General Studies 1: Geography; Indian Rainfall patterns
‘Mini-cloudbursts’ are on the rise: IMD chief
Context: There is no “increasing trend” in cloudbursts — 10 cm of rain in an hour or more over 20-30 square km — over India in recent years and they remain “impossible” to forecast. However, there has been an increase in “mini-cloudbursts” — 5 cm of rain per hour, India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- Rainfall in September — the last official monsoon month — is, as in the previous months, expected to be “above normal”, or 9% more than the usual average of 16.7 cm, Except the northeastern States and parts of “extreme” southern India, the rest of the country is expected to get above normal rainfall.
- The three monsoon months so far have seen “above normal” rainfall, in line with what the IMD forecast in May.
- Rainfall during June 1 to August 31 was 6% above the 70 cm usual for the three months.
Less rain in the east
- Northwest India — comprising Uttarakhand, most parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi — got 26% more rainfall than what is typical for the three months.
- Central India and the southern peninsula saw 8.6% and 9.3% more rainfall than usual with only the eastern and northeastern India — which receives the most rain as a bloc during the monsoon — getting 17% less than normal.
- August rainfall in northern India, at 26.5 cm, was the highest since 2001, IMD data.
- Rainfall over the southern peninsula, at 25 cm, was the third highest since 2001.
- There were more than 700 instances of heavy rain (20 cm or more in a day) in August 2025, the second highest since 2021 behind the 800-plus in 2024.
Series of disturbances
- The extremely active monsoon in northern India — that saw large-scale destruction of lives and property in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Uttarakhand — was due to a confluence of several western disturbances (storms that travel to India from the Mediterranean) and storms from the Bay of Bengal moving northwards leading to several episodes of intense rain.
- “This is likely to prevail during September too…since 1980 we have noticed an increasing trend in the rainfall India receives during September,”.
- The IMD had a strict definition of a ‘cloudburst’, 10 cm of rain in an hour or more over 20-30 square km, and while there was rising trend in India overall, ‘mini cloudbursts,’ — or 5 cm of rain per hour — were on the rise, referring to a 2018 research study by climate researchers at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. In that data set, there were only 28 cloudbursts reported from 1969-2015. IMD did not have updated data on this aspect since 2015.
- “IMD issue reports of cloudbursts within 24 hours of the event. For instance, there have been cloudbursts reported in Chennai the previous night.
- Challenges: It is not possible to categorise this in certain regions because of lack of meteorological stations where the cloudbursts occur.
- Even with satellite imagery, we can warn of intense clouding or heavy rains a few hours before but cannot predict if it will result in a cloudburst,”.
- “It is well known that landslides can occur even with 2-5 cm of rainfall.”
Sources: TH
General Studies2: India and its Neighbours
India, China committed to fair resolution of border issue: Modi
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the India-China border for continued development of bilateral relations.
Where: Meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
Outcome:
- Agreed on the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and tourist visas.
- Expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question,”.
- Mutual support in combating terrorism.
- Exchanged views on balanced bilateral trade, recognising that their economies could stabilise world trade.
- Agreed to facilitate trade and investment ties while reducing their trade deficit.
Tianjin Declaration:
- The Tianjin Declaration stressed that terrorism, separatism, and extremism cannot be justified or used for political purposes. “The Member States strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025,”.
- The declaration also highlighted India’s contribution to regional cooperation under the theme “One Earth, One Family and One Future.”
Myanmar:
- The Prime Minister also met with Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlain and noted that India attaches importance to its ties with Myanmar as part of its ‘Neighborhood First’, ‘Act East’, and Indo-Pacific policies.
About SCO:
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five.
The goals of the SCO are:
- to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness between the Member States;
- to encourage the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc;
Currently, the SCO countries includes:
- 10 Member States — the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- 2 Observer states – the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mongolia;
- 14 Dialogue Partners – the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Maldives, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Turkey, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Sources: TH, BS
General Studies2: Welfare of the weaker sections;
Launch of ‘Annapoorna Scheme’ for sanitation workers today
Context: In what is being touted as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is set to roll out the ‘Annapoorna Scheme’ for its sanitation workforce.
- “Bengaluru will be the first city to provide direct financial assistance for daily breakfast to sanitation workers.
- Under the scheme, more than 700 sanitation workers will be provided smart cards powered by Axis Bank. Each card will be credited with ₹1,500 per month, which workers can use at food outlets of their choice, giving them the flexibility in choosing their meals.
