India’s first bat assessment highlights threats and major data gaps

• The report is prepared by Nature Conservation Foundation, Bat Conservation International, etc.

Key Findings

• Species Diversity: ~135 bat species recorded, of which 16 are endemic.
  • Seven species are listed under the threatened category by IUCN.
• Threats: Urbanisation, deforestation, climate change, and stigma post COVID-19.

About Bats

• Bats are mammals (give birth to live young), have fur covered bodies, and warm blood.
• They are the only mammals that can undertake true powered flight. 
• Echolocation: Most bats use high-frequency sound waves to navigate and hunt in total darkness.
• Significance:  Provide key ecosystem services like pollination, pest control, and seed dispersal.

Developing nations recently launched the first-ever Borrowers’ Platform at the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings 2026.

About the Borrowers’ Platform

• Objective: A dedicated forum for peer learning, debt management capacity-building, and strengthening borrower voices in sovereign debt negotiations.
  • It is not a debt restructuring forum.
• Members: 30 founding members (including India); Chair-Egypt
• Secretariat: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• Significance: Provides borrowers who have external debt reaching $11.7 trillion in 2024, a formal coordination mechanism.
  • Sovereign debt coordination was long dominated by creditor-led mechanisms like the Paris Club. 

Recent unrest amongst factory workers has expedited efforts to finalize a NFLMW

About NFLMW

• Origin: Concept dates back to 1991 concerning National Commission on Rural Labour (NCRL) chaired by Shri Jhinabhai Darjee recommendations. 
  • Mooted on a voluntary basis as a step to move towards uniform wage structure and reduce disparity in minimum wages across country. 
• Currently, The Code on wages (2019) empowers Centre to fix a floor wage. 
• Hence, Government (centre and state) should fix minimum wage above this level based on skills, areas, occupation, or other local factors. 
• It stood at Rs. 20 (1991) and Rs. 176 (2017). 

India Strengthens Global Anti-Doping Cooperation at WADA GAIIN Final Conference.

About World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

• Established: In 1999, pursuant to the terms of the Lausanne Declaration, as an international independent agency.
• HQ: Montreal (Canada)
• Aim: To lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport. 
• Governance: WADA’s governance and funding are based on equal partnership between the Sport Movement and Governments of the world.
• Key Initiatives: Global Anti-Doping Intelligence & Investigations Network (GAIIN) Initiative, World Anti-Doping Code (Code).

Meghalaya announced the indigenous Khasi and Garo languages as official languages of state, in addition to English.

• These languages can now be used in government communications.
• Once necessary amendments are made to relevant acts of State, legislators will be able to speak and debate in these languages during assembly sessions. 

About Khasi and Garo Languages

• Khāsi: Member of Khasian branch of Mon-Khmer family, which is a part of the Austroasiatic stock.
• Garo:  One of the most important languages of Garo Hills districts (Meghalaya), belongs to one of Bodo groups of Sino-Tibetan language. 
• Note: Both are not currently part of Eighth Schedule of Constitution.

A new bent-toed gecko species, Cyrtodactylus jayadityai, has been discovered in Tripura, named after researcher’s mentor, herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha.

• This raises the Cyrtodactylus count in Northeast India to 31 species.
• It Showed a significant divergence from its closest relative, C.tripuraensis.

About Gecko

• Small, mostly nocturnal reptiles with soft skin and large heads.
• Possess adhesive toe pads enabling wall/ceiling climbing.
• Typically insectivorous; some adapted to human habitats.
• Found globally across deserts to tropical forests.
• Over 1,000 species under suborder Gekkota.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) slightly upgraded India’s GDP growth forecast for FY27 to 6.5% in its latest WEO Report. 

• Global growth is projected to slow to 3.1% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027. 
• Also India  slipped out of world's top five economies in nominal GDP terms to be 6^th largest economy preceded by USA, China, Germany, Japan, and UK. 

About WEO

• It presents analyses and projections of the world economy in the near and medium term. 
• Published twice a year with updates in between. 
• Other Reports by IMF: Global Financial Stability Report, Fiscal Monitor.