1) World Health Day 2025 

GS 2: Society: Strengthening health services    

Context

• Observed annually on April 7, World Health Day serves as a global platform to spotlight critical health challenges and inspire collective action. Initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1950, the day brings together governments, institutions, and communities to address pressing health priorities.
• The theme for 2025, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” focuses on maternal and newborn health, calling on nations to eliminate preventable deaths and ensure long-term well-being for women and children. This year-long campaign aims to promote health equity from the very start of life.
• In alignment with this global vision, the Government of India, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, continues to prioritise inclusive, accessible, and quality healthcare.
• Over the past decade, the health sector has witnessed significant progress driven by flagship initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission (NHM). These programs have notably improved maternal and child health indicators, strengthened health infrastructure, and expanded digital health services across the country.

India’s Progress in Maternal and Child Health

Maternal Mortality

• MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio) in India dropped from 130 (2014-16) to 97 (2018-20) per 1,00,000 live births – a decline of 33 points.
• Over the last 30 years (1990–2020), MMR declined by 83% in India.

Infant & Child Mortality

• IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) dropped from 39 (2014) to 28 (2020) per 1,000 live births.
• NMR (Neonatal Mortality Rate) reduced from 26 (2014) to 20 (2020) per 1,000 live births.
• U5MR (Under-5 Mortality Rate) declined from 45 (2014) to 32 (2020) per 1,000 live births.

India vs Global Progress (1990–2020)

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): India achieved an 83% reduction, compared to the global reduction of 42%.
• Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR): India saw a 65% decline, while the global average reduction was 51%.
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): India recorded a 69% decrease, ahead of the global reduction of 55%.
• Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR): India achieved a 75% reduction, surpassing the global average of 58%.

Other Interventions for Maternal Health and Pregnant Women

• Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR): Conducted at facility and community levels to identify causes of maternal deaths and implement corrective actions for improving obstetric care.
• Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card & Safe Motherhood Booklet: Distributed to educate pregnant women on nutrition, rest, pregnancy danger signs, government schemes, and benefits of institutional deliveries.
• Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Portal: A name-based digital platform to track pregnant women and newborns, ensuring timely antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care.
• Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB): Part of POSHAN Abhiyan; focuses on testing, treatment, and prevention of anaemia in adolescents and pregnant women through nutrition, awareness, and addressing non-nutritional causes.
• Birth Waiting Homes (BWH): Set up in remote and tribal areas to improve access and promote institutional deliveries.
• Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Day (VHSND): Monthly outreach at Anganwadi Centres for maternal and child care services in collaboration with MoWCD.
• Outreach Camps: Organized in tribal and difficult areas to deliver maternal healthcare, raise awareness, mobilize communities, and monitor high-risk pregnancies.

Digital Health Interventions

• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM): It is a unified digital health ecosystem to securely connect patients, healthcare providers, and systems through an interoperable digital infrastructure. As of April 5, 2025, over 76 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created under the ABDM.
• U-WIN: It is a digital platform that streamlines and tracks immunization for pregnant women and children (0–16 years), enabling flexible, anytime-anywhere vaccine access under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
• e-Sanjeevani: India’s National Telemedicine Service, bridges gaps in healthcare access by providing free, equitable, and remote medical consultations, emerging as the world’s largest telemedicine platform for primary care.

Disease Elimination & Control

• The WHO World Malaria Report 2024 highlights India’s major strides in malaria elimination, with a 69% drop in cases and 68% reduction in deaths between 2017 and 2023. Contributing just 0.8% of global cases in 2023, India’s exit from WHO’s High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024marks a significant public health achievement.
• The Government of India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem in 2024, a feat recognised by the WHO.
• The Government of India’s proactive Measles-Rubella vaccination drive, strong surveillance, and public awareness efforts have greatly improved public health. As of March 6, 2024, 50 districts reported no measles cases and 226 districts saw no rubella cases in the past year.
• According to WHO’s Global TB Report, India has made strong progress in tuberculosis control. Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), TB incidence fell by 17.7%, from 237 to 195 cases per lakh population between 2015 and 2023. TB-related deaths also declined from 28 to 22 per lakh. Notably, missing TB cases dropped by 83%, from 15 lakh in 2015 to 2.5 lakh in 2023.
• As of 6th April, 2025 the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched in September 2022, has registered over 2.5 lakh Ni-kshay Mitra volunteers supporting over 15 lakh TB patients. This initiative has further been expanded to include family members of TB patients.
• Kala-azar Elimination: India has successfully achieved Kala-azar elimination as of October 2024, with 100% of endemic blocks reaching the target of less than one case per 10,000 population by the end of 2023.

