UPSC Current Affairs 24 April 2026

• Beneficiaries: Power sector consumers with Fuel Supply Agreements (FSA), including those under Flexi-Linkage schemes.
• Modes of Transport: Applies to coal lifted via Rail, Road, and Rail-cum-Road (RCR) modes. 

• Offtake >120% of Quarterly Quantity (QQ): PI is waived for quantities exceeding 90% of QQ.
• Offtake <120% of QQ: No relaxation; existing FSA provisions apply (PI charged on raw coal).
• Exclusion: Washed Power Coal (WPC) is not considered for PI calculation in lower slabs. 

• 120% to 140% of QQ: A 5% cash discount on coal lifted beyond 100% of QQ.
• Above 140% of QQ: A 10% cash discount on coal lifted beyond 100% of QQ.
• Eligible Coal Types: Discounts apply to raw coking coal and Washed Power Coal (WPC), subject to quality checks.
• Method of Payment: Discounts are issued via credit notes to be adjusted against future supplies. 

• Logistics Push: BCCL is specifically encouraging consumers to plan higher lifting via Rail mode to clear stocks efficiently.
• Cost Reduction: By removing "extra charges" (PI) and adding discounts, BCCL is lowering the marginal cost of coal for utilities, as detailed by The Policy Edge.
• Operational Relief: The initiative helps manage mine-head stocks while supporting national energy security, according to the Government of India. 

• National Integration: Aligned with the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" vision, it seeks to bridge geographical and cultural gaps.
• Knowledge Exchange: Aims to educate youth about the North Eastern Region's (NER) biodiversity, ethnic diversity, and developmental journey.
• Shared Responsibility: Fosters a sense of belonging and collective responsibility toward the nation’s growth. 

• Participants: Targets 1,280 students aged 15–29 from 28 non-NER States and Union Territories over a two-year period.
• Duration: Each batch undergoes a 14-day immersive experience, which includes a 9-day specialized certificate course hosted by prominent NER universities.
• Hosting Institutions: Includes premier institutions like IIT Guwahati, IIM Shillong, NIT Agartala, and Sikkim University.
• Pairing Model: Each of the 8 North Eastern states is specifically paired with 3–4 non-NER States/UTs to ensure equitable cross-regional exposure. 

• Exposure Visits: Tours of heritage sites, ecological hotspots, spiritual landmarks, and industrial hubs.
• Community Interaction: Direct engagement with over 200 ethnic communities to understand local lifestyles and traditions.
• Academic Sessions: Workshops on the region's unique administrative structures (like Sixth Schedule areas) and sustainable development practices.
• Cultural Showcases: Students participate in and witness local folk dances, music, and art.

• MDoNER: The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region provides the primary funding and policy direction.
• NEC: The North Eastern Council serves as the implementing agency, coordinating with state governments and universities. 

• Chemistry: It consists of specially processed hydrocarbons chemically similar to conventional ATF, making it fully compatible with existing engines without modifications.
• Lifecycle Benefits: Unlike fossil fuels that release "new" carbon into the atmosphere, SAF recycles carbon already present in biomass or waste.
• Blending Limits: Currently, most global standards allow for a 50% blend of SAF with conventional jet fuel. 

• 2027: 1% indicative blending target.
• 2028: 2% blending target.
• 2030: 5% blending target.
• Domestic Flights: No mandatory targets have been set for domestic flights as of April 2026, creating a "bifurcated strategy" for the sector. 

• High Cost: SAF currently costs 2 to 3 times more than conventional jet fuel.
• Supply Gaps: Global SAF production accounts for only 0.6% of total jet fuel consumption as of early 2026.
• Logistics: Challenges in the seasonal collection and transportation of scattered feedstock (like agricultural waste) across the country. 

• CSIR-IIP: The Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) is the first and only Indian organisation to indigenously develop SAF.
• Airline Partnerships: SpiceJet and Boeing are working with CSIR-IIP to explore large-scale commercial use of indigenous SAF. 

