Current Affairs

Pixxel-led consortium (Pixxel, Piersight Space, Satsure Analytics India, Dhruva Space) signed an agreement with IN-SPACe to design, build and operate India’s first national Earth Observation constellation under a PPP model. IN-SPACe is the nodal body authorising, regulating and promoting private space activity. The project will deploy 12 satellites with very high-resolution optical, multispectral, SAR and hyperspectral imaging, with ₹1,200 crore investment over five years, enabling end-to-end EO services and industry-operated national EO infrastructure.

The Ministry of Power released the Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026 to replace the NEP notified in 2005. It targets per capita electricity consumption of 2,000 kWh by 2030 and over 4,000 kWh by 2047 (1,460 kWh in 2024–25). It mandates index-linked annual tariff revision, robust cybersecurity with in-India data storage, and a Distribution System Operator for network sharing and integrating distributed renewables, storage, and Vehicle-to-Grid, including BESS. It notes universal electrification (2021), unified national grid (since 2013), and DISCOM losses, debt, cost-reflective tariff gaps, and cross-subsidisation raising industrial tariffs.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) completed 11 years since launch on 22 January 2015 under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. It promotes welfare of the girl child and builds a long-term savings corpus for education and future needs. Eligible girl child: below 10 years. One account per girl; maximum two per family. Annual deposit ₹250–₹1.5 lakh for 15 years. Guardian operates till 18 years. Matures after 21 years; up to 50% withdrawal for education after 18 years.

The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development (instituted in 1985) for 2025 has been awarded to Mozambican human rights activist Graca Machel. Administered by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, it is an annual award open to a person or organisation, without distinction of nationality, race or religion. It honours creative efforts promoting global peace, racial equality, international cooperation, responsible use of science, expanded human freedom and enrichment of the human spirit.

India’s first ‘Made in India’ C-295 aircraft is slated to roll out before September 2026. It is being manufactured at the Airbus–Tata Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, highlighting the C-295 programme. The C-295 is a medium-range, twin-engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft, with flight endurance of up to 11 hours and short take-off and landing (STOL) capability.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) is an emerging health concern, notably in India, and replaces the term Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) to reflect metabolic causes. It is a chronic fatty liver condition, often silent, linked to obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol, and is the world’s most common liver disease. It ranges from hepatic steatosis to MASH (earlier NASH). Management includes diet, physical activity and weight loss.

A new ginger family (Zingiberaceae) species, Parakaempferia alba, was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang Valley (East Siang district) and published in the Nordic Journal of Botany. It grows along shaded streambanks in humid, sandy soil at 150–400 m altitude. It differs from P. synantha in leaf shape, flower spikes/bracts, and has unique glands near the ovary. The find underscores Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot value.

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) completed one year of its Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS) under MeitY, aimed at building awareness and expertise in internet governance among Indian citizens. NIXI is a Section 8 non-profit (Companies Act, 2013) enabling domestic traffic exchange via neutral peering among ISPs/CDNs, reducing latency and improving QoS. Divisions: IX NIXI, INRegistry (.IN; delegated by GoI in 2004), and IRINN/NIR.

APEDA held an Assam conclave to strengthen agri-exports from Assam and improve market access for agricultural and organic products. APEDA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, established in 1986 under the APEDA Act, 1985, headquartered in New Delhi, chaired by Shri Abhishek Dev. It promotes exports of agricultural and processed foods, registers exporters, sets standards, inspects meat products, improves packaging/marketing, provides training, and implements NPOP.

The Supreme Court disposed a Telangana writ petition against the Union government and Andhra Pradesh over proposed expansion of the Polavaram-Banakacherla (Polavaram-Nallamalasagar) Link Project. Approved in 2009, it diverts surplus Godavari water via Polavaram dam to drought-prone Rayalaseema through Krishna and Penna basins for irrigation and drinking water, under GWDT Award with CWC clearances. Telangana cites AP Reorganisation Act; AP claims only flood waters. Disputes follow Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956; KWDT and GWDT were constituted in 1969.

