Stay ahead in your UPSC preparation with the top editorials and issue-based analysis from The Hindu, Indian Express, and relevant reports. All topics below are linked to GS1 , GS2 & GS3, with a focus on exam-relevant insights, keywords, and actionable conclusions.
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Heart Lamp – International Booker Prize 2025
{pg.1,Prelims}🔸 Why in News?
The Kannada short story collection, Heart Lamp, written by Banu Mushtaq and translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, won the International Booker Prize 2025—making it the first Kannada book and first short story collection to receive the prestigious award.
🔸 Key Features
- Literary & Cultural Depth – Chronicles the lives of women in patriarchal societies, exploring themes of resilience, oppression, and sisterhood.
- Historical Evolution – Written over three decades (1990-2023), reflecting shifts in gender roles and societal expectations.
- Radical Translation – Translator Deepa Bhasthi preserved the multilingual essence of the text, making it impactful for global audiences.
- Prize Recognition – The £50,000 prize is shared between author & translator to recognize the role of literary translation in global storytelling.
🔸 Significance
- Milestone for Kannada Literature – Strengthens India’s regional literature presence on the world stage.
- Breakthrough for Translation – Marks Deepa Bhasthi as the first Indian translator to win the award, following Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand (2022).
- Themes of Social Justice – Highlights women’s struggles, offering a powerful feminist narrative.
- Global Literary Attention – Brings Kannada storytelling into the international literary mainstream.
🔸 Way Forward
- Boosting Translations – More funding and recognition for regional Indian literary works in translation.
- Expanding Accessibility – Digital platforms could enhance global reach for Kannada literature.
- Encouraging Literary Narratives – Strengthen gender-sensitive storytelling, inspiring other marginalized voices.
- Policy Support for Indigenous Literature – Institutional backing could help preserve & promote vernacular storytelling worldwide.
2.
Jnanpith Award 2025
{PIB}🔸 Why in News?
The Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honor, was recently conferred on Gulzar and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya for their outstanding contributions to literature.
🔸 Key Features
- Established in 1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith to recognize exceptional literary work in Indian languages.
- Award includes ₹11 lakh cash prize, a citation plaque, and a bronze replica of Saraswati.
- Gulzar, a celebrated poet and lyricist, was honored for his contributions to Urdu and Hindi literature.
- Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, a Sanskrit scholar, was recognized for his extensive literary and spiritual works.
🔸 Significance
- Promotes Indian literature across diverse languages and genres.
- Encourages literary excellence, inspiring future generations of writers.
- Recognizes contributions beyond mainstream literature, including spiritual and philosophical works.
🔸 Way Forward
- Strengthening literary translations to make regional works accessible globally.
- Encouraging young writers through mentorship and funding programs.
- Expanding digital archives to preserve and promote Indian literary heritage.
3.
Sustainable Urban Development Without Biodiversity Loss
{pg.6,GS3}🔸 Why in News?
Rapid urbanization is leading to the destruction of ecosystems, threatening flora, fauna, and natural habitats. Governments and planners are now focusing on sustainable development models that preserve urban biodiversity while ensuring economic and infrastructural growth.
🔸 Key Features of Sustainable Urban Development
- Green Infrastructure – Creation of eco-friendly buildings, rooftop gardens, and vertical forests to minimize environmental impact.
- Biodiversity Corridors – Designing wildlife-friendly urban spaces with green belts and wetland protection zones.
- Smart Planning & Zoning – Restricting construction in ecologically sensitive areas through better land-use policies.
- Native Vegetation Restoration – Encouraging the planting of indigenous trees and plants to support local ecosystems.
- Urban Water Conservation – Implementing rainwater harvesting, natural flood management, and reviving urban lakes.
🔸 Significance
- Preserves ecological balance amid rapid urban growth.
- Enhances climate resilience by reducing heat islands and improving air quality.
- Protects endangered species, preventing habitat destruction.
- Improves quality of life, offering greener spaces for recreation and well-being.
🔸 Way Forward
- Stronger environmental regulations to prevent unchecked construction.
- Public participation & awareness through urban greening initiatives.
- Incentives for eco-friendly projects, promoting sustainable architecture.
- Integration of nature-based solutions into city planning for long-term sustainability.
4.
Overfishing: The Threat to Ocean Wealth & Livelihoods
{pg.6,GS3}🔸 Why in News?
Overfishing has reached critical levels, threatening marine biodiversity, food security, and the livelihoods of millions. India’s marine fisheries sector has stabilized at 3-4 million tonnes annually, but small-scale fishers (90% of the fishing population) catch only 10% of the total volume, while mechanized operations dominate.
🔸 Key Features
- Bycatch Waste – Shrimp trawlers discard 10 kg of juvenile fish for every 1 kg of shrimp caught, leading to massive biodiversity loss.
- Juvenile Fishing – Use of small mesh nets (<25mm) depletes spawning stock biomass, causing long-term declines in species like sardine & mackerel.
- Regulatory Loopholes – Different states have varying Marine Fisheries Regulation Acts (MFRA), allowing fishers to bypass restrictions by landing catches across borders.
