Short News

Short News

AyurVarta Digital Dialogue Series

• Context (Press Information Bureau - PIB): The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) launched AyurVarta to advance traditional medicine internationally.
• It examines designating September 23, the Autumnal Equinox, as fixed annual Ayurveda Day, replacing the earlier Dhanvantari Jayanti observance.
• The astronomical equinox reflects cosmic equilibrium, mirroring the foundational Ayurvedic philosophy of balancing the three biological humors or Tridoshas.
• Education and medical standards in traditional systems are statutorily regulated under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM).

Article 142 of the Indian Constitution

• Context (The Hindu - TH): The Supreme Court of India invoked Article 142 to quash nationwide First Information Reports (FIRs) against student protesters.
• The provision grants the apex court plenary constitutional power to issue decrees necessary for ensuring "complete justice".
• Decrees under Article 142(1) are universally enforceable across India, while Article 142(2) governs document discovery and contempt jurisdiction.
• In Supreme Court Bar Association v. Union of India (1998), the judiciary affirmed this power cannot supplant substantive statutory law.

Status of the World’s Soil Resources 2026

• Context (Down To Earth - DTE): The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the Status of the World’s Soil Resources 2026 assessment.
• The assessment ranks subterranean biodiversity loss as the fourth greatest operational threat to global soil functional integrity.
• Soil health is anchored globally under Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15), specifically targeting Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
• In India, institutional monitoring of macro- and micronutrients is implemented through the flagship Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme.

Totaliser Machine in EVM Vote Counting

• Context (The Hindu - TH): The Supreme Court of India sought the Union Government’s response on adopting totaliser machines for Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) counting.
• By aggregating votes across multiple booths simultaneously, the mechanism conceals localized voting patterns to protect electors from post-poll victimization.
• The Law Commission of India (LCI) formally endorsed totaliser deployment in its 255th Report on Electoral Reforms (2015).
• While paper ballots permit mixing under Rule 59A, EVM-based counting is legally governed under Rule 66A of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.

World’s Coral Reefs Report

• Context (Down To Earth - DTE): The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) published the 7th edition of the ‘Status of the World’s Coral Reefs’ report.
• Rising marine heatwaves caused global hard coral cover to decline by 9.5%, while ecosystem recovery windows shrank to 4–6 years.
• Bleaching occurs when thermal stress forces polyp hosts to expel photosynthetic microalgae called zooxanthellae, disrupting mutualistic nutrient exchange.
• Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 - WPA, all scleractinian reef-building corals in India receive highest legal protection under Schedule I.

26th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• Context (Press Information Bureau): The 26th Council of Heads of State meeting of the SCO concluded in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, adopting the Bishkek Declaration.
• Marking 25 years of the bloc, the summit condemned terror double standards and transferred the rotating chairmanship to Pakistan.
• Formed in 2001 from the Shanghai Five, the Eurasian bloc maintains its permanent administrative secretariat in Beijing, China.
• The organization addresses regional security challenges through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Key Highlights of Bishkek Declaration

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration, reinforcing regional security frameworks.
• It rejected unilateral sanctions, endorsed counter-terrorism coordination, and defended Iran’s civil rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• Founded upon the "Shanghai Spirit", the bloc prioritizes mutual trust, equality, and combating the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
• India championed the SECURE doctrine—encompassing Security, Economy, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty, and Environmental protection.

Pusa Rice DST1

• Context (BusinessLine): India prepared to commercially release Pusa Rice DST1, its first indigenous genome-edited climate-resilient rice variety.
• Developed by ICAR-IARI, it utilizes CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of the DST gene to confer drought and salinity tolerance.
• Under national guidelines, non-transgenic SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories are exempted from stringent GEAC biosafety clearances.
• Transgenic organisms in India remain statutorily regulated by the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 under Rules 1989.

India Rejects Hague Court’s Indus Waters Treaty Ruling

• Context (The Hindu): India dismissed the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as illegally constituted.
• The tribunal held the treaty operative and imposed interim construction curbs on the Chenab River’s 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Plant.
• Signed in 1960 under World Bank auspices, the treaty grants India unhindered rights over Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej).
• Established by the 1899 Hague Convention, the PCA acts as an administrative framework for international disputes rather than a standing court.