Prelims Mantra – (10/10/2025)

Polity & Social Justice

Purple Fest:

• • The third edition of the International Purple Fest began on October 9, 2025, in Panaji, Goa, and will run for four days, showcasing artistic and athletic talents of persons with disabilities.
  • The festival promotes inclusion and empowerment.
  • Organized by Goa’s Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, with support from the Ministry of Social Justice and the United Nations, it features cultural performances, exhibitions, and information stalls.
  • Drawing inspiration from this fest, many states have now started organizing similar festivals.

 

(PIB)

NAMASTE Scheme:

• • The National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme aims to ensure the safety, dignity, and socio-economic empowerment of sanitation workers across India.
  • It is a central government scheme launched in July 2023 to eliminate hazardous manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, ensuring safety, dignity, and economic empowerment for sanitation workers and waste pickers.
  • It covers over 4,800 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), targeting all SSWs (sewer/septic tank workers) and waste pickers, through formal recognition, benefits, and mechanization.
  • Key objectives: zero fatalities, end direct contact with faecal matter, promote mechanized cleaning, and set up trained Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs).
  • Benefits include PPE kits, health insurance under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, safety training, capital subsidies for sanitation enterprises, and comprehensive profiling of workers.
  • By September 2025: 88,448 SSWs and 42,127 waste pickers validated; 83,901 PPE kits distributed; 65,805 covered by health insurance; and ₹23.06 crore given as capital subsidy for sanitation projects.
  • The Waste Picker Enumeration App formally recognizes waste pickers, providing ID cards, insurance, PPE, skill training, vehicles, and support for Dry Waste Collection Centres to integrate them into India’s circular economy.

 

(PIB)

Judicial officers with seven years’ experience in Bar can become District Judges: SC:

• • The Supreme Court Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice BR Gavai, ruled that judicial officers with seven years of combined experience as advocates and in judicial service are eligible for direct appointment as District Judges.
  • This landmark decision overturns previous rulings that reserved direct recruitment exclusively for practicing lawyers, opening opportunities for serving judicial officers who previously faced career stagnation.
  • The court established uniform eligibility criteria: minimum age of 35 years for all candidates (both advocates and judicial officers) and seven years of continuous professional experience at the time of application.
  • Article 233 of the Constitution was interpreted as a complete code promoting merit-based appointments, with the court emphasizing that “merit and merit alone shall matter” in judicial appointments.
  • All state governments and high courts must amend their judicial service rules within three months to implement these changes, which apply prospectively to future appointments.
  • The ruling aims to infuse young talent into district judiciary positions, addressing pendency issues in lower courts by creating a level playing field for meritorious candidates from both the bar and judicial service.

 

(TH)

What are the various electoral forms?

• • Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act), deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.
  • A summary revision is carried out before each general election or by-election in any constituency.
  • The RP Act also authorises the EC to carry out a special revision of the electoral roll at any time.
  • The EC, through its order dated June 24, had decided to conduct special intensive revision (SIR) for the entire country.

 

(TH)

Science & Technology

 “DRAVYA” Portal:

• • The DRAVYA portal, launched by the Ministry of Ayush on September 23, 2025, during the 10th Ayurveda Day in Goa, is a digital repository for 100 key Ayush medicinal substances, with plans for continuous expansion.
  • It integrates classical Ayurvedic texts with modern research, offering detailed profiles on pharmacotherapeutics, botany, chemistry, pharmacy, pharmacology, and safety data in a user-friendly interface.
  • Developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the AI-ready platform supports QR code integration for use in medicinal gardens and drug repositories and aims to interlink with Ayush Grid and other national initiatives.
  • The portal is designed to strengthen the scientific foundation of Ayush systems, support researchers and policymakers, and enable global access to authentic, evidence-based traditional medicine knowledge.

 

(PIB)

Geography & Environment

India to launch ‘Red List’ survey to assess extinction risks to plants and animals:

• • India has launched the National Red List Assessment (NRLA) initiative to conduct its first comprehensive, science-based evaluation of nearly 11,000 species—7,000 flora and 4,000 fauna—by 2030, aligning with IUCN global standards.
  • The project, led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) as nodal agencies, aims to publish National Red Data Books to guide conservation planning and policy.
  • It fulfils India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), establishing a nationally coordinated, participatory red-listing system for accurate threat assessment.
  • The initiative will create a pool of 300 certified Red List assessors and at least five national trainers, strengthening domestic expertise in biodiversity assessment.
  • Fully funded by public funds with an estimated budget of ₹95 crore, the NRLA will integrate traditional knowledge and support evidence-based conservation, focusing on India’s status as a megadiverse country with four global biodiversity hotspots.

