Speaking at the launch of the first national mediation conference organised by the Mediation Association of India (MIA), the President stressed on mediation to resolve disputes and lower the burden of courts across the country.
What is Mediation?
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential, and non-adversarial process where a neutral third party helps disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable solution.
It is one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms alongside arbitration, negotiation, and conciliation.
At the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar emphasized the global significance of the Arctic and India’s growing involvement in the region.
Arctic Region
It is a vast, diverse region spanning 24 time zones, eight countries, and three continents, with varying climatic conditions, development levels, and cultural landscapes.
It includes both ice-free areas, like parts of Norway and Northwest Russia, and ice-covered regions, such as Alaska and Canada.
The Union Agriculture Minister announced the development of two genome-edited rice varieties and said the technological advancement would lead to a second green revolution in the country.
What is Genome Editing?
Genome editing refers to a group of technologies that enable scientists to precisely modify the DNA of an organism.
One of the most advanced tools is CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-associated protein 9), which acts like molecular scissors to cut specific sections of DNA.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has notified the Biological Diversity (Access to Biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulation, 2025.
What is Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)?
ABS refers to the framework through which benefits arising from the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge are shared fairly and equitably with the communities that have conserved these resources.
It is a principle under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
India has restricted the flow of waters of Chenab at the Baglihar and Salal hydro-electric dams in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indus Treaty suspension.
About Chenab River
Origin: It is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, at Tandi in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
Known as Chandra-Bhaga in upper reaches, it becomes Chenab downstream.
