UPSC Current Affairs 27 May 2026

• Chairman: Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar (Retired Supreme Court Judge).
• Members:
  • The Census Commissioner of India.
  • Shri Durga Shankar Mishra (Retired IAS officer).
  • Shri Balaji Srivastava (Retired IPS officer).
  • Dr. Shamika Ravi (Distinguished Economist).
• Member Secretary: The Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I) from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

• Scientific Assessment: Conduct a comprehensive, data-driven study of population shifts occurring across India due to border infiltration and other unnatural elements.
• Community-Level Analysis: Analyse abnormal population spikes and structural shifts at the level of specific religious and social communities, particularly where data deviates from normal trends.
• Identify Underlying Factors: Pinpoint causes behind changes such as cross-border activities, abnormal settlement patterns, economic pull factors, and orchestrated migration.
• Streamline Deportation: Recommend a permanent, fair, and legally binding operational framework for the time-bound identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants.
• Sovereignty & Social Security: Evaluate the impact of demographic shifts on national security, local law and order, changes in the social fabric, and the preservation of tribal communities.
• Strengthen Borders & Identification: Suggest modern institutional mechanisms to enhance border management, population stabilization, and continuous identification monitoring systems.
• Central-State Policy Framework: Propose a unified policy framework to improve coordination between Central and State Governments regarding illegal immigration challenges.

• Initial Deadline: The committee is mandated to submit its comprehensive report and actionable recommendations within one year.
• Extension: If required, the Ministry of Home Affairs has the administrative authority to extend the committee's tenure by a maximum of six months.

• Core Definition: The phenomenon involving the inelastic scattering of photons, where a minor fraction of light changes its colour (frequency/wavelength) after deflecting off molecules.
• The Mechanism: When monochromatic light hits a sample, most light scatters elastically with unchanged energy (Rayleigh Scattering). However, approximately 1 in a million photons exchange energy with molecular vibrations, resulting in a detectable wavelength shift.
• Molecular Fingerprint: Because every chemical structure feature unique molecular vibrational states, the resulting "Raman shift" acts as a unique identifier for that specific substance.
• The Origin Story: Sir C.V. Raman was inspired to investigate the scattering of light in 1921 after noticing the brilliant blue colour of the Mediterranean Sea, eventually disproving Lord Rayleigh's theory that the sea merely reflected the sky.

• The Discovery Date: Formally announced on February 28, 1928, alongside co-researcher K.S. Krishnan.
• Nobel Prize (1930): Earned Sir C.V. Raman the Nobel Prize in Physics, marking the first time an Asian or non-White individual won a Nobel Prize in any scientific domain.
• National Recognition: To foster scientific temper among the youth, the Government of India designated February 28 as National Science Day in 1986.

• Healthcare & Medicine: Used in cancer diagnostics to differentiate healthy tissue from malignant cells without invasive biopsy.
• Pharmaceuticals: Enables real-time verification of drug purity, ensuring correct chemical formulations and identifying counterfeit medicines.
• Environmental Science: Tracks fine microplastics, greenhouse gas concentrations, and oceanic pollutants.
• Forensics & Safety: Assists border security and police forces in detecting concealed narcotics, explosives, and industrial adulterants instantaneously.
• Space Exploration: NASA integrated compact Raman spectrometers onto Mars rovers (like Perseverance) to identify mineral structures and seek organic compounds.

• AI Integration: Coupling Artificial Intelligence algorithms with Raman spectral databases allows automated, instant compound identification, bypassing hours of manual matching.
• Quantum Advancements: Recent breakthroughs in Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) utilize nanotech to amplify weak scattering signals by millions of times, allowing the detection of single molecules.

• Lead Laboratory: Developed by a research team led by Prof. Sarit S. Agasti.
• Primary Institution: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru—an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• Collaborative Partner: Validated in complex, live immune cell systems in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

• The Chalkboard Mechanism: The technique works like a standard chalkboard where written elements are wiped away to make room for new text.
• Single Fluorophore Staining: Scientists target specific proteins in a cell using antibodies chemically bound to a cleavable fluorescent tag.
• Microscopic Capture: The first set of targeted proteins is captured under a microscope within a specific optical window.
• Light-Driven Erasing: A gentle, non-toxic pulse of 365 nm LED light is applied to the sample for under two minutes. This light breaks the chemical bond, removing over 98% of the fluorescence signal without damaging the underlying tissue.
• Iterative Cycling: A new batch of proteins is introduced, labelled, and imaged using the exact same fluorescent marker and optical window. Repeating this cycle builds a highly dense, layered map of the sample's protein structure.

