UPSC Current Affairs 19 July 2026

• The trade was facilitated by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) alongside private partners like M/s Osum Food Solutions LLP and Fruit Master Agro Fresh Private Limited.

• Geographical Origin: Sourced straight from the high-altitude, temperate orchards of the Shopian and Pulwama districts in South Jammu & Kashmir.
• High-Density Orchards: Both varieties are grown using state-of-the-art high-density orchard management and scientific farming systems.

• Scientific Classification: They are an elite variety of High-Density European Sweet Cherries.
• Physical Traits: Known for producing large fruits (consistently above 26 mm, scaling up to 34 mm) with a thick skin that resists bruising.
• Taste Profile: Prized for achieving a high sweetness index (above 18° Brix) and a distinctively rich flavour profile.
• Export Advantage: Their firm flesh and thick skin give them a much longer shelf life, making them uniquely capable of enduring long-distance international air transit compared to traditional local cultivars.

• Premium Stone Fruit: Scentrose is categorized as a high-value, specialty stone fruit in India's agricultural export portfolio.
• Aromatic Qualities: Highly valued in quality-sensitive foreign markets for their intense aromatic fragrance and superior texture.

• Rigorous Processing: The fruits underwent strict scientific harvesting, advanced mechanical grading, sorting, and careful packaging.
• Cold-Chain Management: An uninterrupted, high-efficiency cold chain was utilised from the Kashmiri orchards to the departure flights to maintain optimal freshness.
• International Compliance: Shipments successfully satisfied the strict phytosanitary and international food safety protocols mandated by Singapore and the UAE.

• Income Boost: Connecting local growers directly with global buyers is projected to boost local Kashmiri farmer returns by up to 120% compared to domestic wholesale rates.
• Diversification: Diversifies Kashmir’s historical reliance away from apple monopolies, establishing it as a global hub for premium, alternative temperate stone fruits.

• Organiser: The awards are administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Jury Head: An 11-member central jury was chaired by acclaimed filmmaker Jayaraj.
• Eligibility: Only films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between January 1 and December 31, 2024, were eligible.
• Venue: The official announcement was hosted at the National Media Centre in New Delhi.

• Best Feature Film: Article 370 (Hindi), directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale.
• Best Actor (Shared): Mammootty for Bramayugam (Malayalam) and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion (Hindi).
• Best Actress: Yami Gautam for Article 370 (Hindi).
• Best Direction: Rajkumar Periasamy for Amaran (Tamil).
• Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Kalki 2898 AD (Telugu), directed by Nag Ashwin.
• Best Debut Film of a Director: Randeep Hooda for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (Hindi).
• Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values: Captain Miller (Tamil).
• Best Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra for Bhakshak (Hindi).
• Best Supporting Actress (Shared): Sachana Namidass for Maharaja (Tamil) and Ropashree Varkady for Mithya (Kannada).

• Best Music Direction (Songs): Shashwat Sachdev for Article 370.
• Best Music Direction (Background Score): G. V. Prakash Kumar for Amaran.
• Best Male Playback Singer: Abhay Jodhpurkar for the song "Navasachi Gauri Mazi" in Gharat Ganpati (Marathi).
• Best Female Playback Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi for the song "Angu Vaana Konilu" in A.R.M (Malayalam).
• Best Screenplay (Original): Sukumar for Pushpa 2: The Rule (Telugu).
• Best Editing: R. Kalaivannan for Amaran.
• Best Production Design: Nitin Zihani Choudhary for Kalki 2898 AD.

• Best Non-Feature Film: Bhangaar.
• Best Documentary: Ram-Nami.
• Best Film Critic: Sanjeev Shrivastava.
• Best Book on Cinema: Kenchanuru Pradeep Kumar Shetty.

• Quality & Sourcing Gating: It is a framework introduced by the MNRE in 2019 to ensure the quality, reliability, and domestic manufacturing source of solar equipment used in India.
• Dual-List Structure: The policy is divided into two distinct components:
  • List-I: Specifies approved models and manufacturers of Solar PV Modules (effective since March 2021).
  • List-II: Specifies approved models and manufacturers of Solar PV Cells (effective since July 2025).

