Current Affairs – May 14, 2026

{GS1 – Geo} Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects *

Context (PIB): Union Cabinet approved Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects.

Objective: To accelerate coal and lignite gasification and help achieve the national target of gasifying 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030.
Financial Incentive: Projects can receive incentives up to 20% of plant and machinery cost, with incentive for a single project capped at ₹5,000 crore, ₹9,000 crore per product category, and ₹12,000 crore per entity group.
- Companies can avail these benefits in addition to incentives under other government schemes.
The scheme allows the adoption of any suitable technology while encouraging indigenous technologies.
The initiative builds upon the National Coal Gasification Mission launched in 2021 and the coal gasification scheme approved in 2024.

Lignite is a soft, brown, low-grade coal with low carbon and calorific value and high moisture content, mainly used in thermal power generation and coal gasification. In India, it is found in Tertiary sedimentary formations of peninsular India, especially in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir.
India holds one of the world’s largest coal reserves (~401 billion tonnes) & lignite reserves (~47 billion tonnes). Coal accounts for over 55% of the country’s energy mix.
Coal gasification converts coal/lignite into syngas (synthesis gas), which can be used for producing fuels, chemicals, fertilisers, and industrial feedstock.

{GS1 – IS} Impact of Rising Sovereign Debt on Women

Context (DTE): United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published ‘Who Pays the Price? Gender Inequality and Sovereign Debt’ report as part of the EQUANOMICS initiative.

The study found a direct causal link between moderate-to-high debt servicing and erosion of women’s economic and physical well-being.
High debt servicing puts ~55 million women’s jobs at immediate risk, rising to 92.5 million in the long term. Women’s per capita income is expected to decline by 17%, while men’s incomes remain unchanged.
The debt burden correlates with a 32.5% increase in maternal mortality, equating to 67 additional deaths per 100,000 live births. It reduces life expectancy by 5.9% for women and 7.7% for men.

Key Recommendations: Integrating gender-based impact assessments into debt management, applying gender-responsive budgeting, and safeguarding investments in care and social systems.

EQUANOMICS is a UNDP initiative to dismantle economic systems that perpetuate gender inequality and to promote gender-equitable economic growth.

Read More > Gender Inequality in India

{GS1 – MIH} Baba Banda Singh Bahadur

Context (PIB): Sirhind Fateh Diwas is observed annually from 12 to 14 May to commemorate the 1710 conquest of Sirhind, which established the first sovereign Sikh state, with its capital at Lohgarh.

Banda Singh Bahadur, originally named Lachhman Dev, was a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and a Sikh military commander in the Khalsa Army.
Military gains: He seized Samana in 1709 and defeated the Mughal Governor Wazir Khan at the Battle of Chappar Chiri in 1710, gaining control of Sirhind province to avenge the Guru’s younger sons.
Admin Reforms: Banda Singh Bahadur abolished the Zamindari system, granted farmers ownership of their land, and issued coins bearing the Gurus’ names.
Execution: After an eight-month siege of Gurdas Nangal (1715), he was executed in Delhi in 1716 by the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar for refusing to convert to Islam.

{GS2 – IR} India’s Diplomacy in a Changing World Order **

Context (IE): Amid growing geopolitical instability, shifting global trade patterns, and evolving power dynamics, India is recalibrating its foreign policy.

PM Modi’s visits to UAE & Europe, alongside India’s engagement in BRICS, QUAD, and Africa outreach, reflect this evolving strategy.

Five Principles Guiding India’s Diplomacy

Reciprocity: India should support trusted partners like the UAE that back India on core interests such as terrorism and Kashmir.
Diversification: India is expanding engagement with Europe for trade, technology, green energy, investments, education, and strategic partnerships.
- India’s trade agreements with the EU and European Free Trade Association reflect Europe’s rising strategic significance for India.
Strategic Flexibility: India should pursue pragmatic multi-alignment through forums like BRICS, SCO and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue without rigid ideological commitments.
Strategic Expansion: Africa is becoming increasingly important for India due to its markets, youthful population, critical minerals, and geopolitical significance.
Domestic Renewal: Effective diplomacy requires strong domestic economic reforms, technological advancement, and institutional adaptability at home.

{GS2 – IR} Structural Adjustment Programs and Global South

Context (TH): Recent studies show that Structural Adjustment Programs contributed to negative social consequences like increased poverty, inequality, and reduced access to healthcare in the Global South.

About Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs)

Structural Adjustment Programs are economic policy packages introduced by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in the 1980s.
They were imposed on Global South countries as a condition of loans during the debt crises of 1980s & 1990s.
Ideology: The policies were grounded in neoliberal principles and aimed to shift from state-led, inward-oriented models to free-market economies.
Policy Tools: Austerity (reducing public sector spending); Privatisation, Deregulation, Currency devaluation, Improved tax collection, etc.

