Coking Coal Notified as Critical & Strategic Mineral

• The Government of India has notified coking coal as a Critical and Strategic Mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
• The decision aims to strengthen the domestic steel sector and support the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 visions.
• MMDR Act, 1957, is India’s primary law governing mines and minerals. It categorises minerals into Major Minerals (regulated by the Central Government) and Minor Minerals, like sand and gravel (regulated by State Governments).

About Coking Coal

• Coking coal is a high-grade bituminous coal that, when heated in the absence of air, converts into hard, porous coke.
• It has higher carbon, lower moisture, and lower sulphur and phosphorus than non-coking coal.
• Its plasticity and swelling ability (caking index) distinguish it from thermal coal, which only burns.
• Indian Reserves: Over 90% of reserves are located in Jharkhand’s Jharia coalfield, with minor deposits in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
• Import Dependence: India is the world’s largest importer of coking coal, importing about 85% of its requirement mainly from Australia, Russia, and the USA.
• Mission Coking Coal 2030: The Ministry of Coal launched it in 2021 to increase domestic coking coal production to 140 MT by 2030.

About Critical Minerals

• Critical minerals are metallic or non-metallic elements essential to economic development and national security, yet highly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.
• In 2023, the Ministry of Mines identified 30 critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper, and rare earth elements (REEs).
• Legal Framework: The amended MMDR Act gives the Central government sole authority to auction mining leases for ‘Critical and Strategic’ minerals (25).
• “Critical Minerals” are minerals of high economic value and supply risk; “Critical and Strategic Minerals” are a legal category under the MMDR Act, important for national security.
• Strategic Importance: These minerals are indispensable for “Sunrise Sectors” such as semiconductors, EVs, renewable energy, and defence technologies.
• NCMM 2025: The National Critical Mineral Mission aims to secure supply chains through domestic production, recycling, and overseas acquisition.

Social Sector Paradox

• The Economic Survey 2025–26 has highlighted a social sector paradox, noting that while India has made significant gains in health outcomes, progress in education quality and urbanisation has remained uneven and stagnant.

What is the social sector paradox?

• The social sector paradox refers to a situation where headline social indicators improve, but foundational capacities lag behind. In India’s case, the Survey shows that:
• Health indicators (life expectancy, maternal and child mortality) have steadily improved, while education outcomes and urban capacity have not kept pace with enrolment, population growth, and economic expansion.
• In short, access has expanded, but outcomes and quality remain constrained.

Key trends highlighted by the Survey:

1. Education: Enrolment without learning

• Near-universal elementary enrolment, but low learning levels in reading and arithmetic.
• Expected years of schooling (13 years) remain below major economies.
• Sharp dropouts after Grade VIII, with secondary net enrolment at just 52.2%.

2. Health: Sustained progress with emerging risks

• Decline in maternal mortality, under-five deaths, and rise in life expectancy (70+ years).
• Expansion of digital health and insurance coverage.
• New challenges from non-communicable diseases, obesity, and lifestyle disorders.

3. Urbanisation: Economic engines with weak foundations

• Cities generate a large share of GDP but suffer from:
• Low municipal revenues
• Limited capacity for housing, transport, sanitation, and climate resilience
• Weak urban finance constrains productivity and quality of life.

Implications of the social sector paradox

• Human capital risk: Low learning outcomes and adolescent dropouts can weaken India’s demographic dividend.
• Inequality persistence: Rural, poor, and marginalised groups face compounded disadvantages despite higher enrolment.
• Urban growth bottlenecks: Under-funded cities may become constraints rather than catalysts of growth.
• Policy reorientation needed: The focus must shift from coverage-led expansion to outcome-led governance—learning quality, preventive healthcare, and empowered urban local bodies.

Paathara (Khoni) Practice

• The ancient Paathara (or Khoni) grain storage tradition in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district is facing imminent extinction in January 2026.

Paathara (Khoni) Practice:

• Paathara (referred to as Khoni in Odia) is a traditional underground grain storage pit. It is a highly scientific, indigenous method used by farmers to preserve freshly harvested paddy for long-term household consumption and rituals.

Origin:

• Geographical Hub: Observed primarily in the Uddanam region of Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh), along the banks of the Mahendratanaya River, near the Odisha border.
• Terrain Specificity: The tradition thrives in inland, hilly terrains. It is rarely found in coastal belts because high moisture levels in seaside soil can spoil the grain.

Key Features

• The Structure: A rectangular or circular pit is dug into the earth, usually in front of the house or cattle shed.
• Insulation: The pit is meticulously plastered with straw and clay. A base layer of hand-woven straw ropes is laid to prevent ground moisture from touching the grain.
• Sealing: Once filled with paddy, the top is sealed with a thick layer of clay and cow dung, making it airtight and pest-proof.
• Ritualistic Start: The storage process begins with a puja, where women draw a bindi on the pit and offer wildflowers and paddy grains to ensure prosperity.

