About Potomac River:

• It is a river in the east central United States.
• Course:
  • It rises in North and South branches in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia.
  • It flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., before entering Chesapeake Bay, the largest U.S. estuary.
• It is the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast and the 21st largest in the United States.
• The Potomac’s tributaries include the Shenandoah, the Monocacy, and the Anacostia.
• The river is navigable to Washington, D.C., above which it descends from the Piedmont in a series of rapids and falls, including Great Falls, a cataract about 35 feet (11 metres) high.
• The Potomac, noted for its beauty, is also rich in historical significance.
  • The Potomac River is situated in an area rich in American history, which has led to the river's nickname, "The Nation's River".
  • During the Civil War, the Potomac River divided the Union from the Confederacy. It also gave name to the Union's largest army, the Army of the Potomac.
  • In 1864, Washington, D.C. began using the Potomac River as its principal source of drinking water when the Washington Aqueduct was opened.
  • Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, is on its banks below Washington, D.C.
  • The river’s name derives from “Patawomeck,” as it was recorded by the colonist John Smith in 1608.

About National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC):

• It is a Government of India undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• NBCFDC was incorporated on 13th January, 1992, under the Companies Act, 1956 (currently a company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013), as a non-profit entity.
• The objective of the corporation is to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of the backward classes and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures.
• The mission of NBCFDC is to provide concessional financial assistance to eligible members of the Backward Classes for self-employment ventures and skill development
• NBCFDC provides financial assistance through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the State Governments/UTs and Banks (PSBs & RRBs).
• The schemes introduced under NBCFDC are listed below:
  • General Loan Scheme
  • Micro Finance Scheme
  • Skill Development Training Programme
  • Vocational Education and Training Loan Scheme (VETLS)
  • Technology Upgradation of Clusters

About MyLIC and Super Sales Saathi:

• These are two advanced mobile applications launched by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC); MyLIC for customers and Super Sales Saathi for its vast network of
• MyLIC App:
  • It offers a comprehensive, 360-degree digital experience, integrating multiple services into a single platform.
  • Designed to reduce paperwork and improve convenience, it empowers policyholders to manage their insurance needs
  • Key features include:
    • View and manage entire insurance portfolio in one place
    • Instant premium payments
    • Real-time tracking of policy benefits
    • Paperless policy loans
    • Online policy updates and revival of lapsed policies
    • Digital purchase of new insurance plans
    • Fast and secure e-KYC
  • The app aims to put customers in control of their financial protection journey while ensuring faster and more transparent services.
• Super Sales Saathi App:
  • It is tailored for LIC's intermediaries and agents, enabling them to enhance productivity and customer service through advanced digital tools.
  • Key capabilities include:
    • Digital sales and marketing tools
    • Real-time policy status tracking
    • Automated reminders for follow-ups
    • Integrated communication with customers
    • AI-driven insights to improve customer value
    • Digital sales kits and product explainers
    • Performance dashboards for tracking targets and achievements
  • This platform is expected to significantly improve efficiency across LIC's vast distribution network.
• Both applications are built on LIC's DIVE (Digital Innovation & Value Enhancement) platform, which provides a secure, integrated, and scalable digital infrastructure.
  • The platform is designed to deliver a seamless experience across customers, intermediaries, and employees—ensuring faster processing, enhanced security, and improved service delivery.

About Scarborough Shoal:

• It is a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, claimed by both China and the Philippines as part of their territory.
• It is called Huangyan Island by China and Panatag Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines.
• It was named for the HMS Scarborough, an English ship chartered by the East India Company that struck the atoll in the 18th century.
• It is the largest atoll in the South China Sea.
• Most of the atoll is submerged at high tide, but several rocks, the most prominent of which is called South Rock, remain above water.
• What is the Dispute?
  • China’s claim: China makes a historical claim to the area, stating that they can trace their ownership of the area back to the Yuan Dynasty of the 1200s.
  • Philippines claim: The Philippines claim the area on the basis of geography, as it is much closer to the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, which contains the capital, Manila, but lies over 500 miles from China.
• It is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• There are no structures built on Scarborough Shoal, but the feature is effectively controlled by China, which has maintained a constant coast guard presence at the feature since 2012.
• Commercial Significance: The surrounding waters have rich fishing grounds, and the seabed is believed to hold substantial mineral resources, including petroleum and natural gas.

