31.07.25 Current Affairs

ONE LINER CURRENT AFFAIRS

National Affairs

• Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged a decline in untied fund devolution to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) from 2021 to 2025.
• 15th Finance Commission’s guidelines for local bodies not followed by several states, including delayed audits and SFC formation.
• South Lhonak Glacier burst of 2023 prompted the extension of the GLOF Risk Mitigation Project across Himalayan states.
• CEC raised concerns over Compensatory Afforestation delays, poor transparency, and underutilization of CAMPA funds.
• Letters of Intent issued to four foreign universities (e.g., Deakin, Wollongong) to set up campuses in India.
• Union Education Minister pushed forward digital integration in schools via DIKSHA and eVidya platforms.
• National Flood Management Plan updated to address increasing flash floods in urban and hill areas.
• India’s shift toward pre-disaster mitigation highlighted in NDMA’s revised framework.
• Delhi government pulled up again for failing to prevent sewage inflow into Yamuna, violating NGT orders.
• NDMA emphasized public awareness as key to improving disaster response readiness.

International Relations

• An 8.8-magnitude earthquake near Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) triggered Pacific-wide tsunami alerts from Japan to Hawaii.
• India’s tsunami early warning system coordinated through INCOIS using DART buoys, tide gauges, and seismic stations.
• India collaborates with IOC-UNESCO and SAARC nations for disaster risk reduction and data sharing.
• India-Nepal and India-Bhutan partnerships focus on early warning systems for flash floods and GLOFs.
• Japan, Russia, and Pacific island nations commended India’s regional disaster alert sharing.
• India reaffirmed its support for global tsunami preparedness at IOC-UNESCO.
• Discussions underway with Bangladesh on formalizing GLOF data sharing protocols.
• India is seen as a key early warning hub in the Indo-Pacific, aiding regional stability.
• Russia’s preparedness questioned after the Kamchatka quake, with India analyzing its own vulnerabilities.
• India supports multi-nation Flash Flood Guidance Systems under World Meteorological Organization.

Environment and Climate

• Over 28,000 glacial lakes identified across the Himalayas; more than 7,500 are above 4,500m altitude.
• Causes of GLOFs include moraine dam breaches, avalanches, and glacial expansion due to climate change.
• The National GLOF Risk Mitigation Project now includes Himachal, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Arunachal.
• South Lhonak GLOF (Oct 2023) cited as a major flash flood disaster with large-scale infrastructure damage.
• NDMA noted severe flash flood risk in Brahmaputra, Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, and coastal West Coast.
• Flash Flood Guidance System offers 6–24 hour alerts, crucial for sudden rainfall-triggered floods.
• CEC reported only partial success in Compensatory Afforestation despite achieving 85% of the afforestation target.
• Many states failed to use CAMPA funds effectively, and Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were highlighted for non-performance.
• Over 2 lakh ha of land allocated for afforestation lacks post-plantation maintenance or GPS tagging.
• NDMA emphasized urban stormwater planning and nature-based solutions to prevent flash flooding.

Science and Technology

• DRDO successfully tested Pralay missile, a quasi-ballistic, radar-evading short-range tactical weapon.
• ‘Pralay’ can strike 150–500 km targets with high speed and unpredictable trajectory.
• A new human blood group named CRIB was discovered, with implications for transfusion and rare disease research.
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) used for monitoring Himalayan glaciers regardless of weather/cloud cover.
• AI-driven acoustic monitoring (BirdNET) used in the Kaziranga bird census.
• GIS-based tools like e-Green Watch and PARIVESH are mandated for afforestation tracking.
• DART buoys (Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting) and coastal tide gauges are crucial to tsunami warning.
• Real-time AI-based alert systems for flash floods deployed under the FFGS initiative.
• Radar altimetry techniques used for predicting wave activity post-earthquake.
• NDMA is promoting remote-sensing-based disaster prediction tools to strengthen community response.

Governance and Public Policy

• 15th Finance Commission tied performance grants to digitization and accountability, but many states underperformed.
• SFCs not set up in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Bihar — delaying grants to PRIs.
• NDMA emphasized integrating disaster risks into city planning and building permits.
• Digital portals like e-GramSwaraj and GeoMGNREGA used for rural plan monitoring — yet underutilized.
• Flood risk mapping incorporated into Smart Cities and AMRUT 2.0 missions.
• Policy push toward performance-based grants in the 16th Finance Commission recommended.
• Inconsistent afforestation data across states prompted push for e-monitoring tools.
• National Flood Control Guidelines updated to encourage sponge cities and rainwater harvesting.
• Forest clearance tracking moved entirely to online platforms via e-forest portals.
• CAMPA planning now requires third-party audits and social audits by panchayats.

