Current Affairs – June 05, 2026

{GS2 – MoYAS} Viksit Vibrant Village Program 2026

Context (PIB): Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), commenced the first phase of the Viksit Vibrant Village Program (VVVP) 2026.

MY Bharat is an autonomous body set up by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, to benefit the youth in the age-group of 15–29 years, aligning with the definition of ‘Youth’ in the National Youth Policy.

Key Features

It is a pioneering youth-led initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots engagement, fostering national integration, and promoting sustainable development in India’s border villages.
The programme, will be implemented in two phases and it provides a unique opportunity for young citizens to reside in border villages and engage directly with local communities.
A significant component of the programme is the promotion of the Nation First Challenge, a nationwide campaign encouraging responsible citizenship and sustainable lifestyle practices.
Volunteers Will Advocate 5 Themes: Adoption of Swadeshi products; healthy cooking practices, public transport usage and fuel conservation, promotion of natural farming, and vocal support for local tourism.
Implementation: It is being implemented in collaboration with Ministry of Home Affairs and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and is aligned with the vision of building a Viksit Bharat @2047.

{GS3 – Envi} India’s Biodiversity Governance and Conservation Efforts *

Context (PIB): As biodiversity conservation gains global importance, India has reaffirmed its commitment through institutional and policy reforms.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, including plants, animals, microorganisms and the ecosystems they form. It is measured by two major components: species richness & species evenness.

India’s Biodiversity Framework

Legal Basis: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended in 2023) and the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024 are the primary laws for biodiversity conservation.
Governance: Implemented through the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs), and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level.
National Repositories: Under the BD Act, designated institutions preserve and document biological resources and newly discovered species.
National Biodiversity Authority Fund (NBAF): A statutory fund established under the BD Act that supports biodiversity conservation, benefit-sharing, and biodiversity governance activities.

National Biodiversity Initiatives

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024–30: Aims to achieve 23 National Biodiversity Targets by 2030, including conserving 30% of land and marine areas (30×30 target).
National Red List Roadmap (2025–30): Led by ZSI and BSI with support from IUCN-India to systematically assess and document threatened species in India.
Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN): UNDP-led programme adopted by India in 2015, which helps identify biodiversity funding gaps and mobilise financial resources for conservation.

Biodiversity Conservation Achievements of India

India’s forest and tree cover has reached ~25.17% of the geographical area, with over 1,134 protected areas.
increased populations of tigers (1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022), lions, leopards, and snow leopards.
2.76 lakh Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) established across rural and urban local bodies.
~2.72 lakh People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) have been prepared.

Key Challenges to Biodiversity

Habitat Loss: Urbanisation, infrastructure, mining, and agricultural expansion are the largest drivers of biodiversity loss globally and in India.
Climate Change: Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea-level rise are shifting species distributions and increasing extinction risks, particularly in biodiversity hotspots.
Invasive Alien Species: Species like Lantana camara, Parthenium, and Water Hyacinth outcompete native species and degrade biodiversity.
Pollution: Pesticides, industrial effluents, and plastics are harming freshwater and marine biodiversity.
Overexploitation: Unsustainable extraction of forest resources, overfishing, and illegal wildlife trade threaten species survival.

{GS3 – Envi} Three Pillars of India’s Green Transformation (2014-2026) **

Context (PIB): India has undergone a significant environmental transformation over the past 12 years, guided by 3 core principles, Vishwaas (trust), Nirman (construction), & Jan Kalyaan (public welfare).

India’s green transformation is based on three key pillars, strengthening ecological capability, expanding sustainable development capacity, and enhancing global environmental credibility.

Pillar 1: Increasing Ecological Capability and Biodiversity for a Resilient India

Restoring Forest Landscape	Initiatives: Green India Mission (GIM), Aravalli Green Wall Initiative, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) Scheme etc. Achievements: India’s total forest and tree cover is 8.27 lakh sq. km (25.17% of geographical area) as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. India’s mangrove cover increased from 4,628 sq. km in 2013 to 4,992 sq. km in 2023.
Wetland Conservation	Ramsar Sites: Increased from 26 in 2014 to 99 by April 2026, reflecting the India’s strong commitment to wetland conservation and ecosystem protection. Initiatives: National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA), Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
Wildlife Conservation	Project Tiger (1973): The number of Tiger Reserves increased from 46 to 58 (2014-2025), while the tiger population rose from 2,226 in 2014 to 3,682 in 2022. Project Cheetah (2022): India brought 29 cheetahs from Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana. The population of cheetah in country has now reached 53. Project Lion (2020): Lion numbers increased by over 70% during 2015-2025.

