No extra allocation for MGNREGS; wages delayed

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Union government's flagship scheme to provide guaranteed employment of 100 days for rural workers, has not received an additional budgetary allocation in 2024-25 despite a deficit, resulting in delay in disbursal of wages to workers. Rural Development Ministry was short of ₹4,315 crore for the wages for which a fund transfer order had been generated. Section 3 (3) of the MGNREG Act says "the disbursement of daily wages shall be made on a weekly basis or in any case not later than a fortnight after the date on which such work was done". 

Geo-tagged digital identity helps Kashmir's chinar trees stand tall

Facing destruction due to rapid urbanisation and infrastructure projects, a geotagged digital identity on the lines of the Aadhaar card has been introduced this week to monitor the health of every chinar tree in the Kashmir Valley. The J&K Forest Research Institute's (JKFRI) 'Digital Tree Aadhaar' initiative gives a unique number to each tree. The chinar at Lal Chowk is CG-JK010088. Metal cards with barcodes provide information such as the tree's location, height, and health. The JKRFI began a chinar census in the Union Territory in 2021. According to data from the JKFRI, Kashmir was home to around 40,000 chinar trees. Chinars grow in Jammu's Chenab Valley, and in the Pir Panjal Valley. They too will be covered under the digital initiative. 

Republican journey

In her customary address to the nation on the eve of the 76th Republic Day, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, said that the Constitution has become a living document due to the millennia-old civic virtues of the country. Connecting India's journey as a modern Republic to its heritage, the President said the constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity have always been a part of India's civilisation. The President highlighted the representative character of the Constituent Assembly, whose members were drawn from every part of, and communities in, the country, including 15 women. 

India with Indonesia

India and Indonesia's ancient ties, that rest on trade and travel to the spread of an adapted form of Javanese Hinduism, as well as the use of Vedic scriptures and Sanskrit works, have given the two countries a formidable engagement. In the previous century, it was their solidarity against imperialism, which led to independent India's support to Indonesian leaders fighting Dutch colonialism, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru banning Dutch overflights and sending Indian planes to evacuate the Indonesian Prime Minister and Vice President. India and Indonesia were united by their aversion to great power politics. They supported the creation of the nonaligned movement (NAM), beginning with the Bandung Conference. 

An enduring commitment to the Indo-Pacific

During his first term, Mr. Trump redefined U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific. Under Trump's leadership, the U.S. adopted the term 'Indo-Pacific', replacing the previously favoured 'Asia-Pacific', which reflected a recalibration of the geopolitical lens, moving beyond a focus solely on East Asia and the Pacific Rim to encompass a wider area critical for global trade, security, and strategic stability. The Indo-Pacific expanded the strategic narrative, integrating defence, security, and political considerations alongside economic cooperation. Second, there were structural changes in the U.S. defence and security framework, including the renaming of the U.S. Pacific Command as the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in 2018, reflecting the operational import accorded to the Indo-Pacific. The Office of the Secretary of Defence was reorganised to establish specialised units focusing on Indo-Pacific allies and partners. 

India and U.S. lead Courseera enrolments for Gen Al courses

The demand for generative AI training has grown significantly among learners and enterprises, according to Coursera data, highlighted in the Future of Jobs Report 2025. India and the U.S. are leading this global trend in enrolments. Globally, individual learners on Coursera are focusing on foundational generative AI skills and conceptual topics, such as prompt engineering, trustworthy AI practices, and strategic decision-making around AI. The survey reveals that among nine transformative technologies, AI and information processing technologies are expected to have the most significant impact on businesses by 2030, with 86% of employers identifying them as likely to drive business transformation. 

Should Governors head State universities?

In 1857, the British established the first three universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, appointing Governors of the respective presidencies as their ex-officio Chancellors to maintain direct control. Unfortunately, this model of "Governor as Chancellor" was adopted wholesale for State universities even after Independence, without reassessing its relevance in a democratic and federal context. The Governor's role as Chancellor of State universities has led to political interference and diminished university autonomy, particularly in Opposition-ruled States.

Over the years, Governors have increasingly become political appointees, undermining the credibility of the office and exacerbating conflicts between State governments and the Centre.

Various commissions have recommended reforms such as appointing academics or public personalities as Chancellors to preserve university autonomy and reduce political influence.

Assam tea workers prone to post-TB fungal disease: study

Two years after a study flagged the epidemic dropsy threat, a new research paper has identified a life-threatening fungal infection mostly in the damaged lungs of tuberculosis survivors among Assam's tea plantation workers. TB has been a major public health issue across the tea belts in Assam's Brahmaputra and Barak valleys, afflicting 217 per 1,00,000 population according to the National TB Prevalence Survey of 2019-2021. The risk factors include poverty, poor nutrition, kitchen smoke, close contact with smear-positive patients, and living in congested environments.

CPA is a chronic lung disease that occurs commonly in preexisting lung cavities. The study, the first of its kind among tea workers, was published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.