emperor Ashoka erected the famous Lion Capital pillar here now India's national emblem, housed in Sarnath Archaeological Museum.
  • 12th century CE: Site fell into disrepair (destroyed reasons disputed: some attribute it to Qutb-ud-din Aibak's invasion, others to internal decline).
  • 1835-36: Alexander Cunningham (Archaeological Survey of India's first Director General) conclusively identified the site.
• Key monuments: Dhamek Stupa (cylindrical stone stupa, 28 m high), Dharmarajika Stupa (mostly ruined), Chaukhandi Stupa, Ashokan Pillar, and the Archaeological Museum.
• Ashokan Pillar inscription: Warns Buddhist monastics not to cause schisms in the Sangha reveals Ashoka's doctrinal concerns.
• UNESCO World Heritage criteria: Likely under criteria (i) representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, and (vi) directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, ideas, beliefs, or artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

Static linkage: Art and culture (Buddhist heritage, Mauryan period).

GS area: Social Justice, History

India's De-notified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) approximately 13 crore people remain among the country's most marginalised groups.

• Historical stigma: The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 notified about 200 communities as "born criminals" communities that did not fit into the British agrarian tax net were labelled hereditary criminals. Habitual Offenders Act, 1952 replaced it (partially).
• De-notification: 1952 the act was repealed and communities were formally de-notified. Despite this, social and police stigma persisted.
• Renke Commission (2008): Identified 313 DNT communities. Estimated 10 crore population. Highlighted extreme marginalisation.
• Idate Commission (2017): Identified approximately 1,200 DNT/NT/SNT communities. Found 269 communities unclassified (neither SC, ST, nor OBC).
• Development and Welfare Board for DNTs (DWBDNC): Established February 21, 2019 under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• SEED Scheme: Scholarships, health insurance (PMJAY), livelihood, and housing support for DNT communities.
• Key challenge: No community certificates DNTs cannot prove community identity to access reservations. Lack of land and fixed address prevents document registration.

Static linkage: Social justice (marginalised communities, tribal welfare).

GS area: Polity, Governance

The Election Commission of India decided that Electronic Voting Machines will display colour photographs of candidates, beginning with Bihar Assembly elections.

• Legal provision: Rule 49B, Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 amended to mandate candidate photographs on ballot unit.
• Key changes:
  • Colour photographs occupy 75 per cent of the allotted space for each candidate.
  • International numerals displayed in bold, size 30 font.
  • Pink paper for Assembly elections with specified RGB values.
  • Maximum 15 candidates per ballot sheet; NOTA placed after the last candidate.
  • Standardised bold typeface for all candidate names.
• Objective: Reduce voter confusion especially for voters who recognise candidates by face rather than name (common among less literate voters). Also reduces impersonation risk.
• Bihar context: First implementation in Bihar Assembly elections. Bihar has significant first-time and low-literacy voters who may find face-identification helpful.
• EVM architecture: Two components Ballot Unit (BU) and Control Unit (CU). The VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) prints a paper slip showing the candidate's name and symbol.

Static linkage: Polity (elections, Election Commission, EVM).

GS area: Environment

Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala) received the award for "Best Managed Tiger Reserve" in 2022 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Location: Cardamom and Pandalam Hills, Southern Western Ghats. Districts: Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta.
• Historical milestones: Wildlife Sanctuary 1950; included in Project Tiger (1978, one of the first 9 reserves).
• Area: 925 sq km (total reserve); core zone 350 sq km.
• Lake: The Periyar Lake (reservoir, 26 sq km) was created by the Mullaperiyar dam (1895). Provides the reserve's water and attracts wildlife.
• Community participation (exceptional model):
  • 81 Ecodev opment Committees (EDCs) local tribes and forest-adjacent communities.
  • Vasanthasena women's group: patrols for sandalwood poaching.
  • M-STrIPES app: digital patrolling, data collection.
  • VIPER task force: anti-poaching.
• Tribe: Urali tribe's organic pepper is globally exported through government marketing.
• Fauna: Bengal Tiger, Indian Elephant, Gaur, Leopard, Wild Dog, 7 endemic fish species.
• Mullaperiyar dam issue: Tamil Nadu-Kerala dispute over raising the dam height impacts Periyar reserve water levels and safety.

Static linkage: Environment (Project Tiger, wildlife reserves, Western Ghats).

GS area: Disaster Management, Governance

The 2025 Himalayan floods in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand tested India's disaster management framework.

• Institutional architecture:
  • National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): Policy body.
  • National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): Specialised rescue teams.
  • State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs).
  • Armed Forces and paramilitary units as first responders.
• Technology in use: Doppler radars, IMD nowcasting, drones for reconnaissance and supply delivery, satellite imagery for damage assessment.
• Gaps:
  • Hyper-local cloud bursts and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) still lack accurate predictions.
  • Many communities ignore SMS alerts public awareness deficit.
  • Inadequate state rehabilitation capacity.
• Proposed technologies:
  • AI-based forecasting for flash floods and debris flows.
  • 24/7 sensor monitoring of glacial lakes.
  • GIS and remote sensing for hazard mapping.
• Disaster Management Act, 2005: Primary legal framework. PM chairs NDMA.

Static linkage: Disaster management, governance, environment.

• Jungle Warfare School: Located at Karreguta Hills, Bijapur, Chhattisgarh (former Maoist stronghold). Trains CRPF, Disturbance Response Group (DRG), CoBRA commandos, and state police in counter-ambush, cave-clearing, night operations, and IED detection.
• Machu Picchu: UNESCO World Heritage Site (1983), New Seven Wonders of the World. Built c. 1438-1471 by Inca emperor Pachacuti Yupanqui. Located 2,350 m in the Andes (~80 km northwest of Cusco, Peru). Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham (1911).