UPSC Current Affairs 23 June 2026

• Dedicated Electronic Platform: NAFEX.in is India's leading custom-built Agri e-Auction Platform engineered specifically for the buying and selling of bulk agricultural commodities like pulses and oilseeds.
• Elimination of Private Platforms: Previously, NAFED relied on external, private e-auction portals to liquidate its government buffer stocks. The launch of NAFEX.in grants NAFED absolute autonomy, eliminating dependencies on third-party channels.
• Cost Efficiency for Buyers: External private portals traditionally levy a transaction fee of roughly 0.03% on buyers based on trade volume. NAFED’s in-house portal is designed to provide cost relief to buyers, helping stimulate higher trade volumes and competitive pricing.
• Technical Development: The digital architecture of the platform was conceptualized and developed in collaboration with the globally renowned advisory and consulting firm, Deloitte.
• Target Audience: Real-time bidder registration modules are fully live and operational on the site, specifically catering to agricultural Traders and Millers across India.
• Future Inter-Agency Scalability: While the portal initially hosts NAFED's exclusive procurement auctions, plans are underway to scale the framework to allow state-level cooperative federations and sibling central agencies (like the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation) to utilize the platform.

• Vision of "Sahkar Se Samriddhi": The platform moves forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s core governance objective of "Prosperity Through Cooperatives" by infusing modern technology into traditional systems.
• Real-Time Market Efficiency: It removes physical location barriers, permitting institutional traders nationwide to participate in cashless, contactless, and paperless electronic trade via dynamic, real-time bidding.
• Higher Transparency: The unified digital marketplace restricts market manipulation, establishing a reliable audit trail and ensuring fair market discovery value for government-procured crops.

• DRISHTI Portal: A high-tech inventory management application created to track, audit, and systematically manage real-time warehousing buffer data for pulses and oilseeds.
• Saksham ERP Portal: A unified Enterprise Resource Planning infrastructure built to upgrade NAFED’s internal enterprise planning, institutional resource use, and operational speed.
• NAFED-KALYAN Scheme: A corporate social responsibility and welfare measure featuring the distribution of educational scholarship cheques directly to the children of registered Indian farming families.

• Nodal Ministry: Functions as an autonomous apex research organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• Establishment: Founded on 1st December 1945 in Varanasi, later shifting its headquarters to the Indian Museum in Kolkata in 1948.
• Genesis: It evolved out of the Zoological and Anthropological section of the Indian Museum, which had previously merged into the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in 1916.
• Founding Leadership: Celebrated anthropologist Dr. B.S. Guha served as its founding Director, with renowned scholar Verrier Elwin as the Deputy Director.
• Core Mandate: Conducts advanced, holistic bio-cultural and socio-cultural research on the highly diverse human populations of India.
• Regional Setup: Headquartered in Kolkata, it operates via regional centres across India, including Shillong, Dehradun, Udaipur, Nagpur, Mysore, and Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman & Nicobar).

• Physical Anthropology: Houses cutting-edge facilities including DNA laboratories, paleoanthropology units, biochemistry sectors, and statistical divisions.
• Cultural Anthropology: Focuses on human ecology, linguistics, psychology, and maintaining specialized indigenous ethnographic museums.
• Documentation & Media: Includes specialized units for Visual Anthropology, high-grade photography, and audio documentation to record vanishing traditions.

• People of India (PoI) Project: A massive, generation-defining survey mapping 4,635 distinct communities to document the socio-cultural, religious, and genetic diversity of India.
• PVTG Mapping: Carried out comprehensive ethnographic profile studies of all 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) to evaluate their socio-economic vulnerabilities.
• Tribal Heritage Replicas: Built authentic, community-collaborated tribal hut replicas (such as Jarawa and Shompen huts) across its zonal centres to conserve indigenous architecture.
• Denotified & Nomadic Tribes Survey: Completed exhaustive field research on 280 De-notified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic communities for NITI Aayog policy inputs.

