About Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI):

• It is a government-funded organization that conducts anthropological research and studies on the diverse cultures of India.
• It is the only research organization to pursue anthropological research in the Central Government under the Ministry of Culture.
• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal.
• It was established in 1945 under the leadership of Dr. S.C. Roy, a renowned anthropologist.
• AnSI was initially set up to study the tribes and castes of India and their way of life.
• AnSI’s early research focused on collecting ethnographic data on the different tribes and castes of India, including their social structure, kinship system, religious beliefs, and economic activities.
• Over the years, AnSI has expanded its research ambit to include the study of the entire gamut of Indian society, including the rural and urban population, the marginalized sections, and the diaspora.

Principle Objectives of AnSI:

• To research the tribes and other groups that make up India’s population from a biological and cultural perspective.
• To examine and conserve human skeletal remains from both contemporary and archaic times.
• To gather examples of Indian tribal arts and crafts.
• To serve as a training ground for management and advanced anthropology students.
• To publish the research’s findings.

• AnSI has several branches located in different parts of India, including Delhi, Lucknow, Shillong, and Pune.
• AnSI has a multidisciplinary team of anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, archaeologists, and other allied professionals who conduct research and studies on various aspects of Indian society.
• AnSI’s research findings are published in its various publications, including the Journal of Anthropological Survey of India, Occasional Papers, and Monographs.

About Apristurus drona:

• Apristurus Drona, or the Arabian slender catshark, is a new species of deep-sea catshark.
• It was discovered in the Arabian Sea off the Sakthikulangara harbour on the Kollam coast of Kerala.
• The species forms a distinct evolutionary lineage and is closely related to catshark species found in the Pacific Ocean and New Zealand.
• It appears to be extremely rare, occurring along the continental slope off Kollam and around the Wadge Bank.
• It has no commercial value and is only occasionally encountered in fishery bycatch.

What are Catsharks?

• A catshark is any of more than 150 species of small mottled sharks (order Carcharhiniformes).
• They have slender bodies and eyes that are elongated, giving them a catlike appearance.
• Cat sharks prey on invertebrates and small fishes.
• They have been found in all major marine environments of the tropical and temperate regions, although many bottom-dwelling species are rare and poorly understood.
• No species is known to be aggressive toward humans.

About Vaigai River:

• It is an important river in Tamil Nadu
• Course:
  • It begins its journey in the Varusanadu Hills, which are part of the Western Ghats.
  • It flows east across the state, passing by the famous city of Madurai.
  • Eventually, the Vaigai River flows into the Palk Strait, near the Ramanathapuram district.
• The river also creates the beautiful Vattaparai Falls.
• Vaigai gets major feed from the Periyar Dam in Kumuli, Kerala.
  • Water from the Periyar River in Kerala is diverted into the Vaigai River via a tunnel through the Western Ghats.
• Major Tributaries: Suruli River, Mullaiyaar River, Varaha River, and Manjal River.
• The Vaigai Dam is built across the river near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu.
  • It provides water for irrigation for the Madurai district and the Dindigul district as well as drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti.

About Sarinda:

• It is a bowed string musical instrument which is crafted from a single block of wood with a hollow resonator.
• It is associated with the indigenous communities of Tripura an used during folk performances and other indigenous musical expressions.
• It is also known as Sarinda Uakhrap.
• Features of Sarinda:
  • It is specially made of bamboo.
  • It also has an oval shaped void wooden vibrating chamber which is covered with a thin skin.
  • The middle portion is large and the edges are wide. The cave portion is uncovered.
  • In the top portion three pegs are fitted in order to fasten the strings. The strings are either metal or of the thread of Muga or animals gut.
• It is played by a crude "bow" that is made of horse hair.
• Other GI-tagged products from Tripura: Tripura Queen Pineapple, Risa and Pachra, also known as Rignai, and Matabari Peda.

About Ecologically Sensitive Area:

• ESAs, also called Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are designated regions identified for special environmental protection because of their rich biodiversity, fragile ecosystems or critical ecological functions.
• The Central Government can notify certain areas as Ecologically Sensitive Areas under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• Under this recognition certain activities are prohibited, some are tightly regulated, while others are encouraged to ensure development does not come at the cost of ecological damage.
• Getting an ESA status also means that any development project in the area will be subject to stricter environmental scrutiny.
• Significance of ESZ:
  • Eco-Sensitive Zones are created as “shock absorbers” for the protected areas, to minimize the negative impact on the “fragile ecosystems” by certain human activities taking place nearby.
  • These areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher protection to those requiring lesser protection.

