The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has retracted its directive requiring mobile manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new handsets. The initial order aimed to curb fraudulent connections and help track lost phones but faced significant backlash over privacy and 'bloatware' concerns. The government justified the reversal by citing a recent spike in voluntary downloads, with 6 lakh registrations in a single day, suggesting mandatory installation is no longer necessary. However, other directives regarding SIM security and financial fraud risk indicators for messaging platforms like WhatsApp remain in discussion under the new Telecom Cyber Security Rules.
The Sanchar Saathi app is designed to help citizens track lost mobile phones and identify fraudulent connections.
The DoT's initial mandate was criticized for potentially installing software without user consent, raising significant digital privacy issues.
The government claims the app has already helped disconnect 1.5 crore fraudulent connections and trace 26 lakh lost phones.
Exam Points
Sanchar Saathi is an initiative of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The order was issued under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024.
1.5 crore fraudulent mobile connections have been disconnected using the platform to date.
Cyclone Ditwah, after causing significant fatalities in Sri Lanka, brought intense rainfall to Chennai and Andhra Pradesh. Despite the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) spending ₹5,200 crore on storm water drains since 2015, the city faced widespread waterlogging and flooding. The article criticizes the lack of transparency regarding the Thiruppugazh Committee report and the absence of a consolidated implementation plan. It highlights that while integrated projects handle intense bursts, they struggle with prolonged heavy rain. The need for shared flood maps, proper zoning, and basin-wide coordination is emphasized to prevent recurring urban disasters in flat coastal cities.
Cyclone Ditwah caused at least 474 deaths in Sri Lanka before moving towards the Indian coast as a deep depression.
Chennai's storm water drain network, though expanded, remains vulnerable to prolonged high-intensity rainfall due to incomplete links.
The Thiruppugazh Committee was appointed after the 2021 floods to provide basin-wise recommendations for flood mitigation.
Exam Points
Thiruppugazh Committee was appointed after the 2021 Chennai floods.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) spent ₹5,200 crore over four years on drainage infrastructure.
Cyclone Ditwah occurred in November-December 2025.
A recent 2:1 majority judgment by the Supreme Court has reviewed its earlier stance on post facto environmental clearances (ECs). Previously, the court had declared such retrospective clearances illegal, emphasizing that environmental laws require prior approval to prevent irreversible damage. The new judgment suggests that in some situations, retrospective ECs might be permissible to avoid 'public interest' issues like halting completed projects. Critics argue this undermines the 'precautionary principle' and the 'polluter pays' principle, potentially encouraging industries to bypass initial regulations and seek regularisation later through fines, marking a retreat from established environmental jurisprudence.
The judgment reviews the 2025 CREDAI vs Vanashakti case regarding the legality of post facto environmental clearances.
The majority view argues that a total ban on retrospective clearances could lead to economic waste for completed projects.
The dissenting opinion by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan warns that this shifts the goalpost from principle to expediency.
Exam Points
CREDAI vs Vanashakti case (2025) is the central legal reference.
Article 21 of the Constitution (Right to a clean and healthy environment) was cited as a foundational right.
Common Cause vs Union of India (2017) judgment previously held retrospective clearances as detrimental to the environment.
The Supreme Court of India is hearing petitions to remove 97 central and state laws that still contain discriminatory provisions against people affected by leprosy. These 'antediluvian' laws restrict access to public transport, the right to run for office, and employment. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has recommended replacing derogatory terminology and using iris scans for Aadhaar enrolment, as leprosy-induced nerve damage often affects fingertips. Since leprosy is now fully curable and non-infectious with modern medicine, the court has directed states to report on steps taken to eliminate these stigmas and ensure fundamental rights.
India reports approximately 57% of the world's leprosy cases, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.
Discriminatory laws persist despite leprosy being curable and non-infectious with Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).
The NHRC advocates for the use of iris scans for Aadhaar because leprosy often causes loss of sensation and damage to fingertips.
Exam Points
Mycobacterium leprae is the causative agent of leprosy.
97 central and state laws have been identified as discriminatory by the NHRC.
India accounts for 57% of global leprosy cases according to current health data.
This article critiques popular urban metrics like the UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index and the Global Liveability Index. It argues that these indices often focus on stability, healthcare, and culture while ignoring a city's resilience to extreme weather events. For instance, cities like Chennai or Bangkok might score well on connectivity but lack adequate drainage for 21st-century cloudbursts. The author suggests that these indices create a 'modernity' bias, where visible infrastructure like airports is prioritized over essential but 'thankless' tasks like desilting canals or enforcing building codes in flood-prone zones, leading to skewed investment priorities.
Current liveability indices fail to account for how well a city can withstand climate shocks like floods or heatwaves.
There is a 'modernity' bias that favors visible infrastructure over resilient urban planning and maintenance.
Indices often use city-wide averages, masking the vulnerability of low-income residents in flood-prone areas.
