UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles
InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.
Table of Contents
GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October (2025)
• The UN at 80: A Symbol of Possibility and Imperfect Hope
The UN at 80: A Symbol of Possibility and Imperfect Hope
GS Paper 1 & 3: (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October (2025)
• Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and India’s Strategy
• Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and India’s Strategy
Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and India’s Strategy
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• Technology and Crowd Control
Technology and Crowd Control
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• International Convention against Doping in Sport
International Convention against Doping in Sport
• ‘23for23’ Initiative
‘23for23’ Initiative
• Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025
Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025
• United Nations (UN)
United Nations (UN)
• Pilot Whale
Pilot Whale
• Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI)
Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI)
Mapping:
• Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025
#### GS Paper 2:
The UN at 80: A Symbol of Possibility and Imperfect Hope
Syllabus: Multilateral Institution
Source: TH
Context: As the United Nations celebrates 80 years of its establishment (1945–2025), it reflects on its evolution from a post-World War II peacekeeping body to a global institution addressing 21st-century challenges.
About The UN at 80: A Symbol of Possibility and Imperfect Hope
Evolution of the United Nations
• Born of tragedy, not triumph: Emerging from the ashes of World War II, the UN was envisioned as a collective security mechanism to prevent future conflicts, promote human rights, and uphold international law.
• Institutional design: Established on 24 October 1945 with 51 founding members, the UN’s framework — especially the Security Council (UNSC) — was shaped by post-war power hierarchies granting veto powers to five permanent members (P5).
• Evolution through decades: Cold War era: The UN became an arena for ideological rivalry between the U.S. and USSR. Post-Cold War phase: It evolved into a platform for humanitarian interventions and peacekeeping, as seen in Namibia and East Timor. 21st century: The focus expanded to climate action, sustainable development, and digital governance.
• Cold War era: The UN became an arena for ideological rivalry between the U.S. and USSR.
• Post-Cold War phase: It evolved into a platform for humanitarian interventions and peacekeeping, as seen in Namibia and East Timor.
• 21st century: The focus expanded to climate action, sustainable development, and digital governance.
India’s Case and Role in the UN System:
• Founding Member: India has been part of the UN since its inception, contributing to charter drafting and UN peacekeeping operations in Africa and Asia.
• Advocacy for Reform: India demands UN Security Council (UNSC) expansion to reflect 21st-century realities, representing the Global South and emerging democracies.
• Peace and Development Leadership: As one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, India upholds humanitarian principles through its commitment to SDGs, climate diplomacy, and gender equality.
• Strategic Autonomy: India’s stance of non-alignment and sovereignty reflects its push for a multipolar, inclusive global order, not dominance by a few powers.
• Soft Power Diplomacy: Through initiatives like International Day of Yoga and Vaccine Maitri, India reinforces the UN’s ideals of global cooperation and shared humanity.
Relevance of the UN Today:
• Humanitarian Anchor: Agencies like UNHCR, WFP, and WHO continue to deliver critical aid, food, and health services across conflict and disaster zones.
• Norm-Setting Power: Global frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define global moral standards.
• Peacekeeping Role: Despite limitations, UN peacekeepers provide stability and dialogue platforms in conflict-ridden nations.
• Diplomatic Platform: It remains the only global forum where adversaries can negotiate, build consensus, and advance multilateralism in issues like climate change and digital ethics.
• Moral Legitimacy: The UN continues to symbolise collective responsibility, giving small and developing nations a voice in global governance.
Present Challenges:
• Outdated UNSC Structure: Power distribution frozen in 1945 realities, excluding emerging powers like India, Brazil, and South Africa.
• Erosion of Multilateralism: Rising nationalism, populism, and protectionism weaken faith in international cooperation.
• Funding Shortfalls: Delayed or withheld dues by major powers like the U.S. have led to budget crises and operational cutbacks.
• Veto Paralysis: Frequent vetoes by P5 members obstruct collective action on crises such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria.
• Institutional Inertia: Bureaucratic rigidity hampers rapid response to global emergencies like pandemics and cyber threats.
Way Forward:
• UNSC Reform: Expand permanent membership to include India, Brazil, Japan, and African representation for legitimacy and balance.
• Financial Stability: Ensure timely contributions, explore innovative funding models, and enhance transparency.
