04^th September 2025

1. Anganwadi Centres: Recently, the Union government issued new guidelines to co-locate nearly 11 lakh anganwadi centres (AWCs) with primary schools across the country.

• Key Highlights: Objective: Ensure smooth transition from preschool to Class 1, curriculum alignment, and community participation.

• Current status: Out of 14 lakh anganwadis, only 9 lakh have been co-located or mapped with schools having Class 1.

• Guidelines issued jointly by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD).

• Aadharshila curriculum (for ages 3-6) introduced to align anganwadis with schools.

• Emphasis on synergistic convergence between anganwadi staff and school teachers for joint planning and better early childhood education.

• Data integration: MoE and MoWCD databases (Poshan Tracker, UDISE+) to be made interoperable to avoid duplication.

• All co-located anganwadis to be included in UDISE+.

• APAAR IDs for children (3–6 years) in anganwadis to track them seamlessly into school education.

2. Painted Stork: Recently, the National Zoological Park heightened surveillance and biosecurity measures after a dead migratory painted stork was found near a pond, while another stork was discovered sick in the water bird aviary.
   

• About Painted Stork: A large wading bird from the stork family.
• Easily identifiable by its heavy yellow beak with a curved tip.

• Scientific Name: Mycteria leucocephala

• Distribution: Found across the tropical plains of Asia — from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia, south of the Himalayas.

• Habitat: Prefers freshwater wetlands, irrigation canals, and flooded agricultural fields (especially rice fields during the monsoon). Absent in arid zones, dense forests, and high-altitude regions.

• They are generally non-migratory, making only short-distance movements for food, weather changes, or breeding.

• Features: Height: 93–102 cm; Weight: 2–5 kg.
  - The only stork in the genus Mycteria with a black pectoral band.
  - Distinct features include a long yellow bill, yellow face, and white plumage with pinkish feathers near the tail.
  - Legs range from yellowish to red, often appearing white due to urohidrosis (defecating on legs to regulate temperature).

• Conservation Status: Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

3. Goods and Services Tax: Recently, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council approved major reforms to overhaul India’s indirect tax regime. The changes, effective September 22, aim to ease household tax burdens, simplify business compliance, and resolve inverted duty structures.

• Key Features of GST 2.0:

• Two-Slab Structure: 5% (merit rate) and 18% (standard rate); 40% for luxury, tobacco, and demerit goods.

• Insurance Relief: No GST on individual life and health insurance policies, including family floater and senior citizen plans.

• Everyday Essentials Cheaper: Major cuts on packaged foods, dairy products, medical supplies, household goods, and personal care items.

• Automated Ease: Streamlined refunds and registrations for MSMEs and businesses.

4. Climate Change impact on Snakes: Recently, a study warned that climate change will dramatically alter the habitats of India’s ‘Big Four’ snakes, pushing them northward and into the Northeastern states.

• Published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the research cautions that this shift will overlap with densely populated areas, raising snakebite risks in regions previously less affected.

• Key Highlights: India’s ‘Big Four’ snake species (Common Krait, Russell ’s viper, Saw-scaled Viper, Spectacled Cobra) will shift northward and into the Northeast due to climate change.

• Risk factor: This shift overlaps with agricultural and urban areas, raising the risk of snakebites in these regions.

• Impact: Snakebite, already a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) in India, could worsen in the near future.

• Big Four significance: Responsible for over 90% of envenomations and fatalities in India; considered the most medically dangerous snake species.

• Current distribution: Some states (e.g., Karnataka) currently have highly suitable habitats, but these will decline by 12–44% under future scenarios.

• Expansion zones: States like Haryana, Rajasthan, Assam projected to see habitat expansion.

• Newly suitable habitats: Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh (currently unsuitable) projected to see a >100% increase in habitat suitability.

• Global context: India is the most vulnerable country in Asia, accounting for nearly half of global snakebite deaths.

• Research methods: Used IUCN GeoCAT data and GIS-based analysis.