Economy and Finance

• Delay in compensatory afforestation projects raised concerns over forest-linked carbon credit markets.
• Centre exploring green bond financing for GLOF-resistant infrastructure in IHR states.
• Foreign universities in India expected to attract FDI in education and skill training.
• Local bodies’ fund delays directly affect employment generation and rural capital expenditure.
• Unused CAMPA funds (₹60,000+ crore) questioned by CEC for poor project implementation.
• Drone-based afforestation and AI audits proposed to improve fund utilization efficiency.
• Urban flood damages seen as key risk for property insurance and economic vulnerability.
• NDMA promoting public-private disaster financing models for high-risk zones.
• Remote-area connectivity improvements in A&N and Northeast to boost local economies.
• Climate-resilient infrastructure planning being linked to national economic security.

Social and Cultural Issues

• India’s rural local bodies lack autonomy due to tied funds, impacting citizen participation in welfare delivery.
• Forest-dependent communities excluded from CAMPA decision-making in most states.
• Lack of social audits in afforestation programs led to exclusion of traditional ecological knowledge.
• Digital mapping (e.g., e-GramSwaraj) aimed to boost transparency but faces accessibility gaps.
• Tsunami-prone communities in A&N given disaster training through school and panchayat campaigns.
• NDMA calls for greater community-led disaster risk reduction models.
• Foreign university entry in India raises equity concerns for disadvantaged groups.
• Disaster-prone areas like Kedarnath and Chamoli lacking women-led preparedness programs.
• Indigenous knowledge underused in afforestation and flood planning schemes.
• Need for caste/gender disaggregated data in local development audits stressed by standing committee.

Defence and Strategic Affairs

• ‘Pralay’ missile adds to India’s tactical missile arsenal, bridging short-range battlefield needs.
• Features like radar evasion, speed, and terminal maneuverability critical against modern air defenses.
• Pralay strengthens Cold Start capabilities, especially along northern and western borders.
• DRDO may integrate Pralay into Integrated Battle Groups for future deployments.
• Missile has multi-platform launch adaptability, aiding mobile strike formations.
• India’s tsunami early warning protocols critical to national security, especially for naval bases in A&N.
• Indian Navy upgraded seismic monitoring along Eastern Command for strategic preparedness.
• DRDO also working on hypersonic and AI-guided tactical weapons parallel to Pralay series.
• Use of SAR, altimetry, and AI in defence satellite surveillance to increase in 2025–26.
• Coastal radar grid enhanced with global partnerships for 24×7 threat detection.

Art and Culture

• Foreign universities like Deakin to collaborate on Indian performing arts and heritage education.
• NDMA highlighted role of temples and local shrines as emergency shelters post-floods.
• Panchayati Raj reports recommended funding village cultural programs via 15th FC grants.
• Rural art forms like Mithila painting not integrated into afforestation public campaigns.
• BRICS cultural exchanges continue under digital archives of oral folk literature.
• Flood-resilient traditional architecture (e.g., Assam bamboo houses) promoted under disaster-resilient housing schemes.
• NDMA partnered with ASI for temple conservation plans in disaster-prone zones.
• School-level disaster education includes community songs, plays and wall painting in A&N Islands.
• Use of traditional crops, festivals, and rituals for community engagement in DRR suggested by experts.
• Cultural mapping of vulnerable areas included in NDMA’s 2025 outreach initiative.

Infrastructure

• GLOF mitigation includes construction of early warning infrastructure and drainage channels at glacier bases.
• Kamchatka tsunami raised concerns about resilience of ports and harbours on India’s eastern coast.
• Urban flood resilience planning emphasized sponge cities and eco-drainage projects.
• ISRO’s Bhuvan portal to be used for infrastructure vulnerability mapping in disaster zones.
• National Disaster Mitigation Fund to prioritize infrastructure in NE and Himalayan states.
• NDMA asked states to audit existing embankments and bridges for seismic safety.
• CAMPA funds partially diverted for forest road and watchtower infrastructure.
• Tsunami shelters being reviewed in A&N Islands for capacity and location.
• Use of geotextiles, boulders, and gabions for slope stabilization included in NGRMP.
• High-altitude surveillance towers and helipads proposed under Army’s disaster plan.

