National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
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Current affairsWestern Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area: 6th Draft Notification 2026, Kerala's Push to Exclude 131 Villages, and the Conservation-Livelihood DebateThe Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued its 6th draft notification on July 25, 2026, proposing to declare over 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The public objection window closes September 24, 2026. Kerala has moved to exclude 131 villages and approximately 9,993 sq km, while the Centre insists no part — except the Palakkad Gap — should be excluded to maintain ecological continuity. Current affairsIndia Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025: Delhi Tops Rankings, National EV Share Reaches 8.25%NITI Aayog and WRI India released the second edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, ranking Delhi first with a score of 84/100. India's national EV market penetration reached 8.25% in 2025–26, with 2.5 million new registrations — a 25% year-on-year rise — placing the country on a trajectory toward its EV30@30 target. Current affairsUNCCD COP17 Ulaanbaatar 2026: "Restoring Land. Restoring Hope." — India, Land Degradation Neutrality, and the Global Desertification CrisisThe 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) concluded in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (17–28 August 2026) under the theme "Restoring Land. Restoring Hope." The conference focused on converting land pledges into finance and action, amid warnings that 77% of Mongolia's land is already degraded and global dryland degradation threatens 2 billion people. Current affairsGanga Floodplain Amendment 2026: Centre Removes 'Construction-Free Zone', Redefines Three-Zone Framework — NGT Issues NoticeThe Jal Shakti Ministry notified the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Second Amendment Order, 2026 (Gazette: August 10, 2026), redefining the Ganga floodplain into three flood-return-period zones and controversially removing the earlier 'construction-free zone' language from the 2016 Order. The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Centre, and environmentalists warn the change opens floodplain land to construction activity. Current affairsThamirabarani River Declared a Legal Person: Madras High Court's Earth Jurisprudence RulingThe Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court (Justices G.R. Swaminathan and B. Pugalendhi) declared the Thamirabarani River a legal person on July 23, 2026, grounding the ruling in its status as a Hindu deity and banning all immersions and dumping in the river — the first such declaration in Tamil Nadu and a landmark development in India's Earth Jurisprudence. Current affairsOdisha Coastal Erosion 2026: NCCR Assessment — 28.3% of Coastline Eroding, 16 Villages Submerged in KendraparaA National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) assessment of Odisha's 564-km coastline (1990-2022) found 28.3% under active erosion — Jagatsinghpur (47.6%), Ganjam (45.7%), and Kendrapara (45.0%) are worst-affected districts. Sixteen villages in Kendrapara have been submerged. Intensifying cyclones, sea-level rise, and breakwater disruption of sediment drift are the primary drivers, threatening Olive Ridley turtle nesting grounds and coastal livelihoods. Current affairsState of India's Environment 2026 Report: Seven Planetary Boundaries Breached, Extreme Weather on 99% of India's DaysThe Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth released the State of India's Environment (SOE) 2026 report at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue on 25 February 2026, warning that seven of nine planetary boundaries have been breached and that India experienced extreme weather events on 99% of days in 2025 — with ocean acidification newly crossing its threshold for the first time.