Rajasthan’s Disturbed Areas’ Bill, 2026

• Rajasthan plans to introduce a ‘Disturbed Areas’ Bill, 2026, drawing from Gujarat’s 1991 law, to curb “demographic imbalance” triggering civil liberty concerns.

What is the Disturbed Areas Act?

• A law in Gujarat to control communal polarisation and maintain demographic stability in specific areas affected by past communal riots.

Key Provisions of the Act

• Under this Act, the district collector designates an area as ‘disturbed’ due to communal tensions.
• Any transfer of immovable property in these areas requires prior permission from the collector under Section 5 (a) and (b) of the Act.
• The seller must submit an affidavit confirming the voluntary sale and a fair market price.
• The Collector conducts an inquiry before either approving or rejecting the property sale.

Amendments and Strengthened Powers (2020)

• The amendments granted the Collector enhanced authority to scrutinise property transactions for potential communal clustering.
• The state government can now review the Collector’s decisions, even without an appeal being filed.
• Violation penalties were raised from six months to three to five years in prison.

Need for the Law in Rajasthan

• Distress Sale Prevention: To protect vulnerable property owners from being forced into below-market sales during communal tension or localised unrest.
• Communal Stability: To provide an administrative tool aimed at preventing sudden displacement that could trigger social friction in sensitive localities.
• Orderly Urbanisation: To regulate rapid, unplanned property transfers in mixed neighbourhoods, which the State views as destabilising settlement patterns.

Concerns Within the Act

• Demographic Policing Risk: The Act enables indirect regulation of who can buy property where, potentially reshaping neighbourhood composition through administrative discretion.
• Fundamental Rights Conflict: Restrictions raise serious concerns under Article 19(1)(e) (right to reside and settle freely) and Article 15 (non-discrimination on religious grounds).
• Judicially Stayed Logic: Rajasthan’s use of terms like “improper clustering” mirrors language from Gujarat’s 2020 amendment, which remains stayed by the High Court.
• Chilling Effect on Transactions: Genuine, voluntary inter-community property sales face delays, uncertainty, and fear of rejection despite free consent and fair value.

Joining Pax Silica & Critical Minerals Strategy of India

• India joined Pax Silica (US-led capability club) and also participated in G7 critical minerals talks to counter China’s dominance
• But India’s external diplomacy is ahead of its domestic readiness: exploration is low, timelines are long, and mining policy credibility is weak.

About Pax Silica Initiative

• It is a US-led strategic initiative to secure the end-to-end silicon and AI supply chain, from critical minerals and energy inputs to semiconductors and logistics.
• The goal is to reduce coercive dependencies, safeguard AI-critical materials and capabilities, and enable trusted partners to develop and deploy advanced technologies at scale.

Key Issues in India’s Critical Minerals Plan

1. Exploration & Project Pipeline

• Low Exploration Base: Less than 20% of India’s geological potential has been explored; capacity remains dominated by public agencies like the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• Weak EL Incentives: Exploration Licence (EL) lacks preferential right to mine and offers only 50% cost reimbursement capped at ₹20 crore vs ~₹150 crore exploration cost, deterring serious explorers.
• Long Project Timelines: Global average mining project cycle from discovery to production is 16+ years (IEA); India often takes longer due to approvals and litigation.

2. Mining Allocation & Market Design

• Auction Model Weakness: Post-2015 auction-only concessions create high upfront capital risk and don’t attract serious merchant miners or junior explorers.
• Bid Distortion: Overbidding (sometimes exceeding reserve valuation) skews blocks toward captive miners, who can offset losses via downstream industry, hurting open-market competition.
• Cancelled Pipeline Shock: Around 66,000 pending applications from the pre-2015 First-Come, First-Served regime were auto-cancelled, deepening investor uncertainty.

3. Taxation & Federal Uncertainty

• High Effective Tax Burden: Despite rationalised critical mineral royalties (2–4%), overall statutory burden makes effective tax rate ~60–65% for mining firms.
• Federal Tax Risk: Supreme Court (2024) upheld states’ power to levy additional taxes (royalty not a tax), raising cost unpredictability and discouraging mine operationalisation.

What has India Improved Recently?

