UPSC Current Affairs 03 October 2026

• What it is: Makhana is the popped seed of Euryale ferox, a prickly aquatic water lily plant belonging to the Nymphaeaceae family.
• Common Names: It is globally marketed and recognized as fox nuts, lotus seeds, or gorgon nuts.
• Classification: Although treated commercially alongside dry fruits and nuts, it is structurally a popped seed from a freshwater wetland crop.

• Global Monopoly: India remains the absolute global leader in makhana production, with Bihar alone contributing roughly 80% to 85% of the total country's supply.
• Cultivation Scale: In Bihar, makhana cultivation covers more than 35,000 hectares spanning across 10 major districts.
• Institutional Support: Cultivation and processing are backed by technical research from Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour and the ICAR-National Research Centre for Makhana, Darbhanga.
• Geographical Indication: The premium "Mithila Makhana" holds a prestigious GI Tag protecting its regional authenticity.

• Harvesting: Gathering makhana is highly labour-intensive, requiring skilled farmers to dive into muddy, shallow pond beds to forage for the raw seeds.
• Popping: Raw seeds are cleaned, sun-dried, graded by size, and roasted at high temperatures. The hard shells are cracked open manually or mechanically, causing the inner kernel to burst instantly into a crisp, light-white puff.

• Macro Profile: Makhana is an exceptional plant-based superfood that is high in carbohydrates but virtually fat-free.
• Rich Protein & Fiber: It delivers a substantial dose of plant-based protein, making it a popular dietary choice during traditional religious fasting (vrat) and for vegan diets.
• Essential Minerals: It contains low sodium paired with high amounts of magnesium, potassium, and calcium, which support cardiovascular health and bone density.
• Naturally Gluten-Free: Its gluten-free properties have turned it into a highly sought-after healthy alternative snack in western markets. In FY 2025-26, India exported more than 7,000 metric tonnes of makhana products worth $22 million to over 20 global destinations.

• The RELIEF (Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation) scheme is in the news because the Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently extended the operational timelines under Component II of the scheme.
• The Department of Commerce on 30th September 2026, extending the validity of Component II to support upcoming export shipments.

• Launch Date: It was originally launched on 19th March 2026 under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM).
• Financial Outlay: The government approved a total financial package of ₹497 Crores for this intervention.
• Nodal Implementing Agency: The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC Ltd.) acts as the primary hub handling risk verification, claim settlements, and real-time dashboard monitoring.
• Core Objective: To mitigate unexpected risk, ease the financial strain on exporters, and maintain the competitiveness of Indian exports globally.

1. Component I (Past Shipments Support):
   • Covers past insured consignments dispatched during the peak disruption period (14th February to 15th March 2026).
   • Provides up to 100% risk coverage for war and political risks while keeping premium rates locked at pre-disruption levels.
2. Component II (Prospective Shipments Support - Extended):
   • Encourages exporters to take out fresh ECGC coverage (Stand Alone or Whole Turnover Policies) for upcoming trade rounds.
   • Grants up to 95% risk coverage for loss.
   • Ensures that insurance premium rates do not rise beyond pre-disruption baselines.
3. Component III (Uninsured MSMEs Support):
   • Specifically targets Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who did not possess prior insurance.
   • Offers a 50% partial reimbursement for freight and insurance cost escalation, capped at ₹50 Lakhs per exporter.

• Cargo Types Included: Applies strictly to Full Container Load (FCL), Less than Container Load (LCL), and Reefer containers (perishable goods). Energy/fuel shipments are explicitly excluded.
• Eligible Destinations: Covers consignments destined for delivery or transshipment through affected West Asian nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and recently added corridors like Egypt and Jordan.
• Logistical Relief: In addition to insurance, the framework coordinates secondary benefits such as port storage fee waivers and real-time transit tracking.

