🔆 India vs Left Wing Extremism (LWE)

📍 Context
✅ 10 Maoists killed in Gariaband, Chhattisgarh, including top leader
✅ Major blow to CPI (Maoist)

📍 LWE at a Glance
✅ Origin: Naxalbari Movement (1967)
✅ Ideology: Maoism, rooted in socio-economic inequality
✅ Affected belt: Red Corridor (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana, etc.)

📍 Sharp Decline in Violence
✅ Affected districts: 126 (2018) → 38 (2024)
✅ Incidents: 1936 (2010) → 374 (2024) ⬇️ 81%
✅ Deaths: 1005 → 150 ⬇️ 85%
✅ Zero LWE deaths in Kerala & West Bengal (2024)

📍 Government Strategy (NAP 2015)
✅ Zero tolerance to violence
✅ Security + Development approach

📍 Key Measures
✅ Security: CAPFs, fortified police stations, helipads, intel upgrade
✅ Development: Roads, telecom towers, banks, schools, ITIs
✅ Community outreach: Civic Action Programmes
✅ Financial choke: NIA & ED action

📍 Major Gains
✅ 15 top Maoist leaders neutralised
✅ LWE area: 18,000 km² → 4,200 km²
✅ 85% cadre wiped out in Chhattisgarh
✅ Welfare reach via Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Abhiyan

📍 Challenges
⚠️ Residual pockets: Bijapur, Sukma, Gadchiroli
⚠️ Preventing fresh recruitment

📍 Way Forward
✅ Last-mile connectivity by 2026
✅ Tribal education & skilling
✅ Sustained security–development balance

#Security

🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS — 19 JANUARY 2026

🔆 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

📍 Marine Discovery
✅ 300-year-old giant black coral discovered
📍 Location:
✅ Fiordland deep sea, New Zealand

📍 Key Facts
✅ Height: 13+ feet
✅ Width: ~15 feet
📍 Significance:
✅ Indicates centuries-long ocean stability
✅ Important for deep-sea ecosystem research

📍 Global Growth Outlook (WEF)
✅ South Asia identified as fastest-growing emerging region
📍 India anchors regional growth
📍 Drivers:
✅ Reforms
✅ AI adoption
✅ US tech investments

📍 Global Risks
✅ High asset valuations
✅ Rising debt
✅ Geoeconomic realignment

📍 UN High Seas Treaty
✅ BBNJ Agreement enters into force
📍 Covers:
✅ High Seas
✅ International seabed area

📍 About BBNJ
✅ 3rd implementing agreement under UNCLOS
📍 Focus:
✅ Marine genetic resources
✅ Marine Protected Areas
✅ Environmental Impact Assessments
✅ Technology transfer

📍 India
✅ Signed
❌ Yet to ratify

🔆 NATIONAL AFFAIRS

📍 Digital Governance
✅ Govt blocks 242 illegal betting & gambling websites
📍 Reason:
✅ Offshore servers
✅ Encrypted domains
✅ Mirror websites

📍 MSME & Artisans
✅ PM Vishwakarma Haat 2026 inaugurated
📍 Venue: New Delhi
📍 Minister: Jitan Ram Manjhi

📍 PM Vishwakarma Scheme
✅ Launched: 2023
✅ Ministry: MSME
📍 Benefits:
✅ Skill training + stipend
✅ Toolkit incentive ₹15,000
✅ Collateral-free loans up to ₹2 lakh
✅ Interest rate: 5%
📍 Total outlay: ₹13,000 crore (2023–28)

📍 Civil Aviation Regulation
✅ DGCA imposes ₹22.20 crore fine on IndiGo
📍 Reason:
✅ Flight delays & cancellations

📍 Penalty Breakdown
✅ One-time penalty: ₹1.80 crore
✅ Daily penalty: ₹30 lakh × 68 days

📍 Key Issues Found
✅ Over-optimised operations
✅ Weak management controls
✅ FDTL violations

📍 Wildlife Conservation
✅ Second rangewide Dolphin Survey launched
📍 Under:
✅ Project Dolphin
📍 Rivers covered:
✅ Ganga
✅ Brahmaputra
✅ Indus
✅ Sundarbans

