National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS)

• Context (PIB): The Government of India has achieved over 50,000 National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certifications for public health facilities.
• The NQAS is a comprehensive framework launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to improve healthcare quality in public health facilities.
• Nodal Agency: It is managed by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) as a technical support unit under the National Health Mission (NHM).
• Scope: It initially covered District Hospitals, later extended to other secondary care, primary care, and Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHL) (2024).
• Focus Areas: NQAS evaluates facilities across eight ‘Areas of Concern’ aligned with global benchmarks and International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) accreditation.
• Key Target: The government aims to certify at least 50% of public healthcare facilities by March 2026.
• Significance: The rapid NQAS scale-up aligns with India’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), guided by the National Health Policy 2017.

Payments Regulatory Board (PRB)

• The first meeting of the Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) was held recently under the chairmanship of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Sanjay Malhotra.

Payments Regulatory Board (PRB)

• Statutory Body: The Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) is a statutory authority under the RBI, regulating payment and settlement systems in India.
• Establishment: It replaced the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment Systems (BPSS) in 2025, following amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007.
• Meeting Mandate: The board is legally required to meet at least twice every year.
• Decision Making: Decisions are made by a majority vote, with the Chairperson exercising a casting vote in the event of a tie.
• Institutional Support: The RBI’s Department of Payment and Settlement Systems (DPSS) reports directly to and assists the PRB.

Composition of the Board

• Equal Representation: The PRB consists of six members with equal representation from the RBI and the Central Government.
• Chairperson Role: The Governor of the RBI serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of the Payments Regulatory Board.
• Legal Invitee: The Principal Legal Adviser of RBI attends meetings as a permanent invitee without voting rights.

Key Functions of the Board

• Licensing Authority: It grants and revokes licences for payment systems, including UPI, cards, wallets, and RTGS.
• Standard Setting: The board prescribes technical, operational, and security standards for digital and non-cash payments.
• Supervisory Powers: It inspects payment system providers and issues binding directions to ensure compliance with the PSS Act.

Government Boosts Fertilizer Security

• India has achieved an all-time high fertilizer production of 524.62 lakh tonnes in 2025, meeting nearly 73% of its total fertilizer demand through domestic supply.

Government Boosts Fertilizer Security:

• Fertilizer security refers to ensuring the timely, affordable, and uninterrupted availability of fertilizers such as Urea, DAP, NPKs and SSP to Indian farmers by reducing import dependence and strengthening domestic production and supply chains.

Key trends

• Rising domestic share: Domestic production met ~73% of total fertilizer requirement in 2025, significantly lowering vulnerability to global supply shocks.
• Steady output growth: Fertilizer production rose from 433.29 lakh tonnes (2021) to 524.62 lakh tonnes (2025), showing consistent expansion.
• Raw material security: Long-term international supply agreements and diversification of sourcing have stabilised inputs like rock phosphate, ammonia, and potash.

Significance

• Farm productivity: Ensures timely nutrient availability, preventing yield losses during peak sowing seasons.
• Economic stability: Reduces import bills and forex outflow, improving balance of payments.
• Strategic autonomy: Insulates Indian agriculture from global price volatility and geopolitical disruptions.

National Improvised Explosive Device Data Management System (NIDMS)

• Union Home Minister inaugurated the National Improvised Explosive Device Data Management System (NIDMS) at the NSG garrison, Manesar, calling it a “next-generation shield against terrorism”.

National Improvised Explosive Device Data Management System (NIDMS):

• NIDMS is a secure national digital platform that stores, standardises and analyses all IED and bomb-blast related data in India since 1999, providing single-click access to investigators across the country.

Organisations involved

1. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) – Policy oversight
2. National Security Guard (NSG) – Host and operational custodian
3. National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC), NSG – Technical and forensic backbone

User agencies:

• State Police Forces
• Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
• National Investigation Agency (NIA)
• Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS)

Aim: To create “One Nation, One IED Data Repository” that:

• Enables faster and more scientific investigation of terror blasts
• Detects patterns, signatures and inter-linkages between attacks
• Supports predictive and AI-based counter-terror strategies

Key features

• Pan-India blast archive: Records every IED and bomb blast since 1999

1. Two-way data window:

1. Agencies can upload new blast data
2. And access historical cases in real time

2. Signature linking:

• Links incidents using location, device type, circuit, timer, explosive used

3. AI-enabled analytics:

• Finds modus operandi trends
• Supports predictive threat mapping

4. Inter-operability:

• Will integrate with CCTNS, ICJS-2, NAFIS, e-Prisons, e-Prosecution, Forensics databases.

