Current Affairs

Government constituted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 and report to Parliament. A JPC is a temporary, ad-hoc committee formed by a motion in one House and agreed by the other; membership from both Houses is fixed by the motion. It can summon officials, seek documents, record testimony, allow dissent notes, and submits persuasive recommendations; government must file an Action Taken Report.

Studies on dragonflies (order Odonata; includes damselflies) note 360° ultraviolet-sensitive panoramic vision enabled by >16 opsin genes (humans: 4). India has ~600 species, with high diversity in the Northeast and Western Ghats; the Western Ghats-endemic Blue Hawklet (Hylaeothemis apicalis) is now rarely observed amid declines. Early flyers (~300 million years), they have aquatic nymphs in wetlands / ponds / streams; adults are aerial predators aiding pest control and indicating ecosystem health. Threats include pesticides (e.g., fipronil), droughts, erratic rainfall and predation.

Analysis cautions that weakening natural carbon sinks could undermine global Net Zero strategies by reducing the share of anthropogenic CO₂ removed. Natural sinks (absorbing more CO₂ than released) include forests, oceans, soils/wetlands and peatlands. In 2025, oceans absorb ~12 GtCO₂ and forests ~6 GtCO₂, against ~48 GtCO₂ emissions (~40% absorbed). Drivers: deforestation (global forest area down ~1.5 million sq km since 1990), fires, climate-change stress, ocean warming, ecosystem degradation and inadequate financing/valuation in climate markets.

Belgian PM Bart De Wever’s India visit (first in 20 years) agreed a Letter of Intent for structured defence cooperation (training/exchanges, R&D, joint exercises/seminars, maritime security, defence industry), plus intelligence-sharing against crime. About 15 Belgian firms engaged; projects include New Lachaussée-Tembo €50 million ammo line (~100 million rounds/year) and Exail Belgium-L&T autonomous mine-countermeasure systems for 12 vessels (expandable to 59). India offered an Investment Fast-Track, regular India-Belgium Business Forum, fintech-regulatory coordination, semiconductor supply-chain cooperation, and a renewable-energy pact. Trade: US$13.01 billion (2025-26); Belgian FDI ~US$4.2 billion (Apr 2000-Dec 2025); target doubling trade in five years. Noted: India-Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union Joint Commission (1997), Antwerp diamond hub, and discussions on Ukraine/West Asia stressing UN Charter, international law and safe maritime shipping.

Botanical Survey of India scientists discovered a new flowering plant, Osbeckia ulotricha (family Melastomataceae), in shola grasslands of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats. Endemic to 1,200-1,500 m, it is woolly-haired with apically clustered leaves, urn-shaped hypanthium and bristled ovary; flowers/fruits Feb-May; grows on damp shola-montane grassland margins. The reserve spans Kerala-Tamil Nadu; established 2001; UNESCO WNBR (2016); has evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, montane rainforests and shola-grasslands; rivers Thamirabarani, Neyyar, Karamana; includes Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar WLS and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai TR.

British scientists are exploring a pneumonia vaccine using reverse vaccinology, which leverages whole-genome data, bioinformatics and computational analysis to identify vaccine targets and model epitopes for safer, effective designs. Coined by Rino Rappuoli (2000), it was first applied to MenB (serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis) and used for Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and M. tuberculosis. Steps include genome sequencing, in-silico selection, high-throughput immunization screening and animal-model testing.

UNEP’s “Limiting Overshoot” report warns the world will likely temporarily breach the 1.5°C (above preindustrial) target within a few years; breaching 1.5°C is now unavoidable. It, for the first time, outlines an overshoot-peak-decline pathway. Even if all national plans and net-zero targets are met, peak warming is 1.8°C; current policies imply ~2.6°C by 2100 (1.9-3.6°C). Overshoot costs include faster sea-level rise, coral collapse, >25% glacier-mass loss by 2100, up to 14% food-output decline by 2050 without adaptation, and tipping risks (West Antarctic/Greenland ice sheets, AMOC, Amazon). Cutting methane is highlighted as the most effective near-term lever.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology launched the BIO-NIVESH platform to connect biotechnology startups with investors and increase private capital for scale-up and commercialisation. Envisaged as a recurring platform across cities, it uses two-way engagement on investment lens and scientific-regulatory pathways. The inaugural edition has 20 biotech/deep-tech startups and ~50 investors, selected by innovation, scalability, market potential, development stage, and regulatory readiness.

