Category: POLITY

Context:  The National Sports Governance Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha

• Formation of a National Sports Board:
  • A SEBI-like statutory body to oversee all sports federations, including BCCI.
  • Ensures centralized regulation, transparency, and accountability in sports governance.
• Creation of a National Sports Tribunal:
  • A civil court-like body to adjudicate sports-related disputes (e.g., selection, federation elections).
  • Tribunal decisions appealable only to the Supreme Court.

Need for the Bill:

• Current sports governance is ad hoc and fragmented.
• Aims to replace judicial overreach and frequent court interventions with specialized regulatory and adjudicatory mechanisms.

Key Issues Addressed:

• Autonomy of the Tribunal: Presumed to be independent and free of conflicts, unlike past tribunals.
• Transparency in the National Sports Board: Will require strong public accountability and clear procedures.
• Age & Tenure Cap: Caps administrators’ age at 75 and removes fixed terms to make room for experienced international representation.
• BCCI under purview: Brings BCCI under government oversight for the first time, aligning it with national standards.
• Athletes’ Right to Redressal: Tribunal will replace courts as the primary forum for dispute resolution, aligning with global norms like the FIFA model.

Learning Corner:

Khelo India Programme

• Launched: 2018
• Aim: Revitalize sports culture at the grassroots level and identify young talent.
• Key Features:
  • Annual Khelo India Youth Games and University Games.
  • Financial assistance of ₹5 lakh per annum for 8 years to selected athletes.
  • Creation of sports infrastructure (e.g., centers of excellence, academies).

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

• Launched: 2014 (revamped under Khelo India)
• Objective: To support India’s elite athletes for Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Features:
  • Funding for coaching, training, equipment, foreign exposure.
  • Support staff including physiotherapists, nutritionists, and mental trainers.

National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

• Established: 1998
• Purpose: Mobilize private/public funds to support top-tier athletes and infrastructure.
• Usage:
  • Customized training.
  • Equipment and facilities development.

Fit India Movement

• Launched: 2019
• Objective: Encourage a healthy and active lifestyle across all age groups.
• Initiated by: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS)
• Focus Areas: Fitness pledges, fitness audits of institutions, campaigns in schools and workplaces.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) Schemes

• Key Schemes:
  • National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) – elite athlete grooming.
  • SAI Training Centres (STCs) – grassroots level training for young talent.
  • Extension Centres of STCs – training in schools/colleges with sports tradition.

Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons

• Aim: Provide financial aid to sportspersons in indigent circumstances or those injured during their career.
• Support includes: Medical treatment, pension, and sustenance allowance.

Mission Olympic Cell (MOC)

• Function: Operational arm under TOPS for monitoring and clearing athlete proposals on a fast-track basis.

National Physical Fitness Campaign

• Target: School children (5–18 years).
• Purpose: Monitor and enhance physical fitness levels through standardized tests.

Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Context: Lakshadweep Coral Reef Decline

Key Findings

• 50% decline in live coral cover over the past 24 years—from 37% in 1998 to below 20% today.
• Study tracked reefs at Agatti, Kadmat, and Kavaratti.
• Repeated marine heatwaves (1998, 2010, 2016) and climate change are major causes.

Causes of Decline

• Marine heatwaves raise ocean temperatures, leading to coral bleaching.
• Reduced recovery time between bleaching events limits reef regeneration.
• Warming seas continuously stress coral ecosystems.

Ecological & Social Impact

• Risk of functional extinction: reefs may no longer support biodiversity or protect islands.
• Even resilient coral species now show bleaching signs.
• Local communities face threats to livelihoods and coastal safety.

Urgency & Outlook

• Time is critical—reefs need long recovery periods to regenerate.
• Local measures can help, but global climate action is essential for long-term survival.

Learning Corner:

Coral Reefs

• Coral reefs are marine ecosystems made up of calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals (marine invertebrates).
• They are found in shallow, warm, and sunlit waters typically between 30°N and 30°S latitude.
• Known as “rainforests of the sea,” they support around 25% of marine biodiversity despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor.

