Current Affairs

Botanical Survey of India recorded a new flowering plant, Strobilanthes riteshii (Acanthaceae), from Chayangtajo, East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. Named after Dr Ritesh Kumar Choudhary, it grows on open hill slopes along roadsides near streams/waterfalls in evergreen patches. Endemic to Eastern Himalayan Arunachal; ~25 mature individuals noted. Resembles S. gigantea; purple-violet bell flowers. Flowers Aug–Oct; fruits Sep–Dec. IUCN: Data Deficient; threats include road widening, jhum cultivation, and stream pollution.

India observes the 16th National Voters’ Day on 25 January to promote voter participation and democratic values, commemorating the Election Commission of India’s establishment in 1950 under Article 324. Launched in 2011, NVD honours voters, encourages youth enrolment and universal adult suffrage. The ECI theme is “My India, My Vote” with tagline “Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy”. Main event in New Delhi includes EPIC distribution by the President and National Electoral Awards for electoral management excellence nationwide.

PM Modi congratulated 2026 Padma awardees. Padma Awards (instituted 1954)-Padma Vibhushan/Bhushan/Shri—are top civilian honours, conferred annually by President with sanad+medallion for arts, social work, public affairs, science, industry, medicine, literature, education, sports, civil services. Public nominations (self ok); all eligible; govt/PSU staff ineligible except doctors, scientists; usually non-posthumous; cap 120 (excl posthumous, NRI/foreigner/OCI); non-title. Committee yearly by PM: Cabinet Secretary (chair), Home Secretary, Secretary to President, 4–6 eminent; recommendations to PM+President.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, is the world’s largest non-continental island in the North Atlantic–Arctic, between North America and Europe; about two-thirds lies above the Arctic Circle. Dominated by the world’s 2nd-largest ice sheet, nearly half is protected as the National Park of Greenland (world’s largest). It is in NATO via Denmark, hosts a key U.S. air base, and lies in a region rich in oil, gas and critical minerals; melting ice opens new Arctic routes amid U.S.-Russia-China competition. India, Arctic Council Observer since 2013, tracks Greenland ice-melt impacts on sea level/monsoon; India operates Himadri in Svalbard.

CERT-In, under MeitY, is India’s national cyber incident response agency, established in 2004 under Section 70B of the IT Act, 2000; it analyses incidents, issues alerts and coordinates with law enforcement. Key mechanisms include Cyber Swachhta Kendra, National Cyber Coordination Centre, sectoral/state CSIRTs (e.g., CSIRT-Fin, CSIRT-Power), Cyber Crisis Management Plan, and Security Assurance Framework. NCIIPC (Sec 70A) protects critical infrastructure; I4C (MHA) runs the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal; National Cyber Security Coordinator (NSCS) ensures inter-agency coordination; CFCFRMS provides helpline 1930.

India’s 77th Republic Day Parade (26 January 2026) is a ~90‑minute event with 18 marching contingents and 13 military bands; chief guests are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Portugal PM Antonio Costa. Firsts include Suryastra indigenous universal rocket launcher (surface‑to‑surface deep strike up to 300 km) and newly raised Bhairav Light Commando Battalion. Shaktiban fields drones/counter‑drones/loiter munitions; displays include BrahMos, Akash, MRSAM, ATAGS, Dhanush, Rafale/Apache flypast, Bactrian camels, Zanskar ponies, dogs, raptors led by Capt Harshita Raghav, Mixed Scouts, and tableaux marking 150 years of “Vande Mataram”.

World Economic Forum (WEF) is establishing five new Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including one in Andhra Pradesh, India, besides centres in France, the UK and the UAE. Partnered with the Andhra Pradesh government, it will operate as the Centre for Energy and Cyber Resilience, focusing on energy transition and cyber resilience. WEF’s 4IR network (launched 2017; term coined 2016 by Klaus Schwab) supports policy frameworks, pilots and cooperation; India already hosts centres in Mumbai and Telangana.

