In News:

• India will host the FATF Private Sector Collaborative Forum (PSCF) 2025 in Mumbai from March 25-27, 2025. This event will focus on global priorities such as payment transparency, financial inclusion, and the digital transformation of financial systems.
• The forum will be a critical platform for addressing the evolving challenges of money laundering and terrorist financing through the use of digital tools and enhanced transparency.

Key Agenda

The discussions at PSCF 2025 will revolve around tackling contemporary financial crimes, including those linked to cryptocurrency-related laundering. Key topics will include:

• Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CFT) compliance mechanisms.
• Promoting financial inclusion through risk-based supervision of regulated entities.
• Enhancing transparency in beneficial ownership and using digital tools to bolster AML/CFT measures.
• Addressing emerging risks, including terrorist financing and proliferation financing.

The forum will also assess how the private sector can enhance information-sharing practices to address these threats more effectively.

About FATF

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris, is an intergovernmental body that sets international standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The FATF’s mission is to develop policies, establish guidelines, and promote global cooperation to mitigate the financial risks associated with these crimes.

• Headquarters: Paris, France.
• Membership: FATF has 39 member countries, including major economies such as the United States, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and theEuropean Union.
• Regional Bodies: In addition to its direct members, FATF affiliates over 180 countries through FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs) like the Asia Pacific Group (APG) and the Eurasian Group.
• FATF Recommendations are recognized as the global standard for AML/CFT measures.

FATF evaluates countries' efforts to comply with these standards, providing assessments and promoting policy changes to counteract financial crimes. Countries that fail to comply may be placed on the grey list or blacklist.

FATF Grey and Black Lists

Countries that fail to meet FATF standards are placed on one of two lists:

• Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs), which directly support terrorist financing and money laundering. North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar are currently on this list.
• Grey List: Countries considered at risk of supporting financial crimes but not yet fully engaging in those activities. Being on the grey list serves as a warning, with the risk of moving to the blacklist if improvements are not made.

Countries on the blacklist face severe international sanctions, including restrictions on financial aid and economic interactions from organizations like the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.

India's Role in FATF

India became a member of FATF in 2010 and has made significant strides in improving its AML/CFT frameworks. In 2024, FATF acknowledged India’s efforts towards anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing, placing it in the "regular follow-up" category for continued compliance.

The upcoming PSCF 2025 will be a milestone in India’s ongoing commitment to global financial security, as it seeks to enhance international collaboration and discuss innovative ways to address evolving threats in financial crimes.

In News:

• The Global Environmental Data Strategy (GEDS), spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a comprehensive framework designed to address the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
• GEDS aims to leverage high-quality, accessible environmental data to support informed decision-making, foster innovative digital solutions, and promote sustainable development.
• The strategy is currently under development, with UNEP working to finalize it by December 2025. It emphasizes overcoming barriers such as data fragmentation, lack of interoperability, and limited access, which hinder the effective use of environmental data.

Key Focus Areas of GEDS

The GEDS framework is built around five key pillars that focus on overcoming challenges and unlocking the potential of environmental data:

• Data Quality and Provenance:
  • Establishing standardized frameworks and mechanisms to classify and ensure the accuracy of environmental data.
  • Focusing on data quality and developing systems to trace its origin (provenance).
• Data Governance:
  • Promoting ethical and sustainable methodologies for managing environmental data.
  • Developing governance models to ensure data is managed in a transparent and responsible way.
• Data Interoperability:
  • Federating global and thematic data standards to allow seamless data sharing and integration.
  • Ensuring that data across different platforms and systems can communicate with each other, facilitating better collaboration.
• Inclusive Data Access:
  • Ensuring open, affordable, and machine-readable access to environmental data for all stakeholders.
  • Addressing issues related to data discoverability and making data AI-ready to foster innovative solutions.
• Capacity-Building:
  • Enhancing the skills and knowledge needed for effective data collection, governance, and use.
  • Focusing on strengthening global initiatives, particularly in the Global South, to improve data management capabilities and foster inclusive participation.

Significance of GEDS

• Tackling Environmental Crises: GEDS provides a data-driven approach to addressing the challenges of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, aligning with global efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Supporting Informed Decision-Making: By ensuring the availability of high-quality environmental data, GEDS helps governments, organizations, and communities make evidence-based decisions that are crucial for environmental sustainability.
• Fostering Innovation: The strategy facilitates the development of AI and data analytics tools to create innovative solutions for environmental management and protection.
• Global Collaboration: By promoting international cooperation and sharing of environmental data, GEDS aims to improve global collaboration to combat environmental challenges.

In News:

The Telangana Socio-Economic Outlook 2025 highlights a concerning rise in night-time temperatures in Hyderabad, attributed to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This growing urban microclimatic issue has critical public health and environmental implications.

What is Urban Heat Island (UHI)?

• Definition: UHI is a climatic phenomenon where urban areas record significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural or peri-urban regions, particularly at night.
• Cause: Result of urbanization and human activities that alter land surfaces and trap heat.

Key Factors Contributing to UHI

• Reduced green cover: Shrinking vegetation limits natural cooling via shade and evapotranspiration.
• High density of concrete structures: Buildings and roads absorb solar radiation during the day and release heat slowly at night.
• Urban layout: Tall buildings and narrow streets trap warm air, reducing air circulation.
• Anthropogenic heat: Emissions from vehicles, air conditioners, and industries contribute to localized warming.
• Surface characteristics: Dark tarred roads absorb more heat and release it at night, worsening night-time UHI.

