Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reports India’s current account deficit moderates to $30.1 billion
[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]
Key Updates:
- India’s current account deficit moderated to $30.1 billion (1% of GDP) in April-December 2025 from $36.6 billion in the same period a year ago.
- Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow rose to $3 billion in April-December 2025, up from $0.6 billion a year ago.
- Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) recorded net outflows of $4.3 billion in April-December 2025 against net inflows of $9.4 billion a year ago.
- Foreign exchange reserves depleted by $30.8 billion on Balance of Payments basis in April-December 2025, compared with a depletion of $13.8 billion a year ago.
- Services exports increased annually in major categories such as computer services and other business services.
Similar Coverage
- India’s fiscal deficit for April-January stood at ₹9.81 lakh crore, 63% of the 2025-26 budget estimate.
- The deficit narrowed from 74.5% recorded in the same period of the previous year.
- Total receipts during April-January were ₹27.09 lakh crore, 79.5% of the budget target.
- Total expenditure for April-January was ₹36.90 lakh crore, 74.3% of the budget target.
- Tax revenue receipts were ₹20.94 lakh crore, 78.3% of the budget estimate.
- Non-tax revenue receipts were ₹5.57 lakh crore, 83.5% of the budget estimate.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved a dividend of ₹2.69 lakh crore to the central government, up from ₹2.11 lakh crore last year.
- Revenue deficit was ₹1.96 lakh crore, 37.3% of the fiscal year’s budget target.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set the fiscal deficit target for 2025-26 at 4.4% of GDP.
- The fiscal deficit target for 2026-27 was set at 4.3% of GDP.
- Expenditure on major subsidies (food, fertilisers, petroleum) was ₹3.55 lakh crore, 83% of the revised annual aim.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25%.
- RBI retained the monetary policy stance at "neutral".
- RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated that the MPC met on 4th, 5th and today to deliberate and decide on policy repo rate.
- RBI set its real growth expectation for 2025-26 at 7.4%.
- RBI raised its inflation forecast for Q1 and Q2 of FY27 to 4% and 4.2%, respectively.
- RBI sold $30 billion from its foreign exchange reserves between September and November.
- The benchmark 10-year yield has barely fallen over the past year despite large rate cuts.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sliced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent on December 5.
- The cumulative reduction in the repo rate this calendar year is 125-basis-point.
- The rupee breached the 90-mark against the US dollar, hitting a record low.
- Domestic inflation remains historically benign, with CPI inflation at 0.25 per cent in October 2025.
- The policy announced Rs 1 trillion in Open Market Operations (OMO) and a $5 billion FX swap.
- The 10-year bond yields are expected to move toward the 6.8 to 7 per cent range.
- Experts believe there is scope for another 25 bps cut in this cycle.
- India's Foreign Exchange Reserves increased to $696,610 Million for the week ending December 26 from $693,320 Million in the previous week.
- The reserves reached an all-time high of $704,890.00 Million in September 2024 and a record low of $29,048.00 Million in September 1998.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Interest Rate was recorded at 5.25% in December 2025, down from 5.50% in the previous period.
- The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) stood at 3.00% in November 2025, compared to 3.25% in the preceding month.
- The Reverse Repo Rate was maintained at 3.35% as of November 2025.
- Bank Loan Growth YoY increased to 12.00% in December 2025 from 11.50% in the previous period.
- The RBI Central Bank Balance Sheet was valued at 40,873.89 INR Billion in November 2025.
- Foreign Exchange Reserves in India are projected to reach $710,000.00 Million by the end of the current quarter and trend around the same level in 2027.
- India's Foreign Exchange Reserves averaged $311,804.00 Million from 1998 until 2025.
Meghalaya launches probe into suspected meningococcal cases after two Agniveer trainees die
[Meghalaya, Ministry of Defence (India), Indian Army]
Key Updates:
- Meghalaya’s State Surveillance Unit (SSU) has launched an epidemiological investigation into suspected meningococcal infections in East Khasi Hills.
