Current Affairs – February 08, 2026

{GS2 – Social Sector} Development Aid Cuts and Global Health Crisis

• Context (TH): Recent estimates warn that sharp reductions in assistance by high-income countries could lead to 22.6 million preventable deaths in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) by 2030.

Scale of Global Aid Contraction

• Major Donor Retreat: The US, Germany, France, UK & Japan together contributed nearly 70% of global Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2023, but most have initiated funding cuts since 2024.
• Historic Decline: 2024 marked the first year in nearly 30 years when leading donors (except Japan) reduced development aid, with further cuts planned for 2025 and 2026.
• Projected Reduction: Overall global aid flows are expected to decline by over 11% between 2025 and 2026, signalling prolonged funding stress for LMIC health systems.

Impact on Global Health Outcomes

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Impact on Mortality

• Rising Preventable Deaths: Under a severe defunding scenario, 22.6 million excess deaths are projected by 2030, including 5.4 million children under five years.
• Aid Effectiveness Evidence: Higher ODA levels are linked to a 23% reduction in overall mortality and 39% reduction in under-five deaths across LMICs.

Disease-Specific Consequences

• Communicable Diseases Surge: Funding cuts are associated with rising deaths from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, and neglected tropical diseases.
• Maternal and Neonatal Risks: Declines in aid threaten essential maternal healthcare services, increasing maternal-perinatal mortality in vulnerable regions.
• Health System Weakening: Reduced financing undermines vaccination programmes, nutrition support, primary healthcare and emergency response capacity.

Way Forward

• Aid Protection: Safeguard Official Development Assistance through legally mandated spending floors, E.g. Germany’s Development Cooperation Act, ensuring minimum aid allocation.
• Innovative Financing: Mobilise private capital using blended finance and health bonds, E.g. World Bank’s Global Health Bonds for vaccine funding.
• Domestic Investment: Increase LMIC health budgets towards the WHO’s 5% of GDP benchmark, E.g. Rwanda’s community-based health insurance expansion.

{GS3 – IE} ACC PLI Scheme Performance

• Context (TH): The Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Production Linked Incentive Scheme, launched in October 2021, aimed to localise battery manufacturing for EVs and energy storage.

• Against a 50 GWh target by 2025, only 1.4 GWh has been commissioned so far, with major delays.

About ACC PLI Scheme

• Objective: Build a domestic advanced battery ecosystem to cut near-total import dependence and support India’s EV and renewable energy transition at scale.
• Financial Outlay: Total scheme size of ₹18,100 crore.
• Incentive Design: Provides performance-linked subsidies of up to ₹2,000 per kWh to attract large private investments into gigafactories.
• Technology-Agnostic: Open to lithium-ion, lithium iron phosphate, sodium-ion and other chemistries, enabling innovation, flexibility and future-ready storage solutions.
• DVA Mandate: Requires 25% domestic value addition within two years and 60% by the fifth year.

Current Performance Snapshot of ACC PLI Scheme

• Installed Capacity: Only 1.4 GWh commissioned, just 2.8% of the targeted 50 GWh by October 2025.
• Delayed Projects: 8.6 GWh is under development with major delays, while 20 GWh shows no progress.
• Jobs Created: Just 1,118 jobs, against an estimated 1.03 million potential jobs.
• Investment Mobilised: Only 25.58% of targeted capital inflows achieved.
• Incentives Released: ₹0 disbursed so far as milestones remain unmet.

Reasons for Underperformance of the ACC PLI Scheme

• Unrealistic Timelines: Two-year gestation period contrasts with global gigafactory setup timelines of 4–6 years, delaying over 90% capacity rollout.
• Raw Material Bottlenecks: India processes <1% of global lithium and lacks large-scale cobalt/nickel refining capacity, blocking domestic value addition targets.
• Experience Gap: Established players like Exide and Amara Raja were excluded, while 100% of awarded capacity went to new entrants.
• Skill Deficit: Battery cell manufacturing workforce remains nascent across 80% of planned projects.
• Visa Delays: Technical specialist shortages stalled plant timelines for multiple gigafactory projects.

Implications for India

• EV Affordability: Batteries form 35–45% of EV cost, and delayed localisation keeps vehicle prices high.
• Import Dependence: India continues to import nearly 100% of advanced battery cells.
• Clean Energy Slowdown: Delayed storage capacity affects renewable integration, as India targets 500 GW non-fossil power by 2030.
• Strategic Vulnerability: China controls over 75% of global battery manufacturing capacity, making India highly exposed to supply disruptions and geopolitical risks.