Hyderabad Case Study: Telangana Socio-Economic Outlook 2025

• Temperature Difference:
  • Night-time: Core city is 1.9°C warmer than surrounding peri-urban and outer zones.
  • Daytime: Interestingly, the core is 0.7°C cooler due to shade from tall buildings.
• Peak UHI Season: March to August.
• Most Affected Zones: High-rise, concrete-dense city centers with low vegetation.

Health Impacts of UHI

According to medical experts:

• Physical Effects:
  • Heat exhaustion & heat strokes
  • Dehydration, skin issues
  • Cardiovascular and kidney stress
• Vulnerable Groups: Elderly, children, and those with pre-existing conditions.
• Biological Mechanism: Prolonged exposure increases pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to immune suppression and chronic fatigue.
• Mental Health: UHI contributes to sleep disturbances, psychological stress, and anxiety.

Government Response

• Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025: Telangana aims to promote cooler, greener cities.
• Recommended Actions:
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration among urban planners, healthcare professionals, and community experts.
  • Urban design incorporating green infrastructure and heat-resilient materials.

In News:

Marking World Water Day, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and the Government of Haryana, launched the much-anticipated sixth edition of Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain - 2025 in Panchkula, Haryana.

World Water Day 2025

• Observed On: 22nd March 2025
• 2025 Theme: ‘Glacier Preservation’
• Global Context: Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, conceptualized at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
• Linked SDG: Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG-6) – Clean Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.
• Purpose: To raise global awareness on water conservation and promote sustainable water use.

India's Observance: Launch of Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain 2025

• Launched by: Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Government of Haryana.
• Launch Venue: Panchkula, Haryana (first time outside Delhi).
• Theme: “????????????????: ??????????????” (People’s Action for Water Conservation – Towards Intensified Community Connect).
• Focus Areas:
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Groundwater recharge
  • Community-led water conservation
  • Ecological restoration (forests, rivers, springs)

Key Campaigns & Initiatives

Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025 (JSA:CTR)

• Targeted Districts: 148 water-stressed districts across India.
• Tagline: “Catch the Rain where it falls, when it falls.”
• Objective: Promote localized water conservation through people’s participation and decentralized planning.

“Jal-Jangal-Jan” Abhiyan

• Aim: Restore ecological connectivity between water, forests, and communities.
• Collaborators: MoEFCC and Jal Shakti Ministry.
• Tools Used: Awareness videos, AV content, best practice compilations.

State-Level Innovations: Haryana Model

• Launched:
  • Mukhyamantri Jal Sanchay Yojana – Enhancing water harvesting through community participation.
  • Water Resources Atlas – Scientific mapping of water availability.
  • Online Canal Water Management System – Real-time irrigation data for efficiency.
  • E-booklet on Integrated Water Resources Management.
• Infrastructure Projects under SBM-G & JSA:
  • Community Sanitary Complexes
  • Solid & Liquid Waste Management
  • Gobardhan (Biogas) Projects
  • Borewell Recharge Systems
  • Micro-irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting Projects

Key Government Schemes Related to Water

• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) – Time-bound, mission-mode campaign for water conservation.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana – Participatory groundwater management in critical areas.
• AMRUT 2.0 – Urban water supply and sewerage services improvement.

In News:

Charting a route for IORA under India’s chairship

What is IORA?

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is a regional inter-governmental organization established on 7 March 1997 to promote economic cooperation, regional integration, and sustainable development among countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The idea was initiated during Nelson Mandela’s visit to India in 1995, leading to the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative (IORI).

• Membership: 23 Member States and 10 Dialogue Partners
• Geographical Reach: Connects Asia, Africa, and Oceania via the Indian Ocean
• Secretariat: Based in Mauritius

Importance of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)

• Geopolitical Relevance: Subset of the Indo-Pacific but with unique characteristics
• Demographics: Home to two-thirds of the global population
• Economic Significance:
  • Handles 75% of global trade volume
  • Accounts for 50% of global daily oil consumption
  • Generates USD 1 trillion worth of goods/services annually
  • Intra-IORA trade: USD 800 billion (2023)

India’s Chairship of IORA (2025–27)

India is set to take over as Chair of IORA in November 2025 (currently Vice-Chair). It aims to enhance the organization’s governance and effectiveness by focusing on:

• Strengthening IORA’s Budget:
  • Promote public-private partnerships
  • Encourage investments from key maritime industries (shipping, oil & gas, marine tourism)
  • Learn from other models like the Indian Ocean Commission ($1.3 billion budget for 2020–25)
• Technology Integration:
  • Adopt digital tools for data governance
  • Enable faster policy analysis and decision-making
  • Reduce inefficiencies in record-keeping
• Maritime Education and Capacity Building:
  • Collaborate with academic and research institutions
  • Launch maritime-ready and interdisciplinary courses (e.g., marine accounting)
  • Develop a skilled workforce to support the blue economy

Strategic Synergy with India’s SAGAR Vision

India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision aligns with IORA’s objectives:

• Enhancing maritime safety and security
• Fostering economic growth and sustainable development
• Promoting regional peace and cooperation

India is expected to leverage its diplomatic ties with member states and encourage collaborative problem-solving across the region.