• The compliance deadline for sourcing domestic solar cells for net metering and open-access projects was pushed from May 31, 2026, to December 31, 2026.

• Target Projects: Compliance is mandatory for Government Projects, government-assisted projects, net-metering systems, and open-access renewable projects.
• Procurement Rule: Any project falling under these categories must exclusively source components from entities explicitly registered on the ALMM list.
• Subsidy Linkage: It acts as a critical gateway for financial incentives, such as subsidy eligibility under the PM Suryaghar scheme.

• Atmanirbhar Bharat: The overarching goal is to make India self-reliant in solar manufacturing and cut down heavy import dependence on foreign countries, particularly China.
• Value Chain Inclusion: Moving from just assembling modules (List-I) to indigenously manufacturing the core cells (List-II) integrates India deeper into the global solar value chain.
• Standardisation: The process prevents the dumping of low-quality or obsolete solar technology into the Indian market.

• Supply-Demand Mismatch: Despite a steady rise in domestic cell production capacity, there remains a structural shortage of high-efficiency cells like TOPCon and HJT to meet immediate developer targets.
• Cost Pressures: Restricting imports can temporarily heighten project costs for small developers until local economies of scale lower domestic manufacturing prices.

• Nodal Ministry: The mega infrastructure mission is executed and funded by the Ministry of Railways.
• Launch Date: Officially introduced in December 2022 to systematically replace older, piecemeal renovation formats like the 2009 Adarsh Station Scheme.
• Target Scale: The overarching blueprint identifies 1,340 railway stations nationwide for complete master planning and phase-wise transformation.
• Projected Timeline: The execution target aims to complete the redevelopment of 400 stations by the end of 2026, scaling up to 700 stations by the end of 2027.

• Regional Identity Integration: Station building designs move away from a uniform template, drawing structural inspiration from local architecture, history, and cultural heritage.
• Prominent Examples:
  • Jaisalmer Station: Upgraded using traditional Rajasthani golden-yellow sandstone architecture.
  • Coonoor Station: Restored using heritage Nilgiris forest murals as a primary tourism anchor.
  • Ahmedabad & Dwarka Stations: Designed with aesthetics heavily drawn from the Modhera Sun Temple and Dwarkadheesh Temple respectively.

• Enhanced Lounges: Setup of spacious concourses, rooftop plazas, executive waiting rooms, and curated food courts.
• Upgraded Layouts: Platforms are resurfaced, roads are widened, and 12-metre-wide Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) with built-in lift provisions are established.
• Barrier-Free Accessibility: Infrastructure features tactile tiling, dedicated pedestrian pathways, and specialised modern restrooms tailored for senior citizens and Divyangjan (differently-abled passengers).
• Digital Navigation: Implementation of high-intensity lighting layouts, free Wi-Fi, and standardized digital passenger information signages.

• City Centre Concept: The long-term vision shifts stations from mere transit points to bustling city centres, connecting both halves of divided cities seamlessly.
• Multimodal Integration: The upgrades directly interface rail networks with local metro lines, bus terminuses, and urban taxi zones.
• Non-Fare Revenue: Stations incorporate local commercial spaces, retail kiosks, and "One Station One Product" stalls to boost economic activity for local artisans and alternative railway revenue.

• Parent Umbrella: It functions internally under the IAMAI framework, mirroring existing bodies like the Payments Council of India (PCI).
• Prominent Founders: Prominent member firms include Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zepto, Meesho, Uber, Rapido, IndiaMART, MakeMyTrip, and Tata 1mg.
• Multi-Stakeholder Forum: The council integrates marketplaces, tech developers, direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, logistics networks, and academic institutions.

• Unified Policy Advocacy: Serving as a central bridge to communicate consolidated industry feedback directly to government policymakers.
• MSME Market Access: Assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with digital boarding tools to scale their consumer reach.
• Consumer Trust: Establishing baseline industry best practices to increase transaction safety, digital payment trust, and responsible commerce.

• Annual Summit: The council announced plans to organize the flagship Indian E-Commerce Summit (IECS) to host ongoing global trade dialogues.

