UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 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 3:

1. The Indian Ocean as the Cradle of a New Blue Economy

 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. ‘Centre of Choice’ Facility for PwBD Candidates

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (Shanti Bill)

2. Proposal to rename MNREGA

3. Policy for Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU)

4. 115 Years of Savarkar’s Poem ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’

5. Cabinet Approve 100% FDI In Insurance

6. Tapanuli orangutans

7. Geminid Meteor

 Mapping:

1. Siliserh Lake and Kopra Jalashay Added to the Ramsar List

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 2025

---

GS Paper 3:

---

The Indian Ocean as the Cradle of a New Blue Economy

Source:  TH

Context: The Indian Ocean is emerging as a focal point of global climate, economic and geopolitical shifts, prompting calls for a new Blue Economy framework.

About The Indian Ocean as the Cradle of a New Blue Economy:

India’s Historical Leadership in Ocean Governance:

• Championing “Common Heritage of Mankind”: India aligned with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) during UNCLOS, advocating that seabed resources beyond national jurisdiction be treated as a global common, strengthening its moral leadership.
• Early Vision of Maritime Centrality: Nehru asserted that India’s future prosperity and security are tied to ocean freedom and resources, embedding oceans into India’s strategic imagination from the 1950s.
• Environmental Justice at Global Forums: Indira Gandhi’s Stockholm (1972) stance on balancing poverty eradication with environmental protection positioned India as a credible advocate of equitable ocean governance.
• Consistent Support for Multilateral Ocean Regimes: India’s engagement in IORA, IONS, and Indian Ocean Commission reflects a long-standing commitment to cooperative maritime governance instead of great-power rivalry.
• Leadership in Sustainable Use Norms: India has consistently supported biodiversity protection, including readiness to ratify the BBNJ Agreement, reinforcing its reputation as a responsible ocean steward.

Emerging Challenges in the Indian Ocean:

• Intensifying Climate Vulnerability: The Indian Ocean is warming faster than the global average, driving thermal expansion, sea-level rise, and more frequent extreme cyclones impacting coastal populations.
• Ocean Acidification & Coral Collapse: Rising CO₂ levels are degrading coral reefs such as the Lakshadweep and Chagos systems, undermining biodiversity, fisheries productivity, and tourism incomes.
• Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated (IUU) Fishing: IUU fleets deplete fish stocks, harm artisanal livelihoods, and fuel regional tensions, particularly near East Africa and the Bay of Bengal.
• Declining Marine Productivity: Overfishing and altered monsoon patterns reduce nutrient upwelling, weakening the marine food chain and posing food-security risks for littoral nations.
• Socio-Economic Instability: Ecosystem decline triggers migration, loss of coastal employment, and community vulnerability, creating a security challenge beyond traditional naval threats.

Rationale for a Blue Ocean Strategy for India:

Stewardship of the Commons:

• Promote Cooperative Ocean Governance: Position the Indian Ocean as a shared space through rules-based management, biodiversity protection, and joint marine scientific research.
• Restore Degraded Ecosystems: Lead regional coral-restoration, mangrove recovery, and sustainable fisheries initiatives to rebuild ecological resilience.
• Strengthen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Support expansion of MPAs—including high-seas areas under BBNJ—to safeguard critical habitats and spawning grounds.

Climate and Disaster Resilience:

• Regional Resilience & Innovation Hub: India can host a hub integrating ocean observation, modelling, and technology transfer for SIDS and African nations to strengthen early-warning capacities.
• Enhance Ocean Observation Infrastructure: Scale up INCOIS, MoES, and satellite systems for better cyclone prediction, monsoon modelling, and tsunami risk tracking.
• Build Climate-Ready Coastal Infrastructure: Support nature-based solutions—mangrove belts, dune restoration, artificial reefs—to protect vulnerable coasts from storm surges.

Inclusive Blue Growth:

• Green Shipping Corridors: Develop low-emission maritime routes with major ports, reducing freight emissions and aligning with IMO decarbonisation goals.
• Offshore Renewable Energy Expansion: Leverage India’s vast EEZ for offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy projects, enabling clean growth for coastal states.
• Sustainable Aquaculture Systems: Promote mariculture, seaweed farming, and hatchery upgrades to boost rural incomes while reducing pressure on wild stocks.