• Collaborative Framework: The initiative is executed under the Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project (TARP), a joint collaboration since 2018 involving the Government of West Bengal, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Core Objective: The principal goal is to establish a viable, free-ranging, and breeding population of wild tigers in their historical natural range where they have gone locally extinct.
• Broader Strategy: The program aligns with India's Project Tiger framework and its commitments to the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Source Habitat: The tigress was translocated from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar.
• Terrain Match: Valmiki TR was selected because its landscape matches the Terai Arc ecosystem of Buxa. Sundarbans tigers were explicitly excluded due to drastically different mangrove habitat conditions.
• Phased Release: Initially, T138 has been placed in a 2.3-hectare enclosed area to acclimatise to the environment before she is set free into the broader reserve.
• Rigorous Monitoring: Post-release tracking relies on an intensive combination of satellite telemetry (radio-collaring), camera trapping, and ground patrolling to study her adaptation, health, and movements.
• Future Additions: Forestry officials plan to introduce two to three more tigers to Buxa in subsequent phases to build a breeding nucleus.

• Status: Located in northern West Bengal, Buxa was established as India's 15th tiger reserve in 1983.
• Ecological Importance: It forms a critical transboundary ecological corridor connecting the forests of North Bengal with Assam and Bhutan.
• Habitat Upgrades: Years of preparation preceded the release, including the restoration of over 380 hectares of grasslands, prey-base enrichment (introducing ungulates like chital), and the voluntary relocation of forest villages like Bhutia Basti and Gangutia to create disturbance-free core areas.

• Threat Mitigation: Active hurdles include overcoming historical habitat degradation, heavy anthropogenic (human) pressures, and linear infrastructure dangers like the passing railway line and vehicular traffic.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC): Reintroducing large carnivores near human settlements risks escalating conflict, requiring robust local community partnership, smart corridor management, and rapid compensation systems for livestock losses.
• National Precedents: While India has seen immense reintroduction success in reserves like Sariska and Panna, it has also faced stark human-animal conflicts in areas like Satkosia, making meticulous field-readiness vital.

• Identity and Location: Historically known as Butcher Island, Jawahar Dweep is a restricted offshore island terminal located approximately four kilometers off Mumbai's coastline in the Mumbai Harbour.
• Operational Scope: The terminal functions via five jetties/berths (JD1 through JD5) specifically designed for offloading, storing, and handling crude oil, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and refined petroleum products.
• National Energy Lifeline: It serves as a vital import hub that channels crude oil through submarine pipelines directly to public sector refineries, including BPCL, HPCL, IOCL, and ONGC.
• Traffic Share: Petroleum cargo handled at this facility accounts for nearly three-fifths (60%) of Mumbai Port’s overall traffic volume.

• Targeted Elimination: The institutional ban strictly prohibits single-use plastics across all operational zones, including marine berths, jetties, administrative blocks, and transit vessels.
• Broader Alignment: This initiative directly supports the Ministry's Harit Sagar (Green Port Guidelines) mandate to improve sustainability and reduce carbon and waste footprints across major Indian ports.
• Future Expansion: The Mumbai Port Authority plans to duplicate this successful model by systematically reducing single-use plastics across its commercial cargo docks, residential colonies, and adjoining coastal regions through the rest of the year.

• Birth: He was born on October 4, 1857, in Mandvi town, located in the Kutch district of Gujarat.
• Academic Excellence: He was a brilliant scholar of Sanskrit and other languages. In 1877, he became the first non-Brahmin to be conferred the prestigious title of 'Pandit' by the scholars of Kashi.
• Oxford Education: He graduated from Balliol College, Oxford and went on to become the first Indian Bar-at-law.
• Influences: He was deeply inspired by the ideas of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Herbert Spencer, and Swami Dayanand Saraswati (he strongly admired Saraswati's approach to cultural nationalism).

• Serving Princely States: After returning to India, he had a successful administrative career, serving as the Divan (Prime Minister) of several princely states, including Ratlam, Udaipur, and Junagadh.
• Legal Practice: He also practiced law as an advocate at the Mumbai High Court and in Ajmer.
• Arya Samaj Presidency: Aligned with Swami Dayanand Saraswati's reform movement, he served as the first President of the Bombay Arya Samaj.

• Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS): An organisation formed with the support of notable figures like Bhikaji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji, and S.R. Rana to demand self-rule (Swaraj) for India.
• India House: A student residential hostel in North London that quickly became the ultimate hub for radical Indian nationalists and revolutionaries in Britain.
• The Indian Sociologist: A monthly nationalist journal founded and edited by Varma to critique colonial rule, promote radical political thoughts, and spread ideas of self-determination.