Significance:

• Superior flavour and health: Paathara-stored rice is valued as aged rice, with enhanced taste and better nutrition, including a lower glycaemic index—now preferred by health-conscious consumers.
• Natural pest control and security: Its airtight underground storage protects grain from insects and rodents without chemicals, while its location near homes reduces theft.
• Zero-waste sustainability: At a time when India loses nearly 10% of food grains to poor storage, Paathara stands out as a low-cost, zero-carbon method using only local, biodegradable materials.

MoSPI to Introduce New Consumer Price Index (CPI) Series

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is revising the Consumer Price Index (CPI) series to reflect evolving consumption patterns in India.

Key Changes Introduced in New CPI Series

• Base Year: The CPI base year is changing from 2012 to 2024 to reflect current consumption patterns.
• Food Weight: Food and beverages’ weightage will decline from 45.86% to about 36.75%.
• PDS Exclusion: Free food grains received through schemes like PMGKAY are assigned zero weight in the CPI basket.
• Item Count: The number of weighted items in the CPI basket will increase from 299 to 358.
• Basket Update: Smartphones, OTT subscriptions, and international airfare are added, while obsolete items like VCRs and audio cassettes are removed.
• Online Markets: For the first time, twelve “Online Markets” have been set up in major cities to monitor prices directly from e-commerce platforms.
• Housing Weight: Weight for housing, water, electricity, and gas will increase from 16.91% to 17.66%.
• Transport Weight: Transport and communication weight rises sharply from 8.59% to 12.41%.
• Price Sources: The new series covers rural housing rents for the first time and excludes employer-provided housing to prevent data distortion.
• Rural Share: The weightage of the rural sector in the combined index has been increased from the 53.52% to 55.4%.
• COICOP Compliance: The CPI structure is moving from 6 to 12 distinct Divisions, fully aligning with the UN COICOP 2018 framework.
• COICOP: UN Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose is the global standard for classifying household spending on goods and services.

Significance of New CPI Series

• Lower Volatility: Reduced food weight makes headline inflation less sensitive to monsoon fluctuations and vegetable price shocks.
• Updated Basket: A broader basket of items reflects rising digital and service-based consumption in Indian households.
• Living Costs: Including rural rent and excluding employer housing improves the accuracy of housing inflation measurement.
• Global Alignment: Adopting international classification standards improves the global comparability of India’s inflation data.
• Engel’s Law: Lower food share and higher non-food spending reflect rising incomes and changing consumption behaviour.

Health Ministry Notifies Amendments to NDCT Rules, 2019

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified amendments to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019, to reduce regulatory burden.
• Objective: To promote R&D-led growth, align domestic rules with global best practices, and enhance India’s R&D attractiveness.
• Implementation: Dedicated online modules will operate through the National Single Window System (NSWS) and the SUGAM portal to ensure transparency.

Key Amendments to NDCT Rules, 2019

• Test Licence Waiver: The mandatory test licence for small-quantity research drug manufacturing is replaced by prior online intimation to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
• High-risk substances like cytotoxic drugs, narcotics, and psychotropics still require a test licence.
• Reduced Timelines: For categories still requiring a test licence, the statutory processing time has been reduced from 90 days to 45 days.
• BA/BE Reform: Prior permission for low-risk Bioavailability and Bioequivalence studies is no longer required, allowing commencement through simple CDSCO intimation.

New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019

• The NDCT Rules, 2019, replaced the relevant provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, to consolidate regulations for clinical trials and new drugs
• Regulatory Authority: The rules are administered by the CDSCO under the Drugs Controller General of India (DGI).
• New Drug Definition: A drug remains classified as “new” for four years after first approval, including investigational drugs and new indications or dosages for existing drugs.

Significance of the Amendments

• Time Efficiency: Drug development timelines are expected to shrink by nearly 90 days per project, enabling quicker transition from laboratory research to clinical evaluation stages.
• Burden Reduction: With CDSCO processing ~30,000–35,000 test licences and ~4,000–4,500 BA/BE applications annually, the regulatory workload will reduce substantially.
• Generic Boost: Faster BA/BE study initiation strengthens India’s generic drug pipeline, supporting quicker market entry and export competitiveness.
• Regulatory Focus: Manpower savings allow CDSCO to concentrate more on high-risk drug oversight, inspections and pharmacovigilance functions.
• Global Alignment: Simplified norms bring India closer to US FDA and EU-style risk-based regulatory frameworks, improving investor confidence.