📍 Species
✅ Ganga River Dolphin
📍 Status:
✅ IUCN: Endangered
✅ WPA: Schedule-I

📍 MSME Infrastructure
✅ MSME Ministry approves Technology Centres
📍 Locations:
✅ Pandoga (Una, HP)
✅ Parwanoo (Solan, HP)
📍 Cost: ~₹10 crore each

📍 Pharma Exports
✅ Brazil & Nigeria emerge as key markets
📍 Nigeria added:
✅ USD 179 million exports (FY26)

📍 Health Security
✅ Foundation stone laid for India’s first state-funded BSL-4 lab
📍 Location: Gandhinagar

🔆 DEFENCE

📍 Maritime Safety
✅ Indian Coast Guard & Japan Coast Guard conduct HNS response drill
📍 Location: Mumbai
📍 Aim:
✅ Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation

📍 Operation Sagar Bandhu
✅ Indian Army builds third Bailey Bridge in Sri Lanka
📍 Length: 120 ft
📍 Restores connectivity after Cyclone Ditwah

📍 Defence Exports
✅ First consignment of Guided Pinaka rockets exported to Armenia
📍 Deal value: ₹2,000 crore

🔆 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS

📍 EU–MERCOSUR FTA
✅ EU & MERCOSUR sign Free Trade Agreement
📍 Key Feature:
✅ 90% tariff elimination
📍 MERCOSUR members:
✅ Argentina
✅ Brazil
✅ Paraguay
✅ Uruguay

🔆 STATES

📍 Gujarat
✅ Maruti Suzuki to set up new plant at Khoraj
📍 Investment: ₹35,000 crore
📍 Capacity: 10 lakh cars/year
📍 Jobs:
✅ 12,000 direct
✅ 7.5 lakh indirect

📍 Tamil Nadu
✅ Launches Semmozhi Illakiya Virudhu
📍 Purpose:
✅ Honour non-Hindi Indian language writers
📍 Prize:
✅ ₹5 lakh per language

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS

📍 Lokpal Foundation Day
✅ 16 January
📍 Lokpal Act came into force: 2013
📍 Chairperson: Justice A. M. Khanwilkar

🔆 APPOINTMENTS

📍 CVC
✅ Praveen Vashista appointed Vigilance Commissioner

📍 Sports Administration
✅ Vijender Singh joins Asian Boxing Council

🔆 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

📍 AI Translation
✅ Google launches TranslateGemma
📍 Features:
✅ Open-source
✅ Multilingual translation
📍 Model sizes:
✅ 4B | 12B | 27B parameters

📍 Space
✅ NASA moves SLS Moon rocket to launch pad
📍 Mission:
✅ Crewed lunar fly-around (first since 1972)

🔆 SPORTS

📍 Football
✅ Senegal wins AFCON title
✅ Defeats Morocco 1–0 (extra time)

📍 NCC
✅ Lt K M Sudha becomes first Northeasterner to win NCC Gold Medal

#CurrentAffairs

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🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS — 20 JANUARY 2026

🔆 REGULATORY / RBI / BRICS

📍 CBDC Linkage Proposal
✅ RBI proposes linking BRICS Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
✅ Proposal to be placed on agenda of 2026 BRICS Summit
✅ India to host BRICS 2026

📍 Objectives
✅ Faster & cheaper cross-border trade payments
✅ Facilitate tourism-related digital payments
✅ Reduce dependence on US Dollar
✅ Strengthen BRICS financial cooperation

📍 About BRICS
✅ Coined by Jim O’Neill (2001)
✅ Formal grouping since 2006
✅ Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
✅ BRICS+ members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE

🔆 REGULATORY / RBI

📍 Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Amendments
✅ RBI issues PSL Amendment Directions, 2026
📍 Key Changes
✅ Aligns PSL rules with recent regulatory updates
✅ NCDC included under PSL on-lending (subject to conditions)
✅ Clarifications to remove ambiguity in PSL provisions

📍 AUM Calculation
✅ Daily average AUM
✅ Last 6 months
✅ Reference dates: 30 June & 31 December

🔆 ECONOMY / IMF

📍 India GDP Growth Outlook
✅ IMF raises India’s FY26 growth forecast to 7.3%
📍 Earlier forecast: 6.6%
📍 FY27 forecast: 6.4%