• Digital Transformation: Use AI, big data, and real-time monitoring to improve peacekeeping and humanitarian responses.
• Empower Field Missions: Decentralise decision-making, giving regional offices autonomy to respond swiftly to crises.
• Moral Renewal: Reclaim its ethical authority by upholding justice, human rights, and accountability without political bias.
Conclusion:
At eighty, the United Nations remains flawed but foundational — a mirror of global contradictions and aspirations. Its renewal depends on reform, representation, and political will. In a divided world, the UN endures as humanity’s best hope for dialogue over domination and cooperation over chaos.
#### GS Paper 1& 3
Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and India’s Strategy
Syllabus: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries
Source: STV
Context: The geopolitics of rare earths and critical minerals has intensified as India, the U.S., and Australia work to cut dependence on China, which dominates global supply chains.
• The issue gained traction after a recent S.–Australia pact and India’s renewed push for self-reliance in critical minerals.
About Geopolitics of Critical Minerals and India’s Strategy:
China’s Strategic Resource Hegemony:
• Mining Monopoly: China dominates the global rare earth landscape with ~70% mining and ~90% processing capacity, enabling it to dictate prices and access across industries.
• Geoeconomic Tool: It has repeatedly used export bans and quotas—first against Japan in 2010—to convert economic advantage into political leverage.
• State-Capital Nexus: Through state-backed firms, subsidies, and overseas acquisitions in resource-rich regions like Congo and Myanmar, Beijing ensures vertical control.
• Tech-Industrial Fusion: China’s integration of mining, refining, and manufacturing in EVs, defence, and electronics secures its industrial self-sufficiency.
• Resource Weaponization: Restrictions on gallium and germanium exports exemplify how Beijing weaponizes minerals to influence global trade and security equations.
India’s Emerging Critical Mineral Ambition:
• Geological Strength: With ~6% of global reserves in states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, India holds a solid geological base for rare earth exploitation.
• Production Deficit: Despite resource wealth, India’s <1% production share exposes its heavy dependence on imports and limited processing infrastructure.
• Policy Architecture: Initiatives like the Critical Minerals Mission (2023) and KABIL aim to boost domestic exploration and secure foreign mines.
• New Discoveries: The Reasi (J&K) lithium discovery strengthens India’s clean energy transition and battery manufacturing capacity.
• Knowledge Partnerships: IITs, CSIR, and GSI collaborate under a hub-and-spoke model to advance eco-friendly extraction, refining, and recycling technology.
Evolving Global Mineral Order:
• Allied Supply Chains: The S.–Australia strategic pact seeks to establish China-free supply chains for lithium, cobalt, and rare earths.
• Indo-Pacific Coordination: Under the Quad’s Tech Working Group, India, Japan, Australia, and the U.S. coordinate on mineral resilience and supply diversification.
• Mineral Diplomacy: India’s resource partnerships with Namibia, Argentina, and Afghanistan aim to secure access to strategic reserves abroad.
• Material Innovation: Countries are investing in graphene and 2D materials as substitutes for critical minerals to reduce geopolitical vulnerabilities.
• Sustainability Pivot: Global focus is shifting toward green mining and circular economy frameworks to ensure ethical and ecological mineral sourcing.
Strategic and Structural Challenges:
• Ecological Cost: Rare earth mining produces radioactive and chemical waste, threatening soil, water, and local livelihoods.
• Tech Backwardness: India lacks modern metallurgical and refining facilities, limiting its ability to move up the global value chain.
• Financial Barriers: The high-risk, high-capital nature of exploration deters private investors and slows industrial scaling.
• Political Volatility: Sourcing from conflict-prone nations like Congo or Afghanistan increases geopolitical and operational risks.
• Chinese Retaliation: Beijing’s export quotas and strategic stockpiling preserve its dominance and distort global market stability.
Blueprint for Strategic Mineral Sovereignty:
• Build Processing Ecosystem: Expand domestic refining and R&D capacity to reduce reliance on Chinese reprocessing hubs.
• Secure Overseas Assets: Strengthen KABIL-led joint ventures to access mines in Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia.
• Circular Resource Loop: Develop urban mining systems to recover lithium, cobalt, and rare earths from discarded electronics.
• Green Extraction Path: Promote low-emission, water-efficient mining technologies under stringent environmental safeguards.