- Two Agniveer trainees at the Assam Regimental Centre (ARC) have died from suspected meningococcal bacterial infection over the past two weeks.
- The State Health Department has deployed a team at ARC and sent samples for laboratory testing.
- The District Surveillance Unit (DSU) is coordinating with SSU to conduct contact tracing, laboratory reviews, and strengthen surveillance measures.
- No new cases have been detected in other areas or at ARC, and contacts of a previous case have been isolated at Military Hospital (MH) Shillong.
- Army medical officials are conducting intensive monitoring, and masking and restricted movement protocols remain in force at the military facility.
- The health department has advised people to report to the nearest medical facility if they experience sudden high fever, headache, vomiting, or a rapidly spreading rash.
Similar Coverage
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a disease in which a patient's immune system mistakenly starts attacking the peripheral nervous system.
- In GBS patients, parts of the body suddenly become numb, muscle weakness develops, and they may also face difficulty in swallowing or breathing.
- The disease is sometimes linked to eating undercooked poultry, unpasteurised dairy, or consuming water contaminated with sewage.
- Samples of patients' blood serum, food items and other materials have been sent to institutes in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune for testing.
- The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the Goa State Pharmacy Council (GSPC), Quality Council of India (QCI), and HLL Infra Tech Services Limited.
- The agreements aim to strengthen pharmacovigilance systems, enhance professional competencies, and promote uniform standards for medicine quality and patient safety across India.
- The MoU with the GSPC focuses on the professional development of pharmacists, promotion of the National Formulary of India, and strengthening adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting mechanisms.
- The collaboration with the GSPC supports the establishment of ADR Monitoring Centres and enhances systematic reporting and documentation practices across healthcare facilities.
- The IPC and the QCI will collaborate on quality promotion, public health awareness, and capacity building through joint training and awareness programmes in pharmacovigilance.
- Harsh Mangla, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, emphasised that the MoUs must translate into the achievement of objectives to improve primary and secondary healthcare.
- Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the Annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Campaign to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) by the end of 2027.
- The national goal aims to eliminate LF as a public health problem three years ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 2030.
- The current campaign is being implemented across 719 blocks in 124 districts across 12 identified LF-endemic States to bring microfilaria prevalence below 1%.
- From February 2026, the National LF Programme has transitioned to a single unified annual MDA campaign, replacing the previous biannual rounds held alongside National Deworming Day.
- Hydrocele surgery for affected patients has been included under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to ensure financial protection.
- The MDA coverage in India has improved from 75% in 2014 to 85% in 2025, while districts stopping MDA after clearing the Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS-1) rose from 15% to 41%.
- Online reporting for the elimination programme is being strengthened through the Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP).
- The initiative involves multi-sectoral mobilisation with ministries including Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Women and Child Development, Education, Youth Affairs, Tribal Affairs, and Agriculture.
- Two nurses from a private hospital in Barasat, North 24 Parganas, have tested positive for Nipah virus and are on ventilator support due to severe lung and brain infection (encephalitis).
- All government and private healthcare units must immediately report patients with high-grade fever, acute respiratory distress, or encephalitis to the state health department.
- Major private hospitals like CMRI and Manipal Hospital have activated dedicated isolation wards and conducted mock drills following Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and West Bengal Health Department guidelines.
- The Union Health Ministry has deployed the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT), led by All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, to assist the state.
- Nipah virus has two known strains—NiV-Malaysia (NiV-M) and NiV-Bangladesh (NiV-B)—and the strain in West Bengal is yet to be confirmed.
Japan, South Korea and Malaysia to invest ₹1,600 crore in Gujarat’s semiconductor ecosystem
[Japan, South Korea, Malaysia]
Key Updates:
- Gujarat Semiconnect conference in Gandhinagar saw investment proposals worth over ₹1,600 crore to strengthen the state’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem covering manufacturing units, chemicals, equipment, R&D centres and advanced technology startups.
- Japan’s Horiba Group, through Horiba India Pvt Ltd, signed an MoU with the Gujarat government to establish an R&D centre in Ahmedabad focused on semiconductor-grade mass-flow controllers and advanced instrumentation.
