KAS Current Affairs

Current Events of National and International Importance

₹9,072 cr. for three railway projects for various States

Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved three multi-tracking railway projects at a cost of ₹9,072 crore.

• The projects include the construction of a second line on the Gondia (Maharashtra)-Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) section and the addition of third and fourth lines between Punarakh and Kiul in Bihar, and between Gamharia and Chandil in Jharkhand.
• Spanning a total length of 307 km, the three projects are aimed at decongesting these busy sections. The proposed works are expected to enhance connectivity to nearly 5,407 villages, and improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations, including Kachnar Shiv Temple, Kanha National Park (Balaghat), and Pench National Park, among others.
• According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the projects are being undertaken under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan and aims to enhance multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning.

Current Events of State Importance and Important Government Schemes and Programs

Asha Kirana initiative reaches 1.4 cr. people across Karnataka

Context: 393 permanent vision centres have been established across district hospitals, taluk hospitals, and community health centres as part of the initiative to strengthen institutional services.

• The State Health Department’s flagship eye-care initiative, Asha Kirana, redesigned with the objective of eliminating preventable visual impairment, has facilitated free eye screenings for 1.4 crore people through ASHA workers since its launch in July 2025.

393 vision centres

• To tackle preventable blindness, the Health Department expanded and restructured the Asha Kirana programme under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI).
• As part of this initiative to strengthen institutional services, 393 permanent Asha Kirana vision centres have been established across district hospitals, taluk hospitals, and community health centres.

Cataract surgeries

• Launched simultaneously on July 3, 2025, the centres provide comprehensive eye-care services, including vision screening, free distribution of spectacles, free cataract surgeries, and eye donation and collection services.
• While 1.4 crore people have been screened in these centres so far, over 2.91 lakh people have been provided free spectacles. A total of 4,19,972 cataract surgeries have been performed till January 2026, of which 58,582 were conducted in government hospitals and 3,61,390 in private hospitals, according to data.
• Aimed at increasing awareness and access to eye health services, particularly targeting cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors — the two major causes of vision impairment in the country — the programme was earlier carried out through doorstep screenings by ASHA workers and field staff from the department on a campaign mode. However, under the redesigned programme, people can visit the vision centres in public health facilities at their convenience and get screened for eye problems. This ensures continuous and accessible services.

WHO recognition

• Health Minister: The initiative has emerged as a source of hope for economically disadvantaged individuals who have lost vision due to various health conditions.
• “The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended the programme, granting it global recognition. The WHO has also expressed interest in documenting the Asha Kirana model to examine the possibility of replicating the comprehensive eye-care framework in other States and countries,”.

Paper-I: Essays

Essay – 1:
Mobile Usage Regulation: Is It an Individual Responsibility or Does It Require Government Intervention? Discuss.

Essay – 2:
Guarantee Schemes: Instruments of Social Justice or Sources of Fiscal Stress?

Paper-II: General Studies 1

Paper-III: General Studies 2

Now, khata changes for farmlands can be done through mobile phones

Context: The Karnataka government launched an auto-mutation system that facilitates farmland owners to effect changes in khatas from their mobiles without visiting Revenue offices.

• Though this method was in force since 2024, it was confined to only instances where there was no need to issue notices. The new initiative would now allow changes in all instances to be made to khatas online.
• Aapplications under this facility could be made through the Bhoomi portal. There will be a notice period of seven days for general cases, during which objections could be filed by anyone through this portal. The khata would be changed automatically on the eight day if no objections were filed.
• However, the notice period would stretch for 15 days for cases that seek changes in khata owing to reasons other than registration. Even in these cases, the change would be automatically effected on the 16th day if there are no objections.

Union Cabinet nod for ‘Kerala’ to become ‘Keralam’

Context: The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution seeking name change on June 2024. The Union Cabinet approved the Kerala government’s proposal to change the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, the name used in the Malayalam language.

• The President will now refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala Legislative Assembly to express its views, under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.
• Once these views are received, the Union government will take further action to obtain the President’s recommendation to introduce the name change legislation in Parliament.
• The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its first gathering at Seva Teerth, the new complex housing the Prime Minister’s Office.
• The move comes almost two years after the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution seeking the name change.
• The resolution, dated June 24, 2024, said: “The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of national independence struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking Malayalam language.
• But in the First Schedule to the Constitution the name of our State is recorded as ‘Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeal to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’.”
• The matter was considered in the Ministry of Home Affairs and, with the approval of Minister Amit Shah, the draft note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice, for their comments. These departments concurred with the proposal to change the name.

