Why in news?

Recently, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark judgment to strengthen conservation of the Great Indian Bustard, focusing on preventing bird deaths caused by collisions with overhead power lines linked to renewable energy projects.

Acting on recommendations from an expert committee, the Court demarcated priority conservation areas for the critically endangered species and laid down a mechanism to reroute or manage overhead power lines in these zones.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background: What the Supreme Court Was Examining?
• Measures Ordered by the Supreme Court
• Conservation Measures Directed by the Supreme Court

Background: What the Supreme Court Was Examining

• A retired bureaucrat & environmentalist approached the Supreme Court of India seeking urgent protection for Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
• The petition flagged rising fatal collisions with renewable energy transmission lines in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Poor frontal vision and heavy body make GIBs highly vulnerable to overhead wires.
• Key Supreme Court Directions (2021–2024)
  • 2021 order - Ban on new overhead power lines across ~99,000 sq km of GIB habitat; Assessment of undergrounding high-voltage lines; Mandatory bird diverters
  • March 2024 modification
    • Withdrawal of blanket ban on overhead lines; Following concerns raised by the Ministry of Power, MNRE, and MoEFCC over feasibility and sector-wide impact.
• Balancing Conservation and Clean Energy
• Court acknowledged the need to balance:
  • Climate commitments and renewable energy expansion, and
  • Protection of a critically endangered species
  • Held that undergrounding alone is insufficient for conservation.
• It constituted an expert committee of wildlife and power-sector specialists.
• Basis of the Final Judgment
  • Expert committee recommendations guided the Court’s latest ruling.
  • The judgment introduced targeted safeguards for the GIB while accommodating India’s renewable energy goals.

Measures Ordered by the Supreme Court

• Acting on recommendations from an expert committee, the Supreme Court of India approved a package of measures across three pillars:
  • redrawing conservation zones;
  • voltage-based mitigation for power lines (rerouting or undergrounding);
  • creation of dedicated powerline corridors to reduce collision risk.
• Revised Priority Conservation Areas
  • Rajasthan: Priority areas expanded from 13,163 sq km to 14,013 sq km.
  • Gujarat: Priority areas increased from 500 sq km to 740 sq km.
  • These zones represent core habitats and breeding areas identified by the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
  • Contestation: Petitioners opposed the exclusion of 657 sq km (eastern Rasla–Degray Oran), arguing it is a vital wintering and stopover corridor between Pokhran and Desert National Park.
  • Critical sites prioritised include: Desert National Park; Salkha–Kuchri; Sanu–Mokla–Parewar; Pokhran Field Firing Range (PFFR) and its buffer/eastern periphery; Dholiya; Khetolai; and Chacha.
• Dedicated Powerline Corridors
  • Rajasthan: New powerline corridors up to 5 km wide, placed ≥5 km south of Desert National Park, to carry rerouted overhead lines.
  • Gujarat: Dedicated corridors of 1–2 km width to evacuate power from wind/solar projects in coastal Kutch.
  • Route optimisation mandate: Where multiple green-energy pooling stations terminate at a common grid station, authorities must converge routes into a common stretch wherever feasible.
• Project Restrictions in Priority Areas
  • No new overhead power lines within revised priority areas except via designated corridors (lines ≤11 kV exempt).
  • No new wind turbines in priority areas.
  • No new solar parks/plants >2 MW, and no expansion of existing solar parks, within priority areas.
• Voltage-Based Mitigation (Undergrounding & Timelines)
  • Rajasthan:
    • Immediate undergrounding of 80 km of 33 kV lines (of 104 km identified earlier).
    • All burying/rerouting to start immediately and finish before 2028.
  • Gujarat:
    • Immediate undergrounding of 79.2 km of 33 kV lines in priority areas.
    • 64.9 km of 66 kV lines earmarked for immediate undergrounding.
    • WII-identified 250 km of critical lines to be buried within 2 years.
• Bird Flight Diverters: Evidence-Based Pause
  • The Court did not issue blanket directions on installing bird flight diverters.
  • Instead, it directed the committee to assess their effectiveness in reducing collision mortality and submit findings to the Centre.

