11.07.25

• Why: To better manage conservation efforts, based on a Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report assessing human impact and land use.

• Why: This adjustment aims to optimize the core protected area for tigers while reallocating buffer zones, considering factors like low tiger density areas for landscape connectivity.

• Why: The SC’s involvement highlights past issues with mining and boundary management, emphasizing the need for stricter control and clearer demarcation.

• Why: To address conservation challenges like poaching and human-wildlife conflict, ensuring effective protection and ecological balance.

• Why: Its easy accessibility from Delhi and Jaipur makes it a prominent eco-tourism destination, underscoring the balance needed between conservation and development.

Lotus Blooms in Wular Lake After 30 Years: The iconic lotus flowers have reappeared in Wular Lake, a significant ecological and cultural event not witnessed since a 1992 flood devastated their growth.

Restoration Efforts Credited: The revival is directly linked to extensive dredging and conservation work undertaken by the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) since 2020, removing over 79 lakh cubic meters of silt.

Ecological Rejuvenation: The removal of dense silt and weeds, which had previously choked the lakebed, has allowed the lotus stems and flowers to resurface, signaling a healthier ecosystem.

Economic and Cultural Revival: This bloom brings hope for the revival of local livelihoods, particularly for stem farmers who recall harvesting lotuses in their youth. The lotus holds deep cultural and culinary significance in Kashmir, used in dishes like Nadur and Yakhni.

WUCMA’s Goals: WUCMA aims to restore the lake’s ecology, improve fish habitats, clear silt from the lake and its feeder streams, and prevent future silt inflow.

Community Impact: The revival is expected to boost livelihoods and have a positive emotional impact on villagers, serving as a symbol of environmental restoration.

Wular Lake’s Significance: Located in Bandipora, Jammu & Kashmir, Wular Lake is one of South Asia’s largest freshwater lakes, vital as a natural flood basin for the Jhelum River and a Ramsar Wetland Site supporting diverse biodiversity. However, it has faced challenges from siltation, pollution, and weed infestation in recent decades.

Supreme Court’s Ruling: The Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to proceed with a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, but advised caution regarding document demands like Aadhaar or voter ID for those enrolled after 2003.

Intensive Revision Explained: This involves a complete house-to-house enumeration of eligible voters, distinct from routine summary revisions.

Special Aspect of Bihar SIR: A new requirement mandates documentary proof of date/place of birth for voters enrolled after 2003, raising concerns about potential disenfranchisement, though the ECI states it’s for roll cleanliness and standardization.

Timing and Location (Bihar, June 24, 2025): Bihar was chosen due to local opposition and political sensitivities. This is the first SIR of its scale in two decades, coinciding with political tensions over citizenship verification and voter list inclusions.

ECI’s Role: The ECI, a constitutional body under Article 324, is responsible for conducting elections, preparing and revising electoral rolls (including intensive revisions), enforcing the Model Code of Conduct, recognizing political parties, and monitoring election expenditure to ensure free and fair elections.

Historical Context: India has conducted intensive revisions periodically, with a shift in focus over the decades from expansion to preventing duplication and ensuring eligibility. Past revisions faced challenges like inaccurate rolls, lack of field verification, and citizenship concerns.

• Why: These audits help identify causes of death, systemic gaps in care, and improve response mechanisms, crucial for meeting TB elimination targets.

• Why: Prevalence surveys reveal many TB patients are missed during screening, and death rates remain concerningly high (5-10%), particularly in younger adults and those with drug-resistant TB.

• Tamil Nadu: Found 83% of deceased TB patients had co-morbidities or malnutrition, and 50% were not on treatment at death.
• Jharkhand: The Bhargava Project showed that providing nutritional and financial support to undernourished TB patients reduced mortality from 50% to 25%.
• Why: These examples highlight the critical role of addressing malnutrition, co-morbidities, and ensuring treatment adherence in preventing TB deaths.

• Involve District Collectors and community health workers in audits.
• Integrate nutrition, co-morbidity screening, and social support into TB care.
• Expand Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) and food kits to vulnerable patients.
• Why: A multi-sectoral approach focusing on patient-centric care, early detection (including AI tools), and social support is essential for effective TB elimination.

• Why: Despite being preventable and curable, TB remains a major public health issue due to underreporting, drug resistance, stigma, and co-morbidities.

High Incidence of Custodial Deaths: In 2021-22, 2,152 deaths in judicial custody and 155 in police custody were recorded, with disciplinary action taken in only 21 cases in the last five years. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh reported the highest numbers.

• Why News: This highlights a systemic failure in accountability and indicates the prevalence of custodial violence despite existing safeguards.

Causes of Custodial Violence:

• Hierarchical Police Structure: Fosters a culture where aggression is rewarded; officers are promoted instead of facing action.
• Perception of Ineffectiveness: Police view violence as a shortcut for justice due to a slow formal legal process.
• Colonial Mindset: Police treat marginalized communities as subjects to control rather than citizens to protect.
• Inadequate Training: Current police curricula lack ethics, trauma-informed practices, and human rights emphasis.
• Funding Misallocation: Resources prioritize surveillance and hardware over training and personnel welfare.
• Lack of Support: No counselling available for officers facing emotional trauma from high-stress duties.
• Why News: These points explain the root causes of the problem, providing context for the high death rates and lack of accountability.

Needed Reforms:

• Modern Training: Focus on scientific interrogation and forensic methods, moving away from third-degree tactics.
• Bias Sensitisation: Training to reduce prejudice against petty offenders.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Involve forensic experts and psychologists.
• Trauma-Informed Policing: Train officers to handle trauma cases with empathy.
• Community Awareness: Media, educational institutions, and civil society to educate citizens on their rights.
• Why News: These offer concrete solutions and actionable steps to address the systemic issues contributing to custodial violence.

Non-Compliance with Supreme Court Directives:

• CCTV Mandate (Paramvir Singh Saini case): Poor implementation; cameras often non-functional during incidents, and torture occurs outside recorded areas.
• Police Complaints Authorities (Prakash Singh case): Most states haven’t set up independent PCAs; existing ones are often compromised.
• Why News: This shows a significant disconnect between judicial pronouncements and ground reality, indicating a failure of governance and the rule of law.

Law Commission Recommendation: Proposal for a rebuttable presumption in custodial violence cases to enhance accountability, though access to justice for vulnerable victims remains a challenge.

• Why News: This highlights ongoing efforts by statutory bodies to improve accountability, but also points to the persistent challenges faced by victims within the legal framework.

Diminished Role of Magistrates: Statutory safeguards (24-hour production, physical examination) are becoming perfunctory, and medico-legal examinations are often mere formalities.

• Why News: This reveals how a crucial check-and-balance mechanism within the criminal justice system is failing to prevent custodial violence.