The Defence Minister released ‘RAKSHA’, a comprehensive strategic framework outlining India’s 10-year roadmap and vision for defence diplomacy and global defence partnerships. It aligns national security objectives with proactive international cooperation and strategic engagement with friendly nations, aiming at long-term stability in an evolving security environment. Key pillars include strategic partnerships, capacity building, indigenous defence exports (Make in India), and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

A high-level meeting in Delhi agreed to defer the Census in Manipur, citing public feelings and aspirations, amid demands to conduct an NRC with 1951 as base year. Meiteis Pangals and Naga groups filed petitions in Manipur High Court seeking NRC revision, action on illegal migration from Myanmar, and Census only thereafter. Census: Union List (7th Schedule), notified by Union via Gazette, run by Registrar General (MHA), under Census Act, 1948. NRC began with 1951 Census; mandated for all States but done only in Assam.

MoSPI clarified GDP estimates for Q1 FY2026-27. It explained double deflation, where gross output and intermediate consumption are independently deflated: Real GVA = Real Gross Output − Real Intermediate Consumption. A negative GVA deflator need not imply falling manufacturing prices; it can occur when input prices rise faster than output prices. GDP revisions reflect base-year changes, improved sources, new IIP data, PPI introduction and methodological updates. GDP is estimated by production and expenditure approaches; differences from data/timing gaps, missing information, errors and preliminary quarterly estimates are recorded as statistical discrepancy.

Kerala has updated its official name to “Keralam” for State institutions, but the High Court continues as the “High Court of Kerala” since judiciary is independent and renaming needs a Parliamentary High Court Name Amendment Act. Similar 2016 Madras/Bombay renaming bills lapsed. Pre-1949 courts: Travancore (Thiruvananthapuram), Cochin (Ernakulam), Malabar under Madras. Travancore-Cochin HC formed 1 July 1949 at Ernakulam; Kerala and Kerala HC created under States Reorganisation Act, 1956 on 1 November 1956.

Researchers identified a brain circuit linked to chemotherapy side effect cold allodynia, a neuropathic pain where mild cold causes intense burning/freezing; symptoms include sharp pain, tingling, pins-and-needles. Causes: diabetes (peripheral nerve injury/diabetic neuropathy), chemotherapy (e.g., platinum drug oxaliplatin), infections (shingles), autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), B12 deficiency. Management: pregabalin, gabapentin, duloxetine; lidocaine/capsaicin, NSAIDs; warming measures; TENS.

Government allocated ₹12,200 crore for PMFBY, launched 18 February 2016, for 2026-27. It covers risks from prevented sowing to post-harvest losses from drought, flood, cyclone and hailstorm. Premium caps: 2% Kharif, 1.5% Rabi, 5% commercial; subsidy 50:50 (90:10 NE/Himalayan). Implemented in 25 States/UTs in Kharif 2026; claims since inception exceed ₹2.06 lakh crore. NCIP, DigiClaim-PFMS, YES-TECH and KRPH helpline 14447 support delivery.

A report highlights the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) as a key scavenger in India’s grasslands and rural landscapes, aiding sanitation and reducing pathogen risks (anthrax, rabies, bovine tuberculosis). Powerful jaws, specialised dentition and high gastric acidity enable bone and carrion digestion; dens are used multi-generationally. It is IUCN Near Threatened and protected under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Schedule III. Habitats include Deccan Plateau, Thar, Gir, Velavadar and Pench; threats include myths-driven persecution, grassland diversion as “wastelands”, roadkills, wells and stray dogs.

Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to quash FIRs/criminal proceedings against Gen Z protesters linked to protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Article 142(1) empowers SC to pass orders for “complete justice”, enforceable across India; enforcement mode is set by Parliament, else by the President. Article 142(2) covers attendance, document production and contempt. Limits: cannot violate Constitution/fundamental rights, amend statutes; must follow natural justice, public policy, and be used sparingly.

Supreme Court held purse seine nets are permitted only beyond 12 nautical miles in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under Central regulation, and prohibited within 0-12 nautical miles of territorial/state waters. It ruled Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Rules, 2020 (0-12 nm) and Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the EEZ Rules, 2025 (12-200 nm; UNCLOS 1982 framework) operate in distinct zones, hence no conflict.

