• The Bill directly addresses a Supreme Court ruling (19 November 2025) in the Madras Bar Association v. Union of India case. The Apex Court had struck down major portions of the previous Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 for violating the Separation of Powers and undermining Judicial Independence.
• Primary Objective of the bill is to ensure uniform qualifications, merit-based independent appointments, operational transparency, and efficient administration across various national tribunals.
• It repeals and replaces the contentious Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.

About National Tribunals Commission (NTC)

• Establishment: A New Delhi-headquartered statutory body designed to oversee 16 central tribunals.
• Composition: A 5-member panel comprising a Chairperson (retired SC judge or High Court Chief Justice), two judicial members, and two technical members with extensive domain experience. Appointments involve consultation with the CJI, and single-name panels curb executive discretion.
• Tenures & Age Rules: Chairpersons serve for 5 years or up to age 70, while members serve for 5 years or up to 67, addressing past security concerns and removing arbitrary minimum age bars.
• Technology: Introduces the National Tribunals Data Grid (NTDG) for real-time tracking of case pendency and disposal.

• Article 3 of the Constitution: Empowers Parliament to form new states, alter areas, boundaries, or names of existing states by law.
• The Two Conditions under Article 3:

1. 1. A bill for this purpose can be introduced in either House of Parliament only on the recommendation of the President.
   2. Before recommending the bill, the President must refer it to the state legislature concerned to express its views within a specified or extended timeframe.

• Nature of Majority Required: A bill to alter a state's name is passed by a simple majority (a majority of members present and voting) in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, making it an ordinary legislative process, not a constitutional amendment under Article 368.
• Impact on Schedules: The change will amend the First Schedule of the Constitution, which lists the states and their territorial jurisdictions.
• State Resolution Background: The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the resolution urging the change to "Keralam" on June 24, 2024 (following an earlier 2023 resolution refined for technical compliance).
• Linguistic Reorganization: Kerala was formed on linguistic lines (Malayalam-speaking region) on November 1, 1956, celebrated annually as Kerala Piravi.
• Origin of Name: "Keralam" is the native nomenclature used in the Malayalam language

• Replaces: Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891.
• Main Goal: To update rules for evidence in court to match modern digital banking, online transactions, and paperless financial records.
• Significance: Makes it easier and faster to accept electronic bank statements, logs, and digital ledgers as legal proof in judicial and investigative proceedings.
• Nature of Bill: Statutory update/reform concerning judicial evidence and the financial sector.
• Key Focus Area: Digital governance, reduction of paperwork in courts, and legal validity of electronic records under the Indian Evidence framework.

• Scientific Name: Pavo cristatus.
• Family: Phasianidae (the same pheasant family that includes chickens, turkeys, and partridges).
• Order: Galliformes.
• Class: Aves (Birds).
• Terminology: Strictly speaking, Peacock refers to the male, Peahen refers to the female
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: It is placed under Schedule I, which grants it the highest level of legal protection in India against hunting and poaching.
• IUCN Red List Status: Classified as "Least Concern" (LC) due to its healthy, widespread population across the Indian subcontinent.
• Legal Exception: Indian law strictly prohibits killing peafowls but allows the collection of tail feathers only after the bird has naturally shed (molted) them.

• Capital: Jerusalem (Tel Aviv hosts many foreign embassies)
• Currency: Israeli New Shekel (ILS)
• Parliament: Knesset (Unicameral system with 120 seats)
• President: President of Israel (Ceremonial role)
• Prime Minister: Prime Minister of Israel (Executive power)
• Official Languages: Hebrew (Arabic has special status)
• Location: Western Asia, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west
• Major Ports: Port of Haifa (largest and primary commercial port), Port of Ashdod (major Mediterranean port), Port of Eilat (on the Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba)
• Deserts: Negev Desert (covers the southern region of Israel, making up over half of its total land area)
• Highest Point: Mount Meron
• Lowest Point / Major Water Body: Dead Sea (lowest land elevation on Earth, shared with Jordan and the West Bank)
• Intelligence Agency: Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations) and Shin Bet (internal security)

• A financial investigation agency in India.
• Founded: May 1, 1956 (as an 'Enforcement Unit', renamed in 1957).
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Parent Ministry: Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue).
• Regional Offices: Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Delhi.

