10 January 2026

• Agriculture: NDDB generated 35.68 crore Pashu Aadhaar IDs; India's milk production reached 221.06 million tonnes in 2021-22.
• Energy: India's solar module manufacturing capacity stands at 120 GW per year; China controls 98% of global wafer production.
• Governance: NIDMS (National IED Data Management System) inaugurated at NSG garrison Manesar; covers IED data since 1999.
• Heritage: Zehanpora Stupa in Baramulla, North Kashmir, dated to the Kushan period (1st to 3rd century CE), mapped using drone survey.
• Economy: UNDESA's World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 projects India's GDP growth at 7.4% for 2025-26.

GS area: Agriculture, Economy

India's dairy sector is undergoing digital transformation under White Revolution 2.0.

• Pashu Aadhaar: NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) has generated 35.68 crore Pashu Aadhaar IDs for individual livestock. This enables disease tracking, insurance linkage and breeding records.
• Milk production: India produced 221.06 million tonnes in 2021-22, a 73% increase over the preceding decade. India is the world's largest milk producer.
• Per capita consumption: 444 grams per day, above the global average.
• AMCS integration: 17.3 lakh producers integrated into the Automatic Milk Collection System for digital weighing and fat testing at collection centres.
• Systems deployed: National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM), Bharat Pashudhan database, NDDB Dairy ERP and GIS-based route optimisation for milk collection trucks.
• NDDB: Established in 1965 at Anand, Gujarat under the leadership of Verghese Kurien, who led Operation Flood (White Revolution 1.0).

Static linkage: Operation Flood, NDDB, dairy cooperatives.

GS area: Economy, Energy

A TERI report on India's photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing landscape reveals both progress and the structural challenge of Chinese dominance.

• Global PV context: China controls 98% of wafer production, 92% of polysilicon, 91.8% of cell production and 84.6% of module production globally.
• India's module capacity: Approximately 120 GW per year as of FY2025. Projected to exceed 280 GW per year by 2030.
• Cell capacity: Growing from 30 GW to 171 GW per year by 2030.
• Policy drivers: PLI scheme for solar modules, high import tariffs and ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) which makes domestic modules mandatory for government projects.
• Key gap: India imports virtually all solar-grade silicon and wafer-cutting equipment from China, creating supply chain vulnerability.
• TERI proposals: Green PV Bonds at 4 to 5% interest rates, Solar Manufacturing Technology Parks and a PV-Semiconductor Skill Council.

Static linkage: Solar energy policy, Make in India, PLI scheme.

GS area: Governance, Security

The National IED Data Management System (NIDMS) was inaugurated at the NSG garrison in Manesar.

• Timeline: Records IED and bomb-blast data from 1999 onwards.
• Custodian: National Security Guard (NSG). Technical backbone: National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC).
• Access: State police forces, CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces), NIA, Anti-Terrorism Squads.
• Features: Pan-India blast archive, explosive signature linking (connecting different blasts to common source or manufacturing technique), AI-enabled analytics, and integration with CCTNS, ICJS-2, NAFIS (fingerprint), e-Prisons and e-Prosecution databases.
• NSG: Under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The elite counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking force established after the 1984 Operation Blue Star.

Static linkage: Internal security, counter-terrorism, NSG.

GS area: Art and Culture, Ancient History

Drone mapping revealed the full extent of the Zehanpora Buddhist complex in Baramulla district.

• Location: Baramulla district, North Kashmir.
• Dating: Kushan period, 1st to 3rd century CE.
• Area: Approximately 10 acres.
• Structures: Multiple stupas, apsidal chaityas (prayer halls with semi-circular apse ends), viharas (monastic residences) and urban settlement remains.
• Historical context: Part of the Gandhara Buddhist network. Gandhara spanned parts of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan and was a major centre of Hellenistic-influenced Buddhist art.
• Silk Route connection: The site sits on ancient trade routes linking Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent.
• Methods used: Drone mapping, remote sensing, aerial photography and ground-penetrating surveys.