Paper-IV: General Studies 3

Govt. to roll out free HPV vaccination programme

Context: The Union Health Ministry is set to launch a nation-wide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme targeting girls aged 14.

• The vaccination will be voluntary and free of cost, ensuring equitable access across socio-economic groups.
• India will use Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine, for protection from HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, and types 6 and 11.
• “Global and Indian scientific evidence confirms that a single dose provides robust and durable protection when administered to girls in the recommended age group,” a senior Health Ministry official said.
• “The nation-wide programme will target girls aged 14 years, an age at which the HPV vaccine offers maximum preventive benefit, well before potential exposure to the virus,” the official said.
• To ensure uninterrupted availability and quality, India has secured HPV vaccine supplies through a transparent, globally supported procurement mechanism.
• “Under India’s partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Gardasil vaccines, which are approved by India’s drug regulator and widely used internationally, have been made available for the national programme. The procurement follows stringent quality and cold chain standards, enabling the government to provide the vaccine free of cost to eligible girls across all States and Union Territories,’’ the official said.
• HPV vaccination under the national programme will be conducted exclusively at designated government health facilities, including the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Primary Health Centres), Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals, and Government Medical Colleges.
• Each vaccination session will be carried out in the presence of trained medical officers, supported by skilled healthcare teams, and equipped for post-vaccination observation and management of any rare adverse events.
• Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with nearly 80,000 new cases reported annually.

Paper-V: General Studies 4

Ethics Case Study – Factory Issue in Koppal District
Background:
In a village of Koppal district, the establishment of a new industrial factory has triggered significant public opposition. The government argues that the project will generate employment opportunities and promote regional economic development. However, local farmers and residents fear that the factory may cause environmental pollution, damage agricultural land, deplete water resources, and lead to health problems.
While the protests initially began peacefully, there are signs of rising tension and potential law-and-order concerns. As a district-level administrative officer, you are responsible for handling the situation. You must balance the need for industrial development with environmental protection, livelihood security, and public peace.

Ethical Issues Involved
1.Economic development vs Environmental protection
2.Job creation vs Protection of health and agriculture
3.Public interest vs Private corporate profit
4.Legal compliance vs Political and economic pressure
5.Transparency vs Administrative expediency

Stakeholders
Local farmers and villagers
The company establishing the factory
State government
District administration and police
Pollution Control Board
Environmental activists and civil society groups
Future job seekers

Options Available
Option 1:
Grant immediate approval for the factory to begin operations.

Option 2:
Temporarily halt the project and order a re-evaluation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Option 3:
Initiate dialogue with all stakeholders and attempt a negotiated solution with safeguards and compensatory measures.

Sources: The Hindu

KAS Current Affairs

Current Events of National and International Importance

India amends tax treaty with France, cuts dividend tax

• India has revised its three-decade-old tax treaty with France, which will help major French firms save millions of dollars in dividend levies, while it also broadens New Delhi’s powers to tax certain transactions, the finance ministry said.
• French firms holding at least 10% in an Indian entity will now pay a 5% tax on dividends, down from 10% earlier.
• For minority French shareholdings of under 10% in Indian companies, however, dividend tax will rise from 10% to 15%.reuters

RODTEP rates cut

• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has amended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products Scheme so that the rate applicable for all products shall be limited to 50% of existing rates and, where applicable, 50% of the notified value caps, with immediate effect.

Current Events of State Importance and Important Government Schemes and Programs

Centre allocates ₹2,245.30 croreto Karnataka under SwachhBharat Mission-Urban 2.0

Context: The Union government has allocated ₹2,245.30 crore to Karnataka under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, with ₹83.53 crore ready to be released once the State submits a detailed action plan.