Indian Railways has expanded the One Station One Product (OSOP) initiative to over 2,000 railway stations as of Jan 2026. Launched in 2022, with the Ministry of Railways as nodal ministry, OSOP provides display-and-sale outlets at stations to promote indigenous specialised products and crafts. It has empowered 1.32 lakh artisans, covering tribal artefacts, handlooms, handicrafts (wood carving, chikankari, zari-zardozi) and processed/semi-processed foods, aligned with “Vocal for Local” and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The Lancet Commission roadmap targets India’s Universal Health Coverage by 2047, citing fragmented vertical programmes, weak coordination across care levels, and persistent out-of-pocket spending (outpatient care, medicines) despite Ayushman Bharat. It flags quality “know-do” gaps and rising NCD burden. Reforms include decentralised Integrated Delivery Systems linking primary networks to secondary hospitals, stronger local governance and VHSNCs, ABDM-enabled technology and real-time surveillance, and private-sector alignment via capitation/global budgets and voluntary outpatient cover.

US President Donald Trump criticised the UK’s potential return of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, citing a vital US military base. Under a May 2025 UK–Republic of Mauritius agreement, Mauritius is recognised as sovereign over the entire Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, a coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean. The UK administered Chagos as BIOT since 1965 and retains a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, hosting a joint UK–US military facility.

MoEFCC organised a mass singing of “Vande Mataram” to mark 150 years of the national song. It has equal status with the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”. Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1875) in Sanskritised Bengali; included in his novel Anandamath (1882), set amid the Bengal famine (1770) and Sannyasi Rebellion. First publicly sung by Rabindranath Tagore at INC Kolkata (1896). Constituent Assembly (24 January 1950) adopted the first two stanzas. It became a freedom-struggle slogan, notably in Swadeshi and anti-partition (1905–06) protests (Calcutta Town Hall); singing invited arrests after Lord Curzon’s police orders. Aurobindo Ghose linked it to divine strength; Gulbarga “Vande Mataram” movement opposed Nizam’s rule (Dr Sharanabasappa, Dargah Qadeer, Gulbarga University students).

During a bilateral visit, India–UAE set a target to raise trade to >US$200 billion by 2032; CEPA (2022) has lifted trade to nearly US$100 billion by FY2024–25. Initiatives: Bharat Mart, Virtual Trade Corridor, Bharat-Africa Setu. Cooperation: SMRs and nuclear safety (SHANTI Act 2025), digital/data embassies (offshore sovereign data storage), AI India Mission supercomputing, defence MoU/LoI, and LNG SPA: ADNOC Gas to HPCL 0.5 MTPA for 10 years. UAE is India’s 3rd-largest partner; supports SPR.

RBI issued the Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending–Targets and Classification) Directions, 2025, revising PSL classifications and targets. Banks must obtain external audit certification (CAG-empanelled auditors for specified entities like NCDC) to prevent double-counting of the same underlying exposure by originating banks and intermediaries (NBFCs/cooperatives). PSL target for Small Finance Banks reduced to 60% of ANBC from 75%. Loans to NCDC for on-lending qualify as PSL; co-lending permitted; export credit to agriculture and MSMEs treated as PSL.

Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Environmental (Protection) Fund Rules, 2026, operationalising utilisation, allocation and oversight of the Environmental Protection Fund constituted under Section 16 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The fund lies in the Public Account of India, sourced from fines under Air (1981), Water (1974) and Environment (1986) Acts; 75% remitted to States/UTs, 25% retained by Centre for monitoring networks, remediation, clean-tech R&D, and strengthening CPCB/SPCBs, managed by a PMU and audited by CAG.

