Category: History and Culture

Context:

• Recently, the Sangai Festival in Manipur began amid a protest by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of NGOs, impacting attendance.

About Sangai Festival:

• Location: It is celebrated in the state of Manipur.
• Nomenclature: It is an annual festival, started in the year 2010, which is named after the state animal, the Sangai.
• Objective: It aims to showcase Manipur’s rich cultural heritage and indigenous tradition. The festival promotes the cultural extravaganza of Manipur through music, dance and various native art forms that are part of the Manipuri tribes and people.
• Use of Ras Leela: The state’s classical dance form, ‘Ras Leela,’ renowned for its distinctiveness, takes centre stage during the festival. 
• Theme: The themes of 2025 is “Where blossoms breathe harmony.”

About Sangai:

• Endemic to Manipur: It is a subspecies of Eld’s deer endemic to Manipur. It also has immense cultural relevance to Manipur.
• Distribution: It is found only in Keibul Lamjao National Park – the largest single mass of phumdi is in the Loktak Lake – in Manipur’s Bishnupur district.
• Appearance: It is a medium-sized deer, with uniquely distinctive antlers, with extremely long brow tine, which form the main beam.
• Uniqueness: The animal’s coat is a dark reddish brown during winter months and it becomes a much lighter shade in summer.
• Also known as dancing deer: It walks on the hind surface of its pasterns with mincing and hops over floating foliage. Therefore, it also called the dancing deer.
• Threat: While the habitats have been encroached for grazing, cultivation, and fish farming, the animals are highly threatened by a hydro-electric project in the lake.
• Conservation status
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule-1

Source:

• The Hindu

Category: Polity and Governance

Context:

•  FSSAI issued an order to all the States/UTs Commissioners of Food Safety asking them to remove all non-compliant ORS products from shops immediately.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

• Nature: It is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• Establishment: It has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
• Mandate: It is responsible for setting food standards, regulating the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food, and ensuring the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
• Structure: The FSSAI comprises of a Chairperson and twenty two members out of which one – third are to be women. The Chairperson of FSSAI is appointed by the Central Government.
• Formulates standards and guidelines: It formulates standards for various food products, ensuring they are safe for consumption. It also provides guidelines for businesses to implement effective food safety management practices.
• Undertakes inspection and auditing: Regular inspections and audits are conducted to assess compliance with food safety standards. Initiatives to educate the public about food safety, hygiene, and nutrition are a key focus area.
• Issues food licences: Anyone selling or importing food in India needs a food licence issued by FSSAI. It also directly monitors compliance of food regulations, especially in the area of food imports to India. 
• Ensures food import controls: FSSAI officers carry out food import controls and ensure that they contain no harmful ingredients. To do this, they send selected test products from the import to accredited laboratories for inspection.
• Accreditation of food laboratories: The FSSAI is responsible for the accreditation of food testing laboratories throughout India. FSSAI has notified 14 referral labs, 72 State/UT labs across India, and 112 NABL approved commercial labs, all of which are situated throughout the country.

Source:

• India Today

Category: Environment and Ecology

Context:

• Recently, 9-day wildlife census began in Sukhna wildlife sanctuary.

About Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is a protected area located in Chandigarh, near the famous Sukhna Lake at the foothills of the Shivalik range.
• History: The lake was created by the architect Le Corbusier in 1958 by diverting the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream that flows down from the Shivalik hills. The sanctuary was developed as a result of afforestation done for soil conservation around the lake.
• Area: Spreading over an area of over 25.98 square km (about 6420 acres), Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1998.
• Structure: The place is quite unstable geographically and becomes prone to soil erosion by surface runoff during rains. It has sandy soil of Shivalik with pockets of clay embedded at places.
• Vegetation: It is characterized by a mix of forests, grasslands, and wetlands, with the Sukhna Lake forming an important part of the ecosystem.
• Flora: The common flora of the sanctuary includes Khair, Phulai, Kikar, Shisham, Moonj, Amaltas, Jhingan, Amla, Rati, Vasaka, and many more.
• Fauna:  Squirrel, Common-Mongoose, Indian Hare, Porcupine, Jungle Cat, Jackal, Wild boar, etc, are the mammals found in the sanctuary. Peacock, Hill myna, Jungle crow, Black drongo, Parrots, Doves, and others are the common birds of this region.

Source:

• The Tribune

Category: Miscellaneous

Context:

• Meerut bugle, commonly used in military parades, earns GI tag.

