Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has initiated the process to remove Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court by admitting a motion signed by 146 members. A three-member inquiry committee, comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior Karnataka High Court advocate B.V. Acharya, has been constituted to probe charges against Justice Varma. The charges stem from burnt currency notes found at his official residence, leading to an in-house inquiry that indicted him. The Speaker emphasized the importance of unimpeachable character and integrity in the judiciary.
The Lok Sabha Speaker has admitted a motion for the removal of a High Court judge, constituting an inquiry committee.
The process is initiated under Section 3(2) of the Judges (Inquiry) Act 1968, following charges of corruption.
The inquiry committee includes a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and a senior advocate.
Exam Points
The motion was admitted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The inquiry committee was constituted under Section 3(2) of the Judges (Inquiry) Act 1968.
The process involves Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution of India.
India's retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), dropped to an 8-year low of 1.55% in July, the lowest since June 2017. This figure is below the Reserve Bank of India's comfort band of 2% to 6%. The decline is primarily attributed to a significant drop in food prices, with the food and beverages category experiencing deflation at -0.8% in July. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, also eased to 4.1% in July 2025 from 4.4% in the previous month, nearing RBI's target of 4%.
Retail inflation in India has fallen to its lowest level in eight years, driven by a decrease in food prices.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the primary measure for retail inflation, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The current inflation rate is below the RBI's comfort band, indicating a favorable economic trend.
Exam Points
Retail inflation in July was 1.55%, an 8-year low since June 2017.
The Reserve Bank of India's comfort band for inflation is 2% to 6%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) has issued an advisory to address the gender imbalance in organ transplantation, prioritizing women patients and relatives of deceased donors. This move comes as NOTTO's data shows women, despite being significant living donors, are underrepresented as organ recipients. The advisory aims to provide additional points in allocation criteria for women. However, concerns exist regarding procedural hassles and potential misuse, as current protocols do not allow for prioritization based on gender, only health. The article emphasizes the need for proper implementation under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act and ensuring that the greatest need, based on health parameters, remains the primary principle.
NOTTO's advisory seeks to correct gender disparity in organ transplantation by prioritizing women and relatives of deceased donors.
Data indicates women are underrepresented as organ recipients despite being major living donors.
Concerns exist about procedural challenges and potential for out-of-turn allotments, given current protocols prioritize health over other factors.
Exam Points
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) issued the advisory.
NOTTO's decadal data (2013-23) shows women constituted 63% of living donor transplants but only 37% of kidney recipients and 30% of liver recipients in 2023.
The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, governs organ donation in India.
The Supreme Court's August 11 order on free-roaming dogs directs Delhi and its satellites to collect and permanently confine street dogs, expanding shelter capacity. This intervention aims to address the high number of dog bite cases and rabies deaths. However, this order conflicts with the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, which mandate "capture, neuter, vaccinate, release" and prohibit permanent relocation or long-term impoundment of healthy dogs. The article highlights the failure of current rules to control dog populations and calls for policymakers to update the outdated legal setup, such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, to reflect modern urban realities.
The Supreme Court has ordered the permanent confinement of street dogs in Delhi and its satellites to address public health concerns.
This directive clashes with the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, which advocate for "capture, neuter, vaccinate, release" and restrict permanent impoundment.
Existing rules have been ineffective in controlling urban dog populations, leading to continued issues with bites and rabies.
Exam Points
The Supreme Court issued an order on August 11 regarding free-roaming dogs.
The Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 govern the management of street dogs.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 is cited as an outdated legal setup.
The government's Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, with an outlay of ₹99,446 crore, aims to generate employment but is criticized for its employer-centric approach. Critics argue it overlooks skill mismatches, potentially strengthening employers' bargaining power, and exacerbating wage gaps. The scheme prioritizes the formal manufacturing sector, indirectly marginalizing the 90% informal workforce and potentially normalizing disguised unemployment. This sectoral focus is seen as outdated, as manufacturing's employment elasticity is declining, while agriculture and services employ the majority. Alternatives proposed include investing in skilling and education reforms, focusing on long-term sustained employment, and adopting an equitable development strategy.
The ELI Scheme is criticized for being employer-centric and failing to address the fundamental skill mismatch in the Indian labor market.
The scheme's focus on the formal manufacturing sector risks marginalizing the vast informal workforce and deepening structural inequalities.
Concerns are raised about the potential for the scheme to normalize disguised unemployment and for enterprises to mislabel existing jobs as new.
Exam Points
The Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme has an outlay of ₹99,446 crore.
The Economic Survey 2024-25 reveals only 8.25% of graduates are employed in roles matching their qualifications.
Manufacturing contributes less than 13% to total employment, while agriculture and services employ nearly 70%.