• The information was given by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in response to an issue raised in the Lok Sabha by MP for Bengaluru Central P.C. Mohan.
• According to the Ministry, out of the total ₹2,245.30 crore allocation, ₹709.30 crore has been earmarked for solid waste management. So far, projects worth ₹625.77 crore have been approved, and the State government has claimed ₹87.82 crore.
• An additional ₹83.53 crore will be released after the State prepares and submits a detailed action plan, gets it cleared by the State Level Technical Committee, and sends it to the Ministry for approval. Once approved, the funds must be transferred by the State government to urban local bodies for implementation.
• For Bengaluru alone, projects worth ₹512.68 crore have already been cleared, of which the Centre’s share is ₹128.16 crore. These projects include material recovery facilities with a combined capacity of 1,226.11 tonnes per day to sort and process waste, waste-to-energy plants capable of handling 460 tonnes per day, and sanitary landfills with a capacity of 800 tonnes per day.
• Plans also include transfer stations that can manage 6,081.74 tonnes per day, remediation of 100.49 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, and the procurement of 24 mechanical road sweepers.
• Mr. Mohan said substantial funds have already been allocated and approvals granted by the Centre, and that timely submission of the action plan by the State would ensure release of the remaining funds and speed up the development of modern waste management infrastructure in Bengaluru.

Paper-I: Essays

Essay-1: Topic of International/National Importance

“Technology becomes humane only when access becomes universal.”

Essay-2: Topic of State importance/Local Importance

Paper-II: General Studies 1

President unveils bustof Rajaji, hails move toshed ‘colonial mindset’

Context: President Droupadi Murmu unveiled the bust of C. Rajagopalachari at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, hailing it as a step towards “shedding the vestiges of colonial mindset”.

• The bust of Rajaji, the only Indian Governor-General of Independent India, has been installed at the Grand Open Staircase near Ashok Mandap and replaces that of Edwin Lutyens, the British architect who designed New Delhi.
• “This initiative is part of a series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges of the colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India’s culture, heritage, timeless traditions and honouring those who served Bharat Mata with their extraordinary contributions,” said a statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Ms. Murmu visited the venue of Rajaji Utsav that will be open to the public from February 24 to March 1. Speaking on the occasion, she said that when Rajaji arrived at the Government House (now known as Rashtrapati Bhavan), he placed portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mahatma Gandhi in his room.
• “Rajaji sent a clear message that while India was formally still a dominion, Swaraj had been fully established in the hearts of Indians. Thus, Rajaji set an inspiring example of mental decolonisation. His ideals are reflected in the national campaign adopted by the people of India to take pride in India’s heritage… Indian consciousness and connection with all Indians, especially the weaker sections, are reflected in Rajaji’s thoughts and actions,’’ she said.
• The President said that while India moved towards “Viksit Bharat”, icons such as Rajaji would inspire people with their ideas and ideals. She called for promoting the spirit of enterprise to fulfil his dreams.

‘State contributes one-fifth to India’s bioeconomy’

Context: Karnataka’s bioeconomy, a $39 billion enterprise, contributes over one-fifth to the national bioeconomy and over 10% to the Gross State Domestic Product as of 2025, said a newly launched report.

• Between 2023 and 2025, the State’s bioeconomy expanded from $31 billion to $39.2 billion, representing a cumulative rise of 26.5%; Karnataka also saw 218 new biotech start-ups being added in 2025 alone
• Karnataka’s bioeconomy, a $39 billion enterprise, contributes over one-fifth to the national bioeconomy and over 10% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) as of 2025, observes a newly launched report.
• The Karnataka BioEconomy Report 2025, prepared by the Association of Biotechnology-Led Enterprises (ABLE) for the Karnataka government, was released.

Production-oriented

• Between 2023 and 2025, the State’s bioeconomy expanded from $31 billion to $39.2 billion, representing a cumulative rise of 26.5%.The growth has been attributed to a robust biopharmaceutical base , rapid bioindustrial diversification, and strong bioservices integration.
• “Karnataka’s innovation ecosystem — anchored in research institutions, start-ups, and global R&D centres— has transitioned from being research-heavy to production-oriented and globally competitive,” reads the report, which pins the State’s contribution to India’s bioeconomy at 20.63%.
• According to the report, Karnataka’s bioeconomy accounted for 10.51% of the GSDP in 2025. This is more than twice the share of the biotech sector to India’s GDP (4.57%).
• “This positions biotechnology not merely a scientific discipline but as an economic pillar central to the State’s development model,” notes the report.

Start-up numbers

• Karnataka’s biotech start-up ecosystem continued to grow, with 218 new biotech start-ups being added in 2025 alone, marking the highest annual start-up additions in three years. With this,the cumulative number of biotech start-ups in the State stands at 1,451,up from 1,233 in 2024.
• The State currently holds a 12–13% share of the national biotechnology start-up pool and more than75%of them startups are focused on life sciences and health-tech. Bengaluru accounts for about 54% of the biotech start-ups.
• Mysuru contributes around 8.7% to the bioeconomy of the State, while Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada together account for over 9%.
• On the investment front, between January 2024 and October 2025, Karnataka attracted$1.14 billion across around 40 deals.