About Meerut Bugle:

• Nature: The Meerut bugle is a brass wind instrument used in military drills, parades, ceremonies, and signals across the Army, paramilitary forces, and police units in India.
• Uses: It is used in the drills of armed forces and in wars, ceremonies, and parades for decades. It is also used to signal the start of movements or events, and carries a deep historical imprint.
• Origin: The bugle-making in Meerut dates back to the late 19th century. The bugle’s story is closely linked to the development of India’s military traditions.
• Meerut as centre of bugle making: Over time, the craft of bugle making has evolved into a specialised local industry, making Meerut one of India’s main centres for handmade bugles.
• Making: The making of a bugle is entirely manual. A brass sheet is cut and hammered into shape using a specialised die. The sheet is moulded and processed through several stages to achieve a smooth finish, and finally fitted with a mouthpiece.
• Significance: It represents a living military heritage linking colonial-era communication tools to modern ceremonial functions.
• Types of bugles manufactured:
  • Copper bugle: the highest in demand across India.
  • Gold-finish bugle: featuring a polished gold-like surface.
  • Silver-finish bugle: Produced on request.

Source:

• The New Indian Express

Topic: Economy

Context:

• Recently, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a series of major agreements to boost cargo movement, and river-based tourism in the Northeast.

About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):

• Nature: It is a statutory body established under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act (IWAI), 1985.
• Establishment: It came into existence on 27th October 1986 for the development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. 
• Nodal Ministry: It comes under the Ministry of ports, shipping, and waterways.
• Objective: It primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of inland water transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways through grants received from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• Regional offices: It also has its regional offices at Patna, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Kochi and sub-offices at Allahabad, Varanasi, Farakka, Sahibganj, Haldia, Swroopganj, Hemnagar, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Silchar, Kollam, Bhubaneshwar, and Vijayawada.
• Advices centre and states: It advises the Central Government on matters related to IWT and assists States in the development of the IWT sector. It also takes up techno-economic feasibility studies and prepares proposals for the declaration of other waterways as National Waterways.
• Key functions:
  • Developing National Waterways such as NW-1 Ganga, NW-2 Brahmaputra, NW-16 Barak, etc.)
  • Fairway development such as dredging, channel marking, river training works.
  • Navigation infrastructure such as terminals, jetties, Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax services, night navigation systems.
  • Regulation of vessel movement, pilotage, and coordination with state IWT departments.

Source:

• DD News

(UPSC GS Paper II – “Separation of powers; functioning of the judiciary”)

Context (Introduction)

Justice Surya Kant becomes India’s 53rd CJI at a moment when 153 million cases are pending across courts, 300+ HC vacancies persist, and debates over judicial independence, mediation and legal capacity-building demand urgent, evidence-backed institutional action.

Main Arguments 

1. The new CJI’s 15-month tenure includes responsibility for recommending six Supreme Court judges and filling over 300 High Court vacancies, giving him a historic opportunity to shape the judiciary’s next generation.
2. According to the National Judicial Data Grid (September 2025), India faces a pendency of 47.56 million cases in district courts, 6.38 million in HCs, and 88,000 in the SC, with delays threatening the meaning of timely justice.
3. With 1.8 million lawyers and one lakh new entrants annually, India lacks a national-level training institution for advocates despite having judicial academies for judges.
4. Justice Surya Kant emphasises that mediators “choose understanding over victory” and notes that the Mediation Act 2023 provides India’s most comprehensive legal framework for dispute resolution.
5. Episodes such as ADM Jabalpur (1976) highlight the continuing importance of judicial independence in safeguarding constitutional rights.

Criticisms /Issues  

1. Persistent judicial vacancies slow appointments, affect diversity—especially the inclusion of women judges—and weaken public faith in the collegium.
2. Pendency remains alarming because the government is the litigant in 50% of cases, contributing significantly to avoidable delays.
3. The absence of a national academy means independent practitioners lack structured, modern training unlike peers in the corporate legal sector.
4. Mediation uptake is slow because many lawyers remain unconvinced, despite empirical evidence that court dockets reduce when pre-litigation mediation is institutionalised.
5. The long shadow of the Emergency demonstrates that judicial passivity can enable rights violations, making independence a constant institutional obligation rather than a historical lesson.

Reforms 

1. Speeding up SC and HC appointments—including the six imminent SC seats—can directly reduce pendency and increase diversity.
2. A multi-pronged pendency strategy involving technology, strict adjournment rules, streamlined appeals, and government-judiciary coordination aligns with the CJI’s warning that legal aid “loses meaning when justice arrives too late.”
3. A national academy for lawyers can bridge capacity gaps for India’s 1.8 million advocates by standardising training in advocacy, ethics, technology and mediation.
4. Scaling the Mediation Act 2023 through Bar cooperation can significantly ease case inflows and preserve social relationships, as highlighted repeatedly by Justice Surya Kant.
5. Strengthening judicial independence through transparent processes and rights-protective jurisprudence ensures the judiciary never repeats failures like ADM Jabalpur, which remains a constitutional caution.

