Category: Environment and Ecology

Context:

• Bihar is set to get its second tiger reserve as the NTCA has given in-principle approval to declare Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) a tiger reserve.

About Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located in the Kaimur District of Bihar. It is located in the famous Kaimur Hills range. 
• Famous destinations: The Kaimur Hills, known for their invincibility, are home to two forts and the ancient Mundeshwari Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in India.
• Area: It is the largest sanctuary in the state and occupies an area of about 1342 sq.km.
• Rivers and lakes: It is bounded by the Son River to the north and the Karmanasa River to the south. The valley part is filled with many waterfalls such as Karkat and Telhar and various lakes such as Anupam Lake.
• Connectivity: It is connected to the Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-Guru Ghasidas-Palamau tiger meta-population landscape through fragmented forest patches along the Son basin. 
• Historical significance: Prehistoric rock paintings, stone inscriptions, and monuments have also been discovered here. Prehistoric murals found in the “Lakhania” and other hilly regions and the prehistoric fossils of the Pre-Cambrian times in the “Salakhan” area bear testimony to the ancient origin and existence of this region.
• Tribes: The Oraon tribe is believed to have originated from this region.
• Flora: A large variety of vegetation is found in the mixed, dry, deciduous forests that cover the area, the primary tree vegetation being Baakli, Mahua, Dhaak, and Bamboo. 
• Fauna: The wildlife comprises of Black Bucks, Chinkaras, Four-Horned Deers, Blue-Bulls, Sambar, Cheetals, Bears, Leopards, etc. Apart from these pythons, Gharials/Crocodiles and different species of snakes are also found.

Source:

• • The Times of India

Category: Defence and Security

Context:

• Recently, India’s newly developed Pralay missile cleared user evaluation trials on the eve of the New Year 2026, paving the way for its early induction into the armed forces.

About Pralay Missile:

• Nature: It is an indigenously-developed quasi-ballistic missile employing state-of-the-art guidance and navigation to ensure high precision. It is a solid propellant quasi-ballistic missile.
• Development: It has been developed by Research Centre Imarat and in collaboration with other Defence Research & Development Organisation labs.
• Industry partners: These include Bharat Dynamics Limited & Bharat Electronics Limited and many other industries and MSMEs.
• Range: The missile has a range of 150-500 km and can be launched from a mobile launcher.
• Payload capacity: It has a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg.
• Capability: The missile is capable of carrying conventional warheads.
• Speed: The missile reaches terminal speeds of Mach 6.1 and can engage targets such as radar installations, command centers, and airstrips.
• Guidance system: It is equipped with state-of-the-art inertial navigation system and integrated avionics for pinpoint accuracy, with a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 10 meters.

Source:

• • The New Indian Express

Context: Science and Technology

• The drug-resistant fungal species Candida auris is turning more deadly and is spreading globally, according to a study led by Indian researchers.

About Candida Auris:

• • Nature: It is a fungus that causes serious infections. Known as a “superbug,” it is often resistant to multiple classes of antifungal drugs, including azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins.
  • Discovery: It was first discovered in 2009 in Japan but an analysis of the fungus revealed that it was already identified in 1996 in South Korea.
  • Symptoms: A person infected with this life-threatening fungus experiences symptoms like fever, sepsis, aches and fatigue.
  • Target: It mainly affects patients who already have many medical problems or have had frequent hospital stays or live in nursing homes. It is more likely to affect patients who suffer from conditions such as blood cancer or diabetes, have received lot of antibiotics or have devices like tubes going into their body.
  • Transmission: It can spread indirectly from patient to patient in healthcare settings such as hospitals or nursing homes as it remains on people’s skin and objects such as hospital furniture and equipments like glucometers, temperature probes, blood pressure cuffs, ultrasound machines and nursing carts etc. for quite a long time.
  • Concerns: According to health care agencies, almost half of the patients who contract Candida Auris die within 90 days. Some types of Candida Auris fungi are resistant to the first line and second line anti-fungal medications.
  • Treatment: This fungal infection can be serious and even fatal as there is no specific treatment for it.
  • WHO Classification: It is listed as a “Critical Priority” pathogen in the World Health Organization’s first-ever list of fungal priority pathogens.

• Precautions:

• • Family members of patients with C Auris infection, public health officials, laboratory staff and healthcare personnel can all help in stopping its spread.
  • Once the patient is diagnosed with having C Auris, the healthcare facilities should place the patient in a separate room as soon as possible.
  • Wounds should be bandaged to prevent any fluids from seeping out and infecting others.
  • It is also important for healthcare facilities to regularly and thoroughly clean and disinfect affected patient’s room with special cleaners known to work against fungi.
  • Cleaning hands with hand sanitizer or soap and water before and after touching a patient with C Auris or equipment in his/ her room.

Source:

• • DD News

Category: International Relations

Context:

• Recently, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fired off rockets near Taiwan and conducted military drills for a second day, as part of its “Justice Mission 2025”.

