The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released the RPGC report.

Key Highlights:

• In 2024, global renewable power capacity additions reached 582 gigawatts (GW).
  • Solar photovoltaics (PV) accounted for 452.1 GW (77.8%) of the total, followed by wind, with 114.3 GW.
• Renewables are cheaper than fossil fuel-based alternatives.
  • Wind remained the cheapest source of renewable electricity.
• Economic Gains: In 2024, renewables helped avoid USD 467 billion in fossil fuel costs.
• Short-term risks: Geopolitical tensions, supply chain bottlenecks, and trade-related barriers.

Artists of Sohrai, Pattachitra and Patua art call on the President as part of Kala Utsav-2025 ‘Artists in Residence Programme’ of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

About Arts:

• Sohrai: Sohrai is a harvest festival of Jharkhand. 
  • It is celebrated by Sadan, Oraon, Munda and Santal among others.
• Pattachitra: Pattachitra is a traditional, cloth-based scroll painting originating from Odisha. 
  • The name combines Sanskrit words "patta" (cloth) and "chitra" (picture).
• Patua: It is a folk painting (stitched onto the scroll) that originated in West Bengal.
  • This type of art is traditionally drawn on a piece of cloth known as a pati (or patta).

Supreme Court has held that exclusive possession is not required, even temporary or shared use qualifies as a Permanent Establishment under India-UAE DTAA.

About DTAA

• DTAA is an international agreement between two or more countries designed to prevent the same income from being taxed in both countries.
• DTAA helps ensure that NRIs/Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)/Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) don't face excessive international tax burdens or cash outflows.
• India has signed 94 DTAAs with various countries namely Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria and others.

Union Jal Shakti Minister led a meeting focused on the environmental flow (e-flow) of the Ganga River and its tributaries. 

Environmental Flow (E-Flow):

• It refers to the quantity, timing, and quality of water flow required to sustain freshwater ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them.
• Benefits: Maintains ecological integrity of rivers and their estuaries. 
• Extensive interventions in river flow such as the construction of dams, pollution, and encroachments have severely impacted the ecological balance of rivers. 
  • To address these issues, the concept of "Environmental Flow" has been introduced.

Recently the 3rd Empowered Committee (EC) Meeting under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) scheme was convened.

About PM VIKAS Scheme

• Type: Central Sector Scheme.
• Ministry: Ministry of Minority Affairs. 
• It converges five erstwhile schemes viz. ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Roshni’, ‘USTTAD’ and ‘Hamari Dharohar’ schemes and focuses on upliftment of six notified minority communities.
• Six notified minorities are: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians (Parsis) on socio-economic fronts.

India has proposed the Maritime Development Fund at the Maritime Financing Summit 2025 in New Delhi.

• Maritime Development Fund (MDF): A dedicated blended finance vehicle aimed at lowering capital costs and attracting long-term investment into shipyards, coastal infrastructure and inland waterways.
• Recent initiatives to support maritime sector: India’s ports cut turnaround time to under 1 day, India has opened 100% FDI in Shipping etc.

IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a Eco-Friendly Bamboo Composite for Automobiles using Bambusa tulda combined with biodegradable polymers.

About Bambusa tulda

• Type: Clump-forming evergreen/deciduous bamboo.
• Growth Rate: Very fast-growing.
• Cultivation: Found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand; thrives in moist lowland tropics up to 1500 m elevation.
• Monocarpic: Flowers once in 25–40 years, then die.
• Local names: Jati Bahn (Assam), mritinga (Tripura), spineless Indian bamboo
• Uses
  • Edible shoots: Slightly bitter, usually pickled.
  • Medicinal value: Siliceous secretion used as aphrodisiac and tonic.
  • Other: Agarbatti sticks, lumbar, paper, handicrafts, etc

ISRO is preparing launch of three next‑gen NavIC satellites to enhance sovereign positioning capability.

About Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

• IRNSS, also known as NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)
• It is India’s independent regional navigation satellite system.
• Developed by:  Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) 
• Aim: Designed to provide precise position data in India and up to 1500 km beyond its borders.
• Types of Services
  • Standard Positioning Service (SPS): Open to all users.
  • Restricted Service (RS): Encrypted; only for authorized users like the military.