UPSC Current Affairs 27 June 2026

• Birth: He was born on 26 June 1874 as Yashwantrao Ghatge in the Kagal royal family of Maharashtra.
• Accession: He was adopted by Anandibai, the widow of Raja Shivaji IV of the Kolhapur princely state, and later crowned as the Maharaja of Kolhapur.
• Reign: He successfully occupied the throne for 28 years from 1894 until his death on 6 May 1922.

• Historic Decree: In 1902, Shahu Maharaj introduced a groundbreaking 50% reservation for backward communities and weaker sections in the state administration of Kolhapur.
• Father of Reservation: This step makes him the first ruler in modern Indian history to institutionalise affirmative action, earning him the title of the pioneer of India's reservation system.

• Free and Compulsory Education: In 1917, he passed a historic act making primary education completely free and mandatory for all children aged 7 to 14.
• Hostels for All Castes: He established a network of unique community-specific hostels to ensure that students from marginalized, rural communities could access higher education without facing caste discrimination.

• Untouchability and Caste-Barrier Removal: Influenced heavily by Jyotirao Phule's Satyashodhak Samaj, he worked relentlessly to abolish the practice of untouchability.
• Legalizing Inter-Caste Marriage: He legally recognized and encouraged inter-caste and inter-religious marriages to structurally dismantle the caste system.
• Empowerment of Women: He criminalized domestic violence against women, promoted widow remarriage, and introduced legal protection frameworks for women's welfare.

• Patronage: Recognizing the brilliance of a young Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Shahu Maharaj financially assisted him in his higher studies abroad and backed his historic fortnightly journal, Mooknayak.
• Mangaon Conference (1920): At this historic conference, Shahu Maharaj famously declared Dr. Ambedkar as the true leader of the oppressed classes in India.

• The Royal Saint: The title 'Rajarshi' (King-Sage) was formally bestowed upon him by the Kurmi Warrior Community of Kanpur during an event, acknowledging his saintly dedication to public welfare.

• Industrialization: He set up the famous Shahu Chhatrapati Weaving and Spinning Mill in 1906 to boost local economies and generate mass employment.
• Radhanagari Dam: He initiated the construction of the Radhanagari Dam over the Bhogavati River to solve the agricultural and drinking water crisis in Kolhapur.
• Patron of Sports: An avid sportsman, he constructed gymnasiums and wrestling rings (akharas), transforming Kolhapur into the wrestling hub of India.

• Located at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, this facility marks a massive breakthrough by coupling a nuclear reactor’s heat directly to a chemical water-splitting process for zero-carbon fuel.

• Joint Development: The project is the result of years of collaborative research, engineering design, fabrication, and testing by BARC and IGCAR.
• BARC Design: The underlying core chemical loop and process steps were developed completely indigenously by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai.

• FBTR Heat Source: The facility harnesses high-grade thermal energy directly from Kalpakkam’s Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), a 40 MWt sodium-cooled fast reactor.
• Beyond Electricity: This project proves the capability of India’s second-stage fast breeder reactors to provide steady, continuous, carbon-free process heat for industrial applications instead of just generating grid power.

• Thermochemical Water Splitting: Unlike standard water electrolysis that relies entirely on heavy electricity consumption, this process uses sequential, heat-driven chemical reactions to break water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• Four-Step Hybrid Mechanism: The Cu-Cl cycle is a hybrid process combining thermochemical reactions with a single lower-voltage electrochemical (electrolysis) step.
• Lower Operating Temperature: A massive engineering advantage of the Cu-Cl loop is its relatively low peak temperature requirement of around 530°C, making it highly compatible with existing nuclear materials.
• Closed-Loop Recycling: All copper and chlorine compounds inside the system are entirely recycled and reused, meaning water is the only net consumable raw material.

• True Zero-Emission Fuel: Most commercial hydrogen today ("grey hydrogen") is extracted from natural gas, producing high CO₂ emissions. This nuclear-driven pathway releases absolutely zero greenhouse gases.
• Decarbonising Hard-to-Abate Sectors: Continuous hydrogen production from nuclear energy can reliably supply heavy industries like steel, petroleum refining, and chemical fertilizer manufacturing.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission Alignment: This technological breakthrough directly complements India's ₹19,744 crore clean energy goals by adding a highly efficient, non-intermittent pathway alongside solar and wind-based green hydrogen.