About Nirbhay Chetna Initiative:

• It is a key intervention under the Nirbhay Raho initiative.
• It is a first-of-its-kind national initiative implemented under the Nirbhaya Fund.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• It seeks to strengthen gender-responsive governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions by building awareness, accountability and community leadership among elected representatives.
• It is a landmark national initiative on the sensitisation of men towards women-related issues, including women’s safety and security that aims to strengthen gender-responsive governance at the grassroots level.
• Components of Nirbhay Raho:
  • Nirbhay Chetna seeks to sensitise elected male representatives on gender equality and women’s safety;
  • Nirbhay Netri focuses on capacity-building and legal awareness among elected women representatives;
  • Nirbhay Drishti envisages the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic rural locations to strengthen technology-enabled safety infrastructure in Panchayats.

About Lake Baikal:

• Location: It is located in the southern part of eastern Siberia, south-central Russia, near the border with
• It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth.
• It is the world’s largest freshwater lake. 
• It is also the world’s deepest lake.
• There are 45 islands and islets in Lake Baikal, of which Olkhon is the largest island.
• Rivers: Barguzini, Selenga, Upper Angara, Sarma, and Turka are the major rivers that drain into the lake.
• It has only one outlet, the Angara River.
• It is also home to the Buryat people, who follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion and reside on the eastern side of the lake, rearing goats, camels, cattle, and sheep.
• The lake was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

About  Ambubachi Mela:

• The Ambubachi festival is held during the monsoon, generally in June at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
• It is a shrine to the Goddess Kamakhya and one of the most important centres of Tantrik Shaktism.
• The period of Ambubachi is believed to be the period of the goddess’s annual menstruation, and the shrine is closed for this.
• The festival is associated with fertility, with the onset of monsoon, and the common historical association across cultures of the Earth as a fertile woman. The name ‘Ambubachi’ itself translates to water flowing.

Key Facts about the Kamakhya Temple  

• Location: It is situated on Nilachal Hill and adjoining the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
• It is one of the most revered centres of Tantric practices. It is regarded as one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. 
• Temple Architecture of Kamakhya Temple:
  • It had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles namely, the traditional nagara and Saracenic or Mughal style of architecture.
  • This unusual combination has been named the Nilachala Style of Architecture.
  • This is the only temple of Assam having a fully developed ground plan.
  • It consists of five chambers, garbhagriha, antarala, Jagan Mohan, bhogmandir  and natmandir or opera hall for performing traditional dance and music associated with sukti temples.
  • The superstructure of each of the above chambers exhibits different architectural features.
  • The main temple contains a modified Saracenic dome, the antarala carries a two-roofed design, the bhogmandir with five domes similar in appearance to the main temple and the natmandir having a shell-roof with apsidal end similar to some of the impermanent namghars or prayer halls found in Assam.

About Bolivia:

• Location: It is a landlocked country located in west-central South America.
• Bordering countries: It is bordered by 5 countries: by Brazil to the north and east; by Paraguay to the southeast; by Argentina to the south; by Chile to the southwest and by Peru to the northwest.
• Capital City: The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive capital is La Paz.
• Geographical Features of Bolivia:
  • Terrain: Bolivia's geography is diverse, featuring high mountains, plateaus, and low plains.
  • Mountain Range: The Andes Mountains dominate the west, with the Cordillera Occidental along the Chilean border, and the Cordillera Oriental to the east.
  • Highest Point: It is Nevado Sajama
  • Rivers: Important ones include the Beni, Desaquadero, Guapore, Madre de Dios and Mamore.
  • Lakes: Lake Titicaca is situated between Peru to the west and Bolivia to the east is the largest freshwater lake in South America and the highest of the world's large lakes.
  • Natural Resources: It has significant deposits of natural gas and vast reserves of minerals such as tin, silver, zinc, and lithium.

Why in news?

The Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification, currently valid until the end of July 2026, is once again in focus. Six state governments continue to resist finalisation of ESA boundaries, even as a fresh expert committee works toward a resolution.

The debate captures a fundamental tension in Indian environmental governance — conservation versus development.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• What Are the Western Ghats and Why Do They Matter
• What Is an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)?
• The Two Panels: Gadgil vs. Kasturirangan
• A Decade of Draft Notifications and Deadlock
• Why Are States Opposing the ESA?
• The 2022 Expert Committee: A Fresh Attempt

What Are the Western Ghats and Why Do They Matter?

