Daily Current Affairs- 11th July 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 11th July 2025

Maharashtra Government Declares Ganeshotsav as State Festival

In the News: The Maharashtra Government officially declared Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav (10‑day public Ganesh festival) as a State Festival, elevating its status and committing state support for its celebrations. The announcement was made in the Legislative Assembly by Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar following a proposal by BJP MLA Hemant Rasane.

Key Points

• Official State Recognition & Funding: The government pledged to allocate over ₹100 crore toward festival infrastructure, security, and promotional efforts statewide, aiming to promote Ganeshotsav nationally and internationally.
• Promotion of Cultural Unity and Heritage: Minister Shelar highlighted Ganeshotsav’s origins—initiated by Lokmanya Tilak in 1893—as an instrument of social unity, nationalism, language pride, and freedom.
• Eco‑Friendly Idol Policy & POP Lifting: After a state-commissioned study by the Kakodkar Committee under the Rajiv Gandhi Science Commission, the government revoked restrictions on Plaster of Paris (POP) idols, now allowing their manufacture, sale, and immersion.
• Logistical and Thematic Planning for Mandals: Government support will enhance mandals' logistical capabilities and inclusion of socially relevant themes—honoring the armed forces, “Operation Sindoor”, development achievements, and social initiatives.
• Legal Clearance and Administrative Support: The government took swift action to remove legal obstacles that had hindered mandals during the COVID period, enabling smoother organization and permitting large POP idols. 

PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (RS) 2024–25 Report

In the News: The 2024 PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (National Survey) report, released by NCERT under PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), assessed over 21 lakh students from 74,229 schools across 781 districts in Grades 3, 6, and 9. The findings reveal significant foundational learning deficits in subjects such as mathematics, language, science, and social science.

Key Points

• Large-Scale Assessment: The survey covered Grades 3, 6, and 9 in core subjects—language and mathematics for all; environmental studies for Grades 3 & 6; science and social science for Grade 9. Additionally, 7 lakh teachers and school leaders participated via contextual questionnaires.
• Widespread Learning Gaps:
  • Grade 3: Only ~55–67 % of students demonstrated basic competency in reading comprehension, vocabulary, number ordering, and multiplication/division.
  • Grade 6: Just 38–44 % could solve real-life arithmetic, identify environmental patterns, or understand fractions.
  • Grade 9: Only 28–31 % applied percentages or fractions; 34–37 % demonstrated understanding of science concepts like circuits, pressure, and living vs non-living things.
• Regional Disparities:
  • High-performing states: Punjab, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli–Daman & Diu topped across grades.
  • Low-performing districts: Many hotspots in Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir—e.g. Sahebganj, Reasi, Rajouri, Garo Hills, Shi Yomi.
  • Urban-rural divide: Rural students in Rajasthan outperformed urban peers by 7 % in language and math.
• State-Level Trends:
  • Maharashtra outperformed national averages in Grades 3, 6, 9 but showed performance decline in higher grades—Math scores dropped from 64 % in Grade 3 to 38 % in Grade 9.
  • Himachal Pradesh rose impressively from 21st to 5th overall in NAS/PARAKH 2025 through targeted reforms in staffing, school consolidation, and teacher training.

 

UNESCO Removes 3 African Sites from Danger List

In the News: During the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris, three African heritage sites—Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar), Abu Mena (Egypt), and the Old Town of Ghadamès (Libya)—were officially removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger due to successful conservation efforts and restored site integrity.

Key Points

• Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar)L Designated as endangered in 2010 due to illegal logging, precious wood trafficking, and deforestation threatening biodiversity and lemur populations. Through UNESCO-supported measures such as robust management plans, satellite monitoring, local patrols, and replanting, 63% of deforested areas have been restored, illegal logging halted, and lemur poaching reduced to a 10-year low.
• Abu Mena (Egypt): Inscribed in 1979 and placed on the danger list in 2001 after surging groundwater levels from nearby irrigation threatened structural stability. Since 2021, a comprehensive drainage and groundwater pumping system, along with an integrated conservation plan, have successfully stabilized the site.
• Old Town of Ghadamès (Libya): Recognized in 1986, it faced threats from conflict, wildfires, and flooding, leading to its endangered status in 2016. Restoration efforts—including rebuilding pipelines, repairing historic structures, and training local authorities in risk management—have effectively reduced these threats.
• UNESCO’s Continental Focus: UNESCO Director‑General Audrey Azoulay emphasized the organisation’s ongoing commitment to Africa, noting that since 2021, three other sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Senegal have been removed from the endangered list thanks to sustained support. 

