SOFI Report 2026

Science & Technology

News –

The 2026 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report was released.
2026 theme “Understanding and addressing the high cost of a healthy diet.”

About –

Publishing organisations – It is jointly published by

Food and Agriculture Organization
International Fund for Agricultural Development
United Nations Children’s Fund
World Food Programme
World Health Organization

Key Findings of SOFI Report 2026

Global hunger: Declined for a third consecutive year to 7.8% of the global population (645 million people). Africa surpassed Asia to have the highest absolute number of hungry people, at 309 million.
Food security: Improved steadily across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Africa saw its hunger rate decline (from 20.3% to 20%) for the first time in nearly a decade.
Dietary affordability: The average cost of a healthy diet rose to 4.28 PPP dollars per person per day in 2025. Approximately 2.69 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
Nutritional outcomes: 150 million children under five remain stunted. Adult obesity rose to 16.2% in 2024, and maternal anemia continues to worsen.

Internet Shutdowns in India

Polity

News –

The Union government suspended mobile internet across parts of Central Delhi during the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ protest.

Extent of Internet Shutdowns in India

- India ranked 2nd globally with 65 shutdowns in 2025, mainly during protests, conflicts, communal violence, and religious holidays.

Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur historically recorded frequent, prolonged shutdowns.

Legal and Statutory Framework

Section 20(2)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, govern internet shutdowns.
The 2024 Rules require that every suspension order must specify the reasons, set a precise duration, and define the affected geographic area.
Grounds: Emergencies, sovereignty threats, security concerns, risks to foreign relations, public disorder, or incitement to offences.
Competent Authority: Union or State Home Secretaries can issue shutdown orders, with Joint Secretaries authorised only in urgent emergencies.
Duration Limit: The 2024 Rules limit shutdowns to 15 days and require a Review Committee to assess each order within five days.

Judicial Safeguards

Anuradha Bhasin v. UoI (2020): SC protected online speech under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g), declaring indefinite shutdowns impermissible. Shutdowns must be necessary, proportional, and used as a last resort.
Faheema Shirin v. State of Kerala (2019): Kerala High Court declared the Right to the Internet a fundamental right under Article 21.

GREAT Scheme

Government Schemes

News-

The Ministry of Textiles is implementing the GREAT scheme under the National Technical Textiles Mission.

About

Fullform – Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles.
Objective: To support India’s technical textiles start-up ecosystem by helping innovators, scientists, and technologists turn novel ideas and prototypes into commercial products.
Funding Support: Grant-in-aid up to ₹50 lakh per start-up over 18 months to commercialise prototypes.
Priority Areas: High-performance fibres, smart textiles, artificial intelligence/IoT integration, and biodegradable or sustainable materials.
Eligibility: Applicants must be incubated at a recognised incubator to qualify. They must invest at least 10% of the funding amount in the project.

India’s First eVTOL Aircraft

Science & Technology

Context –

The ePlane Company, a deep-tech startup incubated at IIT Madras, unveiled India’s first full-scale electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft prototype, e200X (PT-01).

eVTOL

It uses electric propulsion, reducing noise, costs, and energy use, enabling Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) for fast, sustainable urban air transport.
It carries one pilot with two passengers or up to 200 kg cargo and has a 110 km range for urban and regional mobility.
It is designed to take off and land on standard rooftops or helipads without requiring long runways.

Moldova

International

News –

President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Chișinău, marking the first-ever state visit by an Indian Head of State to Moldova.

Moldova

Capital – Chișinău
It is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe
Bordered by – Romania to the west and to the north, east, and south by Ukraine.
Rivers: Dniester (Nistru) is the longest river in Moldova; the Prut River forms its western border.

North Macedonia

International

News –

President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Skopje, marking the first visit by an Indian President to North Macedonia.

North Macedonia

- Capital: Skopje
- It is a landlocked, mountainous country in the south-central Balkan Peninsula of Southeast Europe.
- It borders Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west.
- The country declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and officially adopted the name ‘North Macedonia’ in 2019.
- North Macedonia is an official candidate for European Union membership and joined NATO in 2020.
Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe.

Gor Boli

Polity

News –

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs recently informed Parliament about continuing demands to include Gor Boli in the Eighth Schedule.

Gor Boli

It is also called Lambadi

It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly by the Banjara community across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
It lacks a standardised native script and is generally written in Devanagari, Telugu or Kannada scripts.

Eight Schedule

The Eighth Schedule of the IC, as provided for in Articles 344(1) and 351, lists India’s scheduled languages.
It originally listed 14 languages; three constitutional amendments increased the number to 22.
The 21st Amendment Act, 1967 added Sindhi, the 71st Amendment Act, 1992 added Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali, and the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003 added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali.
There is no fixed criterion for including a language in the Eighth Schedule as per the Ashok Pahwa Committee (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra Committee (2003).
Inclusion in the schedule ensures state support for the language’s literary development, permits its use in parliament, and allows all-India exams to be conducted in that language.