Global Momentum for Ocean Finance:

1. Rising Global Commitments for Ocean Action: New international pledges indicate a rapid shift in global priorities, with countries and institutions recognising oceans as critical to climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development.
2. €25 Billion Existing Ocean Investments + €8.7 Billion New Pledges (BEFF 2025): At the Blue Economy & Finance Forum 2025, governments, development banks, and private investors showcased a €25 billion pipeline of ongoing ocean projects and announced €8.7 billion fresh commitments, signalling confidence in blue-economy returns.
3. $20 Billion Ocean Finance Target Under the One Ocean Partnership (COP30, Belém): COP30 launched the One Ocean Partnership committing to mobilise $20 billion by 2030, integrating oceans into mainstream climate finance and supporting conservation, resilience, and sustainable blue-economy pathways.

Way Ahead:

• Establish an Indian Ocean Blue Fund: Create a financing mechanism seeded by India and open to global partners to convert pledges into implementable regional projects.
• Operationalise “Security Through Sustainability”: Integrate anti-IUU patrols, coral monitoring, and pollution tracking with maritime domain awareness to align ecology with security.
• Lead Ocean Norm-Setting Platforms: Use IORA, IOC-UNESCO, and G20 forums to standardise practices on green shipping, blue bonds, and responsible marine resource extraction.
• Accelerate BBNJ Ratification & Implementation: Demonstrate leadership in high-seas biodiversity governance by championing MPAs, ABS mechanisms, and marine technology sharing.
• Promote Science-Diplomacy Networks: Strengthen collaboration among INCOIS, CSIR-NIO, WHOI, and regional institutes to jointly advance ocean science, modelling, and innovation.

Conclusion:

The Indian Ocean—home to ancient civilizations and modern vulnerabilities—can become the cradle of a new blue economy that blends prosperity with sustainability. By aligning vision with finance and stewardship, India can show that cooperation, not rivalry, must define the future of ocean governance, living up to the principle: “From the Indian Ocean, for the World.”

 

 

---

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

---

‘Centre of Choice’ Facility for PwBD Candidates

Context: UPSC has introduced a new ‘Centre of Choice’ facility ensuring that all Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) candidates receive their preferred exam centre.

About ‘Centre of Choice’ Facility for PwBD Candidates:

What it is?

• A new UPSC initiative guaranteeing that every PwBD applicant is allotted the exam centre they select in their application form, irrespective of capacity constraints.

Aim: To ensure exam accessibility, convenience, and dignity for PwBD candidates.

Key Features:

• Guaranteed preferred centre for all PwBD candidates.
• Centres will be available to PwBD candidates even after capacity limits are reached for other candidates.
• UPSC will create additional capacity where required, ensuring no PwBD applicant is denied their choice.
• Data-driven reform based on 5-year analysis of overcrowded centres such as Delhi, Patna, Lucknow, Cuttack.

Significance:

• Strengthens inclusive examination policy and aligns with rights under the RPwD Act, 2016.
• Reduces cost, travel burden, and physical barriers for disabled candidates.
• Enhances equity, fairness, and level playing field in India’s premier examinations.
• Reaffirms UPSC’s role as a model institution for accessible governance.

Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus

• GS Paper 2 – Governance & Social Justice
  • Disability rights, RPwD Act, inclusive institutions
  • Citizen-centric reforms & accessible public services
• GS Paper 4 – Ethics
  • Equality, justice, empathy, dignity of individuals
  • Ethical conduct of public authorities
• GS Paper 1 – Society
  • Issues faced by PwDs, social inclusion, challenges in access

 

---

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

---

Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (Shanti Bill)

Source:  NDTV

Subject: Bills and Acts

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025, branded as the SHANTI Bill, marking the biggest reform in India’s nuclear sector since 1962.

About Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (Shanti Bill):

• What it is?
  • A comprehensive nuclear-sector reform bill replacing fragmented laws and modernising India’s nuclear governance, safety, liability, and industry participation framework.
• Ministry: Introduced by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) under the Prime Minister; regulatory reforms involve creating an independent nuclear safety authority.
• Law Governing Nuclear Energy Currently:

India’s nuclear sector is presently overseen primarily by:

• • Atomic Energy Act, 1962
  • Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 (CLND Act)

These laws restrict private participation and impose ambiguous liability burdens.

