Current Affairs

Analysis flags ground-level ozone (O₃) as a growing air-pollution challenge in Delhi. It is a secondary pollutant in the troposphere, formed when Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) react with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in sunlight (NOx + VOCs + sunlight → O₃). Major sources include vehicles, industries and thermal power plants; levels peak in summer. Impacts: respiratory ailments, crop damage and photochemical smog. Safe limits: 100 µg/m³ (8-hour) and 180 µg/m³ (1-hour) under WHO standards and NAAQS, 2009.

Kshipra (Shipra) riverine system in Madhya Pradesh faces a crisis as drying tributaries undermine its perennial flow. A tributary of the Chambal, it originates in the Vindhya Range near Ujjain, flows across the Malwa Plateau, and is about 195 km long; major tributaries are Khan and Gambhir. Considered sacred like the Ganga, Ujjain lies on its right bank; it is cited in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain texts, hosts Sandipani’s ashram, and the Ujjain Kumbha Mela every 12 years.

Prime Minister paid tribute on the birth anniversary of Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar (1725–1795), “Philosopher Queen” of the Holkar dynasty who ruled Malwa in the 18th century. Born at Chondi, Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), she married Malhar Rao Holkar and assumed charge in 1767 after family deaths; Indore was a major city. She promoted trade, textiles, education and welfare; developed Maheshwar textiles (Maheshwari sarees), restored Kashi Vishwanath and Somnath temples, and built Maheshwar (Ahilya) Fort on the Narmada.

India signed a deal to sell BrahMos missiles to Vietnam; a similar deal with Indonesia is in the final stage, per the Defence Secretary. BrahMos (Brahmaputra–Moskva) is a DRDO (50.5%)-NPO Mashinostroyenia (49.5%) joint-venture supersonic cruise missile, two-stage (solid booster, liquid ramjet), ~Mach 3, range 290 km (350 km under test), land/ship/air/sub variants, low radar signature, altitude up to 15 km (terminal ~10 m), 200–300 kg conventional warhead; first foreign buyer: Philippines ($375 million, 2022).

Scientists from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow reconstructed ~4,000 years of Majuli Island (Assam) climate-vegetation history using multi-proxy palynology (fossilised pollen) and sediment grain-size, plus coexistence approach for MAT/MAP. Majuli, between Brahmaputra and Subansiri, is the world’s largest inhabited river island, Neo-Vaishnavite centre, home to Misings, Deoris and Sonowal Kacharis; Assam bans land sale to non-residents (3 generations). Phases: 4040–2260 cal yrs BP warm-humid; 1100–500 BP monsoon-flood variability (MCA); last 500 years cooler-drier (LIA) with rising anthropogenic pressure; Brahmaputra hydrodynamics became increasingly high-energy.

Nepal PM Balendra Shah’s parliamentary remarks revived India-Nepal boundary disputes. The open 1,850-km border spans Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim; most is demarcated. Treaty of Sugauli (1816) uses Kali/Mahakali River, but its source is contested, affecting Kalapani (tri-junction; India’s Uttarakhand; Nepal’s Darchula), Lipulekh Pass (Tibet link; yatra/trade) and Limpiyadhura. Nepal’s 2020 map included these; India rejected unilateralism. Nepal sent a note (incl. Lipulekh); both prefer bilateral dialogue/joint surveys; India opposes third-party role. Nearly 97% issues are resolved; damaged pillars/farming isn’t state encroachment. Nepal objected to Lipulekh route resumption; India rejected.

Government notified changes in Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 under Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, empowering Central Government to regulate foreigners’ entry, transit, stay, movement and exit, and notify designated immigration posts. Bureau of Immigration oversees visas and regulates movement. Mandatory registration continues, but visas up to 180 days require registration only if stay exceeds 180 days (earlier within 14 days after 180 days). Carriers, educational and medical institutions must share prescribed information; medical reporting norms updated. Entry without valid documents may invite up to 5 years’ imprisonment and/or ₹5 lakh fine; Head Constable+ can arrest without warrant; authorities may restrict/close premises frequented by foreigners. Newborn intimation within 30 days eased if one parent is Indian; report within 30 days if child later acquires foreign citizenship in India.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the SARTHAK Public Distribution System (Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS) as an umbrella scheme. It integrates intra-state foodgrain movement and FPS dealers’ margin under NFSA with PDS technology reforms, to strengthen National Food Security Act, 2013 implementation. Valid till March 2031, it uses AI/ML/NLP/Blockchain, unified databases, real-time monitoring, grievance redressal, State Command Control Centres, and ISO-certified processes.

PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi), a Central Sector scheme launched in 2020, is jointly run by MoHUA and DFS to provide affordable working capital, financial inclusion and social protection to street vendors/hawkers (mobile/stall daily goods/services). It offers collateral-free loans in tranches of ₹15,000/₹25,000/₹50,000 with interest subsidy and credit guarantee; UPI-linked RuPay credit card up to ₹30,000 after 2nd tranche repayment; digital cashback up to ₹1,600; SSS profiles families to link 8 Central schemes; training with FSSAI. Reported: 1.05 crore+ sanctions, ₹17,800 crore+ disbursals, 34.81 lakh women; ~46% women, ~70% marginalised; 50 lakh+ families profiled; 1.52 crore+ welfare sanctions.

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, launched in October 2023, executed a Mars gravity-assist flyby on 15 May 2025, passing within 4,609 km. Mars’ pull boosted speed by nearly 1,000 mph and shifted its heliocentric path by ~1°. Using a multispectral imager, it captured thousands of images, including a crescent view (high phase angle), showing the Huygens double-ring crater and southern highlands. Psyche targets metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche (main belt between Mars and Jupiter), possibly iron-nickel and an exposed planetesimal core; it will travel >3.6 billion km, arrive in 2029, orbit 2 years, and study imaging, mapping, composition, magnetism, and internal structure.

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India recorded a new frog species from Nagaland: Nagaland Cascade Frog (Amolops kamal), Family Ranidae, inhabiting hill-stream ecosystems. Named in honour of Kamal Choudhury, it is adapted to fast-flowing streams/waterfalls (strong limbs, adhesive toe pads, extensive webbing). Published in Records of the Zoological Survey of India, its distinct status was confirmed via integrative taxonomy and molecular phylogenetics; it represents a unique lineage within the Amolops indoburmanensis complex, indicating possible cryptic species. Genus Amolops has 90 species worldwide, 20 in India.

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Morgan Stanley Capital International) benchmarks large/mid-cap equities across 24 developing nations; 1,204 constituents; ~85% free-float market-cap coverage; accessed via ETFs/index mutual funds. India’s weight fell from ~21% (Sep 2024 peak) to 11.94% (May 2026), dropping from 2nd to 4th; ahead: Taiwan 24.84%, China 23.05%, South Korea 18.69. May 2026 rebalancing saw FPI turnover ~69%; outflows linked to elevated valuations, slower earnings, rupee weakness; top Indian weights: HDFC Bank and Reliance (0.79% each).

In ADR vs ECI (2025), the Supreme Court held that the Election Commission can conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls under Article 324(1) read with the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Sections 21(3) and 16) and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. SIR, involving house-to-house enumeration, verification and remedies, was found proportionate for roll accuracy. ECI may examine citizenship-related issues only for roll inclusion; it cannot decide citizenship under the Citizenship Act.

The Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin by the Office of the Registrar General of India reports Telangana’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) at 17 deaths per 1,000 live births (national average 24). National rural IMR is 27 and urban 17; Telangana rural IMR is 19 and urban 14. IMR fell from 35 (2014) to 17 (2024) in Telangana; India from 39 to 24. Odisha and Rajasthan record 28, Assam 29. Telangana: birth rate 15.7, death rate 6.5, natural growth rate 9.1 (India: 18.3, 6.4, 11.9).

Supreme Court upheld 28% GST on full face value of online gaming bets, validating GST Council’s October 2023 decision and CGST valuation rules for betting/gambling, lotteries, casinos, horse racing. It rejected Gross Gaming Revenue basis. It also upheld Tamil Nadu (ordinance Nov 2020; Act 2021) and Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act 2021 bans, citing State List Entries 34 and 62; Article 19(1)(g) not available for harmful activity. Show-cause notices allege ₹1.12 lakh crore evasion; with 100% penalty, liability ~₹2.5 lakh crore. IT Rules 2023 regulate intermediaries via self-regulatory bodies; Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 awaits notification.

The Supreme Court constituted a committee under the Union Home Secretary to prepare a comprehensive plan to clean the Yamuna. Yamuna, the longest tributary of the Ganga, rises from the Yamunotri Glacier on Bandarpunch Massif (Great Himalayas, Uttarakhand), flows through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and meets the Ganga at Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam). Major tributaries: Tons (largest), Chambal (longest), Sindh, Betwa and Ken.

Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), with demonstration support from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), developed CLEAR (Cleavable Light-Erased Antibody Reporter), an imaging platform to visualise and map many proteins in the same sample using one fluorescent marker. A light-cleavable probe enables repeated labelling–imaging cycles by erasing signals via 365 nm LED light, usable from live single cells to tissue sections, aiding early disease detection (cancers, neurological disorders), immune-response studies and precision medicine.

Union Cabinet approved Sarthak-PDS with ₹25,530 crore outlay, for 5 years (April 2026–March 2031) under the 16th Finance Commission cycle. The umbrella scheme (Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS) integrates intra-state grain movement and Fair Price Shop dealer margins under NFSA, supporting PMGKAY. It modernises TPDS via unified databases, command centres, Aadhaar seeding, ePoS shops, Mera Ration/Anna Sahayata, and permits AI/ML/NLP/blockchain to boost transparency and reduce leakages.

India and the US signed the bilateral “Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths” on the sidelines of the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, amid China’s 2025 licensing regime on rare-earth exports, rare-earth magnet shortages, China’s ~90% processing dominance, and India’s 100% import dependence (cobalt, lithium, nickel, REEs, silicon). It covers mining-processing-recycling-investment, financing and scrap management, R&D, regulatory alignment, and tighter national-security controls; aligned with India-US TRUST (Feb 2025), Strategic Mineral Recovery Initiative, Pax Silica (Feb 2026), Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework (May 2026), FORGE, and Mineral Security Partnership. India also issued Press Note 3 (Mar 2026) on FDI from land-bordering countries in specified sectors (incl. rare-earth magnets) with 60-day processing; gross FDI hit $94.53 bn (2025-26) but net was $7.65 bn; outflows were $13.6 bn (Mar), $7.56 bn (Apr), $2.62 bn (May) after the West Asia war.

PM noted India–Australia cooperation for a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Australia, smallest continent and largest country, is bounded by Indian Ocean (W) and South Pacific (E); NE: Coral Sea and Torres Strait (Papua New Guinea); NW: Timor and Arafura seas (Indonesia); SE: Tasman Sea (New Zealand); Great Barrier Reef separates Coral Sea Islands Territory. Capital: Canberra; diverse climates; highest point Mt Kosciuszko (2,228 m); rivers Murray–Darling, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan; deserts Great Victoria, Gibson, Simpson; resources Au, Fe ore, Pb, Ni, rutile, U, Zn, zircon, brown coal, Co, Cu, ilmenite, Li, Ag, W, V.

INS Kolkata, the lead indigenously designed Project 15A Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy, responded to a suspected piracy threat involving merchant vessel MV Mashallah 1 in the Western Indian Ocean, preventing a possible hijacking. Conceived by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and built by Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai, it was commissioned in August 2014 and has COGAG propulsion (>30 knots), missiles/ASW suite, radar and bow sonar, CMS-based networks, and capacity for two Seaking/Chetak helicopters.

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Prof. Ramkrishna More College developed India’s first and largest DNA barcode reference library for cockroaches of peninsular India. DNA barcoding uses short standardized DNA sequences for species identification, integrated with taxonomy to resolve classification ambiguities. India records 191 cockroach species in 74 genera (3.8% of 5,000 global); 119 are endemic (60%). Only 40 are recollected; 86 are known only from original descriptions, with type specimens abroad. Neoloboptera peninsularis was identified in the Deccan Peninsula using DNA barcoding.

Indian Railways approved a 10-car hydrogen fuel cell trainset (1200 kW; max 75 kmph), India’s first, for the Jind–Sonipat route (Haryana), developed by Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory. Fuel cells generate electricity via hydrogen, emitting only water vapour, aiding rail decarbonisation toward net-zero 2070. Under “Hydrogen for Heritage”, 35 trains are planned. Indigenous storage/refuelling at Jind is PESO-licensed; O&M manuals are RDSO-approved; audits, SOPs, 24x7 monitoring, trained staff, leak/flame sensors, and Shakurbasti maintenance safety are ensured.

Kerala government action on houseboats, following a Kerala High Court order, has renewed concerns over pollution in the Vembanad ecosystem. Vembanad Lake (Kerala) is the state’s largest and India’s longest lake, spread over 2,033 sq km; a major tropical wetland on India’s southwest coast. Also called Vembanad Kayal/Kol, Punnamada and Kochi Lake, it receives Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala rivers, is separated from the Arabian Sea by a barrier island, is Ramsar-designated (2002), under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme, hosts August Vallam Kali/Nehru Trophy, and includes Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary with migratory/resident birds (e.g., cormorant, darter, ibis, Siberian cranes).