UPSC Current Affairs 23 May 2026

• Balanced Fertilizer Use: Educating farmers to shift away from excessive, unscientific application of chemical fertilizers like Urea and DAP.
• Soil Health Conservation: Encouraging soil test-based nutrient management to sustain the long-term biological quality of agricultural land.
• Reducing Input Costs: Helping small and marginal farmers save money by optimizing fertilizer usage and utilizing indigenous resources.
• Crackdown on Malpractices: Initiating strict, large-scale legal action against counterfeit pesticides, fake fertilizers, and substandard seeds.

• Scientist-Led Guidance: ICAR has mobilized 1,657 specialized teams of scientists to train farmers directly at the village level.
• Awareness Camps: Over 12,979 localized camps and seminars have been organized across states to establish direct communication with stakeholders.
• Field Demonstrations: Experts successfully executed 7,928 live field demonstrations teaching practical techniques like green manuring, bio-fertilizers, and organic nutrient management.
• Training Modules: To build internal farming capacity, 3,145 structured training programs were attended by more than 1.11 lakh participants.

• Local Governance: The Ministry conducted 4,916 Janpratinidhi Sammelans to loop in Panchayat representatives, Sarpanches, and Zila Parishad members to institutionalize the message.
• Supply Chain Alignment: Over 9,609 dialogue sessions were completed with fertilizer and agri-input dealers to make sure they advise farmers on rational purchasing.
• Farmer Collectives: The campaign integrated 8,383 farmer-members by leveraging local Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs).

• Physical Visibility: Informational materials, posters, and banners have been deployed across 53,616 distinct public locations nationwide.
• Broadcast Coverage: The message of sustainable farming was amplified through 1,144 dedicated broadcasts, consisting of 944 radio talks and 200 television or digital programs.

• Historical Timeline: Ethiopia's bid for WTO membership began on February 10, 2003. The process suffered an extensive eight-year impasse before being aggressively revitalized recently.
• Bilateral Negotiations: Ethiopia has been actively negotiating market-access commitments with 22 different countries at the bilateral level, of which 18 are highly active.
• Target Deadline: The government has established a clear objective to resolve all remaining legislative and market gaps in order to finalize its formal entry.

• Forex and Banking Liberalization: Under its Home-Grown Economic Reform Agenda, Ethiopia has historically dismantled state monopolies, paving the way for foreign investment in previously closed financial, banking, and insurance sectors.
• Privatization of Core Sectors: Major state-run segments like telecommunications, energy, and heavy transport are being systemically unbundled to permit private sector participation.
• Legislative Transparency: To comply with global trade standards, the Ethiopian government has remarkably submitted over 400 new laws and pieces of legislation to the WTO Working Party for compliance vetting.

• India’s Strategic Support: India is Ethiopia's second-largest trading partner and a top foreign investor. Their relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, driving India to fast-track this week's protocol under the direction of Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
• Working Group Leadership: The specialized WTO Working Party on Ethiopia's accession is officially chaired and guided by Rebecca Fisher-Lamb of the United Kingdom, with additional procedural support from South Korea.
• Institutional Backing: More than 30 major sovereign nations and global financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are actively assisting the transition.

• Market Integration: Full membership will directly integrate Ethiopia's massive domestic market of 120 million consumers into the rules-based global trading framework.
• SME Empowerment: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) inside Ethiopia will gain secure, predictable access to new international markets and global supply chains.
• System Credibility: WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that welcoming Ethiopia demonstrates that the global trading system still effectively accommodates and supports Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

• Missile Class: It is an indigenously developed, surface-to-surface Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM).
• Strike Range: The system can accurately hit regional targets within a range of 700 km to 1,200 km.
• Propulsion System: It operates on a single-stage, solid-fuel engine, which drastically reduces launch preparation time and ensures operational flexibility.
• Payload Capacity: The missile weighs around 12 tonnes and is engineered to carry a warhead payload of up to 1,000 kg.
• Dual Warhead Capability: It is capable of delivering both conventional explosive and strategic nuclear warheads.
• Precision Guidance: It utilizes a specialized, advanced navigation package to hit coordinates with an exceptionally high degree of accuracy.

