Why in news?

India has chosen to stay away, for now, from US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, unveiled at Davos, opting for a cautious “wait and watch” approach despite an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About Trump’s Board of Peace
• India’s Immediate Response on Joining the Board of Peace
• Why Trump’s Board of Peace Puts India in a Tight Spot
• A High-Stakes Strategic Choice

About Trump’s Board of Peace

• The Board of Peace is a US-led intergovernmental body established by Donald Trump to manage global conflict resolution and post-war reconstruction.
• Origin and Purpose - Proposed in September 2025, the board was created to oversee “Phase Two” of the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza following the 2023–2025 conflict.
• Immediate Mandate - Its primary role is to supervise the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) — a Palestinian technocratic authority — while managing Gaza’s reconstruction and the disarmament of Hamas.
• Leadership and Composition - Chaired by Donald Trump, the board includes prominent figures such as Jared Kushner, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Countries that have accepted the invitation include: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, among others.
• Notable absentees: Major European powers such as France, Germany, the UK and Italy. Permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, France and the UK.

India’s Immediate Response on Joining the Board of Peace

• India neither accepted nor declined the invitation at Davos.
• New Delhi is assessing strategic, political and diplomatic implications before taking a decision.

Why Trump’s Board of Peace Puts India in a Tight Spot?

• An Exclusive, Pay-to-Enter Peace Club - Permanent membership reportedly requires a $1-billion contribution to a reconstruction fund, effectively turning peace-making into a pay-to-enter arrangement.
• Unclear Scope, Expanding Concerns: Uncertainty over the Board of Peace’s mandate deepens India’s unease.
  • Though Gaza is the immediate focus, reports suggest the charter avoids explicit territorial limits, using broad phrases like “world peace,” raising fears of mission creep and expansion into other conflicts.
• Fragmented Peace-Making, Outside the UN - The board’s design risks selective and fragmented conflict resolution.
  • Unlike the UN General Assembly or Security Council, it excludes many stakeholders, raising concerns about arbitrariness in conferring “peace” through a restricted forum.
• India’s Multilateral Principles at Stake - India has long defended multilateralism and the primacy of the United Nations, even while pushing for UN reform to reflect Global South realities.
  • Joining a US-led body seen as bypassing the UN could undercut India’s credibility on this front.
• The Cost of Staying Out - Avoiding the Board of Peace is not risk-free. India seeks a seat where global security, conflict resolution, and reconstruction are discussed.
  • Opting out could mean ceding strategic space and appearing passive as new power structures take shape.
• The Palestine–Israel Balancing Act - India has consistently supported a two-state solution and Palestinian rights while strengthening strategic ties with Israel.
  • Joining a West-centric, Trump-driven Gaza platform risks upsetting this delicate balance and complicating India’s Global South positioning.
• Sharing the Platform With Pakistan - Pakistan’s reported invitation creates a fresh dilemma.
  • Sharing a high-profile forum with Islamabad could trigger domestic backlash, particularly as India maintains a firm stance against engaging with sponsors of terror.
  • At the same time, India fears that staying out could exclude it from future deliberations affecting India–Pakistan crises.
• Security and Military Red Lines - Reports that Pakistan may offer troops for a Gaza stabilisation force further complicate matters. India has ruled out participation in non-UN military missions, reinforcing its preference for UN legitimacy.

A High-Stakes Strategic Choice

• India is unlikely to ignore the platform entirely, yet joining carries reputational and political risks.
• The challenge lies in balancing engagement with caution—protecting India’s multilateral principles, domestic politics, and global credibility in a Trump-led forum.

Why in news?

The Ministry of Power has released the Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026, outlining a roadmap to overhaul India’s power sector in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Once finalised, the new policy will replace the existing NEP 2005, reflecting two decades of changes in energy demand, technology, and climate priorities.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• From Shortages to Scale: How the Power Sector Has Evolved
• Draft National Electricity Policy 2026: Key Interventions at a Glance

From Shortages to Scale: How the Power Sector Has Evolved?

