Author: Ramvilas

Tulu Language

Culture

Context

• The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to accord additional official language status to Tulu for administrative purposes in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Tulu

• Tulu: Independent Dravidian language with a history of 2,000+ years.
• Region: Mainly Dakshina Kannada & Udupi (Karnataka) and Kasaragod (Kerala).
• Status: Not included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
• Recognition: Census authorities recognise Tulu as an independent language and provide separate speaker data.
• Script: Historically had its own Tulu script; Kannada script is predominantly used today.
• Historical references: Mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature; Charition Papyrus (~2nd century BCE) is cited as an early reference.
• Karnataka: Cabinet decided to grant Tulu additional official language status for administrative purposes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Key Developments in the Recognition Process

• Committee Recommendation: A six-member panel led by K.M. Gayatri, former Director of the Kannada and Culture Department, submitted its report to the Secretary of the Kannada and Culture Department on March 4, 2026.
• Adoption of the Andhra Pradesh Model: The committee specifically studied the administrative and legal framework used by Andhra Pradesh to grant Urdu second official language status to ensure a smooth implementation for Tulu.
• Constitutional Basis: The state aims to accord this status under Article 345 of the Constitution of India, which allows state legislatures to adopt one or more languages for official purposes.

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

Government Schemes

Context

• The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has moved beyond toilet construction to focus on sustained sanitation practices and behavioural change in India.

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 

• Launched: 2 October 2014 to achieve universal sanitation & ODF India by 2 October 2019.

• Two components:

  • SBM-Gramin [SBM(G)] → Ministry of Jal Shakti

  • SBM-Urban [SBM(U)] → Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

• Focus: Toilet construction → behavioural change + sustainable sanitation + waste management.

Phases

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

Polity and Governance

Context

• At the first meeting of Parliament’s Joint Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, members raised questions on the proposed changes.

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act

• Enacted in – It is an act of Parliament enacted in 1976 and amended in 2010. 
• Objective – To regulate foreign donations and to ensure that such contributions do not adversely affect the internal security of the country.
• Applicability – The Act is applicable to all associations, groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who intend to receive foreign donations.
• Restrictions – The members of legislatures, political parties, government officials, judges and media persons are prohibited from receiving any foreign contributions.

Key Provisions of the 2026 Amendment Bill

• Asset Seizure: The government can take over and sell physical assets (like hospitals or schools) built with foreign funds if an NGO’s license is cancelled or expires.
• Automatic Expiry: If an NGO does not renew its registration in time, it lapses automatically. The state can step in to control its property right away.
• Personal Liability: Key heads, directors, and trustees are held personally liable for any rules broken by the NGO.
• Central Approval: Local police or agencies cannot investigate an NGO under this law without prior approval from the Central Government.
• Lower Jail Time: The maximum jail term for breaking the law drops from 5 years to 1 year, shifting the focus to financial penalties.

E.V. Ramasamy

History & Culture

Context

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay paid floral tributes on the 147th birth anniversary of social reformer E.V. Ramasamy in Chennai.

E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar) 

• Born: 17 September 1879, Erode, Tamil Nadu.
• Popularly known as Periyar (“The Great One”).
• Self-Respect Movement (1925): Challenged caste hierarchy and promoted social equality, rationalism and self-respect.
• Congress: Left in 1925 over separate dining arrangements for Brahmin and non-Brahmin students at Gurukkulam.
• Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25): Participated in the movement for lower-caste access to public roads around Vaikom Temple.
• Dravida Nadu: Advocated a separate Dravidian homeland; founded Dravidar Kazhagam (DK).
• Journal: Kudi Arasu.
• Social Justice Day: Tamil Nadu observes 17 September as Periyar’s birth anniversary.

India Deep Tech Alliance

Science and Technology

News

• The India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) members invested ₹2,170 crore in 56 Indian deep-tech firms over the past year, signalling growing private investment in strategic technologies.

India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) 

India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission

IR

Context

• India has rejected the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, saying Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation.

Pakistan–China Boundary Agreement 

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)

Polity

News – 

• The Government of India has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) 

• Nature: Statutory body under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
• Established: Under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
• Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Regional offices: 9 across India.
• Composition: Chairman and non-official members, appointed by the Central Government.
• Function: Examines films intended for public exhibition and grants certificates as per applicable laws.
• Key provision: Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after CBFC certification.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana

Economy

News

• Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) is promoting education, healthcare, drinking water, and livelihood opportunities in the mining-affected areas.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)

• Launched: September 2015
• Aim: Ensure mining-affected communities benefit from mineral extraction and receive social & physical infrastructure.
• Implemented through: District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) – non-profit trusts under the MMDR Act, 1957.
• DMFs: Function under the State Government.

