As per the provisional estimates(PE), GVA of the agriculture sector registered a growth of 10.4% during 2024-25.

• The government has raised the budget allocation of Department of Agriculture &Farmers Welfare(DA&FW) to Rs. 1.27 lakh crore (2025-26).
• GVA percentage growth in agriculture and allied sector including crops, livestock, fisheries and horticulture, during the last five years (at current prices) is as under:

• GVA is the value of total output produced in the economy less the value of intermediate consumption (the output which is used in production of output further, and not used in final consumption).
  • GVA at basic prices includes the net production taxes but not net product taxes.

Government issues show-cause notices to edible oil firms over VOPPA non-compliance.

About VOPPA Order, 2025 (amendment to VOPAA Order, 2011)

• It stands for Vegetable Oil Products, Production and Availability (Regulation) Amendment Order, 2025 passed.
• Enactment: under Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and incorporates Collection of Statistics Act, 2008.
• Aim: regulate production and ensure availability of vegetable oil products in India.

Characteristics of New Order:

• Mandatory registration: All edible oil manufacturers, processors, blenders and re-packers must register on the National Single Window System (NSWS) and the VOPPA portal.
• Monthly returns: Compulsory reporting of production, stocks, imports, sales and availability.
• Coverage: Applies to crude, refined, blended oils, vanaspati and margarine.

DRDO has carried out successful demonstration of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.

About Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology

• Concept: Advanced missile propulsion concept that merges the benefits of solid fuel rocket with air-breathing ramjet engines.
  • A ramjet is a type of air-breathing jet engine that uses the missile’s forward speed to compress incoming air, rather than relying on complex rotating parts like conventional jet engines.
• Working: Uses atmospheric oxygen for combustion, reducing onboard oxidiser requirement.
• Benefit: Enables longer engagement range and sustained high-speed cruise.
• Components: Includes a booster, SFDR motor and controlled fuel-flow mechanism.
• Use: Intended mainly for advanced long-range air-to-air missiles.
• Significance: Places India among a limited group of countries with SFDR capability.

A study by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) has examined reasons behind decline and present confinement of megaherbivores, especially Indian one-horned rhinoceros to Kaziranga NP.

• Study shows through fossil evidence that the species was once widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent, but this distribution greatly reduced since the Holocene.

About Kaziranga National Park

• Geography: Located in Assam’s Brahmaputra floodplains between the Brahmaputra River and the Karbi (Mikir) Hills in Assam, India.
• Status: Declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and a Tiger Reserve.
• Biodiversity: The park hosts two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinos, Tiger, Elephant, Asiatic Water Buffalo, and Eastern Swamp Deer.
• Conservation: Established as a Reserve Forest in 1905, it is now an recognized Important Bird Area by birdlife international.

The Union Budget’s ‘turtle trails’ announcement has drawn apprehension from conservationists and wildlife researchers.

Turtle Trails

• Budget Proposal: The Centre plans ecologically sustainable Turtle Trails along key coastal nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala.
• Ecological Threat: Experts argue Arribada (mass nesting) sites must remain no-go zones, as artificial light and movement disorient turtles.
• Conservation vs. Tourism: Researchers warn against building infrastructure at critical rookeries like Rushikulya, citing past ecotourism failures in sensitive habitats.
• Sustainability Path: non-invasive infrastructure, low carbon impact, community engagement.

Experts warn that the expiry of the New START Treaty will remove the last legal restraint on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.

New START Treaty (Signed: 2010, Entered into force: 2011)

• It stands for New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START)
• Limit nuclear warheads: Caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads of the U.S. and Russia at 1,550 each.
• Restrict delivery systems: Limits ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers to prevent arms build-up.
• Strengthen arms control regime: Serves as the last legally binding bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, reinforcing global non-proliferation norms.

Blue Origin recently suspended its New Shepard Suborbital tourism program for at least two years to prioritize NASA’s Artemis lunar lander development.

About Suborbital Tourism

• Sub-orbital Flight: These brief journeys cross the 100km Kármán line, reaching the edge of space without entering a full orbit around the Earth.
• Parabolic Trajectory: Vehicles follow a parabolic path, suborbital vehicles don’t achieve the immense speed necessary to stay in orbit.
• Flight Duration: Flights are very short, typically ~10-15 minutes.
• The Experience: Passengers witness the Earth’s curvature and experience several minutes of weightlessness (microgravity) during the coasting phase.