UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (7th May,2025)

Human Development Report 2025: UNDP

Syllabus: GS3/Inclusive Growth

Context

• Recently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the Human Development Report (HDR) for 2025, highlighting India’s progress in life expectancy, education, and income levels.
  • It is titled as ‘A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI’, and explores AI’s role in shaping future development.

Human Development Index: Current Status

• Iceland (HDI value of 0.972), ranked at the top of the Index, followed by Norway and Switzerland.
  • South Sudan was at the bottom at 193 with 0.388.

• India improved its HDI value from 0.676 in 2022 (133th) to 0.685 in 2023 (130th), remaining in the medium human development category.
  • India’s HDI value has increased by over 53% since 1990, growing faster than both the global and South Asian averages.
• Among India’s neighbours, China (75th), Sri Lanka (78th) and Bhutan (127th) are ranked above India, while Bangladesh (130th) is ranked at par.
  • Nepal (145th), Myanmar (149th), Pakistan (168th) are ranked below India.

Highlights of India’s HDI Progress

• Improved Life Expectancy: India’s life expectancy has risen from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023, marking its highest level since the index began.
  • National health programs like Ayushman Bharat, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and Poshan Abhiyaan have contributed to this growth.
• Advancements in Education: The average years of schooling have increased from 8.2 years in 1990 to 13 years in 2023.
  • Policies like the Right to Education Act, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Education Policy 2020 have played a crucial role.
• Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: India’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita has risen over four times, from $2,167 in 1990 to $9,046 in 2023.
  • 135 million Indians escaped multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21.

Key Challenges & Suggestions Made in Report

• AI and Human Development: HDR 2025 argues that AI should enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.
  • It calls for bold policy decisions to ensure AI-driven growth benefits all communities.
• Widening Inequalities: Global inequalities are increasing, slowing human development progress, despite technological advancements.
  • Income inequality reduces India’s HDI by 30.7%, one of the highest losses in the region.
  • Gender disparities continue to affect education, employment, and healthcare access.
  • The report urges inclusive AI policies to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations.
• Three Key Action Areas:
  • Building a complementarity economy where humans and AI work together.
  • Driving innovation to expand human capabilities.
  • Investing in inclusive education, healthcare, and social protection systems.

Supreme Court Publishes Assets of 21 Judges

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• Twenty-one Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice of India, have disclosed their financial assets and liabilities on the top court’s website.

Background

• Judicial accountability has long been a subject of debate in India, particularly in terms of financial disclosures and ethical standards.
• Unlike elected representatives or civil servants, judges are not legally mandated to publicly declare their assets.
• The current disclosure followed a resolution of the Full Court, aimed at promoting public trust in the judiciary.

Timeline of Key Developments

Significance of the  asset declaration by SC

• Promotes Transparency: It reinforces the judiciary’s commitment to openness and ethical conduct.
• Builds Public Trust: It helps counter perceptions of judicial elitism or bias.
• Constitutional Morality: It aligns with values like integrity and responsibility enshrined in the Preamble and Part IV – Directive Principles of State Policy of Indian Constitution.

Need for Trust and Integrity in the Judiciary

• Judiciary as the Guardian of the Constitution: The judiciary plays a crucial role in upholding the Constitution, protecting fundamental rights, and ensuring checks and balances.
• Ensuring Accountability: Lack of integrity in judiciary can lead to judicial delays, or misuse of power undermining justice and promoting inequality. Public asset disclosure is a step to ensure accountability.
• Institutional Stability: In times of political instability or social unrest, the judiciary acts as a stabilising force. A trusted judiciary can resolve constitutional crises and reinforce national unity.

Concluding remarks

• Trust and integrity in the judiciary are the cornerstones of a just society. They ensure not just legal justice, but social stability, democratic strength, and the moral authority of the state. 
• Transparency, ethical conduct, and institutional reforms are essential to nurture and sustain that trust.

Bureaucracy in India

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• Civil services are crucial in maintaining and strengthening democracy but there is a need for lateral entrants and greater transparency.

About

• The concept of a merit based modern Civil Service in India was introduced in 1854.
• From 1922 onwards the Indian Civil Service Examination began to be held in India.
• After independence, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) became responsible for conducting the exams.
• Civil Services Day is observed on 21st April every year to commemorate the day in 1947 when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the first batch of civil servants at the Metcalfe House, New Delhi. 
  • He termed civil servants as the “Steel frame of India,” emphasizing their role in maintaining unity and integrity.