• Balanced Autonomy: Combine global collaboration with Atmanirbhar reforms to build a secure, diversified, and sustainable mineral ecosystem.
Conclusion:
Critical minerals are the new oil powering the 21st-century technological order. India’s strategy must blend innovation, sustainability, and diplomacy to emerge as a trusted player in global supply chains. Reducing dependence on China while ensuring green growth will define India’s strategic mineral future.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
Technology and Crowd Control
Context: As India witnesses the massive Chhath Puja travel rush, the Indian Railways has deployed a real-time heat-mapping and crowd control system across 35 major stations to manage heavy passenger movement.
About Technology and Crowd Control:
What it is?
• The system uses real-time heat maps powered by data analytics and AI to monitor passenger density at major railway stations during peak travel periods like Chhath Puja.
How it works?
• Heat-mapping dashboards track crowd concentration and congestion levels across zones.
• When stations reach “overcrowding” thresholds, standby unreserved trains are dispatched automatically to nearby stations.
• Micro-monitoring is conducted at divisional, zonal, and Railway Board levels, supported by predictive modelling based on past festival travel data.
• Freight services are temporarily reduced, and Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are repurposed to decongest passenger routes.
Significance:
• Ensures passenger safety and operational efficiency during high-footfall events.
• Promotes data-driven decision-making and dynamic scheduling of trains.
• Reduces delays, prevents stampedes, and enhances public confidence in large-scale transport management.
• Strengthens India’s AI-led governance ecosystem through predictive crowd analytics and digital public infrastructure.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus
• GS Paper II – Governance: Use of technology in public service delivery and citizen-centric governance.
• GS Paper III – Science & Technology: Application of AI, GIS, and Big Data for real-time monitoring and crisis management.
• Ethics Paper (GS IV): Case study in responsible administration, anticipatory governance, and public safety ethics.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
International Convention against Doping in Sport
Source: DD News
Context: India has been re-elected as Vice-Chairperson of the Bureau for the Asia-Pacific (Group IV) at the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport, held in Paris marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention.
About International Convention against Doping in Sport:
• What it is?
• The UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport (2005) is a multilateral treaty through which States commit to adopt national and international measures to prevent and eliminate doping in sports, ensuring fair and ethical competition.
• Established in: Adopted during the 33rd UNESCO General Conference on 19 October 2005, it entered into force on 1 February 2007.
• Today, it has 192 States Parties, making it UNESCO’s second most ratified treaty.
• Aim: To harmonize anti-doping laws and standards worldwide. To ensure a level playing field for athletes. To promote integrity, ethics, and health in sports by curbing performance-enhancing drug use.
• To harmonize anti-doping laws and standards worldwide.
• To ensure a level playing field for athletes.
• To promote integrity, ethics, and health in sports by curbing performance-enhancing drug use.
• Key Features: Legal Framework: Mandates States to align national anti-doping measures with WADA’s Code. Global Cooperation: Encourages international collaboration among governments, sports bodies, and scientific institutions. Funding Mechanism: Establishes the Anti-Doping Fund for capacity-building and awareness programs. Ethical Oversight: Reviews emerging issues like gene doping and traditional pharmacopoeia to preserve sport values. Governance Reforms: COP sessions elect a Bureau and Approval Committee to oversee compliance and financing.
• Legal Framework: Mandates States to align national anti-doping measures with WADA’s Code.
• Global Cooperation: Encourages international collaboration among governments, sports bodies, and scientific institutions.
• Funding Mechanism: Establishes the Anti-Doping Fund for capacity-building and awareness programs.
• Ethical Oversight: Reviews emerging issues like gene doping and traditional pharmacopoeia to preserve sport values.
• Governance Reforms: COP sessions elect a Bureau and Approval Committee to oversee compliance and financing.
• Significance: Reinforces the global fight against doping, protecting athletes’ health and sports credibility. Serves as a platform for policy coordination among 190+ countries and global agencies like WADA and IOC.
• Reinforces the global fight against doping, protecting athletes’ health and sports credibility.
• Serves as a platform for policy coordination among 190+ countries and global agencies like WADA and IOC.
‘23for23’ Initiative
Source: PIB
Context: India celebrated International Snow Leopard Day (October 23, 2025) with the nationwide ‘#23for23’ campaign.