• Virtually Unlimited Multiplexing: Traditional imaging requires different distinct colours (fluorophores) to see different proteins simultaneously, limiting researchers to 4 or 5 targets. CLEAR allows virtually unlimited protein visualization.
• Live-Cell Compatibility: Unlike older chemical clearing methods that use harsh, toxic reagents to strip dyes, CLEAR's light-based erasing features excellent biocompatibility, making it safe for delicate live cells and tissues.
• High Efficiency & Speed: Signal-clearing happens rapidly, saving hours compared to traditional time-intensive DNA or chemical-stripping approaches.
• Advanced Compatibility: The platform seamlessly adapts to highly complex imaging setups, including super-resolution microscopy.

• Early Disease Detection: It maps the precise spatial organization of cellular proteins, allowing pathologists to recognize the earliest structural signs of cancers and complex neurological disorders.
• Precision Medicine: Providing extensive molecular maps from single-cell biopsies helps physicians design targeted therapies customized to a patient's unique cellular layout.
• Immunology Research: The technology allows deep monitoring of complex immune responses, revealing how immune cells physically interact during infections or autoimmune diseases.

• Nodal Ministry: Developed and managed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).
• Funding Model: PM-AJAY is a 100% centrally-funded scheme originally launched in FY 2021–22.
• Scheme Origin: The overarching scheme merged three erstwhile centrally sponsored programmes: Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana.

• Milestone-Linked Fund Flows: Automates central and state financial outlays, releasing funds electronically only when specific physical development metrics are digitally verified.
• Hierarchical Dashboards: Provides interactive national, state, and district-level dashboards to provide comprehensive analytical transparency.
• Digital Village Development Plans (VDP): Completely replaces manual planning with automated digital VDP maps.
• Multi-Domain Tracking: Tracks model villages across 50 specific socio-economic indicators divided into 10 developmental domains.

• Offline Functionality: Enables local ground-level workers to conduct door-to-door surveys and input data in areas with zero internet connectivity.
• Geo-Tagging & Visual Audits: Mandates the upload of time-stamped, geo-tagged photographs from construction sites to prevent fraud and visually cross-verify project progress.
• Digital Beneficiary Enrolment: Allows field staff to execute paperless, on-the-spot registration for citizens enrolling in livelihood and skill training programs.
• Secure Architecture: Implements a unified login system paired with strict role-based access controls to protect vulnerable community data.

• Adarsh Gram (Model Villages): Focused on ensuring basic civic amenities, infrastructure development, and structural parity in SC-dominated localities.
• Grants-in-Aid (GIA): Disbursals targeted purely at skill training, financial assistance, and direct income-generation livelihood projects.
• Hostel Component: Electronic submission, structural tracking, and administrative upkeep of educational student hostels funded by government arms to lower SC drop-out rates.

• Gond Painting (Madhya Pradesh): Presented to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Created by the Gond tribe, this art form is globally celebrated for its intricate patterns of dots and lines, use of natural colours, and deep ecosystem-inspired motifs.
• Shirui Lily Stole (Manipur): Presented to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Woven by the Tangkhul Naga community, the design is inspired by Manipur's rare state flower and reflects the cultural identity of North-East hill tribes.
• Muga Silk Stole (Assam): Also presented to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni. Known as the "Queen of Textiles" for its natural golden sheen and extreme durability, this Geographical Indication (GI) tagged silk has been preserved by tribal weaving clusters for centuries.
• Chak-Hao / Black Rice (Manipur): Gifted to the Queen Mother of the UAE. Cultivated traditionally by the indigenous hill communities of Manipur, this heritage grain is globally prized for its unique medicinal and nutritional profile.
• Dokra Art & Warli Art (Previous Summits): This latest tour builds on previous diplomatic settings—like the G7 and BRICS Summits—where PM Modi presented Chhattisgarh's Dokra metal art and Maharashtra's Warli paintings to leaders from France, South Africa, and Brazil.

• Soft Power Projection: Replaces standard commercial or industrial gifts with deeply rooted historical crafts, signalling India's identity as a "living civilizational power" rather than just a modern economy.
• Globalizing Indigenous Rights: Showcases how India legally protects and integrates its 705 unique tribal groups (making up 8.6% of its population) into mainstream economic narratives.
• Environmental Messaging: Most tribal art forms (like Gond, Sohrai, and Warli) center entirely on human harmony with nature, aligning India’s diplomatic messaging with global climate action and sustainable living.

• Economic Empowerment: Diplomatic exposure spikes global demand, creating viable export channels and sustainable livelihood opportunities for central and northeastern tribal clusters.
• Tribes Art Fest & Living Roots Festival: Domestically, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs hosts targeted exhibitions like the Tribes Art Fest and the Living Roots Festival to formalize tribal creative industries and expand domestic market access.
• Institutional Safeguards: Schemes like the Guru Shishya Parampara Scheme and the Research & Documentation Scheme ensure ancient tribal design parameters, oral histories, and musical traditions are documented and passed to younger generations.

