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- Office of the Vice-President of India
- The Vice-President holds the second-highest constitutional position in India. The Constitution mandates the post (Article 63) but does not specify who assumes its responsibilities in case of vacancy. As per Article 64, the Vice-President serves as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Article 65 empowers the Vice-President to discharge the functions of the President during a casual vacancy.
- Election Process
- Candidates require 20 proposers, 20 seconders, a ₹15,000 security deposit, and an entry in the electoral roll. The Vice-President is elected by an Electoral College comprising all members of both Houses of Parliament (elected and nominated). Voting follows proportional representation through a single transferable vote and secret ballot (Article 66), with each vote carrying equal value. The Anti-Defection Law does not apply.
- Eligibility
- The candidate must be an Indian citizen, at least 35 years old, eligible for election to the Rajya Sabha, and free from holding any office of profit.
- Child Nutrition Report 2025 – UNICEF
- The latest UNICEF report raises concerns over the rapid rise of unhealthy diets and childhood obesity worldwide, primarily linked to the easy availability and marketing of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
- Major Findings
- Currently, 5% of children under five and 20% of those aged 5–19 are overweight—double the levels seen in 2000. In 2025, obesity prevalence among school-going children and adolescents was 9.4%, nearly equal to underweight prevalence at 9.2%. More than half of the affected population lives in East Asia-Pacific, Latin America-Caribbean, and South Asia, where the rate of overweight has grown almost five times since 2000.
- Contributing Factors
- Cheaper prices of UPFs due to subsidies, their long shelf life, and aggressive online marketing drive consumption. Weak regulations—such as limited nutrition labelling and scarce subsidies for healthy foods—exacerbate the problem.
- Recommendations
- UNICEF calls for promoting breastfeeding, stricter controls on unhealthy food marketing, front-of-pack labelling, redirecting subsidies toward nutritious foods, and stronger social protection systems.
- Great Nicobar Island Project (GNIP) and Related Concerns
- The Great Nicobar Island Project (GNIP) has raised concerns from Tribal Councils regarding recognition and settlement of tribal rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
- About the Project
- Approved in 2022 under the Holistic Development of Islands Program, GNIP received in-principle forest and environmental clearances. NITI Aayog is the nodal agency, with ANIIDCO implementing the plan. Spread over 130.75 sq. km of forest land—half earmarked for green development without tree felling—the project includes an international container transshipment terminal at Galathea Bay, a greenfield airport, township, and a 450 MVA gas-solar power plant.
- Key Issues
- The island is home to Shompens (PVTG) and Nicobarese tribes. Galathea Bay also provides nesting grounds for endangered species such as Leatherback turtles and the Nicobar Megapode.
- About FRA, 2006
- The Act seeks to correct historical injustice to forest dwellers by recognizing both individual and community forest rights, with verification by district-level committees.