India to Host Shooting World Cup in 2027 and Junior Worlds in 2028

In the News: During its executive committee meeting on July 10, 2025, the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) awarded New Delhi the hosting rights for two major global shooting competitions: the ISSF World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) in 2027 and the ISSF Junior World Championship (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) in 2028.

Key Points

• 2027 ISSF World Cup: New Delhi will host one of the premier international shooting competitions (covering rifle, pistol, and shotgun), elevating India’s profile in senior-level shooting sports .
• 2028 Junior World Championship: The city will also stage the ISSF Junior World Championship for rifle, pistol, and shotgun events—marking the first time India hosts the Junior Worlds.
• Continuity of International Events: This builds on India’s busy shooting calendar, which includes hosting the ISSF Junior World Cup in September 2025 and the Asian Rifle/Pistol Cup in February 2026.
• Launch of National Shooting League: Along with these international events, India is introducing the inaugural Shooting League of India (SLI) in November 2025, adding a domestic professional league to its shooting ecosystem.
• NRAI Leadership Response: NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo and Secretary General  Sultan Singh welcomed the ISSF’s decision, emphasising the benefits for athlete preparation, international exposure, and India’s emergence as a trusted global shooting destination 

Eco-Sensitive Zone Guidelines

In the News:  In July 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC‑NBWL), chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, announced the government’s decision to review and revise the Eco‑Sensitive Zone (ESZ) guidelines. This initiative aims to transition from uniform, blanket ESZ norms—typically a fixed 10 km buffer around protected areas—to a more flexible, site‑specific, and development-sensitive approach, balancing conservation with local socio-economic needs.

Key Points

• Purpose of ESZs: Eco‑Sensitive Zones act as buffer areas around national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and protected forests to shield biodiversity from the adverse effects of activities such as mining, large-scale construction, and polluting industries.
• Permissible, Regulated, and Prohibited Activities
  • Prohibited: No new permanent structures (e.g., hotels/resorts) are allowed within ESZs, as per a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
  • Regulated: Activities like eco-tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, and small‑scale infrastructure development may be permitted under strict environmental norms .
• Concerns Over Rigid ESZ Boundaries: Stakeholders from states such as Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha highlighted that the uniform 10 km buffer often encroaches on heavily forested or populated areas without ecological justification, resulting in unnecessary development constraints.
• Move to Site-Specific Norms: The SC‑NBWL proposes adopting custom ESZ widths based on ecological, geographical, and socio-economic conditions—allowing tighter conservation near tributed rivers while easing restrictions in areas with minimal ecological risk 

Sariska Tiger Reserve

In the News: On June 26, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC‑NBWL), chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, approved the boundary rationalisation of the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) and buffer zones of Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, pending final notification and Supreme Court review.

Key Points

• CTH Expansion & Buffer Reduction: The approved plan increases the CTH from 11 km² to 924.49 km² and reduces the buffer zone from 245.72 km² to 203.20 km².
• Rationale & Compensation: It removes 39 km² of degraded, peripheral highlands from the CTH and compensates by adding 90.91 km² of higher-quality tiger habitat previously in the buffer.
• Implications for Mining Projects: The modification removes the 1 km “no‑mining” buffer zone around the CTH boundary, potentially allowing the reopening of over 50 marble, dolomite, and limestone mines that were shuttered by the Supreme Court.
• Supreme Court Oversight & CEC Directions: The boundary rationalisation follows recommendations from the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and must ensure no net loss of tiger habitat, maintain ecological connectivity even in low-density areas, and safeguard against harmful development.
• Environmental Concerns & Expert Pushback: Ecologists and wildlife experts warn that excluding key peripheral hills—described as "finger-shaped"—may fragment essential tiger corridors, disrupt movement between the reserve’s southern segments, and compromise long-term viability.