 

(TH)

Facts and Data

Governance and social justice:

• • According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2023 report, there were 1,71,418 suicides in India — a rise of 0.3% from the previous year.
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim and Kerala reported the highest suicide rates, while Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal accounted for more than 40% of all deaths.
  • Cities continued to have higher suicide rates than in rural India, reflecting the pressures of urban life.
  • Men made up 72.8% of all victims, revealing gendered economic and social stress.
  • Family problems accounted for nearly a third (31.9%) of suicides, followed by illness (19%), substance abuse (7%), and relationship or marriage-related issues (about 10% combined).
  • 10,786 farmer suicides, around 3% of the total reported in 2023, slightly lower than the previous year. Most cases were in Maharashtra and Karnataka. But there is a broader crisis — since 2014, over 1,00,000 farmers have taken their lives.
  • With just 75 psychiatrists for 1,00,000 people, well below the WHO minimum of 1.7, and far from the ideal three, besides a similar shortage of nurses, psychologists and social workers, care is scarce.
  • AI can assist. But without regulation, it risks becoming a dangerous substitute for real, protected human care.

 

(TH)

Economy:

• • China accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s rare earths mining. It also controls roughly 90% of global rare earths processing.

 

(TH)

Miscellaneous

Nobel Prize in literature:

• • Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”.
  • He is the second Hungarian to win the prize, after Imre Kertész in 2002, and joins a literary tradition linked to Kafka and Thomas Bernhard, known for dystopian themes and intricate, long-sentence prose.
  • Krasznahorkai gained global acclaim for novels like Satantango (1985) and The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), many of which were adapted into films by director Béla Tarr.
  • His recent work Herscht 07769 is a 400-page novel written as a single sentence, warning of fascism’s resurgence in Europe.
  • A recipient of the 2015 Man Booker International Prize, Krasznahorkai is praised by critics like Susan Sontag as a “master of the apocalypse” and for creating a hypnotic, reality-examining literary style.

 

(TH)

 

PRACTICE MCQ’S

 

 

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling on District Judge appointments:

1. Judicial officers with seven years of combined continuous professional experience as advocates and in judicial service are now eligible for direct recruitment as District Judges.

2. The minimum eligibility age for both advocates and judicial officers applying for District Judge posts is set at 35 years as on the date of application.

3. All state governments and high courts must amend their judicial service rules within three months to incorporate these eligibility changes, which apply prospectively.

Which of the above given statements are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Explanation:

All three statements accurately reflect the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling. Judicial officers with the required combined continuous experience can apply, the minimum age is 35 years for all candidates, and the reforms must be urgently incorporated prospectively by states and high courts.

 

Q2. Which of the following statements about the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme are correct?

1. The NAMASTE scheme aims to ensure the safety, dignity, and socio-economic empowerment of both sewer/septic tank workers and waste pickers in urban India.

2. It provides occupational safety training, PPE kits, health insurance under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, and capital subsidies for sanitation-related enterprises.

3. The coverage of the scheme extends to all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across India.

4. Only workers with a minimum of five years of experience in sanitation work are eligible for scheme benefits.

Select the correct answer using the code below:

a) 1, 2, and 3 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2, 3, and 4 only

d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct as the NAMASTE scheme covers both sewer/septic tank workers and waste pickers in urban areas, offers occupational safety training, PPE, health insurance, and capital subsidies, and targets all ULBs in India.

Statement 4 is incorrect because there is no five-year minimum experience requirement for eligibility under the scheme; rather, all such workers are eligible regardless of years of experience.

 

Q3. Consider the following statements about Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature:

1. He is the second Hungarian writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

2. His recent work “Herscht 07769” is notable for being a novel written as a single sentence, addressing the resurgence of fascism in Europe.

Which of the above given statements are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Explanation:

• • Statement 1 is correct: Krasznahorkai is indeed the second Hungarian to win the literature Nobel, following Imre Kertész, and was honoured for his visionary and apocalyptic themed works.​
  • Statement 2 is correct: “Herscht 07769” is recognized for its unique single-sentence structure and warning regarding fascism in Europe.

 

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding India’s National Red List Assessment (NRLA) initiative:

1. The NRLA aims to scientifically assess the extinction risk of nearly 11,000 species using IUCN global standards, with publication of National Red Data Books by 2030.

2. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI) are the nodal agencies for implementing the project under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

3. The NRLA is funded by both public and international private sources, with a focus on integrating traditional knowledge and capacity-building of certified species assessors.

Which of the above given statements are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A

Explanation:

• • Statements 1 and 2 are correct: The NRLA is a science-based, IUCN-guided initiative covering approximately 11,000 species, led by MoEFCC through ZSI and BSI, with goals set for 2030.​
  • Statement 3 is incorrect: The NRLA is fully funded by public funds (not by international private sources) and does include capacity-building, but funding is not mixed.

 

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the DRAVYA Portal:

1. The DRAVYA Portal, launched by the Ministry of Ayush, provides an AI-ready digital repository that catalogues key Ayush medicinal substances with integrated classical and contemporary research.

2. The platform is developed by Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences CCRAS.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Explanation:

Both statements accurately reflect the features and aims of the DRAVYA Portal: it is an AI-ready repository launched by the Ministry of Ayush, developed by CCRAS, integrates classical and modern research, features QR code linkage, and seeks to reinforce scientific rigor in traditional medicine systems in India.

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