• Scheme Type: It operates as a Central Sector Scheme.
• Nodal Agency: The Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice serves as the implementing body.
• Constitutional Backing: It fulfills mandates under Articles 14 (Equality before law), 21 (Right to life), and 39A (Free legal aid).
• Global Alignment: It directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG-16) for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
• Target Outreach: The government aims to reach a cumulative target of 3.00 crore beneficiaries during this cycle.

• 1. Tele-Law Programme: Connects marginalized communities with panel lawyers for free pre-litigation legal advice via Common Service Centres (CSCs).
• 2. Nyaya Bandhu: Promotes a pro-bono culture by connecting volunteer advocates with eligible beneficiaries for free courtroom representation.
• 3. Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme (LLLAP): Runs grassroots awareness campaigns to educate citizens about their statutory rights.
• 4. VIDHI-Sanjeevani (New Component): Establishes a Centralised Digital Platform integrated with an AI-powered multilingual Nyaya Setu Chatbot to provide real-time dashboards, legal info, and grievance analytics.

• Outreach Numbers: Reached over 2.37 crore beneficiaries by May 2026.
• Tele-Law Impact: Disbursed over 1.13 crore pre-litigation legal consultations.
• Advocate Mobilisation: Registered 10,681 pro-bono lawyers and set up 109 Pro-Bono Clubs across law colleges.
• Awareness Footprint: Educated more than 1.24 crore citizens via LLLAP activities.

• Total Base Quota: The total pool of seats stands at 1,75,025 pilgrims, identical to last year's baseline, though the Indian government is attempting to secure additional seats from Saudi Arabia.
• 70:30 Seat Division: The distribution balance remains unchanged.
• Government Allocation: The Haj Committee of India (HCoI) retains 1,22,518 seats.
• Private Allocation: Private Tour Operators (PTOs) will receive 52,507 seats.

• Better Inspector Ratio: Field support has increased by shifting the State Haj Inspector ratio from 1 per 150 pilgrims to 1 per 135 pilgrims.
• Waitlist Preference: To handle the backlog fairly, the top 20% of waitlisted applicants from the previous cycle will receive automated preference.
• Short Haj Expansion: The popular 20-day Short Haj Package remains available, with Kolkata added as a fresh embarkation point to aid regional travellers.
• Retained Comforts: On-ground benefits like hotel-style accommodations in Makkah, high-speed train connections between holy cities, and sofa-cum-beds in Mina are fully sustained.

• Conversational AI Platform: A 24/7 digital voice/text assistant will operate in Hindi, Urdu, and major regional Indian languages to minimize submission errors and cut out middlemen.
• AI Ground Logistics: Automated demand modelling will be utilized for flight allocations across domestic air hubs.
• Saudi Integration: Government databases will directly integrate with Saudi Arabia's Nusuk platform for unified real-time tracking and rapid grievance escalation.

• Saudi Medical Alignment: Strict medical checks have been put in place, and individuals with severe chronic medical conditions will face automatic restriction for their own safety.
• Age Companion Policy: Pilgrims aged 65 and above cannot travel alone; they must be accompanied by a healthy companion aged between 18 and 65.
• Once-in-a-Lifetime Limit: Regular applicants can only perform the pilgrimage via the HCoI once in their lifetime. Repeaters are strictly limited to necessary "Mehram" (male guardians) or female companions under rigid criteria and extra fees.
• Passport Validity: All applicant passports must be machine-readable and explicitly valid until at least 31 December 2027.

• Chemical Composition: Ammonia is a basic, inorganic compound made of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms (NH₃).
• Physical Properties: It is a colorless gas with a highly pungent, sharp, suffocating odor resembling rotting fish.
• Extreme Solubility: It is highly hydrophilic (water-loving) and dissolves rapidly in water to form an alkaline, corrosive solution called ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH).
• State of Storage: Industrially, ammonia gas is compressed and stored under high pressure as a clear liquid.

