NATIONAL AFFAIRS
- India refused to sign the SCO Defence Ministers’ statement, objecting to the omission of terror attacks like Pahalgam, signalling zero tolerance for selective counter-terrorism.
- India flagged off its first export consignment of rose-scented litchi from Pathankot, Punjab, to Qatar under the ODOP scheme, boosting farmers’ global linkages.
- Traditional Kolhapuri chappal makers accused luxury brand Prada of copying their design, reviving concerns over weak GI protection for community crafts.
- The Sugamya Bharat App was revamped with an AI chatbot and real-time updates to improve accessibility for Divyangjan and senior citizens.
- The Adi Karmyogi Programme was launched to build a cadre of motivated tribal field officers for grassroots transformation in 1 lakh villages.
- Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra festival in Puri reaffirmed India’s living cultural heritage and mass religious celebrations.
- The ESIC re-launched the SPREE scheme to register unregistered employers/employees, easing compliance and extending ESI coverage.
- Supreme Court flagged procedural lapses in the appointment of Election Commissioners, reminding the Centre to protect the Election Commission’s autonomy and credibility.
- Kerala declared a health emergency in Kozhikode district after new Nipah virus cases were detected; the Union Health Ministry dispatched an expert team for surveillance, contact tracing and treatment support.
- Mizoram government sought fresh consultations with the Centre on fencing along the Myanmar border, citing the need to safeguard cross-border ties of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities who share ethnic and cultural bonds.
- CAG audit highlighted delays and underutilisation of funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission, warning that lapses could derail the goal of providing tap water to every rural household by 2024.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- India rejected the Court of Arbitration’s ‘supplemental award’ on Kishenganga and Ratle hydro projects, calling it a breach of the Indus Waters Treaty amid Pakistan’s continued cross-border terrorism.
- China hosted China–Pakistan–Bangladesh and China–Pakistan–Afghanistan trilateral dialogues, expanding its South Asian footprint to dilute India’s influence and strengthen BRI ties.
- Prime Minister visited Cyprus after 23 years, signalling India’s outreach to Europe amid shifting global alignments.
- India reaffirmed its decision to stay out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative during the recent SCO deliberations, citing unresolved concerns about territorial integrity and lack of transparency in BRI projects.
- India signed a strategic defence cooperation agreement with Vietnam to deepen joint production, technology transfer, and coastal security collaboration, strengthening its Act East policy and Indo-Pacific outreach.
ECONOMY & INFRASTRUCTURE
- NSO’s statistical report showed agriculture and allied sector GVA grew by 225% since 2011–12, with cereals, fruits, vegetables, livestock, fisheries, and floriculture all recording gains.
- India’s external debt rose to $736.3 billion in March 2025, driven by dollar loans and corporate borrowing; the debt-to-GDP ratio climbed to 19.1%.
- ‘Skills for the Future’ report highlighted India’s persistent skill gap: 88% of workers are in low-skill roles, vocational training penetration remains poor, and skill mismatch reduces productivity.
- DRI’s ‘Operation Deep Manifest’ seized Pakistani-origin goods worth ₹9 crore, foiling attempts to bypass India’s trade ban via Dubai rerouting.
- Finance Ministry data showed India’s fiscal deficit for FY25 held at 5.6% of GDP, driven by higher-than-expected tax collections and calibrated expenditure controls to maintain fiscal discipline.
- RBI rolled out stricter guidelines for digital lending platforms to check predatory practices, hidden fees and harassment of borrowers, aiming to make the sector more transparent and accountable.
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE
- The endangered Dhole (Asiatic wild dog) reappeared in Assam’s Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape, marking conservation success after local extinction.
- Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile released its first deep-sky images for the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, advancing dark matter research.
- Researchers found 20 bacteria species capable of breaking down PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, a step toward tackling persistent toxic pollution.
- The IBAT Alliance doubled investment in biodiversity data to strengthen global protected areas and key species monitoring.
- Kerala’s Cochin backwaters faced seasonal jellyfish blooms, reflecting coastal ecosystem stress from warming seas and overfishing.
MISCELLANEOUS
- India’s startup ecosystem crossed 1.5 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, with strong early-stage funding, AI adoption, and expansion into Tier 2/3 cities
- India’s current account posted a $13.5 billion surplus in Q4 FY25, driven by robust services exports and strong remittance flows, offsetting a large trade deficit.