- Global Precedents – Canada’s Northern cod fishery collapsed in 1992, and California’s Pacific sardine fishery shut down multiple times due to overfishing.
🔸 Significance
- Threatens Food Security – Overfishing reduces fish stocks, impacting millions dependent on seafood.
- Economic Strain on Small Fishers – 75% of India’s marine fisher families live below the poverty line, struggling against rising debt & fuel costs.
- Ecosystem Damage – Indiscriminate trawling degrades reefs, disrupts food webs, and erodes future fish populations.
🔸 Way Forward
- Uniform Catch Limits – Implement national standards for minimum legal size (MLS), gear restrictions, and closed seasons.
- Sustainable Fishing Models – Adapt New Zealand’s quota management system (QMS) to regulate mechanized trawlers.
- Community-Based Conservation – Empower small-scale fishers with eco-friendly fishing techniques and alternative livelihoods.
- Stronger Enforcement – Improve monitoring & penalties for illegal fishing practices.
5.
Navy Recreates Stitched Ship Based on 5th Century Ajanta Paintings
{pg.12,Prelims}🔸 Why in News?
The Indian Navy has successfully recreated and inducted a stitched sail ship, named INSV Kaundinya, inspired by a 5th-century ship depicted in Ajanta Cave paintings. This marks a historic revival of India’s ancient maritime traditions.
🔸 Key Features
- Traditional Shipbuilding – Constructed using stitched wooden planks, coir rope, coconut fiber, and natural resin, without modern screws or nails.
- Square Sails & Steering Oars – Unlike modern ships, it features square sails and wooden steering oars, requiring manual navigation techniques.
- Interdisciplinary Design – Developed through archaeological interpretation, naval architecture, and hydrodynamic testing in collaboration with IIT Madras.
- Cultural Significance – The ship’s sails display motifs of Gandabherunda and the Sun, while its bow features a sculpted Simha Yali, reflecting India’s maritime heritage.
🔸 Significance
- Revives Ancient Shipbuilding Techniques – Showcases India’s historical expertise in naval craftsmanship.
- Strengthens Maritime Heritage – Reinforces India’s legacy of oceanic trade and exploration, dating back to Kaundinya’s voyages to Southeast Asia.
- Promotes Research & Conservation – Encourages historical preservation and naval archaeology.
🔸 Way Forward
- Historic Voyage Planned – The ship will embark on a transoceanic journey from Gujarat to Oman, retracing ancient trade routes.
- Potential for Tourism & Education – Could be used for heritage exhibitions and maritime studies.
- Further Replications – Future projects may recreate more ancient vessels, strengthening India’s naval history awareness.
6.
Lion Population Growth in Gujarat
{pg.12,GS3}🔸 Why in News?
India’s Asiatic lion population has increased by 32% in the last five years, reaching 891 individuals in 2025. The latest Gujarat Forest Department survey highlights that more lions now live outside protected areas than inside, raising concerns about human-wildlife conflict.
🔸 Key Features
- Population Growth – The number of lions has risen from 674 (2020) to 891 (2025).
- Expansion Beyond Protected Areas – Lions are now found in 11 districts of Saurashtra, including non-forested and coastal regions.
- Core vs. Peripheral Distribution – While 394 lions remain in Gir National Park, a significant number have moved into human-dominated landscapes.
- Increase in Adult Females – The number of breeding females has grown by 27%, ensuring future population stability.
🔸 Significance
- Conservation Success – Gujarat remains a global model for lion conservation, proving that coexistence with humans is possible.
- Challenges of Expansion – More lions outside protected areas mean higher risks of human-wildlife conflict and livestock predation.
- Potential for New Habitats – Experts suggest creating alternative lion reserves, such as Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, originally planned for lions.
🔸 Way Forward
- Project Lion Initiative – The ₹2,900 crore project aims to improve lion habitats and develop new conservation zones within Gujarat.
- Community Engagement – Strengthening compensation schemes for farmers affected by lion movements.
- Scientific Monitoring – Expanding camera trap surveys and radio-collar tracking to study lion dispersal patterns.
7.
Water as a Weapon: Ethical & Strategic Implications
{pg.8,GS3}🔸 Why in News?
The concept of weaponizing water—through denial, contamination, or flooding—has gained global attention due to geopolitical conflicts where nations or groups manipulate water resources for strategic advantage.
🔸 Key Features
- Drought Induction – Restricting upstream flow to weaken agriculture & economy.
- Flooding as Warfare – Manipulating reservoirs to flood enemy territories.
- Access Control – Cutting water supplies to force political concessions.
- Contamination Tactics – Polluting resources to disrupt public health.
🔸 Significance
- Humanitarian Concerns – Water scarcity disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.
- Geopolitical Conflicts – River-sharing disputes (e.g., India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty) highlight strategic tensions.
- Environmental Fallout – Weaponizing water disrupts ecosystems, agriculture, and climate resilience.
🔸 Way Forward
- Strengthening International Water Laws – Expanding treaties to criminalize water manipulation as warfare.
- Diplomatic Conflict Resolution – Encouraging negotiation-based water-sharing agreements.
- Sustainable Water Management – Advancing technology-driven conservation to mitigate supply manipulation.
DEEPIKA PARASHAR