Pillar 2: Expanding National Capacity for Sustainable Transformation

Solid Waste Management (SWM)	Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP): Launched in 2025, targeting zero dumpsites by October 2026. SWM Rules, 2026: Mandate 4-stream source segregation & introduced Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility. Achievements: Solid waste processing capacity surged from 17 % in 2014 to over 77 % by 2024, due to growing material recovery facilities, bio-methanation plants, and waste-to-energy units.
Circular Economy	Initiatives: Sector-specific Waste Management Rules like E-Waste Management Rules, Battery Waste Management Rules, Used Oil EPR system. Achievements: There are 4,574 registered recyclers (March 2026). Total waste processed stands at 417.57 lakh MT.
Building Capacity through Education, Awareness & Green Skill Development	Environmental Education, Awareness and Training Scheme: Facilitated over 1 lakh eco-clubs and engaged around 5.5 lakh students through environmental campaigns & awareness activities. Environment Education, Awareness, Research & Skill Development Scheme: Over 1.34 crore students participated under it.
Technology and Wildlife Crime Control	Gajah Suchana: A mobile-based monitoring and information management platform improving traceability, record-keeping and forensic support in wildlife cases. Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK): An AI-based surveillance & monitoring system assisting anti-poaching operations.
Strengthening National Capacity for Disaster Resilience	National Disaster Management Plan (2016): Revised in 2019 to align disaster risk reduction efforts across all levels of government. Hazard Mapping: Issued 38 hazard-specific guidelines & developed advanced risk assessment tools.

Pillar 3: Strengthening Credibility through Leadership and Diplomacy

Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

Climate Leadership: Over successive NDC cycles, India has steadily enhanced its commitments, reflecting an action-oriented climate leadership.
Emissions Intensity (EI): Reduced EI of GDP by over 36% from 2005 levels, achieving the initial 33–35% target 11 years ahead of the 2030 timeline.
Non-Fossil Energy Capacity: Attained its target of 40% non-fossil installed power capacity 9 years early.

Global Alliances and Multilateral Conventions

International Solar Alliance (2015): Launched alongside France at COP21, ISA now includes 112 member nations.
One Sun One World One Grid: India jointly launched with the UK at COP26.
UNCCD COP14 (2019): Hosted in India, leading to the Delhi Declaration, which committed toward achieving Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030.
Mission LiFE (2022): It influenced the COP27 Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan & formed a core element of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration in 2023.
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA, 2023): It unites 26 member countries standardizing landscape-level wildlife protection models.

{Prelims – A&C} Patna Kalam *

Context (TH): Bihar Museum hosted an exhibition featuring over 125 Patna Kalam paintings.

Patna Kalam, also known as the Patna School of Painting, is an 18^th century Indian miniature painting style of the broader Company School that flourished in Bihar.
It emerged when artists from the declining Mughal courts migrated to Murshidabad and later to Patna.
Often called the “art of the commons,” it was the world’s first painting school dedicated exclusively to depicting the daily lives of ordinary people.
It blended Mughal miniature precision with European realism and shading, often depicting subjects without elaborate backgrounds, landscapes, or borders to maintain focus on human figures.

{Prelims – Envi} Flex Fuel Vehicles *

Context (PIB): Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched India’s first mass-market flex-fuel motorcycles by Hero MotoCorp, compatible with E20 to E85 ethanol blends.

A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) uses a modified internal combustion engine to run on multiple fuels, usually gasoline blended with ethanol or methanol, stored in a common tank.
Key Benefits: They use domestic biofuels, reducing emissions and crude oil imports (India imports over 85%) and also help increase farmer incomes by creating demand for agricultural feedstocks.
Advantage over EVs: FFVs utilise existing engine and fuel network ecosystems, enabling a faster transition to cleaner energy, while EV charging-grid raises costs and depends on imports.

Bi-fuel vehicles have separate tanks for distinct fuels such as Petrol and CNG, and run on one at a time.

{Prelims – Envi} ‘State of India’s Environment 2026 In Figures’ Report

Context (DTE | CSE): The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and DTE jointly released the ‘State of India’s Environment 2026 In Figures’ Report based on government statistics.

Indicators: Environment, agriculture & land, public health, & human development/public infrastructure.

Key Highlights

State Ranking: Goa is the top ranker, while India’s five most populous states (UP, Maharashtra, Bihar, MP, and WB) perform poorly. Waste management remains a major challenge even for top performers.
Environment:
- Waste Crisis: India remediated ~65% of legacy dumpsites, but e-waste grew 83% over eight years.
- Forest Diversion: ~97,000 hectares of forestland were diverted for non-forest and commercial activities from 2020–21 to 2024–25, with diversion increasing across 26 states.
- Water Stress: 15 states and UTs over-exploit groundwater, with Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana extracting more than recharge. Major Indian river deltas are sinking due to excessive extraction.
- Air Pollution: Deaths from ambient PM2.5 pollution increased 61% over the past decade. India’s share of global air-pollution deaths grew from 23.76% in 2014 to 25.34% in 2023.
Public Infrastructure: 32 of 36 states and UTs scored below halfway in infrastructure and human development, hindering progress toward SDGs.

Read About > State of India’s Environment 2026 Report

{Prelims – Geo} Lodha Tribe

Context (TH): An alleged derogatory remark by a government official against the Lodha Tribe in Odisha has triggered an inquiry by the NCST.