• Humanitarian Outreach: Under the Aarogya Maitri initiative, INS Nireekshak is handing over two BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) cubes—portable medical units capable of treating up to 200 emergency cases—to Sri Lankan authorities.
• Security Assistance: The Indian Navy is also handing over 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition to the Sri Lankan Navy during this visit to bolster their security capabilities.
• Strategic Vision: This deployment aligns with India's "Neighbourhood First" policy and the MAHASAGAR vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). 

• Builder: Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
• Original Purpose: Built in 1985 for ONGC's offshore oil exploration.
• Navy Induction: Acquired by the Indian Navy on lease in 1989 and formally commissioned on 15 September 1995. 
• Type: Diving Support and Submarine Rescue Vessel (DSV).
• Pennant Number: A-15.
• Role: Primarily used for deep-sea diving support, submarine rescue, and training saturation divers. 

• Displacement: 2,160 tons (standard) to 3,600 tons (full load).
• Dimensions: 70.5 metres in length and 17.5 metres in beam.
• Speed: Maximum speed of 12 knots.
• Propulsion: Equipped with a Kongsberg Dynamic Positioning System, which allows it to maintain a precise position during sensitive underwater missions. 

• Diving Systems: Features a three-man diving bell and two six-man recompression chambers to prevent decompression sickness.
• Rescue Capability: Can deploy Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles (DSRV) to rescue crew from distressed submarines at depths up to 300 metres.
• Advanced Tools: Carries Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and sonar systems for precision underwater salvage. 

• Location: Located in western Guatemala near the city of Quetzaltenango (Xela).
• Formation: It formed in the wake of the catastrophic 1902 eruption of the Santa María Volcano, which was one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century.
• Nature: It is not a single cone but a lava dome complex growing within the 1.5-km-wide crater scar left by Santa María. 

• Dome Complex: Consists of four distinct domes: Caliente (currently active), La Mitad, El Monje, and El Brujo.
• Elevation: Reaches approximately 2,523 metres (8,277 feet).
• Active Vent: All current activity is concentrated at the Caliente vent, which has been continuously erupting since 1922. 

• Agencies: Monitored primarily by INSIVUMEH (Guatemala's national institute for volcanology) and the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution.
• Alert Status: Currently maintained at Orange Alert (High Instability). 

• Restricted Access: Climbing the actual Santiaguito dome is strictly prohibited and considered a "death wish" by local authorities.
• Safe Viewing: The recommended way to see the activity is from the Santiaguito Mirador (lookout) on the flank of the adjacent Santa María volcano.
• Lahar Risk: Visitors must stay away from riverbeds south of the volcano during rain, as mudflows can be hot and destructive. 

• Parent Ministry: Functions as an attached digital office under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Composition: A six-member panel comprising:
  • Chairperson: Additional Secretary, MeitY.
  • Members: Joint Secretaries from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance (DFS), I&B, Youth Affairs & Sports, and Legal Affairs.
• Quasi-Judicial Powers: The OGAI can investigate violations, issue summons, and impose civil penalties of up to ₹3 crore or recommend jail time.

• Registration & Certification: Issuing digital certificates for permissible games, valid for 10 years.
• Financial Oversight: Coordinating with banks to block transactions to banned real-money platforms.
• User Safety: Mandating features like age-gating, time limits, parental controls, and grievance redressal mechanisms.
• Appellate Role: Serving as a second-tier authority for user complaints that aren't resolved by the gaming platforms themselves.

1. Online Money Games: Involving stakes or winnings; these are unauthorized and cannot be registered.
2. E-Sports: Recognised as legitimate competitive play; registration is mandatory for these titles.
3. Online Social Games: Casual games for entertainment; registration is voluntary under a "light-touch" regime unless they reach high-risk thresholds.

• RAG-based Architecture: Unlike standard AI, "Retrieval-Augmented Generation" allows the tool to pull information from a private, secure database of past cases, legal codes, and intelligence reports rather than just relying on pre-trained general knowledge.
• Data Privacy: It operates on a closed-loop system (Intranet), ensuring that sensitive investigation data never leaks to the public internet.