• Government also unveiled the first-ever national Snow Leopard Census, recording 718 individuals across the Indian Himalayas.
About ‘23for23’ Initiative:
What it is?
• A nationwide awareness campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to engage citizens in snow leopard conservation through community-driven participation.
• To raise awareness about snow leopard habitats and conservation challenges.
• To inspire public involvement in protecting India’s high-altitude ecosystems under the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP).
Key Findings of the Snow Leopard Census in India (2025):
• Total Count: The census recorded 718 individual snow leopards across India’s Himalayan landscape — marking the first official nationwide estimate.
• Regional Distribution: Ladakh: 477 individuals — the highest population in India. Himachal Pradesh: 51 individuals. Uttarakhand: 71 individuals. Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim: 61 individuals combined. Jammu & Kashmir (excluding Ladakh): 58 individuals.
• Ladakh: 477 individuals — the highest population in India.
• Himachal Pradesh: 51 individuals.
• Uttarakhand: 71 individuals.
• Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim: 61 individuals combined.
• Jammu & Kashmir (excluding Ladakh): 58 individuals.
• Collaborating Agencies: Led by MoEFCC, supported by WWF-India, Snow Leopard Trust, and local communities under the Project Snow Leopard
About Snow Leopard:
• What it is? A medium-sized big cat species native to the high-altitude mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, known for its elusive behavior and crucial ecological role as a keystone species in the Himalayan ecosystem.
• A medium-sized big cat species native to the high-altitude mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, known for its elusive behavior and crucial ecological role as a keystone species in the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• Habitat (Global): Found across 12 countries including India, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan, typically between 3,000–5,000 meters in elevation in cold, arid, and rocky terrains.
• Habitat (India): Distributed across the Himalayan states and UTs — Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh — covering major high-altitude ecosystems.
• Characteristics: Height: ~60 cm; Length: 100–130 cm; Weight: 35–55 kg. Smoky-grey fur with dark rosettes; excellent camouflage against rocky slopes. Solitary and crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk). Silent predator — unlike other big cats, snow leopards cannot roar. Breeds every two years, giving birth to 1–2 cubs, making population recovery slow. Known as the “Ghost of the Mountains” due to its stealth and rarity.
• Height: ~60 cm; Length: 100–130 cm; Weight: 35–55 kg.
• Smoky-grey fur with dark rosettes; excellent camouflage against rocky slopes.
• Solitary and crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk).
• Silent predator — unlike other big cats, snow leopards cannot roar.
• Breeds every two years, giving birth to 1–2 cubs, making population recovery slow.
• Known as the “Ghost of the Mountains” due to its stealth and rarity.
Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025
Source: BS
Context: Defence Minister released the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025 in New Delhi. Effective from November 1, 2025, the new manual aims to simplify revenue procurement procedures worth nearly ₹1 lakh crore annually.
About Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025:
What it is?
• The Defence Procurement Manual 2025 is a comprehensive guideline for revenue procurement by the Armed Forces and other MoD establishments, replacing the earlier DPM 2009. It standardises procedures for acquiring goods and services essential for operational preparedness.
• To streamline and simplify procurement processes across all defence services.
• To promote ease of doing business and encourage MSMEs and start-ups in defence manufacturing.
• To ensure fairness, accountability, and transparency in procurement operations.
Key Features:
• Ease of Business: Revised procedures to expedite decision-making and minimise bureaucratic delays.
• Relaxed Penalties: Liquidated Damages (LD) capped at 10% for major delays and 0.1% per week for indigenisation projects (earlier 0.5%).
• Long-term Orders: Provision for assured orders up to 5 years and beyond for items developed indigenously.
• No NOC Required: The need for an NOC from the Ordnance Factory Board has been removed, simplifying vendor participation.
• Procurement Thresholds: Limited Tender Enquiry allowed up to ₹50 lakh; beyond that, permissible in exceptional cases.
• Growth Provisions: Upfront 15% growth allowed for ship repairs and aviation overhaul work to ensure platform readiness.
• Structured Format: Divided into two volumes — Volume I (main provisions) and Volume II (forms, appendices, and government orders).