Exam Points
UN-Habitat City Prosperity Index and Global Liveability Index are key urban metrics discussed.
The City Resilience Index focuses on how well cities withstand shocks like extreme weather.
The article highlights that many 'modern' cities lack drainage systems capable of handling 300 mm of rain in 24 hours.
While India has reformed its mining laws to encourage exploration of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt, it lacks large-scale processing and refining capacity. Currently, most raw ores are sent abroad, primarily to China, for refining into battery-grade materials. The article suggests five steps: establishing Centres of Excellence for innovation, unlocking secondary resources from industrial waste like fly ash, upskilling the workforce in hydrometallurgy, de-risking investments through government off-take commitments, and pursuing 'mineral diplomacy' to acquire processing technology. Processing is the 'missing link' that determines if India remains a raw material supplier or becomes a clean energy leader.
China controls over 90% of global rare earth and graphite refining, creating a significant supply chain vulnerability for India.
India's Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act has been amended to support domestic mining through exploration licenses.
Secondary sources like red mud from aluminum plants and fly ash from coal plants contain valuable rare earth elements.
Exam Points
₹7,280 crore has been allocated for the rare-earth magnet scheme.
The National Critical Mineral Mission oversees the nine Centres of Excellence.
Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act is the primary legislation for the sector.
India is facing a deepening crisis of human-wildlife conflict, with habitat fragmentation forcing animals like elephants into human-dominated landscapes. Between 2009 and 2021, 186 elephants were killed by train hits alone. In response, the Centre has rolled out the National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan. This strategy focuses on addressing key drivers like damaged corridors and retaliatory killings through data-driven monitoring and stronger habitat protection. The article also notes the catastrophic decline of vulture species due to habitat disruption and poisoning, leading to public health risks from rotting carcasses and rising stray dog populations.
Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha report the highest number of elephant casualties on railway tracks in India.
The National Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategy aims to promote mitigation measures and data-driven monitoring.
Habitat fragmentation is a primary driver of animals straying into farmland and towns, leading to deaths on both sides.
Exam Points
186 elephants were killed by trains in India between 2009 and 2021.
Assam (62), West Bengal (57), and Odisha (27) are the top states for elephant rail casualties.
The strategy was developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that the release of Central funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme is contingent upon states fulfilling implementation conditions, including those related to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Several non-BJP ruled states, including Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have faced delays in receiving their share. The Minister emphasized that funds depend on the submission of utilization certificates and compliance with scheme norms like the PM-Shri schools. Opposition MPs have termed this 'arm-twisting,' while the Centre maintains it is a non-partisan policy aimed at ensuring uniform educational standards across the country.
Samagra Shiksha is an overarching program for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12.
The Centre requires states to submit utilization certificates and audit reports to release subsequent fund tranches.
The PM-Shri (PM Schools for Rising India) scheme is a key point of contention between the Centre and some states.
Exam Points
Samagra Shiksha scheme was launched in 2018.
National Education Policy (NEP) was launched in 2020.
PM-Shri scheme was launched in 2022 to upgrade existing schools.
The Indian rupee depreciated to a record low of ₹90.15 against the US dollar. Experts attribute this decline to the delay in the U.S.-India trade deal and the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) current strategy of less aggressive intervention compared to previous years. Foreign investors selling Indian stocks and moving to U.S., European, and Japanese markets have also created a flight of dollars. While a weaker rupee helps exporters by making Indian goods cheaper abroad, it increases the cost of imports, though the impact on the consumer price index is currently considered manageable by economists.
The rupee breached the psychological barrier of ₹90 per dollar, closing at an all-time low of ₹90.15.
Flight of capital from Indian equity markets to foreign markets is a major factor in the rupee's decline.
The RBI has been less interventionist, selling fewer dollars from its reserves than in previous periods to arrest depreciation.
Exam Points
The rupee reached an all-time low of ₹90.15 per USD.
The RBI sold an average of $10.5 billion monthly from April to September to manage the currency.
The psychological barrier for the rupee was considered to be ₹90.
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered airlines to brace for the impact of volcanic ash from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia, which erupted for the first time in 12,000 years. The ash plume, reaching up to 14 km, has drifted across the Red Sea towards Yemen, Oman, and India's western border. Volcanic ash is a major safety hazard for aircraft as it can melt in jet engines, creating a glassy deposit that chokes cooling holes and leads to engine failure. Airlines have been advised to steer clear of affected altitudes and inspect runways for contamination to ensure safety.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia erupted on November 23, 2025, after a 12,000-year dormancy.
Volcanic ash contains silicate components that melt at high engine temperatures (1,600°C) and re-solidify, causing engine stalls.
The ash plume reached Indian airspace over Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi-NCR before moving towards China.
Exam Points
Hayli Gubbi volcano is located in Northern Ethiopia.
The ash plume reached a height of 14 km into the sky.
The DGCA is India's primary aviation regulator responsible for safety advisories.
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