Affordable Health Coverage for All

Under Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):

• As of December 20, 2024, over 55 crore beneficiaries from India’s economically vulnerable population in the bottom 40% are covered with ₹5 lakh health insurance per family.
• Over40 crore Ayushman Cards have been issued as of 3rdApril 2025.
• Over 8.50 crore authorised hospital admissions throughout the country.
• Overall, 31,846 hospitals (17,434 public and 14,412 private) have been officially empanelled under the scheme as of 3rd April 2025.
• ASHA and Anganwadi workers are now included as beneficiaries.
• Over 25 lakh+ enrolments for Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards under the scheme as of December 9th, 2024.

Mental Wellness Health Interventions

• Tele-MANAS (National Tele-Mental Health Programme) now operates 53 cells across 36 States/UTs, offering 24×7 mental health support in 20 languages.
• As of5th April 2025, there are around 440 Rehabilitation Homes (RH)/Halfway Homes (HH) in the country as per the ManoashrayaDashboard.

Towards a Healthier Future

• India’s advancements in public health, especially in maternal and child care, reflect a strong commitment to equitable and inclusive healthcare.
• Through transformative initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, the National Health Mission, and targeted maternal programs such as JSY, PMSMA, SUMAN, and LaQshya, the country has significantly reduced maternal and child mortality rates and improved institutional delivery access.
• Complemented by digital health interventions like ABDM and e-Sanjeevani, disease elimination drives, and mental health support through Tele-MANAS, India is steadily progressing towards universal health coverage.

2) PM Modi Conferred with Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana

GS 2: International Relations: India- Sri Lanka Relations   

Why is it in the news?

• PM Narendra Modi was recently honoured with the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana, the highest civilian award conferred by Sri Lanka to foreign dignitaries. The award was presented during his state visit to the country following an invitation from Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
• A press release from the Sri Lankan President’s office noted that the visit reflected a shared commitment to the theme “Friendship of Centuries – Commitment to a Prosperous Future.” According to a post by MyGov India, this marks the Prime Minister’s 22nd international honour.

About the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana

• The Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana is a prestigious civilian honour awarded exclusively to Heads of State and government leaders with whom Sri Lanka shares cordial relations. The award signifies the recipient’s solidarity and friendship towards the people of Sri Lanka.
• Instituted in 2008 by then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the award is the highest-ranking honour conferred on foreigners and is positioned above all other national honours granted to non-Sri Lankans, including the Sri Lanka Rathna—which is equivalent to India’s Bharat Ratna.
• As per a 2014 press release citing a government gazette notification, the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana takes precedence over all other national honours for foreigners.

Components and Symbolism of the Award

• The award comprises a citation and a silver medal adorned with Navarathna—nine precious Sri Lankan gems—arranged around a globe encircled by lotus petals. The design symbolises the enduring friendship between India and Sri Lanka.
• At the centre of the medal is the Pun Kalasa, a ceremonial pot containing rice sheaves, similar to the Kalasa used during the Indian festival of Sankranti. This element represents prosperity and renewal.
• The top of the medal features the Sun and Moon, while a Dharma Chakra is also incorporated, highlighting the shared Buddhist heritage of both nations. The medal is designed to be worn around the neck with a 6.5 cm wide ribbon.

Previous Recipients of the Honour

• The Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana is conferred at the discretion of the President of Sri Lanka, and the names of all recipients are recorded in a special register. To date, only four individuals have received this honour. The first was former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in February 2008.
• He was recognised for his contributions to bilateral friendship, regional cooperation, and global efforts against climate change. In January 2014, the award was conferred on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and, posthumously, on former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
• These awards were presented during a ceremony in Palestine, where the Palestinian government also honoured Mahinda Rajapaksa with its highest state award, the Star of Palestine.

3) SC Judges to Publicly Declare Assets

GS 2: Polity and Governance: Ensuring judicial transparency

Why is it in the news?

• In a significant move towards greater judicial accountability, the Supreme Court of India, in a full court meeting held on April 1, decided that all judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI), will publicly declare their assets. This decision follows the discovery of large sums of currency at the residence of Delhi High Court judge recently.
• Unlike public officials and politicians, judges are not legally bound to disclose their assets publicly, and most have not done so voluntarily in the past. This step signals a major shift and is in line with the 1997 Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, a code of ethics previously adopted by the judiciary.