The Lodhas are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group primarily found in Odisha and parts of West Bengal.
The Lodha community was historically labelled under the colonial Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, a legacy that continues to affect perceptions of the community.

Criminal Tribes Act, 1871: A colonial law that classified several communities as “hereditary criminals” by birth, subjecting them to surveillance, restrictions, & stigma; repealed in 1952 after Independence.

{Prelims – Geo} Salaya Port

Context (IE): Indian mechanised dhow MSV Al Umar reached Salaya port after being stranded at Mokha, Yemen, amid immigration curbs at non-notified ports during the West Asian conflict.

Salaya is a minor, non-notified tidal port in Dwarka district, Gujarat, on the southern coast of Gulf of Kutch.
The port is naturally sheltered by creeks, mangroves, and two islands (Kalubhar Tapu and Dhani Bet), making it well-suited for beaching and protecting vessels during extreme weather.
It serves as an all-weather, deep-draft commercial bulk terminal and the principal hub for India’s traditional dhow (Mechanised Sailing Vessel) trade.

A dhow is a traditional wooden sailing vessel with a long hull, a pointed bow, and triangular sails. India’s active fleet of 450 to 500 dhows historically accounted for nearly 100% of live-animal sea exports.

{Prelims – Governance} National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026

Context (IE): Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, announced the 29^th National Awards for e-Governance 2026.

Scope: The award recognised 17 outcome-oriented projects and initiatives across seven categories for their exemplary contributions to digital governance.

Major NAeG 2026 Winners

Category	Name	Ministry/Authority	About Scheme
Government Process Re-engineering	Agri Stack	Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare	Digital system linking unique farmer IDs to land records and government services.
Government Process Re-engineering	e-Jagriti	Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution	Unified digital portal for lodging and resolving consumer complaints across sectors.
Innovation by Use of AI	eSanjeevani AI System	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare	AI-enabled clinical decision support system integrated into the national telemedicine service.
District Level Initiatives	Mahakumbh 2025	Prayagraj Mela Authority (Government of Uttar Pradesh)	Digital system to manage physical infrastructure and crowds for the mega-event.
Digital Transformation	Blood Bag Traceability Portal	K-DISC (Government of Kerala)	End-to-end tracking system for safe and traceable voluntary blood donations.

{Prelims – IR} India-UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory

Context (TH): India and the United Kingdom (UK) have jointly launched the Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (CMSCO).

The initiative was first announced during a bilateral engagement between the prime ministers of India and the United Kingdom in October 2025.
It is a joint initiative of India’s Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation (TEXMiN), Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad, and UK’s University of Cambridge.
Aim: Strengthening monitoring and analysis of global critical mineral supply chains amid growing concerns over resource security for clean energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Significance: It will strengthen bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, support resilient and secure supply chains, and complement collaboration under the India–UK Technology Security Initiative on critical and emerging technologies.

Read More> Critical Minerals

{Prelims – IR} UNSC Non-Permanent Members Election *

Context (DDN): UNGA elected Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe as the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 2027-2028.

UNSC, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is the only UN body empowered to make legally binding decisions on members.
Composition: 15 members, each with one vote — 5 permanent veto-wielding members (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US), and 10 elected non-permanent members.
- UNGA elects non-permanent members on a regional basis for a two-year term by a two-thirds majority. Retiring members are not eligible for immediate re-election.

India is not a permanent member of the UNSC. It has been elected as a non-permanent member eight times (last served 2021-2022 term).

{Prelims – Misc} One-Liner

Envi – World Environment Day 2026 (NDTV): Observed on 5 June by UNEP, with a focus on climate action. Azerbaijan hosted the events under the theme “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.”
- Established by UNGA at the 1972 Stockholm Conference, the Day was first celebrated in 1973 and remains the largest global outreach mechanism for environmental conservation.
Agri – APCNF Programme (DTE): The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme that won the 2026 Food Planet Prize promotes locally sourced bio-stimulants, cover cropping, and pre-monsoon dry sowing to shift smallholder farmers from agrochemicals toward climate-resilient farming. It’s being replicated in other Indian states, Zambia, and Sri Lanka.
- The Food Planet Prize, established in Sweden in 2019, is the largest environmental award honouring scalable innovations that can feed a growing population while restoring a resilient biosphere.

S&T – MAVEN Mission (NOA): NASA has officially concluded its MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission over 12 years after its launch in 2013.
- It provided insights into how Mars lost its atmosphere and water to space over billions of years and also served as a data relay for surface rovers such as Curiosity and Perseverance.

Geo – Typhoon Jangmi (NASA): Originated over the Northwest Pacific Ocean, it made landfall in western Japan. Its large eye featured a mesocyclone, a localised low-level vortex.
- A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone in the western North Pacific with winds over 119 km/h. It forms when a low-pressure system is fueled by warm ocean water (at least 26.5°C) and rotated by the Coriolis force under low vertical wind shear.