Current Affairs

CGTMSE organised a global symposium on credit guarantees, highlighting collateral-free formal credit access for micro and small enterprises. The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises was established in 2000 and is jointly set up by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and SIDBI. It operates the Credit Guarantee Scheme for the MSE sector and covers 75–90% losses on defaulted collateral-free bank loans.

Independent tests (Sept 2025) found Salween River (3,300 km; Tibet–China–Myanmar, forming Myanmar–Thailand border to Andaman Sea), Asia’s longest undammed free-flowing river, contaminated with arsenic (5× WHO 0.01 mg/l; tributaries up to 0.554 mg/l), plus cadmium, cyanide, mercury, linked to rare-earth/gold mining via in-situ leaching. Fish/benthos harmed; Karen/Karenni affected; Thai rice shipment to Australia rejected (Oct 2025), raising transboundary governance concerns.

Samriddh Gram, a rural integrated “phygital” service initiative, has been nominated for World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2026. Nodal ministry: Ministry of Communications; implemented by Department of Telecommunications with Telecom Technology Development Fund support. Launched in 2025 as a 2-year pilot, it uses BharatNet FTTH and PM-WANI via Samriddhi Kendras (800–1000 sq ft) for education (AR/VR, Diksha, Swayam), IoT agriculture, e-Sanjeevani, ONDC commerce, and real-time monitoring. WSIS prizes are organized by ITU.

Odisha became the first Indian state to implement a Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) in phase-II of India’s sustainable ocean planning, under the Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative. MSP is a tool for sustainable, integrated ocean management and blue-economy growth. Ministry of Earth Sciences is nodal; MoU with its NCCR supports benthic mapping and marine-parameter studies. Odisha S&T Department leads implementation. A 2025 Marine Biotechnology Corridor promotes startups and ecological protection.

India and the Republic of Korea adopted a Joint Strategic Vision (2026–2030) and institutionalised annual leader-level meetings. RoK joined India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative; bilateral trade ($27 billion; India’s deficit $15.19 billion) targets $54 billion by 2030; Economic Security Dialogue launched for supply chains/technology. RoK joined International Solar Alliance; India joined treaty-based GGGI (Rio+20, 2012; HQ Seoul). 2028–29: Friendship Year; Mumbai Korea Centre; VOYAGES maritime partnership; India–Korea Digital Bridge (AI, semiconductors, IT). Special Strategic Partnership (2015); CEPA (2010) upgrade sought; defence: 2020 roadmap, K9-Vajra ToT, KIND-X.

India’s Periodic Labour Force Survey defines Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) as the share of population aged 15+ that is employed or unemployed. Overall LFPR is 60.1%. Female LFPR rose to 40% in 2025, mainly rural, but a 60% gap persists with male LFPR; gains reflect informal, distress-driven self-employment and unpaid helper roles, while 37.4% women remain in unpaid domestic duties. Suggested measures: strengthen Mahila Shakti Kendras, expand National Creche Scheme crèches, skilling (digital/green/enterprise), safe transport/childcare/flexible work, equal pay and leave reforms.

India and Austria signed multiple agreements to strengthen cooperation in defence, trade, technology, education and culture. Austria is a landlocked country in south-central Europe with capital Vienna, bordering Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany. About 70% is Alpine; climate is temperate-alpine. Danube (2,850 km) is Europe’s second-longest river. Official language is German. It is a federal parliamentary republic. Milestones: Noricum; Charlemagne (788); Habsburg rule; Austria-Hungary (1867); collapse (1918); First Austrian Republic (1919).

Archaeologists identified a ~9,000-year-old (early Holocene) submerged Paleoindian landscape on the Alpena-Amberley Ridge in Lake Huron (Great Lakes). Using SONAR mapping and remotely operated vehicles, they documented hunting pits, drive lanes and stone caches. Drive lanes funnelled caribou into controlled zones, indicating advanced hunting. Cold, low-sediment waters aided preservation. The former Ice Age land bridge was submerged by glacial meltwater rise (~10,000 years ago), serving earlier as a migration corridor.