📍 Drivers
✅ Strong domestic demand
✅ Investment momentum
✅ Policy continuity

📍 Global Outlook
✅ World growth: 3.3% (2026)
✅ Inflation moderating globally

🔆 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

📍 Gaza Peace Board
✅ US unveils Gaza Peace Board under ceasefire framework
📍 Purpose
✅ Gaza reconstruction
✅ Post-war governance
✅ Investment mobilisation

📍 India’s Role
✅ India among ~60 invited nations
✅ Recognised for peace-building credibility

📍 Membership Rule
✅ Normal tenure: 3 years
✅ $1 billion contributors eligible for extension

🔆 NATIONAL AFFAIRS

📍 India–UAE Relations
✅ India & UAE agree to double trade to $200 bn by 2032

📍 Key MoUs
✅ Strategic Defence Partnership
✅ Space cooperation
✅ Civil nuclear cooperation
✅ HPCL–Adnoc Gas energy deal
✅ Supercomputing cluster in India
✅ UAE participation in Dholera SIR
✅ FAB & DP World offices in GIFT City

📍 Civil Aviation
✅ Dabolim Airport (Goa) to remain fully operational for civilians

📍 Governance Index
✅ Former President Ram Nath Kovind launches
➡ Responsible Nations Index (RNI)
📍 Focus
✅ Ethical governance
✅ Social well-being
✅ Environmental stewardship

📍 Electronics Exports
✅ India achieves record $47 billion electronics exports (2025)
✅ Smartphones: ~$30 bn
✅ 25 lakh jobs created

🔆 SCIENCE / BLUE ECONOMY

📍 Marine Fish Farming
✅ India launches first open-sea marine fish farming project
📍 Location: Andaman Sea
📍 Implemented by
✅ NIOT + MoES + Andaman & Nicobar UT

📍 Focus
✅ Finfish & seaweed cultivation
✅ Livelihood generation
✅ Blue Economy expansion

📍 Critical Minerals
✅ India announces first Tailings Policy
📍 Objective
✅ Recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, REEs from mine waste
📍 Agencies
✅ IBM, CMPDI, AM

🔆 DEFENCE

📍 Coast Guard Exercise
✅ DOSTI-17 Trilateral Coast Guard Exercise
📍 Participants
✅ India
✅ Sri Lanka
✅ Maldives
📍 Location
✅ Male, Maldives
📍 Origin
✅ Started in 1991 (bilateral), trilateral since 2012

🔆 MoUs

📍 GeM – WTC Mumbai
✅ MoU to boost MSME participation in public procurement
📍 Focus
✅ MSMEs, startups, women entrepreneurs
✅ AI, sustainability, green procurement

🔆 STATES

📍 Andhra Pradesh
✅ Satellite Launching Facility planned at Hope Island
📍 Part of Space City Project
📍 Near Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

📍 Culture
✅ PM attends Bagurumba Dwhou 2026
📍 Traditional Bodo folk dance (Assam)

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS

📍 NDRF Raising Day
✅ 19 January
✅ NDRF established in 2006

📍 UN ECOSOC
✅ 80th anniversary on 23 January 2026
📍 Established: 1945

🔆 APPOINTMENTS

📍 Yemen
✅ Shaea Muhssin Mohammed Al-Zindani appointed PM

🔆 AWARDS

📍 SKOCH Award 2025
✅ C-DOT wins for Cell Broadcast Solution
📍 Enables real-time disaster alerts

📍 Cinema
✅ Ilaiyaraaja to receive Padmapani Award
📍 11th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival

🔆 BOOKS

📍 Autobiography
✅ VP C.P. Radhakrishnan releases Hindi edition of
➡ Palanivelu GUTS
➡ Author: Dr. C. Palanivelu

#CurrentAffairs

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🔆 National Emblem of India

📍 Origin
✅ Derived from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath
✅ Adopted as the official National Emblems

📍 Structure & Symbols
✅ Abacus + Lion Capital form the emblem
✅ Four animals on abacus (four directions):
• 🐎 Horse (West)
• 🐘 Elephant (East)
• 🐂 Bull (South)
• 🦁 Lion (North)