- Malaysia-based Hotayi Electronic signed an agreement with the Gujarat government to set up a ₹250 crore electronics manufacturing facility at Sanand GIDC, expected to employ 1,000 persons and supply high-precision components for semiconductor and allied industries.
- Hi-Spec Ltd will set up a ₹750 crore facility to manufacture semiconductor-grade hydrofluoric acid, a critical chemical for wafer processing.
- Kiansh International Technologies, in collaboration with a South Korean firm, will invest ₹25 crore to produce gas abatement systems and scrubbers for semiconductor and solar industries.
- Japanese chipmaker Rohm Semiconductor partnered with Gujarat-based Suchi Semicon to provide IC packaging and test solutions to the local value chain.
- Kaynes Semicon, a subsidiary of Kaynes Technology India Ltd, committed ₹500 crore to Ahmedabad-based startup SpectraGaze Systems to advance India’s capabilities in outer-space imaging and semiconductor technologies.
Similar Coverage
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) plant of Micron Semiconductor Technology India Pvt. Ltd. (Micron) in Sanand, Gujarat, on 28 February 2026.
- The project involves a total investment of ₹22,516 crore and is expected to create 5,000 direct employment opportunities.
- The facility will manufacture Solid State Drive (SSD) storage devices as well as Random Access Memory (RAM) products, specifically Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and NAND.
- The plant will receive advanced DRAM and NAND wafers from global factories and convert them into finished memory products for the global market.
- The technical operations at the ATMP facility include chip assembly, performance testing for speed and memory capacity, marking, and final packaging.
- The facility currently employs 2,000 people and includes specially-abled citizens serving as operators and technicians.
- Qualcomm Technologies announced the tape-out of its 2-nanometre semiconductor design at its Bengaluru Development Centre.
- Tape-out is the final design stage before sending the chip to a fabrication facility for manufacturing.
- Union electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated the next target is to build 2-nanometre fabs in India.
- The milestone follows the government’s announcement of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 in Union Budget 2026.
- Qualcomm’s India president Savi Soin noted the achievement as the outcome of over two decades of sustained effort in India.
- Qualcomm’s largest engineering workforce outside the US is based in India, contributing across design implementation, validation, system integration, and AI optimisation.
- Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano R Amon will keynote the India AI Impact Summit scheduled from 16 to 20 February.
- India signed the Pax Silica Declaration on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
- Pax Silica is the United States Department of State’s flagship framework for building a trusted technology and industrial partner network.
- Signatories to the Pax Silica Declaration include Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the UAE and the UK.
- Non-signatory participants include Canada, the Netherlands, the European Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Taiwan.
- US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described India’s entry as a pivotal moment in the evolving global technology order.
- US Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg stated the initiative rejects weaponised dependency and aims to secure the full technology stack from critical minerals to AI deployment.
- The declaration aligns with the India–United States COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership and Accelerated Commerce and Technology) framework.
- Both countries pledged to promote pro-innovation regulation, strengthen the physical AI stack and drive free enterprise under the Pax Silica framework.
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme under the Semicon India Programme aims to build a self-reliant, globally competitive chip design ecosystem.
- As many as 24 DLI-supported chip design projects target strategic sectors, including video surveillance, drone detection, energy metering, microprocessors, satellite communications, and IoT SoCs.
- Projects supported under the government's DLI scheme are scaling rapidly, with 16 tape-outs, 6 ASIC chips, 10 patents, over 1,000 engineers engaged, and over 3x private investment leveraged.
- With an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) supports investments in semiconductor and display manufacturing as well as the design ecosystem.
- C-DAC, a premier R&D organisation under MeitY, is responsible for implementing the DLI Scheme as the Nodal Agency.
- The DLI Scheme supports semiconductor design across the full lifecycle—from design and development to deployment—covering Integrated Circuits (ICs), chipsets, Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), systems and IP cores.