India launched the Responsible Nations Index (RNI) framework to assess countries on responsibility metrics beyond economic strength. Developed by the World Intellectual Foundation (WIF) with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and IIM Mumbai, it evaluates 154 countries. It uses 58 indicators from international data sources to assess ethical governance, social well-being, environmental stewardship and global responsibility. Top ranks: Singapore, Switzerland, Denmark. India ranked 16th, ahead of US (66) and China (68).

The Government has increased the Central Silk Board’s approval limit to speed up project clearances in the silk sector. The Central Silk Board is a statutory body set up in 1948 through an Act of Parliament and functions under the Ministry of Textiles. India is the world’s second-largest silk producer and largest consumer; it produces Mulberry, Oak/Tropical Tasar, Muga and Eri, with Mulberry at 92% of raw silk output; major states/UTs include Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Public Sector Banks have sanctioned over ₹52,300 crore to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises under the Credit Assessment Model (CAM), 2025. CAM uses borrowers’ digital footprints and digitally fetched, verifiable information to enable faster, data-driven and objective MSME loan appraisal and automated loan processing. Applications are sourced through the Jan Samarth Portal, a common platform linking beneficiaries, financial institutions, Central/State government agencies and nodal agencies.

A powerful winter storm paralysed Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East, burying streets and homes under heavy snow. Kamchatka is part of the Russian Federation’s Far Eastern Federal District and is sparsely populated (about 3 lakh). It lies between the Sea of Okhotsk (west) and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea (east), with Sredinny and Vostochny ranges and the Kamchatka River; climate is mostly tundra.

China recorded 7.92 million births in 2025, while its population fell by 3.39 million to 1.405 billion, highlighting “Demographic Winter” as a growing global issue with implications for 21st-century economy and social structure. Demographic Winter denotes persistent, structural decline in population growth, marked by fertility below replacement (2.1) and an inverted, ageing population pyramid, driven by delayed milestones, urbanisation, sociocultural shifts, family planning access, and legacy policies like China’s One Child Policy.

The US 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, titled “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”, proposes a “Board of Peace” as a transitional Gaza administration and international organisation, endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025). It oversees the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) and International Stabilization Force (ISF), mobilises resources and ensures accountability. Chair: US President Donald Trump; Executive Board includes World Bank President Ajay Banga; invitations sent to India, Argentina, Canada, Egypt and Turkey. Members may serve 3-year terms without contribution; paid permanent membership reportedly requires $1 billion.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, released findings of its inquiry committee on large-scale IndiGo flight delays and cancellations. It flagged over-optimised operations prioritising commercial utilisation, inadequate aircraft and crew buffers, non-compliance with revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, and weak crisis management/internal escalation. DGCA, headquartered in New Delhi, levied financial penalties and coordinates regulatory functions with ICAO.

French President urged the first-time use of the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), dubbed the trade “Bazooka”, to counter US tariffs on European countries amid a standoff over Greenland. ACI applies when a non-EU country interferes in EU or Member State policy choices by applying or threatening trade/investment measures. It enables deterrence via import/export restrictions, IPR and FDI-related measures, and limiting access to the EU market.

Child trafficking involves recruitment/transport/harbouring/receipt of children for exploitation (forced labour, sexual exploitation, slavery/servitude, organ removal); under Palermo Protocol, consent is irrelevant, and its principle is reflected domestically. BNS 2023 defines trafficking via coercion/deception/abuse/inducement and recognises physical, sexual, economic and organ exploitation. Constitutional safeguards: Articles 23, 24, 39(e)-(f). Key laws: ITPA 1956, JJ Act 2015 (rehabilitation), POCSO 2012 (gender-neutral, fast-track; stringent penalties). Supreme Court treats trafficking as violating life/dignity (Vishal Jeet, M.C. Mehta, Bachpan Bachao); recent guidelines stress victim-centric, coordinated accountability. Issues: low convictions, vulnerabilities, digital recruitment, inter-State networks; law and order is a State subject.