17 January 2026

• Economy: National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM): 34,300 crore rupees sovereign fund (2025 to 2031). India 100% import-dependent on 10 critical minerals.
• Governance: Speaker Om Birla addressed 28th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference; flagged transparency and AI challenges to parliamentary legitimacy.
• Conservation: Dugongs: IUCN Vulnerable; proposed international conservation centre at Manora, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
• Culture: Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara begins 28 January 2026 in Medaram, Mulugu, Telangana. Asia's largest tribal festival.
• Geography: Mount Elbrus (5,642 m), Europe's highest peak, an extinct volcano in Russia's Caucasus Mountains.

GS area: Economy, International Relations

India's recalibrated global minerals strategy is anchored in the NCMM launched in 2025.

• Mission duration: 7 years (2025 to 2031).
• Sovereign fund: 34,300 crore rupees allocated over the mission period.
• Import dependency: India is 100% import-dependent on 10 critical minerals including lithium and cobalt.
• Domestic production context: 2nd largest aluminium producer globally; 3rd largest iron ore producer. Domestic copper production rose 43.5% in early FY26.
• Key initiatives:
  • Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act 2025: Transferred auction authority over 24 strategic minerals exclusively to the Centre.
  • KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Limited): Joint venture of NALCO, HCL and MECL for overseas mineral acquisition. Active in Argentina, Australia, Chile and Zambia.
  • Mineral Security Partnership: 14-nation coordination club including the US, EU members, Japan, Australia and India.
  • 1,500 crore rupee recycling incentive scheme for e-waste and battery recycling.

Static linkage: MMDR Act, critical minerals, KABIL.

GS area: Polity, Governance

Speaker Om Birla addressed the 28th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference.

• Key emphasis: Legitimacy of democratic institutions depends on transparency, inclusivity and accountability, especially as AI and social media create new information environments.
• Challenges listed:
  • Opaque executive decision-making citing national security exemptions.
  • RTI application delays in sensitive sectors.
  • Parliamentary disruptions that reduce scrutiny time.
  • Over 5 crore pending court cases as of 2025, signalling justice-access failure.
• AI-specific concern: Social media algorithms amplify polarisation, making parliamentary consensus-building harder.
• National Legislative Index (NLI): Speaker announced plans to develop an objective index ranking state legislatures on sittings count, legislative output, committee effectiveness and House time utilisation.

Static linkage: Parliament, RTI Act, judicial pendency.

GS area: Environment and Biodiversity

India is proposing an International Dugong Conservation Centre at Manora Island, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.

• Scientific name: Dugong dugon.
• IUCN status: Vulnerable.
• Habitat: Warm shallow coastal waters; seagrass meadows of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific.
• Size: Up to 3 metres; 400-plus kg.
• Keystone role: The dugong is an ecosystem engineer for seagrass meadows. By grazing, it stimulates seagrass growth and maintains meadow diversity.
• India's population: Gulf of Mannar and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Population estimated at a few hundred individuals.
• Diet: Exclusively seagrass (strict herbivore).
• Threats: Accidental entanglement in fishing nets, boat strikes, seagrass loss from coastal development.

Static linkage: Marine mammals, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.

GS area: Art and Culture, Society

The biennial Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara begins 28 January 2026.

• Location: Medaram village, Mulugu district, Telangana. Within the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Scale: Asia's largest tribal festival. Approximately 1 crore devotees, second only to the Kumbh Mela in terms of gathering size.
• Community: Koya Adivasi community.
• Ritual: Exclusive tribal priest conduct. Offerings of "Bangaram" (jaggery) instead of money, symbolising egalitarianism and the agrarian life.
• Cultural character: Animistic and kinship-based belief system. Sammakka and Saralamma are venerated as deities but treated as family members.
• Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary: Part of the Dandakaranya forest system; habitat for tigers and leopards. The festival within a protected area raises wildlife-human interface management challenges.