Scotland becomes first UK country to legalise water cremation via alkaline hydrolysis
[Scotland, United Kingdom]
Key Updates:
- Scotland has become the first country in the United Kingdom to legalise water cremations using the alkaline hydrolysis process.
- Alkaline hydrolysis heats the body to 150 °C in a mixture of potassium hydroxide and water for up to 90 minutes, leaving only bones that are dried, pulverised and returned to relatives.
- The process emits about seven times less carbon dioxide than a typical cremation, which has a footprint of roughly 320 kg of carbon dioxide.
- Water cremation was chosen as the method for anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
- Scottish Public Health Minister Jenni Minto stated the process offers an environmentally friendly alternative and will follow the same regulatory requirements as existing burial and cremation methods.
- Kindly Earth, which holds exclusive UK rights to manufacture hydrolysis equipment, expects the first Scottish procedures to begin in summer after equipment installation and approval from Scottish Water.
Similar Coverage
- Bio-bitumen is produced by converting farm residue, like paddy straw, through a process called pyrolysis.
- A 100-metre trial stretch using bio-bitumen has already been laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya.
- The pyrolysis process also yields energy-efficient gas and high-grade carbon for applications from batteries to water purification.
- The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- The SWM Rules, 2026, will supersede the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and come into full effect from April 1, 2026.
- The rules mandate four-stream segregation of solid waste at source into wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste, and special care waste.
- Bulk Waste Generators (BWG) are defined as entities with a floor area of 20,000 square metres or more, water consumption of 40,000 litres per day or more, or solid waste generation of 100 kg per day or more.
- The rules introduce Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR), making BWGs accountable for processing wet waste on-site or obtaining an EBWGR certificate.
- Industrial units using solid fuel, including cement and waste-to-energy plants, are mandated to replace it with Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) at a substitution rate increasing from 5 per cent to 15 per cent over six years.
- The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will develop a Centralised Online Portal to track waste generation, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal.
- Environmental compensation will be levied based on the Polluter Pays principle by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) and Pollution Control Committees (PCC).
- Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) are formally recognised as facilities for sorting solid waste and may act as deposition points for various waste streams.
- Special provisions for hilly areas and islands include the levy of user fees on tourists and regulation of tourist inflow based on available waste management facilities.
- State-level committees for effective implementation will be chaired by the Chief Secretary of the State or Head of the Union Territory (UT) Administration.
- World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2.
- The first World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 1997.
- It has been a United Nations (UN) International Day since 2022.
- The Convention on Wetlands was signed on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran.
- The official theme for World Wetlands Day 2026 is 'Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage'.
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary hosts second Indian Bison Fest from March 8
[Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary]
Key Updates:
- The Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary will host the second edition of the two-day Indian Bison Fest on March 8 at Zeropoint.
- The Hirakud Wildlife Division organises the festival to celebrate the Indian bison, locally called Gayala, and its rising numbers in the Debrigarh-Hirakud landscape.
- The 2026 programme adds night camping, making it a two-day immersive experience inside the sanctuary.
- Day 1 features expert talks on gaur behaviour, habitat and conservation, a wildlife film screening, a guided gaur safari, and an evening stargazing session covering constellations like Saptarishi Mandal and Orion.
- Day 2 includes trekking, a cruise ride, and a visit to Bat Island which shelters over 1,000 fruit bats or flying foxes.
- The January 2026 gaur census recorded 848 animals, a net rise of 190 within one year, with 235 juveniles below two years forming nearly 30% of the population.
- The first edition on March 25, 2025 drew over 500 participants from across Odisha, including members of 68 eco development committees and students and teachers from 37 nearby schools.
Similar Coverage
- Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad will establish the national cow culture museum at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University in Mathura.
- The museum will display approximately 100 digital and symbolic models of cattle including all major breeds and endangered species.
- An exhibition dedicated to cow milk and its products will present scientific, nutritional, and Ayurvedic benefits using modern techniques.
- A dairy parlour will offer visitors pure dairy products on the museum premises.