• The Haber-Bosch Process: The vast majority of industrial ammonia is manufactured by combining atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) and hydrogen (H₂) gas under extreme pressure (150–250 atm) and high temperature (400–500°C) using an iron catalyst.
• Natural Occurrence: It occurs organically in trace amounts during the natural nitrogen cycle through the bacterial decomposition of organic waste, dead plants, and animals.

• Industrial Refrigeration: Due to its excellent thermal properties and high heat absorption capacity, it is the primary refrigerant used in cold storage facilities, ice factories, and seafood processing plants.
• Agriculture & Fertilizers: Over 80% of globally manufactured ammonia goes into producing nitrogen-based agricultural fertilizers like urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium phosphate.
• Chemical Manufacturing: It acts as a primary building block for creating nitric acid, commercial plastics, synthetic fibers (like nylon), dyes, and explosives.
• Clean Energy Alternative: Green ammonia (produced using renewable energy) is increasingly being explored as a carbon-free fuel and hydrogen carrier for the shipping and power sectors due to its high energy density.

• Caustic Interaction: When inhaled or touched, the gas immediately binds with moisture in human tissues (eyes, nose, throat, and lungs), forming highly alkaline ammonium hydroxide.
• Cellular Destruction: This alkaline fluid breaks down cell membranes, causing chemical burns, fluid release, and tissue liquefaction.
• Respiratory Damage: Exposure causes acute respiratory distress, tracheal burns, airway destruction, and pulmonary edema (accumulation of fluid in lungs), which can cause rapid asphyxiation and death.
• Systemic Toxicity: While the liver naturally converts small amounts of biological ammonia into non-toxic urea, massive industrial inhalation overwhelms the body's filtration system instantly.

• Water Curtains: Because ammonia dissolves instantly in water, factories are mandated to have automatic water sprinkler systems to neutralize the gas cloud during a leak.
• Early Detection Sensors: Specialized electrochemical ammonia sensors are required to detect minor leaks before they reach toxic levels (perceptible scent threshold is between 5 to 50 ppm).
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Workers dealing with lines carrying ammonia must wear full-body chemical suits and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA).

• Host and Chair: India is hosting the event in New Delhi under its 2026 BRICS Chairship, with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval presiding over the discussions.
• The Official Theme: The core theme of this huddle is “Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today”.
• BRICS 2026 Theme: The broader umbrella theme for India's presidency is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability”.

• Prominent Dignitaries: High-profile attendees include Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Security Chief Sergei Shoigu, and senior security officials from Iran.
• Geopolitical Significance: The meeting serves as a high-stakes balancing act for India, allowing direct strategic engagement with China, Russia, and Iran amidst ongoing global fractions.
• Wang Yi's Visit: This marks the Chinese Foreign Minister's first high-level visit to India since August 2025, offering a vital window for bilateral talks regarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and regional peace.

• Emerging Technologies: Deep-dive discussions on mitigating Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven threats, cyber vulnerabilities, and data security risks.
• Counter-Terrorism & Cybersecurity: The NSAs are reviewing structural outcomes from the BRICS Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism and Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) Security.
• Maritime & Energy Security: Focus is heavily trained on regional peace efforts, alternative financial mechanisms, and securing vital fuel shipping lanes like the Strait of Hormuz amid volatile global trade realities.
• Global Conflicts: Delegations are using the sidelines to address geopolitical hotspots, including regional stability frameworks in West Asia and the conflict in Ukraine.

• Stepping Stone to Leaders' Summit: This assembly serves as the direct political and strategic groundwork for the upcoming 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit, which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from September 12–13, 2026.
• Global South Framework: It reinforces India's role in coordinating a multipolar international order and crafting unified alternative governance protocols for emerging market economies.

• The 11 Member Nations: The talks include the expanded membership footprint consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

• Energy Threshold: It is clinically defined as a Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) that is greater than 110% of the body’s predicted normal rate.
• Caloric Burn: The body continuously consumes its own fat, glucose, and protein reserves to sustain its highly active state, even while completely at rest.
• The Paradox: It creates a severe energy imbalance where the body behaves as if it is under acute physical duress, even when external conditions are stable.