Impacts of SAPs on the Global South

Deindustrialisation: Rapid trade liberalisation and the removal of protective tariffs exposed nascent domestic industries to direct competition from highly subsidised multinational corporations.
Export Dependence: SAP’s focus on export-led growth entrenched reliance on raw-material extraction and cash-crop agriculture, leaving economies vulnerable to global price shocks.
Policy Sovereignty: Conditionalities attached to IMF and World Bank loans shifted macroeconomic decision-making from elected national governments to international financial institutions.
Monopoly Transfer: Forced privatisation of state-owned enterprises often transferred monopolies to private, frequently foreign-owned, hands, raising costs for basic services.

Way Forward to Offset Negative Impacts

Debt Court: Establish a statutory Global South Sovereign Debt Restructuring Court under the UN General Assembly to mandate asymmetric write-downs on multilateral loans.
Clearing Union: Institutionalise a multilateral regional clearing union to neutralise US dollar liquidity vulnerability by settling intra-South trade in local currencies.
Price Support: Launch state-capitalised agricultural marketing boards to guarantee minimum support prices for staple crops while phasing out cash-crop subsidies.
Infant Industry: Simplify and utilise Article XVIII of the WTO GATT framework, which permits developing nations to increase import tariffs to insulate infant high-tech sectors

Context (TH): The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following a paper leak has sparked outrage and calls for structural reforms of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Out of 14 major national examinations managed by the NTA, at least 5 have experienced security breaches, paper leaks, or operational failures.

About National Testing Agency (NTA)

NTA is an autonomous, self-sustaining testing body under the Ministry of Education, conducting entrance examinations for higher education institutions.
It was established in 2017 as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
The agency manages JEE (Main), NEET (UG), CUET (UG & PG), and UGC-NET, and operates portals for NCET, SWAYAM, and CMAT.

Challenges with NTA

Outsourcing Vulnerabilities: Delegating high-stakes exam logistics to unverified third-party contractors creates accountability gaps and data-leak vulnerabilities.
Logistical Security: Relying on pen-and-paper transit chains and unaudited private test venues exposes examinations to localised printing leaks, CCTV blackouts, and remote hacking risks.
Evaluation Inconsistencies: Weak academic vetting and opaque grace-marking formulas lead to frequent answer-key errors and artificial score inflation, distorting merit-based parity among students.
Cadre Deficits: Operating without a permanent technical and administrative staff framework forces reliance on temporary, low-accountability personnel, which cripples long-term security controls.

Radhakrishnan Committee Recommendations for NTA Reforms

Hybrid Delivery: Deployment of a hybrid examination model to transmit encrypted question papers to localised high-speed printers, eliminating physical transit vulnerabilities.
Biometric Surveillance: Nationwide integration of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication and AI-enabled CCTV networks to dismantle organised malpractice syndicates.
Cadre Professionalisation: Creation of a permanent, specialised internal cadre of psychometricians and cybersecurity experts to replace the vulnerable, outsourced workforce ecosystem.
Dynamic Encryption: Adoption of a software-generated dynamic question bank that randomly compiles unique question sets at the time of exam delivery.

Read More > National Testing Agency

{GS3 – Agri} Country Strategic Opportunities Programme

Context (PIB): Ministry of Finance and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) launched the Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for 2026–2033.

Aim: To connect grassroots institutions, infrastructure, and emerging markets to boost rural incomes and sustainable livelihoods. It is aligned with India’s Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.
Strategic Objectives:
1. Enhancing the social, economic, and climate resilience of rural communities.
2. Strengthening knowledge sharing to scale proven development models in India and the Global South.
Key Targets: 10 poorest states, climate-vulnerable Himalayan regions, all 112 Aspirational Districts, Below Poverty Line households and marginal communities.

IFAD

IFAD is a specialised UN agency and an International Financial Institution (IFI), established in 1977 following the 1974 World Food Conference.
Core Mandate: Eradicating rural poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in developing countries.
Members: 180; India as a founding member. Headquarters: Rome, Italy.

{GS3 – Agri} Geopolitical Shocks and the Global Food Crisis

Context (DTE): International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) released the ‘New Geopolitics of Food’ Report.

Key Findings

Geopolitical Disruptions as a Profit Opportunity: Trade wars, military conflicts, & the breakdown of multilateral institutions have not merely raised food costs, they have enabled dominant agrifood corporations to widen profit margins at public expense, driving hunger, debt, and rural poverty worldwide.
Corporate Profiteering: Dominant firms exploited geopolitical cover to raise consumer prices beyond their own cost increases, consolidate market power, and push smaller competitors out.
Structural Vulnerability: Structural adjustment programmes imposed by the IMF and World Bank on Global South nations in the 1980s dismantled domestic food production capacity, creating chronic import dependency, a vulnerability now being ruthlessly exposed by geopolitical shocks.
Food Import Crisis: Global food import bill hit a record $2.2 trillion in 2025. Food price inflation has remained over 35% above 2019 levels, forcing governments to choose between food, healthcare, and debt repayment.