Key Features

• Welfare & development projects in mining-affected areas.

• Addresses environmental, health and socio-economic impacts of mining.

• Promotes sustainable livelihoods.

• Special safeguards for Scheduled & Tribal Areas through PESA, 1996 and Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Funding

• 10% contribution: Mining leases granted on/after 12 Jan 2015.

• 30% contribution: Leases granted before 12 Jan 2015.

Cheetah Reintroduction

Environment

Context

• Kuno National Park has reported an unusual coalition of two unrelated male cheetahs, highlighting the emergence of natural social behaviour in the reintroduced population.

About

• India declared the cheetah extinct in 1952, after decades of over-hunting, habitat fragmentation, and depletion of prey species. 
• The launch of Project Cheetah in 2022 and the arrival of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa created the world’s first intercontinental relocation programme for a large carnivore.
• Botswana – It’s a landlocked country with nearly 70% of its landmass covered by the Kalahari Desert, and holds one of the world’s largest wild cheetah populations.

Project Cheetah

• • Overview: Project Cheetah is India’s ambitious attempt to reintroduce the cheetah in suitable open forest and grassland ecosystems. 
  • Launched By: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2006).

• Uniqueness – It is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.

Translocations So Far:

• 8 cheetahs from Namibia in 2022
• 12 cheetahs from South Africa in 2023
• 8 cheetahs from Botswana (2025 announcement)

Cheetah(Acinonyx jubatus)

• • It is the world’s fastest mammal and the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in India (1952).

• Unlike other big cats, cheetahs do not roar.

• There are two main species: the African cheetah (Vulnerable) and the Asiatic cheetah (Critically Endangered), found only in eastern Iran and parts of Africa.​

Melanoma

Health

Context

• Thousands of patients in India are diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, each year.

Melanoma 

• Melanoma: Skin cancer arising from melanocytes, which produce melanin.
• Major risk factor: Excessive UV radiation from sunlight/tanning devices.
• Appearance: New dark spot or change in an existing mole.
• Nature: Less common than basal/squamous cell cancers but more aggressive and can metastasize.
• Early detection: Treatment is generally more successful when detected early.

Human Skin

Canada to Become First ‘Associate Member’ of European Union (EU)

International

Context

• The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed opening the door for Canada to become the EU’s first “associate member.”

EU–Canada “Associate Member” – UPSC

• Associate membership: Proposed idea for closer Canada–EU integration without full EU membership.

• Possible areas: Trade, technology, defence, energy, critical minerals, AI and Arctic cooperation.

• Status: Not currently defined under EU treaties; rights and obligations are yet to be negotiated.

European Union (EU) – UPSC

• EU: Political and economic union of 27 European countries.

• 1951: European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) – 6 founding members.

• 1957: European Economic Community (EEC) established by Treaty of Rome.

• 1993: EU formally established by Maastricht Treaty.

• Currency: 21 of 27 members use the Euro.

• Key areas:

  Single market, trade, economic cooperation, common policies and regional integration.

Net Zero Portal and NAPCC Dashboard

Environment

Context

• The Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched India’s Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard on the occasion of World Ozone Day 2026.

Net Zero Portal

• Centralised digital platform for voluntary registration & disclosure of Net Zero commitments by Indian entities.
• Entities can report GHG emissions, Net Zero targets & annual progress.
• Scope 1 & 2: encouraged reporting.
• Scope 3: reporting remains voluntary.

NAPCC Dashboard

• Digital platform to track implementation of 8 National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• NAPCC launched in 2008.
• Enables inter-ministerial coordination, progress assessment & identification of implementation gaps.

India’s Updated Climate Targets

• India achieved 52.57% non-fossil installed capacity by Feb 2026.

Additional Information – National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) –

• Launched: 2008 by Government of India.

• Aim: Address climate change mitigation and adaptation through coordinated national action.

• Comprises 8 National Missions:

PM Vishwakarma Scheme

Government Schemes

Context

• The PM Vishwakarma scheme has achieved its target of registering 30 lakh beneficiaries as it approaches three years of implementation.

About – 

• Launched: 17 September 2023
• Ministry: Ministry of MSME
• Aim: Support and strengthen traditional artisans and craftspeople working with hands and traditional tools.
• Coverage: 18 traditional trades such as carpenter, blacksmith, potter, goldsmith, sculptor, cobbler, mason, barber and washerman.

