Daily News Capsules
1. SC raps CAQM’s ‘failure’, tells it to identify sources of bad air
The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed the Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) inability to clearly identify the causes of air pollution in Delhi-NCR and their relative contribution as a “complete failure of duty”, directing the statutory body to complete a source-identification and apportionment exercise within two weeks and place the findings in the public domain. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rejected CAQM’s plea for two months’ time to examine issues relating to traffic congestion and the collection and utilisation of environmental compensation charge (ECC), making it clear that the court would monitor the matter every fortnight regardless of prevailing air quality levels. The court expressed strong dissatisfaction with the commission convening a meeting only on January 2, despite a detailed order passed on December 17 emphasising the urgency of long-term planning. At the core of the court’s concern was what it described as the absence of basic, publicly available information on what actually drives pollution in the region. It questioned why an expert statutory body needed repeated judicial nudges to place factual data before the public. “Why do they not want to come out with information in the public domain — the causes and their apportionment in pollution?” asked the bench. The bench flagged contradictions in existing source-apportionment studies, observing that different institutions had assigned varying levels of responsibility to sectors such as transport, with estimates ranging from 12% to 41%. “Unfortunately, even these studies by different institutions have given different findings,” the court noted, even as CAQM informed it that fresh studies were being undertaken by an Indian Institute of Technology and AERI. The court further cautioned against disproportionate attribution of blame, particularly on farm fires.
Possible Question
The Supreme Court has criticised the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for failing to place credible source-apportionment data on air pollution in the public domain. Examine the role of specialised statutory regulators in environmental governance, and discuss how transparency and evidence-based policymaking strengthen judicial oversight.
2. JNU to expel students after slogans against Modi, Shah
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday said students involved in a protest, where controversial slogans were allegedly raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, will face suspension, expulsion or debarment, even as it asked Delhi Police to file an FIR on the issue. On Monday night, a gathering was organised by the JNU Student Union (JNUSU) titled “Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba” to mark the sixth anniversary of violence that broke out inside the campus on January 5, 2020. Around 35 students participated in the protest at JNU’s Sabarmati Hostel premise, at least three students told HT, during which the controversial slogans were allegedly raised against Modi, Shah, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Unverified videos of the protest showing students purportedly shouting the slogans surfaced on social media on Tuesday. “The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has vowed the strictest action against students found raising objectionable slogans against Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble home minister. An FIR has already been lodged in the matter,” the university said on X. “Universities are centres for innovation and new ideas, and they cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate. Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right. But any form of violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Students involved in this incident will also face disciplinary measures including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment from the university,” it added.
Possible Question
Universities are spaces for dissent, yet also subject to disciplinary and security concerns. Examine the constitutional limits on freedom of speech and expression in educational institutions, with reference to campus protests, disciplinary action, and the role of the State.
3. Water quality rankings sink without a trace
The Indore drinking water tragedy has turned the focus on water quality across cities, with experts calling for a standardised national dashboard, similar to the one for cleanliness — ironically, topped by Indore for the past seven years. The interesting thing is that there is such a ranking – or was. It was commissioned in 2021-22 (and conducted in 2022-23) by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs. Called the Pey Jal Survekshan survey, it was even supposed to have an awards component. In February 2024, the ministry said the survey of 485 cities was complete. The headline finding from the survey — that 46 of the cities were found deserving of awards in the “good water quality” category — was announced on February 29, 2024, by Manoj Joshi, the then secretary in the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, according to a government statement. The awards were scheduled for a week later at Vigyan Bhavan, on March 5. It was announced that President Droupadi Murmu would preside over the function. But Joshi was transferred out of the department on March 4. And the awards event was cancelled. The details of the survey itself have never been published. On July 28 2025, the ministry, in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, stated that the findings of the survey, conducted at a cost of ₹16.96 crore, were communicated to the states at a national-level workshop held on November 22, 2023. Government officials familiar with the matter said that despite the heightened interest around water quality, it is unlikely the results of the first pan-India level Pey Jal Surveksan 2022-23 will be published. Nor are there plans to conduct a similar survey again, one of the officials, from the urban affairs ministry, added, asking not to be named. Urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar did not respond to a request for comment. The nationwide Pey Jal Survekshan survey was launched in 2022 as part of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, the Union government’s flagship urban development scheme focussed on water management.