Restatement of Values of Judicial Life: Background and Significance

• The 1997 code, titled Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, has served as a foundational document guiding judicial conduct. It laid down principles for institutional accountability, including asset declaration and the framework for an “in-house procedure” to inquire into allegations of misconduct or ethical transgressions by judges.
• The adoption of this restatement was considered the most significant outcome of the full court meeting in 1997, as it laid the groundwork for all future judicial accountability measures.

Key Ethical Guidelines for Judges

• The Restatement of Values is a non-exhaustive list comprising 16 ethical principles that judges are expected to uphold.

Some of the key guidelines include:

• avoiding any actions that might erode public faith in the judiciary; refraining from contesting elections or holding office in clubs, societies, or associations;
• maintaining distance from individual lawyers, especially if close family members are practising advocates; preventing the use of their official residence for professional legal work by family members; ensuring a high degree of impartiality and aloofness;
• abstaining from adjudicating cases involving friends or family; refraining from publicly commenting on political issues that may be subject to judicial determination; letting judgments speak for themselves without engaging with media;
• not accepting gifts or hospitality except from close relations; disclosing interests in companies involved in cases; avoiding speculation in stocks or shares; and steering clear of trade or business except in legal publishing or hobbies.

Judges are also expected not to seek financial benefits connected to their office unless officially sanctioned, and to act with the awareness that they are always under public scrutiny.

In-House Inquiry Mechanism and Asset Declarations

• During the same 1997 meeting, the full court agreed to establish an in-house procedure for addressing instances where judges fail to adhere to these universally accepted values. A five-member committee developed this procedure, which was formally adopted in 1999.
• The resolution also required all judges to declare their real estate and investments to the CJI within a reasonable time of taking office, although initially, such declarations were to remain confidential. However, a full court resolution in 2009 allowed judges to declare their assets publicly on a voluntary basis.
• This evolved further with a 2018 Constitution Bench ruling that assets and liabilities of judges are not considered “personal information” under RTI.

Recent Application of the Judicial Values Code

• The recent invocation of these values was evident when CJI Sanjiv Khanna initiated an in-house inquiry against Justice Yashwant Varma following the cash seizure incident. The in-house mechanism, supported by the 1997 values resolution, enables the judiciary to hold its members accountable without resorting to impeachment—a process that has a much higher threshold.
• As stated by the SC in a 1995 judgment related to allegations of financial impropriety against the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, there exists a “yawning gap between proved misbehaviour and bad conduct inconsistent with the high office.” It is this “bad conduct” that the values resolution aims to address.

Past Invocations and Continued Relevance

• The values resolution was also referenced in 2014 when the Supreme Court revisited the in-house inquiry mechanism following a complaint of sexual harassment filed by a woman additional district and sessions judge from Madhya Pradesh against a sitting High Court judge.
• The court clarified that the in-house procedure is designed to address acts of omission or commission by judges that violate the ethical ideals expressed in the 1997 resolution. This system continues to serve as a vital tool for reinforcing judicial integrity and public trust in the justice system.

4) Gujarat Police’s GP-DRASTI Drone Program

GS 3: Internal Security: Strengthening policing activities

Why is it in the news?

• On April 4, Gujarat DGP launched Phase I of the Gujarat Police – Drone Response and Aerial Surveillance Tactical Interventions (GP-DRASTI). This initiative aims to integrate quadcopter drones into routine policing activities at the police station level.
• Previously used for tracking fugitives and locating missing children, drones will now be deployed more extensively, particularly in urban areas for crimes involving bodily harm and street violence.

Purpose and Use Cases

• GP-DRASTI has been introduced as a tactical tool and evidence-gathering mechanism in response to increasing incidents of violence, especially in major cities such as Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara.
• The program enhances the police’s capacity to monitor protests, control crime, and respond swiftly to public safety threats. It comes amid growing concerns over the police’s inability to handle gang violence effectively.

Enhancing Response Time

• The deployment of drones is intended to significantly reduce police response time during emergencies. The initiative follows a recent gang violence incident in Ahmedabad’s Vastral and a spate of violent events including stabbings in Vadodara, sword duels in Surat, bootlegging in Ahmedabad, and drive-by shootings in Rajkot.
• According to DGP, police response speed and quality are critical, and the traditional reliance on Police Control Room (PCR) vans often leads to delays. The drones, acting as first responders, can be deployed simultaneously with ground teams.
• In pilot testing, drones reached incident sites in less than half the time of ground vehicles. The control room will alert both the local police and the drone base station simultaneously when an incident is reported.

Operational Mechanism

• The drones operate using a landmark-based navigation system. Upon receiving an alert, the drone flies to the nearest landmark and then moves to the specific incident location. Real-time video feeds are streamed to the base station, allowing officers to assess the situation and determine the need for additional ground forces.