5. Secure and standardised:

• Ensures uniform data formats, evidence tagging and secure sharing

Significance

• Faster investigations: Enables instant access to nationwide IED data, eliminating fragmented case files.
• Stronger prosecutions: Pattern recognition and scientific evidence strengthen court-ready terror cases.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

• The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 report, projected India’s GDP growth at 7.4% in 2025–26.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA):

• UNDESA is a core department of the United Nations Secretariat that leads the UN’s work on economic, social and environmental development, especially the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Established in:

• 1948 (restructured into its present form in 1997 through mergers of UN development and policy departments)
• Headquarters: New York City, United States
• Aim: To support countries in achieving sustainable, inclusive and equitable development by translating global UN commitments into national policies and actions in the economic, social and environmental spheres.

Key functions

• Global economic and social analysis: Produces flagship reports like World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) to guide national and global policy.
• SDG monitoring and coordination: Tracks progress on the 17 SDGs and supports their implementation across countries.
• Policy advice and technical assistance: Helps governments design policies on poverty reduction, inequality, employment, climate action and social protection.
• Intergovernmental support: Provides secretariat services to the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC, UN Commissions and High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
• Global data and research: Maintains major development databases and statistical platforms used by policymakers worldwide.

Significance

• UNDESA is the institutional backbone of the 2030 Agenda, ensuring countries stay on track.
• Its economic forecasts influence IMF, World Bank, G20 and national budget planning.

Zehanpora Stupa

• The 2,000-year-old Buddhist stupas and monastic complex at Zehanpora in Baramulla, Kashmir, dating to the Kushan period, have been scientifically excavated.

Zehanpora Stupa:

• The Zehanpora site is a large Kushan-era Buddhist complex comprising multiple stupas, apsidal chaityas (prayer halls), viharas (monk residences), urban-type settlements, and artefacts, spread over nearly 10 acres in Baramulla district, Jammu & Kashmir.

Discovered at:

• Zehanpora village, Baramulla district, North Kashmir
• Located along the ancient Silk Route corridor linking Kashmir with Gandhara (Afghanistan–Pakistan region)

History:

• The site dates to the Kushan period (1st–3rd century CE)
• Kashmir was a major centre of Buddhist learning during this time under rulers like Kanishka and Huvishka
• Buddhism in Kashmir began earlier under Ashoka (3rd century BCE) and flourished through Mahayana Buddhism, which later spread to Central Asia and China
• Zehanpora was likely part of the Gandhara Buddhist network, a trans-regional system of monasteries, trade routes and learning centres

Key characteristics of the stupa

• Stupa-like plateau/mounds: The mounds appear as man-made raised platforms, resembling stupa bases that have been reduced by time but remain prominent.
• Multiple mounds (clustered layout): The landscape suggests more than one stupa, indicating a complex, not an isolated shrine.
• Evidence of superstructure: Indications of a wooden super-structure above the mound(s), implying layered construction.
• Scientific mapping & survey: Documentation used drones, remote sensing, aerial photography and ground mapping, indicating the site is structurally dense beyond what is visible on the surface.
• Signature-link potential: The excavation narrative highlights comparing construction patterns/circuits/modus features across regional sites.

Significance:

• Experts note no other regional site matches Zehanpora’s scale, making it a key addition to Kashmir’s material history.
• The complex strengthens Kashmir’s position as a hub of Buddhist learning and monastic activity, linked to movement of monks, ideas and pilgrims.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communication Technology

• The Government of India has announced that Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication technology will be rolled out nationwide by end-2026 to reduce road crashes.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication technology:

• V2V is a wireless communication system that allows vehicles to directly exchange data with nearby vehicles without relying on mobile networks, enabling cars to “talk to each other” in real time.

Aim:

• Prevent collisions and pile-ups by giving vehicles real-time warnings about sudden braking, speed changes and nearby traffic.
• Improve safety in blind-spot and low-visibility conditions by alerting drivers about hidden, stationary or fog-covered vehicles.

How it works?

• Each vehicle will have a small SIM-like device installed inside it. This device allows the vehicle to send and receive signals from nearby vehicles.
• As the car moves, it keeps sharing information such as its location, speed, direction, and whether it is braking or accelerating. At the same time, it also receives the same information from other vehicles around it.
• All this communication happens using a special radio frequency band (5.875–5.905 GHz) approved by the Department of Telecommunications, so it works even without mobile internet.
• If the system detects that another vehicle is too close, suddenly braking, or approaching from a blind spot, it instantly warns the driver. In vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), these alerts can also help the car automatically slow down or avoid danger.

