UPSC Current Affairs 11 July 2026

• The Platform: A premier global network comprising over 180 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).
• Mission: Serves as a secure framework for international information exchange to counter global financial crimes.
• Establishment: Founded in 1995 in Brussels, Belgium.

• The announcements were made during the high-profile annual Egmont Group Plenary meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• The Crime: Cross-border syndicate fraud involving massive illicit proceeds.
• The Crackdown: Assisted prosecutors in freezing US$175 million in illicit funds across 337 accounts.
• Seized Assets: Confiscated 11 luxury properties and 35 luxury cars.

• The Crime: A massive network involving a ₹868 crore online cyber-fraud scheme.
• Mule Accounts: Uncovered over 5,000 mule bank accounts used to siphon money out of the country.
• Crypto Tracing: Used the Egmont Secure Web (ESW) to track complex international cryptocurrency transactions.
• Enforcement Action: Handed intelligence to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), resulting in raids across 13 locations and heavy asset freezing.

• Purpose: An annual competition honouring the world's most exceptional investigations into money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Organizer: Handled by the Technical Assistance and Training Working Group (TATWG) of the Egmont Group.
• Inception: The award was first established in 2011 to encourage members to share intelligence methods.
• Value: Promotes peer-to-peer learning by compiling real-world case studies to help global law enforcement identify new financial crime typologies.

• The Origin: Launched originally as a pilot project in 2001 and formalized systematically under a national structure in 2003.
• The Policy Pivot: Accelerated via the National Policy on Biofuels 2018, which expanded eligible raw materials beyond sugarcane to include maize and surplus food grains.
• The Blending Leap: Blending metrics exponentially scaled up from under 1.5% in 2013-14 to a mandatory 20% in the 2025-26 cycle.
• Capacity Expansion: Domestic production capacity exploded fivefold, moving from 421 crore litres in 2014 to roughly 2,000 crore litres by mid-2026.

• Foreign Exchange Savings: Substituted over 316 lakh metric tonnes of imported crude oil, retaining ₹1.97 lakh crore within the Indian economy.
• Direct Farmer Income: Disbursed more than ₹1.66 lakh crore directly to Indian grain and sugarcane farmers, transforming rural livelihood profiles.
• Environmental Reductions: Slashed greenhouse gas and lifecycle carbon emissions by nearly 40%, eliminating significant chunks of toxic tailpipe particulate matter.
• Higher Octane Rating: Blended E20 naturally elevates the fuel's Research Octane Number (RON) to around 95 (compared to 84.4 for pure base petrol), leading to faster combustion and anti-knock protection.

• The Mileage Impact: Official testing admits a marginal 3% to 5% decrease in fuel economy in certain models, but notes this is heavily minimized by proper driving habits.
• The Engine Damage Claim: Real-world service logs spanning 2.84 crore vehicles handled by Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp in 2025-26 confirmed zero instances of E20-driven component failure or rust.
• Why Prices Aren't Lower: The government pays remunerative rates to farmers (e.g., ₹71.86/litre for maize ethanol before taxes); when global crude hovers around $70/barrel, ethanol is actually costlier to produce than pure fossil petrol.
• Lack of Choice at the Pump: Stocking separate streams of pure petrol, E10, and E20 across 1 lakh retail stations is logistically unfeasible and would drive fuel infrastructure management costs to a crisis point.
• Food Security Safeguards: The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) ensures no primary food supply is depleted, restricting distillation strictly to certified surplus FCI rice and low-irrigation maize.

• Weight: Weighs approximately 600 to 650 tonnes.
• Length: Spans an impressive 90 to 95 metres in total operational length.
• Diameter: Features an outer boring diameter of 6.6 metres to assemble a finished 5.8-metre tunnel.
• Manufacturing: Built and assembled in Tamil Nadu, India (incorporating internal parts from Germany's Herrenknecht), highlighting the Make in India initiative.
• Machine Type: Uses Earth Pressure Balancing (EPB) technology to manage Kolkata's soft soil and high groundwater table safely.

• The Route: Operating on the underground section of Kolkata Metro's Purple Line, which aims to connect Joka to Esplanade.
• Executing Agency: The project is being managed and driven by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) along with L&T.
• The Companion Borer: A sibling TBM named 'Divya' is currently burrowing the parallel twin tunnel and is expected to hit its Victoria breakthrough soon.
• Next Destination: 'Durga' will be retrieved, structural adjustments will be completed, and it will be relaunched from Victoria station to bore another 900 metres toward Park Street.
• Overall Goal: The ultimate project timeline aims for full corridor completion by December 2029.

• Full Name: Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society.
• Alternative Name: Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme - NILP).
• Tagline: "Jan Jan Saakshar" (Education for All).
• Nodal Ministry: Managed by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the Union Ministry of Education.
• Timeline & Budget: Approved as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for a five-year period spanning Financial Years 2022 to 2027, with an outlay of ₹1,037.90 crore.