• The first National Electricity Policy (NEP), notified in 2005, focused on core issues such as power shortages, limited electricity access, and weak infrastructure.
• Since then, India’s power sector has transformed significantly.
• Installed generation capacity has grown fourfold with strong private sector participation, universal electrification was achieved by March 2021, and a unified national grid became operational in 2013.
• Per capita electricity consumption rose to 1,460 kWh in 2024–25, while power markets and exchanges improved flexibility and efficiency in procurement.
• Persistent Stress Points in Distribution and Tariffs
  • Despite these gains, structural problems persist, especially in the distribution segment.
  • High accumulated losses, mounting debt of discoms, and non–cost-reflective tariffs continue to strain the system.
  • Heavy cross-subsidisation has pushed up industrial power tariffs, hurting the global competitiveness of Indian industry.
• Draft NEP 2026: Ambitious Consumption and Climate Goals
  • Against this backdrop, the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026 sets forward-looking targets.
  • It aims to raise per capita electricity consumption to 2,000 kWh by 2030 and over 4,000 kWh by 2047.
  • The policy also aligns the power sector with India’s climate commitments, including a 45% reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070, signalling a decisive shift towards low-carbon energy pathways.

Draft National Electricity Policy 2026: Key Interventions at a Glance

• The Draft NEP 2026 proposes wide-ranging reforms across planning, tariffs, markets, generation, grids, and technology to build a reliable, competitive, and low-carbon power system.
• Resource Adequacy Planning
  • Decentralised advance planning: DISCOMs and State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) to prepare utility- and state-level Resource Adequacy (RA) plans under State Commission regulations.
  • National coordination: Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to prepare a national RA plan to ensure capacity adequacy at the country level.
• Financial Viability and Economic Competitiveness
  • Automatic tariff revision: Linking tariffs to a suitable index for annual revision if State Commissions do not issue tariff orders.
  • Cost-reflective tariffs: Progressive recovery of fixed costs through demand charges to reduce cross-subsidisation across consumer categories.
  • Cross-subsidy exemptions: Removal of cross-subsidies and surcharges for manufacturing, railways and metro railways to lower logistics costs and improve industrial competitiveness.
  • Large consumers: Possible exemption of distribution licensees from Universal Service Obligation for consumers with contracted load of 1 MW and above.
  • Faster resolution: Strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms to reduce burden on regulators and lower costs for consumers.
• Renewable Energy Generation and Storage
  • Market-based capacity addition: Greater reliance on markets and captive power plants for RE expansion.
  • Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE): DISCOM-led storage for small consumers to gain economies of scale; bulk consumers to install their own storage.
  • Energy trading: Peer-to-peer (P2P) trading of surplus DRE and stored energy, directly or via aggregators.
  • Scheduling parity: Equal treatment of renewable and conventional power in scheduling and deviation mechanisms by 2030.
  • Market deployment: Market-based rollout of storage, promotion of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), domestic manufacturing of cells and components, and incentives such as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for BESS and pumped storage.
• Thermal Power: Supporting the Energy Transition
  • Grid support role: Integration of storage and repurposing of older thermal units to support grid stability and renewable integration.
  • Efficiency gains: Exploring direct use of steam from thermal plants for district cooling and industrial processes.
• Nuclear Energy Expansion
  • Advanced technologies: In line with the SHANTI Act, 2025, adoption of advanced nuclear technologies, modular reactors and small reactors.
  • Long-term target: Scaling nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047, including use by commercial and industrial consumers.
• Hydropower Development
  • Storage-based hydro: Fast-tracking storage hydro projects for flood moderation, irrigation, water security and energy security.
• Power Markets and Competition
  • Market oversight: Strong regulatory framework for monitoring and surveillance to prevent collusion, gaming and market dominance.
• Transmission Reforms
  • Right of Way (RoW): Use of advanced technologies and appropriate land-use compensation to address RoW challenges.
  • Tariff parity: Equal transmission tariff treatment for renewable and conventional power by 2030.
  • Efficient access: Utilisation-based allocation of transmission connectivity to prevent speculative hoarding.
• Distribution System Reforms
  • Loss reduction: Targeting single-digit Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses.
  • Network sharing: Shared distribution networks to enhance competition and avoid duplication of infrastructure.
  • Distribution System Operator (DSO): Establishment of DSOs to enable network sharing and integrate distributed renewables, storage and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems.
  • Urban reliability: N-1 redundancy at distribution transformer level in cities with population above 10 lakh by 2032; undergrounding of networks in congested urban areas.
• Grid Operations and Governance
  • Institutional reform: Functional unbundling of State Transmission Utilities and creation of independent entities for SLDC operations and transmission planning.
  • Regulatory alignment: Harmonising State Grid Codes with the Indian Electricity Grid Code issued by CERC.
• Cybersecurity and Data Sovereignty
  • Cyber resilience: Establishment of a robust cybersecurity framework for the power sector.
  • Data localisation: Mandatory storage of power sector data within India to ensure sovereignty and system security.
• Data Sharing and Visibility
  • Transparent data framework: Sharing of operational and market data under a central government-prescribed framework.
  • Real-time monitoring: Ensuring real-time visibility of Distributed Energy Resources for DISCOMs and SLDCs.
• Technology and Skill Development
  • Indigenous systems: Transition to domestically developed SCADA systems by 2030.
  • Software self-reliance: Development of Indian software solutions for all critical power system applications.