• Aim: To enable large-scale nuclear expansion, attract private and global investment, modernise regulatory oversight, reform liability rules, and accelerate India’s path to 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047.
• Key Features:

• • Opening the Nuclear Value Chain to Private Players: Allows private sector entry in exploration, fuel fabrication, equipment manufacturing, and potentially plant operations.
  • Unified Legal Framework: Consolidates outdated laws into a streamlined licensing, safety, compliance, and operations structure.
  • Reformed Nuclear Liability Architecture: Clear delineation of operator–supplier responsibilities, insurance-backed caps, and government backstopping—aligned with global norms.
  • Independent Nuclear Safety Authority: New regulator ensuring transparent, professional, globally benchmarked safety oversight.
  • Dedicated Nuclear Tribunal: Specialised mechanism to settle liability and contractual disputes efficiently.
  • Boost to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Supports R&D and deployment of SMRs for industrial and grid-scale decarbonisation.

• Significance:

• • Breaks 60+ years of state monopoly, enabling private innovation and investment.
  • Critical for achieving 100 GW nuclear capacity and India’s net-zero by 2070 target.
  • Strengthens energy security, reducing dependence on coal and imported fuels.

 

---

Proposal to rename MNREGA

Source:  TH

Subject:  Government Schemes

Context: The Centre is set to amend the MGNREGA Act to rename the flagship rural employment scheme as “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana” and may raise the guaranteed work limit from 100 to 125 days.

About Proposal to rename MNREGA:

What it is?

• MGNREGA is a demand-driven, rights-based rural wage employment programme guaranteeing unskilled manual work to rural households, aimed at livelihood security and creation of durable assets.

Launched in:

• 2005, brought into force through the MGNREGA Act, 2005
• Came into effect in phases from 2006 across India

Historical Background:

• Recommended by Narsimha Rao’s Employment Assurance Scheme (1993) and Food for Work Programme (2004).
• Envisioned as a legal right to work, inspired by Gandhian ideals of self-reliant rural livelihoods.
• Became the largest social security programme in the world.

Aim of MGNREGA:

• Guarantee 100 days of wage employment (now proposed 125 days).
• Enhance livelihood security, reduce distress migration.
• Strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions through decentralized planning.

Key Features of the Scheme:

• Rights-based entitlement:
  • Every adult rural household member can demand unskilled manual work.
  • Right to unemployment allowance if work not provided within 15 days.
• Wage & Material Ratio: 60:40 ratio at Gram Panchayat level.
• Women-Centric Approach: At least 1/3rd beneficiaries must be women; actual participation > 58% (2024–25).
• Transparent Payment Systems: Payment via Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS); 99%+ wage payments through e-FMS.
• Strengthening Natural Resource Base: Focus on water conservation, afforestation, land development, and soil moisture restoration.
• Social Audit: Mandatory audits by Gram Sabha to ensure transparency and accountability.

Recent Amendments:

• Renaming and Expansion of Employment (2025 Proposal):
  • Rename MGNREGA as “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana”.
  • Increase employment from 100 to 125 days.
  • Introduce exclusion clauses based on a State’s economic indicators.
  • Tweaks in funding pattern.
• Priority for Water Conservation (Sept 2025 Amendment)
  • MGNREGA’s Schedule-I amended to earmark:
  • 65% funds in Over-exploited & Critical blocks
  • 40% funds in Semi-critical blocks
  • 30% funds in Safe blocks
• Project UNNATI (Skill Upgradation):
  • Launched in 2019 to skill MGNREGA workers.
  • Target 2 lakh workers however 90,894 trained till March 2025.

 

---

Policy for Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU)

Source:  PIB

Subject:  Economy

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved creation of a new CoalSETU window under the NRS Linkage Policy, enabling long-term coal linkages for any industrial use and exports.

About Policy for Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient & Transparent Utilisation (CoalSETU):

What it is?

• CoalSETU is a new auction-based coal linkage window under the Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) Linkage Policy, allowing any domestic industrial buyer to secure long-term coal linkages for own use or export (up to 50%), except resale within India.