About Justice Mission 2025:

• • Nature: It is a high-intensity, two-day joint military exercise conducted by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), involving live-fire missile launches, air sorties, and naval maneuvers around Taiwan.
  • Objective: It is designed to simulate blockade operations and precision strikes against Taiwan’s ports and maritime targets.
  • Location: It is conducted around Taiwan, including waters to the north and south of the island. The missile launches were observed from Pingtan Island, the closest Chinese territory to Taiwan.

• Nations involved in the mission:

• • • China: It was represented by People’s Liberation Army (ground forces, navy, air force, missile units).
    • Taiwan: It was the target of the drills and it responded with heightened military readiness.

• Major aims of the mission:

• • • To send a deterrent signal against Taiwan’s independence assertions.
    • To warn the US and its allies against military support and arms sales to Taiwan.
    • To demonstrate China’s capability to blockade and isolate Taiwan during a conflict.

• Key features of the mission:

• • Live-fire missile launches targeting surrounding waters.
  • Naval deployments simulating maritime blockades and anti-submarine warfare.
  • Joint operations integrating air, sea, missile, and ground forces.
  • One of the largest drills near Taiwan in recent years, indicating escalation.

Source:

• • The Indian Express

Category: Geography

Context:

• Recently, Finland suspected a ship of damaging cable in Baltic Sea, which is believed to have damaged an undersea telecoms cable which across the Gulf of Finland.

About Baltic Sea:

• Location: The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed inland sea in Northern Europe, forming an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Connectivity: It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Danish Straits.
• Significance: It separates the Scandinavian Peninsula from continental Europe.
• Neighbouring countries: These include Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.
• Major rivers: Over 250 rivers drain into the Baltic Sea. The Neva River (Russia) is the largest among them.
• Major Gulfs: These include Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga.
• Area: It covers an area of 377,000 sq. km, with a length of 1,600 km and a width of 193 km.
• Salinity: Salinity is lower than in the world’s oceans due to freshwater inflow.

Source:

• • DD News

(GS Paper II – Governance & Social Justice | GS Paper III – Water Resources, Public Health)

Context (Introduction)

The Indore water contamination tragedy, which led to multiple deaths and illness among over 2,000 residents, exposes a critical gap in India’s water governance: rapid expansion of piped water access without commensurate assurance of water quality at the consumer end.

Current Status: Water Quality and Water Stress in India

• High coverage, low safety: NFHS-5 shows 96% of households use “improved” drinking water sources, yet WHO estimates that unsafe water causes over 1.5 lakh deaths annually in India, mainly from diarrhoeal diseases.
• Urban vulnerability: Even “clean” cities like Indore and campuses like VIT Bhopal (2025 jaundice outbreak) reveal that municipal supply is not inherently safe.
• Severe water stress: NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index warns that 600 million Indians face high-to-extreme water stress, with 21 cities projected to run out of groundwater.
• Chemical contamination: Government data shows fluoride, arsenic, iron and nitrate contamination affecting drinking water in over 300 districts, especially in central and eastern India.
• Infrastructure deficit: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs notes that over 40% of urban water is lostthrough leakages, increasing contamination risks.
• Disease burden: India accounts for a disproportionate share of global water-borne diseases, with children under five most affected.

Core Issues in Water Quality Governance

• Coverage-first approach: Jal Jeevan Mission prioritised tap connections; however, quality monitoring has lagged behind scale, leading to unsafe last-mile delivery.
• Inadequate testing frequency: Many States test water only periodically, not continuously, allowing contamination to go undetected for weeks.
• Ageing pipelines: Old, corroded pipes often run alongside sewage lines, causing cross-contamination, as seen in Indore and earlier cases in Chennai and Bengaluru.
• Fragmented accountability: Water sourcing, treatment and distribution fall under different agencies, diluting responsibility when failures occur.
• Weak enforcement: BIS drinking water standards exist, but penalties for municipal non-compliance are rare.
• Poor public disclosure: Unlike air quality indices, real-time water quality data is rarely shared with citizens, delaying preventive action.

Government Efforts and Policy Measures

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Provided tap connections to over 13 crore rural households, with a mandate for water quality testing labs, though utilisation varies widely across States.
• Swachh Bharat Mission: Reduced open defecation from 39% (2014) to single digits, indirectly lowering faecal contamination, but sewerage coverage remains incomplete.
• AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0: Target urban water supply and sewerage; however, CAG reports highlight delays and under-utilisation of funds.
• National Water Policy: Advocates integrated water resource management and pollution control, but implementation remains uneven.
• Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Programme: Exists on paper, yet many districts lack functional labs or trained personnel.
• NITI Aayog alerts: Repeatedly flagged declining groundwater quality and urged States to treat water safety as a public health priority.