• Policy Push: MMDR Amendment Bill, 2025 prioritised critical minerals and aimed to streamline concessions, signalling urgency for energy transition supply chains.
• Private Entry: Six minerals removed from the “atomic minerals” list, allowing private participation.
• Market Flexibility: Captive mines can now sell in the open market without caps, improving commercial viability and reducing downstream distortions.
• Overseas Asset Focus: National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) has been repositioned to fund international mineral projects, strengthening India’s resource diplomacy and supply security.

Way Forward

• Exploration Mission: Launch time-bound exploration drive for critical minerals using private tech, satellite & geophysics via GSI + private Joint Venture model.
• Shared Risk Model: Fund projects on a pari passu (equal sharing) basis, so both Centre and private miners share costs and risks from the start.
• Auction Redesign: Shift two-stage iterative bidding into a single sealed-bid to curb overbidding.
• EL Incentive Upgrade: Provide preferential rights or tax rebates for junior explorers to offset losses; E.g., Australia/Canada-style exploration incentive frameworks.

India–UK Education Partnership

• The UK announced a new International Education Strategy to raise education exports, with India among the five focus countries.
• Education cooperation is a key pillar under India–UK Vision 2035.

Why India is a Focus Country?

• Scale Demand: India aims to rapidly expand its ~40 million student base and needs ~30 million new student places, creating huge partnership space for foreign providers.
• Campus Expansion: 9 UK universities are set to open campuses in India, signalling a shift towards transnational education delivery and capacity support.
• Student Mobility: Estimates based on UK student visas suggest ~1,70,000 Indian students are currently in the UK, making India a top source market

Significance of Partnership for India

• Capacity Creation: India’s higher education network has ~1,100+ universities and 45,000+ colleges, yet seat demand is rising, so foreign campuses can ease access pressure.
• Quality Upgrade: India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is ~28% (2021–22), so global institutions can support faster expansion with stronger quality benchmarks.
• Skill Readiness: India has one of the world’s youngest populations, with ~65% below 35 years, so global curricula can improve job-readiness at scale.
• Research Boost: India spends only ~0.65% of GDP on R&D, so university partnerships can improve research capacity, labs and innovation output.

Significance of Partnership for the UK

• Export Growth: UK targets education exports of £40 billion/year by 2030, signalling education as a national economic driver like IT and services.
• Economic Value: Education exports already generate ~£32 billion/year, making it more valuable than several traditional UK export sectors.
• Revenue Stability: In 2021–22, international education supported ~758,000 jobs in the UK, so overseas expansion protects employment and income flows.
• Global Brand: The UK hosts 4 of the world’s top 10 universities in many major rankings, so offshore campuses extend strong reputation-based demand.

India–UK Areas of Cooperation

• Geopolitical: UK supports India’s UNSC permanent membership and collaborates in forums like the AUKUS alliance, G20, Commonwealth, and Indo-Pacific initiatives.

Economic:

• Record Trade: Bilateral trade reached a significant milestone of USD 21.34 billion in 2023–24.
• Major Trading Partner: India is the UK’s 11th largest trading partner.
• Defence: The Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP) 2015 enhances cooperation, with ~70 UK firms supplying critical components for Indian aircraft.
• Health: Partnerships like the AstraZeneca-SII vaccine collaboration address healthcare challenges.
• Climate: The India-UK Green Growth Equity Fund and OSOWOG initiative target renewable energy and sustainable development.
• Diaspora: The ~1.9 million Indian diaspora in the UK significantly contributes to British society.

Agarwood

• Union Minister laid the foundation stone of the ₹80 crore Agarwood Value Chain Development Scheme in Tripura to strengthen the sector from farm to global markets.

Agarwood: What it is?

• Agarwood (also called oud, gaharu, aloeswood) is a highly fragrant, resinous heartwood formed in Aquilaria trees when they are wounded and infected by fungi, triggering a defensive resin response.

Origin:

• Mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts such as the Susruta Samhita and in early Islamic literature, agarwood has been traded for thousands of years across Asia and the Middle East.

Habitat:

• Found mainly in South and Southeast Asia, including India (Tripura, Assam and the Northeast), Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.
• Aquilaria species thrive in tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

Key features:

• Resin formation is rare in nature (only ~10% of wild trees), making agarwood extremely valuable.
• Natural agarwood can take 20–50 years to develop, prompting artificial induction (biological, chemical and physical methods).
• Listed under CITES Appendix II due to overexploitation and illegal trade risks.

