The Election Commission of India has initiated the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across nine states and three Union Territories, covering approximately 51 crore voters. This exercise involves booth-level officers (BLOs) conducting door-to-door visits to distribute and collect enumeration forms. The goal is to ensure a clean and transparent electoral roll by identifying eligible voters and removing discrepancies. However, the move has faced political opposition, with some leaders alleging potential rigging and others challenging the exercise's arbitrary nature in the Supreme Court. The final electoral rolls are expected to be published by February 7.
The SIR exercise covers 12 States and UTs including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
Over 5.3 lakh booth-level officers are involved in the door-to-door enumeration process to verify voter details.
The first phase of SIR in Bihar resulted in the deletion of over 68 lakh names from the electoral rolls earlier this year.
Exam Points
The final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on February 7.
The toll-free helpline for voter assistance and queries is 1950.
The SIR exercise in Bihar led to the deletion of 68 lakh names from the electoral rolls.
A team of researchers exploring the Western Ghats has discovered a new species of jumping spider belonging to the Pilia genus at Madhugundi village in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka. Named 'Pilia malenadu' to honor the region, this discovery is significant as the last species in this genus was found in Kerala roughly 123 years ago in 1902. The researchers identified 24 individuals, including males, females, and juveniles. The presence of such rare species indicates a healthy ecosystem but also highlights the habitat-specific nature of these spiders, which were found only on two specific plant species endemic to the region.
The new species Pilia malenadu belongs to the Pilia genus of jumping spiders, which has multiple species in one genus.
This is the first time in 123 years that a species from this genus has been discovered in India.
The discovery was made in the Western Ghats, specifically in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka.
Exam Points
The last Pilia genus discovery in India was recorded in 1902.
The discovery was published in the international journal Zootaxa.
The species is named Pilia malenadu after the Malenadu region of Karnataka.
The Supreme Court of India has called for a comprehensive inquiry into the rising menace of digital scams, particularly 'digital arrest' frauds. These scams often originate from 'scam compounds' in Southeast Asia, notably Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand. Victims are lured with fraudulent job offers and then trafficked into forced labor, where they are coerced into perpetrating elaborate scams like 'pig butchering.' These operations are often controlled by transnational crime syndicates and thrive in regions with weak state control. The situation demands a coordinated regional response involving diplomatic channels, the RBI, and international bodies like the United Nations.
Digital scams are evolving into an industrial-scale cross-border architecture involving human trafficking and forced labor.
'Pig butchering' scams combine romance and cryptocurrency investment fraud to defraud victims globally.
Many scam centers operate in Myanmar's conflict-torn regions, sometimes with the complicity of local regimes or militias.
Exam Points
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is urged to launch extensive public awareness campaigns.
The junta's 2021 coup in Myanmar created ideal conditions for these scam centers to flourish.
The Supreme Court Bench specifically focused on 'digital arrest' scams where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement.
India has released a revised blueprint for the Green India Mission (GIM), setting an ambitious target to restore 25 million hectares of degraded forest and non-forest land by 2030. This initiative is crucial for India's climate pledge to create an additional carbon sink of up to 3.39 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The new strategy shifts focus from mere canopy cover to biodiversity-rich landscapes, emphasizing native species over monocultures. However, challenges remain, including inconsistent funding utilization from the CAMPA fund and the need for better community participation and ecological design to ensure long-term sustainability.
The Green India Mission aims to restore 25 million hectares of land to meet India's international carbon sink commitments.
The revised plan prioritizes biodiversity-sensitive plantations and the restoration of diverse landscapes like the Aravalli Hills and Western Ghats.
Financing remains a hurdle, with the CAMPA fund holding ₹95,000 crore, yet utilization by states like Delhi remains low.
Exam Points
India's climate pledge aims for an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.39 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The CAMPA fund currently holds approximately ₹95,000 crore.
The Forest Rights Act (2006) provides the legal framework for community forest management and protection.
The Supreme Court of India has flagged the growing misuse of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to criminalize consensual relationships between adolescents. A Bench led by Justice B.V. Nagarathna observed that parents often lodge complaints against boys in such relationships as a form of retribution. The court is considering issuing directions to spread legal awareness among students and men regarding the Act's provisions. The judges emphasized the need for early sensitisation on gender parity and legal literacy in school curricula to prevent the unintended criminalization of youth in situations not envisaged by the law's framers.
