1.Social Media Ban for Children

2.Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

3.Project Tiger – Review & Modernisation

4. Mons Mouton (Moon)

5.Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)

1.Social Media Ban for Children

Why in News?

A tragic incident in Ghaziabad involving the suicide of three minor sisters, reportedly linked to intense screen dependence and conflict over phone use, has revived nationwide debate on whether India should legally restrict minors from accessing social media platforms.

What is a Social Media Ban for Children?

• The idea refers to statutory or regulatory rules that prohibit individuals below a specified age, often 16 years, from opening or operating accounts on major digital platforms.
• Such frameworks usually transfer responsibility of age verification to technology companies, which may be required to deploy identity checks or other authentication mechanisms.

Emerging Usage Patterns in India

• India hosts one of the world’s largest populations of social media users. Penetration among adolescents is particularly high, with surveys indicating that a very large proportion of teenagers are active online.
• Rising access to inexpensive data and smartphones has deepened daily engagement, with many young users spending several hours every day in algorithm-driven digital environments.
• At the same time, gender disparities in access persist, with women and girls in many regions having significantly lower internet exposure than men.

Arguments Supporting Restrictions

• Supporters of age-based prohibitions emphasise the risks posed by addictive design features, infinite scrolling and behavioural targeting.
• Heavy exposure has been associated with anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and distorted body image.
• Concerns also include vulnerability to cyber-grooming, misinformation and viral self-harm challenges. Advocates argue that restricting access may create a protective buffer while regulatory systems evolve.

Concerns About Blanket Bans

• Critics highlight several implementation and ethical problems.
• Young users often circumvent restrictions through technical tools, making enforcement difficult.
• Mandatory identity checks raise privacy fears and may expand surveillance capacities. Social media can also function as an important support network for marginalised groups who may lack safe offline spaces.
• There is apprehension that prohibitions might unintentionally deepen existing inequalities, for instance if families restrict device access more severely for girls than boys.
• Another risk is migration toward unregulated or encrypted platforms where oversight is weaker.

International Experiences

Countries are experimenting with varied approaches. Australia has moved toward strict minimum-age enforcement backed by heavy penalties for companies, while Singapore focuses more on app-store regulation and graded access controls rather than outright prohibition.

Alternative Policy Directions

• Many experts recommend moving beyond simple bans toward a broader safety architecture.
• This includes imposing a legal duty of care on platforms, strengthening algorithmic accountability, improving grievance redress mechanisms and investing in digital literacy so young people can better manage online risks.
• Inclusive policymaking that listens to children and adolescents themselves is also seen as vital.

Conclusion

The debate reflects a tension between protection and participation. Safeguarding minors from harm is essential, yet solutions must also respect rights, privacy and the diverse ways in which digital spaces are used. Sustainable reform may therefore require regulatory innovation, corporate responsibility and social awareness working together.

Prelims Questions

1. A social media ban for minors typically shifts the burden of age verification to:(a) parents(b) local police(c) technology platforms(d) schools

Answer: (c)

Mains Questions

1. Discuss the merits and limitations of imposing age-based restrictions on social media access for children.

2.Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

Why in News?

• Nature-based Solutions gained prominence following the conclusion of the TREESCAPES 2026 Congress in New Delhi, which highlighted the role of agroforestry in climate resilience.
• The debate was further sharpened by the release of the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report by United Nations Environment Programme, which warned of a widening global investment gap in nature protection.

What are Nature-based Solutions?

• Nature-based Solutions are actions that protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges such as climate change, disaster risk, food security and water scarcity, while simultaneously delivering benefits for biodiversity and human well-being.
• The concept has been formally defined and promoted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an approach that works with nature rather than against it.

Key Data and Evidence

Scientific assessments show that NbS can contribute up to 37 percent of the cost-effective carbon dioxide mitigation required by 2030 to keep global warming below 2°C. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves already prevent tens of billions of dollars in annual flood damages worldwide while protecting millions of people.The UNEP 2026 assessment highlights a severe imbalance in global finance, noting that for every dollar invested in nature protection, many more dollars continue to flow into activities that degrade ecosystems. To meet global climate and land restoration targets, annual investment in NbS needs to rise sharply by the end of this decade.India occupies a significant position globally in terms of forest area, with forest and tree cover together accounting for roughly one-fourth of its geographical area.