• High Mobility: Agni-1 is a road-mobile and rail-mobile missile system. It can be moved swiftly across terrain using specialized Transporter Erector Launchers (TEL).
• Quick Response: The combination of solid propellant and mobile launch platforms allows the military to execute rapid-response strikes under varying tactical situations.
• Tactical Gap Filler: Developed in the aftermath of the 1999 Kargil War, the missile was designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to bridge the operational gap between the shorter-range Prithvi-II (250 km) and the longer-range Agni-II missile systems.

• The Pioneer: Formally introduced into the armed forces in 2004, Agni-1 is the foundational variant developed under India's iconic Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).
• Collaborative Development: The weapon was designed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) alongside other DRDO units and is integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in Hyderabad.
• Command and Control: The missile is currently deployed, maintained, and periodically tested by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which handles India's triad of nuclear delivery systems.

• Alternate Name: The sanctuary is widely known locally as the Seonsar Forest.
• Districts Covered: It spans across the Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana.
• Size and Scale: The sanctuary is spread over an area of approximately 4,452.85 hectares (around 11,000 acres).
• State Ranking: It stands as the third-largest forest reserve in Haryana, positioned right after Kalesar National Park and Morni Hills.
• Legal Notification: The area was officially designated and upgraded from a plantation to a wildlife sanctuary on July 29, 1988.

• Mythological Links: The sanctuary is deeply tied to the mythical Saraswati River, which is historically believed to have active paleochannels flowing directly through this specific region.
• Ancient Civilizations: Archaeological remnants discovered deep within the forest feature rectangular bricks dating back over 1,500 years to the Kushan and Gupta Empires.
• Mughal Heritage: A 400-year-old operational water well-crafted entirely out of small lakhauri bricks from the Mughal era stands preserved inside the complex.

• Forest Type: The geographical area is characterized predominantly by tropical deciduous forest vegetation.
• Dominant Species: The canopy features dense, native clusters of Kikar, Neem, Shisham, and Peepal trees.
• Specialized Vatikas: Alongside the new Nakshatra Vatika, dedicated spaces are being allocated for Navgrah and Rashi gardens to preserve medicinally and culturally significant flora.

• Critical Mammal Habitat: The sanctuary serves as a major refuge for animals like the Blue Bull (Nilgai), Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, and the rare Hog Deer.
• Avian Diversity: It functions as a prominent wetland bird sanctuary, hosting over 250 species of resident and winter migratory waterfowl like the Northern Pintail and Common Teal.
• Wetland Restoration: To sustain wildlife during intense summer heatwaves, the government has constructed over two dozen manmade perennial water reservoirs to recharge groundwater tables.

• Oceanic Sector: It is an island-bounding marginal sea located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
• Sovereign Zone: The sea falls entirely within the territorial boundaries and economic zone of Papua New Guinea.
• Physical Borders: It is bounded by the main coast of Papua New Guinea to the southwest and the Bismarck Archipelago to the north and east—encompassing the Admiralty Islands, New Ireland, and New Britain.
• Marine Gateways: It connects to the open Pacific Ocean on the north and links directly to the Solomon Sea via the Vitiaz Strait, Dampier Strait, and St. George's Channel.

• Surface Area & Depth: The sea covers an expansive area of roughly 40,000 square kilometres, with a deep basin general depth averaging 2,000 metres.
• High Tectonic Strain: The seafloor is a geologically turbulent zone where multiple tectonic plates converge, making it highly prone to intense earthquakes, subduction faults, and hydrothermal venting.
• The Titan Ridge: The active eruption site is provisionally identified as the Titan Ridge Volcano, situated roughly 16 kilometres southeast of a similar underwater eruption event recorded in 1972.
• Environmental Discoloration: The eruption has released massive floating rafts of porous pumice stone and changed the surrounding seawater to a bright green colour across a span exceeding 250 square kilometres.

• Nomenclature: The sea was named in honour of the famous German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, dating back to the period from 1885 to 1914 when the surrounding archipelago was a German protectorate.
• World War II Significance: It was the site of the historic Battle of the Bismarck Sea (March 3–4, 1943), where Allied air forces achieved a decisive victory by destroying a major Japanese troop transport convoy.
• Modern Exploration: Today, the sea is an active hub for marine geologists, deep-sea ecologist teams, and historical divers mapping preserved wartime shipwrecks.