Role of Civil Services in Governance

• Service delivery: They are responsible for administering welfare schemes and ensuring that public services reach the intended beneficiaries, particularly at the last mile.
• Maintaining law and order: Civil servants ensure peace, justice, and security by upholding the rule of law and coordinating with law enforcement agencies.
• Elections: They have been instrumental in the conduct of free and fair elections, and ensuring smooth transfer of power both at the Centre and States.
• Uninterrupted Administration: There have been numerous instances when States have been placed under President’s rule, with the civil servants ensuring uninterrupted administration during such times.
• Policy Making: They provide advice to governments in policy making and also implement the policies made by the political executive. 

Challenges faced by civil services

• Political Bias: Neutrality as a trait is fast eroding among bureaucrats, resulting in political bias in discharge of critical functions.
  • The cause and effect of this phenomenon is the increasing political interference in all aspects of bureaucracy including postings and transfers.
• Lack of Expertise: Bureaucrats who are generalists, may lack the expertise needed to address technical challenges. 
• Corruption: There is also significant corruption at all levels of the bureaucracy that often goes unpunished.
• Red-tapism: Excessive procedural formalities often delay decision-making and hinder timely service delivery.
• Mental health issues: High-pressure environments, and long working hours impact the mental well-being of civil servants.
• Resistance to innovation: A rigid administrative culture discourages experimentation and adoption of new practices.
• Outdated rules and procedures: Many service regulations are colonial-era legacies that are not compatible with modern governance needs.

Governance reforms to enhance efficiency of bureaucracy

• Mission Karmayogi National Program: It is a flagship programme of Government of India launched in 2020 for training of civil servants, which intends to transform the Civil Services from ‘Rule Based’ to ‘Role Based’ way of functioning and Citizen Centric. 
• Lateral Entry into Civil Services to bring domain expertise and promote competitiveness in administration.
• e-Governance Initiatives: Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) for grievance redressal, SPARROW for performance appraisal, and digitization of service records.

Conclusion

• Civil servants play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of India’s growth and governance, often known as the architects of Viksit Bharat.
• The neutral bureaucracy needs to be insulated from undue political interference to uphold the rule of law and constitutional values. 
• To maintain a harmonious balance between the political and permanent executive, the autonomy of career bureaucrats is essential.
  • This includes reasonable independence with respect to postings, tenures and transfers. 
• Also, there needs to be a shift in the focus of bureaucrats from ‘procedure’ to ‘outcomes.’ 

Northeast’s First Geothermal Production in Arunachal Pradesh

Syllabus :GS 3/Environment 

In News

• The Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS) has successfully drilled Northeast India’s first geothermal production well at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district.

About the project 

• The Dirang area is a medium-to-high enthalpy geothermal zone (~115°C), with geological features supporting efficient and low-impact drilling.
• The project involves CESHS, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Icelandic firm Geotropy ehf, and Guwahati Boring Service (GBS).
• It is supported by the Arunachal Pradesh government and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• This marks a major step toward clean, eco-friendly energy solutions in the high-altitude region.

What is Geothermal energy?

• Geothermal energy is heat energy from the earth—geo (earth) + thermal (heat).
  • Geothermal resources are reservoirs of hot water that exist or are human-made at varying temperatures and depths below the earth’s surface.
• It taps into the Earth’s subsurface heat for direct heating or electricity generation, requiring medium- to high-temperature resources typically found near tectonic activity.
• Its key advantages are low cost, reliable year-round operation, and the ability to provide steady, dispatchable power—making it increasingly valuable alongside intermittent sources like solar and wind.

Applications of Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal energy serves multiple purposes, including heating and cooling buildings with heat pumps, generating electricity with power plants, and directly heating structures through direct-use applications.
• Geothermal energy can be used for fruit, nut, and meat drying, space heating, and controlled-atmosphere storage—key to improving agriculture and living conditions in high-altitude areas.

Concerns 

• Geothermal energy can cause minor earthquakes in seismically active areas due to high-pressure water injection
• Drilling and resource exploration require significant investment, making the cost a barrier.
• Viable geothermal sites are often concentrated in specific regions with active tectonic activity.
• It can pose risks such as land subsidence, water use conflicts, and the release of trace gases if not properly managed.

Suggestions and Way Ahead 

• The successful drilling in Northeast  marks a major milestone in India’s quest for sustainable energy.
• Geothermal energy can play a vital role in a low-carbon, resilient energy future.
• But it  needs continued research, technological innovation, and supportive policies to unlock its full potential
  • Public and private sector collaboration will be essential in lowering costs, improving drilling techniques, and integrating geothermal more broadly into energy systems.