Current affairs

UNEP Champions of the Earth Award: UN’s Highest Environmental Honor

The Champions of the Earth Award, launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2005, is the United Nations' highest environmental honor. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, the award recognizes individuals, groups, and organizations for their transformative contributions...

Shilp Didi Programme: Empowering Women Artisans for Lakhpati Status and Export Success

Launched by the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, the Shilp Didi Programme is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at economically empowering female artisans across India. Started on a pilot basis in 2024, it has rapidly gained momentum in...

Is the Falling Rupee a Cause for Alarm?

As of December 13, 2025, the Indian rupee has breached the ₹90 per US dollar mark, raising eyebrows among investors and households alike. Headlines scream currency crisis, but economists and analysts argue it's far from a cause for alarm. Driven...

Adichanallur Archaeological Site: Ancient Iron Age Urn Burials and Madras HC Sand Mining Ban

Adichanallur, situated in Srivaikuntam taluk of Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, along the right bank of the Thamirabarani River, is a landmark archaeological site revealing the richness of ancient Tamil civilization. Dating primarily to the Iron Age (around 1000–600 BC, with...

World Inequality Report 2026: Top 0.001% Own 3x More Than Bottom Half

Released on December 10, 2025, by the World Inequality Lab (co-directed by economists including Thomas Piketty, Lucas Chancel, and others), the World Inequality Report 2026 exposes unprecedented levels of inequality across income, wealth, gender, climate responsibility, and geography. This third...

Western Tragopan: Sarahan Centre’s Best-Ever Hatching, Photos, Display Call & Ecotourism Guide

The Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus), locally called Jujurana (“King of Birds”) in Himachal Pradesh and Daalgeer in Kashmir, is widely regarded as the most spectacular and elusive pheasant on Earth. With its blazing crimson plumage dotted with white eyespots, electric-blue...

Thailand Cambodia Border Dispute: Deadly Clashes, Trump Ceasefire, and Evacuations

December 2025 has seen the Thailand–Cambodia border erupt into the worst fighting in 14 years. What started as a July skirmish has escalated into a full-scale military confrontation involving fighter jets, long-range rockets, tanks, drones, and heavy artillery pounding positions...

India’s STEM Future: Can We Turn 30 Lakh Graduates into Global Innovation Leaders?

Every year, India churns out 25–30 lakh STEM graduates — second only to China. On paper, this should make India an unstoppable science and technology superpower. Yet, the reality is starkly different: only ~260 researchers per million population, R&D spending...

UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)

The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) is one of the world’s most impactful initiatives promoting lifelong learning, inclusive education, and sustainable urban development. In 2025, UNESCO added three more Saudi cities—Riyadh, AlUla, and Riyadh Al-Khabra—highlighting the kingdom’s growing...

National Livestock Mission (NLM): Objectives, Components, Benefits and Implementation

The National Livestock Mission (NLM) is a flagship scheme of the Government of India aimed at sustainable livestock development. Launched in 2014–15 and revamped in 2021, NLM promotes entrepreneurship, employment generation, fodder development, animal health, and productivity enhancement. The scheme...