• Sacred Setting: The temple is situated at the base of Mount Misen, the tallest and holiest mountain on Miyajima Island (Itsukushima).
• Administrative Zone: It is located in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
• World Heritage Alignment: The temple complex falls directly within the protected UNESCO World Heritage Area of the famous Itsukushima Shrine.

• The Founder: Daishoin (also known as Suisho-ji) was founded in the year 806 CE by Kūkai (historically known as Kobo Daishi), one of Japan's most revered religious figures and the pioneer of Shingon Buddhism.
• Imperial Connections: For centuries, the temple maintained close ties with the Japanese Imperial Family, historically serving as a principal place of prayer for emperors.
• Past Resilience: This is not the first tragedy for Reikado Hall; the wooden structure previously burned down in a fire in 2005 and was subsequently rebuilt using traditional methods.

• 1,200-Year Continuum: Tradition dictates that the sacred flame (Kiezu no Hi) was personally lit by Kukai in 806 CE during 100 days of intense ascetic training, burning continuously for over 12 centuries.
• Seed for Peace: The flame holds a monumental global legacy; it was directly used as the foundational source fire to ignite the "Flame of Peace" at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which honours the victims of the 1945 atomic bomb.
• The Miraculous Kettle: The flame was used to boil a giant iron tea kettle inside the hall; the water inside is spiritually believed by pilgrims to cure all ailments and diseases.

• Diverse Deities: Uniquely, the temple grounds host shrines dedicated to blended traditions, including Japanese Shinto-Buddhist entities as well as localized representations of Vedic/Hindu deities like Benzaiten (Saraswati), Kangiten (Ganesha), and Bishamonten (Kubera).
• The Henjokutsu Cave: A famous underground cave on the property houses 88 Buddhist icons representing all the stops on the historic Shikoku Pilgrimage, allowing devotees to complete the symbolic journey in a single room.
• Rakan Statues: The path leading up the temple stairs is lined with 500 unique stone statues of Shaka Nyorai's disciples (Arhats), each adorned with individual hand-knitted woollen hats and distinct facial expressions.

• Launch & Nodal Ministry: Launched on June 29, 2020, it is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• Financial Outlay: It operates with a comprehensive budgetary outlay of ₹10,000 crore.
• Funding Pattern: The financial expenditure is shared between the Centre and States in a 60:40 ratio, a 90:10 ratio for North Eastern and Himalayan states, and 100% centrally funded for Union Territories without a legislature.
• Target Scale: The primary target is to directly assist 2,00,000 unorganized micro food processing units.

• Individual Credit Subsidy: Individual micro-units receive a 35% credit-linked capital subsidy, capped at a maximum of ₹10 lakh per unit.
• Common Infrastructure Subsidy: Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Cooperatives, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) setting up shared infrastructure qualify for a 35% credit-linked subsidy up to ₹3 crore.
• Seed Capital for SHGs: Micro-food processing SHG members receive ₹40,000 per member as seed capital for immediate working capital and tool purchases.
• Branding and Marketing Grant: FPOs, SHGs, and cooperatives can avail a 50% financial grant to standardize packaging, obtain trademarks, and transition onto e-commerce platforms.

• Core Philosophy: The scheme heavily leverages the ODOP framework to create localized economies of scale for raw material procurement and shared market linkages.
• Expansive Map: MoFPI has already identified and mapped 137 unique, indigenous food products spanning across 726 districts in 35 States and UTs.

• Loan Approvals: Over 4.04 lakh applications have been pushed to banks, resulting in 1,72,707 total loans sanctioned.
• Capital Mobilization: The scheme has successfully mobilized a total ecosystem investment worth ₹17,015.8 crore into rural food processing corridors.
• Incubation Infrastructure: The government has approved 76 specialized Common Incubation Centres to act as regional training, quality testing, and product development hubs.
• Capacity Building: More than 1.16 lakh grassroots beneficiaries have completed structural Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) skilling modules.

• Revenue Multiple: A third-party mid-term impact evaluation report indicates that PMFME beneficiaries registered a massive 1.7 times average increase in business turnover.
• Formal Compliance: The scheme facilitates rapid transition into the organized market by assisting units in obtaining FSSAI registrations, Udyam Aadhaar, and GST listings via District Resource Persons (DRPs).
• Loss Reduction: Enhanced preservation capabilities at the micro-level are helping reduce post-harvest agriculture losses and stabilizing rural farm incomes.