Ministry: Ministry of Coal, Government of India

Aim of the Policy:

• To ensure transparent, seamless and efficient utilisation of domestic coal resources.
• To promote ease of doing business and reduce dependence on coal imports.
• To boost availability of washed coal and support export opportunities.

Key Features:

• New CoalSETU Window in NRS Policy (2016):
  • Allows any industrial consumer to participate in coal linkage auctions.
  • Existing NRS auctions for cement, sponge iron, steel, aluminium, CPPs will continue.
  • These users may also bid in the CoalSETU window.
• No End-Use Restrictions:
  • Coal can be used for own consumption, washing, or export (up to 50%).
  • Coking coal excluded from this window.
  • Traders barred from bidding to prevent speculative hoarding.
• Export Flexibility:
  • Companies may export up to 50% of allotted coal.
  • Washed coal allowed for export.
  • Coal can be shared across group companies as per operational needs.
• Boost to Washery Operators:
  • Encourages growth of private washeries.
  • Improves domestic supply of washed, cleaner coal.
  • May reduce import dependence and improve export viability.
• Alignment with Coal Sector Reforms:
  • Complements the 2020 reform allowing commercial mining without end-use restrictions.
  • Strengthens fair, market-driven allocation of mineral resources.

Significance of the Policy:

• Promotes Transparent & Competitive Allocation: Auction-based linkages ensure fair market access and remove closed-door allocations.
• Reduces Import Dependence: By expanding domestic access and improving washed coal availability, industries can reduce reliance on costly imports.
• Supports Industrial Growth: Provides long-term assured coal supply to small, medium and new industries previously excluded.

 

---

115 Years of Savarkar’s Poem ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’

Source:  DD News

Subject:  History

Context: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation addressed a cultural programme in Sri Vijayapuram to mark 115 years of Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s poem Sagara Pran Talamalala.

About 115 Years of Savarkar’s Poem ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’:

What it is?

• ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’ (often rendered as Sagara Pran Talmalala / Ne Majasi Ne…) is a Marathi patriotic poem expressing an exiled revolutionary’s torment, homesickness and yearning for the motherland, with the sea personified as a messenger between the patriot and India.

Written by: Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966), revolutionary, social reformer, writer and Hindutva ideologue.

• The poem was later immortalised in song form by Lata Mangeshkar, with music by Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

Circumstances of Composition:

• Composed around 1909 on the shores of Brighton, England, when Savarkar was a young revolutionary at India House, London.

• Savarkar was under surveillance and facing imminent repression after the arrest of his elder brother and the revolutionary assassination of Curzon Wyllie by Madan Lal Dhingra, whom he had influenced at India House.
• The poem captures his inner conflict—torn between commitment to armed struggle in foreign land and a desperate desire to return to “Matru-bhoomi” (motherland).
• The opening invocation to the sea—urging it to carry him back to India—has since come to symbolise the anguish of countless exiles and political prisoners in the freedom movement.

Other Literary Works of Savarkar:

• The Indian War of Independence 1857: A landmark reinterpretation of the 1857 uprising as a national war of independence, countering British narratives of a “mutiny”.
• Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?
  • Lays out his idea of Hindutva as a cultural–civilisational identity based on common nation (rashtra), heritage and geography, encompassing Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.
• My Transportation for Life (Mazi Janmathep): Autobiographical account of his incarceration in Cellular Jail, Andamans, describing brutal conditions, psychological suffering, and resolve.
• Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History: A civilisational narrative highlighting periods of Hindu resistance and resurgence, written from a distinctly nationalist–militant lens.
• Hindu Pad-Padshahi & Other Historical Works: On the Maratha empire and Hindu political power.
• Poetry & Plays:
  • Patriotic poems (including ‘Sagara Pran Talamalala’, ‘Jayostute’, ‘Ne Majasi Ne…’) and plays such as Sanyast Khadga, Uttarkriya, combining themes of liberty, duty, sacrifice, and rationalism.

 

---

Cabinet Approve 100% FDI In Insurance

Source:  FE

Subject:  Economy

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to raise the FDI limit in insurance companies from 74% to 100%, to be implemented through the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

About Cabinet Approve 100% FDI In Insurance:

What is FDI?