Why Nature-based Solutions are Needed

• NbS play a critical role in climate change mitigation by acting as large-scale carbon sinks. Large plantation and restoration drives in India have been explicitly linked to enhancing national carbon sequestration capacity.
• They are equally important for disaster risk reduction. Mangroves, wetlands and floodplains act as natural buffers against cyclones, storm surges and floods, reducing the need for expensive grey infrastructure.
• Water security is another major dimension. Restoring watersheds, lakes and urban wetlands improves groundwater recharge, water quality and flood moderation, particularly in rapidly urbanising regions.
• NbS also support sustainable livelihoods by creating employment in forestry, eco-tourism, restoration activities and organic agriculture. In rural India, public employment programmes increasingly integrate natural resource management works.
• Food security benefits emerge through agroforestry and tree-based farming systems that enhance soil fertility, moisture retention and crop resilience, especially for small and marginal farmers.

Challenges in Implementing NbS

• A major concern is the absence of universally applied standards, which can lead to poorly designed projects or greenwashing. In some cases, monoculture plantations of non-native species have undermined ecological goals.
• Financing remains inadequate and fragmented, with nature-based components often receiving lower and less predictable funding than conventional infrastructure.
• Governance complexity is another constraint, as NbS frequently span multiple departments and land-use regimes, leading to coordination failures.
• In urban areas, NbS are still treated as supplementary rather than integral to city planning, despite repeated evidence of their effectiveness in flood and heat mitigation.
• Finally, technical knowledge gaps and insufficient site-specific data can result in restoration failures when ecological conditions are not properly understood.

Major Initiatives

• The IUCN Global Standard for NbS provides a structured framework of criteria to ensure ecological integrity and social benefits.
• India has launched large-scale landscape restoration efforts such as the Aravalli Green Wall Project to combat desertification in north-western regions.
• Reforms in compensatory afforestation are being supported through digital platforms to improve transparency and monitoring.
• International collaborations like the ENACT initiative aim to mainstream NbS into national climate and biodiversity strategies.

Way Forward

• Mainstreaming NbS into infrastructure planning is essential, including the integration of blue-green infrastructure into transport, housing and urban development frameworks.
• Unlocking finance through innovative instruments such as sovereign forest bonds and robust carbon credit markets can help bridge the investment gap.
• Community-led governance should be strengthened by empowering local institutions and indigenous groups, which improves project survival and social legitimacy.
• Science-based monitoring using geospatial tools and digital dashboards is needed to ensure long-term effectiveness.
• Scaling up agroforestry offers a pathway to climate-resilient rural livelihoods while reducing dependence on imports of wood and related products.

Conclusion

Nature-based Solutions mark a paradigm shift from engineering-heavy responses to a partnership with ecological systems. While challenges of finance, governance and standardisation persist, growing political recognition and evolving institutional frameworks indicate rising momentum. By embedding NbS into development planning and empowering local communities, India can leverage its natural capital as a central pillar of climate resilience and sustainable growth.

Prelims Questions

1. Nature-based Solutions primarily aim to(a) replace all grey infrastructure(b) address societal challenges while enhancing biodiversity(c) promote monoculture plantations(d) focus only on climate mitigation

Answer: (b)

Mains Questions

1. Explain the concept of Nature-based Solutions and examine their relevance in addressing climate change and disaster risk in India.

3.Project Tiger – Review & Modernisation

Why in News?

• The Union Government has constituted four expert working groups to reassess five decades of policy evolution under Project Tiger.
• The review comes as the programme marks its golden jubilee and seeks to update conservation strategies for emerging ecological and socio-economic realities.

What is Project Tiger?

Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 1973 to secure the long-term survival of tigers in their natural habitats. It pioneered a landscape-based conservation model combining strict protection in critical habitats with sustainable use in surrounding areas.

Institutional Framework

The scheme is anchored in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, while field implementation and policy oversight are carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, a statutory body created under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Objectives

• The central objective is to maintain viable populations of tigers while preserving broader ecological integrity.
• The model recognises that conservation success must also consider livelihood and developmental needs of communities residing near forests.

Core Design of the Programme

The tiger reserve network has expanded from the original handful of sites to dozens of landscapes across the country, now covering a significant portion of India’s geographical area.

• A defining element is the core–buffer strategy. Core zones receive the highest degree of protection and often have the legal status of national parks or wildlife sanctuaries. Surrounding buffer regions promote coexistence, habitat connectivity and regulated economic activity.
• The programme is supported by central funding for habitat improvement, anti-poaching measures, relocation packages, eco-development and community welfare.
• Scientific management is central to operations. Periodic national estimations rely on camera traps, spatial analysis and prey assessments, making India a global leader in large carnivore monitoring.

What the Expert Groups Aim to Do

• The newly formed panels are organised region-wise across the country. Their mandate includes reviewing major decisions taken over the past fifty years, examining population trends, studying pressures such as fragmentation or human–wildlife conflict, and identifying gaps in present financing or implementation structures.
• They are expected to recommend forward-looking strategies for the coming decades and enhance collaboration between the conservation authority and national scientific institutions.