Focus on Crime Hotspots

• GP-DRASTI primarily targets 33 police station jurisdictions in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot. These areas have been identified under the SHASTRA (Sharir Sambandhi Tras Rokva Abhiyan) initiative, launched in February 2025, as hotspots for crimes involving bodily harm.
• The identified areas include 12 police stations in Ahmedabad, nine in Surat, seven in Vadodara, and five in Rajkot. These locations often report incidents such as assault, rioting, street violence, mob lynching, and illegal weapon displays.

Drone Procurement and Training

• The Additional Director General of Technical Services has overseen the procurement of drones. Initially, 18 drones were acquired from Asteria Aerospace, with 7 more to follow, totalling 33 drones.
• Each drone will be managed by a two-person team—one trained drone operator and one officer familiar with the local jurisdiction. The first batch of 16 personnel (two from each police station) will be trained at the Gujarat Police Academy in Karai, Gandhinagar.

Drone Capabilities and Specifications

• The quadcopter drones have an operational flight ceiling of 120 metres above ground level. Although they are capable of flying higher, any increase in altitude requires clearance from relevant airspace authorities. The drones have a flight time of 45 minutes, sufficient for most operations, and can be replaced by drones from nearby stations if wider coverage is needed.
• With a control range of 4 km, each drone base station will be centrally placed within the police station’s jurisdiction. The drones are equipped with cameras capable of zooming up to 1 km and producing clear visuals at 700 metres. They also feature night vision integrated into the main camera, eliminating the need for external attachments to switch between day and night surveillance.

Surveillance and Identification Features

• The drones can be programmed to follow fixed targets for surveillance or interception in coordination with ground forces. They can detect movement through soft obstacles such as trees and bushes, though solid structures block visibility, requiring drone repositioning.
• Importantly, the drones’ high-definition cameras can capture facial features clearly from a distance. This aerial identification capability is especially useful in tracking individuals in crowds and recognizing multiple accused persons during incidents of mass criminal activity.

Conclusion

• GP-DRASTI marks a significant technological advancement in Gujarat’s policing strategy. By integrating drones at the police station level, the state aims to enhance surveillance, reduce response times, and improve the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling street crimes and violence.

5) A Cotton Emergency in India

GS 3: Economy: Cotton crisis

Context

• India, one of the largest producers of cotton, is witnessing a severe decline in its cotton economy. This decline is especially concerning considering India’s comparative advantage in global textile exports, which attract a lower 27% tariff under the US “reciprocal tariff” policy — far less than China (54%), Vietnam (46%), Bangladesh (37%), Indonesia (32%), and Sri Lanka (44%). However, the core issue lies in declining domestic cotton production.

Steep Fall in Cotton Production

• India’s cotton output for the 2024-25 marketing year (October-September) is projected at just over 294 lakh bales (1 bale = 170 kg), marking the lowest since 2008-09, when production was at 290 lakh bales. This is a drastic fall from the peak of 398 lakh bales in 2013-14, indicating a near-catastrophic drop in output.

The Rise of Bt Cotton and Initial Success

• The adoption of genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton hybrids from 2002-03 helped triple cotton production (from 136 lb to 398 lb) and raised exports by 139 times (from 0.8 lb to 117 lb) by 2013-14. These hybrids, containing Bt genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, provided early success against major cotton pests.
• However, this success has since reversed — exports have dropped, and India is now projected to import 30 lakh bales in 2024-25, exceeding its exports of 17 lakh bales.

The Pink Bollworm Challenge

• The primary factor behind the production slide is the pink bollworm (PBW), an insect pest that bores into cotton bolls, damaging both seeds and lint. Though Bt cotton hybrids contain two genes (‘cry1Ac’ and ‘cry2Ab’) effective against various bollworms, they have become ineffective against PBW over time.
• This pest, being monophagous (feeding only on cotton), developed resistance more rapidly than polyphagous pests that feed on multiple crops. PBW’s short life cycle (25-35 days) enabled quick resistance buildup.

Rising Pest Resistance and Yield Decline

• A 2014 Nature journal study confirmed PBW resistance to Bt toxins had developed by that year — just 12 years after Bt cotton’s introduction. The pest began causing economic damage from 2014 in central India, 2017 in southern zones, and by 2021 in the northern cotton belts.
• Consequently, average per-hectare yields that had increased from 302 kg in 2002-03 to 566 kg in 2013-14 have dropped to around 436-437 kg in recent years.