Key Benefits

• PM Vishwakarma Certificate & ID Card

• Skill training + ₹500/day training stipend

• Toolkit incentive: Up to ₹15,000

• Collateral-free loans: Up to ₹3 lakh in two tranches at 5% interest

• Digital transaction incentive

• Marketing support

Key Facts

• Outlay: ₹13,000 crore

• Implementation period: 2023–24 to 2027–28

• Funding: 100% Central Government

Global Gender Gap Index 2026

International

Context

• India has retained its 131st rank on the Global Gender Gap Index 2026 released by the World Economic Forum, with only 14 economies ranking below it. 

Global Gender Gap Index 2026 

• Released by: World Economic Forum (WEF); 20th edition, covering 145 economies.

• Measures: Gender parity across 4 dimensions:

  1. Economic Participation & Opportunity

  2. Educational Attainment

  3. Health & Survival

  4. Political Empowerment

• Scale: 0–1; 1 = full gender parity.

• Global parity: 69.2% of the gender gap has been closed.

• Time to parity: At the current global pace, about 120 years.

India

• Rank: 131st

• Overall parity: 64.5%

• Educational Attainment: 96.6%

• Health & Survival: 95.6%

• Economic Participation & Opportunity: 41.2%

• Political Empowerment: 24.5%

Top & Bottom

• 1st: Iceland – 93.0%

• 2nd: Finland – 87.2%

• 3rd: Norway – 85.7%

• 143rd: Pakistan

• 144th: Iran

• 145th: Chad

Sohar Port

Places in News

Context

• The Strait of Hormuz in a chokehold due to Iran-U.S. hostilities, Oman has pitched investment opportunities to India in Sohar Port of Oman.

About

• Location: Oman, on the Gulf of Oman.
• Strategic significance: Located outside the Strait of Hormuz, providing an alternative maritime route to Gulf markets and energy resources.
• Connectivity: Offers access to Persian Gulf hubs without directly depending on passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Geostrategic advantage: Situated in northeastern Oman, relatively close to energy infrastructure/pipelines of the UAE and eastern Saudi Arabia.
• Other Omani ports offered to India: Duqm and Salalah.

Gulf of Oman

Location: Northwestern arm of the Arabian Sea.

Boundaries:

• Southwest: Oman
• North: Iran

Extent: ~560 km long and up to 320 km wide.

Connectivity: Connects the Arabian Sea with the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

Important ports:

• Oman: Sohar, Al-Khaburah, Muscat, Sur
• Iran: Jask, Bandar Beheshti (Chabahar)

India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025

Environment

News

• NITI Aayog released the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025.

India Electric Mobility Index 2025 

• Released by: NITI Aayog

• Purpose: Measures the development of the e-mobility ecosystem and EV adoption across 36 States/UTs.

• Score range: 10–84; median 40.

Top Performers

Rank State/UT Score

1 Delhi           84

2 Maharashtra 78

3 Karnataka 73

4 Chandigarh 71

5 Goa           65

• Madhya Pradesh: Improved from 23rd → 7th.

• Transport electrification: Delhi, Chandigarh & Maharashtra were the top three.

• EV charging infrastructure readiness: Karnataka topped.

• EV research & innovation: Delhi topped.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024

Miscellaneous

Context

• Legendary actor Anant Nag, known for his impressive work in Hindi and Kannada cinema will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.

About

• Instituted: 1969
• Highest Indian award in the field of cinema, presented annually at the National Film Awards.
• Awarded by: Government of India, on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee.
• Named after: Dadasaheb Phalke (1870–1944), regarded as the “Father of Indian Cinema”.
• Contribution: Directed Raja Harishchandra (1913), India’s first full-length feature film.
• Components: Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) + Shawl + ₹10 lakh.
• First recipient: Devika Rani (1969).

Govind Ballabh Pant

Miscellaneous

News – 

• 10th September 2026 marks the 139th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Govind Ballabh Pant.

Govind Ballabh Pant (1887–1961) – UPSC

• 1st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; prominent freedom fighter and administrator.

• Prem Sabha: Social reform & promotion of local education.

• Kumaon Parishad (1916): Opposed coolie-begar and hill taxes.

• Freedom Struggle:

  • Legal counsel in the Kakori case (1925).

  • Led Simon Commission protests in Lucknow (1928).

  • Participated in the United Provinces Salt campaign (1930).

Key Offices

• Premier, United Provinces: 1937–39 & 1946–50

• Constituent Assembly member.

• 1st CM of UP: 1950–54

• Union Home Minister: 1955–61

Major Contributions

• UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.

• As Home Minister, played a key role in implementing linguistic reorganisation of States under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

150th Birth Anniversary of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay

GS1/History

News – 

• Meta has announced that it will directly report child safety-related matters to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to deal with cybercrime in the country.
• Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• HQ: New Delhi
• Purpose: Coordinates Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to combat cybercrime.