Conclusion

Justice Surya Kant’s leadership arrives when vacancies, pendency, uneven legal training, weak mediation culture and independence concerns converge; addressing these with factual, targeted reforms can reinforce India’s constitutional promise of “complete justice” under Article 142.

Mains Question

1. Discuss the reforms required to reduce pendency and strengthen judicial independence in India. What steps have been taken in recent times in this direction. (250 words, 15 marks)

Source: The Indian Express

(UPSC GS Paper II – “Government policies and interventions; Role of constitutional and non-constitutional bodies”)

Context (Introduction)

State Public Service Commissions struggle with controversies, litigation, irregular recruitment cycles, structural weaknesses, and credibility deficits, making systematic reforms essential to ensure transparent, timely, and merit-based appointments in State administrations.

Main Arguments 

1. State PSCs face a persistent trust deficit because frequent exam cancellations, paper leaks and errors routinely force aspirants to seek judicial intervention.
2. India’s PSC system originated in constitutional evolution, beginning with the 1926 Public Service Commission, expanded under the Government of India Act 1935, and retained in the Constitution for the Union and each State.
3. The Montagu–Chelmsford reforms first endorsed a permanent, politically insulated authority to ensure merit-based recruitment, laying the conceptual foundation for present-day PSCs.
4. The UPSC operates in a relatively neutral environment with members of proven experience and pan-India representation, unlike State PSCs which often reflect political influence in appointments.
5. The Union’s dedicated Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (1985) ensures regular vacancy declarations and coordinated personnel policy, enabling UPSC to function on predictable timelines.
6. States often lack such structured manpower planning, leading to irregular vacancy notifications, postponed recruitments, and extension of superannuation ages.
7. UPSC periodically revises syllabi through committees of academics, civil servants and specialists, while most State PSCs seldom revise syllabi or appoint expert panels.
8. UPSC maintains high evaluation standards through “inter-se moderation” and national-level paper setters, whereas State PSCs rely mostly on local academic resources, limiting quality and neutrality.
9. Complexities of reservations—vertical, horizontal, and zonal—create frequent litigation in State PSC results, delaying recruitment cycles.

Criticisms / Drawbacks (One sentence each)

1. Political interference in appointments undermines professional standards and independence of State PSCs.
2. Irregular manpower planning prevents annual or predictable examination cycles, eroding trust among aspirants.
3. Limited academic pools and absence of national-level experts reduce the quality and neutrality of question-setting.
4. Inadequate moderation and evaluation systems make State PSC examinations vulnerable to inconsistencies and challenges.
5. Weak capacity to handle complex reservation matrices often results in errors that culminate in prolonged court cases.

Reforms 

1. States should create dedicated Departments/Ministries of Personnel to institutionalise manpower planning and publish five-year recruitment roadmaps.
2. A constitutional amendment should prescribe a minimum age of 55 and maximum age of 65 for PSC members to ensure appointment of experienced, senior professionals.
3. Mandatory eligibility norms should require secretarial-level administrative experience for official members and 10 years of professional practice for non-official experts.
4. A State-wide panel of eminent persons—shortlisted with inputs from the Leader of the Opposition—should guide appointments to enhance neutrality and credibility.
5. Syllabi should undergo periodic revision with public consultation and alignment with evolving academic standards and UPSC benchmarks.
6. State-specific knowledge (e.g., regional economy, culture, or geography) should be tested mostly in objective format to minimise subjectivity and evaluation asymmetry.
7. Main examinations should adopt a hybrid structure (objective + descriptive) to ensure both analytical rigour and fairness.
8. Question translation into regional languages should combine encrypted technological tools with expert bilingual reviewers to prevent distortions in meaning.
9. Frequent pattern changes and innovative question-setting should be introduced to reduce predictability and curb dependence on AI-generated content.
10. The Secretary of each State PSC should be a senior officer with prior experience in school or intermediate education boards to strengthen examination administration.

Conclusion

Systematic reforms in personnel planning, member selection, syllabus revision, evaluation practices and administrative professionalism can restore trust in State PSCs and elevate them to the standards of transparency, credibility and efficiency associated with the UPSC.

UPSC Mains Question

1. Despite their constitutional status, State PSCs continue to face credibility issues arising from procedural lapses and political interference. Critically examine the problems and propose reforms. (250 words, 15 marks)

Source: The Hindu