2025 International Booker Prize
Context: Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her short story collection Heart Lamp, translated into English.
About the News:
- Award Name: International Booker Prize 2025
- Winner: Banu Mushtaq (Kannada writer)
- Book Title: Heart Lamp
- Genre: Short Story Collection (12 stories)
- Written Between: 1990–2023
- Translator: Deepa Bhasthi
- Language of Original: Kannada
- Language of Translation: English
Historical Significance:
- First-ever Kannada-language work to win the International Booker Prize
- First time a collection of short stories has been awarded the prize
- Second Indian language work to win, after Geetanjali Shree (Tomb of Sand, 2022)
- Reaffirms global recognition of regional Indian literature in translation
About Banu Mushtaq
- Age: 77 years (in 2025)
- Profession: Writer, Lawyer, Activist
- Native of: Hassan, Karnataka
- Writing Career: Active for over 5 decades
- Known for: Writing on Muslim women’s lives, social inequality, and resistance
- Associated with: Bandaya Sahitya Movement (Kannada for “rebellion/resistance”)
Themes in Heart Lamp:
- Focus on marginalized Muslim women
- Topics:
- Patriarchy, inequality, and lived struggles
- Female sacrifice and suppressed rights
- Story Examples:
- “Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal” – girl drops out of school to help mother
- “Fire Rain” – overworked mother (Arifa)
- “Heart Lamp” – mother Mehrun’s struggle
- “Black Cobras” – critique of hypocritical maulvis
- “Be a Woman Once, Oh Lord!” – post-childbirth exhaustion and prayer
Key Names for Exam Memorization
| Person | Role |
| Banu Mushtaq | Kannada writer, 2025 Booker winner |
| Deepa Bhasthi | Translator of Heart Lamp |
| Max Porter | Chair, International Booker Prize 2025 |
| Geetanjali Shree | Hindi author, 2022 Booker winner (Tomb of Sand) |
| Daisy Rockwell | Translator of Tomb of Sand |
Lion count grows by 32% in 5 years
Context: India’s lion population, found exclusively in Gujarat, has grown 32% from 2020 to 2025, with notable habitat expansion beyond protected areas.
Lion Population Growth (2020–2025)
- Total Lion Count (2025): 891 lions
- Growth since 2020: +32%
- Adult Females: 330 (↑ 27%) – crucial indicator for future population growth
Habitat Distribution
- Core Area (Gir NP + Paniya WLS): 394 lions
- Outside Protected Areas: More lions now live outside than inside core zones
- Expansion leads to increased human-lion interaction/conflict
Territorial Expansion
- 2015–2020: Lion range expanded to 30,000 sq. km (+36.4%)
- 2020–2025: Further expanded to 35,000 sq. km (+16.67%)
Expert Opinion
- Y.V. Jhala (Ex-Wildlife Institute of India):
- Gujarat remains a model of lion conservation
- Suggests creating new habitats with minimal human contact
- Theoretical capacity of Gujarat: up to 2,000 lions (based on prey availability)
- Rising cattle carcasses signal increasing conflict potential
Future Habitat Plans
- Kuno National Park (Madhya Pradesh):
- Originally proposed as a lion habitat, now houses cheetahs
- Project Lion:
- Approved in March 2025 by PM Narendra Modi
- Budget: ₹2,900 crore
- Aim: Improve existing lion habitat and develop new zones within Gujarat
Conservation Concerns
