Category: Science and Technology

Context:

• The Government of India is preparing to roll out Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication technology by end of 2026.

About Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communication Technology:

• Definition: It is defined as a direct communication method that allows vehicles to exchange information with one another.
• Objective: The initiative aims to strengthen road safety and reduce accidents across the country.
• Significance: It enhances driver awareness of their surroundings through wireless technologies and allows vehicles to communicate directly with each other without the need for a network.
• Functioning: The system will function through a device similar to a SIM card, which will be installed in vehicles. The technology will provide alerts related to safe vehicle distance and will also warn drivers about nearby roadside or stationary vehicles.
• Mechanism: Vehicles will receive real-time alerts when another vehicle comes too close from any direction. Each vehicle equipped with V2V technology continuously broadcasts and receives data such as speed, location, direction, acceleration and braking status.
• Network Independence: It operates on a dedicated radio frequency (the 5.9 GHz band) authorized by the Department of Telecommunications and does not require mobile networks or internet connectivity.
• 360-Degree Awareness: The system provides signals from the front, rear, and sides, alerting drivers to hazards even when they are beyond the line of sight (e.g., hidden by sharp curves or other vehicles).
• Low Latency: Communication happens nearly instantly (less than 20 milliseconds), which is critical for preventing high-speed collisions.
• Advantage: This feature will be extremely useful during foggy conditions when visibility between vehicles drops to almost zero.

Source:

• • NDTV

Category: Defence and Security

Context:

• Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, known as the ‘Doomsday plane’, has been sighted in Washington, days after the US captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

About Boeing E-4B Nightwatch:

• Other names: The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch is widely known as the “Doomsday Plane.”

• Mandate: Its mission is to ensure the US government can continue to function even if “doomsday” arrives.

• • Uniqueness: It is the most secretive aircraft in the US military’s arsenal. It serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and functions as a flying command post.
  • Significance: It is designed to keep the US government operational during extreme scenarios such as nuclear war, catastrophic attacks on US soil, or the destruction of ground-based command centres.
  • Part of NC3: It is a core component of the military’s Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications system, often referred to as NC3, which enables senior leaders to authorize and manage nuclear forces under all conditions.
  • Operational planes: There are currently four E-4Bs in service. At least one aircraft is kept on continuous alert at all times.
  • Previous uses: The E-4B has been activated in a real emergency only once, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it was used to ensure continuity of government.

• Modification: It is built on a heavily modified Boeing 747-200 airframe.

• Carrying capacity: Each E-4B has a maximum takeoff weight of around 360,000 kilograms, an unrefuelled endurance of roughly 12 hours, and an operating ceiling above 30,000 feet (about 9,091 metres). It can carry up to 111 personnel, including senior command staff, intelligence teams, and communications specialists. 
• Structure: The main deck is divided into six functional areas, including command workspaces, conference and briefing rooms, an operations floor, communications hubs, and rest areas. The aircraft is hardened against electromagnetic pulse effects, shielded against nuclear and thermal radiation, and equipped with multiple layers of secure communications.

Source:

• The Economic Times

Category: Environment and Ecology

Context:

• The Kerala government has officially renamed the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary the Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary, making it the first butterfly sanctuary in the State.

About Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary:

• • Location: Situated in the Kannur district of North Kerala, it is part of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
  • Establishment: Originally established as the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in 1984 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, it was officially renamed the Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary on June 18, 2025, by the Kerala State Wildlife Board.
  • Boundaries: It shares boundaries with the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, the Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary, and the North Wayanad forest division.

• Vegetation: It consists of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

• Rivers: The Cheenkanni River, originating from the Brahmagiri ranges, flows through the dense forests of Aralam.
• Significance: The region is known for large-scale butterfly migration and mud-puddling and is also a special habitat of the Schedule 1 Slender loris. Every January or February, the sanctuary holds a Butterfly Migration Study, which celebrates this seasonal movement and deepens our understanding of these pollinators. 
• Fauna: It is home to over 266 species of butterflies, accounting for more than 80 percent of all butterflies in Kerala. Some of these are unique to this region, while others are endangered. In addition to butterflies, Aralam is home to several animals, including elephants, giant squirrels, leopards, and a variety of birds.

Source:

• The Hindu

Category: Government Schemes

Context:

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development recently launched PANKHUDI portal aimed at strengthening initiatives for women and child development.

