Daily Current Affairs – 05 June 2025

Government to Bring New National Policy on Senior Citizens

The Government of India is preparing a new National Policy for Senior Citizens in response to the country’s rapidly aging population. This policy, drafted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, aims to address critical challenges of accessibility, healthcare, emotional well-being, and digital inclusion faced by India’s elderly population.

India has over 140 million senior citizens today, and this number is expected to nearly double by 2050. Several schemes are already in place to support this demographic. The Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC) provides grant-in-aid to NGOs to run old age homes offering shelter, food, and medical care. The Elderline helpline (14567) is a national grievance redressal platform for senior citizens.

The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) provides free assistive devices to economically weaker elderly people suffering from age-related disabilities. The Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE) initiative promotes startups creating eldercare solutions, while the Geriatric Caregiver Training Scheme aims to professionalize caregiving.

Despite these efforts, many older adults remain underserved. The new policy is expected to integrate welfare with innovation, focusing on both state-led and market-based solutions for elder care.

Eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily

Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano located in Sicily, erupted again, drawing attention to Earth’s geological volatility. Classified as a stratovolcano (or composite volcano), Mount Etna is tall, steep, and prone to explosive eruptions due to its viscous magma.

This type of volcano differs from shield volcanoes like Hawaii’s Mauna Loa (which feature fluid lava and broad, gentle slopes), cinder cone volcanoes (small and steep, with single eruptions), and volcanic domes (formed by slow-moving lava, like Alaska’s Novarupta Dome).

Etna’s eruption serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with living in tectonically active zones. It affects not only local populations but also regional air travel, climate, and agricultural productivity. Global disaster preparedness mechanisms must include real-time seismic monitoring, early warning systems, and multilateral cooperation, especially in transboundary disaster zones.

Announcement of Census Dates

The Union Government has announced that Census 2021—delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—will be held in two phases between October 2026 and March 2027. This will be India’s first digital census and the first to include detailed caste data since 1931.

Conducted every 10 years, the census is essential for updating the National Population Register and informing government planning. Importantly, this census will determine the delimitation of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies, which is scheduled for after 2026.

Digital tools will play a key role, including mobile applications, biometric verification, and cloud-based data collection. This innovation, however, must be matched with cybersecurity preparedness and rural digital access. The caste enumeration, while helpful in shaping policies and welfare schemes, remains politically sensitive and must be handled transparently and ethically.

India’s First Variable-Speed Pumped Storage Plant

India achieved a major milestone in energy infrastructure with the operationalization of its first Variable Speed Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) at Tehri, Uttarakhand. THDC India Ltd., under the Ministry of Power, announced the commercial operation of the first 250 MW unit.

A PSP is a type of hydroelectric system where water is pumped to an upper reservoir during off-peak hours and released during peak demand to generate electricity. Variable-speed PSPs are superior to fixed-speed systems as they allow better load balancing, particularly when integrated with solar and wind power.

India’s transition to clean energy requires such storage solutions to handle renewable intermittency. The Tehri PSP is a foundational model that can be expanded across mountainous regions to ensure grid reliability and energy security.

World Environment Day 2025

World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 every year, focused in 2025 on plastic pollution and its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Plastic is a major pollutant impacting:

• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): By contaminating freshwater systems
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): By encouraging unsustainable use
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Due to the carbon footprint of plastic production and waste
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Where plastic constitutes 85% of marine debris

India has taken multiple steps including a ban on single-use plastics, EPR rules, and promotion of biodegradable alternatives. However, policy enforcement, awareness campaigns, and industrial cooperation are critical for actual impact. World Environment Day 2025 saw initiatives ranging from beach clean-ups to innovation showcases across Indian states.

Stampede in Bengaluru

A deadly stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium resulted in multiple deaths and raised urgent questions about public safety and crowd control. Stampedes are usually the result of uncontrolled crowd crushes rather than intentional pushing, often triggered by panic or poor planning.

India has a long list of tragic crowd incidents, including the Hathras (2024) and Mahakumbh (2025) stampedes. Despite SOPs from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), enforcement gaps remain.

Improved planning, AI-based crowd modeling, real-time monitoring, and public education campaigns are critical to preventing such incidents. An audit of high-footfall venues, pilgrimage sites, and stadiums is urgently needed.

India Wins IIAS Presidency (2025–2028)

India has secured the presidency of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for the 2025–2028 term. IIAS is a global federation dedicated to improving administrative governance. Member countries include Japan, China, Germany, South Africa, and others.

India has been a member since 1998, represented by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Under its presidency, India aims to promote e-governance, bureaucratic reform, and global knowledge exchange on public service innovation.

This is a diplomatic and strategic win, enabling India to share its administrative best practices like CPGRAMS, Aadhaar-enabled service delivery, and Direct Benefit Transfers with the Global South and beyond.

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