A conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated with an overnight airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, which Afghan officials claim killed over 400 people. Pakistan rejected the accusation, stating its strikes targeted military facilities in eastern Afghanistan and dismissed casualty claims as propaganda. India "unequivocally" condemned the attack as "barbaric" and a "blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty," emphasizing its threat to regional peace. The conflict involves repeated cross-border clashes, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militants, a charge Kabul denies. International calls for a ceasefire have gone unheeded.
Afghanistan accused Pakistan of an airstrike on a Kabul hospital, resulting in over 400 deaths, which Pakistan denied as propaganda, claiming military targets were hit.
India strongly condemned Pakistan's actions, calling them "barbaric" and a threat to regional stability and Afghanistan's sovereignty.
The ongoing conflict involves cross-border clashes, with Pakistan alleging Afghanistan provides safe haven to militants, a claim Kabul refutes.
Exam Points
The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is in its third week.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement condemning the attack.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing safe haven for Pakistani Taliban militants.
India's prisons face a severe public health crisis due to poor infrastructure and neglect of inmate ailments. Overcrowding is a persistent issue, with some facilities exceeding 400% occupancy, leading to outbreaks of diseases like herpes simplex virus (HSV), skin diseases, tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, and higher HIV prevalence. A 2023 Lancet study found prisoners five times more likely to develop TB. The system suffers from a 43% vacancy rate for medical officers, making inmate-to-doctor ratios 2.6 times higher than recommended. Solutions include integrating prisons into the National Health Mission, fast-tracking undertrial cases, and expanding bail use.
Indian prisons are grappling with a severe public health crisis due to poor infrastructure, overcrowding, and inadequate medical care.
Overcrowding leads to widespread health issues among inmates, including HSV, skin diseases, TB, COVID-19, and higher HIV prevalence.
A significant shortage of medical officers, with a 43% vacancy rate, exacerbates the problem, leading to an inmate-to-doctor ratio 2.6 times higher than recommended.
Exam Points
In 2023, 30% of inmates in 10 Kerala prisons had skin diseases.
A 2023 study in The Lancet Public Health found prisoners five times more likely to develop TB.
The Model Prison Manual recommends a lower inmate-to-doctor ratio than currently observed.
India's West Asia policy has undergone a significant reset, marked by increased diplomatic engagement, including 15 visits by PM Modi to GCC countries and CEPA agreements. This shift aims to leverage India's national interests, moving towards a "hard diplomacy" approach that prioritizes security and stability concerns of Gulf monarchies. The article discusses criticisms of this reset, such as perceived abandonment of Palestinian and Iranian support, but argues that other international actors like China and Russia have also pursued self-interested policies. It highlights opportunities for India to diversify security partnerships and position itself as an alternative hub amidst regional instability.
India's West Asia policy has seen a "reset" with increased diplomatic engagement and strategic partnerships, including CEPA agreements with UAE and Oman.
The new approach emphasizes "hard diplomacy," prioritizing India's national interests and the security concerns of Gulf monarchies.
Criticisms regarding the perceived abandonment of traditional support for Palestine and Iran are addressed by highlighting similar self-interested policies of other global powers.
Exam Points
PM Narendra Modi has made 15 visits to GCC countries.
India has signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) with UAE and Oman.
The GCC ranks as India's largest socio-economic partner with over $160 billion in bilateral trade.
The Union Budget 2026's ₹20,000 crore allocation for a carbon credit programme has caused confusion regarding its primary focus: Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for "hard-to-abate" industries or carbon credits for farmers through sustainable agriculture. Official documents, like the DST's "R&D Roadmap for CCUS," clearly target industrial sectors (power, steel, cement, refineries, chemicals) for capturing flue gases, explicitly excluding agriculture. However, a parallel narrative persists about farmers earning credits. The confusion stems from the Budget's broad use of "carbon credit programme," highlighting a communication gap and the need for separate policy frameworks for industrial decarbonization and agricultural carbon sequestration.
The Union Budget 2026 allocated ₹20,000 crore for a carbon credit programme, leading to confusion about its beneficiaries.
Official documents indicate the fund is primarily for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in "hard-to-abate" industrial sectors like power, steel, and cement.
Agriculture is explicitly excluded from CCUS strategies but is relevant for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) through soil carbon sequestration and agroforestry.
Exam Points
Union Budget 2026 allocated ₹20,000 crore for a carbon credit programme.
The "R&D Roadmap for CCUS" was released by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in December 2025.
Target sectors for CCUS include power, steel, cement, refineries, and chemicals.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 proposes a new regulatory system to gradually phase out the university affiliation system over 15 years, aiming to foster autonomy and quality in colleges. The current system is riddled with inefficiencies, placing an overwhelming administrative burden on universities, hindering their core functions like research and innovation. It also restricts colleges' autonomy, forcing adherence to rigid syllabi and examination patterns, stifling creativity and innovation. Disparities in educational delivery and outdated curricula further weaken the system. The NEP suggests encouraging colleges to participate in quality frameworks like NIRF and NBA as an alternative to affiliations.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to phase out the university affiliation system over 15 years to promote college autonomy and quality.
The existing affiliation system burdens universities with excessive administrative tasks, diverting resources from research and innovation.
Colleges lack autonomy under the current system, being forced to follow rigid syllabi and examination patterns, which stifles innovation and local relevance.