✅ Dharma Chakra:
• Wheel with 24 spokes in all directions

📍 Symbolic Meaning
✅ Elephant: Dream of Queen Maya
✅ Bull: Zodiac sign Taurus (Buddha’s birth month)
✅ Horse: Kanthaka, Buddha’s horse of renunciation
✅ Lion: Enlightenment
✅ Four lions: Spread of Dhamma in all directions

📍 Historical Significance
✅ Erected by Emperor Ashoka
✅ Commemorates Dharmachakrapravartana
(first sermon of Buddha)

📍 National Motto
✅ “Satyameva Jayate”
📖 Source: Mundaka Upanishad
📝 Meaning: Truth Alone Triumphs
🔤 Script: Devanagari


#prelims
#art_and_culture

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🔆 Plant Exchange: New World vs Old World (Columbian Exchange)

📍 What it refers to
✅ Transfer of crops, plants, animals & ideas between
🌍 New World (Americas) and 🌍 Old World (Europe, Africa & Asia) after 1492

📍 Plants from the New World (Americas)
✅ Staples & crops
• Maize (Corn)
• Potato
• Sweet potato
• Tomato
• Beans
• Chilli pepper
• Squash

✅ Cash / commercial crops
• Tobacco
• Rubber
• Cacao (Chocolate)
• Vanilla

✅ Fruits & nuts
• Avocado
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Strawberry
• Peanut
• Cashew

📍 Plants from the Old World (Europe–Africa–Asia)
✅ Cereals & staples
• Wheat
• Rice
• Oats
• Rye

✅ Vegetables & spices
• Carrot
• Onion
• Garlic
• Eggplant
• Lettuce

✅ Plantation & beverages
• Sugarcane
• Tea
• Coffee

✅ Fruits & nuts
• Apple
• Banana
• Grapes
• Orange
• Mango
• Peach
• Pear
• Almond
• Pistachio
• Walnut

📍 Historical Significance
✅ Transformed global diets & agriculture
✅ Boosted population growth (potato, maize)
✅ Enabled plantation economies (sugarcane, tobacco)
✅ Linked to colonial expansion & globalisation

#history #prelims #mains

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🔆 Manipur Ethnic Violence Crisis – Ultra-Concise

📍 Context
✅ May 3, 2023: Large-scale ethnic violence erupted in Manipur
✅ Communities involved:
• Meitei (Imphal Valley)
• Kuki-Zo (Hill areas)

📍 Human Impact
✅ 260+ deaths
✅ 60,000 displaced
✅ Thousands of houses destroyed
✅ Prolonged stay in relief camps

📍 Immediate Trigger
✅ Protest against Manipur High Court order recommending ST status for Meitei community
• Feared by Kuki-Zo groups as dilution of land & job protections

📍 Core Causes
✅ Ethnic tensions: Land, jobs, political power
✅ Historical grievances: Tribal marginalisation, demographic change
✅ Security factors: Armed groups, drug routes from Myanmar, looted weapons

📍 Government Response
✅ Curfews & internet shutdowns
✅ Massive deployment of security forces
✅ “Shoot-at-sight” orders
✅ Peace committee (limited success)
✅ President’s Rule imposed – Feb 2025 (continues)

📍 Current Status
✅ Violence reduced but peace not restored
✅ State remains ethnically divided
✅ Displaced families face long-term uncertainty

🔆 UPSC Relevance
✅ GS-II: Federalism, internal security, constitutional governance
✅ GS-III: Internal security, border & insurgency dynamics

#InternalSecurity

🔆 Mirabai (1498–1546 CE)

📍 Early Life
✅ Born in Merta
✅ Married to Bhoj Raj, son of Rana Sanga of Mewar
✅ Renounced royal life to live as a wandering devotee of Krishna

📍 Bhakti & Philosophy
✅ Leading female saint-poet of the Bhakti movement
✅ Advocate of Saguna Bhakti (devotion to a personal God)
✅ Composed devotional songs expressing intense love for Krishna
✅ Famous work: Rag-Govind

📍 Social Message
✅ Disciple of Raidas
✅ Rejected caste hierarchy and social orthodoxy
✅ Spiritual equality over ritualism

📍 Legacy
✅ Songs widely sung in Rajasthan and Gujarat
✅ Popular among marginalised and underprivileged communities
✅ Symbol of devotion, courage, and social defiance

#history #prelims #mains

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