The Echo of Ancient Waters: Unveiling the Secrets of Paraná Valles on Mars   The history of Mars is written in its scars. For centuries, astronomers gazed at the Red Planet, speculating about the canals and waterways that might crisscross its rusty surface. While the romantic notion of alien-constructed canals has long been debunked, the reality that modern science has uncovered...

Navigating New Horizons: The Evolving Dynamics of the India–US Strategic Partnership   The India–United States partnership has transformed into one of the most influential bilateral relationships of the 21st century. What began as a cautious engagement during the Cold War era has gradually matured into a wide-ranging, strategically significant partnership. Today, the relatio...

Seismic Preparedness Leap: Decoding India’s Revised Earthquake Design Code, 2025 (IS 1893:2025)   India’s seismic safety framework underwent a decisive transformation in November 2025 with the release of the revised Earthquake Design Code, IS 1893:2025, by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This update is not merely a refinement of engineering guidelines, it represents a...

National Judicial Policy: Towards a Unified and Efficient Justice System in India India’s judiciary stands as one of the world’s most complex legal systems, revered for its constitutional depth yet challenged by an overwhelming volume of pending cases and uneven patterns of justice delivery. In November 2025, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant proposed the idea of a National Judi...

India’s Oil Imports and Currency Depreciation   India’s macroeconomic stability is deeply shaped by the performance of its currency, the Indian Rupee (₹), particularly in relation to the US Dollar (USD). Over the years, the rupee has weakened from near-parity levels to a range of ₹83–₹90 per USD. This continuous depreciation is not merely the outcome of global economic...

Justice Surya Kant: A Distinguished Journey Through India’s Judicial Landscape Justice Surya Kant’s journey through India’s judicial system reflects an exceptional combination of intellectual rigor, administrative vision, and deep empathy for vulnerable communities. Beginning as a young lawyer in the 1980s and rising to become the 53rd Chief Justice of India, his career sh...

The Siliguri Corridor: India’s Strategic Lifeline The Siliguri Corridor, popularly referred to as the “Chicken Neck,” is one of India’s most strategically significant geographic stretches. This narrow land passage connects the Indian mainland to the Northeastern region, comprising the Seven Sister states along with Sikkim. Despite its slender width, generally estimat...

Dugong Conservation in India The dugong (Dugong dugon), often called the sea cow, is one of India’s most vulnerable marine mammals. Recent assessments, including the 2025 IUCN report, indicate that dugong populations in the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are facing severe uncertainty due to habitat degradation, pollution, overfishing, and maritime disturbances. Ev...

Reconsidering Ex Post Facto Environmental Clearances in India: Balancing Development and Ecology Introduction The Supreme Court of India’s recent decision to revisit and recall its earlier judgment on ex post facto environmental clearances (ECs) has emerged as a landmark moment in the country’s environmental governance. Delivered in 2025, this ruling reflects the judiciary’...

Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT): A New Architecture for Climate–Trade Cooperation The global landscape of climate governance and international trade is changing rapidly, with nations adopting increasingly ambitious climate commitments while also recalibrating trade policies to reflect new economic and environmental priorities. In this context, November 2025 marked...