Exam Points
The NEP 2020 proposes phasing out the affiliation system over 15 years.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA) are mentioned as alternative quality frameworks.
University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines are followed for college affiliations.
The Karnataka High Court has ordered a halt to work on the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in the Western Ghats, following protests from environmentalists. The project, proposed by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), is located in the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot. Environmentalists argue it would destroy wet evergreen forests, isolate lion-tailed macaque populations, and cause landslips. Despite KPCL's defense of the project as crucial for energy transition and meeting 50% non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, an expert panel from the MoEF concluded that its limited operational benefits are outweighed by irreversible ecological and social costs.
The Karnataka High Court halted the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project due to environmental concerns and protests.
The project is located in the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot in the Western Ghats.
Environmentalists fear the project will destroy forests, isolate endangered species like lion-tailed macaques, and cause landslips.
Exam Points
The Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project was proposed by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL).
The project is in the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the Western Ghats.
The Central Electricity Authority recommended a transition to clean energy, targeting 50% non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Tamil Nadu, aiming for a $1-trillion economy by 2030, needs to significantly boost its basic science funding to become a leader in green technology. While the state has integrated climate action across sectors and launched dedicated environmental missions, its revenue spending on Science and Technology (S&T) and R&D expenditure remains modest compared to other states and international benchmarks like South Korea. The current approach risks making Tamil Nadu a consumer rather than a creator of green technologies, as evidenced by the import of photovoltaic modules despite being a solar installation leader. Increased investment in fundamental research is crucial to develop homegrown solutions.
Tamil Nadu aims to achieve a $1-trillion economy by 2030 and become a leading hub for green technology.
The state has implemented various climate action strategies and dedicated environmental missions, including the Climate Change Mission and Green Climate Fund.
Tamil Nadu's R&D expenditure, at under 0.5% of GSDP, is significantly lower than benchmarks, risking its role as a consumer rather than a creator of green technologies.
Exam Points
Tamil Nadu aims to become a $1-trillion economy by 2030.
The state allocated ₹500 crore to establish the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission in 2021-22.
The Tamil Nadu Green Climate Fund was established with a ₹1,000 crore corpus.
The Education Ministry has informed a Joint Committee of Parliament that the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, will incorporate a UGC-like mechanism for grants disbursement. Initially, the Bill aimed to separate funding powers from the regulatory framework to avoid conflicts of interest. However, the Ministry now plans to devise and adopt similar qualitative processes for grants under the Shiksha Adhishthan. Opposition MPs raised concerns about potential centralized control, arguing it would create a "super-regulator" and undermine federalism. They also criticized the Bill as "skeletal," lacking crucial details that would be determined later through rules.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, initially aimed to separate funding from regulatory powers in higher education.
The Education Ministry now proposes to integrate a UGC-like grants-disbursal mechanism under the Shiksha Adhishthan.
Opposition MPs expressed concerns that this move could lead to centralized control, creating a "super-regulator" and violating federalism principles.
Exam Points
The Bill is named Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025.
The Joint Committee of Parliament is led by BJP MP D. Purandeshwari.
The UGC currently disburses monthly grants to Central Universities.
The Supreme Court declared maternity leave a basic human right, ruling that all adoptive mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave, irrespective of the child's age. This judgment struck down a provision in the Code of Social Security (2020) that limited this benefit to mothers adopting children under three months old. The Court emphasized that adoptive mothers have the same rights and obligations as natural mothers, requiring time to nurture the emotional bond. It also urged the Union government to legally recognize paternity leave as a social security benefit, stressing that parenthood is a shared responsibility and children need both parents' presence.
The Supreme Court ruled that maternity leave is a basic human right, extending 12 weeks of paid leave to all adoptive mothers regardless of the child's age.
The judgment struck down a discriminatory provision in the Code of Social Security (2020) that restricted this benefit to mothers adopting children under three months.
The Court highlighted that adoptive mothers require time to establish an emotional bond with the child, similar to natural mothers.
Exam Points
The judgment was delivered by a Bench comprising Justice Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan.
The challenged provision was Section 60(4) of the Code of Social Security, 2020.
The Maternity Benefit Act was replaced by the Code of Social Security in November 2025 (as per OCR text).
BRICS, a significant global collective, has increasingly focused on science, technology, and innovation (STI) cooperation, expanding beyond basic science to socially relevant areas like energy, water, health, and environment. The group's membership has grown to include countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, fostering knowledge exchange and collaborative research. Initiatives like the BRICS Action Plan for Innovation Cooperation and the BRICS Technology Transfer Centre aim to build shared capacities. While significant progress is seen in ICT and HPC, challenges remain in areas requiring heavy infrastructure and due to uneven participation from new members. The 2025 Declaration on AI elevates artificial intelligence as a central pillar of multilateral governance.
BRICS has significantly enhanced scientific, technological, and innovation (STI) cooperation since 2011, expanding to include socially relevant areas.
The group's membership has grown to include countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran, fostering broader collaboration.
Initiatives such as the BRICS Action Plan for Innovation Cooperation and the BRICS Technology Transfer Centre aim to build shared capacities and promote technology transfer.
Exam Points
BRICS cooperation in STI was formally recognized in 2011.
The first BRICS Action Plan for Innovation Cooperation was from 2017-2020.
The 2025 Declaration on AI elevated artificial intelligence to a central pillar of multilateral governance.
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