• Target Audience: Non-literate citizens aged 15 years and above who missed the opportunity for formal schooling.
• Ultimate Goal: To provide functional literacy and life skills to 5 crore learners over five years (averaging 1 crore learners annually).
• Full Literacy Definition: A State or UT is certified "fully literate" under the program when its adult literacy rate touches 95% or higher.

• Volunteerism: Driven completely by community spirit and civic duty (Kartavya Bodh). Volunteers include school/college students, NCC/NSS cadets, civil society members, and homemakers.
• Hybrid & Digital Model: Learning happens through both offline and online modes. Resources are accessed via the DIKSHA Portal and the custom ULLAS Mobile App.
• Multilingual Learning: Textbooks (Primers) like "Ujaas" are printed and distributed in 27 local Indian languages and dialects to guarantee regional inclusivity.

1. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: Imparting fundamental reading, writing, and basic mathematical calculations.
2. Critical Life Skills: Teaching financial literacy, digital literacy, legal awareness, healthcare, hygiene, and electoral processes.
3. Basic Education: Providing institutional equivalency for standard schooling levels (Preparatory: Classes 3–5, Middle: Classes 6–8, and Secondary: Classes 9–12).
4. Vocational Skills: Offering skill-development programs through local Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) to aid local employment.
5. Continuing Education: Facilitating holistic learning modules in arts, science, culture, sports, and recreation for long-term engagement.

• Scientific Name: Crocodylus palustris.
• Common Names: Mugger crocodile, Marsh crocodile, or Broad-snouted crocodile.
• Physical Appearance: They are medium-to-large-sized reptiles characterized by having the broadest snout among all living crocodilian species, strongly resembling the American alligator.
• Size & Lifespan: They grow between 6 to 13 feet on average, and adults can live for up to 70–80 years.
• Burrowing Behaviour: They are well known for digging deep underground burrows to retreat from extreme weather when temperatures drop below 5°C or climb past 38°C.
• Nesting Habitats: Unlike mound-nesting crocodiles, muggers are an egg-laying and hole-nesting species that dig pits in sandbanks during the dry season.
• Dietary Patterns: They are opportunistic apex predators. Juveniles eat insects and small fish, while adults feed on fish, frogs, birds, monkeys, deer, and turtles.

• Primary Habitat: Strictly a freshwater species preferring slow-moving environments like marshes, lakes, rivers, hill streams, and artificial village ponds. They can occasionally tolerate coastal saltwater lagoons.
• Global Range: Native across the Indian subcontinent, including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, and parts of southeastern Iran. They are considered extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar.
• Core Indian Populations: Distributed across 15 Indian states. The densest populations thrive in the Middle Ganges basin (Bihar/Jharkhand), the Chambal River basin (Madhya Pradesh/Rajasthan), and the urban river systems of Gujarat.

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
• Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972: Schedule I (granting it the highest level of legal protection against hunting and trade in India).
• CITES: Appendix I (strictly prohibiting international commercial trade of the species or its parts).

• Chemical Pollution: Agricultural runoff and illegal dumping of toxic chemicals (like the recently discovered Aldrin) poison river ecosystems.
• Habitat Fragmentation: Encroachment of riverbanks, urban construction, sand mining, and drying water bodies break up their natural territories.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict: Due to high human densities surrounding freshwater lakes in states like Gujarat, accidental encounters and attacks on fishermen lead to retaliatory killings.
• Commercial Exploitation: Entanglement in commercial fishing nets, egg poaching, and illegal hunting for alternative medicine markets or skins.

• Common Name: Indo-Pacific finless porpoise.
• Scientific Name: Neophocaena phocaenoides.
• No Dorsal Fin: Unlike dolphins, it completely lacks a dorsal fin, featuring a smooth back with a broad, low ridge covered in small bumps (tubercles).
• Physical Features: They have a rounded head, a blunt snout (no beak), and a streamlined body.
• Coloration: They are typically uniform gray to slate-coloured, with a lighter underside.
• Size: Small-bodied, they grow up to 1.9 metres in length and weigh between 30 to 45 kg.

• Geographic Range: Found in the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, stretching from the Persian Gulf and Pakistan, down around India, and through Southeast Asia to the Taiwan Strait.
• Shallow Waters: They exclusively inhabit shallow waters (less than 50 metres deep) like bays, mangrove swamps, estuaries, and river mouths.
• Indian Presence: Stranding records and rare sightings confirm their presence across all coastal states of peninsular India, including protected clusters in the Sundarbans.

• Shy Nature: They are non-flashy, quiet swimmers that do not leap or ride bow waves, making them very difficult to spot at sea.
• Social Structure: Generally solitary or found in tiny pods consisting of a mother and a calf.
• Diet: Opportunistic feeders eating fish, shrimp, squid, and occasional estuarine plant material.
• Communication: They rely heavily on high-frequency narrow-band clicking sounds for echolocation and navigation in murky waters.