Kerala declared Bacillus subtilis its State Microbe and dedicated the Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM) to the public, becoming India’s first State to officially name a state microbe. Proposed by CoEM Director Dr Sabu Thomas, B. subtilis is a widely found probiotic, a model organism with heat-resistant spores and sequenced genome. CoEM, motto “Microbes for Life”, was set up via KSCSTE with K-DISC, mentored by RGCB. India named Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus National Microbe (Oct 2012).

UNCTAD’s GITM report (2025) analyses foreign direct investment (FDI) patterns and supply-chain integration policies. UNCTAD, founded in 1964 and based in Geneva, is the UN’s principal organ for trade, investment and development. India’s 2025 FDI inflows surged 73% to $47 billion, driven by services and manufacturing; services included finance, IT and R&D. Global FDI rose 14% to $1.6 trillion. China’s FDI fell 8% to $107.5 billion, declining for a third year.

Atlas of Climate Adaptation in Indian Agriculture (ACASA-India) is a digital platform developed by the ICAR-led National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) with BISA–CIMMYT to enable location-specific, data-driven climate adaptation planning and guide government investment for climate-risk mitigation. It aligns with ICAR’s NICRA (2011), which validates climate-resilient technologies. Climate change may cut yields 4.5–9% and GDP 1.5% annually; 57% rural households depend on farming; 51% net sown area is rainfed, producing ~40% food, worsening undernourishment and malnutrition risks.

The President of India inaugurated Granth Kutir at Rashtrapati Bhavan as a manuscript repository. It houses manuscripts and books in 11 classical languages: Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali. The collection spans epics, philosophy, linguistics, history, governance, science, devotional literature and the Constitution of India. It supports the Ministry of Culture’s Gyan Bharatam Mission to preserve, digitise and disseminate manuscript heritage.

Lack of critical technologies is threatening implementation of the Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC-PLI) scheme, a Central Sector Scheme approved in 2021. It aims to enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities of ACC battery storage. ACC involves advanced energy storage that stores electric energy (electrochemical/chemical) and reconverts it when required. The scheme mandates 25% domestic value addition, rising to 60% within 5 years; annual cash subsidy is capped at 20 GWh per beneficiary firm.

Red-eared slider turtle, circulated via pet trade, is emerging as an invasive threat to water bodies in Coimbatore. Predominantly aquatic, it has established distribution on all continents except Antarctica and is identifiable by red stripes behind each ear. Highly adaptable, it survives sub-optimal temperatures, breeds rapidly due to lack of predators, lives 20–50 years, and is IUCN Least Concern. It competes with native Indian turtles for basking, nesting and food, and its aggressive, high consumption impacts fish populations, disturbing freshwater ecosystems.

IAF’s Suryakiran aerobatic team held an air show over Gangapur Dam (near Nashik, Maharashtra). Gangapur is an earthfill dam on the Godavari, claimed as Asia’s longest earthen reservoir; 9.8 km long and 36.6 m high, with a curved design and central spillway. Built in 1965 under the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Project, it provides irrigation and drinking water to drought-prone Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad; storage 215.88 MCM, catchment 2,122 sq km. Upstream Kashypi Dam regulates flow; left/right bank canals are 64 km/30 km; site has gardens and migratory birds.

RBI’s Financial Stability Report and Annual Report 2024–25, along with Budget 2025–26 documents and Study of Budgets 2024–25, indicate Indian households saving less and borrowing more ahead of Union Budget 2026. Household debt rose from ~36% of GDP (mid-2021) to 41.3% (March 2025). Gross financial assets: 106.6% of GDP; net financial savings: 3–4%, 7.6% (Q4 2024–25). Budget 2025–26 capex: ₹11.2 lakh crore (effective ₹15.5 lakh crore); States prioritise capex; committed spends 30–32% of revenue receipts.

Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC India) urged the Union Budget to expedite GST refund payments and reduce income tax for non-corporate manufacturing MSMEs. EEPC India is a trade and investment promotion body for the engineering sector, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, established in 1955. It is an advisory interface to government, with 13,000+ members (60% SMEs), and promotes MSME global value-chain integration.