About Andaman Sea:

• It is a semi-enclosed marginal sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean.
• Borders:
  • It lies between the eastern coast of India and the Malay Peninsula, with Myanmar to the north and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the south.
  • The Bay of Bengal bounds the Andaman Sea to the west and the Strait of Malacca to the east.
  • It is a complex geological region with a tectonically active plate boundary.
• It is part of the larger Sunda Plate, which the Indian Plate borders to the northwest and the Australian Plate to the southeast.
• Climate: The climate of the Andaman Sea is tropical, with two distinct seasons: the southwest monsoon (May-September) and the northeast monsoon (November-February)
• Biodiversity: It is home to extensive coral reef systems, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests, which provide critical habitats for a multitude of marine organisms.

About Tibetan Antelope:

• The Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) is a medium-sized antelope.
• Appearance
  • Male Tibetan antelopes are significantly larger than females, and can also be readily distinguished by the presence of horns and by black stripes on the legs, both of which the females lack.
  • The fur of Tibetan antelopes is distinctive, and consists of long guard hair and a silky undercoat of shorter fibers.
• Habitat: They inhabit in open alpine, montane valleys, and cold steppe environments with sparse vegetation cover.
• Distribution: They are found almost entirely in China, where they inhabit Tibet, southern Xinjiang, and western Qinghai; a few are also found across the border in Chang Thang, Ladakh, India.
• Migration: They are a migratory species, often travelling as much as 400 kilometres between their summer and winter grounds.
• Diet: They are herbivores (folivores, graminivores) and feed on forbs, grasses, herbs, shrubland, and sedges.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

What are Shahtoosh shawls?

• These are made from the hair of the Tibetan Antelope.
• It offers high levels of smoothness and warmth, Shahtoosh shawls became a highly expensive commodity.
• The Shahtoosh shawl trade has been banned globally since 1975 under CITES.

About Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccine:

• It is the live attenuated vaccine form of Mycobacterium bovis.
• It is used to prevent tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections.
• Developed By: It was developed by Calmette and Guérin and was first administered to human beings in 1921.
• It is the only vaccine against tuberculosis.
• It is the most widely administered vaccine and usually a part of the routine newborn immunization schedule.
• Other Uses:
  • It also offers protection against non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections like leprosy and Buruli ulcer.
  • It is also used in the treatment of superficial carcinoma of the bladder.
• The vaccine is administered intradermally.
• It has two components, a freeze-dried vaccine and a diluent to be used to reconstitute the vaccine, presented in amber glass ampoules and colourless ampoules respectively.

Key facts about Tuberculosis (TB)

• It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs.
• It is curable and preventable disease
• Transmission:
  • TB is spread from person to person through the air.
  • When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
  • Even after inhaling a few drops of these germs, a person can get infected.
• Symptoms of TB
  • Persistent cough for more than 3 weeks, often with blood
  • Weight loss, night sweats, high fever, fatigue, Loss of appetite, chest pain, swollen lymph nodes.
• Treatment: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine provides moderate protection, mainly for severe TB in infants and children.

Why in news?

Parliament’s Budget Session has reconvened to consider two major constitutional changes that could significantly reshape Indian democracy.

The first proposes expanding the Lok Sabha from 543 to up to 850 seats through a new delimitation exercise led by a Delimitation Commission. The second links this process to the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act (2023), which provides for one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies, pending seat reallocation.

Together, these reforms aim to make India’s democratic system more representative, inclusive, and equitable.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Delimitation Fast-Tracked to Enable Women’s Reservation
• Constitutional Basis of Delimitation in India
• Government’s Delimitation Proposal: Key Changes
• Delimitation Debate: Balancing Representation and Vote Value
• Opposition Criticism and Government Response on Delimitation Bills

Delimitation Fast-Tracked to Enable Women’s Reservation

• Although women’s reservation was constitutionally approved in 2023, its implementation was tied to a delimitation exercise expected after the post-2026 Census.
• The government has now decided to expedite delimitation by amending provisions that had earlier imposed a freeze on it.
• This move makes delimitation the central focus of the current Parliamentary session, aimed at enabling the early rollout of women’s reservation in elections.