Major Types of Coral Reefs:

1. Fringing Reefs – Directly attached to a shoreline (e.g., Gulf of Mannar, India).
2. Barrier Reefs – Separated from land by a lagoon (e.g., Great Barrier Reef, Australia).
3. Atolls – Circular reefs enclosing a lagoon, often over sunken volcanoes (e.g., Lakshadweep).

Coral Bleaching: Concept

• Coral bleaching occurs when corals expel symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) due to stress, primarily from increased sea surface temperatures.
• The algae provide food and color to corals; without them, corals appear white (bleached) and are more vulnerable to death

Causes of Coral Bleaching:

1. Climate Change:
   • Elevated sea temperatures (above 1–2°C from average) are the primary driver.
   • Associated with El Niño events and global warming.
2. Ocean Acidification:
   • Absorption of CO₂ by oceans reduces availability of calcium carbonate, hindering coral skeleton formation.
3. Pollution:
   • Agricultural runoff (nitrates/phosphates), plastics, and oil spills damage coral health.
4. Sedimentation:
   • Reduces light penetration, affecting photosynthesis in symbiotic algae.
5. Overfishing & Unsustainable Tourism:
   • Disrupt reef ecosystem balance and cause physical damage.

Impacts of Bleaching:

• Ecosystem collapse: Loss of marine species reliant on coral ecosystems.
• Fisheries affected, threatening food security and livelihoods.
• Reduced coastal protection from storm surges and erosion.
• Decline in marine tourism revenue.

Global and National Efforts:

• International:
  • Coral Triangle Initiative.
  • UN SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
  • IPCC reports warning against warming above 1.5°C.
• India:
  • Coral reef monitoring under ICMAM (Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management).
  • Coral restoration projects in Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar.
  • Laws: Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule I protection for coral reefs).

Source:  THE HINDU

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Context : Vitamin D Deficiency and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Key Findings:

• Increased risk: Low vitamin D levels have been consistently linked to a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, cognitive impairments, and, in some cases, schizophrenia.
• Communication and cognition: Vitamin D plays a role in brain signaling and serotonin metabolism, which are crucial for language development and social behavior. Deficiency may delay communication skills and contribute to ASD-like features.
• Sex-specific effects: A major cohort study found boys with vitamin D deficiency had over twice the risk of global neurodevelopmental delays. The findings were not statistically significant for girls.
• Early-life vulnerability: Deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood is a known risk factor for later neurodevelopmental challenges.
• Brain development: Vitamin D supports brain circuit formation, neurotransmitter function, and synaptic protein regulation. Its deficiency may lead to impaired executive functions and physical changes like cortical thinning.

Supplementation and Limitations:

• Emerging evidence suggests vitamin D supplements might alleviate some symptoms of ASD and ADHD, though definitive proof is lacking.
• Causality is not yet firmly established. More longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to understand the timing, dosage, and mechanisms of vitamin D’s impact on brain development.

Learning Corner:

Diseases and Nutritional Deficiencies 

Source :  THE HINDU

Category: ECONOMICS

Context: India and the United Kingdom have signed a comprehensive trade agreement aimed at enhancing bilateral trade, investment, and strategic cooperation

Key Features:

• Tariff Reductions: Lower duties on various goods and services to boost exports and benefit consumers.
• Investment Facilitation: Framework to protect and encourage investments in manufacturing, tech, pharma, and finance.
• Services Liberalization: Commitments in IT, legal, financial, and business services to expand market access.
• Ease of Doing Business: Streamlined customs, regulatory cooperation, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
• IPR & Innovation: Strengthened collaboration in intellectual property, R&D, and innovation ecosystems.

Expanded Cooperation:

• Climate: Joint projects on clean energy and climate change mitigation.
• Education: Student exchange and higher education partnerships.
• Security: Cooperation in defence, cyber security, and counter-terrorism.
• Healthcare: Collaboration in pharmaceuticals, clinical trials, and digital health.