Development of New GM Cotton Hybrids

In response to PBW resistance, Indian seed companies are now developing new GM cotton hybrids incorporating novel Bt genes:

• Bioseed Research India (DCM Shriram Ltd) has developed a new event ‘BioCotX24A1’ with the ‘cry8Ea1’ gene and received approval for Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) trials in MP, Karnataka, and AP. The company has applied to extend trials during the 2025 kharif season to more regions.
• Rasi Seeds Pvt Ltd has sought BRL-1 trial approval for hybrids expressing a synthetic ‘cry1c’ gene.
• Ankur Seeds is working with the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, on cotton hybrids using a ‘chimeric’ Bt protein that combines segments from different genes for enhanced resistance. It plans to apply for BRL-1 trials for NBRI’s ‘Event 519’.
• Ajeet Seeds Pvt Ltd received permission in July 2024 to conduct preliminary trials for five GM cotton lines (ASCOT101-105) expressing the ‘cry2Aa’ gene.

Regulatory Delays and the Need for Reform

• Despite these efforts, India hasn’t commercialised any new GM crop since Monsanto’s Bollgard-2 in 2006. Lengthy regulatory processes, opposition from environmental groups, and the requirement for state approvals have slowed progress. Event selection, BRL-1 (two years), and BRL-2 (one year) trials, along with initial lab and greenhouse testing, prolong the release of new seeds to farmers.

Government Initiatives and Outlook

• The scale of the current cotton crisis may prompt regulatory reform. Since cotton is not consumed as food, it may face less resistance than crops like mustard or brinjal. In the 2025-26 Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a five-year “Mission for Cotton Productivity” to boost yield and ensure steady cotton supply for the textile industry. This move is crucial given both the PBW threat and the export opportunity created by Trump-era reciprocal tariffs.
• India’s cotton sector stands at a crossroads — addressing pest resistance and expediting GM approvals may determine whether the country regains its past dominance or continues on a path of decline.

6) UGC to Issue Equivalence Certificates for Foreign Degrees

GS 2: Polity and Governance: UGC’s regulations 

Why is it in the news?

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has officially notified the “Recognition and Grant of Equivalence to Qualifications Obtained from Foreign Educational Institutions Regulations, 2025”.
• These newly introduced regulations detail the procedure for obtaining equivalence certificates, which are documents certifying that a qualification acquired from a foreign educational institution—such as a degree or diploma—is equivalent to a comparable qualification in India. The draft regulations were initially made public in 2023 and have now been finalised after considering feedback.

Scope of the Regulations

• The equivalence certificates issued under these regulations will be valid across all academic institutions under the UGC for purposes of higher education, research, and employment, wherever UGC-recognised qualifications are essential.
• However, the regulations will not cover professional disciplines like medicine, pharmacy, nursing, law, and architecture, or any other qualification regulated by the respective Statutory Councils in India.
• Notably, unlike the earlier draft, the final regulations now include qualifications obtained through distance or online learning modes, a change made in response to public feedback.

Exemptions from Requirement

• Equivalence certificates will not be necessary for qualifications obtained from foreign institutions that have formal collaborations with Indian institutions under UGC regulations for twinning, joint, or dual degree programmes, or for foreign institutions that have been established in India.

Eligibility Conditions for Equivalence

A foreign qualification—whether a certificate, diploma, or degree—can be recognised for an equivalence certificate if the following conditions are met:

• The qualification must be awarded by a foreign institution recognised under the laws of its home country.
• The entry-level requirements for the programme (such as credit requirements, thesis, or internship) should be similar to a comparable programme offered in India.
• The student must have pursued the programme in accordance with the academic norms and standards of the awarding institution.

Qualifications earned from off-shore campuses of foreign institutions are also eligible, provided the academic programme complies with both the host country’s and the parent institution’s academic standards.

Application to School Qualifications

• The regulations will also apply to school qualifications obtained from abroad for students seeking admission to undergraduate programmes in India. In such cases, students must have completed at least 12 years of school education.

Shift from AIU to UGC

• Until now, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) was responsible for issuing equivalence certificates for foreign degrees for the purposes of higher education and employment in India, excluding regulated professional qualifications.
• The AIU, a registered society with numerous member universities, also provided equivalence for school-level qualifications from foreign boards. With the new regulations, the UGC will replace the AIU system and introduce a statutory regulatory framework for the first time to recognise foreign qualifications.

Rationale Behind the Move

• The New regulations align with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, particularly its emphasis on internationalising higher education. The regulations aim to establish a clear, consistent, and transparent framework for recognising foreign qualifications, aligned with global best practices.
• Further, these measures will ensure that Indian institutions are better equipped to attract international students and provide a structured process for recognising international degrees.