- ISRO successfully tested the propulsion system for its upcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission, which aims to achieve India’s first lunar sample-return, expanding the country’s deep space exploration capabilities.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls
Context: The Election Commission (EC) has launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls to update and verify voter eligibility, starting with the physical distribution of enumeration forms. The revision comes amid political debate over its timing and implications.
Key Highlights:
- Nearly 2.93 crore voters must submit documents proving their date and place of birth; those born after 1987 must provide parental documents too.
- The SIR will run until September 30, 2025, when the final updated rolls will be published.
- Voters included in the 2003 electoral rolls must re-verify their details using the new forms.
- The EC says the exercise is meant to strengthen the accuracy of rolls and uphold voter trust, calling it a “proud moment for democracy.”
- Opposition parties, including Congress and Trinamool Congress, allege the SIR could be used for wilful exclusion, likening it to a backdoor NRC, and claim it risks disenfranchisement.
- The EC is deploying over 77,000 booth-level officers, plus 20,000 additional staff and 1 lakh volunteers to help genuine voters, especially the elderly, sick, and PwD.
- The EC plans to expand this exercise to other states in phases, with separate schedules.
New U.S. draft law on foreign remittances
Context: A new draft of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in the U.S. proposes a revised tax on foreign remittances, lowering the rate and excluding bank and card transfers. This move directly impacts non-resident Indians (NRIs) sending money home.
Key Highlights:
- The proposed tax rate on foreign remittances has been cut from 3.5% to 1% in the latest draft.
- The 1% tax will apply only to cash remittances, money orders, cashier’s cheques, or similar physical payment instruments.
- Remittances made from U.S. bank accounts or funded by debit/credit cards are exempt from the tax.
- The tax must be paid by the sender of the remittance.
- The House of Representatives has passed the Act; it now awaits Senate debate and final vote.
- Tax experts say the changes are a relief for NRIs, as most remittances today are electronic or card-based.
Thailand PM resignation protests over border dispute
Context: Thousands rallied in Bangkok, Thailand, demanding Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s resignation over a border dispute with Cambodia, deepening political tensions for the ruling Pheu Thai Party amid economic and coalition challenges.
Key Highlights:
- The protests were the biggest since Pheu Thai returned to power in 2023, with crowds braving monsoon rain to demand Paetongtarn’s exit.
- Tensions flared after a May skirmish over disputed border territory; backlash grew when a leaked call revealed the PM criticised a Thai Army commander and appeared too conciliatory towards Cambodia’s ex-leader Hun Sen.
- Publicly criticising the Army is sensitive in Thailand, where the military holds strong influence; the PM later apologised, but protests intensified.
- Protesters, led by the United Force of the Land (a nationalist coalition), accuse the Shinawatra family of being manipulated by Hun Sen.
- The protests blocked Bangkok’s Victory Monument area, with chants demanding “Ung Ing” (Paetongtarn’s nickname) to step down.
- Demonstrators warned remaining coalition partners to quit the government or face more backlash.
- Historically, mass protests against Shinawatra-backed governments have contributed to judicial or military interventions, as seen in the 2006 and 2014 coups.
India’s new port restrictions on jute imports from Bangladesh
Context: India has imposed fresh entry restrictions on jute and allied products imported from Bangladesh through land and seaports, tightening its trade stance to protect the domestic jute industry from subsidised and dumped imports.
Key Highlights:
- The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notified that jute imports from Bangladesh are now barred from all land and seaports except the Nhava Sheva seaport in Mumbai.
- This restriction follows earlier port curbs on apparel exports from Bangladesh, signalling India’s growing pushback on trade imbalance and dumping.
- India’s domestic jute sector — spread across West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, and Meghalaya — employs about 4 lakh workers in mills and allied units.
- Despite existing anti-dumping duties (ADD) on jute, Bangladesh’s subsidies and low export prices continued to depress Indian jute farmers’ incomes and undercut local producers.
- India has raised these concerns with Bangladesh multiple times, but Bangladesh made only “nominal adjustments” and continued incentives for value-added jute exports.
- The new order includes jute yarn, fibre, bags, flax tow, waste yarn, woven jute fabrics, and similar products.