Collaboration critical

• “The rapid expansion of biomanufacturing shows a sector moving decisively from research to global-scale production. Continued collaboration between government, industry and academia will be critical to sustaining Karnataka’s leadership in India’s next phase of bio-led growth,” said G.S. Krishnan, honorary president, ABLE.
• Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Rural Development, noted that biotechnology is no longer confined to laboratories, but is now a central driver of economic growth, industrial innovation and societal impact.
• “Our focus is on building a full-spectrum biomanufacturing economy by supporting deep-tech start-ups, strengthening innovation infrastructure, and ensuring that growth reaches beyond Bengaluru,”he said.

Paper-III: General Studies 2

Centre unveils policy to tackle terrorism threats

Context: PRAHAAR states that India faces terrorist threats on all three fronts — water, land and air; the policy adds that capacities have been developed to protect critical sectors of the economy

• The Union Home Ministry released the country’s first-ever anti-terror policy, emphasising that other than terror sponsored from across the border, “criminal hackers and nation states continue to target India through cyber-attacks”. The policy — titled PRAHAAR — has been uploaded on the Ministry’s website.
• It states that India faces terrorist threats on all three fronts — water, land and air — and that capacities have been developed to protect critical sectors of the economy, including power, railways, aviation, ports, defence, space and atomic energy, from both state and non-state actors.
• The Hindu first reported on December 23, 2025, that the National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy had been finalised and would be released soon.
• The policy underlines that “India does not link terrorism to any specific religion, ethnicity, nationality or civilisation”. However, it notes that India has been affected by “sponsored terrorism” from across the border, with “Jihadi terror outfits as well as their frontal organisations” continuing to plan, coordinate, facilitate and execute terror attacks.
• “India has been on the target of global terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and IS, which have been trying to incite violence in the country through sleeper cells,” it says, adding that extremists operating from foreign countries have hatched conspiracies to promote terrorism.
• “Their handlers from across the border frequently use the latest technologies, including the use of drones, for facilitating terror-related activities and attacks in Punjab and J&K. Increasingly, terrorist groups are engaging organised criminal networks for logistics and recruitment to execute and facilitate terror strikes in India,” the policy says.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced on November 7, 2024, that a National Counter Terrorism Policy and Strategy was being drafted to fight terrorism and its ecosystem.
• Following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted meetings with anti-terror units of all States and apprised them of the measures aimed at preventing and pre-empting such attacks.
• The policy further states that for propaganda, communication, funding and guiding terror attacks, these terror groups use social media platforms as well as ‘instant messaging applications’ and technological advancements such as encryption, dark web, crypto wallets etc, enabling them to operate anonymously.
• “Disrupting/Intercepting terrorist efforts to access and use CBRNED (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, Digital) materials remains a challenge for Counter Terrorism (CT) agencies. The threat of state and non-state actors misusing drones and robotics for lethal purposes remains another area of concern,” it flags.
• As a way forward, the policy suggests that to make appropriate cases against the perpetrators of acts of terrorism, there is a need to associate legal experts at every stage of investigation.
• “Terrorist groups based outside (from abroad) nowadays use the infrastructure, logistics and terrain knowledge of local outfits for launching attacks. National actions, coupled with international and regional cooperation, are key elements in addressing the transnational terrorism challenge,” it emphasises.
• The MHA said Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been continuously working to prevent the recruitment of Indian youth by extremist groups.
• Underscoring the role of community and religious leaders, the policy states that moderate preachers and NGOs are engaged to spread awareness about the adverse consequences and impacts of radicalisation and extremist violence.
• The Ministry said there is a move to establish a uniform anti-terrorism structure across States, as standardisation of processes and procedures would ensure similar and synergistic responses to terror attack.
• It said that the policy aims to criminalise all terrorist acts and deny access to terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, weapons and safe havens.