• Arrest Made: One individual directly involved in the illicit trafficking was arrested on-site.
• Legal Action: The accused was booked under the stringent provisions of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, 1985.

• Total Drug Volume: The DRI has cumulatively intercepted and seized approximately 26 kg of cocaine over the last month alone.
• Massive Arrests: A total of 22 individuals have been taken into custody across the country during this period.
• International Links: Out of the 22 arrested individuals, 14 are foreign nationals, proving a deep-rooted network of international drug syndicates.
• Targeted Locations: Coordinated operations spanned major airports, railway stations, highways, and courier terminals across Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Cochin, and Ahmedabad.

• Ingestion: Swallowing drug-filled capsules or pellets for internal body concealment.
• Fabric Soaking: Chemically soaking cocaine into clothing or textiles.
• Household Stuffing: Concealing contraband inside everyday household and edible items.
• Baggage Soles: Hiding packages within secret custom cavities of personal baggage.

• The Tri-Border Junction: The Golden Triangle refers to the mountainous region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos converge.
• River Confluence: It is geographically centered on the confluence of the Ruak River and the Mekong River.
• Core Epicentre: While three nations share the zone, the Shan State of Myanmar serves as the primary hub for production.

• Opium and Heroin: Long known as the world’s leading source of high-grade heroin before the 1990s, the traditional "black gold" trade has seen a massive resurgence.
• Synthetic Drug Boom: The region has largely evolved into a major global supplier of cheap synthetic stimulants, specifically methamphetamine (Yaba tablets) and crystal meth.
• Declining Prices, High Purity: Advanced production techniques have crashed regional meth prices to as low as 60 cents per tablet while keeping the purity dangerously stable.
• Poly-Criminal Networks: Illicit profits are laundered through massive unregulated casinos, illegal wildlife trade, and rare earth mineral smuggling into China.

• Civil War Exploitation: The ongoing civil conflict following Myanmar's 2021 military coup has created a total collapse of the rule of law.
• Militia Funding: Ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and pro-junta business syndicates use drug proceeds to purchase weaponry and fund their parallel administrations.
• Sourcing of Precursors: Transnational cartels easily smuggle essential chemical precursors into Myanmar through porous borders shared with China and India.

• The Twin Corridors: Drugs primarily enter India via the Manipur corridor (National Highway 102 via Moreh) and the Mizoram corridor (via Champhai).
• Youth Addiction Crisis: States like Mizoram and Manipur report an alarming spike in synthetic drug abuse among children as young as 15.
• Funding Insurgency: Narcotic profits are directly linked to the arming of Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) operating camps across the Myanmar border.

• Historic Strengths: The initial quake measured 7.2 magnitude, immediately followed by a stronger 7.5 magnitude rupture.
• The Epicentres: The 7.2 quake originated 24 km from San Felipe (Yaracuy state), while the 7.5 quake struck near Morón (Carabobo state).
• Worst-Hit Localities: The coastal state of La Guaira suffered severe devastation, with entire building blocks pancaking down.
• Capital Impact: Tremors severely jolted Caracas, resulting in structural fractures to critical public venues and a subsequent 4.9 magnitude aftershock on Friday.

• Tectonic Plate Friction: The disaster was caused by shallow strike-slip faulting at the boundary where the Caribbean Plate grinds past the South American Plate.
• Shallow Focus Danger: Both main shocks occurred less than 15–20 kilometres deep, allowing raw seismic energy to hammer cities without losing intensity.
• Boconó-Morón Fault System: The fault line involved behaves similarly to California's San Andreas Fault, holding extreme strain as the Caribbean plate migrates eastward by 20 mm annually.

• Widespread Structural Rupture: The quakes structural damaged 383 large buildings, 25 shopping centres, 13 hospitals, and more than 1,000 residential units.
• Critical Logistics Grounded: Civil authorities shut down the main Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas due to runway and terminal damage.
• Fragile Healthcare Strain: Medical centres like the Domingo Luciani Hospital face acute shortages of trauma kits, water, antibiotics, and anaesthetics.
• Militarised Zones: The state has fully militarised hard-hit zones like La Guaira to coordinate rubble clearance and prevent civilian transit.

• Political Shift: The crisis presents a critical governance challenge for Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, following the political ouster of Nicolas Maduro earlier in the year.
• Global Energy Market Risks: Industry analysts from EDME Insurance Brokers warn that port blockages could bottleneck crude oil exports, directly impacting key buyers like Indian refineries.

