UPSC Current Affairs 23 April 2026

• The revamp includes a total outlay of ₹203 crore for the period 2026–2031 to accelerate the development of 6G and 5G Advanced technologies. 

• Primary Objective: To enhance India's representation and influence in international standard-setting bodies like the ITU, 3GPP, and oneM2M.
• Global Ambition: Shifting India's role from a consumer of global technology to a primary standard-setter for future communication systems. 

• Startups and MSMEs.
• Academia and Research Institutions.
• Telecom Service Providers and large-scale industry players. 

• Financial Assistance: Funding is provided for attending global meetings, submitting technical contributions, and taking leadership roles in international study groups.
• Pilot Projects: The scheme supports proof-of-concept (PoC) initiatives to bridge the gap between research and real-world deployment as noted by The Economic Times.
• Standardisation Events: Financial backing for hosting international telecom events within India to boost regional tech influence. 

• TSDSI (Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India).
• TCoE (Telecom Centres of Excellence, India).
• TCIL (Telecommunications Consultants India Limited). 

• Bharat 6G Mission: Targeting global leadership in 6G tech by 2030.
• Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF): Fostering R&D in rural-specific communication.
• Technology Development Program (TDP): General tech development supported by DST guidelines. 

• Youth Empowerment: Targets providing 1 crore (10 million) internship opportunities over five years.
• Industry Exposure: Focuses on the top 500 companies (based on CSR spend) across 20+ sectors like IT, Banking, FMCG, and Manufacturing.
• Certification: Interns receive a Verified Completion Certificate issued jointly by the MCA and the participating company. 

• Monthly Stipend: Interns receive ₹9,000 per month (based on latest 2026 updates), disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• One-time Grant: A grant of ₹6,000 is provided for incidentals upon joining.
• Insurance: Free life and accident insurance coverage is provided under PMJJBY and PMSBY for the duration of the internship. 

• Age: Must be between 21 and 24 years (recent 2026 guidelines mention 18-25 for certain sectors).
• Education: Passed Class 10/12, ITI certificate, Polytechnic diploma, or a non-professional Graduation (BA, B. Sc, B. Com, BBA, etc.).
• Employment Status: Not currently in full-time employment or full-time regular education.
• Income Limit: Annual family income must not exceed ₹8 lakh (some recent reports cite ₹12 lakh as a revised threshold). 

• Graduates from IITs, IIMs, IISER, NID, or National Law Universities.
• Those with professional degrees like MBBS, MBA, CA, CMA, CS, or PhD.
• Candidates already undergoing any government skill or apprenticeship program (like Clear Tax notes for NAPS/NATS).
• Children of regular/permanent government employees. 

• Duration: Typically, 12 months (some 6–9-month variations exist in recent 2026 rounds).
• Work Experience: At least 50% of the duration must be spent in actual work environments, not classroom training.
• Location: Candidates can apply for up to 3 or 5 preferences based on location, sector, and functional role. 

• Community Agency: The theme highlights that environmental progress is resilient and happens through the daily actions of families, educators, and workers.
• Clean Energy Transition: A core focus is accelerating the shift to renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal) to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• Accountability: The theme serves as a call to hold corporations and leaders accountable for environmental damage. 

• The Great Global Cleanup: A flagship Earthday.org initiative that saw millions removing billions of pieces of trash from beaches and forests.
• Climate Literacy: A push to make environmental education a mandatory part of school curricula worldwide.
• Canopy Project: A massive reforestation drive targeting areas at high risk of climate-induced disasters.
• Global Earth Challenge: A citizen science project using a mobile app to collect data on air quality and local insect populations. 

• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES): Celebrated at Prithvi Bhavan, New Delhi, where scientists and officials took a formal Earth Day Pledge for environmental stewardship.
• National Science Centre: Hosted specialized lectures on Antarctic Exploration and environmental quizzes for students.
• LiFE Movement: India reaffirmed its Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) mission, encouraging citizens to adopt simple, eco-friendly habits in their daily routines.
• Net-Zero Goal: Reiteration of India's pledge to reach Net-Zero emissions by 2070. 

• Founding: Started on April 22, 1970, by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and activist Denis Hayes.
• Catalyst: The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill was a major spark for the movement.
• UN Status: The United Nations General Assembly officially designated this day as International Mother Earth Day in 2009.

• Name: "Druzhba" translates to "Friendship" in Russian.
• Total Length: Approximately 5,500 km including all subsidiary branches.
• Capacity: Ranges between 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day, with a maximum potential of 2 million bpd.
• Starting Point: Originates in Almetyevsk, Russia, where oil from Siberia and the Urals converges. 

