African Swine Fever (ASF) Indigenous Vaccine

GS-III (Biotechnology & Livestock Management)

Why in News: Union Minister for Agriculture dedicated India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine to the nation on ICAR Foundation Day.

Background & Technical Overview

• Pathogen Profile: African Swine Fever is caused by the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) — a highly contagious, severe hemorrhagic disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, with mortality rates approaching 100%. It is non-zoonotic (does not infect humans).
• Historical Burden: First detected in India in 2020 (Assam), causing severe economic loss across North-Eastern states where pig farming is an integral component of rural livelihoods.
• Vaccine Specifications: Developed by the ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal. It is a live-attenuated vaccine using a non-patented MA-104 cell line targeting ASFV Genotype II.
• Administration: 1 mL intramuscular injection for pigs aged above 8 weeks, followed by a booster dose at 14 days.

Significance

• Atmanirbharta in Veterinary Biotech: Ends reliance on imported or proprietary vaccine lines (such as those from Vietnam), drastically reducing production costs.
• Biosecurity & Livestock Health: Mitigates the need for mass culling, directly supporting smallholders and indigenous communities in the North-East.

Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve

GS-III (Environment & Conservation

Why in News: The Supreme Court clarified that the directive prohibiting mining within a 10 km radius of the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve applies uniformly to all wetland conservation reserves nationwide.

Ecosystem Profile

• Location & Hydro-Geography: Located at the confluence of the Asan and Yamuna rivers in Uttarakhand. It is Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site.
• Avian Habitat: Positioned along the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), acting as a critical staging site for trans-Himalayan migratory birds.

Regulatory Directives

• 10 km Buffer Mandate: Any mining activity within the 10 km buffer zone of a designated wetland conservation reserve requires explicit clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) and or MoEFCC.
• Judicial Parity: Prevents regional regulatory arbitrariness by establishing a binding national baseline for wetland ecological buffers.

Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan (CAP)

GS-III (Biodiversity & Wildlife Protection)

Why in News: On International Clouded Leopard Day (4 August), MoEFCC launched the national Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan (CAP).

Overview & Landscape Approach

• Species Profile: Neofelis nebulosa — a medium-sized cat bridging Pantherinae and Felinae lineages. Possesses the largest canine-to-skull ratio among living felids.
• Legal Status: Listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; IUCN Status: Vulnerable; CITES: Appendix I.
• Core Framework: Developed jointly by GoI, GEF, and UNDP. Covers 14 priority landscapes across North-East India (including Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram, which holds one of the highest recorded densities).
• Monitoring Tools: Deploys non-invasive techniques including environmental DNA (eDNA), M-STrIPES app, and camera trapping across fragmented corridors. Integrates into the Species Recovery Programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme.

Closing Auction Session (CAS) in Indian Equity Markets

GS-III (Indian Economy & Financial Markets)

Why in News: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandated the implementation of a 20-minute daily Closing Auction Session (CAS) for equity cash market stocks with derivative contracts, effective August 3, 2026.

Operational Mechanism

Rather than determining closing prices through continuous 30-minute Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP) trading, CAS aggregates orders to discover a single, non-manipulable equilibrium price.

 Strategic Objective

• Anti-Manipulation: Prevents "marking the close" and intraday volatility spikes driven by algorithmic order stuffing at market close.
• Benchmark Stability: Delivers accurate end-of-day valuations for derivatives settlement, mutual fund NAV computations, and index tracking.

Prelims Pointers

• Regulator: SEBI.
• Applicability: Equity cash segment stocks having active F&O derivatives.
• Price Discovery Mechanism: Single equilibrium price via continuous call auction (replacing 30-min VWAP).

COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal 2026

GS-III (Science & Technology)

Why in News: Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), was awarded the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal for 2026.

Award Profile & Contributions

• Instituting Bodies: Conferred jointly by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) biennially.
• Objective: Honors outstanding scientific achievements and space research capacity building, specifically in or for developing nations.
• Scientific Merit: Awarded to Prof. Subramaniam for her work on stellar populations, blue stragglers, galactic structure, and her leadership as the calibration scientist for the Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) aboard AstroSat.

What is COSPAR?

·         Establishment: Founded in 1958 by the International Council of Scientific Unions (now the International Science Council - ISC) immediately following the launch of Sputnik 1.

·         UN Alignment: Operates under an official observer status with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS).

·         Mandate: Promotes international space science research, facilitates data exchange, and formulates guidelines on Planetary Protection.