Why in the News?

• A recent synthesis report by the Commission for Air Quality Management has identified secondary particulate matter as the single largest contributor to Delhi’s winter air pollution.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Delhi’s Air Pollution (Background, Key Findings of CAQM Report, Secondary Particulate Matter, Ammonia, Policy Implications)

Background: Understanding Delhi’s Air Pollution Challenge

• Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) experience severe air pollution every winter due to a combination of meteorological, geographical, and emission-related factors.
• Low wind speeds, temperature inversion, and high moisture levels trap pollutants close to the ground, leading to persistent smog episodes.
• Over the years, multiple studies have attempted to identify dominant pollution sources, but variations in methodology often led to conflicting conclusions, complicating policy responses.
• To address this gap, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) undertook a meta-analysis of existing scientific studies to present a consolidated and evidence-based assessment of pollution sources affecting Delhi during the winter months.

Key Findings of the CAQM Meta-Analysis

• The CAQM synthesis report presents a clear source-wise contribution to winter air pollution in Delhi:

• Secondary particulate matter: 27%
• Transport emissions: 23%
• Biomass burning (including crop residue and municipal waste): 20%
• Dust (road and construction): 15%
• Industrial emissions: 9%

• The report clarifies that no new pollution sources have been identified.
• Instead, it harmonises findings from earlier studies that used differing analytical techniques, thereby offering a unified scientific basis for policymaking.

Secondary Particulate Matter as the Dominant Pollutant

• Secondary particulate matter is not emitted directly from sources such as vehicles or factories.
• Instead, it forms in the atmosphere through chemical reactions involving primary pollutants like sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ammonia (NH₃).
• These reactions lead to the formation of sulphates and nitrates, which together constitute nearly 25-60% of PM2.5 concentrations during winter.
• Fine particles of this nature are especially harmful as they penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, aggravating respiratory, cardiovascular, and ophthalmic diseases.
• The CAQM report emphasises that focusing solely on visible emission sources may be insufficient without addressing these secondary chemical processes.

Role of Ammonia in Pollution Formation

• Ammonia plays a critical enabling role in the formation of secondary particulate matter.
• Studies cited in the report indicate that nearly 80% of ammonia emissions in India originate from agricultural activities, particularly fertiliser use and livestock excreta.
• In the atmosphere, ammonia reacts with sulphuric and nitric acids, formed from SO₂ and NOx emissions, to produce ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate aerosols.
• These compounds significantly increase PM2.5 levels during winter, underscoring the rural-urban linkage in Delhi’s air pollution problem.