Way Forward

Resilient Self-Reliance: Govt must strengthen domestic food systems & reduce excessive import dependency.
Revive Market Management Tools: Public food reserves, supply management systems, marketing boards, and production quotas, largely dismantled under free-market reforms, must be reclaimed as instruments of food system stability.
Agroecological Transitions: Shift toward diverse, locally rooted food systems that reduce dependence on fossil fuels, external inputs, and volatile global commodity markets.
Fairer Trade Arrangements: Reshape global trade around cooperative, diversified partnerships that protect the most vulnerable countries from corporate concentration and price volatility, rather than perpetuating asymmetric power structures.

{GS3 – IE} Global Coal-Based Steel Expansion

Context (DTE): A new analysis by Global Energy Monitor found that global coal-based blast furnace steel capacity under development has risen by 5%.

Coal-based steel production accounts for ~88% of the steel sector’s emissions, which together contribute ~11% of global CO₂ emissions.
India accounts for 42% of global steelmaking capacity under development. ~93% of India’s planned ironmaking capacity relies on coal-based technology, mainly blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace systems.
Green Steel Efforts: India introduced a formal Green Steel Taxonomy in 2024 and revised its National Scrap Recycling Policy to promote low-emission steelmaking.
Cleaner Alternatives: Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology and green hydrogen-based Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) are cleaner alternatives to coal-based steel production.

Electric arc furnace is a steelmaking technology that uses electrical energy to melt scrap steel, producing lower carbon emissions. Direct Reduced Iron uses green hydrogen instead of coal or natural gas, significantly lowering carbon emissions in steel production.

Read More > India’s Steel Sector

{Prelims – DM} AI-enabled Weather Forecasting Systems by IMD

Context (PIB | TH): India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched two advanced AI-enabled weather forecasting systems for hyper-local forecasts.
1. AI-enabled “Forecast of Monsoon Advance”: It will provide block-level monsoon forecasts up to four weeks in advance.
2. “High Spatial Resolution Rainfall Forecast” for Uttar Pradesh: It will generate rainfall forecasts at 1-km spatial resolution up to 10 days in advance. It uses the “Mithuna” weather model, which was downscaled from 12.5 km to 1 km resolution.

The systems were jointly developed by IMD, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.

{Prelims – Envi} Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary

Census (TOI): Forest department has begun a scientific wildlife census in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Binsar WLSis on Jhandi Dhar hills in Almora, Uttarakhand, within the Central Himalayan region.
It was established in 1988 to conserve shrinking broad-leaf oak, Quercus, and rhododendron forests.
Flora: Lower elevations have Chir Pine forests; higher areas support Banj Oak and Rhododendron.
Fauna: Leopards, Himalayan goral, musk deer, Himalayan serow, and red fox.
- Recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA), it hosts over 200 bird species, including the Himalayan monal and koklass pheasant.

Binsar served as the summer capital for the Chand dynasty kings from the 11^th to 18^th century AD.

{Prelims – S&T} Blue Moon MK1

Context (IE): Blue Moon MK1, also known as Endurance, is an unmanned lunar cargo lander developed by Blue Origin in collaboration with NASA.

It is designed to transport cargo, scientific instruments and infrastructure to the lunar surface.
It supports NASA’s Artemis program aimed at establishing long-term human presence on the Moon.
Technology: The spacecraft uses cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion systems for efficient deep-space operations.
Launch Vehicle: The lander is expected to be launched using the New Glenn heavy-lift rocket.

{Prelims – Sci} Infrasound

Context (IE): Study has found that infrasound exposure can increase stress, irritation and cortisol levels.

Infrasound refers to sound waves with frequencies below 20 Hz, which are generally beyond normal human hearing capacity.
Sources: Infrasound is produced by traffic, industrial machinery, air conditioners, wind turbines, etc.

Human Hearing Range: Humans can generally hear sound frequencies between 20 Hz & 20,000 Hz.

Context (IT): An Indian tech professional based in California died recently from Valley fever.

Valley fever is a respiratory infection caused by the Coccidioides fungus found in arid soils. It is contracted by inhaling fungal spores from disturbed soil and is non-contagious.
Extreme weather, like heavy rain and droughts, promotes spore growth and dispersion.
Symptoms: Mimics bacterial pneumonia or viral flu (persistent cough, fever, fatigue, chest pain).
Treatment: Mild cases resolve naturally; severe infections need prolonged antifungal medications.
Risk Group: Agricultural workers, construction labourers, older adults, and immunocompromised people.
Geographic Range: Endemic to the Southwestern US and parts of Mexico, it is moving northward.

{Prelims – Misc} One-Liners

Initiatives – Swadeshi Platform (DDN): Launched by DigiHaat, it connects consumers to grassroots producers of “Made-in-Bharat” products, aligning with the “Bharat Se, Bharat Tak” principle and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- DigiHaat is a government-backed e-commerce platform and subsidiary of Nirmit Bharat, a Section 8 not-for-profit entity. It operates within the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) ecosystem.