- The project follows directives of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and aims to elevate the identity of the Braj region.
- The three-day North East Spring Festival 2026, also known as the Festival of the North East, begins on February 26, 2026, at the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) Complex in Dimapur, Nagaland.
- The festival is organised by the NEZCC in collaboration with the South-Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC), Nagpur, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.
- The event is celebrated alongside the Madhya Dakshini Festival 2026 to foster cultural exchange between the Northeastern and South-Central regions of India.
- A total of 130 folk artists from the eight Northeastern states and 83 artists from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh will showcase traditional art forms.
- The Madhya Dakshini Festival 2026 is coordinated with initiatives under Bharat Ko Jano and the Border Area Programme.
- Extended festival programmes will be held in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, from March 2nd to 3rd and in Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, from March 5th to 6th.
- Featured musical groups include Blue Temptation from Shillong, Coronation Choir from Dimapur, Bhramos from Kohima, and 6 Strings from Guwahati.
- Dr Prasanna Gogoi serves as the Director of the NEZCC, Dimapur.
- The Bison Horn Maria dance is performed by the Dandami Madia tribe in southern Chhattisgarh.
- Men wear horn-shaped headgear made from bamboo, adorned with bison horns, feathers, and bright cloth strips.
- Women wear handwoven saris, heavy silver and brass ornaments, and headgear with coins from ₹1 to ₹10 worked into their jewellery.
- The dance is performed during the Madia festival, invoking deities such as Budhadev and Danteshwari Mai.
- Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, inaugurated the 3rd International Kite Festival at Baansera Park in Delhi.
- Shah urged the Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to form a committee to make Delhi the national hub for kite festivities.
- He recalled that during the protest against the Simon Commission, kites with 'Simon Go Back' were flown across the country.
- Shah also announced that the Indian government and several state governments will observe Somnath Swabhiman Varsh to mark the 1000th anniversary of the first attack on the Somnath temple.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) marks 25 years; Power Minister launches RCO Portal and BEE Star Label mobile app
[Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)]
Key Updates:
- Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) celebrated its 25th Foundation Day at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
- Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar presided as Chief Guest.
- India has reduced emissions intensity of GDP by 36 per cent from 2005 levels and achieved 52 per cent non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity ahead of 2030 target.
- Policy measures reviewed include Renewable Consumption Obligation (RCO), Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms, ADEETIE initiative for MSMEs, Standards & Labelling programme, and Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code (ECSBC).
- Secretary (Power) Pankaj Agarwal described energy efficiency as India’s “first fuel”.
- BEE@25 commemorative logo was unveiled for use in official communications during the anniversary year.
- RCO Portal launched to strengthen monitoring and compliance under renewable and efficiency programmes.
- BEE Star Label mobile application, developed with CLASP, enables consumers to scan QR codes on star-rated appliances for verified energy performance data.
Similar Coverage
- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will develop pollinator corridors along selected highway stretches during 2026–27.
- Native species to be planted include Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Bottle Brush, Jamun and Siris.
- Each NHAI field office will develop at least three pollinator corridors in 2026–27.
- NHAI targets planting about 60 per cent of its 4 million trees under the bee corridor initiative.
- Goa was awarded the second prize in category 4 of the National Energy Conservation Award 2025 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
- The award was presented by President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi in the presence of Union power minister Manohar Lal and MoS (power) Shripad Naik.
- The head of the state-designated agency in Goa responsible for energy conservation and efficiency activities, Mayur Hede, received the award.
- The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements by states, Union territories, organisations, industries, and other entities in promoting energy efficiency, conservation, and sustainable practices.
- Andhra Pradesh secured the National Energy Conservation Award for the fourth consecutive year.
- Andhra Pradesh secured the First Prize in the Group II category at the National Energy Conservation Award–2025.
- The President of India Droupadi Murmu will present the National Energy Conservation Award–2025 on December 14, 2025, to the State Designated Agency, Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM).
- The State government nominated L Sivashankar, CMD APSPDCL, to receive the award on behalf of APSECM.