• Mentoring Young Patriots: Through India House, Varma provided scholarships and mentorship to iconic Indian revolutionaries, including Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar, Lala Hardayal, and Madam Bhikaji Cama.
• Sedition and Disbarment: Due to his sharp anti-colonial writings, the British government charged him with sedition. In 1905, the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in London barred him from practicing law. (Note: In 2015, the Inner Temple posthumously reinstated him, acknowledging he did not receive a fair hearing).
• Exile in Europe: To evade British authorities, Varma shifted his operational base to Paris in 1907. With the outbreak of World War I, he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he spent his remaining years collaborating with international anti-imperialist groups.

• Taxonomy & Classification:
  • It is a new species of marine eel.
  • It belongs to the genus Bathymyrus within the family Congridae (commonly known as Conger eels).
• Discovery Timeline:
  • The first sample specimen was originally collected off the coast of Paradip, Odisha, in 2021.
  • It took nearly four years of rigorous data gathering, morphological evaluation, and DNA analysis to officially establish it as a completely distinct species.
• Specimen Collection & Range:
  • Between 2021 and 2025, researchers recorded and analyzed 32 specimens.
  • These specimens were caught across multiple coastal landing sites spanning Paradip (Odisha), West Bengal, the Godavari region, and Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh).
• Habitat & Depth:
  • This deep-water marine fish typically inhabits a depth ranging between 50 to 100 metres off the coast.
• Physical & Morphological Features:
  • Body Structure: It possesses a long, cylindrical body accompanied by a uniquely shaped head and snout structure.
  • Coloration: The body colour ranges from pink to a cloudy pink hue.
  • Pigmentation: It features heavy black pigmentation on the upper portion of its head, alongside a distinct black mark extending directly from the eye to its snout.
  • Fins: The outer edges of both its dorsal and anal fins are lined with thin, dark black margins.
  • Dentition: It has specialized teeth visible on both the upper and lower jaws, as well as across its head region.
• Scientific Significance:
  • This discovery expands India's documented marine fauna.
  • It underlines the deep biological diversity of the Bay of Bengal and highlights the ongoing need for intensive taxonomic coastal surveys along India’s eastern coast.

• Implementation Period: The CAFE-3 norms will be effective from April 1, 2027, to March 31, 2032.
• Applicability: They apply strictly to new M1 category passenger vehicles (vehicles with up to 8 seats, excluding the driver) manufactured or imported for sale in India.
• Exemptions: Small-volume manufacturers selling fewer than 1,000 units annually are exempt from meeting specific targets but must still report data. It does not affect current car owners.

• Fleet-Average System: Carmakers are judged on the overall efficiency of their entire annual sales portfolio, not individual car models.
• Tightening Benchmarks: The fuel-consumption target will systematically tighten from 3.996 litres/100 km (in 2027–28) down to 3.3273 litres/100 km (by 2031–32). This represents a 16.7% efficiency improvement.
• Reference Weight: The calculations will use a standard reference vehicle unladen weight of 1,229 kg.
• Testing Dual-Reporting: Fuel efficiency will be measured using India's existing Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) test while simultaneously reporting under the global Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) to transition toward international standards.

• 3.0x Multiplier: Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and range-extended EVs.
• 2.5x Multiplier: Plug-in hybrids and flex-fuel strong hybrids.
• 1.6x Multiplier: Regular strong hybrids.
• 1.1x Multiplier: Flex-fuel ethanol vehicles.

• Compliance Blocks: The 5-year timeline is divided into two blocks: Block 1 (FY28 to FY30) and Block 2 (FY31 to FY32).
• Credit Trading: Automakers can accumulate, carry forward, or trade compliance credits with other manufacturers within a block. Unused credits lapse at the end of a block.
• Steep Financial Penalties: For manufacturers failing to meet the targets, buyout/penalty prices will start at ₹2,500 and rise to ₹4,500 per gram of CO₂/km by FY32.

• Recognised Innovations: The number of approved fuel-saving technologies has expanded from 4 to 12. Features like automatic start-stop, regenerative braking, tyre-pressure monitoring, solar-reflective paint, and high-efficiency AC systems can give automakers up to a 9 g CO₂/km reduction credit.
• Alternative Fuel Recognition: Tailpipe CO₂ calculations will account for Carbon Neutrality Factors, giving reductions for vehicles utilizing ethanol-blended petrol, compressed biogas (CBG), and other biofuels.

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