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is when a non-resident investor acquires an equity stake (≥10%) in an Indian company, with a lasting interest and some degree of control/management influence.

How FDI works in India?

• Foreign investor brings capital into an Indian company through:
  • Subscription to shares (MoA, preferential allotment, rights/bonus issue, private placement)
  • Mergers, demergers, amalgamations
  • Share purchase from existing residents
  • Conversion of convertible instruments / notes, swap of instruments etc.
• FDI is regulated under FEMA, sectoral caps, pricing guidelines, entry routes and conditions laid down by the Government / RBI.
• In insurance, 100% FDI means a foreign insurer can now hold full ownership (subject to Indian regulatory conditions) in an Indian insurance company.

Two FDI Routes in India:

1. Automatic Route
   • No prior Government or RBI approval required.
   • Investment must comply with sectoral caps, FEMA rules, SEBI/RBI norms etc.
   • Investor only needs to report and file prescribed forms.
2. Government Route
   • Prior Government approval is mandatory.
   • Application is made through the Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP).
   • Approval may carry specific conditions (lock-in, reporting, security conditions, etc.).

Prohibited Sectors under FDI:

FDI is not allowed in, among others:

• Lottery business, online lotteries
• Gambling and betting, including casinos
• Chit funds (except some NRI/OCI non-repatriation cases)
• Nidhi companies
• Trading in Transferable Development Rights (TDRs)
• Real estate business and construction of farmhouses
• Manufacturing of cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos of tobacco / substitutes
• Sectors not open to private investment (e.g. atomic energy, certain railway operations)
• Technology collaboration (brand/franchise/management) is also prohibited in lottery and gambling/betting.

Progressive FDI Liberalisation in Insurance:

• 2015 – FDI cap raised from 26% to 49%.
• 2021 – FDI cap raised from 49% to 74%, with safeguards on Indian management and control.
• 2025 (proposed) – FDI cap to be raised to 100%, subject to conditions in the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and changes in:
  • LIC Act, 1956
  • IRDA Act, 1999
  • Insurance Act, 1938

 

---

Tapanuli orangutans

Source:  DTE

Subject:  Species in News

Context: Scientists have warned that Cyclone Senyar–triggered floods and landslides in Sumatra’s Batang Toru region may have killed 6–11% of the remaining Tapanuli orangutans.

About Tapanuli orangutans:

What it is?

• The Tapanuli orangutan is a critically endangered species of great ape, formally described as a distinct species in 2017, and considered the rarest great ape on Earth with fewer than ~800 individuals in the wild.

Habitat:

• Found only in the Batang Toru Ecosystem in the three Tapanuli districts of North Sumatra, Indonesia.
• Restricted to fragmented upland / submontane rainforests south of Lake Toba, likely occupying <3% of their historical range.
• Evidence suggests they were better adapted to lower-altitude habitats.

IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered (CR).

Characteristics:

• Physical Traits:

• • Similar body size to other orangutans.
• Distinguishing features:
  • Smaller, differently shaped skulls, flatter faces than other orangutan species.
  • Thicker, frizzier orange fur.
  • Flanged males have beard and moustache, flatter cheek pads with a thin layer of blonde fuzz.

• Social & Behavioural Traits:

• • Arboreal and largely solitary, spending almost all their time in the forest canopy.
  • Highly intelligent, tool-using primates: use branches as hooks, scratchers, umbrellas, and for extracting insects.
  • Show cultural variation and strong imitation / learning capacity—behaviours spread socially within groups.

• Reproductive & Social Structure:

• • Slowest life history among mammals after humans:
  • Strong, long mother–offspring bond (7–11 years).
  • Sexual dimorphism & bimaturism in males:
  • Unflanged males (smaller, no cheek pads) vs flanged dominant males (large cheek pads, throat sacs).

• Unique Traits of Tapanuli Orangutans:

• • Most ancient orangutan lineage, even though the last to be described.
  • Dietary specializations: only known orangutan species to eat certain caterpillars and pinecones, alongside a wide variety of fruits, leaves, buds and insects.

 

---

Geminid Meteor

Source:  ET

Subject:   Science and Technology, Geography

Context: The Geminid meteor shower is set to peak over India between December 13–15, 2025, offering up to 100–120 meteors per hour under dark skies.

