Daily Current Affairs- 10th June 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 10th June 2025

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Launches UMEED Portal for Waqf Management

In the News: On June 10, 2025, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju officially launched the UMEED Portal, a digital platform aimed at enhancing the management and transparency of Waqf properties across India. The initiative seeks to streamline administration, improve revenue generation, and promote better utilization of Waqf assets.

Key Points:

• Portal Launch: Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the UMEED Portal on June 10, 2025, designed to facilitate efficient Waqf property management through digitization and transparency.
• Purpose of UMEED: The portal aims to provide a comprehensive database of Waqf properties, enabling better monitoring, revenue collection, and dispute resolution.
• Technology Integration: UMEED leverages GIS mapping, online registration, and grievance redressal mechanisms to modernize Waqf administration.
• Transparency and Accountability: The portal promotes transparency in Waqf Board operations and ensures accountability in the management of Waqf assets.
• Revenue Enhancement: By streamlining property records and management, UMEED is expected to boost revenue generation from Waqf properties, benefiting community welfare activities.
• Support to Waqf Boards: The initiative provides Waqf Boards with digital tools and training to improve governance and asset utilization.
• Broader Impact: UMEED aligns with the government’s vision of digitization and good governance, aiming to safeguard the interests of the Muslim community and preserve Waqf heritage.                                       

Reforming Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in India

In the News: The Government of India has initiated comprehensive reforms of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to boost exports, attract investment, and generate employment. The reforms aim to transform SEZs into more flexible and globally competitive economic hubs, in line with the changing dynamics of international trade and the needs of industry.

Key Points:

• SEZ Reform Initiative: The government is moving to replace the existing SEZ Act, 2005 with a new framework called the Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs (DESH) Bill, focusing on greater flexibility and integration with the domestic economy.
• Key Features of Reforms: The new policy proposes to allow both export-oriented and domestic businesses to operate within SEZs, reducing the export-only restriction. It also seeks to simplify compliance, ease land acquisition, and provide a single-window clearance system.
• Boosting Exports and Investment: The reforms are designed to attract more foreign and domestic investment by offering modern infrastructure, tax incentives, and easier regulatory norms, thereby enhancing India’s position as a global manufacturing and services hub.
• Employment Generation: By making SEZs more business-friendly and expanding their scope, the reforms are expected to create new job opportunities, especially in manufacturing, IT, and services sectors.
• Integration with Global Value Chains: The new framework aims to better integrate Indian SEZs with global value chains, encouraging greater participation in international trade and supply networks.
• Stakeholder Engagement: The government has consulted with industry bodies, state governments, and other stakeholders to ensure the reforms address ground realities and industry needs.
• Previous Achievements: Since their inception, SEZs in India have contributed significantly to export growth, but challenges like rigid regulations and limited domestic integration have prompted the need for reforms. 

India’s Population Reaches 1.46 Billion, Fertility Drops Below Replacement Rate: UN Report

In the News: According to a United Nations report released in June 2025, India’s population has reached 1.46 billion, making it the most populous country in the world. The report also highlights a significant demographic milestone: India’s total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped below the replacement rate of 2.1, signaling a major shift in the country’s population dynamics.

Key Points:

• UN Report Release: The United Nations published its latest demographic findings in June 2025, confirming that India’s population has hit 1.46 billion.
• Fertility Rate Milestone: India’s total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, indicating that the population growth will gradually slow down in the coming decades.
• Regional Disparities: While the national average TFR is below replacement, some states—especially in the north—still have higher fertility rates, whereas southern and western states have seen even sharper declines.
• Demographic Transition: The drop in fertility rate marks India’s entry into the later stages of demographic transition, with a growing share of elderly citizens and a shrinking youth population projected in the future.
• Socio-Economic Impact: A lower fertility rate could reduce pressure on resources, education, and healthcare systems, but it also raises concerns about workforce shortages and the need for robust elderly care policies.
• Government Response: Policymakers are focusing on improving healthcare, expanding social security, and encouraging higher female workforce participation to adapt to the changing demographic profile.
• Historical Context: India’s fertility rate has been on a steady decline for decades, driven by increased literacy, urbanization, and access to family planning. 

