24th June 2026

Explanation – Kamakhya, atop Nilachal Hills in Guwahati, is one of 51 Shaktipeeths or seat of Shakti followers, each representing a body part of the Sati, Lord Shiva's companion.

• There is no idol in the temple; the goddess is worshipped in the form of a yoni-like stone over which a natural spring flows.
• Ambubachi Mela is also known as 'Mahakumbh of the East' as it draws lakhs of devotees from all over the world.

Explanation – It is a government-funded organisation that conducts anthropological research and studies on the diverse cultures of India. It is the only research organisation 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 marginalised sections, and the diaspora.

Explanation –

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.

Explanation – 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.

Explanation – 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.