Way Forward: Reforms Needed

• From access to assurance: Treat potable quality at the delivery point as a core service obligation, not an optional add-on.
• Real-time monitoring: Deploy sensor-based testing and community-level kits for early detection of microbial and chemical contaminants.
• Infrastructure renewal: Replace ageing pipelines and ensure physical separation of drinking water and sewage networks.
• Clear accountability: Assign a single authority at the city/district level responsible for end-to-end water safety.
• Strict enforcement: Mandate compliance with BIS standards, backed by financial penalties and independent audits.
• Citizen awareness: Publish water quality dashboards and issue timely advisories, similar to air quality alerts.

Conclusion

India’s water challenge has moved beyond scarcity to safety. As NITI Aayog cautions, expanding access without quality assurance risks turning a welfare success into a public health crisis. Safe drinking water must shift from intent-driven policy to enforceable, transparent governance.

Mains Question

1. “Ensuring piped water supply without guaranteeing its quality undermines public health outcomes.”
   Discuss India’s water quality challenges and suggest reforms.(250 words)

Source: The Hindu

(GS Paper II – Social Justice | GS Paper III – Urbanisation & Inclusive Growth)

Context

Urban housing in India has shifted from being a basic necessity to a largely unaffordable commodity. In cities such as Patna, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, even modest 2 BHK homes increasingly cost ₹1 crore or more, far out of reach of average urban incomes. This has revived concerns about whether India’s urbanisation model is excluding the majority from the promise of “housing for all”.

Current Situation:

• Severe affordability mismatch: With India’s per capita income at about ₹2.4 lakh (World Bank, 2024), house prices in major cities often exceed 20–30 times annual income, far above global affordability norms (5–7 times).
• Vacancy paradox: Census 2011 recorded over 1.1 crore vacant urban houses, yet slums and informal settlements continue to expand, highlighting misallocation rather than absolute scarcity.
• Land-driven price inflation: Construction costs form a minor share of final prices; land values, speculation, FAR manipulation and developer margins dominate pricing.
• Financialisation of housing: Housing increasingly functions as a store of value for investors rather than shelter for residents, leading to hoarding and “parked apartments”.
• Peripheralisation of the poor: New housing supply often pushes low-income groups to distant peripheries, increasing commute costs and reducing access to education, healthcare and jobs.
• Deepening urban inequality: Essential workers—construction labourers, sanitation staff, care workers—remain systematically excluded from formal housing markets.

Structural Reasons Behind Unaffordability

• Distorted land policy: Weak regulation enables land hoarding, speculative holding, and post-facto FAR increases, converting public planning powers into private windfalls.
• Real estate–led urban development: Cities are increasingly viewed as revenue-generating assets rather than shared social spaces, prioritising high-value transactions over social equity.
• State retreat from rental housing: Public and social rental housing has declined sharply, despite rising migrant populations and informal employment.
• Inadequate inclusionary zoning: Unlike countries such as the Netherlands, Indian cities rarely mandate affordable or social housing within private developments.
• Transit-first fallacy: Transport expansion without parallel development of social infrastructure fails to compensate for spatial exclusion.
• Weak urban governance: Fragmented responsibilities between State governments, urban local bodies and development authorities limit coherent housing policy.

Evaluation of ‘Housing for All’ (PMAY–Urban)

Achievements

• Sanctioned over 1.2 crore houses under PMAY–Urban, with focus on Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low-Income Groups (LIG).
• Encouraged formalisation through credit-linked subsidies and beneficiary-led construction.
• Improved housing quality for many slum households through in-situ redevelopment.

Limitations

• Affordability gap persists: Even subsidised units remain unaffordable for informal workers with unstable incomes.
• Location disadvantage: Many PMAY houses are built on city fringes, disconnected from livelihoods.
• Ownership bias: Overemphasis on ownership ignores the urgent need for affordable rental housing, especially for migrants.
• Limited scale relative to demand: Urban housing shortage, especially for EWS/LIG, remains substantial.
• Weak regulation of private markets: PMAY does not address speculative land practices driving overall price inflation.

Way Forward

• Re-centre housing as a social good: Shift policy imagination from GDP maximisation to spatial justice and urban citizenship.
• Land reforms: Introduce anti-speculation taxes, vacant house levies, and transparent land valuation to curb hoarding.
• Inclusionary zoning: Mandate a fixed share of affordable/social housing in all large private developments.
• Revive rental housing: Expand schemes like ARHCs with strong tenant protections and public provisioning.
• Integrated urban planning: Combine housing, transit, employment and social amenities, following models such as Singapore’s new towns.
• Strengthen ULB capacity: Empower urban local bodies with planning authority, fiscal autonomy and accountability.

Conclusion

India’s urban housing crisis is not a failure of construction but of policy imagination. Without correcting land governance and rebalancing markets toward social need, “Housing for All” risks becoming a slogan rather than a lived reality. Sustainable urbanisation demands that cities be planned not just to generate wealth, but to enable dignified living for all who build and sustain them.

UPSC Mains Question

1. “India’s urban housing crisis reflects not scarcity, but structural exclusion.”
   Evaluate the effectiveness of PMAY–Urban in addressing housing affordability.(250 words, 15 Marks)

Source: The Hindu