75 Projects Completed Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

• Genesis: Launched in 2015, it is a flagship scheme of Ministry of Tourism.
• Objective: Development of theme-based tourist circuits like Buddhist Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, etc.
• Swadesh Darshan 2.0: Revamped version of Swadesh Darshan Scheme to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination-centric approach.

Sub Schemes Under SD 2.0

• Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD): It has 36 projects sanctioned under four thematic categories viz Spiritual Tourism, Culture & Heritage, Vibrant Village Program, Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Sites.
• It has identified 5 destinations in Vibrant Village category including Arunachal Pradesh (Kibitho), Himachal Pradesh (Rakchham-Chhitkul), Sikkim (Grathang) and Uttarakhand (Jadung & Mana).
• Guidelines for Tribal Homestay development: To develop 1,000 Tribal Homestays under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA) Scheme.
• Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale: To infuse long term interest free loans for 50 years to States

Other Initiatives taken to Enhance Tourism In India

• Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme: To enhance infrastructure at major pilgrimage sites and heritage cities.
• Medical Tourism: India’s Medical Value Travel (MVT) sector is projected to reach $13.42 billion by 2026.
• MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions)Tourism: A National Strategy and Roadmap formulated by Tourism Ministry.
• Facilitating Employment-Led Growth: Skill development programme in hospitality management; MUDRA loans for Homestays, etc.

India–AI Impact Summit

• Context: India has announced the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 in New Delhi, making it the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.

India–AI Impact Summit: What it is?

• The India–AI Impact Summit is a high-level multilateral forum announced by the Prime Minister at the France AI Action Summit, designed to advance responsible, inclusive, and development-oriented AI cooperation, with a strong Global South

Key features:

• Global South leadership: First global AI summit hosted in a developing country, amplifying Southern perspectives in AI governance.
• Multilateral continuity: Builds on G20 AI Principles, UN & GPAI resolutions, African Declaration on AI, and Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI.

Three Sutras framework

1. People: Human-centric, inclusive, culturally sensitive, and trustworthy AI.
2. Planet: Responsible AI aligned with climate action, sustainability, and reduced energy footprint.
3. Progress: AI for equitable growth across health, education, governance, agriculture, and public services.

• Outcome-oriented approach: Focus on concrete deliverables, cooperative mechanisms, and implementation frameworks rather than declarations alone.
• Strategic geopolitics of AI: Addresses employment disruption, algorithmic bias, and energy intensity in a rapidly evolving global order.

UIDAI launches Aadhaar mascot Udai

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched Aadhaar mascot ‘Udai (उदय)’ to make Aadhaar-related information more relatable and people-friendly.

Aadhaar mascot Udai:

• A resident-facing communication companion (official mascot) designed to simplify public understanding of Aadhaar services such as updates, authentication, offline verification, selective data sharing, and responsible usage.
• Organisation(s) involved: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
• Aim: To simplify, humanise, and standardise Aadhaar communication, enhance citizen trust through participation, and improve accessibility for over a billion residents.

Key features

• People-centric communication: Uses a friendly mascot to explain complex Aadhaar processes.
• Wide service coverage: Updates, authentication, offline verification, selective sharing, new tech adoption.
• Participatory creation: Selected via an open national contest (875 entries; multi-tier evaluation).
• Inclusive outreach: Designed to aid clarity across languages, literacy levels, and digital access.

Significance

• Trust & acceptance: Reinforces Aadhaar’s core principle that participation builds trust.
• Better service delivery: Reduces information asymmetry and errors in Aadhaar usage.
• Digital public goods: Strengthens citizen engagement around a foundational DPI.

District-Led Textiles Transformation (DLTT) Initiative

• DLTT Initiative Unveiled by Ministry of Textiles to catalyse inclusive and sustainable growth across India''s textile landscape.

Key Highlights of the Initiative

• Aim: Transform 100 high-potential districts into Global Export Champions and elevate 100 Aspirational Districts into self-reliant hubs.
• Categorisation of Districts: Into Champion Districts and Aspirational Districts based on analysing three key parameters namely Export Performance, MSME Ecosystem, Workforce Presence.
• Champion Districts (Scale & Sophistication): Focus on removing advanced bottlenecks, upgrading to Mega Common Facility Centres (CFCs), integrating Industry 4.0, and facilitating direct Export Market Linkages, etc.
• Aspirational Districts (Foundation & Formalization): Build ecosystem from ground up in setting up foundation and formalization of workforce including basic skilling and certification, establishing Raw Material Banks, and promoting micro-enterprises through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Cooperatives, etc.
• Emphasis on East and Northeast Zones: Tribal belt development, Connectivity improvement, and Geographical Indication (GI) tagging, etc.