Conservation Measures Directed by the Supreme Court

• The apex court endorsed a mix of general and State-specific measures to strengthen conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), alongside the ongoing Project GIB.
• Measures for Rajasthan
  • Grassland Restoration and Consolidation - Priority on restoration, conservation, and consolidation of grassland ecosystems, the GIB’s primary habitat.
  • In-situ Habitat Management
    • To support survival in the wild, the Court directed:
    • Enclosure improvements to secure breeding and foraging areas
    • Predator management, including control of free-ranging dogs and reptiles that prey on eggs
    • Food and water management to stabilise resources
    • Community engagement to reduce human-wildlife conflict and support local stewardship
• Measures for Gujarat
  • ‘Jump-Start’ Breeding in the Wild
    • Adoption of a ‘jump-start’ method: transferring fertile eggs from Rajasthan to Gujarat.
    • Technique involves swapping an infertile egg with a fertile one, enabling the female to incubate and raise the chick in natural conditions.
  • Technology-Enabled Monitoring
    • GPS tagging of birds to track movements and support the jump-start breeding process and post-release monitoring.

About Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ):

• An EEZ is an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation’s territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources.
• The concept of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was adopted through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• Under international law, within its defined EEZ, a coastal nation has:
  • Sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources of the seabed, subsoil, and waters above it.
  • Jurisdiction as provided for in international law with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; and the protection and preservation of the marine environment.
  • Other rights and duties provided for under international law.
• UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) indicates that the coastal state determines the acceptable level of fishing quotas in its EEZ, with a focus on sustainable management.
• The coastal state is entitled to fish the entire quota or to award the surplus to other countries.
• Provisions under UNCLOS also provide for the regular exchange of information about the populations of resources in an EEZ in order to promote international scientific cooperation.
• EEZs have also been used to determine which country is responsible for removing marine hazards such as space debris.
• UNCLOS establishes rights for how other countries may access the waters in an EEZ.
  • Other States have the right for their ships and aircraft to traverse the EEZ and its airspace and to lay cables and pipelines.

What is the Territorial Sea?

• The territorial sea (also called territorial waters), under the UNCLOS, is that area of the sea immediately adjacent to the shores of a country and subject to the territorial jurisdiction of that country.
• Extend: The territorial sea extends to a limit of 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a country’s coast.
• Importance of Territorial waters:
  • Within its territorial waters, a country exercises full sovereignty over the air space above the sea and over the seabed and subsoil.
  • The government can legislate on matters concerning the safety of navigation, the preservation of the environment, and the prevention, reduction, and control of pollution within its territorial waters.
  • Resource use within the territorial sea is strictly reserved to the coastal nation.
  • All countries have the right of innocent passage (passage that is not prejudicial to the security of the coastal country) through the territorial sea of another country, although there is no right of innocent airspace passage.

About Kanger Valley National Park:

• It is located in Chhattisgarh.
• The National Park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows centrally from the Northwest to the Southeast direction.
  • The Kanger River is a tributary of the Kolab River, which ultimately joins the Godavari River.
• Topography: It features low flatlands, gentle slopes, steep inclines, plateaus, deep gorges, valleys, and winding stream courses.
• Tirathgarh Falls, which originates from the Kanger River, presents an enchanting view.
• The national park has the famous Kotumsar, Kailash, and Dandak caves.
• Flora: Blend of mixed moist deciduous type of forests with the predominance of Sal, teak, and bamboo.
• Fauna:
  • Major wild animals include tigers, mouse deer, leopards, wildcat, sambar, chital, barking deer, langurs, jackals, rhesus macaque, flying squirrel, etc.
  • The aerial fauna at the park consists of common hill myna, red jungle fowl, spotted owlet, racket-tailed drongos, parrots, etc.

About Anopheles stephensi:

• It is an invasive mosquito species originating from parts of Southeast Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
• It is a major malaria vector.
• It has recently spread to parts of Africa, posing a growing public-health concern.
• Unlike most malaria vectors, it is adept at colonizing urban environments.
• It can breed in tiny amounts of water year-round and has made a comfortable home in urban areas.
• Throughout its natural range, Anopheles stephensi is an important vector for both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.
• In urban areas, An. stephensi is found throughout the year but is most abundant in the summer months (between June and August), which coincides with the peak period of malaria transmission.