- Key initiatives include the Integrated Clean Energy Policy, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Policy 4.0 (2024–29), and sector-specific policies for MSMEs, Electronics, and Food Processing.
- Andhra Pradesh, placed in Group II by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, emerged as the top performer with 89.25 points in State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI)–2025.
- The State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI)–2025 score of 89.25 marks a 2.3 percent improvement over its SEEI–2024 score of 87.25.
- Significant progress was made in enforcing the Energy Conservation Building Code, implementing energy efficiency projects in schools, hospitals, and ITI colleges, introducing advanced technologies in MSMEs, formulating the Energy Conservation Policy, and finalising the State Energy Efficiency Action Plan.
- The National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated every year on December 14 since 1991.
- The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power, spearheads the celebrations every year.
- The objective of the day is to drive mass awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and conservation.
- The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) recognizes industries with National Energy Conservation Awards and awards prizes to national winners of the annual National Painting Competition on Energy Conservation.
- The National Energy Conservation Awards were given away for the first time on December 14, 1991.
- Beginning 2021, the Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) were added under two categories: Buildings, Transport and Industries; and Students and Research Scholars.
- The Ministry of Power launched the National Painting Competition in 2005 to promote energy conservation among students.
Cassava Brown Streak Disease threatens African food security as virus spreads beyond East Africa
[Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)]
Key Updates:
- Cassava Brown Streak Disease causes root necrosis and can lead to total crop loss in infected cassava plants.
- About 33.7 per cent of Africa — roughly 10.2 million sq km — is at risk of CBSD spread.
- The virus is primarily transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, with Sub-Saharan Africa 1 and 2 populations highly efficient vectors.
- CBSD remained largely endemic for more than 70 years along coastal Tanzania and Mozambique before spreading to Uganda and other East and Central African areas.
- Scientists fear westward expansion into major cassava producers Nigeria and Ghana if control measures are not strengthened.
- Weak formal clean-seed systems and farmer reuse of infected cuttings perpetuate disease spread across smallholder farms.
- Dual-resistant varieties are under evaluation in Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Cameroon, Zambia, Brazil and Vietnam.
- Ethiopia has not reported CBSD or its whitefly vector; local studies show field spread via whiteflies is limited to around 17 metres per season.
Similar Coverage
- Bluetongue virus (BTV) is spread by midges and poses no threat to the public or food safety, but it can affect cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.
- The virus affects cattle, goats, sheep, deer and camelids such as llamas and alpacas, causing symptoms like ulcers or sores around the animal's mouth and face, difficulties swallowing and breathing, fever and lameness, foetal deformities and stillbirths.
- Biting midges are most active from April to November, and the potential for spread depends on climatic conditions and wind patterns with lower temperatures significantly reducing the risk.
- The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) monitors midge numbers using traps set in seven locations spread out across Northern Ireland, and samples for suspected cases are sent to national and EU reference laboratories for confirmation.
- Lantana camara grows in a notoriously aggressive way, releasing chemicals into the soil that suppress other vegetation.
- Its leaves, flowers, and berries contain toxins that make them harmful to livestock.
- The plant’s roots dig deep into the soil and spread wide in search of water and nutrients.
- A fine coat of resin on its leaves slows down water loss, letting it thrive even in the poorest soils and through the hottest and driest days.
- A 29-year-old man from Tirthahalli taluk in Karnataka died of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, on 28 January.
- KFD is transmitted to humans through the vector Haemaphysalis spinigera, which is a forest tick, and other infection sources include squirrels and rats.
- The infection spreads through the bite of tick nymphs or contact with sick or dead infected monkeys, but it does not transmit via human-to-human contact.
- The incidence of the fever usually begins in October or November and reaches its peak between January and April.
- Clinical symptoms of KFD include chills, pounding headache, bleeding from the nose, throat, and gums, low blood pressure, and decreased platelet and blood counts.
- Neurological symptoms associated with the infection include nausea, vomiting, muscle stiffness, mental disorder, tremors, poor vision, severe headache, and poor reflexes.
