Current Affairs – April 26, 2026

{GS2 – Governance} Issue with Dowry Laws in India

Context (TP): Despite strong anti-dowry laws, India continues to witness high dowry deaths due to weak enforcement, social norms, and institutional failures.

Dowry Crisis in India

High Incidence: Around 20 dowry deaths daily; over 6,000 cases annually indicate a persistent crisis.
Underreporting: Many cases are disguised as accidents or suicides, making actual numbers higher.
Regional Concentration: States like UP, Bihar, MP, & Rajasthan account for a major share of cases.
Low Conviction Rates: Only ~11–17% cases result in a conviction, reflecting weak justice delivery.

Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, bans giving, taking, or demanding dowry, with penalties of imprisonment and fines.
BNS provisions (earlier IPC) punish dowry death and cruelty by husband/relatives.
Indian Evidence Act and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, strengthen prosecution and protect victims.

Why Anti-Dowry Laws Remain Ineffective?

Poor Enforcement: Despite strong laws like the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, weak implementation reduces real impact.
Weak Investigation: Faulty FIRs, delays, and poor forensics weaken cases at the initial stage itself.
Low Conviction Rates: Only ~11–17% convictions, leading to low deterrence against offenders.
Judicial Delays: Long trials cause witness fatigue, intimidation, and case collapse (~11–17% conviction).
Deep Social Roots: Dowry persists due to patriarchy, inheritance bias, and economic dependence of women, beyond legal control.

Measures to Eradicate Dowry

Strengthen Enforcement & Investigation: Ensure strict implementation of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, backed by proper FIRs, forensics, digital evidence, and documentation of dowry demands.
Speedy Justice & Case Monitoring: Set up fast-track courts and AI-based dashboards such as CCTNS to flag delays, monitor pendency, and ensure timely action in dowry cases.
Change Social Norms: Promote dowry-free marriages and target groom-side status-driven demands through awareness campaigns and community-led reforms.
Empower Women Economically: Strengthen inheritance rights, education, employment, and financial independence to reduce dependence-driven dowry practices.
Improve Victim Support Systems: Strengthen One Stop Centres, NCW helpline 181, AI chatbots, and legal aid systems for real-time guidance, protection, and grievance redressal.

Read More> Dowry Eradication in India

{GS2 – Governance} U.S Reschedules Marijuana to Lessen Restrictions

Context (RE): The United States Department of Justice has moved to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.

Legal Scope: This reclassification does not legalise recreational or medical marijuana at the federal level.
Drug Assessment: It recognises marijuana’s medical utility and lower abuse potential than Schedule I drugs such as heroin.
Business Impact: The change is expected to ease tax burdens and improve funding and banking access for cannabis firms.

Marijuana Regulation in India

Legal Ban: The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, criminalises the consumption and sale of cannabis resin and flowers.
Bhang Exception: Cannabis leaves and seeds are excluded from the legal definition of cannabis, permitting traditional bhang use.
Medical Use: Licensed Ayurvedic manufacturers can produce and sell cannabis-leaf extracts as medicine with a valid doctor’s prescription.
Hemp Licensing: State governments can grant licences for low-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) industrial hemp cultivation for fibre and seed production.
Penalty Scale: Penalties for illegal possession are weight-based, ranging from six months for small quantities to twenty years for commercial quantities.

Read More > Narcotics Threat in India

{GS3 – Infra} Modernisation of Indian Railways **

Context (IE): Indian Railways is evolving from a volume-based system to a speed, safety, comfort, and integration-driven network aligned with India’s 2047 development vision.

India runs 25,000+ trains daily, carrying 20 million passengers & freight across a 1.37 lakh km network.

Evolution of Indian Railways

Colonial Phase (1853–1947): Built primarily for resource extraction, it later aided national integration.
Post-Independence (1947–2014): Focus on affordability, expansion, and social inclusion.
Modern Phase (2014–Present): Emphasis on technology, speed, passenger experience, and efficiency.

Track & Safety Modernisation

Track Renewal: ~55,000 km of tracks renewed since 2014, improving safety and ride quality.
Safety Infrastructure: 17,500 km of fencing, modern switches and improved sleepers enhance operational safety.
Speed Enhanced: Tracks supporting ≥110 kmph increased to ~80%, while ≥130 kmph rose to ~23%.
Accident Reduction: Train accidents reduced from 135 (2014–15) to 16 (2025–26), with the accident rate improving by ~90%.
Digital Monitoring: Track Management System (TMS) integrates inspection and performance data for real-time maintenance decisions.
Kavach: An indigenous Train Protection system prevents collisions by automatically applying brakes.