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Way Forward

• Timeline Realism: Extend commissioning periods in line with global build cycles; E.g., phased gigafactory rollouts under the India Semiconductor Mission model.
• Mineral Security: Scale domestic refining through the Critical Minerals Mission and overseas asset acquisition partnerships; E.g., KABIL acquisition of lithium blocks in Argentina.
• Experience Weightage: Modify PLI bidding to reward proven manufacturing track records; E.g., hybrid eligibility models used in electronics PLI.
• Technology Transfer: Enable fast-track expert visas, joint ventures and licensing agreements with global battery leaders; E.g., China’s CATL-style state-backed tech partnerships.
• Demand Linkage: Integrate ACC PLI with EV subsidies like PM E-Drive and renewable storage tenders to ensure assured market offtake.

{GS3 – Envi} India’s Environmental Justice Under Stress **

• Context (TH): Recent judicial and policy shifts have diluted environmental safeguards, raising concerns over constitutional environmental justice.

Key Signs of Dilution of Environmental Jurisprudence

• Post-Facto Clearances: Authorities increasingly regularise illegal mining and infrastructure projects after violations, weakening the deterrence that earlier court rulings had established.
• EIA Process Weakened: Since Dec 2025, non-coal mining projects can conduct EIAs without precise land location and area details, reducing environmental scrutiny.
• Aravalli Redefinition: Adoption of a 100-metre height criterion excludes vast ecologically crucial hill systems from legal protection.
• Mangrove Loss Approvals: Courts have permitted the removal of over 34,000 mangrove trees for urban infrastructure on compensatory plantation promises.
• Risky Himalayan Projects: Char Dham highway expansion continued despite the identification of 811 landslide-prone zones in Uttarakhand.

Corrective Measures Required

• Strict EIA Enforcement: Restore pre-clearance assessments with full project details; E.g., rollback of post-facto approvals as mandated earlier by SC rulings.
• Ecological Definitions: Adopt a science-based ecosystem approach over arbitrary criteria; E.g., landscape-level protection of Aravalli geomorphological systems.
• Judicial Specialisation: Reactivate permanent Green Benches in Supreme Court and High Courts; E.g., institutionalised environmental courts like the NGT model.
• Corporate Accountability: Impose stronger penalties and compliance monitoring; E.g., performance-linked environmental bonds for large projects.

{GS3 – Envi} India’s Climate Budget **

• Context (TH): Budget 2026–27 expanded climate-linked allocations across clean energy and industrial decarbonisation, but funding scale remains cautious relative to transition needs.

Green Priorities in Union Budget 2026

Industrial Decarbonisation Push

• CCUS Incentives: A ₹20,000 crore outlay over five years has been announced for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage to support pilot and demonstration projects.
• Hydrogen Mission Support: Continued ₹600 crore allocation under the National Green Hydrogen Mission to build domestic hydrogen production capacity.

Decentralised Renewable Energy

• Rooftop Solar Scale-Up: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana allocation increased to ₹22,000 crore from ₹17,000 crore (RE), promoting household-level clean power generation.
• Solar Irrigation Continuity: PM-KUSUM funding sustained at ₹5,000 crore to expand solar pump deployment and reduce diesel use in agriculture.

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Clean Power & Green Finance

• New Nuclear Mission: Launch of a Nuclear Energy Mission focusing on small modular reactors & zero basic customs duty on nuclear plant equipment extended till 2035 to lower capital costs.
• Carbon Market Expansion: Development of carbon credit trading mechanisms and climate bonds to fund low-carbon transition.

Gaps in India’s Climate Budget

• Funding Scale Gap: India needs over $2.5–3 trillion in climate investment by 2030, while annual climate-linked budget allocations run only in tens of thousands of crores.
• Pilot Over Deployment: CCUS received ₹20,000 crore over five years, far below the multi-lakh-crore scale needed for industrial decarbonisation.
• Hydrogen Investment Shortfall: The Green Hydrogen Mission gets around ₹600 crore annually, compared to the massive capital required for 5 million tonnes/year capacity by 2030.

Why Budget Outcomes Remain Limited?

• Private Capital Hesitation: India needs climate finance equal to ~6–7% of GDP annually, but public budgets cover only a small fraction, with limited risk-sharing tools to crowd in private capital.
• Capital Intensity Barriers: Nuclear projects typically take 8–12 years to complete with costs exceeding ₹15–20 crore per MW, deterring private players.
• Fragmented Funding: Climate spending remains sector-wise without integrated decarbonisation planning across energy, industry and transport.

Need for a Balanced Climate Budget

• Growth–Climate Trade-Off: Rapid industrialisation and infrastructure expansion must align with decarbonisation to avoid locking in high-emission assets.
• Just Transition Focus: Climate funding must actively support MSMEs, farmers and low-income households to ensure social affordability and economic inclusion.
• Trade Competitiveness: Strong green budgeting frameworks are essential to shield Indian exports from rising carbon pricing measures like the EU’s CBAM.