Nebra Sky Disc

• A 3,800-year-old Bronze Age artefact from Germany is being recognised as the world’s oldest known astronomical mapping tool.
• Astronomical Mapping Tool: A digital system that charts and tracks celestial objects across the sky to study their position, motion, and the structure of the universe.

About Nebra Sky Disc

• Origin: Bronze Age artefact discovered on Mittelberg Hill, Germany, dated around 1800–1600 BCE.
• Material: Made of bronze with carefully inlaid gold symbols representing celestial bodies.
• Cosmic Depictions: Shows crescent moon, sun or full moon, and 32 stars including the Pleiades cluster.
• Purpose: Likely used as an early sky map or seasonal calendar for agriculture and rituals.
• Pleiades Cluster: A young open star cluster in the Taurus constellation, about 440 light-years away, visible to the naked eye and containing several hundred hot blue stars.

Discombobulator Weapon System

• U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned a classified weapon, the “Discombobulator,” allegedly used in Caracas during Operation Absolute Resolve to capture Nicolás Maduro.
• Weapon Type: It is described as a directed-energy weapon (DEW) that disables targets using electromagnetic interference.
• Electronic Action: The system reportedly uses high-power microwave (HPM) pulses to create voltage surges that disrupt radar systems and missile circuits.
• Human Effect: It is said to exploit the Frey Effect to induce phantom sounds and severe vertigo in exposed personnel.
• Expert View: Defence experts believe “Discombobulator” likely refers to a combination of existing electronic warfare and acoustic technologies, rather than a single new weapon.
• Frey Effect is the human perception of sound resulting from minute thermal expansion in brain tissue induced by pulsed microwave energy.

Digital Food Currency

• The Government of India is set to launch a pilot program for Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), also termed Digital Food Currency, in February 2026.
• This initiative targets beneficiaries in Chandigarh, Puducherry, and three districts of Gujarat (Anand, Sabarmati, and Dahod) to streamline the world’s largest free food security program.

Digital Food Currency : What is it?

• Digital food coupons are a programmed form of e-Rupee (CBDC). Instead of physical grains or cash transfers, beneficiaries receive digital tokens specifically locked for use at authorized ration shops.
• It serves as a Proof of Concept (POC) for a larger nationwide rollout of digital currency in social welfare.

Developed By:

• Regulatory Body: Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• Implementing Authority: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in coordination with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Governments.

Aim:

• Ensuring that the subsidy is used strictly for foodgrains, preventing the diversion of funds.
• Real-time tracking of every gram of foodgrain distributed.
• Eliminating the need for repeated biometric authentication at Fair Price Shops, which often fails due to connectivity or physical wear and tear.
• Moving rural beneficiaries toward a digital-first economy through the RBI digital wallet.

How it Works?

• Direct Credit: Monthly digital food coupons are credited directly to the RBI-enabled digital wallet on the beneficiary’s mobile phone.
• Redemption: The beneficiary visits a Fair Price Shop and scans the shop owner’s QR code.
• Authentication: The digital tokens are transferred, and the beneficiary receives their entitled free foodgrains.
• Validity: The coupons have a set timeframe (e.g., 30 days) to prevent the accumulation of unspent subsidies.

Key Features:

• Geographic Focus: The pilot covers diverse regions—Chandigarh and Puducherry (urban UTs with no ration shops) and Gujarat (districts with active PDS).
• Feature Phone Support: Options are being explored for non-smartphone users to use the currency via SMS-based vouchers or offline digital solutions.
• No Biometric Hassle: Reduces reliance on e-POS biometric machines, making the process faster for senior citizens and manual laborers.
• FCI Integration: The grains distributed are supplied directly by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Significance

• Replaces the expensive physical movement of cash (DBT) or grains with a more efficient digital ledger.
• India is among the first major economies to test Programmable CBDC for large-scale social welfare, positioning it as a global leader in FinTech governance.
• Unlike cash DBT, where money can be spent on non-essentials, Digital Food Currency guarantees the Right to Food.

78th Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

• Martyrs’ Day, observed on January 30, commemorates the assassination of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
• The day is also known as Sarvodaya Day, reflecting Gandhi’s vision of uplifting all sections of society.
• March 23 is also observed as Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Diwas to honour Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, who were executed in Lahore Jail in 1931.