Transport, Biomass Burning, and Dust Contributions

• Transport emissions remain the second-largest contributor, reflecting the high vehicle density, fossil fuel use, and congestion in Delhi-NCR.
• Biomass burning, including crop residue burning in neighbouring States and municipal waste burning, contributes one-fifth of winter pollution, particularly during peak burning periods.
• Dust pollution arises from unpaved roads, construction activities, and resuspension of settled particles.
• Although often overlooked, dust contributes substantially to particulate load, especially under stagnant winter conditions.

Policy Implications and Future Studies

• The CAQM report has important implications for air quality governance:

• It highlights the need for multi-sectoral interventions, including agriculture, transport, energy, and waste management.
• It calls for integrated emission inventories and updated source apportionment studies, with 2026 as the proposed base year.
• The findings will support improved Air Quality Early Warning Systems and Decision Support Systems, which had earlier faced limitations in forecasting pollution spikes accurately.

• A more science-driven approach is expected to improve both preventive and responsive policy measures.

Why in News?

• With Union Budget 2026 approaching, India’s macroeconomic indicators project stability and strong relative growth amid global uncertainty.
• However, a closer reading of RBI data (Financial Stability Report, Annual Report 2024–25) and recent Budget documents reveals a structural shift in India’s growth mode.
• The Indian households saving less and borrowing more, thereby absorbing economic risks earlier shared by the State.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Aggregates Presenting a Partial Picture
• Uneven Incomes, Stable Consumption
• Credit as a Cushion, Not Capital
• Stock vs Flow - Where the Stress Lies
• Why are Households Borrowing More (The Fiscal Angle)?
• A Macro Risk Hiding in Plain Sight
• Challenges and Policy Options for Budget 2026-27
• Conclusion

Aggregates Presenting a Partial Picture:

• Household debt: 41.3% of GDP (March 2025), lower than peers like China (60.1%), Malaysia (69.6%), Thailand (88%).
• Trajectory: Gradual rise from about 36% (mid-2021) to 41% (2025), indicating no traditional household debt crisis.
• Limitation: Debt-to-GDP ratios reveal how much debt exists, not why households are borrowing or their repayment capacity.

Uneven Incomes, Stable Consumption:

• RBI Annual Report (2024–25): It highlights uneven real income growth, especially outside formal and high-productivity sectors.
• Borrowing as an adjustment mechanism: Despite this, consumption remains resilient, implying households are adjusting via borrowing, not income growth or savings.

Credit as a Cushion, Not Capital:

• Asset vs consumption credit: Borrowing is increasingly used to bridge income–expenditure gaps, not to create assets.
• Household vulnerability: Even moderate debt becomes risky when it substitutes for income growth and savings.

Stock vs Flow - Where the Stress Lies:

• Balance sheet position:
  • Financial liabilities accounted for 41.3% of GDP (in March 2025), while gross household financial assets stood at 106.6% of GDP.
  • There is no indication that liabilities have surpassed assets, and households continue to be net holders of financial wealth - meaning household finances remain sound.
• Flow data (critical insight):
  • Net financial savings fell to 3–4% of GDP, later rebounding to 7.6% (Q4, 2024–25).
  • Volatility is driven by faster growth of liabilities than assets.
  • Inference: Financial wealth may rise, but the shock-absorbing buffer is eroding.

Why are Households Borrowing More (The Fiscal Angle)?

• At the State level (Quiet transfer of risk from State to households):
  • A Study of Budgets 2024–25 reveals that State governments have prioritised capital expenditure while limiting revenue expenditure.
  • Committed expenditures — interest payments, pensions, and salaries — now account for between 30 and 32% of State revenue receipts, leaving little space for income support or countercyclical transfers.
  • States have actually become less responsive to household income stress while also becoming fiscally leaner.
• At the Union level:
  • The Budget 2025-26 shows a continued emphasis on public investment, with capital expenditure budgeted at ₹11.2 lakh crore and effective capital expenditure at ₹15.5 lakh crore.
  • This strategy is growth-enhancing, but it is not household-neutral.
  • Infrastructure investment raises medium-term potential, yet does little to smooth short-term income volatility.

