Current Context : On 17 June  2025, India celebrated the 50^th anniversary of its Crocodile Conservation Project, launched on 1  April  1975 to reverse crocodilian decline through habitat protection and captive breeding.

 About Crocodile Conservation Project

• Launch & Support: Based on H.  Bustard’s 1974 recommendations; technical and financial aid from UNDP/FAO.
• Objectives:
  • Protect wild habitats and endemic crocodilian species (mugger, gharial, saltwater).
  • Breed in captivity and reintroduce juveniles into rivers.
• Key Achievements:
  • Mugger crocodile: Population rebounded to ~ 8,000–10,000 across Ganga basin.
  • Saltwater crocodile: ~ 2,500 individuals, concentrated in Bhitarkanika (Odisha), Sundarbans, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • Gharial: India hosts ~ 80 percent of global wild population; 400+ nests annually in Chambal & other sanctuaries.
• Ongoing Efforts:
  • New Gharial Conservation Project (2025) across Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, and Mahanadi.
  • Madras Crocodile Bank supports ex-situ breeding and research.

Current Context : Effective 15 August  2025, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways introduced a ₹3,000 annual FASTag pass for private cars, jeeps, and vans, valid for 200 trips or one year, to streamline toll payments on National Highways.

 About FASTag Annual Pass

• Cost & Validity: ₹3,000; either 200 toll passages or 365 days, whichever comes first.
• Eligibility: Non‑commercial four‑wheelers fitted with FASTag.
• Coverage: All National Highways under NHAI.
• Features:
  • No toll deduction until 200‑trip limit
  • Purchase/activation via Rajmarg Yatra App, NHAI and MoRTH portals.

Current Context : On 18 June 2025, India’s Ministry of External Affairs commenced Operation Sindhu, successfully airlifting the first batch of 110 Indian nationals (students) from conflict‑affected regions of Iran via Armenia to New Delhi.

 ABOUT OPERATION SINDHU

• Objective: Evacuate Indian citizens stranded amid Iran–Israel hostilities.
• Mechanism:
  • Coordination through Indian embassies in Tehran and Yerevan.
  • Land transport to Yerevan; special Air India flight to New Delhi.
• Scope: Primarily students and medical professionals in Iran’s major cities (Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz).

Observed annually on 20 June

Aim : to honour refugees worldwide and raise awareness of their plight, this day encourages support for families forced to flee conflict and persecution.

• Global Snapshot:
  • ~ 35 million refugees under UNHCR mandate at end‑2024.
  • Major host countries: Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan, Uganda, Germany.

Current Context : In Dhanya M vs. State of Kerala & Others (2025), the Supreme Court set aside preventive detention orders under the Kerala Anti‑Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007, clarifying “public order” versus “law and order.”

About Preventive Detention

• Constitutional Provision: Article 22(3) allows preventive detention for public order or national security
• Safeguards:
  • Initial detention ≤ 3 months; extension only with Advisory Board
  • Detainee must receive grounds for detention at earliest and opportunity to make representation.
• Dhanya M Ruling:
  • Distinction: Law and order (ordinary offences) vs public order (wider threat to society).
  • Kerala Act misapplied for law‑and‑order situations; lacked requisite gravity for preventive detention.

Current Context : Following Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” targeting Iranian sites, Iran launched “Operation True Promise 3” in retaliation, escalating regional tensions.

ABOUT CONFLICT DYNAMICS

• Historical Roots:
  • Post‑1979 Iranian Revolution: Iran adopts anti‑Israel stance; severed ties.
  • Proxy engagements: Iran backs groups such as Hezbollah (Lebanon) and Hamas (Gaza).
• Nuclear Dimensions:
  • Israel cites 60 percent enriched uranium found by the IAEA as existential threat; Iran threatens NPT withdrawal.
• Regional Implications:
  • Maritime Security: Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea shipping lanes.
  • Energy Prices: Volatile crude oil markets; India imports ~80 percent of its oil via Hormuz.
  • Diplomatic Balancing: India’s strategic relations with both Iran (Chabahar Port) and Israel (defence cooperation).

Current Context : At the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Munich 2025, Indian duo Arjun Babuta and Arya Borse won gold in the 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team event, defeating China’s pair 17–7 in the final.

ABOUT ISSF WORLD CUP

• Competition Cycle: Annual series of World Cups; top performers qualify for Olympic rankings.
• Event Format (Mixed Team 10 m Air Rifle):
  • Teams of one male and one female shooter.
  • Qualification: 40 shots per team member; top two teams reach medal match.
  • Final: “Shoot‑off” format with scoring pairs against each other per series.

Current Context : Recently, a cholera outbreak in Jajpur, Odisha, in June 2025 has resulted in 5 deaths and around 500 hospitalisations, prompting deployment of a 14‑member central medical team for containment.

About Cholera

• Cause: Bacterium Vibrio cholerae, typically through contaminated water or food.
• Symptoms: Profuse watery diarrhoea, vomiting, rapid dehydration; can be fatal within hours if untreated.
• Transmission: Fecal‑oral route; even asymptomatic carriers can spread infection.
• Preventive Measures:
  • Boiled/treated drinking water; chlorination of wells and hand‑pumps.
  • Health education on sanitation and hygiene.
  • Vaccination (where available) in high‑risk areas.

Current Context : For the first half of Financial Year 2025–26, the Ministry of Finance has imposed a 60 percent spending cap on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to manage persistent budget overruns and pending wage dues.

About MGNREGS Spending Cap

• Scheme Background
  • Established in 2005, guarantees 100 days of wage employment per rural household per year.
  • Demand‑driven: rural families can register and request work at any time.
• Rationale for Cap
  • Historically, 70 percent+ of the annual budget is spent by September, leading to pending dues of ₹15,000–25,000 crore at year‑end.
  • Cap ensures fund availability in the second half and reduces reliance on ad‑hoc supplementary allocations.
• Financial Details
  • Budget for 2025–26: ₹86,000
  • Release by June 2025: 28 percent (≈₹24,080 crore).
  • Pending dues from 2024–25: ~₹19,200 crore (≈22 percent of current budget).

Current Context : The Reserve Bank of India released draft Master Directions on Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives, updating guidelines last revised in 2019 to align with market evolution and enhance non‑resident participation.

ABOUT INTEREST RATE DERIVATIVES

• Definition: Financial contracts whose value is derived from underlying rupee‑denominated interest rates or indices.
• Common Instruments:
  • Swaps: Exchange fixed and floating rate cash flows.
  • Futures: Standardised contracts to buy/sell debt instruments at a future date.
  • Options (Caps/Floors/Collars): Rights to cap or floor interest payments within agreed bands.
• Key Draft Provisions:
  • Non‑Resident Access: Permits non‑residents to trade via their central treasuries or group entities with proper authorisation.
  • Reporting & Authorisation: Mandates trade reporting, user authorisations, and risk‑management safeguards.