• Dual Commerce Framework: Focuses on both tangible product e-commerce and digital service e-commerce platforms.
• Supply Chain and Mobility: Dedicated to optimizing national logistics, fulfillment channels, and urban ride-hailing networks.
• Emerging Technologies: Centers efforts on incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain to build secure future commerce frameworks.
• Cross-Border Trade: Streamlining export guidelines to help Indian sellers reach global marketplaces effectively.

• The Target: Scammers primarily target finance executives, junior accountants, and HR personnel who handle bank transactions.
• The Impersonation: Fraudsters use social media channels like LinkedIn to map a company's hierarchy and impersonate the CEO, Managing Director (MD), or Board Members.
• The Channels: Phishing and malicious instructions are deployed over everyday communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and corporate emails.
• The Psychological Bait: Attackers create an intense sense of immediate urgency and demand absolute confidentiality, often claiming the transaction relates to a secret business deal or critical regulatory compliance.

• Synthesized Identity: Criminals utilize specialized AI tools to clone the voice or create video deepfakes of top executives.
• Live Deception: They initiate audio/video calls or form fake corporate chat groups where the employee firmly believes they are interacting with their actual boss.

• Initial Compromise: Scammers send an urgent message to a senior official (often pretending to be a regulator like the RBI) containing a compressed .ZIP file or a bad link masked as a security update.
• Token Stealing: Opening the file installs a Trojan horse on the executive's Windows system, which covertly hijacks their active WhatsApp Web tokens.
• Authentic Account Exploitation: Because hackers gain full access to the boss's real WhatsApp account, they message subordinate employees directly from it, bypassing standard security flags.
• Contact Manipulation: In severe cases, hackers take over the device directory and quietly switch phone numbers under the CEO's name to sustain the deception.

• Mule Accounts: Employees are ordered to bypass standard verification protocols to transfer funds immediately to specified mule bank accounts.
• Immediate Laundering: Once the money hits these proxy accounts, it is rapidly withdrawn or converted to cryptocurrencies, making recovery extremely difficult.

• Mandatory Call-Backs: Never authorize payment requests solely based on text or chat; always call the executive on an established, official voice channel to verify.
• Session Management: Corporate systems should strictly enforce auto-logout parameters for WhatsApp Web and external messaging platforms when idle.
• File Restrictions: Train personnel to block down-loading of unsolicited or unknown .ZIP and .EXE files across business endpoints.
• Emergency Reporting: If a breach occurs, victims are urged to immediately alert their bank to freeze funds and file a formal case via the National Cyber Crime Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call the emergency helpline at 1930.

• Scientific Name: Ahaetulla laudankia.
• Recent Identification: While historically misidentified as other brown vine snake variants, it was formally described and classified as a distinct, independent species in 2019.
• Etymology: The name comes from the Odia words "lau" (bottle gourd) and "danka" (dried stem), because its unique body closely mimics a dried bottle gourd vine.

• Distinct Colouration: Unlike common green vine snakes, it features a unique chestnut-brown dorsal body accented with fine black speckles.
• Head Markings: The lower part of its head is easily recognizable by distinct pale white patches and an orange-red belly.
• Anatomy: It possesses a remarkably slender, elongated body, a long, pointed snout, large eyes, and sharp horizontal pupils designed for precise depth perception.
• Average Length: Adult snakes typically measure anywhere between 80 cm and 1.5 metres.

• Endemic Status: It is completely endemic to India and is not found anywhere else globally.
• Native Range: Its structural habitat spans the Eastern Ghats, moving through Central India up to eastern Rajasthan.
• Environment: It primarily thrives in dry deciduous forests, rocky hill slopes, and scrublands, where its brown skin offers flawless camouflage against twigs.

• Activity Pattern: It is diurnal (strictly active during daylight hours) and arboreal (spends nearly all of its life navigating trees and bushes).
• Dietary Preferences: It hunts actively to feed on small lizards, geckos, frogs, and occasionally small birds.
• Venom Profile: It is a rear-fanged, mildly venomous snake. Its venom serves strictly to immobilize tiny prey and is not considered dangerous or fatal to humans.

Download Pdf