• Lead Researcher: Dr. Janet Voight, an esteemed octopus expert and lead author from the Field Museum in Chicago.
• Institutional Partners: The discovery was made alongside scientists from the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Galápagos National Park Directorate, and the University of Bonn.
• Timeline: The physical specimen was originally filmed and collected during a remote deep-sea exploration expedition back in 2015, undergoing meticulous analysis before its official 2026 classification.

• The tiny, golf-ball-sized blue octopus was discovered in deep waters near the Galápagos Islands and forced researchers to revise the textbook definition of its family (Megaleledonidae) because it didn't fit neatly into existing classifications.
• Miniature Size: The adult octopus is exceptionally small, roughly the size of a golf ball, and can effortlessly curl up to fit in the palm of a human hand.
• Vivid Blue Coloration: It exhibits an electric blue hue, which is considered one of the rarest colour variations found in deep-sea cephalopods.
• Absence of an Ink Sac: Unlike shallow-water octopuses, it completely lacks an ink sac and anal flaps. Producing defensive ink clouds is an energy-wasting mechanism in the pitch-black abyss where predators cannot see.
• Arm Structure: It features short, stubby arms aligned with relatively few suckers arranged in just a single row.
• Anatomical Markers: It is characterized by smooth skin (nearly free of dorsal pigment), a prominent funnel organ, and large, uniquely shaped rachidian teeth.

• Extreme Depth: The species was discovered at a depth of nearly 5,820 feet (1,773 meters) below the ocean surface.
• Geographic Location: Captured in the tropical Pacific Ocean waters surrounding Darwin Island, part of Ecuador's Galápagos Islands archipelago.
• Family Anomalies: It belongs to the family Megaleledonidae, a lineage traditionally defined as large-bodied creatures endemic to the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. Finding a miniature relative in a deep tropical zone has forced scientists to revise the entire family's classification criteria.

• Non-Destructive Study: Because researchers possessed only a single precious female specimen, Dr. Voight refused standard biological dissection, which would require cutting the animal open.
• Micro-CT Scanning: Utilizing thousands of automated X-ray slices from a high-tech 3D micro-CT scan, the team mapped internal organs—including its bipartite stomach and unlaid eggs—in fine detail without causing structural damage to the delicate specimen.

• Classification: An evergreen mangrove shrub and tree belonging to the family Combretaceae.
• Native Habitat: Native to the tropical and subtropical shorelines of the Americas, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and parts of West Africa.
• Distinct Adaptations: Features two unique salt glands at the base of each leaf, allowing it to survive in highly saline environments by expelling excess salt from its biological system.
• Cosmetic Popularity: It became highly popular in Indian urban landscaping because its dark green foliage remains vibrant during peak summers, it grows rapidly in poor soils, and it is naturally avoided by foraging cattle.

• Central Government Advisory: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change enacted a "Native-First" policy for urban forestry under the Nagar Van Yojana, phasing out the plant nationally.
• Gujarat: The first state to enforce a blanket ban on the cultivation, seeding, and sale of Conocarpus across both forest and non-forest nursery lands.
• Tamil Nadu: Issued a Government Order (G.O.) penalising its use, initiating a replacement program via the Green Tamil Nadu Mission.
• Telangana & Others: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation banned it and started active uprooting drives, while states like Madhya Pradesh have incorporated bans into local municipal bylaws.

• Airborne Pollen: During its winter flowering season, the tree releases massive clouds of fine airborne pollen.
• Respiratory Illnesses: Direct exposure to this pollen triggers widespread seasonal allergies, chronic coughs, colds, rhinitis, and severe asthma attacks, particularly harming children and the elderly.

• "Green Deserts": The CEC officially classified Conocarpus as a "green desert" because its leaves offer zero nutritional sustenance or habitat value for native insects, birds, or animals.
• Groundwater Sucking: It functions as an aggressive subterranean pump, draining high volumes of local groundwater daily and dehydrating adjacent agricultural soil.
• Altering Nutrient Cycles: Its dense root mats choke out hardy native Indian shrubs like Nerium and Bougainvillea, destroying crucial microbial soil habitats.

• Invasive Root Networks: The tree develops an aggressively expanding, thick root system underneath paved surfaces.
• Public Utility Damage: These roots actively fracture freshwater pipelines, choke concrete drainage structures, and tear through underground telecommunication cables.
• Commuter Hazards: On highway medians, its uncontrolled rapid growth frequently blocks streetlights, obscures highway signage, and blinds safety cameras.