- Exports of jute from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan are not affected, but re-exports from Nepal or Bhutan into India are prohibited to block any circumvention.
- Officials say the measure protects Indian farmers and mill workers from unfair trade practices and prevents third-country routes from undermining domestic producers.
Large genetic map of the Indian study
Context: A landmark study published in Cell has mapped the genomes of 2,762 Indians from 23 States and UTs, revealing India’s deep genetic diversity, hidden disease risks, and ancestry patterns shaped by migration, caste endogamy, and ancient interbreeding.
Key Highlights:
- The study confirms that modern Indians primarily descend from a single out-of-Africa migration ~50,000 years ago, despite earlier human presence in the subcontinent.
- India’s ancestry is mainly a blend of Ancient Ancestral South Indians (hunter-gatherers), Iranian-related Neolithic farmers, and Eurasian Steppe pastoralists (linked to the spread of Indo-European languages).
- Some groups, especially in East, Northeast, and parts of Central India, carry up to 5% East Asian-related ancestry, probably from ~520 CE onwards.
- India’s strict caste-based endogamy creates strong founder effects, raising the risk of recessive genetic disorders due to high homozygosity, 2–9 times more than Europeans or East Asians.
- Example: A BCHE gene variant causing severe anaesthetic reactions was found enriched in Telangana.
- The study found Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA covering up to 1.5% of Indian genomes, with segments often tied to immune system genes (e.g., chromosome 3 region linked to severe COVID-19).
- Over 2.6 crore undocumented genetic variants were identified, including 1.6 lakh protein-altering variants missing from global databases, highlighting how India is underrepresented in genomic data.
- Many rare variants are linked to thalassemia, congenital deafness, cystic fibrosis, and metabolic disorders, underscoring the need for localised precision medicine.
- The team plans to expand sequencing to more isolated communities, link genomic data with protein and metabolic research, and develop tools to trace disease gene origins.
Digital Fossil Mining
Context: A new study published in Science has used digital fossil-mining to unlock the hidden evolutionary history of squids, whose soft bodies rarely fossilise, by digitally extracting fossilised squid beaks from ancient rocks.
Key Highlights:
- Traditional tools can damage fragile rocks; the Japanese team built a special machine to grind rock layer by layer, taking detailed photos to create 3D models of internal fossils.
- The method revealed 263 fossilised lower beaks (chitin mouthparts) inside Cretaceous-era carbonate concretions (110–70 million years old) from Japan; previously, only one fossil squid beak was known!
- The fossils belonged to at least 40 squid species across 23 genera and 5 families, showing unexpectedly high ancient squid diversity.
- Two major modern squid groups, deep-sea squids (Oegopsida) and coastal squids (Myopsida) existed 30 million years earlier than previously thought.
- Findings suggest squids diversified rapidly within 6 million years of their emergence and were already abundant by the Late Cretaceous.
- Squids replaced shelled cephalopods like belemnites and ammonites, becoming key players in marine food chains before the dinosaur mass extinction.
- The study highlights squids as early pioneers of today’s oceans, fast, smart predators that paved the way for modern ecosystems dominated by agile animals like fish, whales, and dolphins.
Principles of Green Chemistry
Context: Green chemistry, guided by the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, is reshaping chemical industries to minimise environmental harm by reducing toxic waste, adopting safer solvents, and improving energy efficiency.
Key Highlights:
- Green chemistry aims for processes and products that are safer, less polluting, and more sustainable, balancing ecological and economic needs.
- Example: Indian Oil Corporation’s biodiesel production from non-edible Jatropha seeds, using transesterification with methanol and yielding glycerol as a useful by-product.
- Using calcium oxide instead of sodium hydroxide as a catalyst makes the process greener — it reduces wastewater because CaO is a solid and 95% reusable.
- In the pharmaceutical sector, harmful solvents like toluene (a neurotoxin) are slowly being replaced by biodegradable, biomass-derived alternatives.
- The concept of atom economy (maximising the use of all input atoms in the final product) is central — biodiesel production achieves ~90% atom economy, with glycerol reuse further enhancing sustainability.
- A notable Indian innovation: Chemists at Birla Institute of Science-Pilani, Hyderabad, developed a green method for producing the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen with 100% atom economy, cutting toxic by-products while lowering costs and enabling large-scale production.