About Mahatma Gandhi

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat; he studied law in London (1888–1891).
• Philosophical Pillars: Ahimsa (Non-violence), Satya (Truth), Asteya (Non-stealing), Aparigraha (Non-possession), and Sarvodaya (Welfare of All).
• South Africa Phase (1893–1914): He developed Satyagraha (non-violent protest) to fight racial discrimination; formed the Natal Indian Congress (1894), established Phoenix Settlement & Tolstoy Farm.
• Return to India: He returned on January 9, 1915 (Pravasi Bharatiya Divas) and toured India at the advice of his political mentor, Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Early Satyagrahas: Champaran (1917), first civil disobedience (for indigo farmers); Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918), first hunger strike; Kheda (1918), first non-cooperation (for revenue remission in famine).
• Mass Movements: Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 (first nationwide mass movement), Dandi March in 1930 (Salt Satyagraha), the Quit India Movement in 1942 with the slogan “Do or Die”.
• Bestowed Titles: He was called “Mahatma” by Rabindranath Tagore and hailed as the “Father of the Nation” by Subhas Chandra Bose.
• Literary Works: He authored Hind Swaraj and The Story of My Experiments with Truth (autobiography) and edited the journals Indian Opinion, Navajivan, Young India and Harijan.
• Assassination: Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse.

The Living Root Bridges

• India officially submitted the nomination dossier for Meghalaya’s living root bridges, titled Jingkieng Jri / Lyu Chrai Cultural Landscape, to UNESCO for the 2026-27 World Heritage evaluation cycle.

The Living Root Bridges:

• The Living Root Bridges, locally known as Jingkieng Jri, are extraordinary pedestrian bridges handcrafted from the aerial roots of living trees.
• Unlike steel or concrete bridges, these structures are grown over decades and become stronger as the tree matures, embodying the ultimate form of sustainable bio-engineering.

Location:

• State: Meghalaya, India.
• Region: Primarily concentrated in the East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills
• Villages: Notable sites include Nongriat (home to the famous Double-Decker bridge), Rewai, and Mawlynnong.

History & Origin:

• Tribal Heritage: Created by the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia
• Ancient Tradition: Due to a lack of written scripts before the 19th century, their exact age is unknown, but oral legends suggests some bridges are over 500 years old.
• Evolution: The practice emerged as a survival strategy to cross monsoon-swollen rivers in the world’s wettest region (Mawsynram/Cherrapunji), where wooden structures would simply rot away.

Key Features & Construction Process

• The Species: The bridges are primarily grown from the Ficus elastica (Indian Rubber Tree), known for its robust and flexible aerial root system.

Guided Growth:

• Planting: Trees are planted on opposite banks of a river.
• Scaffolding: Young roots are guided through hollowed-out Areca palm trunks or bamboo structures to grow across the stream.
• Entwining: Over time, the roots are manually twisted and merged (anastomosis) to form a solid walkway.
• Strengthening: Stones are often placed between the roots to create a flat path. A bridge takes 10 to 15 years to become functional but can last for centuries.

Significance:

• These bridges are carbon-sequestering, self-repairing, and can withstand the extreme floods and storms of the Meghalayan plateau that would destroy modern infrastructure.
• The nomination recognizes the Mei Ramew (Mother Earth) philosophy, showcasing a harmonious relationship between humans and the ecosystem.
• As the world seeks nature-based solutions to climate change, the Living Root Bridges serve as a global blueprint for regenerative architecture.

The Shiveluch volcano

• The Shiveluch volcano, one of the most explosive in Russia, erupted twice sending massive ash columns nearly 9,000 meters (29,500 feet) into the sky.

The Shiveluch volcano:

• Shiveluch (also spelled Sheveluch) is a massive stratovolcano—a cone-shaped volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash. It is renowned for its superhydrous magmas (water-rich) which contribute to its highly explosive nature.

Located in:

• Region: Kamchatka Peninsula, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia.
• Proximity: Approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and 50 kilometers from the nearest settlement, Klyuchi.

Origin & Age

• Geologic Age: Estimated to be between 60,000 and 70,000 years old, dating back to the late Pleistocene epoch.
• Formation: Created by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk Plate, part of the geologically intense Pacific Ring of Fire.

Key Features:

• Structure: Composed of three main elements: the Old Shiveluch (extinct), an ancient caldera, and the Young Shiveluch (the currently active peak).
• Elevation: Reaches a peak height of 3,283 meters (10,771 feet).
• Activity Level: It is the northernmost active volcano in Kamchatka and has experienced at least 60 major eruptions in the last 10,000 years, remaining in a state of near-continuous eruption since 1999.

Strategic Significance:

• UNESCO World Heritage value: Shiveluch forms part of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO site (1996), noted for its dramatic landscape shaped by active volcanoes and glaciers.
• Global aviation relevance: Located under major trans-Pacific air routes, Shiveluch eruptions threaten aviation safety as volcanic ash can damage jet engines.
• Scientific importance: Its water-rich magmas help scientists understand subduction-zone volcanism and the role of volcanoes in the global water cycle.