Significance:

• Economic Impact: Aims to double trade volumes and create jobs in both nations.
• Strategic Depth: Reinforces India-U.K. ties post-Brexit, aligning economic and geopolitical interests.
• Next Steps: Implementation pending ratification and stakeholder consultations.

Learning Corner:

Types of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

FTAs are agreements between countries to reduce or eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs, quotas, and import duties. Based on the level of integration and commitments, FTAs can be classified into the following types:

Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)

• Scope: Limited; offers preferential access to certain products by reducing tariffs.
• Example: India-MERCOSUR PTA
• Note: Does not cover all trade; only select goods/services get concessions.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

• Scope: Elimination of tariffs and quotas on substantially all trade in goods and services between member countries.
• Example: India-ASEAN FTA
• Note: Each member retains its own trade policies with non-members.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

• Scope: Broader than a typical FTA; includes trade in goods, services, investment, and economic cooperation.
• Example: India-Japan CEPA
• Note: Includes non-tariff measures, dispute resolution, and regulatory transparency.

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

• Scope: Similar to CEPA but often at an early stage of cooperation, focused more on promoting investment and capacity-building.
• Example: India-Malaysia CECA

Customs Union

• Scope: Like an FTA, but members also adopt a common external tariff on imports from non-members.
• Example: European Union Customs Union
• Note: Requires deeper economic integration.

Common Market

• Scope: A customs union that also allows free movement of capital and labor.
• Example: European Single Market
• Note: High level of integration; harmonized policies on competition and labor mobility.

Economic Union

• Scope: Deepest form of integration, combining a common market with monetary and fiscal policy harmonization.
• Example: Eurozone (within EU)
• Note: Requires political will and institutional mechanisms.

Source: THE HINDU

Category: POLITY

Context: Unveiled on July 24, 2025, the National Cooperative Policy 2025 replaces the 2002 policy

Vision & Mission

• Vision: “Sahkar Se Samriddhi” – Prosperity through Cooperation, aligned with “Viksit Bharat 2047”.
• Mission: Build professional, tech-driven, accountable cooperatives with one unit in every village and mass citizen participation.

Key Targets

• Triple cooperative sector’s GDP share by 2034
• Engage 50 crore citizens in cooperatives
• 30% increase in co-op societies (from 8.3 lakh to ~10.8 lakh)
• One cooperative in every village
• Launch 2 lakh new PACS, dairy, fishery cooperatives in 5 years
• Promote digitalization and professional management

Core Features

• Grassroots Focus: Emphasis on rural, tribal, women-led cooperatives
• Multi-Sectoral Growth: Expansion into non-agricultural sectors (tourism, insurance, taxis, etc.)
• Autonomy with Regulation: More operational freedom, along with transparency and oversight
• Job Creation: Cooperatives as engines of rural employment
• State Participation: States to frame their own cooperative policies by Jan 31, 2026

Policy Formation

• Drafted by a 40-member expert committee led by Suresh Prabhu
• Based on wide stakeholder consultation, workshops, and feedback from institutions like RBI and NABARD

Major Upgrades Over 2002 Policy

Source: PIB

Introduction (Context)

India’s battle for clean air cannot be won without addressing industrial pollution. Industries are major source of pollution yet they are underregulated.

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) should focus on industrial reforms for achieving breathable air, public health, and sustainable economic growth.

What is National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)?

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a national-level strategy launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in January 2019 to tackle air pollution in 131 Indian cities. 

Key Objectives:

• The core goal of NCAP is to significantly reduce the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5, which are major components of air pollution. 
• The program aims to bring air quality in non-attainment cities (those not meeting NAAQS) up to the prescribed standards. 
• NCAP involves the coordinated efforts of central and state governments, urban local bodies, and other stakeholders. 
• Each city covered by NCAP is required to develop a comprehensive action plan tailored to its specific pollution sources and challenges. 

