India is opposing the US-led Russian Sanctions Act, arguing it undermines its energy security and economic sovereignty
Bilateral Groupings & Agreements Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India's Interests International Treaties & Agreements For Prelims:…
The move comes alongside strong pressure from North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) which advised India, China, and Brazil to stop buying Russian oil or face 100% secondary sanctions.
A Chemical Weapon is a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties while Biological weapons use microbiological agents (such as bacteria, viruses or fungi) or toxins to intentionally ca…
Important International Institutions For Prelims: Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention For Mains: Impacts of Chemical and Biological Weapons, Initiatives related to Chemical and Biological Weapo…
Earlier, Russian claimed that the US had chemical and biological weapons labs in Ukraine, which was denied by the US.
The Ladakh administration has announced the extension of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) framework to all seven districts
The Ladakh administration has announced the extension of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) framework to all seven districts , alongside the creation of 17 new tehsils , to strengthen democratic dece…
Administrative Reorganization and Expansion: Ladakh earlier had only the Leh and Kargil districts .
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared free entry to its protected monuments on International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day (18th April 2025)
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared free entry to its protected monuments on International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) on 18 th April 2025.
It is a day observed globally to promote awareness about the importance of cultural heritage and the need to preserve it.
The Kuril Islands dispute between Japan and Russia is over the sovereignty of South Kuril Islands.
Physical Geography: Kuril Islands are stretched from the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula separating Okhotsk Sea from the North Pacific ocean.
US Secretary of State visit to India highlights growing cooperation in Venezuelan oil, energy security, trade, defence and emerging technologies.
Bilateral Groupings & Agreements Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India's Interests For Prelims: Venezuelan crude oil , Indo-Pacific region , Strait of Hormuz , LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA, and GSOMIA , Artemis Ac…
During the visit, he described India as a "refining superpower," pitched increased exports of US and Venezuelan crude oil to help India diversify its energy basket, and underscored that despite tactical differences, Ind…
At the 50-year commemoration of the Biological Weapons Convention, India warned that the world is not adequately prepared for bioterrorism and urged modernization of the BWC
Important International Institutions Terrorism in Hinterland & Border Areas Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism For Prelims: Biological Weapons Convention , Weapons of Mass Destruction , INTERPOL , SCOMET List.
For Mains: Strengths and weaknesses of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), India’s national biosecurity architecture, regulation of biotechnology.
The US captured President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation in Venezuela, citing a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine and marking a sharp escalation in US interventionism.
Bilateral Groupings & Agreements Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India's Interests For Prelims: Venezuela , Monroe Doctrine, Multilateralism , United Nations Charter For Mains: Monroe Doctrine and its rele…
The action, justified under a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine (1823), marks a sharp escalation in US interventionism in Latin America.
India has approved a ₹7,280 crore scheme to establish a 6,000 MTPA integrated Rare Earth Permanent Magnet manufacturing ecosystem, strengthening critical mineral security, clean-energy manufacturing and Atmanirbhar Bhar…
India has approved a ₹7,280 crore Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM) to build a 6,000 Metric Tonnes Per Annum(MTPA) integrated domestic REPM ecosystem covering the full value…
Implementation: The scheme will be implemented over 7 years (2-year gestation + 5-year incentives), support up to five beneficiaries (1,200 MTPA each), and provide ₹6,450 crore sales-linked incentives and ₹750 crore cap…
The second India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit recently took place in New Delhi, India, with participation from the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
Bilateral Groupings & Agreements Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India's Interests For Prelims: Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) , Indo-Pacific Region , Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET),…
Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit in New Delhi, India.
The Centre has notified five key regulations for Ladakh under Article 240 (not under the Sixth Schedule), addressing long-standing demands for job reservations, language recognition, and political representation.
Issues Relating to Development For Prelims : Article 240 , Sixth Schedule , Article 370 , Article 371 , Autonomous District Councils , Articles 244(2) , Governor , High Court .
For Mains : Overview of recent administrative measures for Ladakh and their shortcomings, key features of the Sixth Schedule, and further actions needed to improve Ladakh’s governance.
The 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in New Delhi, India. The member nations announced new maritime and energy-security initiatives.
Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests Bilateral Groupings & Agreements For Prelims: Strait of Hormuz , South China Sea , Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness , Malab…
The member nations announced new maritime and energy-security initiatives amidst escalating geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the South China Sea .