WhatsApp tells SC it does not share data with Meta

Context: Will fully comply with National Company Law Appellate Tribunal directions on user consent for sharing data with parent company, it says as both challenge imposition of penalty of ₹213.14 crore

• The instant messaging platform WhatsApp maintained in the Supreme Court on Monday that it was not “quite right” to say the online entity was sharing data with other Meta platforms.
• Appearing before a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, said its technology was very clear and put a premium on privacy. “There is no question of violating the law,” Mr. Sibal submitted.
• He said the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, comprehensively addressed the privacy concerns raised in the Supreme Court.
• The court was hearing petitions filed by Meta and WhatsApp against a National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) decision to uphold a ₹213.14-crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
• The CCI had found WhatsApp’s “take-it-or-leave-it” approach in its 2021 privacy policy an abuse of its market dominance. It found the prior consent sought from users to share their data with Meta “manufactured”. It had concluded that users were forced to share data for continued access to WhatsApp messaging services.
• In an appeal last year, the NCLAT concluded that the “core principle is to remove exploitation by restoring user choice”.
• “The users can be given choice if users retain the right to decide what data is collected from them, for which purposes, and for how long. We had also stated in our findings that any non-essential collection or cross-use (like advertising etc.) can occur only with the concerned user’s express and revocable consent,” the NCLAT had observed.
• WhatsApp said it would fully comply with the NCLAT directions relating to user consent for sharing data with Meta under its controversial 2021 privacy policy by March 16, 2026. The tribunal had, however, found the CCI’s five-year ban on sharing data for advertisement purposes “redundant”, considering that the user had already been given a choice to opt in or out.
• WhatsApp has filed a comprehensive affidavit explaining its technology of end-to-end encryption, following scathing oral remarks from the Bench in the previous hearing on February 3.
• The Bench had cautioned that it would not permit the platform and Meta to breach the right to privacy of millions of their “silent consumers” in India through the sharing and commercial exploitation of personal data. It had even compared sharing of private data to a “decent way of committing theft”. Though WhatsApp and Meta had protested that users could “opt out” of the data-sharing provision, the court had persisted in its criticism.
• Senior advocate Madhavi Goradia Divan, for CCI, said there was also a competition law concern attached to the case.
• “Data-sharing has many facets. One may be privacy and data protection. But there is another aspect, protecting market and consumer, which stands on a totally different footing,” Ms. Divan submitted.

Paper-IV: General Studies 3

Paper-V: General Studies 4

Ethics Case Study
Background
In Rajamahendravaram city of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, four elderly persons died and eight others fell critically ill after consuming adulterated milk supplied by a local vendor. Medical reports indicate that the victims suffered from acute renal failure and anuria. The same vendor had procured milk from 46 dairy farmers and supplied it to 106 families. The district administration detained the vendor and initiated forensic testing of blood samples, cattle fodder, and milk samples. The State government announced compensation to victims’ families, while allegations of negligence in enforcing food safety norms were raised.

You are the District Collector of East Godavari.

1. Ethical Issues Involved?
2. Stakeholders?
3. Ethical Principles Applied?
4. Options Available to You?
   Option 1: Limit action to arresting the vendor and completing investigation
   Option 2: Combine legal action with immediate health, relief, and surveillance measures
   Option 3: Implement long-term structural reforms in food safety governance

Sources: The Hindu

KAS Current Affairs GS2: Strait of Hormuz

Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Oman.

KAS Current Affairs GS3: Great Nicobar project

NGT clears ₹92,000-cr. Great Nicobar project

Context: The tribunal disposes of a batch of applications over environmental clearance for the project;says ‘adequate safeguards’ are provided in EC conditions and finds no good ground to interfere

• A Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) cleared the way for the ₹92,000-crore Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project, noting that “considering the strategic importance” of it and “other relevant considerations”, “we do not find any good ground to interfere”.
• It disposed of applications related to the environment clearance (EC) for the project, with a direction to authorities “to ensure full and strict compliance of EC conditions”.
• The project includes a transshipment port, an airport, a power plant, and a township.
• The Bench was hearing a batch of applications related to the EC, which was granted in 2022. An earlier NGT Bench had in 2023 called for the formation of a high-powered committee (HPC) to address certain issues concerning the protection of coral reef colonies, nesting sites of leatherback turtles, and the allegation that parts of the project are located in ecologically protected zones.
• The applicants argued that the government had erred in limiting the terms of reference for the HPC to three issues and that the terms were “factually incorrect”. They said the issues had not been properly examined. The NGT said “adequate safeguards” had been provided in the conditions specified in the EC, which the tribunal had already refused to interfere with in its 2023 order. It said the remaining issues had “been dealt with” by the HPC.
• “A balanced approach is required to be adopted while considering the issue of allowing development of the port on a strategic location and taking adequate steps to carry out the activity strictly in terms of the ICRZ Notification, 2019 instead of prohibiting the activity if the objection is based on apprehension,” the NGT said in its order.
• The NGT Bench, headed by its Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, noted that it found no error in the drafting of the terms of reference for the HPC, adding that the applicants did not point out “any other substantial issue” that should have been examined by the HPC.
• Further, noting the Union government’s stance against public disclosure of the HPC report, given that it is “of strategic, defence and national importance and has confidential and privileged information”, the NGT said, “The above disclosures reveal that the project is very important for India.”
• The NGT order said that to ensure “full and effective” compliance with the EC conditions, the Environment Ministry “will undertake all measures to protect the coral reefs along the coastal stretch and will also ensure coral regeneration through proved scientific method for regeneration”. The NGT asked the Environment Ministry to prepare and approve an “implementation plan” in this regard