Key Objectives:

• Acts as nodal point for tackling cybercrime.
• Strengthens action against cybercrime targeting women & children.
• Facilitates cybercrime complaints and identifies emerging trends/patterns.
• Functions as an early-warning system for proactive prevention & detection.
• Promotes cybercrime awareness and cyber hygiene.
• Builds capacity of Police, Public Prosecutors & Judicial Officers in cyber forensics, investigation and cyber-criminology.

India-MERCOSUR Cooperation

IR

News

• India and the South American trade bloc MERCOSUR have launched negotiations to expand their existing Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to deepen economic relations and create greater opportunities for businesses on both sides.

MERCOSUR

MERCOSUR – UPSC

• Full form: Southern Common Market (Mercado Común del Sur).

• Members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia & Venezuela.

• Venezuela: Suspended since 2016.

• India–MERCOSUR: Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in force since June 2009.

• PTA coverage: ~450 tariff lines from India and 452 from MERCOSUR, with concessions of 10–100%.

• Trade (Apr–Oct 2025–26): $11.84 bn

  • Exports: $5.22 bn

  • Imports: $6.62 bn

Challenges for India: High tariffs, logistics bottlenecks, regulatory complexity and cultural differences.

Prelims: MERCOSUR → South American trade bloc → PTA with India since 2009.

Kishau Multipurpose Project

Irrigation Infrastructure

Context

• Recently, six Yamuna-basin States signed an agreement on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Project, bringing the stalled project closer to implementation.

Kishau Project

• The Kishau Multipurpose Project is a proposed dam on the Tons River, along the River: Tons River
• Location: Uttarakhand–Himachal Pradesh border.
• Type: Multipurpose dam project.
• States/UT involved: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan & Delhi.
• Status: Declared a National Project after remaining stalled for over 8 years.

Funding:

• 90% of water-component cost → Union Government

• 10% → Participating States, as per Yamuna Water Agreement (1994).

Yamuna River Basin

Yamuna River Basin – UPSC

• Origin: Yamunotri Glacier, Bandarpoonch Range, Uttarakhand
• Confluence: Meets the Ganga at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
• Basin States/UTs: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan & Delhi.
• Major Tributaries: Tons, Giri, Hindon, Chambal, Sindh, Betwa & Ken.
• Importance: Irrigation, drinking water, hydropower, ecology & inter-State water sharing.
• Major Projects: Lakhwar, Renukaji & Kishau.

CoBRA Battalion

GS3/Defence

Context

• 2006-batch IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar, popularly known as the ‘Iron Lady of Assam’ for her counter-insurgency work in the Northeast, has become the first woman officer to head the CRPF’s elite CoBRA unit. 

CoBRA

• Full form: Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
• Force: Specialised operational formation of CRPF.
• Raised: 2008–09 for jungle & guerrilla warfare.
• Key capabilities: Long-range patrols, intelligence-based operations, ambush/counter-ambush and operations in IED-prone areas.
• Major deployment: Anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha & Maharashtra.
• Strength: 10 battalions, headed by an Inspector General (IG).

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) 

• • Administrative control: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
  • Forces: Assam Rifles, BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, NSG & SSB.

• Key exception – Assam Rifles:

• Administrative control: MHA
• Operational control: Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Asia Cup

Miscellaneous

News – 

• Dryland Congress 2026 will convene in New Delhi to address challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient dryland agriculture.

About

• Organised by: ICAR & ICRISAT, New Delhi.
• Theme: “Transforming Dryland Agriculture through South–South Cooperation”.
• Significance: Marks 50 years of ICAR–ICRISAT collaboration; expected to adopt the Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D).

Drylands

• UNEP: Areas with Aridity Index < 0.65 (precipitation/evapotranspiration).

• Cover about 45% of global land surface and support 2+ billion people.

• India: ~68% of cultivated land; supports 40%+ population and 60% livestock.

• Vulnerability: Drylands are warming 20–40% faster than other ecosystems.

Restoration & India

• UNCCD: Leads global efforts on land degradation neutrality (LDN).

• PMKSY–WDC: India’s key watershed-based approach—soil conservation, ridge-to-valley treatment & water harvesting.

Context

• India defeated Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final in Dubai, securing a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title. 

Asia Cup (Cricket)

• 2026: India defeated Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final in Dubai, winning a record-extending 8th title.
• Nature: Biennial international cricket tournament for Asian teams.
• First edition: 1984, following the formation of the Asian Cricket Conference in 1983, precursor to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
• Format: Since 2016, alternates between ODI and T20I formats.
• Women’s Asia Cup: Launched by ACC in 2004.
• Most men’s titles: India, followed by Sri Lanka.
• Organiser: Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Samvatsari

History & Culture