• The Era: Medical scholars and historical records place Maharishi Sushruta’s life and practices around 600 BCE to 1000 BCE in ancient India.
• The Pioneer Titles: He is universally revered across global medical history as the "Father of Surgery" and the "Father of Plastic Surgery".
• Varanasi Roots: Sushruta lived, taught, and operated in the ancient holy city of Kashi (modern-day Varanasi) on the banks of the River Ganga.
• Lineage: Civilizational texts record him as a premier disciple of Lord Dhanvantari, the mythological Hindu deity of Ayurveda.

• Foundational Text: He authored the Sushruta Samhita, a classical Sanskrit medical treatise that stands as one of the pillars of Ayurvedic medicine (alongside the Charaka Samhita and Astanga Hridaya).
• Encyclopedic Scale: The text spans 184 chapters and systematically categorises 1,120 illnesses, over 700 medicinal plants, and 300 unique surgical procedures.
• The Eight Branches: It laid down the foundations of Shalya Tantra (Surgical Science) while also documenting toxicology, paediatrics, and pharmacology.

• Invention of Rhinoplasty: Long before modern reconstructive practices, Sushruta invented rhinoplasty (reconstructing mutated or severed noses) utilizing a flap of skin from the forehead or cheek.
• Advanced Procedures: His text provides explicit operational details for treating fractures, dislocations, extracting cataracts (couching), performing bladder stone removals (lithotomy), and Caesarean sections.
• Surgical Tools: He designed and utilized more than 120 unique surgical instruments (including knives, probes, forceps, and needles), many of which share a striking structural resemblance to modern operating theatre tools.
• Anatomical Dissection: Defying rigid ancient religious taboos, he became the first in human history to mandate that surgeons dissect human cadavers, developing a unique water-submersion method to study tissue layer by layer.
• Early Anaesthesia: Sushruta pioneered the use of henbane (cannabis) and heavy wine as early forms of surgical anaesthetics to manage patient pain during invasive operations.

• During this high-level assembly at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rolled out India’s strategic roadmap by launching the "Vision Document on Drug Control (2026–2029)".
• Alongside this, the government activated a massive Online Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign with a target to incinerate over 2.09 lakh kilograms of seized narcotics valued at ₹6,000 crore.

• Establishment: NCORD was originally constituted by the Government of India on November 22, 2016, to bridge operational gaps between diverse Central and State law enforcement agencies.
• Core Philosophy: Operating under a strict "Zero Tolerance Policy", its goal is to completely eliminate drug cartels to achieve a Drug-Free India (Nasha Mukt Bharat).
• Security Lens: NCORD addresses the drug menace not merely as a local law-and-order or public health crisis, but as a critical threat to India's national security and economic stability.

• Tier 1: Apex Level Committee: Headed by the Union Home Secretary; focuses on national policy formulations, macro-level monitoring, and international cross-border syndicates.
• Tier 2: Executive Level Committee: Headed by the Special Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; manages inter-ministerial synergy and meets on a regular monthly loop.
• Tier 3: State Level Committee: Headed by the respective State Chief Secretaries; coordinates state-wide enforcement networks and local anti-trafficking task forces.
• Tier 4: District Level Committee: Headed by the District Magistrates (Collectors/DMs); ensures grassroots checking, tracking of retail drug networks, and local monitoring.

• NCORD Knowledge Portal: An online hub managed by the NCB that serves as a real-time information exchange gateway and Knowledge Management System (KMS) for all agencies.
• NIDAAN Portal: The National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-Offenders, which serves as a one-stop repository tracking the criminal history, fingerprints, and links of every drug offender locked in India.
• MANAS Helpline (1933): A dedicated 24x7 toll-free national helpline (Madak Padarth Nishedh Asuchna Kendra) for citizens to securely report drug trafficking or seek addiction help.

• Targeting Darknet and Crypto: Special focus has been placed on tracking cyber-enabled drug crimes, illicit darknet marketplaces, and cryptocurrency-based narco-funding.
• Precursor Chemical Control: Clamping down tightly on dual-use industries to stop the illegal diversion of chemical precursors used to manufacture synthetic drugs.
• Financial Dismantling: Attacking the bedrock of cartels through extensive financial investigations, freeze orders, and property confiscations under the NDPS Act.
• Differentiated Approach: The revised vision mandates a dual policy: ruthless, iron-fisted legal action against major suppliers and traffickers, alongside a sympathetic, medical rehabilitation approach for victims and addicts.

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