• New Chapters Added: Promoting Self-Reliance through Innovation and Indigenisation Information & Communication Technology Procurement Consultancy and Non-Consultancy Services
• Promoting Self-Reliance through Innovation and Indigenisation
• Information & Communication Technology Procurement
• Consultancy and Non-Consultancy Services
Significance:
• Strengthens the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision by promoting indigenous design and technology.
• Enhances uniformity and transparency across all wings of the Armed Forces.
• Facilitates timely and accountable procurement, boosting defence readiness.
United Nations (UN)
Source: IE
Context: Today, October 24, 2025, marks the celebration of United Nations Day and the 80th anniversary of the UN’s establishment.
• The day commemorates the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945, reaffirming global commitment to peace, human rights, and sustainable development
About United Nations (UN):
• What it is? The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established to promote peace, security, human rights, and development across the world. It currently comprises 193 member states, making it the most inclusive global body.
• The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established to promote peace, security, human rights, and development across the world. It currently comprises 193 member states, making it the most inclusive global body.
• History: The idea was first conceived during World War II, with the term “United Nations” coined by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. The UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, at the San Francisco Conference by 50 nations and came into force on October 24, 1945. The first Secretary-General was Trygve Lie of Norway.
• The idea was first conceived during World War II, with the term “United Nations” coined by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942.
• The UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, at the San Francisco Conference by 50 nations and came into force on October 24, 1945.
• The first Secretary-General was Trygve Lie of Norway.
• Established in: 1945, following the devastation of World War II, replacing the failed League of Nations to prevent future conflicts and promote global cooperation.
• Aim: Maintain international peace and security through dialogue and collective action. Foster economic and social development via sustainable development goals (SDGs). Uphold human rights and international law. Deliver humanitarian assistance in crises.
• Maintain international peace and security through dialogue and collective action.
• Foster economic and social development via sustainable development goals (SDGs).
• Uphold human rights and international law.
• Deliver humanitarian assistance in crises.
• Functions: Peacekeeping and Security: Deploys peacekeeping missions in 11 regions (as of 2024). Development Agenda: Implements Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty and protect the planet by 2030. Humanitarian Relief: Through agencies like UNICEF, WFP, and UNHCR, provides aid to millions affected by conflict and climate disasters. Global Governance: Oversees international treaties, human rights conventions, and environmental protocols. Coordination Mechanism: Works through six main organs — General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, ICJ, Secretariat, and Trusteeship Council.
• Peacekeeping and Security: Deploys peacekeeping missions in 11 regions (as of 2024).
• Development Agenda: Implements Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty and protect the planet by 2030.
• Humanitarian Relief: Through agencies like UNICEF, WFP, and UNHCR, provides aid to millions affected by conflict and climate disasters.
• Global Governance: Oversees international treaties, human rights conventions, and environmental protocols.
• Coordination Mechanism: Works through six main organs — General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, ICJ, Secretariat, and Trusteeship Council.
• Unique Facts: Funding: 72% of its revenue comes from member-state contributions, with the U.S., China, and Japan being top funders. India, on the other hand, contributed to 0.2088 per cent of the total UN fundings in 2024-25. Official Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Headquarters: Located in New York City, USA. Nobel Peace Laureate: The UN and its agencies have collectively received the Nobel Peace Prize 12 times. Recent Member: South Sudan (2011) became the UN’s 193rd member.
• Funding: 72% of its revenue comes from member-state contributions, with the U.S., China, and Japan being top funders. India, on the other hand, contributed to 0.2088 per cent of the total UN fundings in 2024-25.
• India, on the other hand, contributed to 0.2088 per cent of the total UN fundings in 2024-25.
• Official Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
• Headquarters: Located in New York City, USA.
• Nobel Peace Laureate: The UN and its agencies have collectively received the Nobel Peace Prize 12 times.
• Recent Member: South Sudan (2011) became the UN’s 193rd member.
Pilot Whale
Source: DD News
Context: Over two dozen pilot whales were found stranded and dead-on New Zealand’s remote Twilight Beach, prompting a Maori-led recovery and spiritual closure (rahui).
About Pilot Whale:
• What it is?
• Pilot whales are large oceanic dolphins belonging to the genus Globicephala, known for their strong social bonds and herding behavior that often leads to mass strandings.
• Pilot whales are large oceanic dolphins belonging to the genus Globicephala, known for their strong social bonds and herding behavior that often leads to mass strandings.