A Macro Risk Hiding in Plain Sight:

• Private consumption: Accounts for close to 60% of GDP, making household spending the economy’s primary stabiliser.
• Three interacting trends:
  • Uneven income growth (RBI Annual Report).
  • Rapid expansion of unsecured retail credit despite improved borrower profiles.
  • Volatile and compressed net financial savings.
• Risk: Any shock—income slowdown, tighter financial conditions, unemployment—could force abrupt consumption retrenchment, destabilising growth.

Challenges and Policy Options for Budget 2026-27:

• Challenges:
  • Rising household leverage: Especially among vulnerable groups.
  • Debt-financing: Consumption-led growth.
  • Reduced fiscal cushioning: At State and Union levels.
  • Declining household capacity: To absorb economic shocks.
• Policy options:
  • Enhance disposable incomes: Targeted income support, tax relief for middle and lower-income groups.
  • Promote labour-intensive employment: To stabilise income flows.
  • Rebalance fiscal policy: Complement capital expenditure with selective revenue spending for income smoothing.
  • Strengthen household savings: Incentivise financial savings and reduce dependence on unsecured credit.
  • Align growth with resilience: Ensure that consumption growth is backed by incomes, not debt.

Conclusion:

• India’s macroeconomic stability ahead of Union Budget 2026 masks a fragile household finance dynamic.
• Growth sustained by debt-financed consumption is not self-sustaining. Restoring balance between income, savings, and borrowing must become a central fiscal priority.
• Without strengthening household shock-absorbing capacity, India risks an economy where growth persists on the surface while resilience steadily weakens beneath.

Context

• The forthcoming BRICS Summit to be hosted by India offers a critical opportunity to align national priorities with the urgent needs of the Global South.
• With the successful organisation of the G-20 Summit in 2023, India already has the infrastructure and diplomatic capacity required.
• The central challenge now lies in defining a focus that resonates across member states while addressing global developmental concerns.
• The growing climate crisis and the need for enhanced resilience provide a unifying and strategic agenda, particularly for developing countries that are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. 

The Global Context: A Leadership Vacuum in Climate Governance

• Global multilateralism is under severe strain amid heightened geopolitical polarisation.
• The United States, under the influence of Trump-era policies, has deprioritised climate action, promoted increased fossil fuel usage, and withdrawn from multiple international initiatives.
• This retreat has weakened global momentum on sustainability, especially as the U.S. has distanced itself from climate forums and institutions central to collective action.
• At the same time, European countries that previously positioned themselves as climate leaders are experiencing domestic fatigue and shifting their attention toward security and economic concerns.
• This convergence of disengagement among major developed economies has created a leadership vacuum in global climate governance.
• Within this context, BRICS has the potential to emerge as a stabilising platform capable of sustaining cooperation on climate action and development-oriented responses.

BRICS as a Platform for Collective Climate Action

• While BRICS is often viewed with suspicion in Washington, India’s diplomatic strength lies in its ability to balance competing interests.
• Its performance during the G-20 Summit demonstrated a capacity to navigate complex global geopolitics while preserving strategic autonomy through multi-alignment.
• A similar approach at the BRICS Summit can advance climate cooperation without undermining crucial bilateral relationships.
• Climate impacts affect all BRICS countries, though in diverse ways. These include risks to infrastructure, public health, ecosystems, and livelihoods across varied geographies.
• Such shared vulnerabilities strengthen the case for collective action focused on adaptation, equity, and sustainable development, ensuring that climate responses do not constrain growth prospects for developing economies.

Reinforcing and Expanding Climate Coalitions

• Within the UNFCCC, groupings such as BASIC have historically played a vital role in articulating developing country concerns.
• However, the expanded BRICS grouping brings greater political and economic weight, enabling stronger coordination among major developing nations.
• This collective influence has already proven effective in safeguarding development priorities during recent climate negotiations.
• Several BRICS members have also played key roles in sustaining the global climate process in the post-Paris Agreement period by presiding over major climate conferences.
• Additionally, BRICS can provide a coordinated response to unilateral measures that bypass multilateral principles, particularly those that link climate policy with trade restrictions.