Ministry of Finance formed a specialised committee to simplify mobilisation of patient capital for large-scale infrastructure. Announced at the 2026 World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings, Washington DC. Patient capital implies 10–30-year investments seeking stable long-term returns, mainly from pension/insurance funds (NPS, EPF, private insurers, LIC). It suits long-gestation projects, addressing banks’ asset-liability mismatch within NMP, NIP and PPP frameworks.

RELIEF Scheme (Central Sector; launched March 2026) expanded to Egypt and Jordan. Nodal: Ministry of Commerce & Industry; implemented by ECGC. For shipments Feb–Jun 2026, it supports exporters incl freight/insurance-surcharge reimbursement. Components: I keeps pre-disruption premiums with war-risk cover up to 100%; II offers loss cover up to 95% incl new Whole Turnover policies (circular clarifies eligibility); III aids uninsured MSMEs with ₹50 lakh cap.

Union Cabinet approved the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool, a government-backed system for Indian-flagged/controlled vessels operating domestically and internationally. Linked to Maritime India Vision 2030, it aims at operational continuity, risk autonomy, sanctions resilience and Atmanirbharta. Coverage includes hull and machinery, cargo, P&I, war risk and third-party liabilities (oil pollution, wreck removal, cargo damage, crew injury, collision). It reduces dependence on International Group P&I Clubs/foreign insurers amid Red Sea–Strait of Hormuz–Gulf of Oman disruptions; maritime trade is 70% by volume and 95% by value.

National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC), a Section 8 company under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, recorded its highest-ever performance in FY 2025–26. Incorporated in January 1994, it supports OBCs, SHGs, and Denotified and Nomadic Tribes through State Channelizing Agencies, banks and NBFCs. It provides concessional loans (3–8% p.a.), skilling and livelihood support, including New Swarnima, Mahila Samriddhi, education loans, and convergence with PM-DAKSH, VISVAS, SEED, and National Fellowship for OBCs; eligibility: OBC families up to ₹3 lakh income (priority below ₹1.5 lakh).

Studies report rising irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in children/adolescents. IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder due to gut-brain axis dysregulation. Prevalence: 5–15% in children/adolescents; ~10% globally; in India, women are 3 times more at risk. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea/constipation, bloating, flatulence, nausea, mucus in stools. Risk factors: low fibre, processed foods, inactivity, screen time, stress; causes include dysbiosis. Types: IBS-C/D/M/U. Management: low-FODMAP, fibre, trigger avoidance, exercise, counselling, probiotics.

Ministry of AYUSH held Chintan Shivir 2026 in April 2026, Delhi, to integrate evidence-based traditional medicine-Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy-with modern healthcare. It reviewed policies/programmes since the 2023 Shivir and set a roadmap aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047. Theme “Tradition to Translation” stressed scientific validation, innovation and whole-of-government approach; aligned with “One Earth, One Family, One Future” and “Heal in India, Heal by India”. Initiatives included AIIA–General Insurance Council MoU, benchmark insurance rates, toll-free helpline 1800-11-0008, WhatsApp channel, and support for research, infrastructure, startups and digitalisation for lifestyle-disease management.

Plug-and-Play Industrial Parks Scheme (Bhavya Scheme), under Ministry of Commerce and Industry via DPIIT, targets 100 investment-ready industrial parks with pre-built infrastructure and approvals. Implemented by States/UTs and CPSUs through an SPV between NICDIT and state nodal agency, which owns/operates parks. Duration: 2026–27 to 2031–32; outlay ₹33,660 crore; support up to ₹1 crore/acre (₹50 lakh private-led) plus up to 25% for external connectivity; single-window; aligned with PM GatiShakti and green energy.

A study identified 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin, with unstable ice volumes and avalanche potential, indicating downstream glacial hazards. Hanging glaciers terminate at the edge of a cliff or steep slope rather than a valley floor, transferring ice below through icefalls and avalanches. Their steep-slope setting makes them inherently unstable, risking catastrophic break-offs, glacial lake outburst flood triggering, and river blockage.