Applications

• Perfumery: High-end fragrances and essential oils, especially in the Middle East.
• Incense & rituals: Widely used in religious and cultural ceremonies.
• Medicine: Traditional Ayurvedic, Chinese and Unani systems (bioactive compounds like chromones and terpenoids).
• Trade & exports: One of the most expensive forest products, with premium agarwood oil fetching very high prices globally.

RBI Report on State Budgets and Fiscal Performances

• The Reserve Bank of India released its annual report, “State Finances”, for the fiscal year 2025-26 to assess states’ fiscal health and budgetary priorities.

Fiscal Performance of States

• Fiscal Deficit: The consolidated Gross Fiscal Deficit of states is budgeted at 3.3% of GDP for FY25, up from 3% over the previous three fiscals.
• Capital Spending: State capital expenditure is projected at 3.2% of GDP, with a focus on long-term public asset creation.
• Central Support: Growth in state capital expenditure is supported by 50-year interest-free loans under the SASCI scheme.
• Debt Levels: Total outstanding state liabilities stand at 29.2% of GDP, exceeding the fiscal prudence target of 20% recommended by the FRBM Review Committee (2017)
• Tax Structure: State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) has emerged as the primary tax source; its growth has slowed, and its share in SGDP remains below pre-GST levels.
• Non-tax revenue sources have declined steadily over the past decade.

Demographic Transition

• Young States: States with youthful populations like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh must increase education and skills spending to utilise their working-age populations.
• Ageing States: States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu are facing rising fiscal pressure from pension and geriatric healthcare demands.
• Transition States: Demographically transitioning states like West Bengal and Maharashtra need to adjust their fiscal strategies for long-term revenue sustainability.

Major Concerns

• Expenditure Rigidity: High committed expenditure on salaries, pensions and interest payments restricts fiscal space for development projects.
• Subsidy Quality: Expansion of non-merit subsidies and freebies risks crowding out productive investments in the social sector.
• Discom Stress: Persistent financial losses of power distribution companies create large contingent liabilities for state finances.
• Transparency Gaps: Inconsistent disclosure of off-budget borrowings obscures the true extent of state indebtedness and fiscal risks.

Policy Recommendations

• Fiscal Path: States should adopt a time-bound fiscal consolidation roadmap to reduce debt-to-GDP ratios to sustainable levels.
• Revenue Base: Strengthening non-tax revenue sources is essential to reduce dependence on central transfers and borrowings.
• Climate Budgeting: States should integrate climate-sensitive budgeting to mitigate fiscal shocks caused by frequent disasters.
• Digital Systems: Stronger digital public financial management systems can improve the efficiency of tax collection and subsidy targeting.

Bactrian Camel

• Two Bactrian camels named ‘Galwan’ and ‘Nubra’ will feature in the Republic Day Parade 2026 on Kartavya Path as part of the Army’s Animal Contingent, highlighting Ladakh’s unique cold-desert heritage.

Bactrian Camel: What it is?

• A double-humped camel adapted to extreme cold and arid conditions of Central Asian cold deserts.

Found in:

• India: The species is found only in Ladakh (Nubra Valley) in India, making its appearance nationally significant.
• Global: Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, parts of Central Asia.

Origin:

• Domesticated ~5,000–6,000 years ago in Central Asia (around modern Uzbekistan–West Kazakhstan region).
• Named after Bactria, an ancient Central Asian region.

IUCN Status:

• Wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus): Critically Endangered.

Types

1. Wild Bactrian Camel: Camelus ferus (Critically Endangered).

2. Domestic Bactrian Camel: Camelus bactrianus (Common, domesticated).

Key characteristics

• Two humps: Store fat (not water), providing energy during long periods of food scarcity in cold deserts.
• Cold tolerance: Long, shaggy winter coat insulates against sub-zero temperatures and is shed in summer to prevent overheating.
• Water efficiency: Can drink up to ~35 gallons at once and safely consume saline water unavailable to most animals.
• Diet adaptability: Tough, leathery lips allow it to eat thorny, bitter and highly saline desert vegetation.
• Desert adaptations: Broad hooves prevent sinking in sand, while long eyelashes and a third eyelid protect eyes from sandstorms.