Industrial Pollution

• Industrial pollution refers to the contamination of air, water, and land by harmful substances released from industrial activities. 
• Major industrial pollutants include particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and various toxic chemicals. Industrial processes also generate greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change. 
• Some are listed below:

Impacts: 

• Causes respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, reduced cognitive functions.
• Increases public health expenditure and affects vulnerable groups (children, elderly, outdoor workers).
• Pollution reduces labour productivity. Leads to GDP losses due to poor health and environmental degradation.
• Peri-urban and low-income communities near industrial zones suffer disproportionately due to lax regulation and toxic exposure.

Key facts

• 37% of India’s most polluted cities are near large industries (thermal power plants, smelters, manufacturing units).
• 20% of polluted cities have industries as their main polluters.
• 80 per cent host small-scale industries within city limits. Many are located in peri-urban areas, outside the jurisdiction of urban local bodies, making regulation difficult.

Barriers 

• Presence of informal industries

• • Informal industries such as brick kilns, rice mills, stone crushers, and mineral grinding units are significant pollution sources. 

• Brick kilns: 

• India hosts over 1,40,000 brick kilns, most of which use outdated technologies and burn coal or agricultural waste inefficiently. 
• This results in high emissions of particulate matter of 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5), black carbon, and sulphur dioxide (SO₂). 

• Rice Mills:

• Rice mills burn husk and other residues, often in inefficient furnaces with little to no emission control, resulting in PM generation from milling and husk burning.

• Stone crushers and mineral grinding industries

• Lead to fugitive dust emissions. 
• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued dust mitigation guidelines, mandating dust suppression systems like dry mist guns for these industries, however guidelines remain poorly enforced.

• Large industries

• Cement plants, smelters, TPPs, steel plants emit PM, SO₂, NOₓ.
• Existing pollution control measures underutilised.

• MSME sector

• Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) rely heavily on polluting fuels like coal and heavy oil, emitting high levels of PM and SO₂. 
• These pollutants harm human health and contribute to urban smog.

• Regulatory gap

• Currently, the top 1,000 listed companies in India (based on market value) are required to report their GHG emissions (as per the business responsibility and sustainability reporting format), but there is no regulatory mandate for reporting air pollutant emissions.

Steps needed

• Technology Upgradation

• Blick kilns should use zigzag technology paired with fabric filters to reduce PM emissions. The government must enforce retrofitting mandates, support capacity building, and provide subsidies for cleaner upgrades.
• Rice mills should be encouraged to install multi-cyclone separators or wet scrubbers and transition to cleaner fuels, including rice husk gasifiers or biomass pellets.
• Strict enforcement of CPCB’s dust suppression guidelines (2023) should occur in Stone crushers & grinding units through audits, training and penalties.
• Process improvements in large industries can cut pollution by 30–40%, such as:

• Using alternative fuels (like biomass or natural gas), 
• Shifting to electric smelting furnaces instead of coal-based ones and 
• Using waste heat recovery systems to save energy and reduce emissions.
• Air pollution control devices like electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), fabric filters, and wet scrubbers are critical, capturing up to 90 per cent of PM from these sources.

• Thermal power plants should use ESPs/bag houses, flue gas desulphurisers, and selective catalytic reduction for reducing release of PM (fly ash), SO₂, and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ).
• MSME should switching to natural gas, electricity, or solar thermal energy.

• Improve transparency and accountability

• Improve transparency and accountability through comprehensive reporting in large industries.
• They should provide information about their annual fuel consumption by type 
• They should provide detailed information about the air pollution control devices and processes they have in place. 
• This reporting can be made mandatory for consent-to-operate clearances. Such transparency will not only help monitor emissions but also encourage industries to adopt best practices and newer technologies.

• Government Efforts

• Government stakeholders, including the Industrial Development Boards; the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; the Ministry of Heavy Industries; and state pollution control boards, must collaborate to facilitate a smooth transition for industries. 
• Government should provide Financial incentives, such as tax breaks, grants, or low-interest loans, could play a critical role in encouraging industries to invest in cleaner technologies.

Conclusion

Cleaner industrial air benefits not only health but also the economy. Reduced hospital visits, improved labour productivity, and job creation in clean technology sectors justify the investment. 