‘Responsibility of Environment Ministry’

• On erosion of shorelines of the Great Nicobar Island, the NGT said it “will be the responsibility” of the Environment Ministry to “ensure that on account of proposed constructions which includes foreshore development, there is no erosion/shoreline change”. On protecting coral reefs, the Bench relied on the government’s submissions that “no coral reef exists within the work area of the project.”
• The applicants had also submitted that the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project was conducted for just one season, as opposed to three seasons as mandated by regulations. On this, the NGT noted the government’s submissions that “since there is no high erosion site in Andaman & Nicobar, therefore, three-season data is not required”.
• While the project’s environmental clearance was under challenge before the NGT, aspects of the project’s forest clearance are currently under challenge before the Calcutta High Court. Apart from the alarm raised by conservationists and activists about the project’s potential damage to the ecology , locals on the island have objected to the project’s approval, alleging that their consent for it had not been taken lawfully.
• The locals — the Nicobarese and the Shompen — have alleged that their rights on forest lands which are supposed to be used for the project had not been settled.

KAS Current Affairs GS1: Gig Workers

State notifies 1% welfare fee for gig workers

Context: The Karnataka government has notified the quantum of the welfare fee to be collected from aggregator platforms to provide social security benefits to platform-based gig workers at 1% per transaction for all services.

• The Karnataka government has notified the quantum of the welfare fee to be collected from aggregator platforms to provide social security benefits to platform-based gig workers.
• While the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act, 2025, mandates a welfare fee of 1-5% of the payout to the worker for each transaction, the government has fixed the fee at 1% per transaction for all services.

The cap per transaction, however, varies for different services:

• For food and grocery delivery services such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, and BigBasket the cap is at ₹0.5.
• For ride-hailing services such as Rapido, NammaYatri, and Uber, the cap is fixed at ₹0.5, ₹0.75, and ₹1 for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers, respectively.
• Logistics services like Porter will have to shell out ₹0.5, ₹0.75, ₹1, and ₹1.5 per transaction for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles, respectively.
• For e-marketplace services, ₹0.5, ₹0.75, and ₹1 have been fixed as the cap for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and light commercial vehicles, respectively.
• Professional activity providers like Urban Company have the highest cap at ₹1.5.

Each quarter

• According to a Government Order published in the Gazette on February 13, within five working days from the end of each quarter, every aggregator should calculate the welfare fee, self-declare the same, and pay it to the government.
• All the payments will be mapped onto a Payment and Welfare Fee Verification System (PWFVS) administered by the State government and monitored by the Gig Workers Social Security Board. According to the GO, the details of the welfare fee collected and spent will be disclosed and made available on the portal.
• The bank details for making the payment of the welfare fee will be provided on the website of the Labour Department.

KAS Current Affairs GS3: Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act

Adani Group enters nuclear power sector after SHANTI Act

Context: The Adani Group announced its entry into the nuclear power sector , via a regulatory filing. This is the first instance of a major power company in India doing so, following the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act in December.

• “We wish to inform you that Adani Power Limited (APL) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary — Adani Atomic Energy Limited,” the company.
• The SHANTI Act, which was passed by Parliament in December, replaces the Atomic Energy Act and allows private companies to operate nuclear power plants in India. It also allows such companies to form joint ventures with foreign companies for technology collaboration.
• India has an installed nuclear power capacity of 8.8 GW, with the government claiming that it will rise to 32 GW in the next decade. It currently contributes about 3% of generated electricity.