New Infrastructure Initiatives

Infrastructure Expansion: Large-scale projects under PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan with ~6,000 km new lines, doubling, and multitracking to enhance capacity.
Speed Transformation: Introduction of semi-high-speed trains like Vande Bharat Express and development of bullet train corridors.
Station Modernisation: Amrit Bharat Station Scheme upgrading 1300+ stations with modern amenities and urban integration.
Regional Connectivity: Expansion of rail links to Northeast capitals (Aizawl, upcoming Imphal, Kohima, Gangtok) for inclusive development.
Freight Efficiency: Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) to separate cargo and passenger traffic, improving speed and logistics efficiency.
Governance Reform: Merger of Railway Budget with Union Budget based on NITI Aayog recommendations to enable integrated transport planning.

{GS3 – Envi} India’s Circular Economy Transition

Context (PIB): The 2^nd Global Symposium on Resource Efficiency and the Circular Economy highlighted India’s growing role in the global transition towards a circular economy.

About India’s Circular Economy

The circular economy is a regenerative model that replaces the linear “take-make-dispose” system with a ‘waste-to-wealth’ closed-loop system, reusing resources.
Key Drivers: Recycling and biotechnology-driven innovations drive sustainable manufacturing.
Economic Potential: India’s circular economy market is expected to generate over $2 trillion and create around 10 million jobs by 2050.
Significance: The shift towards a circular economy supports India’s net-zero emissions target for 2070 and the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.

Key Government Initiatives and Framework

Policy Framework: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) now enforces circular compliance for plastics, e-waste, and batteries via recycling targets and digital credit verification.
Plastic Regulation: Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 require 30% recycled content in rigid packaging, increasing to 60% by 2028–29.
Sectoral Planning: NITI Aayog created action plans for End-of-Life Vehicles, Waste Tyres, E-waste, and Lithium-ion Batteries to build infrastructure and formalise circular value chains.
Urban Waste: Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 prioritises scientific waste processing and fixing legacy landfills to enhance urban environmental health.
Biomass Utilisation: The GOBARdhan scheme promotes ‘Waste-to-Wealth’ by turning cattle dung and crop residue into commercially usable compressed biogas.
Digital Support: AI-based sorting, blockchain traceability, and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled tracking strengthen real-time waste monitoring and audit compliance.
Global Outreach: India launched the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) during its G20 Presidency to deepen global collaboration.

{GS3 – Envi} Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) as a Resilient Model for India’s Climate Adaptation **

Context (TH): India’s climate vulnerability requires Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) to align resilience planning with local risks, livelihoods, and community priorities.

About Locally Led Adaptation (LLA)

LLA is a climate-resilience framework in which communities, grassroots organisations, and local governments hold primary authority over design, priorities, and financing.
COP26 Pledge: At COP26 in Glasgow, global leaders and funders committed more than $450 million to locally led adaptation approaches.
Flexible Design: Unlike rigid top-down projects, LLA uses flexible programming to adapt strategies as weather patterns or social needs shift.
Equity Focus: LLA explicitly targets the ‘vulnerability gap’ by enabling landless labourers, women, and marginalised castes to influence resource allocation.

Significance of LLA for India

Local Precision: India’s 15 agro-climatic zones require granular planning for varied crises ranging from Sundarbans salinity to Ladakh glacial melt.
Governance Integration: LLA improve last-mile adaptation by linking Panchayati Raj decentralisation with local climate planning and National Adaptation Fund delivery.
Livelihood Security: For India’s 60% climate-sensitive workforce, local planning protects livelihood assets such as grazing lands and seed banks.
Economic Cushioning: Community-managed resilience funds serve as a decentralised insurance mechanism against India’s annual $5-6 billion loss from extreme-weather events.

Key Obstacles to Expanding LLA

Finance Gap: Less than 10% of global climate finance reaches local levels due to high transaction costs and limited direct access windows.
Institutional Bias: Expert-led bureaucracy often treats local communities as technically unfit to manage climate budgets.
Compliance Burden: International fiduciary standards and complex reporting metrics place a burden on smaller organisations that prioritise field impact over paperwork.
Elite Capture: Weak social safeguards can allow local elites to capture adaptation resources, excluding marginalised groups from intended benefits.

Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) Initiatives in India

Agricultural Resilience: National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) establishes Climate-Resilient Villages where farmers adopt heat-tolerant seeds and moisture-saving techniques.
Participatory Planning: Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) mandates village-level assemblies to identify climate risks and integrate adaptation projects into village development budgets.
Livelihood Diversification: DAY-NRLM empowers women’s self-help groups to manage local funds for climate-resilient farming.
Spring Rejuvenation: Sikkim’s Dhara Vikas trains ‘barefoot engineers’ to revive mountain springs and secure water for drought-prone hilltop households using local ecological mapping.
Coastal Empowerment: Tamil Nadu’s ‘Climate Smart Villages’ project empowers Panchayats to manage salinity-resistant farming and bio-shields to mitigate sea-level rise.

{Prelims – Initiatives} Electronic Visa (e-Visa) System

Context (TH): Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) expanded India’s e-Visa by designating 14 new commercial seaports as official Immigration Check Posts.