Bishkek Declaration 2026 urges SCO (permanent intergovernmental body, formed June 2001, Shanghai; Shanghai Five 1996; Charter June 2002, in force Sept 2003) coordination on security, connectivity and multilateralism. It targets “three evils”, strengthens SCO-RATS, seeks inclusive Afghanistan and action on Golden Crescent drugs and IT radicalisation. It backs trade in national currencies, INSTC and energy grids, UN/UNSC reform, and opposes unilateral sanctions. India pushed SECURE, sovereignty-based connectivity, rejected BRI, promoted DPI and anti–cross-border terrorism.

Union Budget 2026-27 highlights sandalwood (Santalum album) as part of India’s social-cultural heritage. It is a hemi-root parasite; host selection affects growth, with poor hosts causing chlorosis and mortality. Climate-smart traits include salinity/drought tolerance and low nutrient needs; suitable for agroforestry with gooseberry, mango, custard apple and red gram, and now cultivated in Telangana, Gujarat, MP, Andhra Pradesh and north India. A Sandalwood Development Committee under EAC-PM and NITI Aayog, chaired by Finance Secretary, includes MoEFCC, Agriculture, Commerce, Ayush, NMPB, IWST Bengaluru and TNAU.

India rejected an award by a Hague-based Court of Arbitration under the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), linked to India’s abeyance decision and interim measures for the Ratle Hydroelectric Project. Pakistan sought arbitration in 2016; India sought a Neutral Expert for Kishenganga (330 MW) and Ratle (850 MW). India says simultaneous proceedings breach Article IX’s sequential PIC-NE-CoA process and boycotts the tribunal appointed via the World Bank. Eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) are India’s; western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) Pakistan’s, with India’s limited non-consumptive uses.

A “shuddhikaran” ritual at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground after a Dalit person used the venue raised whether it constitutes “untouchability” under Article 17. Article 17 abolishes untouchability “in any form,” is enforceable against non-State actors, and is operationalised by the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 (renamed in 1976). Sukanya Shantha v Union of India (2024) linked untouchability to purity-pollution notions. Surya Narayan Choudhary (1988) held purification as a discriminatory condition violating Articles 14, 15, 17.

Nagaland’s Tourism and Higher Education Minister highlighted Raja Mircha, a GI-tagged chilli linked to the state. Also called Naga King Chilli/Bhut Jolokia, it is a chilli pepper (Capsicum chinense) cultivated mainly in Nagaland. Among the world’s hottest, it ranks in the top 10. It matures from green to vibrant red; subconical-conical, finely wrinkled, thin-fleshed. GI tag (2008) was Nagaland’s first GI product; “Naga Mircha” becomes exclusive to the region.

Forest Department data on registered poaching and illegal arms cases over the last 16 years shows Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary accounts for nearly half such enforcement cases. Located at the Western-Eastern Ghats junction in Chamarajanagara, Karnataka, it was notified in 2013; contiguous with BRT and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves and Cauvery WS. Boundaries: Kaveri (NE), Palar (S). Vegetation: dry deciduous to shola; fauna include elephants and tigers.

India’s Aditya-L1 mission study by the Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences (MAHE), ISRO and the Department of Space detected pre-flare transient events-small, short-lived brightenings - hours before major solar flares, clustered at the eventual flare site. SUIT’s Mg II h filter (chromosphere; 11 NUV filters) and X-ray spectrometers SoLEXS/HEL1OS showed some X-ray signatures, suggesting small-scale magnetic energy release. L1 orbit enables continuous monitoring for flare forecasting and mitigating impacts on spacecraft, radio/GPS and astronauts.

Scientists from JNCASR, IISc and the University of Sydney reported a crystalline inorganic semiconductor producing thermoelectric voltage far beyond the accepted limit. Using scandium nitride (ScN) with intentional magnesium doping, they created a heavily doped, highly compensated (HDHC) semiconductor with charge compensation. The Seebeck effect generates voltage under a temperature gradient; modified ScN showed a record Seebeck coefficient of -124.6 mV/K near room temperature, versus the earlier practical few mV/K limit for crystalline solids.

In Aug 2026, observations of magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 (~14,700 light-years away; rare radio-emitting) provided evidence for QED-predicted vacuum birefringence, envisaged by Heisenberg and Euler (1930s), where virtual particle pairs make strongly magnetised “empty” space behave like a birefringent crystal. Using IXPE, NICER (ISS) and Murriyang/Parkes polarimetry, X-ray polarisation reached ~65-80% and decreased with energy; models including birefringence best fit.