Recently, the 17th Toy Biz International B2B Expo in New Delhi highlighted India’s rapidly growing, highly competitive toy manufacturing ecosystem.

About India's Toy Industry

• Key Enablers: Favorable demographics, e-commerce expansion, and growing demand for cognitive STEM and educational toys.
• Export & Employment: Exports grew 151.9% to $384.7M (FY26), recording a $152M trade surplus, while formal employment in the sector more than doubled (from 8,685 in FY19 to 17,693 in FY24).
• Government Initiatives:National Action Plan for Toys (2020), Quality Control Orders etc. 
  • GI tags and the One District One Product: Revitalizing unique heritage toys (e.g., Channapatna Toys and dolls of Karnataka, Leather Toys of Madhya Pradesh, Thanjavur Doll of Tamil Nadu,etc.).

The Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/UTs (PGI-S) and Districts (PGI-D) reports for 2025-26.

About Performance Grading Index

• Objective: Developed to evaluate school education systems and drive state and district-level systemic improvements.
• PGI-S (States/UTs): Grades performance out of 1,000 points across 70 indicators comprising six domains: 
  • Learning Outcomes and Quality, 
  • Access, 
  • Infrastructure & Facilities, 
  • Equity, 
  • Governance Processes, and 
  • Teachers Education & Training.
• PGI-D (Districts): Evaluates districts out of 600 points across 70 indicators which are grouped under 6 categories viz., Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities & Student Entitlements, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital Learning and Governance Process.

Centre approved the nationwide rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU).

About PM-SETU

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in 2025.
• Objective: To transform Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into modern, industry-driven skill development institutions that prepare youth for emerging job opportunities.
• Key Features:
  • Upgrade 1,000 Government ITIs (200 Hubs + 800 Spokes) under Hub-and-Spoke model.
  • Establish Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with industry partnership for cluster management.
  • Performance-linked funding and co-financing by ADB & World Bank.
  • State-of-the-art infrastructure, advanced machinery, and digital learning systems.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched TribeX. 

About TribeX

• It is a first-of-its-kind digital learning platform for India's tribal art, culture and traditional knowledge systems.
• Objective: To develop a comprehensive platform that facilitates structured learning, scholarly research, and digital documentation of tribal art forms and cultural practices.
• It offers five UGC-recognized one-year hybrid diploma programmes, including courses in tribal languages Santali (Ol Chiki).

Mizoram University’s Natural History Museum which is strategically located within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot has been designated as India’s 21st biodiversity repository.

• Designation has been provided under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

About Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot

• Geographical Extent: Covers parts of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, northeast India (excluding Assam) and Vietnam, plus parts of southern China.
• Global Significance: It ranks among the top 10 biodiversity hotspots globally for "irreplaceability" and the top five for the level of threat it faces. 
• High Species Richness: The hotspot harbors roughly 500 mammal species, 1,330 bird species, over 815 reptile species, and more than 500 amphibian species.
• Endemism: More than a third of its reptile species and nearly half of its amphibian species are endemic (found nowhere else).

Other Biodiversity Hotspots in India: Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, and Sundaland biodiversity hotspot (Nicobar Islands in India).

India will assist in the conservation and restoration of the over 1,000-year-old Prambanan Temple in Indonesia.

About Prambanan Temple

• It is an over 1,000-year-old ancient complex located near Yogyakarta on Indonesia's Java Island.
• It is currently the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia.
• Built by the Ruler of Sanjaya vamsha (dynasty).
• Heritage Status: The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Dedicated Deities: It is dedicated to the Hindu Trinity, specifically Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma
• Artistic Features: The temple is renowned for its intricate stone reliefs that depict the Indonesian version of the Ramayana epic. 

Mission Drishti, world’s first OptoSAR satellite from an Indian space start-up GalaxEye, loses communication after a geomagnetic solar storm solar storm.

About Mission Drishti

• It is the first commercial Earth Observation satellite to carry both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Multi-Spectral Imaging (MSI) sensors on a single platform. 
• It is India's largest privately built satellite. 
• Benefits of OptoSAR Technology
  • Single-Pass Capture: By capturing both SAR and MSI data streams simultaneously, the satellite removes the need to fuse data from separate sources.
  • Analysis-Ready Data: This single-pass method delivers an inherently aligned product that provides three times more information than standalone sensors
  • All-Weather Reliability: The combination of optical clarity and SAR allows for all-weather, day-and-night imaging capability, ensuring that cloud cover or darkness do not disrupt operations.

BRICS nations adopted the Guwahati Declaration to combat drug trafficking.

About Guwahati Declaration

• Purpose: Declaration strengthens cooperation against transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking. 
• Information & Technology Exchange: Strengthen intelligence sharing, data-driven approaches, and innovative technologies to combat drug trafficking.
• Reducing drug Demand: Promote initiatives for drug demand reduction and promote healthy lifestyles.