News at a Glance
| Topic | GS Paper | Context & Key Facts (Explained) |
| MGNREGS Funding Constraints | GS2 – MoRD – Schemes | The MGNREGS is running low on funds just a few months into 2025-26 because a big chunk was used to pay off last year’s wage arrears. Strict finance ministry controls mean funds can’t be frontloaded, leaving many workers with fewer workdays and delayed wages. Governance issues, like fund misuse and poor state follow-up, are recurring. |
| Rajasthan First State with Stray Dog Rules | GS2 – Governance – Issues | Rajasthan has become the first state to put in place clear, humane rules for managing stray dog populations after the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict. Now, municipalities must set up feeding points with community input, care for dogs post-sterilisation, and only allow trained staff to capture animals no more rounding up pups or nursing mothers. |
| UDISE+ 2024–25 Report | GS2 – Education | India’s latest school data shows strong gains: over one crore teachers, a better student-teacher ratio, improved enrolment and retention, and more girls and female teachers. Internet and water access are now nearly universal, but the real headline is the big drop in dropout rates at the foundational stage. |
| NIRF Rankings Under Scrutiny | GS2 – Education | India’s official university rankings are under fire for being easy to manipulate colleges report inflated faculty and resource numbers, boosting their rank. Critics say random audits and transparent data publication are needed to restore integrity, as seen in the Andhra University/IIM Mumbai cases. |
| Famine in Gaza | GS2 – IR – Issues | The UN has declared a famine in Gaza, marking West Asia’s first official famine under global rules. This means at least 20% of households can’t meet basic needs, 30% of kids are acutely malnourished, and death rates are spiking the most severe level of humanitarian crisis. |
| Industry 5.0 | GS3 – IE – Industry | India is entering “Industry 5.0” a new industrial era focusing on smart factories where AI, robotics, and humans work together. The government and AICTE are rolling out new skilling programs to train millions for tech-intensive and creative roles as digitalisation spreads beyond just manufacturing. |
| ISRO Tech Transfer to Private Firms | GS3 – S&T – Tech | India’s space agency has handed over technologies from ceramic chips and adhesives to power converters—to private firms to spur domestic innovation in non-space sectors like automotive and healthcare. The goal: cut imports, help Indian companies upgrade faster, and drive broad-based tech self-reliance. |
| Rare Quadruple Star System Discovered | GS3 – S&T – Tech | Scientists have observed a unique four-star system with two brown dwarfs orbiting two red dwarfs. It’s a first of its kind and upends conventional thinking that such faint, low-mass stars are loners, opening new lines of research in how stars and “failed stars” form together in the universe. |
| Toxic Air Quality in India | Prelims – Env. | Indian air pollution levels (PM2.5) remain shockingly high, averaging 8x the WHO’s safe limit. In Delhi, this could cost residents over 8 years of life. Much of north India still lives with air far worse than national legal limits, and cleaner air could give millions a multi-year boost in life expectancy. |
| India-Bangladesh Border Cooperation | Prelims – IR | The neighbours will ramp up work together to combat cross-border crimes focusing on terrorism, border fencing, joint river bank protection, and public awareness. |
| Aadhaar Biometric Update via UDISE+ | Prelims – Governance | Schools are directed to help update Aadhaar records for kids aged 5–15, using the UDISE+ platform, which tracks nearly all school/students data for education planning. Efficient integration promises smoother service delivery for kids and parents alike. |