Constitutional Basis of Delimitation in India

• Delimitation is guided by the constitutional principle that each vote should carry equal weight.
• This requires constituencies across the country to have roughly equal populations, ensuring fair representation.
• Constitutional Provisions Governing Delimitation
  • Article 82 mandates the readjustment of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies after every Census, which may involve changing seat numbers or boundaries.
  • Article 81 ensures that the ratio of population to seats is similar across states, so MPs represent comparable population sizes.
  • This framework also applies to state Assemblies.
• Freeze on Delimitation Since 1976
  • Delimitation has not been conducted since 1976, primarily due to concerns from states with slower population growth.
    • A 1976 Constitutional amendment froze delimitation for 25 years.
    • In 2001, the freeze was extended for another 25 years until 2026.
  • These states feared a loss of representation compared to faster-growing states.
• Emerging Debate on Ending the Freeze
  • The current government has indicated it will not extend the freeze beyond 2026.
  • However, states with slower population growth remain concerned about widening representation disparities due to demographic differences.

Government’s Delimitation Proposal: Key Changes

• The government has proposed increasing the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to up to 850 seats (815 from States and 35 from Union Territories).
• While earlier assurances suggested a uniform 50% increase across states, the Bill does not explicitly guarantee this.
• The idea of proportional increase was aimed at protecting states with slower population growth from losing representation.
• However, the absence of a clear provision in the Bill leaves uncertainty over seat distribution.
• Major Constitutional Changes Proposed
  • Delinking Delimitation from Census - The amendment removes the requirement of conducting delimitation after every Census. Delimitation can now be carried out whenever Parliament approves it.
  • Flexible Use of Census Data - Instead of using the latest Census, Parliament can decide which Census to use. This changes the definition of population from “last preceding Census” to “as determined by Parliament”.
  • Enabling Immediate Delimitation - The changes allow the government to conduct delimitation based on the 2011 Census, without waiting for the next Census (expected around 2027). This provides greater flexibility in seat allocation and timing.

Delimitation Debate: Balancing Representation and Vote Value

• Uncertainty Over Seat Allocation - The absence of a clear provision for a uniform 50% increase in seats across states has created uncertainty, potentially leading to political disagreements over seat distribution.
• Trade-off: Proportionality vs Equality - A flat increase in seats across states may preserve existing representation proportions, but it would undermine the principle of “one vote, one value”, as population differences remain unaddressed.
• Unequal Value of Votes
  • Currently, disparities already exist:
    • An MP in Himachal Pradesh represents ~17.16 lakh people
    • An MP in Haryana represents ~25.35 lakh people
  • This means a voter in Haryana has less representational weight than one in Himachal Pradesh.
  • The goal of delimitation is to minimise such disparities by aligning constituencies closely with population size, ensuring more equal representation.
• Impact of Population-Based Redistribution
  • Strict population-based seat allocation could significantly alter state representation:
    • Uttar Pradesh seats may rise from 80 to around 140
    • Tamil Nadu may increase only marginally (39 to ~51)
  • This could lead to major shifts in political power among states.

Opposition Criticism and Government Response on Delimitation Bills

• Opposition parties argue that the Bills do not guarantee maintaining the existing proportion of seats across states, contradicting earlier government assurances.
• They contend that the proposals may benefit states with higher population growth, effectively “rewarding” those that did not successfully implement family planning.
• The Opposition has also criticised the idea of a 50% increase in seats for all states, warning that it would widen the absolute gap between states with stabilised and growing populations.
• Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy proposed a hybrid model combining population with economic indicators like GSDP.
• Government’s Response
  • Proposal to Add a Schedule - The government has indicated it will include a Schedule in the Bill specifying the proportionate increase in seats for each state.
  • Addressing Southern States’ Concerns - This move aims to reassure southern states that their share of Lok Sabha seats will not decline.
  • Greater Transparency in Allocation - The Schedule is expected to provide clear details on seat distribution, helping reduce uncertainty and political opposition.