- The case fatality rate for KFD ranges from 2% to 10% depending on early detection and access to healthcare.
- There is no specific treatment for the disease, and management involves supportive care such as intravenous fluid therapy to replace lost fluids and control haemorrhagic bleeding.
- Agricultural Research Council (ARC) released the first batch of South Africa’s locally produced foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine developed at ARC-Onderstepoort.
- The initial batch comprises 12 900 multi-strain doses produced by the ARC Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (ARC OVI) Transboundary Animal Diseases Campus.
- The vaccine is registered as a stock remedy under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act (No. 36 of 1947) and meets required quality, safety and efficacy standards.
- Local production enables faster outbreak response, closer strain matching to regional circulating viruses, and improved supply control.
- Since 2019 the outbreak has spread to eight of South Africa’s nine provinces, severely disrupting the commercial livestock value chain.
- Milk South Africa (Milk SA) welcomed the 12 900 doses but warned volumes fall far short of national requirements and urged rapid scale-up of both domestic and imported vaccines.
MIT scientists identify 541-million-year-old sea sponges as Earth’s first animals
[Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)]
Key Updates:
- MIT researchers detected chemical fossils (steranes) in rocks over 541 million years old, confirming soft-bodied sea sponges as the earliest animals.
- The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analysed Precambrian samples for 30-carbon steranes unique to demosponges.
- Lab burial simulations of modern sponge sterols matched the ancient rock traces, providing three converging lines of evidence: rock samples, living sponges, and lab results.
- Demosponges synthesise these sterols via enzymes absent in bacteria, pushing animal origins deeper into the Precambrian and predating the Cambrian explosion.
Similar Coverage
- Researchers found a chunk of meat from a woolly rhinoceros — a creature similar in size to modern white rhinoceros, but with a shaggy coat of hair — preserved inside the stomach of one of the pups.
- DNA from that flesh and fur survived beneath the Siberian ice for more than 14,000 years, enabling scientists to sequence the entire genome.
- The woolly rhinoceros in question died some 14,400 years ago, just a few hundred years before the species disappeared from the fossil record.
- Chacón-Duque and his colleagues at Uppsala University (UU) found no evidence of inbreeding or harmful mutations that would have doomed the population — it seemed to be healthy.
- The study authors think the newly sequenced DNA provides evidence that climate change was the driving factor behind the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros.
- The puppies, both females, were likely littermates: They were found within about 6 feet of each another and shared some DNA characteristics.
- They died at a fairly young age — at about nine weeks, according to researchers at the University of York (UY).
- Darwin Days 2026 is scheduled from February 10 to February 14.
- The 2026 edition highlights mollusk evolution linked to the Museum of the Earth exhibition 'Marvellous Mollusks: The Secret World of Shells'.
- Darwin Day commemorates Charles Darwin, born on February 12, 1809, and author of 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection'.
- The first organised Darwin Day events were held in 1995 by the Humanist Community of Palo Alto, California.
- The first official Darwin Days, a five-day series of events, took place in 2006 in Ithaca, New York, organised by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and its Museum of the Earth in collaboration with Cornell University and Ithaca College.
- Thousands of dinosaur footprints dating back 210 million years have been found in a national park in northern Italy.
- The footprints - some of which are up to 40cm (15in) in diameter - are aligned in parallel rows, and many show clear traces of toes and claws.
- It is thought the dinosaurs were prosauropods - herbivores with long necks, small heads and sharp claws.
- In the Triassic period - between about 250 and 201 million years ago - the wall was a tidal flat, which later became part of the Alpine chain.
- The prosauropods, which could be up to 10m (33ft) long, walked on two legs but in some cases handprints were found in front of footprints.
- The area is remote and not accessible by paths, so drones and remote sensing technology will be employed instead.
- The Stelvio National Park (SNP) is located in the Fraele valley by Italy's border with Switzerland, near where the Winter Olympics will take place next year.
