UPSC Current Affairs 10 July 2026

• The program was officially launched by Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan. Alongside this, the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission Document (2026–2036) was unveiled to expand the state's Blue Economy.

• Mandatory Permit: The LoA is a mandatory, vessel-specific, and non-transferable electronic permit required for Indian-flagged vessels to fish in the high seas.
• Legal Backing: It operationalizes the guidelines notified under the Guidelines for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas, 2025.
• Digital Transparency: It is fully integrated into the Real Craft Fishing Vessel Registration Portal, offering tracking, minimal compliance costs, and zero procedural bottlenecks.

• Untapped Exploration: India possesses an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.4 million sq. km and an 11,000+ km coastline, but its deep-sea and high-seas resources remain largely underutilized.
• Preventing Overexploitation: Nearshore coastal waters face severe ecological stress and overfishing. Diverting fleets to the high seas balances marine resource extraction.
• Targeting High-Value Species: The shift aims to capture lucrative species like tuna, which have historically been caught by competing foreign fleets in the Indian Ocean.

• Global Compliance: Authorized vessels must strictly abide by rules set by relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).
• Banned Practices: To preserve biodiversity, the framework bans destructive practices including LED light fishing, pair trawling, bull trawling, and the use of chemical explosives.
• Sustainable Safeguards: Imposes strict restrictions on juvenile fish catch, gear dimensions, and mandatory real-time voyage reporting.

• Priority Allocation: The framework prioritizes Fishermen Cooperative Societies and Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) over massive commercial corporates to safeguard small-scale fishers.
• Mother-and-Child Vessel Model: Promotes mid-sea trans-shipment operations monitored by the Reserve Bank of India to streamline logistics for deep-sea fleets.

• Duty-Free Benefits: Under recent union budgets, fish caught by Indian-flagged vessels in the EEZ and High Seas are entirely duty-free.
• Foreign Port Benefits: Catches landed directly at foreign ports by Indian vessels are legally recognized as exports, avoiding multiple domestic tax cycles.
• Export Expansion: Aims to push seafood exports past current record figures (~₹73,891 crore) by introducing rigorous traceability standards ("pond to plate") to access high-paying western markets.

• 10-Year Timeline: A state-specific blueprint launched in parallel to elevate Odisha as a major deep-sea seafood hub.
• Financial Backing: Built upon over ₹1,301 crore approved under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
• Infrastructure Upgrades: Focuses on developing specialized deep-sea ports, advanced cold-chain processing units, and high-tech sea-cage farming.

• Overarching Goal: Elevate the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by safeguarding critical national infrastructure and digital choices across the Indo-Pacific.
• Oversight: Jointly overseen at a senior level by India's Deputy National Security Advisor and Australia's Deputy Secretary of the International and Security Group.
• Annual Reviews: Features a mandatory Senior Officials' Meeting held yearly to map out specific projects and evaluate emerging cyber/tech risks.

• Trusted Vendors: Establishes a formal bilateral mechanism for trusted technology vendor frameworks.
• Undersea Cables: Boosts communication safety against sabotage through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience.
• Semiconductors: Backs collaborative research institutes to secure chip manufacturing and supply flows.
• Critical Minerals: Directs coordinated investments and regulatory alignment into clean energy transition minerals.

• AI Governance: Focuses on international standards and benchmarks for safe, trustworthy, and secure Artificial Intelligence.
• Space Initiatives: Explores joint commercial ventures and space projects.
• Gaganyaan Support: Complements the partnership through Australia’s temporary space tracking terminal on the Cocos Keeling Islands to support India's human space flight mission.
• Deep Tech Focus: Spans targeted research in telecommunications, biotechnology, and advanced materials.

• Infrastructure Protection: Enhances joint technical cooperation to counter cross-border cybercrime and secure state systems.
• Business & Trade: Expands commercial avenues and trade investments between Australian and Indian cybersecurity firms.
• Skill Incubator: Unveils a specialised cyber technology skill incubator hub to train the modern tech workforce.

• DPI Exportation: Promotes and scales India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) architecture model to alternative countries across the Indo-Pacific.
• Cross-Sector Solutions: Deploys scalable digital solutions across healthcare, education, connectivity, and clean energy ecosystems.

• DRDO Partnership: Connects India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group.
• Innovation & Start-ups: Synchronises defence innovation hubs and start-up ecosystems of both nations for multi-domain defence capabilities.
• Maritime Surveillance: Prioritises joint technological development in maritime science, underwater monitoring, and next-generation materials.

• The unveiling took place in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, during the National Workshop on Strengthening Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs).

• Preserve Heritage: To document, safeguard, and propagate vulnerable tribal languages, oral history, and arts.
• Global Accessibility: To make authentic, centuries-old indigenous systems accessible to worldwide learners.
• Bridge Barriers: To bypass geographical isolation of tribal regions using mainstream internet connectivity.
• Livelihood Generation: To build specialized skills that translate into sustainable economic opportunities.

