Current Affairs

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) tightened standards for tea bags, banning epichlorohydrin, a chlorinated epoxide (chlorinated cyclic ether): clear, volatile, highly flammable, water-soluble; on heating releases toxic fumes (incl. hydrochloric acid). Exposure irritates eyes/skin/respiratory tract and may cause chemical pneumonitis, pulmonary edema and renal lesions. BIS, under BIS Act 2016, is India’s national standards body under Ministry of Consumer Affairs; successor to ISI (1947); represents India in ISO/IEC; HQ New Delhi.

General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), New Delhi (apex performing-arts body; established 1953; Ministry of Culture) announced awards for 2024–25/2024–2025. President confers Akademi Ratna and Puraskar; Chairman confers Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. Akademi Ratna: highest honour, ordinarily 50+, capped at 40 living; 7 fellows (Ramlal Bareth, A.V. Anand, Rita Ganguly, Puru Dadheech, Chittaranjan Jyotishi, Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma, Sudharani Raghupathy); ₹3 lakh + Tamrapatra, Angavastram. Puraskar: instituted 1951, renamed 1953; 108 artists; ₹1 lakh. Yuva Puraskar: 106 artists; ₹25,000.

Pfizer’s investigational Berobenatide, an ultra-long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide, showed promising mid-stage results in the VESPER-3 trial for chronic weight management and type 2 diabetes. It mimics gut hormones to reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying and improve blood sugar; albumin binding prolongs action, enabling a 0.5 mL once-monthly injection. Side effects include nausea and vomiting. Obesity: BMI ≥30; associated risks include cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancers.

Supreme Court set aside Telangana High Court relief permitting an accused to travel abroad for medical treatment in a 2014 suspicious-death case (FIR under IPC Sections 306, 120B). After repeated relief and LoC suspension, the accused left India in 2017, returned in 2025, and was arrested at Hyderabad airport. SC held comparable medical facilities exist in India; passport release is not automatic travel permission. Article 21 right to travel abroad is subject to reasonable, proportionate restrictions, balanced with speedy trial, victim’s rights and effective criminal justice, using harmonious construction.

Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil (1897–1927), born in 1897 in Uttar Pradesh, is remembered on his birth anniversary for revolutionary and literary contributions. Associated with Arya Samaj, he drew inspiration from Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s Satyarth Prakash. He was linked to the 1918 Manipuri controversy (looting government funds), founded Matrivedi with Genda Lal Dixit, and co-founded HRA (1924) with Sachindranath Sanyal and Jadugopal Mukherjee. The Kakori train robbery (1925) led to his death sentence with Rajendra Lahiri, Ashfaqulla Khan and Roshan Singh. He wrote Urdu-Hindi poetry under Ram, Agyat and Bismil; Man ki Lahar is his poem collection.

On World Environment Day, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched E85, a high-ethanol fuel blend (80–85% ethanol, 14–19% petrol). Ethanol is produced mainly by fermenting biomass such as corn and sugarcane. E85 is exclusively for Flex-Fuel Vehicles, which automatically adapt from E20 to E100; non-FFVs risk engine damage. It offers cheaper per-litre pricing and 61% lower greenhouse-gas emissions, supports energy security by reducing crude imports, boosts sugarcane-linked demand, and aligns with 100% Made-in-India FFVs; Brazil has used E85 for decades.

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries inaugurated SAPLING Dialogue 2026 in Ahmedabad. SAPLING is a World Bank Group-led regional platform for South Asia to strengthen food processing ecosystems, promote value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, generate employment and build resilient food systems, aligned with the World Bank Group’s AgriConnect initiative. Themes include Think Big, Act Local; Farm to Factory; formalizing informal processors; smart tech (cold chain, digital traceability, sustainable packaging); safe food and markets; finance; shared food future.

Election Commission allots symbols under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968: recognised national/state parties get reserved symbols (BJP: lotus; Congress: raised hand); unrecognised parties/independents choose from periodically revised “free symbols”, with some state/UT restrictions (apple is free except in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka). Since 1990s, animals are not allotted; Maneka Gandhi cited 1989 Tamil Nadu rooster mistreatment. BSP retains elephant (pre-ban); thus cockroach symbol not allowed.