• The Western Ghats are a nearly unbroken mountain chain stretching 1,500 km along India's western coast.
• Second only to the Himalayas in ecological importance, the Ghats are one of the eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity in the entire world. They harbour hundreds of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth.
• The Ghats are not just ecologically rich — they are hydrologically critical. They act as a physical barrier against moisture-carrying monsoon winds, channelling heavy rainfall onto the coastal side.
• This rainfall feeds major rivers including the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, and Periyar — rivers that sustain the livelihoods of millions across peninsular India.
• Importantly, unlike most protected ecosystems, the Western Ghats are densely populated and economically active.
• The region is famous for cash crops — pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coffee, mango, and jackfruit.
• It spans six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
• This combination of ecological fragility and human habitation is at the heart of the ESA dispute.

What Is an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)?

• Under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the Central Government can notify certain areas as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) — also called Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs).
• The idea is to regulate or prohibit activities that could damage fragile ecosystems.
• In an ESA, activities like mining, quarrying, red-category polluting industries, thermal power plants, and large construction and townships are either banned or heavily regulated.
• ESAs have previously been notified around Dahanu (Maharashtra), Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani, and the Doon Valley.

The Two Panels: Gadgil vs. Kasturirangan

• The Gadgil Panel (2011)
  • The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, chaired by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, submitted its report in 2011.
  • It took a strict position: the entire 1,29,037 sq km of the Ghats should be designated as ESA, with heavy cross-sectoral restrictions on development activities.
  • States and local communities found this too restrictive and strongly opposed it.
• The Kasturirangan Panel (2013)
  • Given the political resistance to the Gadgil report, the Centre set up a high-level working group under K. Kasturirangan, former chief of ISRO. His panel took a more calibrated approach.
  • The panel identified 1,64,280 sq km as the Ghats' total extent. Of this, it found that 60% was already "cultural landscape" — land under human use: settlements, plantations, and agriculture.
  • The remaining 40% (approximately 60,000 sq km) was classified as "natural landscape" — high biological richness, low human density, and home to national parks, tiger reserves, and elephant habitats.
  • The panel recommended that only this 60,000 sq km natural landscape be notified as ESA, along with a ban on the most damaging industrial activities.
  • The then government accepted this in principle in December 2013.

A Decade of Draft Notifications and Deadlock

• The Centre issued its first draft ESA notification in March 2014, demarcating 56,825.7 sq km — already reduced from the 60,000 sq km recommended by Kasturirangan.
• Since 2014, the ESA draft notification has been issued and revised six times. The latest notification was issued on July 31, 2024, and is valid until the end of July 2026.
• Each time, the Environment Ministry has sought state approval on final ESA boundaries. Each time, states have returned with fresh demands or remained deadlocked.
• A notable change in the July 2024 notification: for the first time, it introduced a provision to finalise ESA in a phased, state-wise manner — rather than waiting for all six states to agree simultaneously.
• This allows the Centre to proceed with states where consensus is closer, without being held back by the more resistant ones.

Why Are States Opposing the ESA?

• The core objection is economic. States fear that ESA notification will impose severe restrictions on industrial activity, mining, quarrying, and construction in their territories.
• Karnataka has been the most resistant. It has completely rejected the Kasturirangan panel recommendations and remains far from consensus.
• Kerala has sought to reduce its notified area from 9,993.7 sq km by another approximately 1,000 sq km. It wants villages in Idukki — particularly in the Cardamom Hills — excluded, citing active plantation and agricultural activity.
• Maharashtra has sought exclusion of 378 villages from the 2,133 listed in the draft, arguing these villages host industries, mining operations, or are geographically distant from core ESA zones.
• Goa, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu have also raised objections, though the most acute tensions remain in Kerala and Karnataka.

The 2022 Expert Committee: A Fresh Attempt

• In 2022, the Centre constituted a new expert committee under Sanjay Kumar, former Director General of Forests, to re-examine state objections while keeping conservation needs in view.
• It has been working to resolve ground-level disputes — reconciling village-level data, revenue records, and satellite imagery.
• Notably, the committee is also considering financial incentives for states that protect the Ghats.
  • The Kasturirangan panel had recommended that the six states negotiate for a grant-in-aid from the Centre as compensation for ecological protection.
• The concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) — where states receive financial compensation for the ecological services their forests provide (clean water, carbon sequestration, biodiversity) — is also on the table.

Conclusion

• The Western Ghats debate is not just about land demarcation. It is about how India balances ecological survival with economic development — a question central to India's climate commitments, disaster preparedness, and long-term water security.
• The region has already seen the consequences of ecological degradation. Landslides and floods — including the devastating 2018 and 2019 Kerala floods — have been partly attributed to deforestation and unregulated construction in ecologically sensitive zones.
• Civil society groups in Kerala, Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra have simultaneously protested demanding both stronger protection and exclusion of their villages — reflecting the internal contradictions within states themselves.