Climate Finance: The Central Enabler

• Access to adequate finance remains the cornerstone of effective climate action.
• The BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance adopted in 2025 underscored the urgency of mobilising resources for developing countries.
• India has consistently emphasised that climate commitments must be matched by financial support that reflects historical responsibilities and present capacities.
• Meaningful progress in this area requires engagement beyond BRICS institutions such as the New Development Bank.
• Inclusion of the World Bank and the IMF is essential, given their central role in global financial flows.
• Treating these institutions as external or exclusive to developed blocs would limit the effectiveness of any climate finance strategy.
• This engagement is particularly important in light of declining private-sector interest in climate-related investments, including ESG instruments.

India’s Strategic and Geopolitical Opportunity

• The expanded BRICS grouping now represents a significant share of the global population, economic output, and trade flows.
• As chair, India is uniquely positioned to shape a collective agenda that prioritises climate resilience and inclusive growth.
• Such leadership would reinforce India’s global standing while addressing the pressing vulnerabilities of developing nations.
• Geopolitically, a strong BRICS-led climate initiative also serves to balance competing ambitions, particularly those of China, in shaping the global climate leadership narrative
• By advancing a development-centric green agenda that emphasises resilience and cooperation, India can ensure that climate action remains inclusive, equitable, and aligned with the long-term interests of the Global South.

Conclusion

• The upcoming BRICS Summit represents a strategic moment for India to influence the trajectory of global climate governance.
• By foregrounding resilience and inclusive development, India can position BRICS as a stabilising force amid global uncertainty, strengthen cooperation among developing nations.
• India’s leadership can also contribute to a more balanced and sustainable international order, one that integrates climate action with growth, equity, and trade.

Context

• The year 2025 marked a turning point as climate extremes intensified across India.
• With nearly 331 days of cascading impacts and more than 4,000 deaths, disasters became a near-continuous reality.
• The Himalayas, among the world’s most fragile mountain systems, suffered disproportionate losses, with towns such as Dharali, Harsil, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Kullu, Mandi and Kishtwar repeatedly struck by cloudbursts, avalanches and flash floods.
• These events underscore that ecological instability is no longer episodic but structural, demanding a reassessment of how infrastructure is planned in sensitive regions.

Infrastructure Expansion in a Disaster Zone

• A central example is the Char Dham road-widening project.
• In November 2025, approval was granted to divert 43 hectares of forest land in the Dharali-Harsil region for the Char Dham project, including extensive muck dumping.
• Nearly 7,000 Devdar trees were marked for felling in an area already devastated by an avalanche-turned-flash flood.
• The project follows the DL-PS standard, enforcing a 12-metre-wide paved road despite repeated scientific warnings.
• Geologically, the region lies north of the Main Central Thrust, a zone where large-scale construction is discouraged due to unstable geology.
• The landscape is further destabilised by hanging glaciers, many fed by the rapidly retreating Gangotri Glacier.
• Moraine-laden ice bodies increase the probability of slope failure, as demonstrated by the glacier avalanche that triggered the Dharali disaster.
• Proceeding with large infrastructure under such conditions reflects a failure of basic risk assessment.

 Ecological Value of Devdar Forests

• The threatened forests perform irreplaceable ecological functions in the Himalayan landscape.
• Their deep root systems stabilise slopes, reduce erosion and significantly lower the incidence of landslides and debris flows.
• Removing them directly increases downstream hazard exposure.
• These forests also safeguard the upper reaches of the Ganga, as they fall within the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone.
• Their antimicrobial properties, derived from complex organic compounds, regulate riverine microbial communities and support aquatic biodiversity.
• By maintaining cooler microclimates, Devdar forests regulate snowmelt-fed streams, sustain dissolved oxygen levels and preserve the river’s ecological character.
• Large-scale deforestation would initiate irreversible changes, including higher water temperatures, reduced oxygen content and the collapse of natural self-purification processes.
• Proposals to translocate centuries-old Devdars ignore their site-specific ecological roles; uprooting them is functionally equivalent to destruction. 