India’s e-Visa system is a fully digital platform enabling foreign nationals from 172 countries to obtain travel authorisation online.
It processes travel authorisation within 72 hours and eliminates the need for physical consulate visits.
Categories: The system covers 13 sub-categories, including e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical, e-Conference, and other specialised visas.
- Recent Categories: It includes the e-Ayush visa (2023) for wellness tourism and the e-B-4 visa (2026) for regulated Chinese investment and technical operations.
Eligibility: Requires at least six months’ passport validity; it excludes diplomatic passport holders and people of Pakistani origin from general eligibility.

{Prelims – S&T} FDA Approves First Gene Therapy for Genetic Hearing Loss

Context (NBC): The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Otarmeni as the world’s first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss.

Otarmeni treats severe congenital hearing loss in paediatric and adult patients caused by rare mutations in the OTOF gene.
Mechanism: It uses a harmless viral vector (Adeno-Associated Virus) to deliver a functional copy of the OTOF gene into the inner ear, restoring otoferlin production and hearing.
Efficacy: Trials showed 80% of treated children regained hearing & speech perception within 24 weeks.

The OTOF gene provides instructions for producing otoferlin, a protein essential for transmitting sound signals from the inner ear to the brain.

{Prelims – S&T} New Study on Uranus’s Outer Rings Indicates Possible Moonlets

Context (IE): A recent study found that the compositions and origins of Uranus’s two outermost rings differ from each other.

Significance: The finding challenges existing planetary formation models, requiring dedicated Uranus orbiter missions.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and an ice giant with 13 rings, rotating on its side due to its 98-degree axial tilt.
Space Mission: Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to fly past Uranus, discovering two rings, Lambda and Zeta, in 1986.

Key Findings and Hypothesis

Mu (μ) Ring: It is the outermost ring. It appears blue and contains microscopic water-ice particles like Saturn’s E-ring.
- Origin: From ice grains knocked off Uranus’s 12-km-wide moon, ‘Mab’, by micrometeorite impacts.
Nu (ν) Ring: The inner Nu Ring appears reddish and contains rocky material with 10–15% of carbon-rich organic compounds.
Hypothesis: Scientists believe the Nu ring may originate from tiny, undiscovered rocky moonlets orbiting within it.

{Prelims – S&T} ISRO Records Highest Collision-Avoidance Manoeuvres *

Context (IE): ISRO has conducted 140 collision-avoidance manoeuvres in 2025, the highest since 2010.

Mass Alerts: Over 1.5 lakh collision alerts were issued by global tracking systems for Indian satellites.
Orbit-Wise Distribution: Of 140 CAMs, 14 were in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), 4 in Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and 2 for Chandrayaan-2.
One CAM was conducted for the ISRO-NASA joint mission, NISAR, which was launched in July 2025.

Understanding Collision-Avoidance Manoeuvres

CAMs are orbital adjustments made by satellites to prevent potential collisions with space debris or another spacecraft.
Trigger: Initiated when a predicted close approach crosses safety thresholds based on tracking data.
Execution: Performed by firing onboard thrusters using stored fuel to slightly change the satellite’s orbit.
Purpose: Ensures the safety of space assets & prevents cascading debris events (Kessler Syndrome risk).

Kessler Syndrome

It is a scenario where collisions between satellites and debris create a cascading chain reaction, exponentially increasing space debris in orbit.
Critical Zones: Most dangerous in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where satellite density is highest.
Impact: It can render key orbits (especially LEO) unusable, threatening satellites, space missions, and global communication and navigation systems.

{Prelims – In News} Pachpadra Refinery

Context (IE): The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has ordered a probe into the fire at Pachpadra refinery, which postponed its inauguration.

The Pachpadra refinery project is India’s first greenfield integrated refinery and petrochemical complex, situated in Rajasthan.
It is a joint venture, HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL), with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) holding 74% and the Rajasthan Government 26%.
The complex is designed to produce high-value Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) grade fuels.
Economic Impact: It is expected to create over 1 lakh jobs, boosting downstream industries like plastics and synthetic fibres.

{Prelims – PIN World – Asia} Japan

Context (TH): Japan issued a tsunami alert following a magnitude 7.5 offshore earthquake.

Japan is an East Asian archipelago comprising over 14,000 islands. It has four main islands—Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest, with the capital, Tokyo), Shikoku, and Kyushu.
It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, along the seismically active Ring of Fire.
Tectonic Setting: It sits on multiple converging plates, including the Pacific and Philippine Sea Plates, subducting beneath nearby continental and microplates.
Maritime Boundaries: It is bordered by the Sea of Okhotsk in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, the East China Sea in the southwest, and the Sea of Japan in the west.
Geographic Features: Around 73% of Japan is mountainous, and it has over 100 active volcanoes, including Mount Fuji, its highest peak.
Straits & Rivers: Key straits include the Tsushima Strait and Tsugaru Strait; major rivers include the Shinano, Tone, and Kiso.