UPSC Current Affairs 10 May 2026

• Host and Venue: The summit will be hosted by H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali.
• Dates: It is scheduled to take place from May 18 to 21, 2026.
• Theme: "Powering Africa's Future: Turning Nuclear Energy Ambition into Investable Reality".
• Primary Objective: To transition Africa's nuclear energy goals from policy planning to bankable infrastructure projects by aligning governments, investors, and technology providers.

• Advanced Reactor Technologies: Deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Micro Modular Reactors (MMRs) tailored for African industrial and power needs.
• Financing and Regulation: Establishing fit-for-purpose financing models and harmonised regulatory frameworks to attract international investment.
• Strategic Integration: Discussing AI integration, manufacturing ecosystems, and the development of local scientific talent.

• Global Collaboration: Organized in partnership with major institutions including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the World Nuclear Association, and the Nuclear Energy Agency.
• India's Participation: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has agreed to participate virtually and address a designated session focused on nuclear energy deployment and technology-led development.
• Background Context: Over 600 million people in Africa currently lack electricity, making nuclear energy a critical component for the continent's long-term energy security and industrialisation.

• Event: First ODOP honey export of 20 metric tons from Baksa district, Assam (an Aspirational District), to the USA.
• Exporter: M/s Salt Range Foods Pvt. Ltd., an APEDA-registered firm from Assam's North Eastern Region.
• Facilitator: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Honey Characteristics: Sourced from eco-friendly, pesticide-free areas; known for high quality, near-organic nature, natural purity, rich floral diversity, and nutritional/medicinal value.
• Assam Context: Rich biodiversity supports beekeeping by tribes like Karbi, Mishing, and Bodo; major districts include Baksa, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Udalguri, Tamulpur; FY 2023-24 production: ~1,650 MT.

• ODOP promotes one unique product per district to boost value addition, employment, local economies, and exports.
• Baksa selected honey for its livelihood and export potential under this Government of India program.
• It integrates regional products into global value chains, diversifying India's export basket.

• Local beekeepers and farmers gain ~43% higher prices than local farm-gate rates, improving incomes and rural livelihoods.
• APEDA aided with infrastructure, testing labs for international food safety compliance. This links Aspirational District farmers to global markets, highlighting North East India's niche agri-exports.

• DRDL (Defence Research & Development Laboratory) is a Hyderabad‑based DRDO lab specialising in missiles and propulsion, including air‑breathing engines.
• SCPT is part of DRDL’s ground‑test infrastructure for hypersonic propulsion, alongside other facilities for subscale and flight‑oriented tests.

• SCPT = Scramjet Connect Pipe Test facility, located at DRDL, Hyderabad, under DRDO.
• It is a ground‑test facility designed to simulate extreme hypersonic flight conditions (high Mach numbers, high temperatures, and pressures) for scramjet engines without flying them.
• The facility connects the combustor to high‑speed airflow circuits and propellant‑feeding systems so engineers can study combustion, cooling, and structural integrity under flight‑like conditions.

• Actively cooled full‑scale scramjet combustor of an advanced hypersonic air‑breathing engine meant for hypersonic cruise missiles.
• In this design, fuel (often kerosene or hydrogen‑type fuel) is circulated through wall channels as coolant before injection, keeping metal temperatures within safe limits despite several thousand‑degree combustion gas temperatures.
• The tests validate combustor efficiency, flame stability, heat‑management, and structural durability under extended high‑Mach operation.

• Run‑time milestones:
  • January 9, 2026: run of over 700 seconds (~12 minutes) at SCPT.
  • May 9, 2026: over 1,200 seconds of continuous operation, demonstrating much longer sustainable hypersonic burn.
• The facility has already validated advanced scramjet combustor designs and the capability of the SCPT infrastructure itself, proving that it can handle long‑duration, high‑energy tests.

• Places India among a small group of countries developing long‑duration, actively cooled scramjet combustors, which are key for hypersonic cruise missiles (Mach 5+).
• Shows that India is moving from technology experiments to near‑weapon‑class hypersonic propulsion systems, paving the way for future hypersonic cruise missile flight tests.
• The same technology base can also support advanced long‑range cruise missiles and potential hypersonic boost‑glide or air‑breathing platforms in the future.

