Current Affairs – January 18, 2026

{GS2 – Social Sector} Great Indian Protein Spin

• Context (TH): A growing number of Indians are turning to high-protein foods and supplements, driven by fitness awareness and lifestyle diseases.

New Consumption Trends of Proteins

• Protein Add-ons: Fast food brands are introducing add-ons like protein slices; E.g., McDonald’s protein slice adds ~5 g extra protein per serving.
• Functional Dairy Boom: Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese and Skyr products are rising as easy protein; they combine high protein & convenience for daily use.
• Supplement Routine: Many urban consumers now take one scoop/day of plant or whey protein to meet targets like 90–100 g/day consistently.

Drivers Behind the “Protein Wave”

• High Deficiency Base: Around ~73% Indians are protein-deficient, creating a strong consumer push for protein-focused foods and supplements.
• Lifestyle Disease Rise: India is witnessing rising obesity and metabolic disorders, linked to carb-heavy diets flagged by ICMR, driving demand for protein rebalancing.
• Market Growth Signal: India’s protein market is $1.52 billion (2025) and projected to reach $2.08 billion (2030), showing rapid mainstreaming.
• FMCG Proteinisation: Protein is now added to cereals/snacks/bread/dosa batter, etc., reflecting growing demand for convenient everyday protein options.

Key Concerns

• Gimmick Foods: Protein-added wafers/chocolates may be marketed “healthy” despite high calories; India’s diet is already ICMR-noted carb-heavy, worsening quality.
• Contamination Risk: Some supplements reportedly contained heavy metals (lead/arsenic), fungal toxins and pesticide residues, raising public health risk.
• Nutrition Trade-off: Over-fixation on protein can reduce fibre/micronutrients; many fail to meet balanced intake even when protein rises, worsening gut/metabolic health.

Way Forward

• Label Integrity: Make protein claims strictly verifiable with batch-wise testing; E.g., enforce FSSAI protein labelling norms with NABL-certified random audits.
• Affordable Protein: Increase access to low-cost protein through public nutrition channels; E.g., add pulses/eggs/milk options via PM POSHAN and ICDS.
• Healthy Reformulation: Push industry toward real nutrition instead of gimmicks; E.g., incentivise biofortified staples through POSHAN Abhiyaan and nutrition-smart procurement.

{GS3 – IE} Winter Peak Power Surge **

• Context (IE): India’s peak power demand rose to 245 GW on Jan 9, which exceeded the summer 2025 peak of 242 GW, driven mainly by unusual cold conditions.

Drivers of Winter Peak Power Surge

• Harsher Winter Loads: Unusually cold conditions across large parts of India increased domestic electricity use for heating and climate conditioning.
• Muted Summer Cooling: Summer 2025 saw intermittent rainfall and relatively mild temperatures, which kept the summer peak well below the projected 277 GW.
• Climate Volatility: Seasonal demand is becoming less predictable due to changing weather patterns, disturbing the traditional “summer peak” assumption.
• EV Charging Push: Rapid growth of electric two-wheelers, especially in towns and gig-economy segments, is adding new charging load.
• Building Conditioning: Rising glass-heavy commercial and residential buildings require higher climate conditioning even in winter months, which is expanding base electricity demand.

Impacts of Peak Power Surge

• Peak Frequency Shock: Peak demand crossed 240 GW only 7 times during Apr–Dec 2025, but in January it crossed 240 GW on three days (Jan 9, 12 and 13), signalling sharper short-duration stress events.
• Rising Winter Sensitivity: Peak demand in the first half of January was over 3% higher year-on-year, forcing utilities to hold higher reserves even in months previously treated as non-peak season.
• Planning Mismatch: Full-year demand growth is expected at only 1.5–2%, yet peak demand is surging disproportionately, increasing investment needs for peaking capacity.

Way Forward

• Storage Scaling: Expand grid-scale storage to shift surplus energy from non-peak to peak hours; E.g., Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
• Firm Capacity: Increase reliable round-the-clock sources like nuclear and thermal for stability.
• Demand Forecasting: Upgrade climate-linked load forecasting using a granular weather model.
• EV Load Management: Promote smart charging and time-of-day tariffs to avoid peak stress.

{GS3 – Agri} India’s Fisheries Sector Growth **

• Context (NOA | N18): Govt data shows India’s fish production rose by ~106% jump in a decade, driven by aquaculture expansion and policy push.