Major Laws Enforced by ED

• FEMA 1999: Foreign Exchange Management Act.
• PMLA 2002: Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
• FEOA 2018: Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

• Capital: Tehran
• Head of State: Supreme Leader (holds ultimate constitutional power)
• Parliamentary Body: Majlis (Islamic Consultative Assembly)
• Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei
• President: Masoud Pezeshkian
• Speaker of the Assembly: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
• Currency: Iranian rial
• Land Borders (7 Countries): Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; Iraq and Turkey to the west.
• Maritime Borders: North: Caspian Sea (shares this with Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan) and Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in South
• Mountain Ranges: Alborz Mountains (Mount Damavand) and Zagros Mountains
• Deserts: Dasht-e Kavir (Great Salt Desert) and Dasht-e Lut

• Location Found: Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya and parts of West Bengal.
• Host Tree Species: Found growing near/beneath Sal trees (Shorea robusta).
• Ecological Role: Forms an ectomycorrhizal association with trees, aiding in nutrient cycling, soil structure, and forest regeneration.
• Edibility Status: Not established as edible by researchers; safety has not been tested despite a mild odor.

Genus Russula Profile

• Global Diversity: Includes roughly 2,000 species worldwide.
• Indian Diversity: Over 180 species documented across various Indian regions (with some regional literature noting around 130+ well-studied taxa).
• Key Identification Features: Known commonly as brittlegills because their caps and gills break/fracture easily; lack milky latex (distinguishing them from Lactarius)

• Decadal Growth Rate: A massive 70.36% increase over the last decade (from 523 lions in 2015 to 891 in 2025).
• 5-Year Growth Rate: A 32.2% increase compared to the 2020 estimation (which recorded 674 lions).
• Geographical Range Expansion: Their habitat range expanded by nearly 16.6%, growing from 30,000 sq. km in 2020 to 35,000 sq. km in 2025, spanning across 11 districts of Gujarat.
• Demographic Breakdown: The count features 330 adult females (up from 260 in 2020), which indicates high reproductive potential for future population stability.
• Satellite & Corridor Populations: A total of 497 lions live outside the core protected areas as satellite populations. For the first time, 22 lions were recorded directly using wildlife corridors.

Geographical & Environmental Mapping

• Exclusive Habitat: India is the only natural wild home to the Asiatic Lion in the entire world. They are entirely restricted to the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
• Core Protected Areas: The population resides within the Gir Protected Area Network, which comprises:

1. 1. Gir National Park
   2. Gir Wildlife Sanctuary
   3. Pania Sanctuary
   4. Mitiyala Sanctuary (Recorded the highest growth rate of +100%)

• New Landscapes: Lions are actively establishing satellite populations in areas like the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, Jetpur, and Babra-Jasdan.

Species Conservation Status of Lion

Institutional Initiatives Driving Success

Project Lion (Launched August 15, 2020): Modeled after Project Tiger, it focuses on landscape-level management, community-driven conservation, disease surveillance, and advanced veterinary support.

Poonam Avlokan vs. Regular Census: While formal estimations happen every five years using the direct beat verification method, interim monitoring exercises like Poonam Avlokan (conducted during full moons) are regularly utilized by the Gujarat Forest Department for continuous tracking.

Asiatic Lion Conservation Project: Funded under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme—Development of Wildlife Habitat (CSS-DWH), with a 60:40 fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the State.

• Foundation: Started as Hindustan Aircraft Company in December 1940 by Walchand Hirachand; merged and renamed as HAL on October 1, 1964.
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, India.
• Status: Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence, holding Navratna status.

Major Projects & Products

• Fighter Aircraft: Tejas (Light Combat Aircraft - LCA), Sukhoi-30MKI (licensed production).
• Helicopters: Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, Rudra, and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand.
• Future/R&D Projects: Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) in collaboration with ADA and DRDO.