About Geminid Meteor:

What it is?

• The Geminids are an annual meteor shower observed every December, known for their high meteor rates, bright fireballs, and slow-moving streaks, making them among the most spectacular celestial events visible from Earth.

Origin:

• Unlike most meteor showers that originate from comets, the Geminids arise from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a rocky body with a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun.
• Extreme solar heating causes Phaethon to shed debris, which Earth encounters each year, producing the meteor shower.

Why it occurs?

• The shower appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini, which rises higher in the sky after midnight, increasing meteor visibility.
• Earth passes through the dense debris stream of 3200 Phaethon between mid-November and late December, with peak activity in mid-December.
• The phenomenon is visible globally, with better rates in the Northern Hemisphere, including India.

Key Characteristics:

• Peak rate: Up to 120 meteors per hour under dark, clear skies
• Colour: Often yellow or white, sometimes producing bright fireballs
• Speed: Moderately fast (~35 km/s), slower than Perseids
• Observation: Best seen from midnight to pre-dawn, without telescopes

Significance:

• Scientific importance: Helps astronomers study asteroid-origin meteoroid streams and near-Earth objects.
• Public engagement: One of the most accessible astronomical events, promoting scientific curiosity and citizen science.
• Planetary defence insight: Understanding Phaethon improves tracking of potentially hazardous asteroids.

 

---

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 13 December 2025 Mapping:

---

Siliserh Lake and Kopra Jalashay Added to the Ramsar List

Source: TOI

Subject:  Mapping

Context: Siliserh Lake in Alwar district, Rajasthan, and Kopra Jalashay near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, have been added to the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar List), taking India’s tally of Ramsar sites to 96.

About Siliserh Lake and Kopra Jalashay Added to the Ramsar List:

About Siliserh Lake, Rajasthan:

• What it is?

• • A human-made / artificial lake and wetland, now recognised as a Ramsar site (Site no. 2581).
  • Important waterbody in a semi-arid zone, vital as a water source and biodiversity-rich habitat.

• Located in:

• • Alwar district, Rajasthan, about 8 miles southwest of Alwar city.
  • Lies within the buffer zone of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, enhancing its eco-tourism and conservation value.

• History:

• • Built in 1845 by Maharaja Vinay Singh, ruler of Alwar, by constructing an embankment on a tributary of the Ruparel River.
  • Created primarily to supply drinking water to Alwar, as evidenced by old aqueducts still visible around the lake.

• Key Features:

• • Area of about 7 km², flanked by dense woodland and cenotaphs on its embankment.
  • Supports 149 bird species and 17 mammal species, including:

1. Vulnerable river tern (Sterna aurantia),
2. Endangered tiger (Panthera tigris),

• 1% of the biogeographic population of black stork (Ciconia nigra).

• • Popular for birdwatching, with sightings of cranes, colourful kingfishers and many more species.
  • Provides drinking water, recreation and tourism, but faces threats from intensive agriculture and expanding human settlements; a restoration plan is underway.

About Kopra Jalashay, Chhattisgarh:

• What it is?

• • A reservoir-type wetland now designated as a Ramsar site (Site no. 2583).
  • Originally constructed mainly for irrigation, now recognised for its hydrological and ecological importance.

• Located in:

• • In Chhattisgarh, in the upper catchments of the River Mahanadi, near Bilaspur.
  • Mainly surrounded by farmland and a few villages.

• Key Features:

• • Has an extensive open water area with shallow, nutrient-rich backwaters.
  • Strong hydrological and ecological connectivity, creating a mosaic of habitats.
  • Supports more than 60 migratory bird species that use it for nesting, feeding and as a stop-over site.
  • Notable species include:

1. Vulnerable greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga),
2. Endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus).

• • Valued by local communities and tourists for its natural beauty and birdwatching opportunities.
  • Faces threats from siltation, invasive non-native species, and intensive agriculture; conservation measures are proposed, but a formal management plan is yet to be prepared.

 

---

Follow us on our Official TELEGRAM Channel HERE

Subscribe to Our Official YouTube Channel HERE

Please subscribe to Our podcast channel HERE

Official Facebook Page HERE

Twitter Account HERE

Instagram Account HERE

LinkedIn: HERE