• Free Certificates: Hosts 20 free certificate courses on paintings, handicrafts, textiles, and instruments.
• Course Roadmap: Active plans are underway to scale up the platform to over 100 courses.
• UGC Hybrid Diplomas: Offers 5 unique, one-year University Grants Commission (UGC) aligned PG diplomas.
• Language Training: Features accredited structured training in languages like Santali using the Ol Chiki script.
• Specialized Subjects: Curriculums cover Museology, Tribal Museum Management, and Sustainable Tribal Livelihoods.
• Heritage Archive: Contains over 5,000 multimedia assets, expanding to a targeted 10,000 resources.
• Advanced Tech: Integrates a custom Learning Management System (LMS) alongside a Repository Management System.

• Tribal Language: Special emphasis on Santali (Ol Chiki)
• Livelihood Practices: Focus on Sustainable Tribal Culture-Based Livelihoods
• Museum Management: Training in Museology and Tribal Museum Management
• Arts & Crafts: Comprehensive education on Tribal Arts and Crafts of India
• Indigenous Textiles: Practical and historical studies in Tribal Textiles

• Immune system failure: It is a rare hyperinflammatory syndrome where the immune system's "off-switch" fails to function properly.
• Destructive overactivity: Activated immune cells (macrophages and lymphocytes) multiply uncontrollably and mistakenly secrete excessive, toxic cytokines.
• Cellular cannibalism: The term "hemophagocytic" literally means "blood-eating" cells; hyperactive macrophages aggressively engulf and destroy the body's own red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
• Organ damage: The resulting "cytokine storm" spreads widespread inflammation, rapidly damaging healthy tissues and essential organs.

• Primary (Familial) HLH: Caused by inherited, recessively passed genetic mutations that disrupt normal cytotoxic lymphocyte function. It typically manifests during infancy or early childhood.
• Secondary (Acquired) HLH: Tends to develop later in life and is triggered by separate underlying medical stimuli.
• Secondary triggers: Common environmental sparks include severe viral infections (like Epstein-Barr virus or Dengue), autoimmune diseases (such as lupus), and blood cancers (like lymphoma).

• Persistent, unremittingly high fevers.
• Splenomegaly and hepatomegaly (severe swelling of the spleen and liver).
• Pancytopenia (extremely low levels across all blood cell counts).
• Jaundice (yellowing discoloration of skin and eyes) alongside generalized skin rashes.
• Swollen lymph nodes and easy bruising or bleeding.
• Neurological abnormalities including severe headaches, confusion, seizures, or coma.

• Key biomarker: Measuring extremely elevated levels of ferritin in the blood serves as a vital diagnostic clue for HLH.
• Clinical criteria: Doctors follow strict diagnostic guidelines (HLH-2004 criteria) requiring specific laboratory and bone marrow biopsy confirmations.
• Aggressive management: Treatment demands prompt intervention via high-dose anti-inflammatory steroids, immunosuppressants, and targeted chemotherapy to curb the immune response.
• Curative options: For primary genetic variants, an allogeneic bone marrow or stem cell transplant is required to replace the flawed immune framework.
• Prognosis: Even with cutting-edge critical care, mortality rates remain dangerously high, ranging from 40% to over 70% in untreated or delayed cases.

• Location: Situated on the Mutha River, approximately 21 km from the city center of Pune in Maharashtra, India.
• Alternate Names: Locally referred to as the Chaskaman Dam or Peacock Dam due to the structural shape and frequent peacock sightings nearby.
• Historical Origin: Construction began in 1869 under Captain Fife RE of the British Army to serve as a relief measure against chronic droughts.
• Lake Fife: The massive man-made reservoir formed behind the concrete structure is officially named Khadakwasla Lake (historically Lake Fife).
• Dimensions: Built utilizing premium stone masonry and concrete, featuring a total length of 1.6 km and a height of 31.8 meters.
• Sluice Mechanisms: Constructed with 11 radial-type sluice gates alongside 6 distinct irrigation outlets that feed into downstream canals.
• The Dam Chain: It forms the lower-most point of a vital 4-dam reservoir system supplying Pune, which also includes the Panshet, Varasgaon, and Temghar dams.
• Hydroelectric Power: Houses two dedicated downstream power stations producing 12 MW and 10 MW of renewable electricity respectively.
• 1961 Collapse: Infamously remembered for the tragic disaster on 12 July 1961, when the upstream Panshet Dam breached, sending a structural flood wave that completely burst the older Khadakwasla wall.
• Strategic Neighbors: Positioned immediately adjacent to India's premier military institutions, including the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS).

• Project 15B Destroyer: INS Surat is the fourth and final stealth guided-missile destroyer under Project 15B, also known as the Visakhapatnam-class.
• Indigenous Development: Designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Features an impressive 75% indigenous content, driving self-reliance in Indian defence manufacturing.
• Commissioning: Formally inducted into the frontline fleet of the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 15, 2025.