A Project Built on Structural and Procedural Flaws

• The road-widening initiative illustrates how not to build in the Himalayas.
• Environmental safeguards were bypassed through fragmented clearances, incorrect road-width standards and destabilising vertical hill-cutting.
• Excavated debris was dumped indiscriminately into streams, compounding damage.
• The outcomes are visible along nearly 700 kilometres of roadway, where more than 800 active landslide zones now exist.
• Key routes remain frequently closed, undermining the project’s promise of all-weather connectivity.
• Retrofitting slopes with bolts and wire mesh, proposed years after destabilisation began, fails to address the root problem: slopes cut beyond their natural angle of repose.

Policy Contradictions and Governance Failures

• Current practices directly contradict the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, a policy framework designed to protect mountain ecology, mitigate hazards and guide sustainable livelihoods.
• This contradiction reveals systemic governance failures, where short-term connectivity goals override long-term safety.
• Unsafe land use, wide highways on unstable slopes, tunnels without adequate surveys and large hydropower projects, has repeatedly been flagged by regulatory bodies.
• While such activities act as immediate triggers, accelerated warming functions as a risk multiplier.
• High-altitude regions have warmed significantly faster than the global average, intensifying rainfall variability, glacial melt and extreme events.
• These pressures are amplified by unregulated tourism, unchecked traffic and the absence of carrying-capacity planning.
• Together, they erode ecological resilience and expose communities to escalating hazards.

Conclusion

• The continuing crisis reinforces a fundamental truth: without the Himalayas, there is no India. The range underpins water security, climate regulation and cultural continuity.
• Persisting with vulnerable models of development undermines national security rather than strengthening it.
• Disaster-resilient planning rooted in science, sustainability and accountability is not optional, it is essential.
• Failing to act ensures that loss, displacement and instability will intensify, demanding urgent accountability from those shaping the future of this irreplaceable landscape.

About Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri:

• They are two new species of ant flies.
• These insects belong to the Microdontinae subfamily of hoverflies.
• Metadon ghorpadei was discovered in Delhi’s Northern Ridge Forest.
• Metadon reemeri was found in the Siruvani Hills of the Western Ghats.
• Globally, many Microdontinae species are considered rare or threatened due to their specialised habitat requirements and patchy distribution.
  • They are known for their unique association with ants, as their larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant broods, a specialised behaviour called myrmecophily that makes them exceptionally rare and difficult to detect.

About Bhitarkanika National Park:

• It is located in the Kendrapara district of Odisha.
• The mangrove swamp situated on the delta formed by the three rivers, namely Brahmani, Baitarani, and Dhamra, the park houses an array of creeks, backwaters, estuaries, deltas, and mudhuts.
• The national park is surrounded by the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary lie to the east, and separates a swamp region covered with a canopy of mangroves from the Bay of Bengal.
• It is India’s second largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sunderbans.
• Proximity to the Bay of Bengal makes the soil of the area enriched with salt.
• The vegetation and species of the sanctuary are those that are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical intertidal regions.
• It is also designated as a Ramsar site.
• Flora: Mangrove species, casuarinas, and grasses like the indigo bush.
• Fauna:
  • It is home to the largest congregation of the endangered saltwater crocodile in the country.
  • The Gahirmatha Beach is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.
  • It is also home to numerous animals like hyenas, wild boar, Chitals, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Jungle cat, Wild Pigs, etc., and migratory birds, which make it their home during the winter season, lending a vibrant hue to the ecosystem.
  • It is also home to eight varieties of Kingfisher birds, which is also a rarity.

About Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD):

• Often referred to as a “silent” disease, MASLD is a liver condition that can progress over time if left unaddressed.
• It is a long-lasting liver condition caused by having too much fat in the liver.
• Previously known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), its name was changed to better reflect the condition’s underlying causes.
• The new term highlights that the disease is a metabolic one, linked to factors such as obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
• It is the most common form of liver disease in the world.
• MASLD ranges in severity from hepatic steatosis — sometimes called diffuse hepatic steatosis, or formerly fatty liver infiltration or simply fatty liver — to a more severe form of disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
• Treatment: Treating MASLD with a healthy diet, physical activity, and weight loss can slow or even reverse liver damage, especially if it is at an earlier stage.