About Santhali Language:

• The Santhali language, which was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution through the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003, is one of the most ancient living languages of India.
• It is spoken by a significant number of tribal people in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar.
• It is primarily used by the Santhal tribal community.
• It is also spoken in Nepal and Bangladesh.
• In India, it is spoken by an estimated 7 million people, according to recent census data.
• It is a member of the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family, which is an ancient family of languages spoken across parts of South and Southeast Asia.
• It is quite distinct from the Indo-European language family of languages spoken in much of India.
• It is closely related to other Munda languages, such as Ho, Mundari, and Korku.
  • These languages share common features such as their agglutinative nature (where words are formed by stringing together smaller units of meaning) and their use of tones.
• Santhali has a unique and rich tradition, with its own script and oral literature, reflecting the culture and beliefs of the Santhal tribe.
• Santhali uses the Ol Chiki script, a writing system that was developed in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu, a Santhal scholar and writer.

About Global Capability Centres (GCCs):

• Global Capability Centres (GCCs), or Captive Centres, are offshore offices or subsidiaries set up by multinational corporations (MNCs) to handle various business processes and services.
• GCCs connect organizations to a global pool of top-tier talent, equipped with the latest technology and training needed to stay ahead of industry trends, continually innovate, and create sustained growth.
• These centres are responsible for a wide range of tasks, including IT support, research and development (R&D), data analytics, finance, human resources, and other back-office functions.
• Over time, many GCCs have evolved from being simple support centres to becoming strategic hubs that drive innovation and high-value business functions.
• GCCs in India:
  • Earlier, GCCs were established in India primarily to reap cost benefits.
  • Customer support, data processing, and IT services that these centres mainly focused on.
  • Due to its abundant skilled labour force and lower operational cost, India proved to be an ideal location for setting up GCCs.
  • However, GCCs have evolved over time to expand massively and now include critical business functions such as R&D, analytics, digital transformation, and innovation.
  • Key GCC hubs are located in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

About Rabies:

• Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease.
• It is caused by the Rabies virus (RABV) which affects the central nervous system.
• It infects mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife.
• It is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)that predominantly affects already marginalized, poor and vulnerable populations.
• Transmission: It spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites, scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth, or open wounds).
• Clinically, it has two forms: 
  • Furious rabies: It is characterized by hyperactivity and hallucinations.
  • Paralytic rabies: It is characterized by paralysis and coma.
• Symptoms of Rabies:
  • The incubation period for rabies is typically 2–3 monthsbut may vary from one week to one year.
  • Initial symptoms include generic signs like fever, pain, and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking, or burning sensations at the wound site. 
  • As the virus moves to the central nervous system, progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord develops. 
  • Once the virus infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms appear, rabies is fatal in 100% of cases.
• Prevention: Vaccinating dogs, including puppies, is the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people because it stops the transmission at its source.

About Veer Bal Diwas:

• It is observed on December 26 every year, since 2022.
• It is commemorated in remembrance of the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh ji’s (the tenth Sikh Guru) sons Sahibzada Zorawar Singh ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh ji.
• The objective is to honour the bravery of the two young heroes of the country.
• Historical Context of Veer Bal Diwas:
  • Guru Gobind Singh, along with his family and disciples, were compelled to flee as the Mughal Army encircled the Anandpur fort.
  • During the chaos, Guru Gobind Singh’s youngest sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were captured by the Mughal forces.
  • The two young boys courageously refused to abandon their faith, and consequently they were bricked alive on December 26, 1704.

Key facts about Guru Gobind Singh:

• Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh guru, following the demise of his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
• Contribution to Sikh religion:
  • He is renowned for founding the principles of Khalsaor the Five ‘K’s i.e kesh (uncut hair), kanga (wooden comb), kara (iron or steel bracelet), kirpan (dagger) and kachera (short breeches).
  • He fought against the Mughals in the Battle of Muktsar in 1705.
  • He declared Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhism’s holy scripture in 1708, before his death.

About National Council for Cement and Building Materials:

• It was established in 1962 as an apex research and development organization.
• Objective: To promote research and scientific work connected with cement and building materials trade and industry.
• It functions under the administrative control of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
• Functions of National Council for Cement and Building Materials:
  • NCB’s areas of work span over the entire spectrum of cement manufacturing and usage.
  • It serves as the nodal agency for providing the Government the necessary support for formulation of its policy and planning activities related to growth and development of cement industry.
  • It is devoted to protect the interests of consumers of cement and concrete in the country.
• It has its corporate centre and main laboratories located at Ballabgarh (near New Delhi).
• It has well established regional centre at Hyderabad and a Centre at Ahmedabad (Gujarat) &