As National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) 2.0 is under design, with experts emphasising industrial emission control as a core focus for achieving clean air targets, it must move beyond tokenism to integrate industrial reforms with strong regulation, funding, and cooperative frameworks.

This requires a collaborative approach where cities, industries, and regulatory bodies work together to achieve the common goal of cleaner air is needed. Only an integrated, well-funded strategy covering large industries, MSMEs, and informal industries can deliver breathable air to Indian cities.

Mains Practice Question

1. Industrial pollution remains a major barrier to achieving clean air targets. Discuss the challenges in regulating industrial emissions in India and suggest a comprehensive strategy to address them. (250 words, 15 marks)

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/ncap-2-0-must-focus-on-industrial-reform-to-ensure-cities-have-clean-air-10146045/

Introduction (Context)

The demand and supply of health workforce across countries continues to be a daunting problem, with most countries lacking adequate numbers of doctors and nurses and a projected global shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030. 

India is also witnessing large-scale migration of doctors and nurses despite facing domestic shortages, raising concerns about workforce policies.

Data: 

• • Health workers migrate across countries, with the flow typically being from countries in the Global South to those in the North. 
  • The countries from which health professionals migrate are also those that face internal supply constraints. 
  • An estimated 10-12 per cent of foreign-trained doctors and nurses come from countries that are known to have a shortage of local healthcare workers. 
  • OECD data estimates suggest that between 2009 and 2019, 25 per cent to 32 per cent of doctors in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US were medical graduates from South Asia and Africa.

• Indian doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals migrate to countries across the world, almost 75,000 Indian-trained doctors work in OECD countries, and an estimated 640,000 Indian nurses work abroad. 

• The Philippines is also renowned for its large-scale export of nurses and other health professionals. Over 193,000 Philippines-trained nurses work abroad, constituting about 85 per cent of all Filipino nurses worldwide.

Push and Pull factors for migration

Push factors

• Limited career growth.
• Low wages in home country.
• Political instability/conflict.

Pull factors

• Trade agreements facilitating migration.
• Health crises increasing demand abroad.
• International recruitment policies.

Policy push

• India & Philippines formalise export of health workers for remittances and economic benefits.

Gains and losses due to migration

• Shortage of health workforce in source countries
• Migration open opportunities for remittances and skill development.
• Foster international partnerships 
• Opens route for medical diplomacy, for example, India’s deployment of health workers during Covid to neighbours and Africa.

Steps needed

• Institutional reforms

• India could maximise gains through improved institutional mechanisms, such as establishing a centralised agency to manage workforce mobility. 
• Kerala has set up agencies to coordinate overseas employment, address grievances, and support returnees. This can be replicated at national level.

• Workforce capacity building

• Countries exporting health workforce should build a strong cadre of health professionals, develop the health workforce industry strategically and address the retention of professionals within the country.
• This requires:

• Expanding health education infrastructure to produce more professionals.
• Increasing the economic viability of health careers domestically.
• Improving working conditions for healthcare workers.
• Providing incentives to retain talent within the country.
• Encouraging circular migration rather than permanent outflow.

• International agreements

• • Design comprehensive and enforceable bilateral agreements between source and destination countries, which can potentially include compensation mechanisms, targeted investments in medical education, health infrastructure, or technology transfer, to offset the loss of skilled workers.

• Leverage digital tools to enable Indian health professionals to provide global services without physical migration.

• Explore regional approaches to enhance production capacity, such as jointly developed and owned workforce production mechanisms.

• Amplify regional voices to increase bargaining power for health workers from developing countries.

• Implement and build on WHO Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

Conclusion

By combining investment in workforce capacity, strategic international agreements and policies that maximise economic, knowledge, and social gains, India and other southern countries can transform the migration of healthcare workers from a challenge into a multifaceted opportunity for national development.

Mains Practice Question

1. India is a major exporter of doctors and nurses despite facing domestic shortages in its health workforce. Analyse the factors driving this migration and suggest policy measures to balance national healthcare needs with global workforce opportunities. (250 words, 15 marks)

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-is-exporting-doctors-and-nurses-the-country-needs-them-too-10147874/