In October 2025, 5 beaches in Maharashtra received international Blue Flag certification. The certified beaches are Shrivardhan and Nagaon in Raigad district, Parnaka in Palghar, and Guhagar and Ladghar in Ratnagiri district. With this addition, India’s total number of Blue Flag beaches reached 18. Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare announced the certification.

Blue Flag certification is awarded by Denmark’s Foundation for Environmental Education. It is given to beaches that meet 33 criteria. These criteria cover environmental education, water quality, safety, environmental management, public amenities, cleanliness, beauty and environmental sustainability. For exam preparation, the point is not only that these beaches received an international eco-label, but also that the label reflects beach maintenance, pollution control and visitor safety.

For RAS and UPSC-style prelims, likely factual areas include the certified beach names, their districts, India’s total count and the certifying organisation. For mains, the same update can be used in answers on sustainable coastal tourism, environmental management and public amenities. For static GK, the western coast, Maharashtra’s coastal districts and environmental standards are the most relevant anchors. In map-based preparation, Raigad, Palghar and Ratnagiri should be remembered separately as coastal districts because the 5 certified beaches in this list are spread across these 3 districts.