News In Short – 1 September 2025

Population Census-2027

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The Registrar General of India (RGI) has sought a Rs 14,618.95-crore budget to conduct the Census 2027, which will be the first “Digital Census” and collect data on caste.

About

• The Population Census-2027, has been decided to be conducted  in two phases along with enumeration of castes.
• More than 35 lakh enumerators and supervisors will be deployed to conduct the Census, which is over 30% higher (27 lakh) than the functionaries deployed to conduct the Census in 2011.

Census in India

• A census is a survey of the population of an area that includes collecting details of a country’s demographics including age, sex and occupation.
• History: Under W.C. Plowden, the Census Commissioner of India, the first synchronous decennial (every ten years) census was conducted in 1881, building on an earlier non-synchronous effort in 1872.
  • Independent India’s first census was held in 1951 and since then it has happened in the first year of every decade.
• The Constitution mandates that enumeration is carried out but the Census of India Act of 1948 does not specify its timing or periodicity.
• The population census is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Source: IE

Beta Version of “Adi Vaani”

Syllabus :GS2/Governance

In News

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the beta version of “Adi Vaani,” app.

About Adi Vaani

• It is an AI-powered translation tool designed to support a future large language model for tribal languages.
• It  combines advanced technology with community efforts to protect and revive tribal languages and cultures in India.
• It is  India’s first AI-powered translator for tribal languages which was developed under Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh.
• Adi Vaani supports: Santali (Odisha), Bhili (Madhya Pradesh), Mundari (Jharkhand), Gondi (Chhattisgarh)
  • Additional languages including Kui and Garo are under development for the next phase.

Importance

• India has 461 tribal languages, with 81 vulnerable and 42 critically endangered due to limited documentation and transmission. 
• Adi Vaani uses AI to digitize, preserve, and revitalize these tribal languages.
• It aims to bridge communication gaps and preserve endangered tribal languages.

Source: PIB

India’s First Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) Tolling System in Gujarat

Syllabus:GS3/Infrastructure 

In News

• The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) and ICICI Bank have signed an agreement to implement India’s first comprehensive Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system at Choryasi Fee Plaza in Gujarat on NH-48.

Multi Lane Free Flow Tolling

• It is a barrier-less tolling system that enables transactions through reading of FASTag and Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) by High performance RFID Readers and ANPR Cameras.
• It enables seamless toll collection without stopping vehicles at fee plazas, reducing congestion and travel time leading to enhanced fuel efficiency and lowering emissions.
• It  will also contribute towards improving toll revenue collection and creating a smarter, faster and more efficient National Highway network across the country.

Source: PIB

Changes in Green Credit Programme Norms

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has issued a new notification regarding the methodology for calculating Green Credit through the planting of trees and establishing a canopy on wasteland.

Key Changes in Rules

• Five-Year Benchmark: Credits will be awarded only after completion of five years of restoration work, replacing the earlier two-year criterion.
• Canopy-Based Evaluation: Credits will be granted only if tree plantation achieves a minimum canopy density of 40% and tree survival.
• New Formula:
  • One green credit will be awarded for each surviving tree older than five years.
  • Evaluation and verification will be done by designated agencies.
• Non-Tradable Credits:
  • Tree plantation credits are non-tradable and non-transferable, except between a holding company and its subsidiaries.
  • Earlier provision for market-based trading has been diluted.
• Permitted Use: Credits can be exchanged once for;
  • Compensatory afforestation obligations.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requirements.
  • Other legal tree planting obligations.
  • Reporting under Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) indicators.

Source: IE

Orcas

Syllabus: GS3/Species in News

Context

• Researchers have recently found that many orcas share freshly killed prey with humans.

About

• Orcas are the largest species of dolphins and are often called killer whales.
• While orcas are known to be prosocial animals, they rarely interact with humans. 
• The recent interactions could pique human curiosity about killer whales and potentially improve conservation efforts.

Orcas

• Orcas, also known as killer whales, are among the world’s most easily recognized marine mammals. 
• Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
• Family: Delphinidae (they are the largest members of the dolphin family).
• Distribution: Found in all oceans — from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

• Characteristics:
  • Distinctive black-and-white coloration with a white patch near each eye.
  • Highly intelligent and social animals, living in groups called pods (can range from 5–40, sometimes hundreds).
  • Apex predators (no natural predators) – they hunt fish, seals, dolphins, sharks, and even large whales.
• Behavior: 
  • Echolocation: Use sound waves to navigate and hunt.
  • Cooperative Hunting: Pods work together like wolf packs. Hunting strategies vary by pod and region.

Source: TH

Blue Dragon

Syllabus: GS3/Environment 

In News

• Several Spanish beaches closed after venomous blue dragon sea slugs washed ashore.

What are Blue Dragons?

• Blue dragons (Glaucus atlanticus) are small sea slugs that float upside down on the ocean surface, using an air bubble for buoyancy. 
• Their blue and white coloring helps them camouflage from predators. 
• They feed on venomous jellyfish like the Portuguese man o’ war and store their stinging cells in finger-like appendages, making their sting stronger than their prey’s.
  •  While their sting can cause severe pain and symptoms in humans, it is not deadly.
• Blue dragons occur in the warm tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.

Source :IE

Ramon Magsaysay Award

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• An Indian non-profit organisation, ‘Foundation to Educate Girls Globally’, dedicated to girls’ education, has been named a 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee. 

About Ramon Magsaysay

• Established: 1958, in memory of Ramon Magsaysay, the 7th President of the Philippines, known for his integrity, courage, and democratic leadership.
• Instituted by: The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), in partnership with the Philippine government.
• Administered by: The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), Manila.
• Nature: Recognizes individuals or organizations in Asia who show selfless service and transformative leadership.
• Prestige: Considered Asia’s highest honour, equivalent in stature to the Nobel Prize in Asia.
• From 1958 to 2008, the Award was given in six categories annually, these are:
  • Government Service, Public Service, Community Leadership, Journalism, Literature, Creative Communication Arts, Peace and International Understanding, and Emergent Leadership.
  • Starting in 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is no longer being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership.

Source: AIR