About PANKHUDI Portal:

• • Nature: It is an integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and partnership facilitation digital portal.

• Nodal ministry: It is launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

• Objective: It is aimed at strengthening coordination, transparency, and structured stakeholder participation in initiatives for women and child development.

• • Single-window digital platform: It works as a single-window digital platform, Non–Resident Indians (NRIs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributors, corporate entities, and government agencies.
  • Key Thematic Areas: Nutrition, health, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), child welfare, protection and rehabilitation, and women’s safety and empowerment.
  • Supports Flagship Missions: It supports and strengthens the implementation of flagship missions, such as Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti.
  • Transparency: Contributors register on the portal, identify initiatives, submit proposals, and track the status of their contributions through clearly defined approval workflows.

• Non- Cash Financial Transactions: All contributions through the portal are accepted only through non-cash modes.

• Significance: It marks a significant step towards leveraging digital solutions for inclusive, collaborative, and outcome-oriented development of women and children across India.

Source:

• PIB

Category: Geography

Context:

• Parts of the Dal Lake in Srinagar froze recently as the city recorded its coldest night of the winter, with temperatures plunging below freezing point across the Kashmir valley.

About Dal Lake:

• • Location: It is a mid-altitude urban freshwater lake located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It is surrounded by the Pir Panjal mountains.
  • Other names: It is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.

• Area: It covers an area of about 18 to 22 sq.km.

• Uniqueness: It is one of the world’s largest natural lakes and also known as the Lake of Flowers.
• Formation: Geologists suggest it is either a remnant of a larger Pleistocene Lake or a flood plain lake.
• Source of water: The lake gets its water mainly from the Telbal stream. This stream flows from the Jhelum River.
• Division: The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins: Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nagin (although Nagin is also considered an independent lake). Lokut-dal and Bod-dal each have an island in the centre, known as Rup Lank (or Char Chinari) and Sona Lank, respectively.
• Floating gardens: The floating gardens, locally known as “Rad,” are a spectacular highlight of the lake. These are patches of land that float on the water. Farmers grow vegetables and flowers on them.
• Shikaras: Dal Lake is also popular for the floating market, where vendors have their own Shikaras/wooden boats and approach tourists. The shoreline of the lake is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal-era gardens, parks, houseboats, and hotels.

Source:

• The Telegraph

GS-II: Government policies and interventions and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context (Introduction)

Digital technologies have transformed work into a 24×7 activity, eroding the boundary between professional and personal life. This culture of constant availability has produced a silent crisis of burnout, mental health stress, and declining productivity. The debate on the “right to disconnect” has thus moved from a labour welfare concern to a global governance and international norms issue.

Core Idea

The right to disconnect recognises an employee’s entitlement to disengage from work-related digital communication beyond prescribed working hours without fear of reprisal. It reframes occupational safety to include mental well-being, aligning labour rights with contemporary realities of platform work, remote employment, and hyper-connectivity.

Problem Diagnosis (Indian Context)

• Excessive Working Hours: ILO data show over half of India’s workforce works more than 49 hours per week.
• Mental Health Externalities: National surveys link work-related stress to rising anxiety, depression, and lifestyle diseases.
• Regulatory Gaps: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 caps hours mainly for “workers”, excluding large sections of contractual, freelance, and gig employees.
• Power Asymmetry: Fear of disciplinary action for delayed responses skews bargaining power towards employers in digitally monitored workplaces.

Why It Matters (Global and Economic Logic)

• Article 21 – Right to Life with Dignity: Mental well-being and reasonable rest are integral to a dignified life, as recognised in judicial interpretations of Article 21.
• Directive Principles: Articles 39(e), 39(f), and 42 obligate the State to protect workers’ health and ensure just and humane working conditions.
• Equality Concerns: Exclusion of gig and contractual workers raises issues under Article 14 due to arbitrary classification.
• Democratic Governance: A fatigued workforce weakens citizen participation and long-term institutional capacity.
• International Norm Diffusion: Countries such as France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Australia have legislated limits on after-hours digital communication, recognising downtime as essential to productivity.
• Competitiveness Argument: Empirical evidence from advanced economies shows that respecting rest improves innovation, reduces errors, and sustains long-term output.
• Human Capital Protection: In an economy driven by services and knowledge work, mental well-being is a strategic asset.
• Normative Alignment: Adoption strengthens India’s compliance with evolving global labour standards promoted by the ILO.