Anti-Government Protest in Iran

• Iran is currently witnessing its largest anti-government protests in recent years, driven by a deepening economic crisis and a rapid currency collapse.
• Ideological Shift: Unlike earlier reform-focused movements, current protests increasingly express explicit pro-monarchy sentiments.

Factors Behind the Iranian Protest

• Hyper-Devaluation: The Iranian rial dropped to a record low of 1.5 million per US dollar, losing almost 50% of its value in a year.
• Fuel Pricing: Recently introduced 3-tier gasoline pricing has sharply raised transport and food costs.
• Hyperinflation: Official inflation stands at 42.2%, while food prices have risen by 72% year-on-year.
• Water Stress: A 5-year drought and poor policies caused acute water shortages in provinces.
• Energy Shortages: Frequent blackouts and natural gas shortages during winter fuelled public anger.
• War Impact: The “Twelve-Day War” with Israel damaged nuclear and oil infrastructure, breaking the regime’s invincibility narrative.
• Sanctions Snapback: Iran was cut off from global banking and oil markets after the UN reimposed nuclear sanctions.

Iran Unrest for Implications for India

• Port Disruption: Strikes, internet shutdowns, and supply-chain disruptions are creating fresh uncertainty for Chabahar Port‘s operations.
• Route Risk: Prolonged instability threatens India’s primary trade route to bypass Pakistan via the INSTC.
• Price Volatility: Iran’s unrest and sanctions are affecting global oil supply, raising the risk of price hikes and import uncertainties for India.
• Diplomatic Strain: The worsening situation in Tehran challenges India’s diplomatic balance between the U.S. and Iran.

US President gives nod to Bill proposing 500% tariff over Russia oil trade

• The Bill titled ‘The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025’, once enacted, will enable the US administration to impose steep tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil, gas, and uranium, etc.
• The US President retains the power to waive these tariffs for up to 180 days if it is deemed in the U.S. national security interest.

Potential Implications for India

• Trade Halting: such high tariffs on goods and potentially services could effectively halt India’s $120 billion annual exports to the United States.
• Sectoral Damage: Labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, footwear and marine products, already burdened by US tariffs of up to 50%, could face further erosion of competitiveness and export viability.
• Weakened Bargaining Power: Can negatively affect future trade pacts negotiations with various entities, including the European Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council etc.
• Other: Dent on India- US relations, effect on economic growth, etc.

Way Ahead for India

• Diversifying Exports: Diversify goods exports away from the US to reduce vulnerability to unilateral tariff hikes.
• Export Promotion Mission: Increase outlay to strengthen India’s export ecosystem impacted by tariff escalations.
• Accelerating Trade Deals such as India-EU FTA negotiations.
• Simplified regulatory processes and rationalised duties on critical raw materials like cotton, leather, and gem inputs.

Dust EXperiment (DEX)

• ISRO has confirmed that an interplanetary dust particle (IDP) enters Earth’s atmosphere roughly every 16 minutes, based on measurements from India’s first cosmic dust detector Dust EXperiment (DEX).

Dust EXperiment (DEX):

• DEX is India’s first indigenously developed cosmic dust detector, designed to detect and measure high-speed interplanetary and orbital dust particles impacting Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Developed by:

1. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
2. Developed by Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad
3. Flown aboard PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) of the PSLV-C58 XPoSat mission.

• Aim: To directly measure cosmic dust flux in Earth’s atmosphere and generate mission-critical data for space environment monitoring, satellite safety, and future crewed deep-space missions.

Key features

• Hypervelocity principle: Detects dust impacts travelling at >4 km/s, capable of melting or disintegrating on impact.
• Compact & efficient: 3 kg payload with ultra-low 4.5 W power consumption.
• Wide field of view: 140° detector for enhanced hit probability.
• Low-Earth orbit testing: Operated at ~350 km altitude with 9.5° inclination.
• High detection rate: Logged impacts at a rate of ~1 particle per 1,000 seconds.
• Measured dust flux: ~6.5 × 10⁻³ particles m⁻² s⁻¹, validating global dust models.

Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs):

• IDPs are microscopic fragments of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids that constantly rain onto planetary atmospheres and produce the “meteor layer”, visible occasionally as shooting stars.

How they are formed?

• Cometary debris: Released when comets heat up near the Sun.
• Asteroidal collisions: Generated from high-energy impacts in the asteroid belt.
• Cosmic erosion: Gradual breakdown of celestial bodies over millions of years.

Implications

• Spacecraft safety: Even tiny particles at hypervelocity can cause catastrophic damage to satellites and crewed spacecraft.
• Space weather & environment: Influence orbital debris dynamics and near-Earth space conditions.
• Planetary science: Provide clues about early solar system evolution.
• Future missions: DEX-like instruments can enable first-ever dust measurements in Venusian and Martian atmospheres, and around the Moon—crucial for Moon-Mars human exploration.