Possible Question
The discontinuation and non-publication of the Pey Jal Survekshan highlights gaps in urban water governance. Examine the importance of transparent benchmarking and outcome-based monitoring in flagship urban missions such as AMRUT 2.0 for ensuring safe drinking water.
4. Flu, hepatitis A & B: US cuts number of shots needed for kids amid outcry
The United States ended on Monday its longstanding guidance that all children receive vaccines against flu and three other diseases, a sweeping change that advances one of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-term goals. Public health experts warn the latest rollback could lead to preventable hospitalizations and deaths. The action, which removes the recommendation for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A, and states that parents should consult healthcare providers under what it calls shared clinical-decision-making, was approved by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Jim O’Neill without the agency’s usual outside expert review. Last month, President Donald Trump urged the U.S. to “align with other developed nations” by reducing the number of shots for children. Trump said the new schedule was “rooted in the Gold Standard of Science” and aligns the United States with other developed nations. Kennedy, a prominent vaccine critic, has previously led efforts to drop universal recommendations for COVID-19 and hepatitis B shots for children, citing links to autism that scientists have repeatedly debunked. Vaccine experts decried the changes they said put American children at risk. Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said there should have been public discussion on the risks and benefits of the potential impact of dropping the recommendations. Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said other developed countries face different disease risks and have different healthcare systems than the United States. Unlike the U.S., which depends on private healthcare, most countries provide basic universal healthcare that is paid for by the government.
Possible Question
Public health policy often reflects the tension between scientific consensus, political ideology, and individual choice. Examine how deviations from evidence-based vaccination policy can affect public trust, health outcomes, and global disease control.
5. NMC derecognises Vaishno Devi medical college amid controversy
The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday de-recognised the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Kakryal, Jammu, and withdrew its letter of permission for the 2025-26 academic session. The college has been at the centre of a controversy over the admission of 42 Muslim students to the inaugural MBBS batch of 50. The commission’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) cited “gross and substantial” deficiencies in infrastructure, clinical material and faculty following a surprise inspection. To safeguard the careers of the admitted students, the NMC authorised the Jammu and Kashmir administration to adjust them in other medical colleges within the Union territory as supernumerary seats. Earlier on Tuesday, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah denounced the protests against the admissions, asserting that the students secured seats purely on merit. He suggested shutting the institution and shifting the students if the atmosphere remained hostile. The controversy erupted in November after the list of the inaugural batch, selected through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), revealed that 42 of the 50 students were Muslims, mostly from Kashmir. The batch also included seven Hindus and one Sikh. This triggered protests by the Sangharsh Samiti, a BJP-supported outfit formed shortly after the admission process was completed in November. Abdullah remarked that the prevailing atmosphere had rendered the campus hostile, adding that if he were a parent, he would be “afraid” to send his children to the institute.
Possible Question
Medical education regulation in India balances quality assurance with equity and access. Examine the role of the National Medical Commission in maintaining academic standards, and discuss the challenges that arise when regulatory action intersects with social and political sensitivities.
Fact of the day
Proof of land acquisition not needed for green clearances: Developers of non-coal mining projects will no longer have to show proof of land acquisition as a pre-requisite for environmental clearance, according to a recent change made by the Union environment ministry. The move is aimed at fast-tracking the approval process for offshore and onshore oil exploration and production, oil and gas transportation pipelines passing through eco-sensitive areas, highway projects, and mining of minerals. Until now, the ministry required proof of land acquisition. In an office memorandum (OM) issued in 2014, it listed documents that could be offered as proof or in lieu of it: preliminary notification issued by the state government regarding acquisition of land as per the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013; and in case of acquisition by private companies, a credible document showing the intent of land owners to sell their land for the proposed project. Last February, the ministry inserted a clause stating that a confirmation from the State government, or their authorised agency indicating their intent to acquire land for the project as indicated in the EIA (environmental impact assessment) report of the Project, will also be considered. On December 18 last year, the ministry changed this in another OM, saying it has received requests that consent from landowners should not be insisted upon at the time of grant of environmental clearance for non-coal mining projects and the status of land acquisition should not be linked with the grant of EC. The December 18 OM also elaborated on the rationale for the change. “The matter was referred to the non-coal mining Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for consideration. After due deliberation the sectoral EAC observed that the request for delinking the consent from landowners at the time of grant of EC for noncoal mining projects, appears to be reasonable and can be accepted,” it said.