In 2025, near year-long climate disasters caused over 4,000 deaths in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand amid continuing Char Dham road works. Devdar/deodar (Cedrus deodara) forests (1,500–3,200 m), including around the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (4,000 sq km; notified 2012), stabilise slopes and aid Ganga water quality. Char Dham Project (launched 2016) is ~75% complete (Jan 2026; end-2026 target) but involved felling ~7,000 trees, diverting 43 ha, and flawed DL-PS standards linked to >800 landslide zones.

A gonorrhoea study in the July–December 2024 Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS cites WHO estimates of global burden (2020) and India’s NACO guidance. Gonorrhoea, caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, affects urogenital/pharyngeal/rectal/conjunctival mucosa and spreads via unprotected sex; reported higher in men since 2013. Diagnosis: urine/swab, NAAT most accurate. Treatment: ceftriaxone 500 mg IM single dose; abstain 7 days; screen for HIV/chlamydia/syphilis; culture if symptoms persist for antimicrobial resistance; prenatal screening prevents neonatal complications.

The European Union extended the suspension of preferential trade benefits for India under its Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), a unilateral trade preference framework introduced in 1971. The GSP aims at poverty reduction via expanded exports from vulnerable countries, and promotes sustainable development and good governance. It has three tiers: General GSP (duty cuts on 66% tariff lines), GSP+ (zero duties on 66% with conventions), and Everything but Arms (duty-free access for LDCs except weapons).

Government sanctioned >10,000 km of rural roads in six states under PMGSY-IV (2024–29). PMGSY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development, launched in December 2000 to provide all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected rural habitations, including bridges. Phases: I (2000) universal access; II (2013) upgradation; III (2019) 1,25,000 km; IV targets 25,000 habitations via 62,500 km.

Chief of Defence Staff released the Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework for the Tri-Services to promote jointness and integration for technology-centric warfare. Aligned with the National Quantum Mission, it enables civil-military collaboration through dedicated governing bodies. Priority domains include quantum communication, computing, sensing/metrology, and materials/devices. It covers QKD (entanglement-based secure keys), quantum radar/imaging, GPS-denied navigation, logistics/SIGINT optimisation, adaptive materials, and transition to post-quantum cryptography for cyber defence.

An expert report prepared after a Supreme Court order in M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India analyses Delhi’s winter PM2.5 sources. Secondary particulate matter is the largest contributor (27%), formed from SO₂, NOx, NH₃ and VOCs (e.g., ammonium nitrate/sulphate aerosols). Other shares: transport 23%, biomass burning 20%, dust 15% (road/soil/C&D), industry incl. thermal power plants 9%. PM2.5/PM10 show decline since 2016 but remain far from NAAQS; ~two-thirds PM2.5 is transboundary. Winter peaks due to low winds, shallow boundary layer and stagnation; recommendations cover waste-to-energy, barrier-free tolls, ECC rationalisation, cleaner transport and NCR annual action plans.

Two extremely rare ant fly species of genus Metadon (Family Syrphidae) were discovered in India and reported in Zootaxa: Metadon ghorpadei from Delhi’s northern ridge forest and Metadon reemeri from Sirvuvani hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Ant-associated (myrmecophilous) larvae live as inquilines in ant nests and feed on brood; adults stay near nests. Only 27 Microdontinae species are known regionally; threats include fragmentation, urbanisation, invasives.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj showcased SVAMITVA (“Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas”) in its tableau at the 77th Republic Day parade, New Delhi. A Central Sector Scheme launched on National Panchayati Raj Day (24 April 2021), it uses drones and GIS to map rural Abadi areas, issuing Property Cards/Title Deeds. Implemented with State Revenue Departments and Survey of India, it supports GIS-based GPDP; CORS offers 5 cm accuracy; recognised by UN and World Bank.

Spain has joined India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), a voluntary, non-treaty-based arrangement promoting cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific and a rules-based regional order. India launched IPOI at the 2019 East Asia Summit in Bangkok, building on SAGAR (2015) for a safe, secure maritime domain. Key pillars include maritime security, ecology, capacity building/resource sharing, and disaster risk reduction.