• IUCN Red List: Classified globally as Vulnerable (though certain localized subspecies and freshwater counterparts are Critically Endangered).
• Indian Legal Protection: Listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, giving it the highest level of legal protection in India.
• Major Threats:
  • Accidental entanglement in commercial gillnets and ghost fishing nets.
  • Marine plastic pollution clogging digestive systems.
  • Noise pollution from heavy commercial shipping traffic and offshore pile driving.
  • Rapid coastal industrialization and habitat degradation.

• Drug Class: It belongs to a category of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (Glucagon-like peptide-1).
• The Mechanism: It mimics a natural gut hormone released after eating to stimulate insulin secretion, lower blood sugar, and delay stomach emptying.
• Appetite Suppression: The molecule targets brain receptors to signal fullness, significantly curbing hunger and food cravings.
• Biologic Nature: It is a highly complex peptide manufactured utilizing advanced recombinant DNA technology.

• Ozempic: An injectable version approved specifically for managing Type 2 Diabetes.
• Wegovy: An injectable or oral version engineered explicitly for Chronic Weight Management.
• Rybelsus: A daily oral tablet prescribed for blood sugar control in Type 2 Diabetes 

• Glycemic Control: Drastically lowers HbA1c levels in diabetic individuals.
• Massive Weight Loss: Clinical trials reveal that patients can shed up to 15% or more of their total body weight.
• Cardiovascular Protection: Officially FDA-approved to minimize the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and cardiac deaths.
• Expanded Whole-Body Care: Recent medical extensions show clinical efficacy in treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), a severe form of fatty liver disease.

• Gastrointestinal Distress: Very common effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, intense abdominal pain, and severe constipation.
• Delayed Gastric Emptying: Can cause gastroparesis (stomach paralysis) and poses a dangerous pulmonary aspiration risk if a patient undergoes general anesthesia.
• Severe Conditions: Linked in rare cases to acute pancreatitis, gallbladder stones, and acute kidney injuries.
• Black Box Contraindications: Strictly forbidden for individuals with a history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
• Pregnancy Warning: Completely contraindicated for pregnant individuals due to documented risks of adverse fetal outcomes.

• The Price Crash: Once an expensive drug costing up to ₹20,000 per month, intense competition is expected to eventually bring monthly treatment costs down to an affordable ₹1,500 to ₹2,500.
• Misuse Concerns: Medical experts from premier institutions like AIIMS have warned that Semaglutide is not a substitute for diet and exercise, raising alarms over self-medication and cosmetic misuse fuelled by social media.

• Early-Onset Sepsis (EOS):
  • Occurs within 72 hours of birth.
  • Caused by vertical transmission—pathogens acquired from the mother's genital tract or placenta before or during labour.
• Late-Onset Sepsis (LOS):
  • Occurs after 72 hours up to 90 days of life.
  • Caused by horizontal transmission—pathogens acquired from the hospital environment (nosocomial), caregivers, or community contact.

• Maternal Factors (For EOS)

• Prolonged Rupture of Membranes (PROM): Amniotic bag breaking more than 12–18 hours before delivery.
• Maternal Fever or Infection: Chorioamnionitis (infection of the placenta and amniotic fluid).
• Foul-smelling amniotic fluid during labour.

• Neonatal Factors (For LOS)
  • Premature Birth & Low Birth Weight: Immature immune systems and underdeveloped skin barriers.
  • Invasive Procedures: Prolonged use of catheters, feeding tubes, or mechanical ventilators in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
  • Birth Asphyxia: Lack of oxygen at birth that disrupts the infant’s natural defences.

• Bacteria: Most common culprit, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Group B Streptococcus (GBS), and Staphylococcus aureus.
• Viruses: Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), enteroviruses, and adenoviruses.
• Fungi: Candida species, particularly common in long-term ICU-admitted preterm infants.

• Feeding Changes: Poor feeding, reduced sucking, or reluctance to feed.
• Temperature Instability: Hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) or fever.
• Breathing Issues: Rapid breathing, grunting, shortness of breath, or apnea (temporary cessation of breathing).
• Skin Changes: Jaundice (yellowing eyes/skin), paleness, or mottled, bluish skin tone.
• Neurological Signs: Lethargy, excessive sleepiness, extreme irritability, floppy body movements, or seizures.
• Gastrointestinal Issues: Vomiting, diarrhoea, or a visibly swollen belly.

• Blood Cultures: Considered the gold-standard test, though results take 24–48 hours.
• Sepsis Screen: A panel of rapid tests evaluating Total Leukocyte Count (TLC), Absolute Neutrilphils, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and platelet count.
• Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap): Performed to test cerebrospinal fluid if newborn meningitis is suspected.

• Empirical Antibiotics: Immediate intravenous (IV) broad-spectrum antibiotics are given even before culture results are out.
• Supportive Care: Oxygen support, intravenous fluids, and maintaining optimal body temperature via incubators.
• Long-Term Impact: Surviving infants—especially preterm ones—can experience chronic lung disease, neurodevelopmental delays, cerebral palsy, or hearing and vision impairments.

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