PANKHUDI portal

• Union Minister has launched PANKHUDI, an integrated digital portal to enhance ease of living for women and children by streamlining CSR partnerships and stakeholder collaboration.

PANKHUDI portal:

• A single-window, integrated digital platform that facilitates CSR and voluntary partnerships for women and child development, enabling transparent contributions, proposal tracking, and outcome monitoring across priority social sectors.
• Ministry: Ministry of Women and Child Development
• Aim: To strengthen coordination, transparency, and structured participation among government, citizens, NRIs, NGOs, and corporates, thereby improving service delivery and outcomes for women and children nationwide.

Key features

• Unified CSR interface: One platform for individuals, NRIs, NGOs, corporates, and government agencies.
• Priority themes: Nutrition, health, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), child welfare & protection, and women’s safety & empowerment.
• Flagship mission support: Digitally strengthens implementation of Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya, and Mission Shakti through defined workflows.
• End-to-end transparency: Online registration, proposal submission, approvals, and real-time tracking; non-cash contributions only to ensure traceability.
• Scale of impact: Improves infrastructure and services across 14+ lakh Anganwadi Centres, ~5,000 Child Care Institutions, ~800 One Stop Centres, ~500 Shakhi Niwas, and ~400 Shakti Sadan.

Significance:

• Reduces friction for partnerships with government via a trusted, tech-enabled framework.
• Enhances monitoring, convergence, and measurable impact of social investments.

India’s First Urban Night Safari to be Launched in Lucknow

• India’s first urban night safari is being developed in Kukrail Forest Area in Lucknow, UP.
• Design Model: The project is inspired by Singapore’s Night Safari and integrates wildlife conservation, urban tourism and public awareness.
• Experience Format: It will offer controlled nocturnal wildlife viewing via illuminated trails and guided tours, with minimal disturbance to animals.

About the Kukrail Forest

• Green Lung: Kukrail Forest Area is a 5,000-acre ecological buffer located near the city of Lucknow.
• Urban Interface: It is a rare urban-adjacent zone where wildlife conservation & public access coexist.
• Captive Breeding: The forest has a captive breeding and rehabilitation centre for endangered freshwater gharials.
• River System: Kukrail River, a tributary of the Gomti River, flows through the Kukrail Forest Area.

Three New Species of Meadow Katydids Discovered in Jammu and Kashmir

• Entomologists have discovered three new species of Meadow Katydids from Jammu & Kashmir.

About Meadow Katydids

• Meadow katydids are small- to medium-sized insects in the family Tettigoniidae.
• Appearance: Most species are slender and grass-green, with extremely long, threadlike antennae that exceed body length.
• Although they resemble grasshoppers, Meadow katydids are more closely related to crickets.
• Habitat: They inhabit open grassy areas, meadows, and wetlands, usually near freshwater sources.
• Stridulation: Males have microscopic tooth-like rows on their forewings, called stridulatory files. They produce a rhythmic sound when the wings rub together.

Three Newly Discovered Meadow Katydids

1. Conocephalus usmanii: This species has a flat, elongated abdominal plate and a stridulatory file with 36 teeth.
2. Conocephalus nagariensis: It has spindle-shaped appendages and a stridulatory file with 34 teeth.
3. Conocephalus ganderbali: It is a small, slender species with a 28-tooth stridulatory file and a V-shaped incision on the underbelly.

Spina Bifida

• Experts call for making folic acid awareness and fortification a public health priority to prevent Spina Bifida, one of India’s most common birth defects.

Spina Bifida

• Definition: A neural tube defect where the spinal cord does not develop properly during early pregnancy, causing paralysis and lifelong disability.
• Burden in India: Affects >25,000 children every year (~ 4 per 1,000 births), among the highest globally.
• Key Symptoms: Lower-limb weakness to paralysis, loss of bladder–bowel control, clubfoot/orthopaedic deformities, and hydrocephalus in many cases.
• Prevention: Periconceptional folic acid (before conception) can prevent >70% cases.
• Treatment: Requires early neurosurgery (closure of defect), management of hydrocephalus (often shunt), plus rehabilitation, orthopaedic care, and lifelong urology support; cognition is usually normal.
• Cognitive Ability: No intellectual impairment; children can lead productive lives with timely medical care.

Types of Spina Bifida

• Spina Bifida Occulta: Mild “hidden” defect, often asymptomatic; detected incidentally on imaging.
• Meningocele: Sac-like protrusion of meninges with fluid; usually less severe.
• Myelomeningocele: Most severe form with spinal cord involvement; commonly causes paralysis.