09 JUNE 2025 - Daily Current Affairs Updates

GS 1 – Ancient History, Art & Culture, and Geography

1. Discovery of 800-Year-Old Pandya Period Shiva Temple – Madurai Topic: Temple Architecture, Regional Dynasties, Cultural Continuity

   A Shiva temple from the Later Pandya period was unearthed at Udampatti near Madurai, dated to the 13th–14th century CE.

   Reinforces the Pandyas’ legacy in temple patronage, Tamil literature, and regional power consolidation during the post-Chola phase.

   Pandya trade links with Rome and Southeast Asia highlight their maritime prowess.

   Value Add: Link with Meenakshi Temple, Alvars-Nayanars, and Sangam literature; useful in GS1 answers on regional temple architecture and cultural diplomacy.
   

2. Kalvarayan Hills – Eastern Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot Topic: Geophysical Diversity, Tribal Settlements, and Resource Management

   Proposed shooting range in this reserve forest stirs debate between security infrastructure and ecological balance.

   Chinna and Periya Kalvarayans support deciduous + Shola-type vegetation; home to Malayan tribes and significant waterfalls.

   Value Add: Great map question candidate; use as a microhabitat hotspot when writing about Eastern Ghats vs Western Ghats biodiversity.
   

🧭 GS 2 – Governance, Urban Inclusion & International Agreements

3. Waste Picker Enumeration App under NAMASTE Scheme Topic: Urban Informal Sector, Sanitation Workers’ Dignity, Digital Governance

   Aims to identify and empower 2.5 lakh waste pickers with ID cards, PPE kits, Ayushman Bharat cover, and access to skill training & financing.

   Encourages waste picker collectivization and links them to urban dry waste collection centres.

   Value Add: Strong case for inclusive urbanization, dignity of labour, and how social justice can be embedded into environmental governance.
   

4. India–Kyrgyz Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) Enters Into Force Topic: Foreign Investment Protection, BIT Reform, Strategic Central Asia Outreach

   Replaces the 2000 agreement with safeguards: no MFN clause, enterprise-based investment definition, and emphasis on exhausting local remedies before international arbitration.

   Allows sovereign exceptions for environment, health, taxation, and public order.

   Value Add: Use in Mains answers on BIT reform post Vodafone/Cairn, and for India’s evolving investment jurisprudence.
   

5. Election Commission’s Index Cards Streamlined Topic: Electoral Transparency, Democratic Data Access

   Non-statutory post-election data tools providing granular constituency-wise voting patterns, gender trends, turnout, and party performance.

   Enhances media and academic access, encourages public trust and accountability in electoral data.

   Value Add: Use as an example of electoral deepening and e-democracy under GS2.

🧭 GS 3 – Environment, Biodiversity, Economy, Agriculture & Security

6. Fusarium graminearum Smuggling – Agroterrorism Alert Topic: Plant Biosecurity, Food Chain Vulnerability, National Security

   The fungus causes Fusarium Head Blight in cereals; produces vomitoxin → causes gastrointestinal symptoms and livestock losses.

   Estimated to cause $1B+ losses annually in US alone.

   Value Add: Use in food security + agroterrorism discourse; shows how biological threats to crops can destabilize food systems just like cyber or military threats do.
   

7. Greater Flamingo Sanctuary Declared – Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu Topic: Wetland Ecosystem, Migratory Corridors, Avian Diversity

   Lies within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve; key site on the Central Asian Flyway.

   Supports 128+ bird species, mangroves (Avicennia, Rhizophora), crustaceans, sea turtles.

   Value Add: Integrate into questions on Ramsar sites, community-led wetland conservation, and flyway-based bird conservation.