- Increased proximity to human settlements
- Rising man-animal conflict risk
- Need for geographical diversification of lion habitats beyond Gujarat
Important Data for Exams
| Parameter | Value |
| Lion population (2025) | 891 |
| Growth (2020–2025) | 32% |
| Adult females (2025) | 330 (↑ 27%) |
| Area covered (2020) | 30,000 sq. km |
| Area covered (2025) | 35,000 sq. km |
| Increase in territorial range | 16.67% (2020–2025) |
| Core population (Gir + Paniya) | 394 lions |
| Project Lion Budget | ₹2,900 crore |
| Project Lion Approved | March 2025 |
International Day for Biological Diversity 2025
- Observed on: May 22 every year
- Theme (2025): “Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development”
- Commemorates: Adoption of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on May 22, 1992
- Framework: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
- Goal: Conserve & manage 30% of terrestrial & marine biodiversity by 2030
- Target 12: Enhance green and blue spaces in cities
- Related to SDG Goal 11: Safe, resilient, sustainable cities
Urban Biodiversity: Importance
- Urban population (2025): ~50%; expected to rise to 70% by 2050
- Urban biodiversity offers:
- Health benefits: Reduces temperature, pollution, noise, provides recreation
- Economic value: Urban trees provide services worth ~$967,000/sq.km annually (Theodore Endreny study)
Environmental Benefits
- Tree line (10 m wide): Cuts noise pollution by 5 decibels
- Frankfurt data: Green belts reduce temperature by 3.5°C, increase humidity by 5%
- Tree cover in Indian cities (Forest Survey of India):
- Mumbai: 25.43%
- New Delhi: 12.6%
- Hyderabad: 12.6%
- Bengaluru: 6.85%
- Chennai: 4.66%
- Ahmedabad: 3.27%
- Chennai lost 2.6 sq.km, Hyderabad 1.6 sq.km of forest cover (2021–23)
Urban Planning Recommendations
UN-Habitat’s 3-30-300 Rule
- 3 trees visible from every home/school/office
- 30% tree canopy in each neighborhood
- 300 meters to nearest green space (0.5–1.0 ha)
Biodiversity Index & Action Plan
- City Biodiversity Index (ICLEI Asia):
- Based on 23 indicators
- Cities assessed: Kochi, Gangtok, Nagpur
- Followed by Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (LBSAP)
Case Studies
Chennai Koyambedu Greening (2021)
- Regeneration of 141 plant species, 35 bird & 27 butterfly species
- Mimics 3-storied natural forest – better than Miyawaki model
Pallikaranai Marsh (Chennai)
- Restored & declared Ramsar site
- Previously used as a garbage dump
Key Urban Challenges
- Loss of home garden trees (coconut, mango, jackfruit) due to flats
- Encroachment and pollution of lakes & marshes
- Low forest cover in expanding cities
Policy Suggestions
- GCC to mandate 5 trees per 2,400 sq.ft. plot for new buildings
- Promote roof/kitchen gardens for biodiversity and health
- Ecological restoration of lakes using nature-based solutions
- Provide legal protection to urban waterbodies
Legal Action & Governance
- Supreme Court took strict view on tree felling at Kancha Gachibowli, Hyderabad
- Urges city managers to avoid development at biodiversity’s cost
- Mainstream biodiversity in city planning
India’s marine biodiversity and fisheries crisis.
Context: Need for sustainable and equitable management of India’s marine fisheries.