Great Indian Bustard

In the News: The Rajasthan Forest Department has named the newly hatched chicks of the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) as Sindoor, Vyom, Mishri, and Sophia, in tribute to Operation Sindoor and the military personnel associated with it.

Key Points:

• Conservation Status: The Great Indian Bustard is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and included in Appendix I of CITES, granting it the highest level of legal protection.
• Population and Distribution: Fewer than 150 birds remain in the wild, with the largest population found in Rajasthan. Smaller populations exist in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
• Major Threats: The species faces severe threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, collisions with power lines, predation of eggs and chicks, and expansion of agriculture and infrastructure. Over 90% of its former range has been lost.
• Conservation Efforts: Rajasthan launched Project Great Indian Bustard in 2013, focusing on habitat protection and captive breeding. The National Conservation Breeding Centre in Jaisalmer has successfully bred over 50 chicks, including some through artificial insemination.
• Habitat and Features: The bird inhabits open grasslands and arid plains. Males have a distinctive black crown and can weigh up to 15 kg, making them one of the heaviest flying birds.
• Recent Milestones: In 2024–25, several chicks have been hatched in captivity, marking progress in recovery efforts. Plans are underway to release captive-raised birds into the wild, although suitable habitat remains a challenge.
• Public Awareness: The Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan, and ongoing conservation programs aim to raise awareness and protect remaining habitats 

Why Kerala Wants Wildlife Act Amended to Allow It to Kill Some Wild Animals

In the News: In June 2025, the Kerala government formally requested amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, seeking greater powers to cull certain wild animals that pose threats to human life, property, and agriculture. The move comes amid a surge in human-wildlife conflicts, particularly in rural and forest-adjacent areas, prompting urgent calls for more flexible and responsive legal provisions.

Key Points:

• Human-Wildlife Conflict Crisis: Kerala has witnessed a sharp rise in wildlife attacks, with 919 deaths and nearly 9,000 injuries reported between 2016 and early 2025. The state has identified 273 out of 941 village local bodies as conflict hotspots, with animals like wild boars, tigers, leopards, elephants, and bonnet macaques frequently encroaching on human settlements.
• Impact on Rural Livelihoods: Crop destruction by wild boars and monkeys has led to significant economic losses for farmers, forcing many to abandon agriculture. In some areas, wild boars have destroyed up to 60% of yields, threatening food security and rural livelihoods.
• Causes of Increased Conflict: Key factors include habitat degradation, rapid urbanization, changes in cropping patterns, population explosions of certain species (notably wild boars and monkeys), and ecological imbalances due to the decline of top predators
• Legal and Procedural Hurdles: The current Wildlife Act requires multiple approvals and exhaustive non-lethal measures before culling protected species, causing delays in emergency situations. Local authorities cite impractical guidelines—such as checking pregnancy status before culling wild boars—and bottlenecks due to centralized decision-making.
• Kerala’s Amendment Proposals: Decentralize authority by allowing regional forest officials, not just the Chief Wildlife Warden, to issue kill permits for dangerous animals in conflict zones. Declare wild boars as vermin under Section 62 of the Act, enabling controlled culling in specified areas and periods.
• Remove bonnet macaques from Schedule I, allowing easier capture and relocation of this problematic monkey species. Provide legal safeguards for farmers and officials acting against wildlife threats. Allow region-specific culling of man-eating animals like tigers and leopards, with clear guidelines to prevent misuse.
• Central Government’s Response: The Union government has repeatedly rejected Kerala’s demands to declare wild boars as vermin and to downgrade bonnet macaques’ protection status, arguing that existing measures are adequate and that the state should improve implementation of current provisions.
• Broader Context: Kerala’s proposal highlights the growing challenge of balancing wildlife conservation with the safety and livelihoods of rural communities, as human populations expand into traditional wildlife habitats.