The POCSO Act is increasingly being invoked in cases of consensual relationships between minors, leading to unintended legal consequences.
The Supreme Court suggests that ethical and behavioural training on treating women with respect should be part of education.
Several states, including Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, have been asked to respond to the court's concerns regarding legal awareness.
Exam Points
The Bench included Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan.
The court is hearing a writ petition filed by senior advocate Aabad Ponda.
The court granted a 'last opportunity' to states that have not yet filed their responses on POCSO awareness.
The Supreme Court has decided to examine the constitutionality of provisions in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, which bar married couples with a healthy biological or adopted child from accessing surrogacy. The Union government defends the ban, arguing that surrogacy is not a fundamental right and involves the use of another woman's body. However, petitioners argue that 'secondary infertility'—the inability to conceive a second child—is emotionally taxing and that the restriction infringes on reproductive choices. The court will weigh the state's interest in regulating surrogacy against the individual's desire for a second child.
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, currently restricts surrogacy to couples who have no surviving children, with certain medical exceptions.
The government contends that surrogacy should be a last resort after other options like adoption or ART have failed.
Petitioners argue that India has no 'one-child policy' and that the law should recognize the emotional toll of secondary infertility.
Exam Points
The relevant law is the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021.
Section 4(iii)(C)(II) of the Act is the specific provision under scrutiny.
The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, allows for the adoption of up to three children regardless of gender.
The BRICS grouping is intensifying efforts to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar-dominated international financial system. A key initiative is the BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative (BRICS Pay), aimed at creating a messaging system to rival SWIFT. Driven by a desire for financial sovereignty and a need to bypass Western sanctions, member nations are exploring the interoperability of their national payment systems, such as India's UPI and Brazil's Pix. While a prototype was unveiled at the 2024 Kazan Summit, challenges remain due to the varying ambitions of individual member countries and the complexity of creating a cohesive multi-national infrastructure.
BRICS Pay is intended to be a decentralized messaging system for international money transfers, reducing reliance on the SWIFT network.
The 2024 Kazan Summit underscored the importance of strengthening correspondent banking networks and settlements in local currencies.
The initiative gained momentum following Western sanctions on Russia, prompting a search for alternative financial architectures.
Exam Points
The SWIFT network is currently used by over 11,000 financial institutions worldwide.
The New Development Bank (NDB) was established following the 2014 Fortaleza Summit.
The 16th BRICS summit was held in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
A committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has recommended that India pause issuing permits for importing endangered animals. This follows a visit to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (Vantara) in Jamnagar. While the panel found no evidence of commercial trade, it raised questions regarding the origin of certain specimens and the exercise of due diligence by Indian authorities. CITES suggests the pause remain until India comprehensively reviews its practices to ensure animal trade is not carried out in violation of the international convention.
CITES is the primary international agreement regulating the cross-border movement of protected animal species.
The recommendation specifically targets imports by zoos and wildlife rescue centers like Vantara and the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust.
The panel expressed concerns over the source and purpose-of-transaction codes used for several imports.
Exam Points
CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The facility visited is the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The CITES report was uploaded to their website on October 31.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has reiterated its decision regarding the panel of candidates for the post of Director-General of Police (DGP) in Tamil Nadu. Despite the state government's representation that the three shortlisted names were not acceptable, the UPSC maintained its stance, stating the representation has been disposed of. The appointment process follows Supreme Court guidelines from the Prakash Singh case, which require the state to send eligible names to the UPSC three months before a vacancy. The delay in appointing a regular DGP has drawn criticism from opposition parties in the state.
The UPSC is responsible for empanelling officers for the post of DGP/Head of Police Force (HoPF) based on seniority and merit.
The selection process must adhere to Supreme Court guidelines established in the landmark Prakash Singh case.
The Tamil Nadu government had raised objections to the UPSC's recommended panel, which included Seema Agrawal, Rajeev Kumar, and Sandeep Rai Rathore.
Exam Points
The Prakash Singh case (2006) set the guidelines for police reforms and DGP appointments.
The three officers shortlisted by the UPSC are Seema Agrawal, Rajeev Kumar, and Sandeep Rai Rathore.
The vacancy for the post occurred following the retirement of Shankar Jiwal on August 30, 2025.
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