Way Forward

• Amend the OSH Code to extend the right to disconnect to all categories of workers, including gig and contractual employees
• Create grievance redress mechanisms against digital overreach
• Promote organisational culture change through awareness and compliance audits
• Integrate mental health support within occupational safety frameworks

Conclusion

The right to disconnect is not an anti-growth measure but an investment in sustainable productivity. As global labour norms evolve to address the realities of the digital economy, India’s willingness to institutionalise this right will signal whether its growth model values speed alone—or the strength and resilience of its human capital.

Mains Question

In the context of increasing digitalisation of work, the demand for a “right to disconnect” has acquired constitutional significance. Examine the relevance of this right in light of Article 21 and the Directive Principles of State Policy, and discuss the need for its statutory recognition in India. (250 words, 15 marks)

The Hindu

GS-II: Government policies and interventions and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
GS-III: Environmental pollution and degradation; conservation, environmental impact assessment.

Context (Introduction)

The Aravalli range, one of the world’s oldest mountain systems, faces sustained ecological degradation due to mining, urbanisation, and fragmented governance across Rajasthan, Haryana, and the National Capital Region. Despite recent Supreme Court interventions—such as pausing height-based reclassification of hills—the crisis persists, highlighting deeper governance and environmental failures.

Core Idea

The ecological principle of “thinking like a mountain”, coined by Aldo Leopold, which emphasises long-term ecosystem integrity over short-term economic gains. Applied to the Aravallis, this approach demands treating the mountain range as an integrated ecological system rather than as discrete parcels defined by administrative or legal thresholds.

Problem Diagnosis: Governance and Environmental Failures

• Short-termism in policymaking: Prioritisation of construction materials and real estate over ecological stability has led to quarrying, deforestation, and landscape fragmentation.
• Reductionist legal definitions: Height-based classification of hills ignores ecological functions of low-lying ridges, exposing them to mining and degradation.
• Fragmented governance: District-wise mining leases and State-level jurisdictions fail to reflect the transboundary nature of the Aravalli ecosystem.
• Ecological disruption: Mining and urban sprawl disturb natural drainage, accelerate soil erosion, reduce forest cover, and disrupt food webs.

Why the Aravallis Matter

• Environmental security: The Aravallis act as groundwater recharge zones, biodiversity corridors, and a climatic barrier limiting desertification from the Thar. Recognising these functions, the Supreme Court in MC Mehta v. Union of India (Aravalli mining cases) prohibited mining in ecologically sensitive areas, affirming that environmental protection must override commercial exploitation
• Climate resilience: Forested hills capture carbon, regulate microclimates, and influence the monsoon system in northern India.
• Constitutional mandate: Article 48A directs the State to protect and improve the environment, while Article 21 (as judicially interpreted) includes the right to a healthy environment. In Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum v. Union of India (1996), the Court embedded the doctrine of Sustainable Development into Indian law, holding that development cannot be pursued at the cost of irreversible environmental damage
• Intergenerational equity: Irreversible ecological damage violates the principle that development must not compromise future generations.

Way Forward: 

• Adopt ecosystem-scale governance, treating the Aravallis as a single ecological unit rather than fragmented administrative zones
• Replace district-wise mining permissions with a comprehensive Aravalli management plan based on ecological carrying capacity
• Align judicial definitions with scientific understanding of ecological connectivity
• Strengthen enforcement of environmental laws through coordinated Centre–State mechanisms
• Embed long-term ecological impact assessments into all land-use and infrastructure decisions

Conclusion

The Aravalli crisis illustrates the dangers of governance that values immediate economic returns over ecological permanence. “Thinking like a mountain” is not environmental romanticism but policy realism recognising that while forests may regrow in decades, mountain ecosystems formed over millions of years are irreplaceable. For a megadiverse country like India, ecological short-sightedness would be the costliest failure of governance.

Mains Question

1. The degradation of the Aravalli range reflects the limitations of fragmented governance and short-term development-centric policymaking. Examine the environmental significance of the Aravallis and discuss how constitutional principles and judicial interventions can guide a sustainable governance framework for their protection. (250 words, 15 marks)

The Indian Express