• Severe Physical Trauma: Major third-degree burns, sepsis, infections, and multi-organ injuries trigger a massive hypermetabolic healing state.
• Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid gland floods the system with hormones, artificially accelerating the metabolic rate.
• Medical Conditions: Cancers (specifically pancreatic and lung cancer), Long COVID, and neurodegenerative illnesses like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are major drivers.
• Eating Disorder Recovery: During refeeding therapy for anorexia or starvation, the body’s metabolism temporarily spikes as it works frantically to rebuild damaged tissues.

• Extreme Weight Loss: Rapid, unintentional weight loss occurs despite consuming high amounts of food.
• Muscle Wasting: To meet its immense energy demands, the body undergoes general catabolism, breaking down skeletal muscle for fuel.
• Severe Fatigue: Continuous cellular energy expenditure leaves individuals feeling completely drained and weak.
• Organ Stress & Hyperinflammation: The condition triggers insulin resistance, elevated core body temperature, irregular heartbeats, and massive internal inflammation.

• Indirect Calorimetry: Doctors diagnose the condition using a gold-standard breathing test that measures precise oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to calculate actual energy burn.
• Aggressive Nutritional Support: Patients are put on specialized, extremely high-calorie diets—often featuring increased proteins and omega-3 fatty acids—to counter muscle degradation.
• Pharmaceutical Interventions: Beta-blockers are sometimes used to slow down the hyper-activated nervous system, alongside specific medications meant to block muscle wasting.

• Core Definition: Pathogenic conditions caused by ingesting or coming into physical contact with water contaminated by human/animal faeces, chemical toxins, or industrial waste.
• Transmission Mode: Primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Pathogens travel from an infected host into a water source, which is then consumed or used for cooking.

• Bacterial Infections:
  • Cholera: Caused by Vibrio cholerae.
  • Typhoid: Caused by Salmonella typhi.
  • Dysentery: Caused by Shigella or E. coli bacteria.
• Viral Infections:
  • Hepatitis A & E: Highly contagious viruses attacking the liver.
  • Polio: Transmitted through water contaminated with infected human waste.
• Protozoan & Parasitic Infections:
  • Amoebiasis: Triggered by Entamoeba histolytica.
  • Giardiasis: Triggered by the Giardia lamblia parasite.

• Open Defecation & Inadequate Sanitation: Direct runoff of faecal matter into rivers, lakes, and tube wells.
• Agricultural Runoff: Rainwater washing chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and untreated animal manure into local water reserves.
• Industrial & Household Waste: Unregulated factories dumping chemical toxins and untreated heavy metals into freshwater bodies.
• Poor Storage Hygiene: Storing clean water in unhygienic, open containers or handling it with dirty hands.

• Gastrointestinal Distress: Profuse watery diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps, bloating, and vomiting.
• Systemic Indicators: Persistent high fever, acute muscle aches, chronic fatigue, and rapid weight loss.
• Dehydration Signs: Dry mouth, extreme thirst, and dark urine. Left untreated, severe dehydration can lead to fatal hypovolemic shock.
• Jaundice: Yellowing of the skin and eyes, typically indicating a Hepatitis A or E infection.

• Water Treatment: Always boil water for at least one minute, or use advanced chemical, UV, or RO filtration systems before drinking.
• WASH Practices: Strictly implement Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) protocols, including regular handwashing with soap after using the restroom and before handling food.
• Vaccination: Proactively seek medical vaccines available for Typhoid, Cholera, Hepatitis A, and Polio.
• Immediate Rehydration: Treat active diarrheal symptoms immediately using Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) to replenish lost fluids and essential electrolytes.
• Medical Intervention: Administer specific antibiotics or antiparasitics prescribed by a qualified healthcare professional; never self-medicate.

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