• Acronym: JEEVAN stands for Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network.
• Target Users: It is a dedicated, customer-facing mobile application designed specifically for senior citizens across India.
• Core Vision: It aims to systematically enhance the safety, welfare, healthcare access, and social inclusion of older individuals through tech-enabled systems.

• Welfare Resource Hub: Provides seniors with seamless access to complete information regarding central/state government schemes and social welfare programs.
• Emergency Response: Integrates dedicated emergency assistance and panic/support services for vulnerable seniors in critical situations.
• Senior Living Directory: Displays verified details, location maps, and contact metrics of senior citizen homes supported directly by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Elderly-Friendly Design: Built using an optimized user interface featuring simplified navigation, prominent fonts, and accessibility parameters customized for older demographics.

• Acronym: SHATAYU stands for Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training For Your Utility.
• Target Users: It is a centralized business-to-consumer (B2C) dashboard designed for trained geriatric caregivers, family members, nurses, and care home staff.
• Core Vision: It acts as an infrastructure tool to bridge data gaps, formalize caregiving work, and map out workforce mobility across states.

• Localized Caregiver Mapping: Allows senior citizens or families to check the real-time availability of certified geriatric caregivers within their exact district or state.
• Workforce Standardization: Links up with specialized skill registries to monitor training modules, care standards, and certifications achieved by the care workforce.
• Service Coordination: Provides unified access to caregiving guidelines, healthcare databases, and eldercare network endpoints to maximize service delivery.

• Nodal Leadership: The implementation of both portals is directly led by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment alongside industry experts.
• Inclusive Scope: This digital push marks India's larger strategy to monetize and value the care sector—encompassing eldercare, disability assistance, childcare, and health-related home care—transforming it into a formalized economic asset.
• State Participation: States like Kerala and Karnataka participated heavily during the workshop to share state-level best practices for scaling long-term care financing and welfare systems.

• Scientific Classification: The premium thread is derived from the Antheraea assamensis silkworm, a semi-domesticated, wild multivoltine species.
• Geographical Monopoly: The silkworm thrives almost exclusively in the highly humid, tropical environment of the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, which accounts for over 90% of global production.
• Extreme Pollution Sensitivity: The species is biologically fragile; the caterpillars cannot tolerate even minor levels of chemical pollution, making their survival entirely dependent on a pristine natural ecosystem.
• Natural Host Plants: The silkworms are outdoor-reared on the leaves of specific aromatic primary trees, predominantly Som (Machilus bombycina) and Soalu (Litsea polyantha).

• The Natural Golden Hue: It is globally distinguished by its inherent yellowish-golden tint and shimmering, glossy texture, requiring absolutely no artificial chemical dyes or bleaching.
• Unmatched Longevity: Known as the strongest organic natural fiber in the world, a Muga garment frequently outlives its wearer—often lasting upwards of 100 years—making it a coveted family heirloom.
• Luster Upgrades Over Time: Unlike conventional fabrics that fade, the brilliance, sheen, and texture of Muga silk actually intensify with every hand wash.
• UV Ray Absorption: Scientific testing indicates that the dense natural structure of the fiber effectively protects skin by absorbing up to 85% of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

• Ancient Textual Reference: The production and trade of this gold fiber can be traced back to the 3rd Century BCE, heavily cited in Kautilya's classic text, the Arthashastra.
• Royal Patronage: During the reign of the Ahom Dynasty (1228–1228 CE), Muga production reached its peak; the fabric was legally reserved exclusively for the attire of royalty and high nobility.
• Traditional Attire: The high-value thread is the foundational element used to weave traditional Assamese garments like the Mekhela Chador, sarees, and festive kurtas.
• Legal GI Protection: Recognizing its strict geographical origin, Muga Silk was granted India's Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2007.

• Labor-Intensive Process: It is an exceptionally low-yield craft; it requires approximately 5,000 unhatched cocoons to extract just 1 kilogram of raw yarn, with a single sari requiring up to 2,000 cocoons.
• Exorbitant Pricing Structure: Due to its immense labour costs, biological rarity, and meticulous hand-reeling processes, a premium Muga silk sari can cost upwards of ₹1,50,000 ($2,000).
• Climate Change Vulnerability: Rising seasonal temperatures and erratic monsoon cycles in the Northeast are currently challenging the open-air rearing of host trees, prompting the ongoing 2026 state-backed conservation initiatives.

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