Notable Indian Recipients

1.    Prof. U.R. Rao (1996)

2.    Prof. Gurbax Singh Lakhina (2014)

3.    Prof. Anil Bhardwaj (2024)

4.    Prof. Annapurni Subramaniam (2026)

Cyclosporiasis Outbreak & Food Safety Surveillance

GS-III (Food Processing & Public Health)

Why in News: A major multistate outbreak of Cyclosporiasis across 40+ US states in 2026 underscored critical risks in international fresh produce supply chains.

Disease Profile

• Etiological Agent: Cyclospora cayetanensis — a microscopic protozoan parasite.
• Transmission: Ingestion of food or water contaminated with infected human feces (fecal-oral route). Commonly linked to imported fresh produce like leafy greens, cilantro, and berries. No direct person-to-person transmission because shed oocysts require time outside the host to become infectious.
• Clinical Features: Watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and severe fatigue. Treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Comparative Policy Context (India)

• Institutional Counterpart: FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and IDSP (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme).
• Key Takeaway: Demonstrates the necessity of rapid farm-to-table supply chain traceability, microbial risk assessments in irrigation water, and rigid cold-chain sanitation.

FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)

• Established: 2008
• Legal Basis: Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• Type: Statutory Body
• Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Appointed by the Central Government
• Objective: Ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

IDSP (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme)

• Launched: 2004
• Type: Central Sector Scheme
• Implemented by: National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
• Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Objective: Early detection and rapid response to disease outbreaks.
• Coverage: All States and Union Territories.

Digital Arrests & Judicial Directives on Cyber-Fraud

GS-III (Internal Security & Cyber Threats):

Why in News: The Supreme Court directed the Union Government, RBI, and State Governments to formulate binding Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to counter "Digital Arrest" extortion networks.

Modus Operandi & Structural Vulnerabilities

• Mechanism: Scammers impersonate law enforcement/investigative officers (CBI, Customs, Police) via video calls, displaying fake arrest warrants to psychologically coerce victims into transferring funds into covert "mule accounts".
• Fund Laundering: Proceeds are instantly split and layered across dozens of mule accounts, eventually being funneled into international cryptocurrency wallets.

Directives Issued by the Apex Court

• To RBI: Formulate a 4-week SOP mandating automated temporary debit holds on suspect mule accounts upon flag generation.
• To States/UTs: Operationalize State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres and mandate e-Zero FIR integration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
• To MeitY & DoT: Assess the technical feasibility of telecommunication "Kill Switches" on automated VoIP audio/video platforms utilized by extortionists.

Prelims Pointers

• I4C Coordination Platform: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Key Helpline: 1930 Cyber Fraud Helpline.
• Key Tool: MuleHunter.ai (AI-based mule account detection platform developed via I4C-RBI collaboration).

Hexavalent Vaccine & UIP Expansion

GS-II (Issues Relating to Health/Child Development):

Why in News: A Union Health Ministry study recommended evaluating the introduction of the Hexavalent Vaccine under India''s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

Medical & Epidemiological Profile

The Hexavalent formulation consolidates protection against six lethal childhood diseases into a single combination dose:

·         Diphtheria: A bad throat infection that creates a thick grey patch in the throat, making it very hard to breathe.

·         Tetanus: A disease caused by dirt or rusty metal getting into cut wounds, making your body muscles lock up painfully ("lockjaw").

·         Pertussis (Whooping Cough): A very severe cough that causes non-stop coughing fits followed by a sharp "whoop" sound when breathing in.

·         Hepatitis B: A dangerous virus that damages your liver, spread through infected blood or body fluids.

·         Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b): A dangerous bacteria that causes severe brain infection (meningitis) and pneumonia in small babies.

·         Polio (IPV): A virus that attacks your nerves and causes permanent paralysis in legs or arms, prevented by the IPV injection.

(Note: In India''s government vaccination schedule, the first 5 are given together in a single injection called the Pentavalent Vaccine).

Programmatic Benefits

• Pox/Prick Reduction: Minimizes individual injection visits, improving operational compliance and drop-out rates among infant cohorts.
• Cold-Chain Efficiency: Reduces total volume requirements in cold-chain logistics, lowering freight and storage costs per fully immunized child.

India–Uzbekistan Bilateral Relations

GS-II (International Relations)

Why in News: Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Parliament House to advance legislative, trade, and strategic partnerships.

 Institutional Framework: Operates under India’s "Connect Central Asia" policy and the India–Central Asia Summit format.

• Parliamentary Diplomacy: The India–Uzbekistan Parliamentary Friendship Group (constituted March 2026) serves as a Track-1.5 legislative bridge.
• Economic & Strategic Value: Uzbekistan provides critical access to minerals (uranium, gold) and offers a strategic transit hub for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and Chabahar Port route.

