SHP Development Scheme aims at harnessing unique strengths of small hydropower. 

About the Scheme

• Tenure: FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31.
• Objective: Support Small Hydro Projects (SHPs) (1-25 MW capacity). 
  • SHPs are administered by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. 
    • Large hydropower projects (>25 MW) fall under Ministry of Power.
• India's SHP Potential: Total of 21,133.61 MW of which 24.5% (5,171 MW) has been harnessed (early 2026). 
• Target: Unlock 1,500 MW of new SHP capacity. 
• Financial Assistance: 
  • North Eastern States & International Border Districts: ₹3.6 crore per MW or 30% of project cost (Cap: ₹30 crore per project). 
  • For other locations: ₹2.4 crore per MW or 20% of project cost (cap:₹20 crore per project). 

Global Network Against Food Crises released 10th edition of Global Report on Food Crises, 2025. 

• As per the report, more than 266 million people in 47 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025.
• Conflict has overtaken extreme weather as main driver.

About Global Network Against Food Crises

• Genesis: Launched in 2016 by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with European Union (EU) and WFP (World Food Programme) at World Humanitarian Summit.
• Purpose: Multistakeholder initiative of humanitarian and development actors, united by commitment to tackle root causes of food crises and to promote sustainable solutions. 

Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released an approach paper to compilation of ISP. 

• Unlike Index of Industrial Production (IIP) which tracks manufacturing, there has been no index to capture short-term movements in services sector, creating a data gap in overall economic performance assessment. 

Key Features of Proposed ISP

• Proposed Base Year: 2024-25. 
• Data Sources: Goods and Services Tax (GST) data, administrative data from sectoral ministries and the Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises.
• Coverage: Index is exclusively designed to track formal sector, including sub- sectors like wholesale and retail trade, transport, banking, insurance, real estate, communication, etc.

Colombia and Netherlands are hosting First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Columbia. 

About the Conference

• Officially announced in 2025 during COP30 (UNFCCC) as sustained political platform to deliver implementation-driven action towards an orderly phase-out of fossil fuels.
• It is not an negotiating body nor constitute part of any formal negotiation.  
• It does not intend to replace United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

Key Highlights of the Conference

• Launched the Science Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET). 
  • Help develop country- and sector-level milestones aligned with returning global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C) by end of century. 

Scientists discovered Gibraltar’s Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), only wild primates found on European continent practicing Geophagy (eating soil).

About Geophagy

• Definition: Geophagy is defined as the voluntary and continuous ingestion of earthy materials, including rocks, soils, and clays, practiced by both humans and animals.
• Reason: Nutrient supplementation, relief from gastrointestinal disorders, and cultural beliefs.
• Prevalence: Commonly seen with Children, pregnant women etc.

Recent measures of inflation control in India, US, and UK highlight economic costs of managing inflation, measured using Sacrifice Ratio.

About Sacrifice Ratio

• It measures the direct economic cost of bringing down inflation.
  • It represents the exact percentage of real GDP lost for every 1% decrease in the inflation rate.
• The metric highlights the strict trade-off between ensuring price stability and sustaining economic growth.
• Higher ratios mean fighting inflation causes significant short-term pain, including increased unemployment and reduced industrial production.

Recent study highlights high disease burden of Typhoid in India, along with growing presence of multidrug- resistant (MDR) and extensively drug- resistant (XDR) strains.

About Typhoid

• Pathogen: Caused by bacterium Salmonella Typhi (lives only in humans)
• Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. 
• Transmission (Faecal-Oral Route): Primarily through contaminated food and drinking water.
• Symptoms: Prolonged high fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and constipation or diarrhoea.
• Typhoid conjugate vaccines used in immunization.

The ongoing megalithic excavation at Virli Khandar, led by Dr. Prabash Sahu, in Maharashtra's Bhandara district (Vidarbha) reveals distinctive burial architecture and funerary practices.

• Preliminary observations suggest the site is at least 2,500 years old, placing it in the Iron Age megalithic period of India.

About Virli Khandar Excavation

• Composite Burials: The site uniquely features stone circles enclosing menhirs (upright standing stones), combining two distinct burial types.
• Inverted Pottery: A rare cluster of ~50 pots, deliberately arranged upside-down.
• Grave Goods: Excavations yielded copper necklaces, iron implements, etched carnelian beads, and fragmentary bone remains.

SIPRI has released the Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2025 Report.

• SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, arms control and disarmament established in 1966 in Stockholm (Sweden).

Key Findings

• The five biggest military spenders in 2025—United States, China, Russia, Germany and India—accounted for 58% of global spending.
  • India is the fifth biggest spender (3.2% of total global expenditure) in the world with total expenditure of $92.1 billion.
  • India’s spending saw a surge of 8.9% compared to the previous year.