Key features

• 360-degree communication: Alerts come from all directions — front, rear and sides.
• Real-time safety alerts: Warns about nearby moving, slow, or stationary vehicles, even beyond the driver’s line of sight.
• Fog and low-visibility support: Prevents highway pile-ups in dense fog or dust storms.
• Network-independent: Works without mobile internet, using direct short-range radio signals.
• Compatible with ADAS: Integrates with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, allowing smarter braking and avoidance.

Limitations

• Requires large-scale adoption: Benefits increase only when many vehicles are equipped.
• Cost to consumers: Devices will be charged to buyers, adding to vehicle cost.
• Limited range: Works best within a few hundred metres; long-distance hazards still depend on other systems.
• Not fully autonomous: Early phases will be warning-based, not automatic vehicle control.

Kashmir Markhor

• The Kashmir markhor, India’s rarest wild goat, is facing local extinction, with only 200–300 individuals left, mostly confined to the Kazinag range of Jammu & Kashmir.

Kashmir Markhor:

• The Kashmir markhor is a large, cliff-dwelling wild goat and a subspecies of the markhor (Capra falconeri), known for its majestic spiral horns and exceptional ability to move across steep mountain slopes.

Origin:

• The name “markhor” comes from Persian meaning “snake-killer”, based on ancient folklore.
• In India, the Kashmir markhor is endemic only to Jammu & Kashmir, making it a unique Himalayan species.

Habitat:

• Found in the high mountains of the Pir Panjal range in Jammu & Kashmir

Survives mainly in:

• Kazinag National Park (last stronghold)
• Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary
• Tattakuti Wildlife Sanctuary
• Khara Gali Conservation Reserve
• Lives in steep rocky cliffs, open forests and alpine meadows

Key characters:

• The Kashmir markhor can weigh up to 100 kg, giving it great strength and dominance in rugged mountain terrain.
• Males grow massive spiral horns up to 160 cm, used for defence, display and fighting during mating season.
• The long flowing hair helps the animal stay warm in cold Himalayan climates and gives it a majestic appearance.
• Markhor can move on nearly vertical cliffs, allowing them to escape predators and access food in hard-to-reach areas.
• Herbivorous diet: They feed on grasses, herbs, shrubs, leaves and twigs, helping control vegetation and maintain mountain ecology.

Significance:

• Ecological indicator – a healthy markhor population reflects a healthy mountain ecosystem.
• Prey species for predators like snow leopards, common leopards and wolves.
• Helps control vegetation growth and maintain soil health.

SEBI (Stock Brokers) Regulations 2026

• Context (TH): SEBI notified the Stock Brokers Regulations, 2026, shifting brokerage regulation from compliance-heavy controls to an investor-centric framework.
• Objective: It replaces the 1992 framework to align brokerage rules with modern digital trading practices.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the statutory regulatory body for the securities and commodity markets in India, under the Ministry of Finance.

Key Provisions of the 2026 Regulations

• Expanded Scope: Brokers may undertake activities regulated by RBI, IRDAI, or IBBI through a single entity, subject to SEBI conditions.
• Record Retention: Books of accounts and records must be maintained for 8 years instead of five.
• Digital Records: They can be maintained electronically to simplify audits and inspections.
• Board Governance: Every brokerage firm must appoint one Designated Director residing in India for at least 182 days annually.
• Whistleblower: Brokers must have a written whistleblower policy with a confidential reporting system.
• Entry Experience: New applicants need at least two years’ securities trading or dealing experience.
• QSB Criteria: Norms for Qualified Stock Brokers are streamlined to enhance oversight of large-client, high-volume entities.
• Return Ban: Brokers are explicitly prohibited from promoting schemes that promise indicative, guaranteed, or fixed investor returns.
• Primary Oversight: Stock exchanges are acknowledged as the primary regulators of stockbrokers, with increased reporting responsibilities.
• Brokerage Caps: Brokerage fees paid by Mutual Funds are capped at 6 basis points in cash markets and 2 basis points in derivative transactions.

Significance of the Regulations

• Business Ease: The regulations reduce the administrative burden by simplifying regulatory compliance.
• Flexibility: Stockbrokers are permitted to offer multiple financial services on a single platform.
• Redundancy: Outdated provisions like physical share delivery are removed to match current practices.
• Investor Protection: It reinforces fiduciary accountability and brokers’ duty to protect clients’ interests.