- Fossil evidence discovered in Gujarat has attracted scientific notice due to evidence of a snake of extraordinary size that existed during what is loosely defined as the Eocene era, some 47 million years ago.
- The species was identified as a related member of the extinct madtsoiid species, the clade of species recognised for having evolved the largest species of snake throughout history.
- The fossils of the collected Gujarat species are dominated by well-preserved vertebrae in sedimentary deposits from the early Eocene period.
- Described in the study published in Scientific Reports, the species has outstanding vertebral features compared with similar species of the madtsoiid genus.
- The Eocene was a time when the planet saw hot conditions year-round, and the polar regions were mostly devoid of ice.
- Analysis of the geological and palaeobotanical data available for Gujarat has revealed a landscape dominated by rivers, deltas, and dense forests.
- Madtsoiids have been found on various southern continents: Africa, South America, and Australia; these continents all comprised the supercontinent Gondwana.
Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) marks 70th Foundation Day on 2 March 2026
[Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)]
Key Updates:
- Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) celebrated its 70th Foundation Day on 2 March 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
- Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the celebrations and urged CWC to aim for Maharatna status.
- CWC recorded its highest-ever turnover of ₹2,776.88 crore and Profit Before Tax of ₹711.60 crore in FY 2024–25.
- CWC is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
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- FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Bangalore, the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), inaugurated a first-of-its-kind women-led industrial park in Gowribidanur, Karnataka.
- The 50-acre industrial park is designed exclusively for FLO Bengaluru members to support first-generation women entrepreneurs in manufacturing and large-scale enterprise.
- The initiative is supported by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) and Karnataka Udyog Mitra (KUM).
- The park provides a comprehensive ecosystem including single window access for approvals, access to financial institutions, and guidance on business planning and project execution.
- Planned shared facilities at the site include skill development and capacity building centres, creche facilities, and Research and Development (R&D) support.
- National Productivity Council (NPC) will celebrate its 68th Foundation Day on 12 February 2026 and observe National Productivity Week from 12 to 18 February 2026 across the country.
- The theme for the 68th National Productivity Week is 'Clusters as Growth Engine: Maximizing Productivity in MSMEs'.
- Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and President, National Productivity Council, Shri Piyush Goyal, emphasised strengthening Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), enhancing manufacturing competitiveness and promoting sustainable industrialisation.
- NPC has 12 Regional Directorates located at Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Patna.
- Twenty-four Local Productivity Councils, concerned Ministries of the Government of India, State Governments, industry associations and academic institutions will collaborate in conducting outreach and awareness activities during the week.
- National Productivity Council (NPC), an autonomous society under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, was established in 1958.
- NPC is a constituent of the Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an inter-governmental body of which the Government of India is a founding member and the current Chair.
- International Customs Day 2026 was observed on January 26.
- The World Customs Organization (WCO) announced the 2026 theme as 'Customs protecting society through vigilance and commitment'.
- The day traces its origin to the first session of the Customs Cooperation Council held in Brussels, Belgium in 1953.
- The Customs Cooperation Council is today known as the World Customs Organization (WCO).
- WCO represents 183 member countries working to strengthen customs systems worldwide.
- International Customs Day (ICD) is observed annually on 26 January to recognise the role of customs administrations in facilitating global trade, protecting borders, and preventing illegal movement of goods.
- The theme for ICD 2026 is Customs protecting society through vigilance and commitment.
- The theme focuses on innovation, digital transformation, and adaptive strategies to secure global trade against challenges such as e-commerce, cross-border crime, and supply chain risks.
- The observance traces its origins to 1953, when the first session of the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) was held in Brussels, Belgium.
- The CCC is now known as the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
- The WCO represents 183 member countries and works to strengthen customs systems worldwide.
- Customs authorities are responsible for preventing smuggling and illegal trade, streamlining import and export processes, and collecting duties to support government revenue.
- Customs administrations also focus on adapting to challenges such as e-commerce and digital trade while strengthening international cooperation through trade agreements.
- ICD aims to raise awareness among travellers and businesses regarding compliance with customs laws to help reduce violations and improve trade efficiency.