Marine Fisheries: Current Status
- Annual capture: Stabilised at 3–4 million tonnes
- Maximum sustainable yield reached; further increase = ecological & economic cost
- Inequity:
- 90% of fishers are small-scale, but they catch only 10% of the fish
- 75% of fisher families live below poverty line
Ecological Impact of Trawling
- Commercial shrimp trawling: For every 1 kg shrimp, 10 kg bycatch (mostly dead)
- Bycatch includes juvenile & non-target species
- Mesh size <25 mm = increased juvenile fishing
- Consequences:
- Collapse of spawning stock (e.g., sardine, mackerel)
- Long recovery time; sometimes irreversible
Global Collapse Examples
- Canada (1992): Northern cod fishery collapse → moratorium; stocks still low
- California (1900s): Pacific sardine collapse → closed 1967–86; failed rebounds
India’s Regulatory Issues
- Patchy laws: Each coastal State/UT has its own Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (MFRA)
- Leads to cross-border laundering of juvenile/illegal fish
- Lack of uniformity undermines biodiversity protection
Recommended Policy Solutions
National-level harmonisation
- Common standards for:
- Catch limits (scientifically set)
- Minimum Legal Size (MLS)
- Gear restrictions
- Closed seasons
International Models
- New Zealand’s QMS (Quota Management System):
- Based on stock assessments
- Introduced in 1986
- Allows individual transferable quotas
- Applied to commercial, recreational, customary fishers
- Adaptation in India (pilot basis) could stabilise fisheries
Indian Success Story
- Kerala: After enforcing MLS for threadfin bream, catch rose 41% in one season
Tackle the FMFO Industry (Fish Meal & Fish Oil)
- Bycatch → fish meal = perverse incentive
- Over 50% trawl catch = low-value juvenile fish
- Exports → loss of nutrition for Indian consumers & aquaculture
- Solutions:
- Caping FMFO quotas
- Mandate the release of juveniles
- Divert bycatch to aquaculture brood stock
Multi-Level Action Needed
National Government
- Regulate: vessel licences, subsidies, and grants
- Shift to an ecosystem-based approach
State Governments
- Enforcement: Patrol boats, real-time tracking tools
Community & Consumers
- Empower fisher cooperatives as co-managers of MPAs
- Promote consumer awareness: Buy legally sized, sustainable fish
- India’s ~11,098 km coastline, 3,000+ villages at risk from:
- Overfishing, biodiversity loss, and poverty
- Climate-driven storms, erosion
- Solutions within reach:
- Science-based quotas
- Unified laws
- Community-led conservation
- Long-term sustainability focus
Poverty levels in India
Context: A 2025 EPW paper finds that poverty reduction in India has slowed significantly since 2011–12, using survey-to-survey imputation methods due to the lack of official poverty data.
Main Findings
- Poverty fell:
- From 37% in 2004–05 to 22% in 2011–12
- To only 18% in 2022–23
- Number of poor declined from 250 million to 225 million post-2011–12
- The pace of poverty reduction has slowed down significantly
Three Main Methodological Approaches Compared
1. UMPCE from NSSO/PLFS:
- Uses single-question measure: Usual Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure
- Lacks clarity and comparability with older surveys
- Estimated poverty: 26–30% in 2019–20
2. PFCE Scaling Method:
- Uses Private Final Consumption Expenditure from NAS
- Scales 2011–12 CES data forward
- Doesn’t capture distributional changes in consumption
3. Survey-to-Survey Imputation:
- Fills data gaps by combining related surveys
- Earlier used by World Bank and researchers like:
- Newhouse & Vyas: 15% poverty in 2014–15
- Edochie et al.: 10% in 2017–18
- Roy & van der Weide: 10% in 2019 using CMIE-CPHS
Unique Features of This Study’s Methodology
- Uses Tendulkar poverty lines, not World Bank lines
- Relies on Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) and PLFS, ensuring better match with CES 2011–12
- Incorporates State-level and sector-wise fixed effects for better accuracy
State-wise Trends (2022–23)
- Significant progress: Uttar Pradesh
- Stagnation or slower progress: Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh
Supporting Macro Indicators
1. GDP Growth:
- 2004–05 to 2011–12: 6.9%
- 2011–12 to 2022–23: 5.7%
2. Real Rural Wages (WRRI – Labour Bureau):
- 2004–05 to 2011–12: 4.13% annual growth
- 2011–12 to 2022–23: 2.3% annual growth
3. Agriculture Workforce:
- Declined by 66 million (2004–18)
- Increased by 68 million since 2017–18
- Indicates return to low-productivity jobs → Higher poverty risk
Limitations Acknowledged
- Lack of comparable official CES data since 2011–12
- Multiple estimates likely to continue until fresh government surveys are published
Conclusion
- Evidence suggests a slowing of poverty reduction post-2011–12
- Authors advocate for revitalised anti-poverty efforts and official data release to clarify real trends