Static linkage: Gandhara art, Buddhist architecture, Kashmir history.

GS area: Science and Technology, Governance

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication technology is being deployed nationwide by end-2026.

• Operating frequency: 5.875 to 5.905 GHz, approved by the Department of Telecommunications.
• Range: Effective within a few hundred metres.
• Capabilities: 360-degree safety alerts in real time. Warns of hazards ahead including vehicles braking suddenly, vehicles running red lights and road obstructions.
• Fog-mode: Particularly valuable in low-visibility conditions on North Indian highways where fog-related pile-ups are a seasonal problem.
• Integration: Compatible with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) fitted to new vehicles.
• Implementation: SIM-like devices installed in vehicles share location, speed, direction and braking data.
• Road accident context: India records approximately 1.5 lakh road deaths annually. V2V is part of a broader Road Safety 2030 target.

Static linkage: Road safety, telecom spectrum, ITS.

GS area: Environment and Biodiversity

The Kashmir Markhor returned to conversation following a wildlife census in North Kashmir.

• Population: 200 to 300 individuals, the lowest of any Indian wild ungulate.
• Range: Kazinag range, Jammu and Kashmir. The only Indian population.
• Habitat: High Pir Panjal mountains; prefers steep rocky cliffs and alpine meadows.
• Etymology: The name means "snake-killer" in Persian, from folklore about the animal's supposed ability to combat serpents.
• Physical features: Males have distinctive corkscrew-shaped horns up to 160 cm; heavy (approximately 100 kg); flowing hair on throat and chest.
• Protected areas: Kazinag National Park, Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Tattakuti Wildlife Sanctuary, Khara Gali Conservation Reserve.
• Ecological role: Prey for snow leopards, common leopards and wolves.

Static linkage: Endangered ungulates, protected area network.

GS area: Economy, International Relations

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) published its World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2026 report.

• India GDP projection: 7.4% growth for 2025-26.
• UNDESA: Established 1948, restructured 1997. Headquarters in New York. Leads UN work on economic, social and environmental development.
• WESP function: Annual flagship publication analysing global economic conditions and outlooks for member states.
• SDG monitoring: UNDESA's primary role includes implementing the 2030 Agenda and monitoring progress on all 17 SDGs.

Static linkage: SDGs, international economic organisations.

GS area: Agriculture, Economy

India produced 524.62 lakh tonnes of fertilisers in 2025, an all-time high.

• Growth: From 433.29 lakh tonnes in 2021 to 524.62 lakh tonnes in 2025, a 21% increase in four years.
• Self-sufficiency: Domestic production meets approximately 73% of total fertiliser demand.
• Components: Urea, DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate), NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), SSP (Single Super Phosphate).
• Import dependency: Despite the production record, potash (K) is 100% imported and significant phosphate imports continue.
• Policy implication: Higher domestic production reduces the foreign exchange outflow and insulates farmers from global price spikes triggered by geopolitical events (Russia-Ukraine war disrupted fertiliser markets significantly in 2022).

Static linkage: Fertiliser policy, food security.

GS area: International Relations

The Weimar Triangle (France, Germany, Poland) took a unified position on Ukraine policy in January 2026.

• Established: 1991 in Weimar, Germany.
• Members: France, Germany and Poland.
• Function: Trilateral political consultations promoting European integration and coordinating on EU foreign policy, especially regarding Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Strategic bridge: Connects Western Europe (France, Germany) with Central/Eastern Europe (Poland), reducing the political gap in EU security policy.
• Ukraine relevance: Poland borders Ukraine. French and German defence commitments to Ukraine are mediated through this framework.

Static linkage: European Union, regional groupings.

• Fertiliser subsidy E-Bill: Approximately 2 lakh crore rupees in annual fertiliser subsidies now managed through a digital E-Bill system (covered 2 January; returning in data context).
• World Hindi Day: 10 January. First World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur on 10 January 1975.