Project 18 is an Indian Navy programme for next-generation destroyers/cruiser-sized warships, designed by the Warship Design Bureau with MDL and GRSE. Expected displacement 11,000–13,000 tonnes and ~180 m length (Visakhapatnam-class ~7,500 tonnes). Envisaged as a multi-domain command platform for manned/unmanned assets; Integrated Electric Propulsion lowers acoustic signature, improves stealth, enables laser weapons/advanced radars. Up to 144 VLS cells: BrahMos, BrahMos-II, LR-LACM, SMART, Project Kusha, ABM interceptors. Features DRDO indigenous S-band AESA radar (>500 km), advanced EW/battle-management, UAV/USV/XLUUV control, 50–100 kW lasers; strengthens blue-water Indo-Pacific capability and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

World Bank approved additional US$9 million to help the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) manage sharply higher energy costs affecting households, businesses, public services and the national budget. RMI lies in the central Pacific (NE of Papua New Guinea, SE of Federated States of Micronesia), comprising 29 low-lying coral atolls (1,156 islands) in Ratak/Ralik chains; capital Majuro; English and Marshallese. Presidential republic (parliamentary system); US dollar; first to issue legal-tender cryptocurrency (2018). Government established 1979; independence 1986 via Compact of Free Association with the US, ending UN-US trusteeship; US provides aid/program access and holds defence authority.

Union minister launched the Smart Border Project for India’s Bangladesh and Pakistan borders, a technology-driven national security initiative under the Ministry of Home Affairs to curb infiltration, smuggling and illegal demographic changes. It deploys drones, radars, modern cameras, watchtowers and smart fencing; prioritises Sir Creek, Harami Nala, Tripura, West Bengal and Bihar; expands BSF jurisdiction 15–50 km; uses a quadrangular grid (public, civil administration, local police, military&BSF) and shifts to a territorial security vision. BSF (1965) has 25 battalions and ~2.7 lakh personnel.

Phantom (limb) pain is a neurological condition where painful sensations are perceived in an amputated/removed part. First described in the 16th century by Ambroise Paré; “phantom limb” coined in 1871 by Silas Weir Mitchell. It can follow limb amputation, breast/eye removal, tooth extraction or rectal surgery. Prevalence: 50–80% globally; 40–70% in India. Symptoms (burning, stabbing, electric-shock) may start soon or months later, peaking at 6–12 months; risk factors include severe pre-amputation pain, poor post-op pain control, nerve injury and PTSD. Mechanism involves retained brain “map” and abnormal nerve signals. No single cure; multidisciplinary care uses gabapentin/pregabalin, antidepressants, mirror therapy, rehab/prosthesis, CBT, acupuncture, with emerging VR and brain stimulation.

Ancient petroglyphs (symbolic images/inscriptions carved on rock) were reported from the Bhondsi stretch of Aravalli forests, Gurugram, Haryana, near the Bhuvneshwari Mata Mandir complex in the Aravalli belt from Delhi Ridge to Gurugram–Faridabad. Made by pecking/incising/drilling/scratching with harder stones, they include cupules, geometric grids, possible stone game boards, a foot-shaped engraving and stone tools; distinct from painted petrographs and often Mesolithic (10,000–8,000 BCE), used for early communication, mapping and markers.

Delhi Bird Atlas 2025, by Delhi Forest Department, Bird Count India, WWF-India and partners, is the first systematic mapping of bird distribution/abundance in NCT Delhi; it ranks Delhi second after Nairobi among capitals for bird diversity, aided by Aravalli edge, Yamuna–Sahibi floodplains and Central Asian Flyway (Arctic–Indian Ocean). Started Jan 2025; 11% area; 6.6×6.6 km grids; 145 random subcells; eBird checklists. Delhi checklist: 471 species; 22 unrecorded since 1975; Year-1: 221 (126 resident; 81 winter, 14 summer migrants); 18 endemics; threatened species include Egyptian Vulture and Black-bellied Tern.

In the 2026–27 rabi season, India will begin wide-scale cultivation of imidazolinone-resistant (IMI-resistant) mustard hybrids, developed via mutation breeding (not GM). A single DNA change makes acetolactate synthase (ALS) resistant to IMI herbicides, enabling over-the-top spraying to kill Orobanche (Phelipanche), a root parasite draining water/nutrients. Mustard is vital in arid North India; India imported 16 million tonnes edible oils in 2024–25 (₹1.6 lakh crore), and labour needs during weeding reduce.

31 gharial hatchlings were released near Bagaha on the Gandak River, Bihar. Gharial (Order Crocodylia, Family Crocodylidae) inhabits deep, clear Himalayan rivers with sandy banks; name from Hindi “ghara” (male snout bulb). Found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan; major populations in Chambal (largest wild), Girwa and Nepal’s Rapti-Naryani; reserves in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan. Piscivorous; mates Nov–Jan, eggs Mar–May. Status: IUCN Critically Endangered; CITES Appendix I; WPA 1972 Schedule I.

Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 mandate caustic soda plants using Membrane Cell Technology (MCT) to conduct wastewater toxicity testing through laboratory-based bioassay, including a fish-survival test, to measure combined effluent toxicity. MCT uses a special membrane to control the process and is less polluting than older mercury-based processes. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is widely used in soap, detergents, paper, textiles, aluminium, petrochemicals and water purification.

India–Oman FTA applies from June 1. India has 15 FTAs covering 27 countries, under scrutiny amid deficits, imports and manufacturing strain. In FY2025, deficit with UAE, Australia, Mauritius and EFTA exceeded $50 billion; average annual deficit with ASEAN, Japan and South Korea over last 3 years was nearly $62 billion, while South Asia surplus was $6.7–20 billion. Issues include tariff asymmetry, 20–30% preference utilisation, inverted duty structure, and “Make in ASEAN, Sell in India”. Way forward: tariff rationalisation, easier rules of origin compliance, boost Make in India.

West Bengal became the 36th State/UT to implement the government-funded Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), launched in 2018 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It provides health cover up to ₹5 lakh per eligible family per year, with no cap on family size, age or gender, and covers pre-/post-hospitalisation, medicines, diagnostics and pre-existing diseases from Day 1, with cashless care at public/empanelled private hospitals. It is entitlement-based for the bottom 40% using SECC data, implemented by NHA/SHAs, with CSS funding (60:40/90:10/100%). Senior citizens above 70 in covered families get an additional top-up up to ₹5 lakh.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) secured a ₹127 crore contract from Bhutan’s Wangchhu Hydroelectric Power Limited (WHPL) for works on the 570 MW Wangchhu run-of-river project in Chukha District on the Wangchu (Raidāk) river, a Brahmaputra tributary. WHPL is an Adani Power–Druk Green Power Corporation JV (DGPC 51%, Adani 49%); ₹6,000 crore BOOT project, first under May 2025 MoU for 5,000 MW. Peaking plant: 4×142.5 MW; ~2,478.93 GWh/year; meets Bhutan winter peak, exports summer surplus to India.

At the Defence Investiture Ceremony, Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President of India confers Gallantry Awards on personnel of the Armed Forces, CAPFs, and State/UT Police for exceptional bravery, courage and devotion to duty. MoD seeks recommendations twice annually from Armed Forces and MHA; awards are announced on Republic Day and Independence Day. Wartime awards (instituted 26 January 1950): Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra; peacetime (instituted 1952; renamed January 1967): Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra; precedence: PVC, AC, MVC, KC, VC, SC.

Shiveluch Volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula (Far East) recently erupted, sending ash plumes up to 10 km and triggering red-level aviation alerts. A major active stratovolcano (60,000–70,000 years old), it has a 3,283 m summit truncated by a 9-km-wide caldera with a lava-dome complex; dome collapses cause debris avalanches. It has ~60 major eruptions in 10,000 years and has erupted continuously since August 1999.

Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) commissioned an emergency study after detecting outward tilting of Bhakra Dam’s main wall beyond permissible limits. The concrete gravity dam spans the Sutlej at a gorge near upstream Bhakra village, Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh), on the Punjab–Himachal border. Built 1948–1963, it is the world’s highest straight gravity dam (207.26 m) and Asia’s second tallest after Tehri (261 m). It forms Gobind Sagar (90 km; 168.35 sq km), India’s second-largest storage reservoir, aiding irrigation, flood control and hydropower.

NFHS-6, released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reports Andaman and Nicobar Islands as India’s lowest-fertility region, with Total Fertility Rate (TFR) 0.9 (replacement level globally: 2.1). TFR declined from 1.4 (NFHS-4, 2015–16) and 1.3 (NFHS-5, 2019–21). Under-5 share fell to 3.7% (5.3%); under-15 to 17.5% (20.8%); 60+ rose to 12.6% (11%); preschool attendance (2–4) dropped to 66.2% (88.5%).

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected 81st President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), defeating Cyprus Ambassador Andreas Kakouris in a contested vote. UNGA, a principal UN organ, was established in 1945 under the UN Charter and is headquartered in New York (USA). It has 193 members (one vote each); key matters need 2/3 majority. It approves the UN budget, elects UN bodies, and under “Uniting for Peace” (1950) can recommend collective measures if the UNSC is blocked.