- BWSSB has described the scheme as a “Smart city with a humane touch” initiative and hopes it will serve as a model for other metropolitan cities across India. The board has also indicated plans to bring in more welfare measures for sanitation staff.
Sources: TH
General Studies2: Constitution; Fundamental Rights; Reservation, Welfare of backward classes;
Telangana passes Bills for 42% quota for BCs
Context: The Telangana government has paved the way for implementation of the 42% reservation to Backward Classes in the elections to local bodies by passing two Bills.
- The Legislative Assembly has passed the Telangana Municipalities (Third Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Third Amendment) Act 2025.
- The Bills have been passed at a time when two Bills and an Ordinance to the same effect has been awaiting assent of the President.
- While the reservation for SC and ST communities was proportionate to their population, reservation for Backward Classes was subject to the condition that total reservation for SC, ST and Backward Classes should not exceed 50%.
- The government conducted the socio-economic, education, employment, political and caste survey to obtain comprehensive scientific data covering all households in the State.
- The survey was followed by constitution of a dedicated commission to conduct a contemporaneous and rigorous enquiry into the nature and extent of backwardness among BCs, particularly with reference to their representation in local bodies with a view to determining the proportion of reservation to be provided on a local body wise basis.
Sources: TH
General Studies 2: NGO’s and their role in welfare of weaker sections, women empowerment
NGO Educate Girls wins Ramon Magsaysay Award
Context: Educate Girls, an Indian non-profit organisation working to educate unprivileged girls across the country, has been named as one of the three winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, 2025. The other winners are Shaahina Ali of the Maldives and Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva of the Philippines.
- Announcing the award for Educate Girls, also known as Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said that it was “an Indian organisation whose groundbreaking work in addressing gender injustice in education in India’s most rural and remote areas creates a ripple effect that uplifts families, communities, and entire societies”.
- “Starting out in Rajasthan, Educate Girls identified the neediest communities in terms of girls’ education, brought unschooled or out-of-school girls into the classroom, and worked to keep them there until they were able to acquire credentials for higher education and gainful employment,”.
- Safeena Husain, the founder of Educate Girls, “Being the first Indian non-profit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award is a historic moment for Educate Girls and for the country.
- This recognition places a global spotlight on India’s people-powered movement for girls’ education, one that began with a single girl in the remotest village and grew to reshape entire communities, challenging traditions and shifting mindsets.
Thrilling news
- “Educate Girls is the first Indian organisation to win the Ramon Magsaysay Award. It is an absolutely thrilling news for us and this award belongs to our teams across the country — our preraks, our team balika, the government, our donors and partners. But mostly this award belongs to our girls. Our girls who work tirelessly to get education,” said Ms. Lobo in a video statement while congratulating environmental activist Shaahina Ali of the Maldives and Fr. Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva of the Philippines, who shot to fame for opposing former President Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous drug war which led to widespread human rights abuse.
About:
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award was started in 1958 to celebrate “greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia”.
- Since 1958, over 300 achievers and organisations from Asia have received this award.
Sources: TH
General Studies3: Leather Industry; GI Tag Products
Kolhapuri footwear makers seek PRADA’s support
Context: Kolhapuri footwear makers in Athani have appealed to PRADA, a Italian fashion house that is facing allegations of “stealing” design ideas from India, to set up a training centre for artisans in Athani in Belagavi district.
- The European company had faced criticism after one of its footwears had a striking resemblance to Kolhapuri footwear.
- “Most of the production of Kolhapuri footwear happens in Karnataka, while most of the sale is in Maharashtra. They are named after the city they are sold in, not made in.
About:
Kolhapuri chappals or Kolhapuris are Indian hand-crafted hand-crafted braided leather slip-on sandals that are locally tanned using vegetable dyes, and hand-decorated with patterns.
The origin of Kolhapuri chappals dates back to the 12th century when King Bijjala and his prime minister Basavanna encouraged Kolhapuri chappal production to support local cordwainers.
GI tag
Sources: TH, Wikipedia
Few liner facts:
Launch of Nandini Ghee in U.S.
- Karnataka Milk Federation launched its signature products, Nandini Ghee and Sweets, in the U.S. at the 8th NAVIKA World Kannada Summit 2025 in Lakeland, Florida.
- The event, organised by Naavu Vishwa Kannadigaru (NAVIKA), witnessed participation from the Kannadiga community and international delegates.
Sources: TH