Role in Indian history:

• Integral to Silk Road trade, linking India–Central Asia–China; famed as the “ships of the Silk Road”.
• Used by caravans that enabled movement of goods (jade, horses), ideas, and monks (e.g., Buddhist pilgrims to India).
• In Ladakh, supported trans-Himalayan commerce and connectivity before mechanisation.

Lambadas Tribe

• A Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenges the inclusion of Lambadas in Telangana’s Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.

About Lambadas

• Other Names: Sugalis / Banjaras; a major ST community across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Community Type: Traditionally a nomadic/trading community with a distinct socio-cultural identity.
• Origin: Believed to have originated from the Marwar region of Rajasthan.
• Traditional Occupation: Semi-nomadic community historically engaged in caravan-based transport of goods, which declined under British rule.
• Language Spoken: Speak “Gor Boli” / Lambadi, a distinct dialect used within the community.
• Cultural Identity: Known for distinct dress, rich embroidery & traditional music performed by Dappans.

Europe’s new Space Phone Line

• The European Space Agency (ESA) inaugurated New Norcia 3 (NNO3), a deep-space communication antenna described as a “permanent space phone line”.
• It is the fourth deep-space antenna in the Estrack network, complementing sister stations to provide uninterrupted 24/7 global coverage.
• The antenna is located at the New Norcia Ground Station in Western Australia.
• Estrack is ESA’s global network of ground stations that provide communication links between mission control and spacecraft across the Solar System; it currently tracks over 20 missions.
• Advanced Technology: It features a 35-metre reflector dish and cryogenic cooling to about −263 °C, enabling detection of weak signals.
• AI Integration: It is ESA’s first antenna to use AI for noise filtering and more precise auto-tracking.
• Partnerships: The antenna is operated locally by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.
• Significance: It enhances Estrack’s data-handling capacity and can provide cross-support to NASA, JAXA, and ISRO, thereby strengthening international space cooperation.

The Padma Awards

• The Padma Awards 2026 were announced on the eve of Republic Day, with the President approving 131 awards across Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories.

The Padma Awards: What it is?

• One of India’s highest civilian honours, conferred to recognise distinguished and exceptional service involving an element of public service across diverse fields.
• Established in: 1954 by the Government of India.

History:

• Initially, two civilian awards were instituted in 1954: Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.
• Padma Vibhushan originally had three classes, which were renamed in 1955 as:

1. Padma Vibhushan
2. Padma Bhushan
3. Padma Shri

• Awards are announced annually on Republic Day, with brief interruptions during 1978–79 and 1993–97.

Categories & purpose:

• Padma Vibhushan: Exceptional and distinguished service
• Padma Bhushan: Distinguished service of a high order
• Padma Shri: Distinguished service in any field

Eligibility criteria:

• Open to all persons irrespective of race, gender, occupation or position.
• Government servants (including PSU employees) are generally not eligible, except doctors and scientists.
• Normally not conferred posthumously, but allowed in exceptional cases.
• A minimum gap of 5 years is required for a higher Padma category, unless relaxed in deserving cases.
• The award is for “excellence plus” — lifetime achievement with clear public service impact, not merely long service.

Fields recognised:

• Art (music, cinema, theatre, painting, sculpture, etc.)
• Social Work
• Public Affairs
• Science & Engineering
• Trade & Industry
• Medicine (including AYUSH systems)
• Literature & Education
• Civil Service
• Sports
• Others (culture, human rights, environment, wildlife conservation, etc.)

Key features of the awards:

• Conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Awardees receive a Sanad (certificate) and a medallion; the award does not constitute a title and cannot be used as a prefix or suffix.
• Total annual awards capped at 120, excluding posthumous and foreign/NRI/OCI awardees.
• Selection is based on recommendations of the Padma Awards Committee, constituted annually by the Prime Minister and headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
• Public nominations, including self-nominations, are permitted, reinforcing transparency and inclusiveness.

Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards

• President of India has approved the conferment of the Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards–2025 to 30 individuals for acts of exceptional courage in saving lives.
• The awards include 6 Sarvottam, 6 Uttam, and 18 Jeevan Raksha Padaks, with six honours awarded posthumously.

Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards : What it is?

• A civilian life-saving gallantry award series recognising meritorious acts of humane nature involving personal risk to save another person’s life.
• Established in: 1961, as an offshoot of the Ashoka Chakra series of Gallantry Awards.

Categories

• Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Conspicuous courage in saving life under very great danger to the rescuer.
• Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage and promptitude under great danger to the rescuer.
• Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage and promptitude involving grave bodily injury risk to the rescuer.

Eligibility:

• Open to persons of all genders and walks of life.
• Can be conferred posthumously.
• Acts considered include rescues during drowning, fires, accidents, electrocution, mine rescues and natural calamities.

Key features:

• Nominations are invited annually from States/UTs and Union Ministries.
• Recommendations are examined by the Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards Committee within two years of the act.
• Final approval is given by the Prime Minister and the President of India.
• Award consists of a medallion and certificate, along with a one-time monetary allowance:

1. Sarvottam: ₹2 lakh
2. Uttam: ₹1.5 lakh
3. Jeevan Raksha: ₹1 lakh

• No additional service concessions (rail/airfare, etc.) are attached.

Significance:

• Encourages civic courage, altruism and humanitarian values in society.
• Formally recognises ordinary citizens performing extraordinary acts, strengthening the culture of compassion and public responsibility.

Narayan Ramachandran Committee

Source:  PIB

• The PFRDA has constituted the Committee for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG) to comprehensively review and modernise National Pension System (NPS) investment guidelines.
• The SAARG committee, chaired by Narayan Ramachandran, will submit its recommendations within 9 months.

Narayan Ramachandran Committee : What it is?

• A high-level expert committee titled Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG) to review and reform NPS investment guidelines across Government and Non-Government sectors.
• Constituted by: PFRDA, the statutory regulator for pension funds in India.

Aim:

• To strengthen NPS investment architecture by aligning it with global pension best practices, the evolving Indian capital market, and long-term subscriber needs.

Key functions / mandate:

• Foundational review & global benchmarking: Assess adequacy of current NPS guidelines and benchmark them with leading global pension systems.
• Asset class review & expansion: Review existing asset classes and recommend new asset classes to improve diversification and resilience.
• Strategic asset allocation: Propose optimal allocation across equity, debt, money market and alternatives with prudential limits.
• Performance & accountability: Reform benchmarking and evaluation methods for Pension Funds under NPS.
• Risk management & ALM: Recommend comprehensive market, credit, liquidity and operational risk frameworks aligned with pension liabilities.
• Governance & intermediaries: Review custodial architecture and end-to-end investment process across NPS intermediaries.
• Sustainability integration: Embed climate transition risks and net-zero pathways into NPS investment decisions.

Lakkundi Excavation

• Recent excavations at Lakkundi in Karnataka have unearthed Neolithic-era artefacts, strengthening the State’s push to include Lakkundi in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.

Lakkundi Excavation : What it is?

• An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)–supervised excavation at the Kote Veerabhadreshwar (Veerabhadraswamy) Temple, aimed at uncovering buried structures and cultural layers to support heritage conservation and UNESCO nomination.

Located in:

• Lakkundi village, Gadag district, Karnataka, about 12 km from Gadag town; historically known as Lokkigundi.

History of the place:

• A major economic, religious and cultural centre from the 10th–13th centuries.
• Flourished under the Kalyana Chalukyas and later the Hoysalas; famous as the “village of a hundred wells and temples”.
• Associated with Queen Attimabbe (11th century), noted Jain patron and philanthropist.
• Home to Hindu temples, Jain basadis, stepwells, and later even a Muslim dargah, reflecting religious pluralism.
• Known for the “Lakkundi school” of Chalukyan temple architecture.

Discoveries made at Lakkundi

• Neolithic artefacts: broken grey clay pot, stone axe, cowrie shells, cross-shaped pedestal.
• Early historic–medieval finds: stone pedestal carved with a Jina figure, inscriptions, buried temple remains.
• Confirms continuous human occupation from prehistoric to early medieval periods.

Significance:

• Pushes Lakkundi’s history far beyond the medieval period, adding prehistoric depth to its heritage value.
• Strengthens Karnataka’s case for UNESCO World Heritage nomination of a group of monuments at Lakkundi.