Criminal Tribes Act 1871, Idate Commission Findings, 1,200 Identified Communities, 268 Unclassified Groups and ₹200 Crore SEED Scheme Gap Explained Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) across India are mobilising for a “separate column” in the 2027 Census and a separate Constitutional Schedule , on par with Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). On January 30, the Union government assured community leaders that the Of

What Is the Finance Commission and Why It Matters The Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional body under Article 280 of the Constitution of India , constituted by the President of India every five years or earlier if required. Its core purpose is to strengthen fiscal federalism by recommending how financial resources are distributed between different layers of government. Core Functions of the Finance Commission Recommend the sharing of net tax proceeds between the Un

Supreme Court Recognises Menstrual Health as Integral to the Right to Life In a landmark and deeply rights-based judgment, the Supreme Court of India has categorically held that menstrual health and hygiene in schools are integral to the Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India . The observation marks a decisive constitutional shift, bringing menstrual health—long treated as a welfare or public health issue—within the core of fundamental rights

India has ushered in a major transformation in how solid waste is collected, segregated, processed, and disposed of with the notification of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026 . Issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 , the new rules will replace the decade-old SWM Rules, 2016 and come into full effect from April 1, 2026 . The revised framework places strong emphasis on circular economy pri

Weeks after the government enacted the SHANTI Act , which opened India’s nuclear power sector to private participation, the Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026 signals a decisive policy shift — positioning nuclear power as a long-term substitute for coal-based thermal generation , especially for captive and industrial use. The draft policy, released by the Ministry of Power , seeks to recalibrate India’s power mix at a time when the country remains heavily dependent

Despite being legally prohibited for decades , child marriage remains one of the most persistent and damaging social practices in India, with serious consequences for health outcomes, education levels, poverty alleviation, gender equality, and long-term economic growth . Child marriage disproportionately affects young girls , exposing them to early and high-risk pregnancies , increasing vulnerability to domestic violence , curtailing access to education, and reinforcing inter

2025 MGNREGA Reforms Explained: New Amendments Mandate Higher Water-Related Spending in Groundwater-Stressed Rural Blocks. The Central Government has amended Schedule-I of the MGNREGA Act to prioritise water conservation and groundwater-related works in rural areas. The amendment mandates higher spending on water-related assets in blocks suffering from groundwater stress. What Are the Core Objectives of MGNREGA? MGNREGA was designed as a rights-based employment guarantee sc

The new Export Promotion Mission consolidates IES and MAI schemes, launches a unified digital platform under DGFT, strengthens trade finance and compliance support for MSMEs, and extends priority assistance to sectors impacted by global tariff escalations for FY 2025–26 to 2030–31. In a major decision with direct implications for India’s export resilience, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) for a six-yea

Captured by NASA’s PUNCH, Perseverance, Lucy, Psyche, and MAVEN, the rare interstellar comet exposes material formed billions of years ago in a distant planetary system. NASA has released striking new pictures of Comet 3I/ATLAS , an interstellar object that astronomers say is billions of years old and only the third known object from outside our Solar System to pass through it. The images come from a wide range of NASA missions, including the Perseverance Mars rover , Mars

Why TnpB Matters: Compact Gene Editing Tool Developed by ICAR to Replace CRISPR in GE Crops India has taken a major step toward indigenous genome-editing capability with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ( ICAR ) securing a patent for a new genome-editing system based on Transposon-Associated Proteins (TnpB) . This breakthrough is particularly significant because it offers a home-grown alternative to the widely used but IP-restricted CRISPR-Cas9/Cas12a technologie

CSIR-IGIB’s CRISPR Gene Therapy Breakthrough for Sickle Cell Disease in India. India has launched its first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) . The therapy is named BIRSA 101 . The therapy is dedicated to Bhagwan Birsa Munda , a renowned tribal freedom fighter. BIRSA 101 has been developed by the CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) . About Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a medical technique that uses genes to treat, preve

Draft Seeds Bill 2025 Introduced: Mandatory Registration, New Seed Quality Standards, Testing Labs, and Penalties Up to ₹30 Lakh The Department/Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released the Draft Seeds Bill, 2025 . The Bill is intended to replace the Seeds Act, 1966 . It is also intended to replace the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 . The Bill is aligned with current agricultural and regulatory requirements . The Bill aims to: safeguard farmers’ rights . ensure t

Key Findings of the Global Burden of Disease Report, India’s Health Transition, and Global Efforts to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Report was released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the World Health Summit in Berlin . It provides a comprehensive analysis of global, regional, and national health trends. The report quantifies health loss from diseases, injuries, and risk factors using Disability-Adjusted Lif

Explained: Key Provisions, Global Significance, and India’s Stand on the UN’s Landmark Cybercrime Treaty What Is the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime? The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (UNCC) is the world’s first universal legislative framework to combat cybercrime. The convention aims to create a legally binding global system for preventing, investigating, and prosecuting cybercrimes while protecting human rights. It was adopted by the UN Genera

Global childhood obesity reaches 9.4% — surpassing underweight (9.2%) for the first time; 1 in 20 under-fives and 1 in 5 adolescents are overweight, as obesity among 5–19-year-olds triples since 2000. In 2025 , the world reached a historic and alarming milestone — for the first time , the prevalence of obesity among school-aged children and adolescents has surpassed that of underweight . According to the UNICEF report “Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Childr

Why Are Anti-Immigration Policies Increasing Worldwide and What Do They Mean for India? In recent years, several countries across Western democracies and parts of Asia have seen a sharp rise in anti-immigration rhetoric, protests, and restrictive policies . These include public demonstrations, political campaigns, and administrative actions targeting migrants—both skilled and unskilled. Recent global examples include: United States: Hike in H-1B visa fees , affecting thousan

In October 2025, the President of India inaugurated the observance of the Mahasamadhi centenary of Sree Narayana Guru in Kerala, marking 100 years since the passing of one of India’s greatest social and spiritual reformers. Who Was Sree Narayana Guru? Sree Narayana Guru (1856–1928) was a saint, philosopher, poet, spiritual guide, and a revolutionary social reformer from Kerala. Birthplace: Chempazhanthy, near Thiruvananthapuram Community: Born into the Ezhava community ,

India recorded 322 days of extreme weather in 2024, with floods, landslides, and heatwaves causing over 3,400 deaths. As climate change accelerates, technologies like Remote Sensing, GIS, and AI are becoming vital tools for real-time monitoring, risk reduction, and climate resilience. As climate change intensifies, India finds itself increasingly vulnerable to erratic and extreme precipitation events , leading to devastating floods, landslides, cloudbursts, and heatwaves. In

How Did Maldives Eliminate Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B for the First Time in World History? The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of hepatitis B , while maintaining its earlier validation (2019) for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis .This makes Maldives the first country in the world to achieve WHO ‘Triple Elimination’ . WHO Director-General Dr Tedros called

Nearly 97% of Ladakh’s population belongs to Scheduled Tribes, yet since its 2019 Union Territory status, the region has had no...