ISRO’s annual Space Situation Report 2025 notes 315 successful launches (328 attempts) placing 4,198 operational satellites, four private lunar missions, and Blue Ghost Mission 1’s first private soft landing. It flags ~160,000 close-approach alerts in LEO. India launched 144 spacecraft; GSLV-F15/NVS-02 was the 100th launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Government operates 22 LEO and 31 GEO satellites; active deep-space missions: Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Aditya-L1. An Indian astronaut commanded Axiom-4 ISS mission. Debris Free Space Mission targets 2030; tracking: NETRA, Sriharikota radar, Nainital telescope; ISRO participates in IADC and IAA debris committees.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) constituted the Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics Group (AIGEG) to institutionalise AI governance, operationalising AI Governance Guidelines and Economic Survey recommendations. It is a high-level inter-ministerial, 10-member body for policy coordination, chaired by MeitY Minister with MoS as vice-chair; members include Principal Scientific Advisor, Chief Economic Advisor and NITI Aayog CEO. It adopts whole-of-government approach, aligns AI with labour market and social stability, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee; guided by trust, people-centricity, responsible innovation, equity, accountability, understandability, and safety/resilience/sustainability, integrating with Digital Public Infrastructure and NITI Aayog’s 2018 “AI for All” strategy.

Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited is developing an AI-enabled semiconductor fabrication facility, involving front-end etching of integrated circuits on silicon wafers, to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem. It aims to reduce import dependence and secure supply chains for defence, telecommunications and automotive sectors, generating ~21,000 jobs, and enabling end-to-end chip making beyond ATMP; earlier ATMP/OSAT units were set up at Sanand, Gujarat. SEZs operate under distinct fiscal-regulatory norms; SEZ Amendments 2025 cut land need from 50 to 10 hectares and allow domestic tariff area sales on duty payment.

India’s first bat assessment by the Nature Conservation Foundation and Bat Conservation International flags major threats and data gaps in bat conservation. It records about 135 bat species in India, including 16 endemic species; 7 are IUCN-listed as threatened. Key pressures include urbanisation, deforestation, climate change and post-COVID-19 stigma. Bats are warm-blooded mammals, the only mammals with true powered flight, using echolocation, and provide pollination, pest control and seed dispersal.

Karnataka Cabinet approved the Rohith Vemula Bill, 2026 (nodal: Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department) to curb caste/identity-based discrimination in higher-education institutions, safeguarding education and dignity of SCs, STs, faculty and non-teaching staff. It mandates disclosure of cases and climate risks, sets grievance/equity panels, imposes fines up to ₹10 lakh and grant withdrawal, applies polluter-pays compensation, complements SC/ST (PoA) Act, cites Concurrent List and Article 15(4), and is proposed for Monsoon Session 2026; Telangana is drafting a similar law.

Parliament is considering constitutional changes to expand Lok Sabha seats and expedite delimitation to implement one-third women’s reservation. Delimitation readjusts constituencies for “one vote, one value” under Articles 82 (post-Census readjustment) and 81 (uniform population-seat ratio). Delimitation has been frozen since 1976, extended to 2026. Proposals include raising seats from 543 to up to 850 (815 states, 35 UTs) and delinking delimitation from Census, including possible use of 2011 data, amid concerns over inter-state representation disparities.

Researchers described a new bent-toed gecko species from Tripura, highlighting restricted-range biodiversity in Northeast India’s lowland forests. The species, Cyrtodactylus jayadityai, is named after herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha and belongs to the genus Cyrtodactylus. Mitochondrial DNA indicates closest affinity to C. tripuraensis. It occurs in lowland forest patches of North Tripura, within ~8–12 sq km; nocturnal, sheltering in burrows/crevices by day; categorised data deficient, threatened by rising human activity and environmental degradation.

Astronomers made a highly precise direct estimate of the Universe’s expansion rate, sharpening the “Hubble tension”: ~9% mismatch between late- and early-Universe Hubble constant values at 5-sigma significance. Local distance-ladder measurements using Cepheids and Type Ia supernovae with Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope give 73.5 km/s/Mpc, while CMB-based Planck results (snapshot ~380,000 years after Big Bang) give 67.4 km/s/Mpc, challenging the ΛCDM model.