5. Global Peace Index 2025: Recently, the 2025 Global Peace Index (GPI) by the Institute for Economics & Peace gave a hopeful picture despite global unrest.

• Key findings: Top performers: Iceland (1st), followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Portugal, Denmark, and Slovenia.

• Least peaceful: Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, DR Congo, and Yemen.

• Regional trends: Europe continues to dominate the top 10.

  • South America shows progress (e.g., Argentina, Peru).

  • Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East remain the least peaceful regions.

• India in GPI 2025: Rank: 115th with a score of 2.229, improving by 0.58% compared to last year.

• Positive factors: Gradual reduction in domestic violence and disputes, along with better societal stability.

• Challenges: High militarisation, cross-border tensions, and occasional internal unrest continue to weigh down its ranking.

6. MHA on Refugees: Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an exemption order protecting Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and undocumented migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

• Key Highlights: Sri Lankan Tamils who came to India before January 9, 2015 are exempt from penal action for lacking passports, travel documents, or visas.

• They remain registered with the Indian government and will not be categorized as illegal migrants.

• Earlier, in December 2015, the MHA had waived visa fees and overstay penalties for such refugees who voluntarily opted to return to Sri Lanka.

• The same notification also covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, even without valid documents.

• These individuals are now eligible to apply for Long-Term Visas (LTVs), which act as a precursor to citizenship.

• The order ensures they are protected from prosecution and deportation under the 2025 law (Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025).

7. Equity Index Derivatives: Recently, SEBI introduced a new framework to monitor intraday positions in equity index derivatives. The move aims to curb risks from excessive exposures.

• About Derivatives: Financial contracts whose value is derived from an underlying asset.

• Enable traders to speculate on price movements without owning the asset.

• Used for speculation, risk hedging, and enhancing portfolio returns.

• About Equity Derivatives: Instruments whose value depends on the performance of a stock or stock index. Serve as tools for risk management, speculation, portfolio optimisation, and return enhancement.

• Advantages: Hedging against risk: Protects investors from adverse price movements in the stock market.
  - Leverage: Allows control of larger positions with smaller capital, amplifying potential returns.
  - Cost efficiency: Lower transaction costs compared to directly buying/selling underlying assets.
  - Portfolio diversification: Adds different strategies and asset exposures, spreading risk.

8. New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules: Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposed amendments to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019.

• The changes aim to cut red tape in drug testing and accelerate clinical research in India.

• Key Amendments Proposed

• The existing licence system will shift to a notification/intimation model (except for certain high-risk drug categories).
• Applicants will no longer need to wait for approval before initiating tests, but must notify the Central Licensing Authority (CLA).
• Processing timelines will be cut from 90 days to 45 days.
• For some categories, licence requirements for Bioavailability (BA) and Bioequivalence (BE) studies will be removed.
• These studies can instead begin after submission of an intimation or notification to the CLA.

• About Bioavailability (BA): Measures the proportion of a drug that enters the bloodstream and how quickly it does so.

• About Bioequivalence (BE): Confirms that a new drug behaves similarly in the body to an already approved reference product.

9. Gastrochilus Pechei: Recently, researchers discovered a new orchid plant in Vijoynagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The species has been identified as Gastrochilus pechei.
   

• About Gastrochilus Pechei: Blooms during September–October; grows in moist evergreen rainforests on small trees near riverbanks.

• Geographical Range: Previously known to bloom only in Myanmar; now found in Vijoynagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

• Diversity in India: 22 species of Gastrochilus recorded in India so far.
  - 15 of these occur in Arunachal Pradesh, which is called the “Orchid State of India” and harbours about 60% of India’s orchid diversity.

• Genus Background: First described in 1825.

• A monopodial orchid genus with 77 species across tropical, subtropical, and temperate Asia.

• Features: Possesses a short axillary inflorescence.
  - Flowers are usually brightly coloured.
  - Has a distinct epichile present at the front of the saccate hypochile.
  - Contains two globose pollinia, which are attached to a slender stipe.