• Organisers: The conference is jointly organised by the Department of Ophthalmology, Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi, and the All-India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS).

• Combat Eye Trauma: Management of vision injuries sustained in the field.
• AI in Diagnostics: Use of artificial intelligence for retinal imaging and eye disease detection.
• Cutting-edge Research: Latest developments in corneal sciences and robotic ophthalmic surgery.
• Civil-Military Synergy: Promoting cooperation between military and civilian specialists to enhance national eye care standards.

• Advanced Centre: Recognition of the recently inaugurated Advanced Centre of Ophthalmic and Visual Sciences at Army Hospital (R&R) as a world-class facility.
• Outreach Impact: The Minister highlighted that the Armed Forces conducted advanced surgical eye camps in eight remote border areas over the last 16 months, restoring vision for thousands.
• Global Participation: Nearly 200 renowned national specialists and international experts—including Prof. Harminder Singh Dua (discoverer of "Dua’s Layer") and Dr. Colin Siang Hui Tan—attended to share expertise.

• Strategic Importance: The presence of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and all three Service Chiefs (Army, Navy, and Air Force) underscores the high priority given to visual health for operational readiness.
• Recognition: Military doctors like Col Vijay Sharma and Col Vikas Ambiya were recently recognised at the broader AIOS Annual Conference for their award-winning research papers.

• Class & Series: It is the fifth vessel in a series of eight Adamya-class new-generation Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs).
• Indigenous Development: Designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship features over 60% indigenous content, including locally developed controllable pitch propellers and high-precision gearboxes.

• Length: 51–52 metres.
• Displacement: Approximately 320 tonnes.
• Propulsion: Powered by two 3,000 kW advanced diesel engines.
• Speed: Capable of reaching a top speed of 27 knots.
• Endurance: Operational range of 1,500 nautical miles.

• Armament: The vessel is equipped with a 30mm CRN-91 main gun and two 12.7mm stabilised remote-controlled guns for maritime law enforcement.
• Operational Role: Its primary duties include coastal and offshore surveillance, anti-smuggling operations, search and rescue (SAR), and marine pollution response.
• Deployment: ICGS Achal will be based at Vadinar, Gujarat, operating under the Commander, Coast Guard Region (North West) to safeguard strategically sensitive energy corridors and maritime borders.
• Crew: It carries a complement of 5 officers and 34 personnel.

• Technology Overview: MIRV (Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle) allows one missile to carry multiple warheads. Unlike traditional missiles that hit one spot, these warheads split in space and are independently guided to strike separate targets hundreds of kilometres apart.
• Mission Divyastra: This is the project name for India's MIRV-capable Agni-5 variant. The first successful test of this specific technology occurred in March 2024; the May 2026 trial was an advanced follow-through to validate operational performance.

• Range: Over 5,000 kilometres, placing nearly the entire Asian continent within reach.
• Engine: Three-stage solid propellant engine.
• Payload: Capable of carrying multiple nuclear or conventional warheads, along with decoys to bypass enemy air defence systems.

• Location: Launched from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.
• Target Area: Multiple payloads successfully struck spatially distributed targets across the Indian Ocean Region.
• Tracking: The entire trajectory, from lift-off to final impact, was monitored by ground-based and ship-based telemetry stations.

• Elite Club: With this proven capability, India joins an exclusive group of nations (USA, Russia, China, France, and UK) with operational MIRV systems.
• Second-Strike Capability: It significantly strengthens India’s nuclear triad and "no first use" policy by ensuring that even a single surviving missile can inflict massive retaliatory damage on multiple enemy strategic sites.
• Defence Overload: MIRV technology "inverts the math" of missile defence; a defender must launch multiple interceptors for every single incoming warhead, making it much harder to stop.

• Best District Panchayat: Sepahijala (Tripura), Ganjam (Odisha), and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu).
• Best Block Panchayat: Harippad (Kerala) and Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh).
• Best Gram Panchayat: New Napam (Assam), Telcup (Bihar), and Biraharu (Uttar Pradesh).
• Top Performing States: Karnataka led with six awards, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with five each.

• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP): Recognises performance across 9 themes, including Poverty-Free, Healthy, Child-Friendly, and Women-Friendly Panchayats.
• Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP): Awarded for overall excellence at District, Block, and Gram levels.
• Special Categories: Includes Climate Action (CASPA), Atma Nirbhar (ANPSA), and Institutional Capacity Building (PKNSSP).

• Financial Incentives: Winners receive grants ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹5 crore, depending on the tier and category, to further rural development.
• Measurement Tool: Performance was evaluated using the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0, a data-driven framework launched to ensure objective assessment.
• Digital Milestone: Rohini Gram Panchayat (Maharashtra) was highlighted for winning a Gold Award in e-Governance for being a fully paperless e-Office.

• To incentivise best-performing Panchayats across India, promoting competitive spirit and tracking progress toward Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) by 2030.

1. Efficiency: Measures timeliness and speed of disposal.
2. Feedback: Includes citizen satisfaction scores collected through call centres.
3. Domain: Focuses on the accuracy and quality of the resolution provided.
4. Organisational Commitment: Evaluates the internal priority and resources dedicated to grievance handling.

• Developed By: The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
• Data Source: It uses data from the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), an online 24/7 portal for citizens.
• Grouping System: Ministries are grouped by the volume of grievances they receive to ensure fair comparison (Group A for \ (\ge \) 500 grievances).
• Goal: To foster a competitive spirit among departments and identify "root causes" for delays using color-coded analytical reports.

• Full Name: D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary (also called Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary)
• Location: East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
• Distance: ~16 km southeast of Pasighat town
• Area: 190 km² (73 sq mi)
• Established: 1978
• Named After: Dr. Daying Ering, prominent Arunachal Pradesh politician and head of the Ering Commission who advocated for tribal rights

• Situated Between: Siang and Sibya rivers, east of Pasighat
• Habitat Composition:
  • 80% alluvial wet grassland
  • 20% riverine forest mixed with bamboo and secondary forests
• Three Ranges: Borguli, Anchalghat, and Namsing
• Distinctive Feature: One of India's finest grassland sanctuaries

Category	Species
Mammals	Royal Bengal tiger, leopard, Indian hare (particularly common)
Birds	Bengal Florican (Critically Endangered) – sanctuary has perhaps India's largest population
Other	Diverse bird species in riverine grasslands

• Key factor for restoring ecological balance in the region
• Provides safety to animals from Poba Reserve Forest in bordering Assam
• Vital ecological hub for biodiversity conservation
• Recent efforts: Stakeholder meeting for rhinoceros reintroduction (2023)

• Encroachment: Assam officials allowed cattle sheds and cultivation within sanctuary (2025)
• Ecological Threat: Encroachment causing distress to sanctuary staff, local villagers, and threatening the ecological system

• Phalera bucephala, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

• Native to Europe, Asia (up to eastern Siberia), and parts of Africa.
• Common in the British Isles (more so in the south), urban gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, and scrub.

• Prefers areas with deciduous trees like gardens, open countryside, and woodlands.

• Adult moth has violet-gray forewings with creamy (buff) tips; rests like a snapped birch twig for camouflage, with buff head mimicking fresh wood.
• Wingspan around 40-45 mm; silver-gray body.
• Caterpillar: Bright yellow with black spots, forming a "convoy" when moving; up to 70 mm long.
• The moth's twig-like appearance provides effective natural camouflage.

• Eggs laid in clusters (up to 200) on leaf undersides; hatch in 14-21 days.
• Larvae (caterpillars) feed gregariously in 4 instars, fully grown in ~30 days; cause defoliation but rarely permanent tree damage.
• Pupae overwinter in tough silken cocoons on tree trunks or ground.
• Adults emerge June-July; lifespan not well-recorded.

• Feeds on birch, hazel, oak, sallow, hawthorn, blackthorn, elm, beech, alder, hornbeam, lime, rowan, and sycamore.
• Historically a pest on apple trees in Lithuania.

• Caterpillars defoliate small trees severely but trees usually recover.
• Outbreaks linked to high environmental nitrogen; now a concern in Ladakh's agriculture.
• Not typically a major pest elsewhere, but invasive spread raises alarms.

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