Way Forward

• Scale Financing: Move from pilot funding to industrial-scale climate investment frameworks; E.g., blended finance models used in EU green industrial policy.
• Implementation Reforms: Strengthen DISCOM incentives and credit support for rooftop solar adoption; E.g., interest subvention for household solar loans.
• Industrial Decarbonisation Hubs: Cluster CCUS, green hydrogen and clean power in emission-intensive regions; E.g., shared CCUS infrastructure zones in Norway.
• Spending Efficiency: Link allocations to time-bound output targets and monitoring dashboards; E.g., performance-linked climate budgeting frameworks.

{Prelims – Defence} Indian Army Renaming Initiative

• Context (TH): Indian Army renamed 246 roads, buildings and facilities nationwide to remove colonial-era symbols and reflect India’s military heritage.

• Core Theme: Replacement of British-era names with Indian war heroes, Param Vir Chakra awardees and culturally rooted references.
• Notable Name Change: Fort William (Kolkata), a major colonial-era military headquarters, has been renamed Vijay Durg, symbolising the shift from British legacy to indigenous military heritage.

Significance of Renaming Initiative

• Decolonisation Drive: Eliminates colonial-era names and symbols, reinforcing India’s independent national identity within military institutions.
• Morale And Pride: Strengthens soldiers’ sense of heritage, sacrifice and service to the nation.

{Prelims – A&C} Battle of Serengsia *

• Context (IE): Ho Adivasi activists have objected to the Jharkhand government’s commemoration date (February 2) for the Battle of Serengsia, citing historical inaccuracy.

• They argue that January 1–2 mark the martyrdom of Ho’s leaders, warning that arbitrary dates dilute authentic historical memory.

About Battle of Serengsia

• The Battle of Serengsia was the final decisive engagement between the Ho tribe (autonomous inhabitants of the Kolhan region) and the British East India Company.
• It took place in the Serengsia Valley near Chaibasa, in present-day Jharkhand, in 1837.
• Uprising Causes: British occupation of the Singhbhum region, interference by ‘Dikus’ (outsider landlords), and the imposition of the “Plough Tax“.
• Key Leaders: Poto Ho led the resistance with associates, including Nara Ho, Boro Ho, and Pandua Ho.
• British Commander: Captain Thomas Wilkinson led the British forces.
• Immediate Trigger: The British sought direct control of the Kolhan region to secure revenue and subdue the Ho population.
• Warfare Technique: Poto Ho used dense forests and hills to conduct guerrilla attacks, causing casualties with only bows and arrows.
• Battle Outcome: The British defeated the Ho rebels through superior firepower and publicly hanged Poto Ho on 1 January 1838.
• Significance: The defeat led to the formation of the Kolhan Government Estate (1837) and the implementation of Wilkinson’s Rule, recognising the Manki-Munda system to ensure stability.

Read More > Manki-Munda System | Tribal Revolts

{Prelims – A&C} Michelangelo

• Context (LM): A previously unknown red-chalk sketch by Michelangelo was recently discovered and sold for record prices.

• Michelangelo was an Italian polymath (sculptor, painter, architect, and poet) of the Renaissance period.
• He is mentioned alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael as one of the “Trinity of Great Masters“.
• His work embodied Renaissance Humanism by focusing on the realistic human form to express divine beauty and emotional depth.
• He is renowned for “muscular precision” in sculpting masterpieces such as David, Pietà, and Moses.
• Architectural Legacy: Michelangelo designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican; he pioneered Mannerist architecture with unconventional use of space and columns.

{Prelims – S&T} SPHEREx Mission *

• Context (NASA): NASA’s SPHEREx mission recently observed a significant brightening of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.

• SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionisation and Ices Explorer) is a near-infrared space observatory launched by NASA in 2025.
• It is a two-year mission to conduct an all-sky survey; it will map the entire celestial sphere four times to produce a comprehensive 3D map of galaxies.
• Orbit: It operates in a Sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of approximately 700 km.
• Technology: It uses a spectrophotometer to split light into 102 distinct infrared colours, enabling scientists to identify unique chemical signatures of distant matter.
• Key Goals:
  • Mapping galaxies to test theories about the universe’s rapid expansion following the Big Bang.
  • Studying the light from the first stars and galaxies to understand how they transformed the universe.
  • Surveying the Milky Way for biogenic molecules (water, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide) frozen in interstellar dust.
• Significance: It is a first-of-its-kind all-sky spectral survey that can guide detailed studies by other telescopes, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).