AFS Civil Service Academy

Sela Lake:

Two tourists from Kerala drowned after the frozen surface of Sela Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district gave way recently.

Sela Lake, also known as Paradise Lake, is a glacial lake located near Sela Pass in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh.
Sela Pass is a crucial mountain pass connecting the Tawang region with the rest of Arunachal Pradesh.
Its crystal-clear waters reflect the peaks around it, offering a stunning view.
The lake is usually frozen all winter because of its very cold temperatures (below zero).
The lake and its surroundings have limited vegetation because of the altitude.
Locals and Buddhist monks consider Sela Lake a sacred site.

Inflation and its causes

Immediate Action required.

Central Ground Water Board:

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) recently stated in its Annual Ground Water Quality Report-2025 that Andhra Pradesh is one of the States facing widespread contamination of groundwater as per the BIS standards.

It is a multidisciplinary scientific organization of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
It is the National Apex Agency entrusted with the responsibilities of providing scientific inputs for management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation, and regulation of groundwater resources of the country.
It was established in 1970 by renaming the Exploratory Tube wells Organization under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.
It was merged with the Ground Water Wing of the Geological Survey of India during 1972.
It mandate to Develop and disseminate technologies and monitor and implement national policies for the scientific and sustainable development and management of India’s groundwater resources.
It is headed by the Chairman and has five members.
CGWB is a multidisciplinary scientific organization consisting of Hydrogeologists, Geophysicists, Chemists, Hydrologists, Hydrometeorologists, and Engineers.
It has four main wings, namely
Sustainable Management & Liaison (SML)
Survey, Assessment & Monitoring (SAM)
Exploratory Drilling & Materials Management (ED&MM)
Water Quality & Training and Technology Transfer (WQ&TT).
Headquarters: Bhujal Bhawan, Faridabad, Haryana.
The major activities of the CGWB are National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) involving the preparation of Aquifer Maps and Management Plans, Groundwater explorations to delineate groundwater-worthy areas and potential aquifers, Geophysical surveys to delineate groundwater bearing zones, etc.

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan:
The Union government recently marked one year of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (BVMB) by launching a nationwide 100-day awareness campaign, reaffirming India’s commitment to the United Nations target of ending child marriage by 2030. BVMB was launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to eliminate child marriage and make India child marriage-free by 2030.It reflects India’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3 and marks a shift from a purely legal response to a prevention- and community-driven approach.The campaign aims to reduce the prevalence of child marriage by 10% by 2026 and completely eradicate the practice by 2030.Its broader goal is to protect children’s rights, delay the age of marriage, promote girls’ education, and address the social norms and economic vulnerabilities that sustain early marriage.