• Northern Branch: Runs through Belarus and Poland to supply refineries in Germany (notably the PCK Schwedt refinery).
• Southern Branch: Runs through Ukraine to supply landlocked refineries in Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. 

• Energy Lifeline: It remains the primary source of crude oil for Hungary and Slovakia, which are exempted from certain EU oil sanctions due to their lack of coastal access for tankers.
• Geopolitical Lever: The pipeline has been at the centre of the 2026 oil dispute, with Ukraine using it as leverage for EU support and Russia using transit halts to pressure European energy stability.
• Revenue Source: Transneft (Russia) earns export revenue, while News on AIR notes that Ukraine typically collects significant transit fees for allowing the flow through its territory. 

• Physical Attacks: Frequent drone and missile strike during the ongoing conflict have caused multiple "force majeure" events.
• Retaliatory Measures: During the early 2026 halt, Slovakia suspended diesel and electricity exports to Ukraine, characterizing the situation as a breach of reciprocity.
• Sanctions Standoff: Hungary and Slovakia recently blocked the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia as a protest against the pipeline's closure. 

• Developer: It was developed by CAIR (Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics), a premier DRDO lab in Bengaluru.
• AI Integration: The system uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms to process massive volumes of raw satellite data, which would take humans days to analyse manually.
• Automated Threat Detection: It can automatically identify anomalies, such as border intrusions, terrorist movements, or illegal construction in sensitive zones. 

• Real-Time Decision Support: Provides actionable intelligence to ground commanders during critical operations to reduce response time.
• Internal Security: Monitoring Naxal-hit areas and regions prone to unrest with high-resolution imagery.
• Counter-Terrorism: Identifying potential terrorist hideouts or suspicious patterns in remote, inaccessible terrains like high-altitude meadows in J&K. 

• Predictive Intelligence: Shifts the focus from reactive (responding after an event) to proactive (anticipating threats based on data patterns).
• Massive Data Handling: Capable of filtering data to ensure critical intelligence isn't lost in the "noise" of standard satellite feeds.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat: As a fully indigenous platform, it reduces India's dependence on foreign satellite analytics and proprietary software. 

• Border Management: 24/7 surveillance of the LOC and LAC to detect stealthy movements or infrastructure changes.
• Disaster Management: Real-time damage assessment during floods or earthquakes to plan rescue routes.
• Strategic Asset Protection: Monitoring of critical infrastructure like dams, power plants, and defence installations. 

• District: Located near the village of Shekha, about 17 km from Aligarh city.
• Origin: It is a perennial freshwater lake that was formed alongside the Upper Ganges Canal.
• Area: Covers approximately 7 to 10 hectares of water body and surrounding marshland. 

• Migratory Hub: Every winter, thousands of bird’s travels from Siberia, Tibet, and Europe to this sanctuary.
• Key Species:
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Red-crested Pochard
  • Bar-headed Goose
  • Common Teal
  • Greylag Goose
• Resident Birds: It is also home to local species like the Sarus Crane (State bird of UP), Painted Stork, and various types of Kingfishers. 

• Protective Status: It is currently managed by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
• Community Involvement: The local "Shekha Jheel Bachao" committees play a vital role in preventing poaching and maintaining the cleanliness of the lake.
• Water Source: The lake depends primarily on the rainfall and the excess water diverted from the adjacent canal. 

• Watchtowers: Strategically placed towers allow for long-range bird watching without entering the core nesting areas.
• Interpretation Centre: A digital centre provides information on the migratory routes and the life cycles of the visiting birds.
• No-Plastic Zone: The entire perimeter has been declared a strict no-plastic zone to protect the avian health. 

• Establishment: Founded in 1947, originally as Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East” (ECAFE) in Shanghai; its headquarters moved to Bangkok, Thailand in 1949.
• Mandate: It is the largest of the five UN regional commissions, serving as the main economic and social development hub for the Asia-Pacific region.
• Membership: Comprises 53 member states and 9 associate members, representing 4.1 billion people (two-thirds of the world's population). 

• Regional Cooperation: Facilitates multilateral agreements on trade, transport, and energy (the Asian Highway Network and Trans-Asian Railway).
• SDG Acceleration: Provides the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development platform to track progress on the 2030 Agenda.
• Disaster Resilience: Operates specialized centers to manage risks from floods, droughts, and tsunamis, fostering data-sharing across borders.
• Knowledge Hub: Produces flagship reports like the Economic and Social Survey and SDG Progress Report to guide national policy-making. 