Prelims Pointers

• Capital: Tashkent.
• Geographical Designation: Doubly landlocked nation.
• Central Asia Summit Format: First standalone summit held in January 2022.

Intelligence-Driven Framework for Fugitive Extradition

GS-III (Internal Security & Money Laundering)

Why in News: Official data revealed that between 2019 and 2026, India successfully repatriated 274 fugitive offenders from 36 countries utilizing a modernized, tech-driven framework.

Legislative & Operational Architecture

• Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), 2018: Enables non-conviction-based attachment and confiscation of assets of economic absconders. FEOA Minimum Threshold: ₹100 crore financial default
• BNSS, 2023 Provisions: Sections 355 & 356 introduce trial in absentia for proclaimed offenders who have absconded abroad, preventing judicial stalling.
• BHARATPOL Platform: Interlinks CBI, State Police forces, and INTERPOL NCB-New Delhi into a unified digital portal, drastically reducing international information transmission turnaround to 3–10 days.
• Operation Trishul: Uses satellite tracking, digital footprint mapping, and intelligence analysis to locate fugitives living under assumed identities.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) & Neptune’s Moons

GS-III (Science & Technology)

Why in News: Analysis of spectroscopic data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), published in Science Advances, revealed evidence of a historic planetary collision event around Neptune.

Key Scientific Findings

• Target Moons: Proteus, Larissa, Galatea, alongside Neptune''s dusty inner rings.
• Mineral Signature: Spectrographs detected magnesium-rich clay minerals. These phyllosilicates require long-term liquid water-rock interactions deep within a differentiated planetary interior to form.
• Collision Hypothesis: Because these small moons are too cold and low-mass to generate internal liquid water, scientists deduce the materials originated from the destruction of a large pre-existing moon during the capture of Triton (a captured Kuiper Belt Object) 4.5 billion years ago.

Natural Calamities List Inclusion (Heatwaves & Lightning)

GS-III (Disaster Management & Climate Change)

Why in News: Based on the 16th Finance Commission''s recommendations, the Union Government added Heatwaves and Lightning to the official list of notified natural disasters under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Operational & Financial Impact

• Notified List Expansion: Expands the central list of notified disasters to 14 (including Cyclones, Floods, Earthquakes, Cold Waves, etc.).
• Fiscal Unlocking: Allows states to directly utilize the main 80% allocation of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for relief measures, bypassing the restrictive 10% ceiling previously imposed on unlisted local disasters.
• Mitigation Funding: Unlocks the 20% State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to build long-term adaptive infrastructure (e.g., cooling shelters, lightning arresters).

Prelims Pointers

• Total Notified Disasters: 14.
• Statutory Act: Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• New Additions: Heatwaves and Lightning.

What is a Heatwave?

• A Heatwave is a period of abnormally high temperatures compared to the normal maximum temperature of a region.
• Declared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

What is Lightning?

• A sudden electrical discharge between:
• Cloud-to-Cloud (CC)
• Cloud-to-Air (CA)
• Cloud-to-Ground (CG)
• Generated due to charge separation within cumulonimbus clouds.

Government Initiatives

• Damini App (IITM Pune & ESSO) – Real-time lightning alerts.
• Sachet App – Disaster alerts by NDMA.
• National Lightning Safety Campaign.
• IMD Nowcast Warnings (0–3 hours).

Pigeonpea (Arhar) T2T Reference Genome

GS-III (Biotechnology & Agriculture)

Why in News: ICAR–National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), New Delhi, successfully assembled the world’s first complete Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) reference genome of Pigeonpea (variety ''Asha'').

Genome Architecture

• Assembly Standard: Mapped end-to-end without gaps, resolving complex centromeric and telomeric repetitive regions.

• Gene Annotation: Identified 36,557 genes and 48,008 mRNA transcripts with 99.9% read alignment precision.
• Global Accession: Deposited in the NCBI database under accession GCF_000230855.1.

Prelims Pointers

• Crop Variety Sequenced: ''Asha''.
• Chromosomal Count: 2n = 22 (11 pairs).
• Sequencing Milestone: World''s first T2T genome for a pulse crop.

About Pigeonpea (Arhar)

• Scientific Name: Cajanus cajan
• Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
• Crop Type: Pulse (Kharif crop)
• Centre of Origin: India
• Major Producing States: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat
• Nitrogen Fixation: Symbiotic association with Rhizobium bacteria.