Static linkage: Tribal culture, festivals, protected areas.

GS area: Economy

Additional data from the 10-year review of Startup India (following 16 January National Startup Day).

• Recognition criteria (DPIIT): Entity must be less than 10 years old, annual turnover less than 100 crore rupees and working towards innovation or improvement of a product/process.
• Tax exemption: 3-year income tax holiday (Section 80-IAC of Income Tax Act). Angel tax removed in 2023 Budget.
• Patent facilitation: 80% rebate on patent fees for recognised startups; fast-track examination.
• Government procurement: Relaxation of prior turnover and experience requirements. Startups can bid for government contracts.
• Unicorns: India has over 115 unicorns (startups valued over 1 billion USD) as of 2026, the third-largest globally after the US and China.

Static linkage: Startup India, intellectual property, taxation.

GS area: Geography

A controlled avalanche event on the slopes of Mount Elbrus generated geography coverage.

• Location: Southwestern Russia, Caucasus Mountains, near the border with Georgia.
• Height: East peak 5,642 m (highest in Europe). West peak 5,595 m.
• Geological type: Stratovolcano. Dormant for approximately 2,000 years. Last eruption approximately 50 CE.
• Glaciers: 22 glaciers feed the Kuban and Terek rivers from Elbrus.
• Seven Summits: Elbrus is one of the Seven Summits (highest peak on each continent). Its inclusion depends on the definition of Europe's eastern boundary.
• Research significance: Observed from the International Space Station for glaciological and climate studies.

Static linkage: Mountain geography, Seven Summits.

GS area: Polity

Continuing from 16 January, the Lokpal selection mechanism.

• Selection committee: Prime Minister (Chairperson), Speaker of Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI, an eminent jurist nominated by the first four.
• Appointments: President of India makes the appointment on the committee's recommendation.
• Distinction: The Lokpal selection committee is broader than the CVC committee (which includes PM, Home Minister and Leader of Opposition).

Static linkage: Anti-corruption institutions, selection committees.

GS area: Agriculture, Science and Technology

Root Wilt Disease is spreading through coconut palms in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

• Pathogen: Phytoplasma, a bacterium-like parasite that lives in the phloem (food-conducting tissue) of plants. Not a fungal disease.
• Vectors: Two sap-sucking insects: Stephanitis typica and Proutista moesta.
• Symptoms: Droopy, weak leaves progressing to yellowing tips, leaf curl, poor flowering, premature nut fall.
• Non-fatal but chronic: The palm rarely dies but becomes unproductive for decades.
• Management: No chemical cure. Select tolerant planting material, improve crop management and use organic nutrition (neem cake, green manure).
• Endemism: Kerala has the highest affected area; disease is endemic in coastal South India.

Static linkage: Crop diseases, plantation agriculture.

GS area: Economy, International Relations

KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Limited) is India's vehicle for securing critical minerals abroad.

• Formation: Joint venture of NALCO (National Aluminium Company), HCL (Hindustan Copper Limited) and MECL (Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited).
• Active geographies: Argentina (lithium brine deposits), Australia (rare earths), Chile (lithium, copper) and Zambia (copper, cobalt).
• Strategic rationale: Securing upstream supply of critical minerals rather than buying at market price. Mirrors China's success with its Belt and Road mineral acquisitions.
• MMDR Amendment 2025 link: The Centre's exclusive auction authority over 24 minerals ensures KABIL's activities feed into a nationally coordinated strategy.

Static linkage: Critical minerals, Atmanirbhar Bharat, MMDR Act.

• G. Rajkumar conservation: A quiet conservationist instrumental in making Kurinjimala (Kerala) a sanctuary. Conducted padayatras (walking campaigns) across the Shola ecosystem for years without publicity. An example of values-based conservation leadership.
• Minerals Security Partnership: A 14-nation body including the US, EU, Japan, Australia, South Korea, UK, Canada, India and others. Aims to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from Chinese dominance.