• Case History Retrieval: Investigators can query the AI for similar "modus operandi" (methods) used by cartels across different states in seconds.
• Link Analysis: It identifies hidden connections between phone numbers, bank accounts, and aliases across thousands of digitized charge sheets.
• Legal Assistance: Provides instant references to relevant sections of the NDPS Act (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985) to help officers draft airtight legal documents.
• Multilingual Capability: Can process and translate local dialects and coded "street slang" used in various Indian regions into standard reports.

• Speed: Reduces the time required for "background checks" on suspects from days to minutes.
• Predictive Policing: Helps identify emerging "hotspots" for synthetic drug distribution based on seizure patterns and chemical precursor movements.
• Evidence Strengthening: Minimizes human error in documentation, leading to higher conviction rates in courts.

• Launch Date: 9 May 2015.
• Target Group: Primarily focused on the poor, underprivileged, and workers in the unorganised sector.
• Administering Body: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the National Pension System (NPS) architecture. 
• Age Limit: Open to all Indian citizens aged between 18 and 40 years.

• Requirement: Must have a valid savings bank account or post office account for auto-debit of contributions.
• Tax Status: Since 1 October 2022, income taxpayers are not eligible to join the scheme. 

• Guaranteed Payout: Provides a fixed monthly pension of ₹1,000, ₹2,000, ₹3,000, ₹4,000, or ₹5,000 starting from the age of 60.
• Spousal Security: Upon the subscriber's death, the same pension amount is guaranteed for life to the spouse.
• Nominee Benefit: If both the subscriber and spouse pass away, the entire accumulated corpus (pension wealth) is returned to the nominee. 

• Contribution Basis: The amount paid depends on the age of joining and the chosen pension slab. For example, an 18-year-old can secure a ₹1,000 pension for just ₹42 per month.
• Tax Advantages: Contributions qualify for tax benefits under Section 80CCD, similar to the National Pension System.
• Government Guarantee: If the actual investment returns are lower than the promised pension, the Central Government funds the viability gap. 

• Jyotirlinga: It is the highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India.
• Panch Kedar: It is the most important of the five Shiva temples in the Garhwal Himalayas.
• Legend: According to the Mahabharata, the Pandavas built the temple to seek atonement from Lord Shiva for the sins committed during the Kurukshetra war. 
• Location: Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, at an altitude of 3,583 metres (11,755 ft).

• Setting: Situated on the shores of the Mandakini River, surrounded by snow-capped peaks like the Kedarnath Peak and Neelkanth.
• Access: Reached via a 16 km trek from Gauri Kund or through helicopter services. 

• Construction: Built using massive, evenly shaped grey stone slabs interlocked without mortar (iron clamps were used).
• Durability: The temple notably survived the catastrophic 2013 floods, which was attributed to its robust stone architecture and the "Bheem Shila" (a massive rock that diverted the floodwaters).
• Interior: The inner sanctum houses a conical rock formation worshipped as the hump of Lord Shiva in his bull form (Nandi). 

• Members: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
• Economic Power: Combined GDP of over $1.9 trillion with a sovereign wealth fund (Norway's) exceeding $1.8 trillion (CLAT Gurukul). 

• Green Transition: Cooperation on green hydrogen, renewable energy, and carbon-neutral technologies.
• Digitalization: Leveraging Nordic expertise in AI, 6G, and quantum computing to support India’s digital infrastructure.
• Blue Economy: Sustainable management of marine resources and investments in India's Sagarmala project.
• Geopolitics: Discussions on the Ukraine-Russia war, West Asia energy crises, and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. 

• 1st Summit (2018): Held in Stockholm, Sweden; focused on innovation, digital transformation, and smart cities.
• 2nd Summit (2022): Held in Copenhagen, Denmark; reviewed progress in post-pandemic recovery and climate action.
• Unique Relationship: India is the only country, besides the United States, with which the Nordic states have a group summit-level relationship. 

• Investment: Access to massive Nordic sovereign wealth funds for infrastructure development.
• UNSC Support: Nordic countries have consistently supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council (Drishti IAS).
• Arctic Access: Norway and others are key partners for India’s scientific research in the Arctic region. 

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