A recent gubernatorial reshuffle has revived debates on the appointment process and constitutional role of the Governor in India
The President of India President Droupadi Murmu recently announced a major reshuffle of Governors and Lieutenant Governors across several states and union territories.
Ravi has been appointed as the new Governor of West Bengal .
The 22nd ASEAN–India Summit 2025 strengthened regional cooperation, welcomed Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member, and highlighted India’s focus on energy, maritime, and digital connectivity.
Bilateral Groupings & Agreements Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India's Interests For Prelims: Indo-Pacific region , ASEAN , Act East Policy , Free Trade Agreement, Strategic Partnership to Comp…
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP): India reaffirmed its commitment to ASEAN Centrality, Unity , and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) .
Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India's Interests Government Policies & Interventions Recently, Iran gave the Farzad-B Gas Field to Petropars, a domestic gas producer.
This is a setback for India’s energy ties with Iran as ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) had discovered the gas field in 2008 and has been part of the ongoing cooperation on that front.
Wildfires in Albania, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey have resulted in fatalities and forced thousands to evacuate the affected regions
Environmental Pollution & Degradation Wildfires in Albania, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey have resulted in fatalities and forced thousands to evacuate the affected regions.
About: Wildfire is an uncontrolled fire in forests , grasslands , brushlands , or tundra , spread by wind and terrain , and sustained by fuel , oxygen , and heat.
In October 2026, Indonesian forest and peatland fires caused severe haze across Southeast Asia, affecting Malaysia and Singapore and exposing enforcement gaps in the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATH…
A severe transboundary haze crisis in Southeast Asia in October 2026, driven by forest and peatland fires in Indonesia, has affected neighbouring countries, including Malaysia and Singapore, triggering health emergencie…
The crisis highlights the enforcement limitations of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).
India has the opportunity to become a prime manufacturing destination under the China Plus One Strategy, as global companies seek to diversify their supply chains away from China
For Prelims: China Plus One Strategy, PLI (Production Linked Incentive) , Inflation , GDP , India’s trade agreements , GST , Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) .
For Mains: China’s Economic Slowdown and Opportunities for India, Steps taken by India present itself as an alternative to China.
Context: The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) received the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 for its SUVIKALP Mine Repurposing Tool, recognising its contribution to data-driven decision-making and sustainable reuse of closed coal…
SUVIKALP is an indigenous, data-driven Mine Repurposing Tool designed to identify and prioritise sustainable alternative uses of closed and abandoned coal mines .
Organisation: Developed by the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) under the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
Context: Major global web browser vendors—including Google, Mozilla, Apple, and Microsoft—took emergency action to block digital certificates issued by Bengaluru-based certifying authority eMudhra after a severe cryptog…
Digital certificates and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) credentials issued by eMudhra—including Transport Layer Security/ Secure Sockets Layer (TLS/SSL) certificates and code-signing certificates—used globally to authe…
Established in: Founded in 2008, eMudhra is a CCA-licensed digital identity and security firm under the IT Act, 2000, holding nearly 38% of India’s digital signature certificate market.
Context: The 7th edition of the AgriVoltaics World Conference (AWC) 2026 commenced at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking the first time the global summit has been hosted in India and the Global South .
The premier international scientific and industrial conference dedicated to agrivoltaics—the co-location and simultaneous utilization of land for agricultural crop production and solar photovoltaic energy generation .
Host: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.
Context: India’s core industrial growth accelerated to a historic high of 7.9% in September 2026, marking the fastest expansion recorded since the rollout of the new data series in April 2024.
A monthly production volume index that measures the collective and individual output performance of India’s foundational, infrastructure-based industrial sectors, serving as a primary lead indicator for the Index of Ind…
Originally tracked as six core infrastructure industries, later expanded to eight (Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement, and Electricity) under the 2011–12 series.
Context: The Commission for Air Quality Management ( CAQM ) invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR, after the region’s Air Quality Index deteriorated sharply into the Poor category.
The foundational, first tier of the Graded Response Action Plan—an incremental emergency response framework automatically triggered across the National Capital Region whenever the Air Quality Index ( AQI) enters the Poo…
Evolved pursuant to the Supreme Court’s landmark directions in C.
Context: The 33rd edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise ( SIMBEX- 2026 ) commenced at Visakhapatnam, featuring opening ceremonies onboard Indian Navy warships INS Nilgiri and INS Kamorta.
An annual, high-intensity bilateral maritime warfare exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy, representing India’s longest uninterrupted naval exercise with any foreign maritime for…
Host: India (Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh).