Geography

• Over 28,000 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), many high-risk due to moraine instability.
• South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim burst in 2023 due to a landslide-triggered GLOF.
• Flash flood hotspots include Konkan, Mahanadi delta, Brahmaputra valley, and west coast of Kerala.
• Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) located in seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.
• Himalayan terrain above 4,500m often unmapped in detail, hampering disaster planning.
• A&N Islands located in a tsunami-prone zone due to proximity to Sunda Trench.
• Riverine regions like Bihar and Assam vulnerable to flash floods from glacial and monsoonal sources.
• Urban areas like Mumbai and Chennai face compound flooding due to storm surges and rainfall.
• West coast rivers like Mandovi and Netravathi identified for early warning flood tech pilots.
• IHR geomorphology contributes to high landslide and flash flood probability during July–September.

Places in the News

• Kamchatka (Russia) – Epicenter of 8.8 magnitude quake triggering global tsunami alerts.
• South Lhonak Glacier (Sikkim) – Burst in 2023 led to India’s largest GLOF disaster.
• Brahmaputra Valley (Assam) – Identified as a flash flood hotspot by NDMA.
• Arunachal Pradesh – New glacial monitoring sites established under GLOF Risk Project.
• Dehradun (Uttarakhand) – NDMA pilot for urban flood preparedness.
• Visakhapatnam (AP) – Tsunami shelter infrastructure under audit.
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Earthquake-prone area; key to India’s disaster early warning chain.
• Chamoli & Kedarnath (UK) – Recent landslides and cloudbursts led to NDMA survey expansion.
• Mumbai – Smart City drainage revamp under disaster mitigation phase.
• Dhemaji (Assam) – Repeatedly affected by flash floods; pilot site for flood forecasting model.

History and Heritage

• CEC noted lack of historic vegetation or biodiversity data before afforestation—affecting ecological restoration.
• Indigenous knowledge systems around Himalayan floods ignored in state plans.
• 15th FC recommended cultural inventory via panchayats to track heritage assets at risk.
• Some temples in Uttarakhand used as relief camps during flash floods—showing historical-social utility.
• Traditional flood-resistant building practices in NE and Bengal revived under DRR training.
• NDMA incorporated folk songs and heritage stories in disaster awareness programs.
• No formal use of archaeological mapping in glacial lake zones yet—highlighted as gap.
• Cultural sites near rivers (e.g., Ayodhya, Varanasi) flagged for combined flood and heritage protection planning.
• Older maps (British-era) still used for some terrain planning, needing update with modern GIS.
• Forest rituals of indigenous groups not incorporated into Compensatory Afforestation planning.

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a 25% tariff

Context: U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a 25% tariff, along with an unspecified penalty, on imports from India starting August 1, 2025. The decision follows concerns over India’s trade practices and its continued ties with Russia.

Key Highlights:

• A 25% tariff plus an undefined penalty will apply to Indian imports into the U.S. from August 1.
• Trump cited India’s high tariffs and non-monetary trade barriers as reasons.
• India’s energy and military imports from Russia were also mentioned as a key factor.
• India and the U.S. have been negotiating a Bilateral Trade Agreement since February 2025.
• A “mini-deal” to reverse earlier retaliatory tariffs failed to materialize before the deadline.
• Trump described India as a friend but criticized its restrictive trade policies.
• The Indian government said it is studying the implications of the announcement.
• India reaffirmed its commitment to protect farmers, MSMEs, and national interest.
• Trump’s statement was posted on his Truth Social platform.
• The penalty’s form or amount has not been detailed yet.

NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

Context: India successfully launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth observation satellite from Sriharikota on July 31, 2025. This marks the first joint satellite mission between ISRO and NASA.

Key Highlights:

• NISAR was launched aboard GSLV-F16 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 5:40 p.m.
• The 2,392 kg satellite was placed into a sun-synchronous orbit 18 minutes after launch.
• It is the first jointly developed satellite by ISRO and NASA.
• NISAR has a mission life of five years with continuous earth observation capabilities.
• It uses dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) – NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band.
• Equipped with a 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna.
• Employs SweepSAR technology, enabling high-resolution scanning of 242 km swath.
• Capable of monitoring earthquakes, landslides, floods, soil moisture, and crop health.
• Data will be available at 12-day intervals, during day and night, and in all weather.
• The satellite will aid disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and environmental studies.
• ISRO provided the satellite bus, S-band SAR, and launch services.
• NASA built the radar antenna, boom, and L-band SAR system.
• Science operations will begin after the deployment and commissioning phases.