The Bombay High Court rejected a bail plea, stating that documents like Aadhaar, PAN, or Voter ID are for identification only and do not confer Indian citizenship, which is governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955. Separately, the Union Home Ministry, in a Lok Sabha reply, refrained from specifying "valid documents" required to prove citizenship. It reiterated that citizenship is acquired by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, or incorporation of territory, as per the Citizenship Act, 1955, and its rules. The Ministry also mentioned that the Act requires compulsory registration of every Indian citizen and issuance of national ID cards.
The Bombay High Court clarified that identification documents like Aadhaar or Voter ID are not sufficient proof of Indian citizenship.
Citizenship in India is primarily determined by the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The Union Home Ministry has not specified a list of "valid documents" for proving citizenship, referring instead to the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Exam Points
The Bombay High Court ruling referenced the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The Union Home Ministry's statement was a reply in the Lok Sabha.
Citizenship can be acquired by birth (Section 3), descent (Section 4), registration (Section 5), naturalisation (Section 6), or incorporation of territory (Section 7) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the 'Thayumanavar Thittam', a scheme aimed at delivering ration supplies directly to the doorstep of over 21.7 lakh elderly citizens and persons with disabilities across the State. The scheme will be implemented through 34,809 fair price shops, benefiting over 20.42 lakh citizens aged above 70 and 1.27 lakh persons with disabilities. Essential commodities will be delivered on the second Saturday and Sunday of every month, incurring an additional expenditure of ₹30.16 crore for the Cooperation Department.
Tamil Nadu has launched a new scheme, 'Thayumanavar Thittam', for doorstep delivery of ration supplies.
The scheme targets elderly citizens (above 70) and persons with disabilities.
Ration supplies will be delivered monthly on specific weekends through existing fair price shops.
Exam Points
The scheme is named 'Thayumanavar Thittam'.
It was launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
It targets over 21.7 lakh beneficiaries, including 20.42 lakh citizens aged above 70 and 1.27 lakh persons with disabilities.
The Union Cabinet has approved four new semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), bringing the total to ten. Two plants will be in Bhubaneswar (Odisha), and one each in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. These projects have a cumulative value of ₹4,594 crore and are supported by the ₹76,000-crore ISM. The firms involved include SiCSem (silicon carbide integrated facility), Continental Device India Private Limited (expanding existing facility), 3D Glass Solutions Inc. (advanced packaging), and Advanced System in Package (ASIP) Technologies (semiconductor unit). The initiative aims to boost India's capacity in critical semiconductor technologies, particularly silicon carbide.
The Union Cabinet has approved four new semiconductor manufacturing projects under the India Semiconductor Mission.
These projects, located in Odisha, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh, will enhance India's domestic semiconductor production capabilities.
The mission provides significant financial support to semiconductor units, totaling ₹76,000 crore.
Exam Points
Four new semiconductor projects were approved, bringing the total under ISM to ten.
The cumulative value of the four new projects is ₹4,594 crore.
The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) has an outlay of ₹76,000 crore.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is significantly expanding its wastewater surveillance program to monitor 10 viruses across 50 cities, up from the current five. This initiative aims to establish an early warning system by identifying increases in viral load trends in communities at the earliest stage. Currently, COVID-19 and polio viruses are under surveillance. ICMR is also involved in environmental surveillance for viruses like avian influenza and maintains robust surveillance systems for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Additionally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance is ongoing in several hospitals.
ICMR is expanding its wastewater surveillance program to detect 10 viruses in 50 cities, up from five.
The program's goal is to establish an early warning system for viral outbreaks by monitoring community viral load.
This initiative complements existing surveillance systems for ILI, SARI, and antimicrobial resistance.
Exam Points
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is leading the initiative.
The surveillance will cover 10 viruses across 50 cities.
Currently, COVID-19 and polio viruses are under surveillance.
Satellite internet, particularly through Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mega-constellations like Starlink, is emerging as a transformative solution for global connectivity. Unlike ground-based networks, satellite internet offers extensive and resilient coverage, especially in remote areas and during disasters, and supports mobile platforms. LEO satellites, orbiting below 2,000 km, provide low latency and are cheaper to deploy in large numbers, forming interconnected "internet in the sky" networks using inter-satellite links. This technology has vast applications in communication, transportation, public administration, healthcare, agriculture, and defense, but also presents complex security and regulatory challenges, making it a new dimension of national power.
Satellite internet, especially LEO constellations, provides resilient global connectivity, overcoming limitations of ground-based infrastructure.
LEO satellites offer low latency and are cost-effective for large-scale deployment, forming interconnected networks in space.
The technology has broad applications across various sectors, including disaster response, defense, and economic development.
Exam Points
Satellites are deployed in three main orbits: Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
LEO satellites orbit below 2,000 km, with some Starlink satellites at 550 km.
GEO satellites orbit at 35,786 km.
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