Social Geography
Urban India
▪ India is projected to have 675 million urban residents by 2035 and 70 million more by 2045.
▪ Cities are not just population centres but economic engines driving growth, innovation, and jobs.
▪ Urban infrastructure (transport, housing, sanitation, waste, etc.) is critical to national productivity.
▪ India loses $22 billion annually due to urban transport inefficiencies and poor infrastructure (ADB estimate).
▪ India’s Initiatives for Promoting Growth and Sustainability in the Urban Sector.
✓ Swachh Bharat Mission
✓ Smart Cities Mission
✓ National Urban Livelihood Mission
✓ PM SVANidhi Scheme
✓ Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
✓ Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation(AMRUT)
✓ Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.
Environment and ecology
World Bioproduct Day 2025
▪ The Department of Science & Technology (DST), along with BIRAC and iBRIC+, organized World Bioproduct Day 2025, focusing on Equity, Environment, and Economy to highlight the importance of inclusive public participation in biotechnology.
▪ The event also reiterated the government’s goal of achieving a USD 300 billion bioeconomy by 2030 under the BioE3 framework.
▪ Bioproducts are fuels, materials, and chemicals made from renewable biomass like crops, trees, algae, and agricultural waste.
▪ Bioproducts reduce reliance on fossil fuels, thereby addressing air pollution, deforestation,
and biodiversity loss.
About BioE3 Policy
▪ The BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment), launched by the Department of Biotechnology in 2024 to promote high-performance biomanufacturing by integrating advanced biotechnological processes across key sectors.
▪ It aims to strengthen India’s bioeconomy through sustainable practices, innovation, and
employment generation.
▪ It supports India’s broader goals of achieving a ‘Net Zero’ carbon economy and promoting
sustainable growth through a circular bioeconomy.
Great Hornbill
▪ In a rare sighting, the Great Hornbill was spotted in Kannur’s (Kerala) coastal region.
▪ Native to parts of South and Southeast Asia including India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