UN included The Resistance Front (TRF)

Context: India’s global efforts against cross-border terrorism gained traction as the UN included The Resistance Front (TRF) in its 1267 Sanctions Committee report, linking it to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. Officials see this as global validation of India’s claim that TRF is a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) front.

Key Highlights:

• The UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee report named TRF in connection with the Pahalgam attack.
• TRF had initially claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack, which killed 26 civilians.
• The group later retracted its claim, but no other group came forward.
• India has consistently argued that TRF is a proxy of Pakistan-based LeT.
• A technical team from India had submitted evidence to the UN committee to support this claim.
• The U.S. designated TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on July 17.
• The UN report suggests a direct link between TRF and LeT, validating India’s position.
• Operation Sindoor involved Indian strikes on terror-training camps inside Pakistan.
• The report highlighted regional tensions and the possibility of exploitation by terror outfits.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar referenced TRF’s activities in the Lok Sabha on July 29.

New GDP Series

Context: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will release revised GDP, IIP, and CPI series between February and April 2026, alongside launching new surveys on household travel and service sector enterprises to improve data granularity and accuracy.

Key Highlights:

• New GDP Series: To be released on February 27, 2026, with a new base year of 2022–23 (updated from 2011–12).
• New IIP Series: Expected from April 2026, also using 2022–23 as the base year (currently 2011–12).
• New CPI Series: Based on 2024 as the new base year; to be released in Q1 of FY 2026–27 (current base is 2012).
• Household Consumption Survey (HCES): Will be held every 3 years instead of every 5; next scheduled for 2027–28.
• Two new surveys launched (July 2025):
  • National Household Travel Survey (NHTS): Focuses on travel patterns, mode choices, and price sensitivity.
  • Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES): Captures tourism-related expenses, destination choices, and service usage.
• New CPI methodology: Will incorporate data from e-commerce sites, OTT platforms, online transport fares, and scanner data.
• Web scraping and administrative data: To be used for more accurate and real-time price tracking (e.g., for fuel and cooking gas).
• Annual Survey of Service Sector Enterprises (ASSSE): To start in January 2026, to map the formal services sector akin to the industrial survey.
• Objective: Improve the quality, frequency, and relevance of economic indicators and national statistics for better policymaking.

Mangroves Act as natural barriers

Context: Mangroves are vital coastal ecosystems that shield India’s shores from natural disasters, support biodiversity, and store carbon. Despite threats from development and climate change, India is witnessing successful mangrove restoration efforts across Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, and Gujarat.

Key Highlights:

• Ecological Role:
  • Act as natural barriers against cyclones, tidal surges, and coastal erosion.
  • Provide habitats and breeding grounds for fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and migratory birds.
  • Play a major role in blue carbon storage, mitigating climate change.
• National Mangrove Cover:
  • India has over 4,900 sq km of mangrove cover, mainly in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
• Threats to Mangroves:
  • Pressured by urban expansion, aquaculture, pollution, and climate change.
  • IUCN reports that 50% of global mangroves are at risk of collapse by 2050.
• Tamil Nadu Initiatives:
  • Green Tamil Nadu Mission has nearly doubled mangrove cover (from 4,500 to 9,000 hectares between 2021–2024).
  • Pattuvanachi estuary (Muthupettai): 115 hectares restored via canal digging and planting of 4.3 lakh Avicennia and 6,000 Rhizophora saplings.
  • Chennai’s Kazhipattur: 12,500 mangrove saplings planted after clearing invasive weeds to form a protective green belt.
• Mumbai Project:
  • Launched in early 2025 with a $1.2 million investment by Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund.
  • Restoration at Thane Creek, with 3.75 lakh saplings planned and 150 tonnes of plastic targeted for removal using trash booms.
  • Provides paid employment for local women, combining ecological and socio-economic goals.
• Gujarat’s Leadership:
  • Under the MISHTI scheme, over 19,000 hectares planted in two years, exceeding national targets.
  • Gujarat has 23.6% of India’s mangrove cover and uses coastal mapping for rapid upscaling of restoration.
  • Supports biodiversity, ecotourism, and blue carbon initiatives in Kutch and Saurashtra regions.
• Policy and Partnerships:
  • Success depends on a mix of community stewardship, scientific input, and policy support.
  • Corporate and government collaboration shows potential in urban coastal resilience and ecosystem restoration.
• Urgency and Vision:
  • Climate threats demand scaling of local success stories into national norms.
  • Mangrove conservation is essential for coastal security, climate mitigation, and livelihood protection.