Significance of the Fisheries Boom

• Livelihood Backbone: Fisheries support the livelihoods of ~3 crore fishers and fish farmers, making it a critical rural employment and income sector.
• Jobs Creation: Fisheries schemes created ~74.66 lakh direct + indirect employment opportunities since 2014–15, supporting coastal and inland economies.
• Nutrition Security: Fish is a low-cost cost high-quality protein source; it helps improve nutrition.
• Blue Economy Catalyst: Marine fisheries are integral to India’s Blue Economy framework, promoting sustainable marine resource utilisation and coastal development.

Government Push for the Fisheries Boom

• Major Outlay: Since 2014–15, projects worth ₹32,723 crore were approved across key fisheries schemes, expanding production + infrastructure.
• Core Schemes: Push driven through Blue Revolution, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY).
• Welfare Coverage: ~34.71 lakh fishers covered under group accident insurance, improving security.
• Credit Access: ~4.49 lakh Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) issued, improving working formal credit inclusion.

Key Challenges of the Fisheries Sector

• Post-Harvest Wastage: Despite output reaching ~198 lakh tonnes (2024–25), India’s perishable supply chains often lose ~5–10% due to inadequate storage/transport.
• Economic Disparities: Though small-scale fishers comprise 90% of the workforce, they contribute less than 10% of the marine catch, while mechanised fleets capture the bulk of profits.
• Bycatch and FMFO Pressure: Over 50% of trawl fishery hauls are low-value juvenile bycatch, often diverted to the fishmeal and fish oil industry, threatening long-term stock sustainability.
• Regulatory Fragmentation: Separate Marine Fishing Regulation Acts across coastal states create loopholes, allowing fishers to bypass restrictions.
• US Demand Cliff: After January 2026, exporters report an almost empty US order pipeline, which is critical as the US still absorbed ~35% of India’s seafood exports ($2.8 billion) in FY25.
• Shrimp Overdependence: Frozen shrimp contributes over 70% of India’s marine export earnings, exposing exporters to tariff shocks like the effective US duty of ~59.7%.

Way Forward

• Unified Legal Framework: Enact a national fisheries code with standardised MLS norms, gear restrictions, seasonal bans, and scientific catch limits.
• Regulate Fishmeal Industry: Impose quotas on fishmeal production and incentivise diversion of juvenile catch for inland broodstock development.
• Global Ocean Cooperation: Strengthen partnerships through IORA and FAO to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and promote shared marine stewardship.
• Value Addition: Shift from raw frozen shrimp to processed and ready-to-eat seafood to improve margins and absorb tariff shocks; E.g., expansion of cooked shrimp segments under MPEDA support.
• Farmer & Exporter Support: Strengthen aquaculture insurance, disease surveillance, and cold-chain infrastructure; E.g., PMMSY interventions to stabilise farm incomes and reduce production risks.

Read More > India’s Seafood Exports

{GS3 – Envi} Global Water Cycle and Climate Disasters

• Context (DTE): Floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires are increasingly linked through shifts in the global water cycle, causing rapid swings between wet and dry extremes (climate whiplash) in 2025.

• Water-related disasters in 2025 were associated with ~ 5,000 deaths & displacement of 8 million people.

How Destabilised Water Cycle Amplifies Climate Disasters?

• Flood Extremes: Intense rainfall concentrated over short periods overwhelms urban drains and river channels, triggering flash floods. E.g. Queensland received over 1,000 mm of rainfall within a few days.
• Flood–Disease Coupling: Unusual wet conditions with high temperatures triggered a major melioidosis outbreak in Queensland. By May, 221 cases and 31 deaths were recorded.
• Drought Intensification: Higher evaporation combined with stronger heat increases soil moisture loss and accelerates agricultural drought.
• Climate Whiplash: A wet phase boosts vegetation growth and fuel load, then a sudden heat spell rapidly dries it out and increases wildfire intensity.
• Cyclones in New Zones: Cyclones and intense storms appeared in historically uncommon regions, like the Indonesia–Malaysia belt, showing expansion of cyclone-prone geography.
• Compound Hazards: Floods can trigger landslides, dam stress, and infrastructure collapse, while cyclones bring storm surge along with inland flooding.
• Public Health Risks: Flooding brings soil and freshwater bacteria to the surface and contaminates drinking water sources, triggering disease outbreaks.

{GS3 – Envi} Record Ocean Warming in 2025

• Context (IE): A 2025 study, “Ocean Heat Content Sets Another Record in 2025”, found Earth’s oceans absorbed the highest heat since measurements began (1960s).