Why This Exercise is Important

• Tiger landscapes are now influenced by climate change, infrastructure expansion, tourism pressure and changing community expectations. Policies designed decades ago may require revision to ensure both ecological sustainability and social legitimacy.
• Updating frameworks can help integrate modern technology, improve habitat connectivity and refine compensation or rehabilitation approaches.

Broader Significance

Project Tiger has often been described as a flagship of India’s environmental governance. Its outcomes influence biodiversity conservation, water security, carbon storage and international reputation. Modernisation therefore has implications far beyond a single species.

Prelims Questions

1. Project Tiger is implemented under the supervision of which body?(a) Central Pollution Control Board(b) National Tiger Conservation Authority(c) Wildlife Crime Control Bureau(d) Zoological Survey of India

Answer: (b)

Mains Questions

1. Project Tiger has evolved from species protection to landscape governance. Examine this transition and its implications.

4. Mons Mouton (Moon)

Why in News?

A study by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Space Applications Centre has identified a comparatively safe landing zone near Mons Mouton for Chandrayaan-4, India’s planned lunar sample return mission.

What is Mons Mouton?

Mons Mouton is a large, flat-topped mountain massif located in the Moon’s south polar region. The feature has been officially named by the International Astronomical Union, which standardises planetary nomenclature.

Location

• The massif lies near the rim of the South Pole–Aitken Basin, one of the oldest and largest known impact structures in the Solar System.
• It is situated roughly 160 km from the lunar south pole, placing it within an area of intense international scientific interest.

Geological Origin

Mons Mouton is believed to have formed from crustal uplift during the gigantic impacts that created the South Pole–Aitken Basin. Because of this, rocks here may represent material from deep layers of the Moon, offering clues to its early evolution.

Physical Characteristics

• The structure stretches across nearly 100 kilometres and rises several kilometres above the neighbouring terrain. The landscape includes steep gradients, impact craters and scattered boulders.
• Illumination conditions are unusual. Certain ridges may receive extended sunlight, while nearby depressions remain in permanent shadow. These contrasts are crucial for both landing safety and scientific planning.

Why Scientists Care?

• The region provides a window into ancient lunar history and the processes that shaped the inner Solar System.
• Sampling from such terrain could help refine understanding of crust formation, impact chronology and planetary differentiation.

Relevance for Future Exploration

• Mons Mouton lies within the broader south polar zone that multiple space agencies consider attractive for sustained exploration.
• The presence of nearby permanently shadowed areas raises the possibility of studying trapped volatiles such as water ice, an important resource for long-term missions.

Prelims Questions

1. Mons Mouton is located near which major lunar structure?(a) Mare Tranquillitatis(b) Oceanus Procellarum(c) South Pole–Aitken Basin(d) Tycho crater

Answer: (c)

Mains Questions

1. Why has the lunar south pole become a focal point of global space exploration? Discuss with reference to India’s upcoming missions.

5.Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)

Why in News?

India has initiated Phase-I human clinical trials of a fully indigenous vaccine candidate against KFD under the leadership of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

What is Kyasanur Forest Disease?

Kyasanur Forest Disease is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic illness first detected in forested areas of Karnataka in the 1950s. The infection is characterised by acute fever and systemic complications, and in a proportion of cases can become life-threatening.

Geographic Distribution

The disease is endemic to the Western Ghats belt. Over time, reported cases have expanded beyond Karnataka into neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra, reflecting ecological spread of the vector.

Transmission Cycle

• The virus is transmitted mainly by bites of infected hard ticks, particularly species associated with forest habitats.
• Monkeys often act as amplifying hosts, and human infection may follow exposure in affected areas.
• There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission, which makes vector control and behavioural precautions critical.

Clinical Features

• After an incubation period of a few days, patients typically develop sudden fever, chills, headache and intense muscle pain.
• Gastrointestinal disturbances are common. Some individuals may develop haemorrhagic manifestations.
• A fraction of patients enter a second phase marked by neurological complications such as tremors or mental changes, indicating systemic involvement.

Treatment and Outcomes

• There is no specific antiviral therapy for KFD. Medical care is primarily supportive, focusing on hydration, respiratory assistance where needed and management of complications or secondary infections.
• Fatality rates vary but can rise significantly without timely treatment, underscoring the importance of early detection and vaccination strategies.

Public Health Importance

• KFD illustrates the link between wildlife ecology and human health.
• Surveillance of tick populations, monitoring of monkey deaths and vaccination of at-risk communities remain essential tools for containment.

Prelims Questions

1. Kyasanur Forest Disease is transmitted mainly through:(a) mosquitoes(b) contaminated water(c) hard ticks(d) airborne droplets

Answer: (c)

Mains Questions

1. Discuss the epidemiology of Kyasanur Forest Disease and the challenges it poses to India’s public health system.