• Federal Assent Crisis: The Court invoked Article 142 in State of Tamil Nadu v. The Governor of Tamil Nadu to grant a "deemed assent" to 10 legislative bills that were indefinitely delayed or unconstitutionally withheld by the state Governor.
• Suo Motu Road Safety Directives: Following fatal mass casualties, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance (In Re: Phalodi Accident) and used its absolute powers under Article 142 to enforce a nationwide highway safety mandate, declaring safe roads a fundamental state obligation.
• Matrimonial Litigation and Loan Reliefs: In Neha Lal v. Abhishek Kumar, the court dissolved a "demonstrably dead" marriage without mutual consent to stop sprawling legal battles. It also used Article 142 to reduce the outstanding loan dues of a Covid-19 widow, overriding standard banking foreclosure procedures.

• Constitutional Wording: Article 142(1) states that the Supreme Court may pass such decrees or orders as necessary for doing "complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it".
• Enforceability: Any order or decree passed under this provision is automatically enforceable throughout the territory of India.
• Safety Valve: It functions as a constitutional safety valve, ensuring that formal legal codes do not end up obstructing actual, substantive justice.
• Independence from Executive: It ensures the Supreme Court is not dependent on executive machinery to enforce its core edicts and decrees.

• The Sparring Phase (Prem Chand Garg, 1962): Originally, a five-judge bench ruled that orders for complete justice could not be inconsistent with existing substantive statutory laws or fundamental rights.
• The Expansion Phase (Union Carbide, 1991): Following the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the apex court bypassed ordinary procedural laws to secure a quick civil compensation settlement, ruling that statutory prohibitions cannot restrict its constitutional powers under Article 142.
• The Current Equilibrium (Supreme Court Bar Association, 1998): The court clarified that Article 142 is an enabling power, not a legislative one. It can supplement existing statutory laws to cure a specific defect, but it cannot supplant or completely dismantle substantive statutory frameworks.

• Ayodhya Verdict (2019): The Court handed the disputed land title to a trust while using Article 142 to simultaneously allocate a prominent 5-acre alternate plot to the Sunni Central Waqf Board.
• The Perarivalan Release (2022): The Court bypassed executive processing delays to order the release of a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, asserting local federal autonomy.
• No-Fault Divorces (2023): It established that it can directly dissolve a marriage on the grounds of an "irretrievable breakdown," bypassing the mandatory 6-month cooling-off period required under the Hindu Marriage Act.

• The Critics' Stance: Critics argue that "complete justice" has no objective standard, making decisions highly judge-dependent. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar famously cautioned that the provision could turn into a "nuclear missile" against democratic forces if used to draft policy instead of just adjudicating law.
• The Defenders' Stance: Legal scholars emphasize that the provision acts as a vital tool to check unconstitutional executive delays—such as a Governor blocking a state legislature's bills—thereby preserving constitutional morality.

• Total Documented Species: India now formally records 191 species of cockroaches distributed across 74 distinct genera.
• High Endemism (60%+): Out of the 191 species, 119 are strictly endemic to India, meaning they are native to specific Indian geographical terrains and are found nowhere else on Earth.
• Global Diversity Share: India’s cockroach fauna accounts for approximately 3.8% of the world's ~5,000 known cockroach species.
• Historical DNA Reference: The research generated over 100 high-quality DNA barcodes using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene, creating an institutional "supermarket scanner" for fast, flawless species identification.
• Biogeographic Origins: The study notes that several of India's unique, endemic cockroach lineages carry Gondwanan biogeographic origins, linking them to the ancient supercontinent that once united India with Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.

• Overcoming Taxonomic Gaps: Prior to this study, less than 20% of Indian cockroach diversity was represented by genetic data in public databases, leaving massive evolutionary gaps.
• Resolving Ambiguities: By blending modern molecular tools with traditional physical descriptions, scientists can now confidently tell apart species that look completely identical on the outside but are genetically distinct.
• Recent Species Success: This exact framework enabled the discovery of Neoloboptera peninsularis in Pune, Maharashtra—marking the first time in 267 years of Indian entomology that a cockroach was described using integrated DNA taxonomy.

• Nutrient Recyclers: They live primarily in forest leaf litters and agricultural landscapes, actively decomposing rotting organic matter and recycling nutrients back into the soil.
• Forest Food Webs: They serve as a primary, protein-rich food source for native birds, amphibians, reptiles, and small forest mammals.
• Ecosystem Bioindicators: Because wild, endemic cockroaches are extremely sensitive to habitat fragmentation and climate change, monitoring their populations helps scientists measure the overall health of Indian forests.

1. ZSI Western Regional Centre (Pune)
2. ZSI Southern Regional Centre (Chennai)
3. Prof. Ramkrishna More College (Pune)

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