R&D Statistics 2025–26 Report (DST)

GS-III (Science & Technology)

Why in News: Department of Science and Technology (DST) released the national "Research and Development Statistics 2025–26" report.

Core Statistical Benchmarks

• Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD): Tripled over a decade to ₹2.45 lakh crore, expanding GERD-to-GDP ratio to 0.84%.
• Private Sector Drive: Private industry share in R&D rose to 45.2%, with MNCs contributing 71.3% of business R&D spending.
• Global Publishing & Patenting:
• Ranked 3rd globally in scientific publication output.
• 1.10 lakh patents filed in 2024–25 (62% resident filings).
• Indian Patent Office ranked 6th globally in resident patent filings.
• Human Capital Growth: Women researchers reached 29% of the total R&D workforce.

Prelims Pointers

• Publishing Rank: 3rd Globally.
• GERD Percentage of GDP: 0.84%.
• Resident Patent Share: 62% of domestic filings.

Solid Waste & Sewage Management Report (Parliamentary Standing Committee)

GS-II & GS-III (Urbanization, Public Health & Infrastructure)

Why in News: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs submitted its report detailing critical gaps in urban solid waste and liquid sewage management.

Core Findings & Deficits

• Treatment Gap: India treats only 31% of generated urban sewage, against an installed treatment capacity of 44%.
• Substandard On-Site Infrastructure: 2.85 crore urban households rely on septic tanks, 60% of which do not adhere to standard design norms.
• Low Wastewater Reuse: Only ~26% of treated wastewater is reused, primarily due to the absence of tertiary distribution pipe networks.
• AMRUT 2.0 Delays: Only 17.51% (104 out of 594) of AMRUT 2.0 sewerage projects have reached completion.

Primary Recommendations

·         Mandate standardized septic tank engineering designs and GPS-tracked mechanical desludging.

·         Establish an Urban Infrastructure Maintenance Fund for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding.

·         Mandate State-level "Treated Used Water Reuse Policies" with dedicated tertiary supply lines.

·         Enforce mechanized cleaning protocols to protect sanitation workers.

Prelims Pointers

• National Treated Sewage Percentage: ~31%.
• Scheme In Focus: AMRUT 2.0 (Sewerage and Septage Management Component).

Water Management & Atal Bhujal Yojana

Why in News: Ministry of Jal Shakti reported progress across nationwide groundwater management interventions, including the pilot phase of the Atal Bhujal Yojana across 8,203 water-stressed Gram Panchayats.

Operational Footprint & Data

• Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal): Deployed across 8,203 Gram Panchayats in 80 districts across 7 states (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP) focusing on community-led demand-side management.
• NAQUIM 2.0: National Aquifer Mapping Program mapped 25 lakh sq. km using 3D GIS modeling to identify precise recharge zones.
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Assets:
• IN-GRES: India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System for scientific planning.
• WIMS: Water Information Management System tracking real-time hydrological data.
• Network of over 24,000 Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) transmitting

World Development Report 2026 (World Bank)

GS-III (Economy)

Why in News: The World Bank released its World Development Report (WDR) 2026, focusing on Artificial Intelligence as a catalyst for economic growth in developing countries.

Primary Findings & Strategy

• Job Impacts: Finds that only 4.5% of jobs in developing nations face direct AI automation, while 16.2% will experience productivity amplification.
• The Three-Step Framework for Developing Nations:
1. Adopt: Utilize off-the-shelf global AI models for basic public service delivery.
2. Adapt: Tailor models to localized languages and socio-economic contexts ("Small AI").
3. Advance: Build domestic frontier compute and algorithmic capabilities over time.
• Prerequisites: Warns that digital infrastructure—reliable electricity, broadband connectivity, digital skills, and robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—is mandatory to avoid expanding international inequality.

Withdrawal & Closure Procedures of FIRs

GS-II (Polity & Criminal Justice)

Why in News: The Supreme Court clarified that State Governments may close or withdraw First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against student protesters, provided they strictly follow procedures mandated under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Procedural Mechanics under BNSS

Executive orders passed by ministers cannot unilaterally cancel an FIR once registered. Termination must strictly follow judicial routes:

Police Closure Report (Section 193, BNSS): Submitted to the Magistrate if investigation finds insufficient evidence. The Magistrate holds independent authority to accept or reject the report.

Withdrawal from Prosecution (Section 360, BNSS): Applied for by the Public Prosecutor in public interest. Requires judicial consent and hearing victim objections.

Quashing by High Court (Section 528, BNSS): High Court exercises inherent powers to prevent abuse of legal process.