Key Findings of the Report

• Record Heat Uptake: Oceans absorbed +23 zettajoules of heat in 2025, higher than +16 ZJ in 2024.
• Location: Heat content was estimated for the top 2,000 metres of oceans.
• Heat Sink Role: Oceans absorb ~90% of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases.
• Sea Surface Warming: Global average sea-surface temperature in 2025 was ~0.5°C above the 1981–2010 baseline, ranking as the third-highest on record.

Impacts of Ocean Warming

• Stratification Rise: Warm surface layers strengthen stratification, blocking vertical mixing, leading to surface becoming nutrient-poor and deeper waters oxygen-starved.
• Food Web Disruption: Less nutrient upwelling threatens phytoplankton, the base of ocean food chains.
• Marine Heatwaves: Marine heatwaves are rising; IPCC notes frequency has doubled (1982–2016).
• Coral Bleaching: Heatwaves trigger coral bleaching, reducing reproduction and increasing vulnerability.
• Storm Intensification: Hotter oceans increase evaporation and energy transfer, leading to stronger cyclones with heavier rainfall and flooding on landfall.

{Prelims – Eco} Co-location and Dark Fibre *

• Context (ET): The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) granted in-principle approval to settlement applications by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the co-location and dark fibre cases.

• Implication: The approval is expected to expedite clearance of the NSE’s long-pending Initial Public Offering (IPO) application.
• Co-location: It is a globally accepted stock exchange service allowing brokers to place servers inside exchange data centres to minimise latency (time lag).
• About the Case: The case, originating in 2015, alleged preferential server access to select brokers, enabling unfair advantages in high-frequency trading.

• Dark Fibre: It refers to unused fibre-optic cables leased to create private, high-speed networks for greater control and security.

• About the Case: A parallel case alleged that NSE permitted an unauthorised vendor to install dark fibre lines, giving select brokers superior data transmission speeds.

{Prelims – Eco} Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima

• Context (NOA): The Ministry of Finance launched Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima for beneficiaries of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

• It is an optional health insurance plan that supplements CGHS, offering cashless treatment, modern procedures, and broader hospital access.
• The scheme offers insurance of ₹10 lakh or ₹20 lakh and allows up to six members on one policy.
• It lets beneficiaries choose between 70:30 or 50:50 co-sharing between insurers and subscribers.
• Premiums under the scheme are exempt from Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Read More > Health Insurance Schemes in India

{Prelims – PAN} Wildlife Census Began in Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary

• Context (HT): A 90-day intensive wildlife census began at Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary to assess if the prey base is adequate to sustain tigers.

• Prerequisite: The census is a prerequisite for formally declaring Kaimur as Bihar’s second tiger reserve, after Valmiki Tiger Reserve.

About Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary

• Forest Type: Kaimur WLS is a tropical dry deciduous forest in southwestern Bihar, bordering Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• Spread: It spans over 1,500 square kilometres, making it the largest wildlife sanctuary in Bihar.
• Features: The sanctuary forms part of the Vindhya Range with plateaued hills, deep gorges, and waterfalls (e.g. Karkat, Telhar).
• Hydrology: Kaimur WLS is a vital catchment area for the Son and the Tamsa (Tons) River.
• Vegetation: Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest is dominated by sal, teak, bamboo, and mahua.
• Faunal Diversity: Leopards, sloth bears, chital, sambar, four-horned antelope, nilgai, wild boar, etc.

Read More> Bihar National Parks, Tiger Reserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries & Ramsar Sites

{Prelims – S&T} Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module’s Orbital Shift

• Context (TH): Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) data showed that the discarded propulsion module of Chandrayaan-3 had an orbit-altering close encounter with the Moon.

Key Details

• After Chandrayaan-3 mission completion, ISRO placed the discarded propulsion module in an elliptical Earth orbit of about 125,000 km perigee and 305,000 km apogee.
• The module entered the Moon’s sphere of influence from November 4-14, with two close lunar flybys at around 3,740 km and 4,537 km from the lunar surface.
• Lunar gravity reshaped its orbit, with the apogee rising to ~727,000 km and the perigee to ~409,000 km, close to Moon’s average distance from the Earth of ~384,000 km.
• The orbit was also tilted by about 22°, reflecting a three-body problem in which combined Earth-Moon gravitational pulls caused a chaotic orbital change.

Read More > Types of Satellite Orbits