• Dimensions: Measures 164 metres in length with a massive displacement capacity of 7,400 tonnes.
• Propulsion System: Powered by a Combined Gas and Gas (COGAG) layout consisting of four powerful gas turbines.
• Speed & Endurance: Capable of crossing top speeds of 30 knots (56 km/h) with an operational range of 8,500 nautical miles.
• Complement: Purpose-built to comfortably house a warfighting crew of 300 personnel (50 officers and 250 sailors).

• First AI-Enabled Warship: It is the first Indian Navy warship integrated with indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) for predictive maintenance, hazard analysis, and autonomous decision-making.
• Stealth Hull: Designed with an X-band radar-cross-section reducing hull and an integrated sensor mast to evade enemy detection.
• Missile Arsenal: Packed with 16 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for land/surface attacks and 32 Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missiles for air defence.
• Anti-Submarine Prowess: Armed with indigenously built twin torpedo tube launchers, ASW rocket launchers, and the advanced Humsa-NG hull-mounted sonar system.
• Aviation Deck: Features a dual-helicopter hangar capable of operating two Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) or the multi-role MH-60R Seahawk.

• The Virus: PaBV-4 stands for Parrot Bornavirus 4. It belongs to the species Orthobornavirus alphapsittaciforme within the Bornaviridae family.
• Target Species: It primarily targets psittacine birds (the parrot family), which includes macaws, cockatiels, budgerigars, lovebirds, and cockatoos.
• Neurotropic Pathogen: It is a highly specialized neurotropic virus, meaning it directly attacks the nervous system and gastrointestinal tracts of infected birds.

• Causes PDD: PaBV-4 is the primary causative agent of Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD), a fatal wasting syndrome nicknamed "Macaw Wasting Disease".
• Gastrointestinal Failure: The virus destroys nerves in the bird's digestive tract, causing crop stasis, constant regurgitation, undigested seeds in stool, and rapid weight loss.
• Neurological Devastation: Infected birds exhibit severe central nervous system breakdown, resulting in tremors, seizures, ataxia (loss of balance), and "stargazing" behaviour.
• Silent Carriers: A major hazard is its asymptomatic carriage rate (19% in healthy cagemates); many birds shed the virus continuously without showing physical signs of sickness.

• How It Spreads: The virus is shed through fecal matter, urine, and feather dander. It spreads rapidly via indirect contact like shared food, water, or aerosolized dust in cramped aviary environments.
• Testing Methods: Scientists found that brain tissue offers the highest detection accuracy in dead birds, while cloacal swabs are the most reliable tool for live screening.
• No Known Cure: There is currently no vaccine or antiviral cure available for PaBV-4, making an infection a functional death sentence for symptomatic birds.
• The Way Forward: Veterinary authorities are calling for strict quarantine biosecurity protocols in aviaries, mandatory screening of imported exotic pets, and tighter regulations on the international bird trade.

• Not True Algae: Despite the common name, blue-green algae are actually cyanobacteria—ancient, single-celled photosynthetic bacteria rather than true eukaryotic plants.
• Evolutionary Anchor: They are among the oldest life forms on Earth and are evolutionary pioneers credited with creating the planet's oxygen-rich atmosphere through photosynthesis.
• Dual Properties: They contain green chlorophyll (to capture sunlight) and blue phycobilin pigments, giving them their characteristic blue-green hue.

• Nutrient Pollution: Proliferation is fuelled by eutrophication, a process driven by excess nitrogen and phosphorus running off into water systems via agricultural fertilizers, sewage overflows, and industrial waste.
• Ideal Climate: They thrive in warm, stagnant, or slow-moving freshwater bodies during high-sunlight, low-wind summer periods.
• Climate Change Impact: Rising global temperatures and severe droughts cause shallower, warmer, and slower water columns, lowering water levels and aggressively expanding the annual bloom window.

• Cyanotoxins: When the bacterial cells die and rupture, they release dangerous toxins called cyanotoxins (such as microcystins and neurotoxins) into the water supply.
• Human Symptoms: Direct exposure or accidental ingestion causes acute skin rashes, vomiting, diarrhoea, severe headaches, abdominal pain, and potential long-term neurological damage.
• Animal & Pet Fatalities: Highly lethal to dogs, livestock, and local wildlife that drink contaminated water or lick the green scum off their fur.
• Ecological Dead Zones: Thick mats block sunlight from aquatic plants. When the massive algae layers rot and decompose, they completely deplete dissolved oxygen, triggering mass fish kills.

• Bioremediation: As shown by IIT Guwahati's research, they naturally modify their chemical structure to lock up toxic heavy metals like lead.
• Natural Bio-fertilizers: Certain species (such as Anabaena and Nostoc) possess specialized cells called heterocysts that pull nitrogen from the air, fixing it into the soil to boost crop yields sustainably.
• Precision Agriculture: Biotechnology firms are increasingly utilizing data analytics to convert wild algae harvests into eco-friendly commercial bio-fertilizers.

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