• Executive Secretary: Currently led by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.
• Subregional Offices: Maintains presence in Almaty (North and Central Asia), Incheon (East and North-East Asia), Suva (Pacific), New Delhi (South and South-West Asia), and Bangkok (South-East Asia).
• Regional Institutions: Manages specialized bodies for technology transfer (APCTT), statistics (SIAP), and agricultural engineering (CSAM). 

• April 22: The main Pooram day with the Elanjithara Melam and Kudamattom.
• April 23: The early morning Vedikkettu (fireworks) and the final "Farewell" (Upacharam Chollal). 

• Founder: Started by Sakthan Thampuran (Raja Rama Varma), the Maharaja of Cochin, in the late 18th century (1798).
• Break from Tradition: He unified 10 local temples to celebrate a mass festival after they were denied entry to the Arattupuzha Pooram due to heavy rains. 

• Madathil Varavu: A grand procession featuring the Panchavadhyam (traditional orchestra of five instruments).
• Elanjithara Melam: A world-famous percussion performance involving over 250 artists playing the Chenda, held under the Elanji tree.
• Kudamattom: A competitive "change of umbrellas" ceremony where the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady teams display colourful, tiered umbrellas atop elephants.
• Vedikkettu: A massive, synchronized firework display held in the early hours of the final day. 

• Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple
• Thiruvambady Sri Krishna Temple 

• Secular Nature: Despite being a Hindu temple festival, it is celebrated by people of all religions, showcasing the communal harmony of Kerala.
• Economic Impact: It is a major tourism driver, attracting photographers and travellers from across the globe.
• Standard of Excellence: It sets the benchmark for temple percussion (Melam) and elephant pageantry in India. 

• Thermal Stability: Glass manages heat better than organic materials, preventing warping in powerful AI processors.
• 3D Stacking: It uses 3D Heterogeneous Integration (3DHI), allowing diverse chiplets (logic, memory, sensors) to be stacked vertically for massive performance gains.
• Signal Integrity: Glass has lower electrical loss, enabling faster 5G/6G and AI data processing. 

• Total Outlay: Approximately ₹1,943 crore ($230+ million).
• Funding: Supported by ₹799 crore from the Central Government and ~₹400 crore from the Odisha State Government.
• Employment: Expected to create 2,500 direct and indirect jobs for engineering and ITI graduates.
• Partnership: Developed by 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS), a US-based leader, through its Indian arm HIPSPL. 

• Annual Output: 70,000 glass panels and 50 million assembled units.
• Target Sectors: AI, Data Centres, 5G/6G, Defence, and Aerospace.
• Commercial Start: Production is scheduled to begin in August 2028, reaching full scale by 2030. 

• Atmanirbhar Bharat: Reduces heavy reliance on imported advanced packaging from East Asia.
• Global Hub: Makes Odisha the first Indian state to host both a Compound Semiconductor Fab and a 3D Glass Packaging Unit.
• Tech Ecosystem: Aligned with the Kaynes Semicon efforts in Gujarat, this project completes a critical link in the domestic supply chain. 

• Origin: Launched in 2008 in New Delhi to create a structured partnership beyond traditional diplomatic ties.
• Past Summits:
  • IAFS-I (2008): Focus on capacity building and trade.
  • IAFS-II (2011): Held in Addis Ababa; focus on infrastructure.
  • IAFS-III (2015): The largest ever, with all 54 nations attending in New Delhi. 

• Total Trade: India is Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, with trade volume exceeding $100 billion annually.
• Duty-Free Access: India provides the Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme to 33 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa.
• Investment: India is one of the top investors in Africa, with over $75 billion cumulatively invested in sectors like energy, mining, and healthcare. 

• ITEC Program: Over 40,000 scholarships are provided annually through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation program.
• IIT Global Campuses: The establishment of IIT Madras in Zanzibar (Tanzania) is a landmark in academic collaboration.
• Tele-Education: The e-Vidya Bharati and e-Arogya Bharati project provides free tele-education and tele-medicine to 48 African countries. 

• AFINDEX: India conducts the Africa-India Field Training Exercise to train African armies in humanitarian mine action and peacekeeping.
• Maritime Security: Focus on the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, protecting sea lanes in the Indian Ocean.
• Defence Exports: Africa is a major market for Indian-made LCH (Light Combat Helicopters), Tejas jets, and artillery. 

• Global South Leadership: India positions itself as the "voice of the Global South," representing African interests at the UN and WTO.
• Security Council Reform: Africa and India share the goal of reforming the UN Security Council to include permanent seats for their respective regions.

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