• Scientific Name: There are two species — Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas), both under the Delphinidae family.
• Habitat: Short-finned pilot whales thrive in tropical and warm-temperate waters, while long-finned species inhabit cold-temperate and sub-polar oceans. They are found globally across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans, and seas near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and India.
• Short-finned pilot whales thrive in tropical and warm-temperate waters, while long-finned species inhabit cold-temperate and sub-polar oceans.
• They are found globally across the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans, and seas near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and India.
• Characteristics: Recognized by their bulbous, rounded heads and curved dorsal fins. Adult males can reach up to 7 meters in length, weigh over 2 tonnes, and form matrilineal social groups of 20–100 members. Known for deep diving (up to 1,000 meters) and feeding mainly on squid and small fish. Social Behaviour: Exhibit tight family cohesion, rarely separating from kin. Males remain in their maternal pods for life, making them highly social mammals. Conservation Status: Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Protected under CITES Appendix II and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
• Recognized by their bulbous, rounded heads and curved dorsal fins.
• Adult males can reach up to 7 meters in length, weigh over 2 tonnes, and form matrilineal social groups of 20–100 members.
• Known for deep diving (up to 1,000 meters) and feeding mainly on squid and small fish.
• Social Behaviour: Exhibit tight family cohesion, rarely separating from kin. Males remain in their maternal pods for life, making them highly social mammals.
• Exhibit tight family cohesion, rarely separating from kin.
• Males remain in their maternal pods for life, making them highly social mammals.
• Conservation Status: Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Protected under CITES Appendix II and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
• Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.
• Protected under CITES Appendix II and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI)
Source: DTE
Context: Central Asian nations, including India, have endorsed a six-year transboundary conservation plan under the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) to protect 17 migratory mammal species.
About Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI):
What it is?
• The Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) is a collaborative conservation framework under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), aimed at protecting migratory and nomadic mammals across Central Asia’s vast steppe, desert, and mountain ecosystems.
Established in: Launched in 2014 during COP11 of CMS held in Quito, Ecuador, and later revised at COP13 (Gandhinagar, India, 2020).
Aim: To preserve migratory connectivity, combat threats such as habitat fragmentation, poaching, and climate change, and enhance cross-border cooperation among Central Asian nations for shared species conservation.
Key Features:
• Covers 17 flagship species, including Saiga antelope, Snow leopard, Wild camel, Urial, Argali sheep, Bukhara deer, and Persian leopard.
• Encourages regional coordination through national action plans, data sharing, and removal of physical migration barriers.
• Promotes ecosystem-level management rather than isolated species protection.
• Engages governments, NGOs, IUCN, and local communities in a multi-stakeholder approach.
Significance:
• Preserves the “Serengeti of the North”, one of the world’s largest remaining landscapes for long-distance ungulate migrations.
• Enhances transboundary ecological connectivity vital for species adapting to climate change.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 24 October 2025 Mapping:
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)
Source: TH
Context: The Bombay High Court has constituted a high-powered committee led by former Allahabad HC Chief Justice to protect and preserve the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) from encroachments.
About Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP):
What it is?
• SGNP is a protected forest and national park spread over 104 sq. km within Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra — one of the world’s few national parks located inside a metropolitan city. It serves as a vital ecological buffer for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Location: Situated in the northern suburbs of Mumbai, the park spans areas such as Borivali, Malad, Kandivali, Bhandup, and Mulund, extending up to Thane city.
Key Features:
• Established in 1996 (renamed after Sanjay Gandhi).
• Houses the ancient Kanheri Caves (1st century BCE) — a significant Buddhist heritage site carved into basalt rock.
• Acts as Mumbai’s “green lung”, absorbing carbon emissions and replenishing groundwater.
• Serves as a crucial urban biodiversity hotspot sustaining microclimatic balance.
Flora:
• Over 1,000 plant species, including Teak, Bamboo, Karvi (Strobilanthes callosus), and diverse grassland vegetation.
• Periodic mass flowering of Karvi every eight years attracts botanists and tourists.
Fauna:
• Home to 40 mammal species, including leopards, bonnet macaques, deer, and wild boars.
• Over 250 bird species, including hornbills, drongos, peacocks, and migratory flycatchers.
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