• 16 Jan 2026

PESA Act Implemented in Jharkhand After 25 Years

Why in News? 

Jharkhand has implemented  Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996 after 25 Years, making it one of the last Fifth Schedule states to do so. 

Key Points 

• PESA Act, 1996 – Objective: PESA was enacted to extend self-governance and democratic decentralisation to Scheduled Areas by empowering Gram Sabhas. 
  • Coverage: The notified rules apply fully in 13 districts and partially in 3 districts, covering major tribal-inhabited regions of Jharkhand. 
• Gram Sabha as Supreme Authority: The rules recognise the Gram Sabha as the most powerful institution in Scheduled Areas, responsible for decision-making related to village governance. 
  • Powers over Natural Resources: Gram Sabhas are empowered to manage community resources, including minor forest produce, small water bodies and minor minerals within village boundaries. 
  • Role in Social Regulation: Gram Sabhas are authorised to resolve local disputes, act against social evils, and impose limited penalties, reinforcing traditional justice mechanisms. 
• Administrative Role of District Authorities: The Deputy Commissioner will notify Gram Sabha boundaries, while district-level teams will prepare development plans in consultation with Gram Sabhas. 
• Government’s Stand: The state government describes the move as a historic step towards tribal self-rule, ensuring control over jal, jangal and zameen (water, forest and land). 

Read More: PESA Act, 1996 

Odisha Launches ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’ Scheme for Early Childhood

Why in News? 

The Odisha government has launched a scheme called ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’, aimed at providing early childhood education in mother tongue. 

Key Points 

• Scheme: ‘Aame Padhiba Aama Bhasare’ (meaning “We will study in our own language”) is a five-year educational initiative to impart early childhood education in children’s mother tongue. 
• Launch: The scheme was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who also serves as the Women and Child Development Minister. 
  • Emphasising women’s empowerment and child welfare as a priority.  
  • Target Group: It will benefit children aged 3–6 years. 
• Pilot Implementation: In the first phase, the programme will be rolled out in Keonjhar, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts using tribal languages such as Munda, Kui, Saura, Kuvi, Gondi and Koya. 
• Anganwadi Capacity Building: Anganwadi workers will receive language-specific training, educational materials and audio-visual content. 
• Child Marriage Prevention: The government has also launched a 100-day campaign to prevent child marriage. 
  • The campaign will be driven by youth leadership, ASHA and Anganwadi workers. 
  • Focusing on awareness, safety and community participation through rallies, conferences and early warning systems. 
• NEP Alignment: The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, emphasising mother tongue-based learning in early years to strengthen learning outcomes and preserve linguistic identity.

• Constitutional Provisions:  
  • Article 350A: Directs the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. 

Read More:  National Education Policy 2020, ASHA

GeM Excellence Event Held in Patna

Why in News? 

The Government e‑Marketplace (GeM) Excellence Event is being organised in Patna, Bihar in January 2026. 

Key Points 

• Purpose:  to connect local vendors, especially MSMEs, startups and self‑help groups, directly with the government procurement system. 
  • The programme enables Bihar’s local sellers to join the national government procurement ecosystem and expand their market reach. 
• Government e‑Marketplace (GeM): GeM is the government’s digital procurement platform, which facilitates transparent, efficient and inclusive procurement of goods and services by various government departments and agencies. 
• Opportunity for Growth: The event represents an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to increase their business, integrate with government buyers and contribute to local economic growth. 
• Significance for Public Procurement: Such events help strengthen the GeM ecosystem, encourage new vendors to join, and enhance transparency and competitiveness in public procurement processes.

Read More:  Government e‑Marketplace (GeM), MSMEs, Startups 

India’s first legged mobile manipulator developed with IIT Kanpur’s support

Why in News?

Researchers at IIT Kanpur unveiled SCORP (Four-legged Collaborative Robotic Platform), India's first indigenous legged mobile manipulator.

Key Points:

• SCORP: It is India’s first legged mobile manipulator, a cutting-edge robot combining the mobility of a quadruped (“robot dog”) platform with the versatility of a robotic arm (manipulator). 
• Development: It has been developed by an Indian startup called xTerra Robotics with assistance from IIT Kanpur marking a significant milestone in the country’s robotics capabilities. 
• Manipulation Capability:Along with locomotion, SCORP carries a robotic arm that can grasp tools, inspect objects, and interact with the environment, extending its usefulness beyond simple movement. 
• Indigenous Technology: Developed under the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) at IIT Kanpur, the robot utilizes locally designed actuators and control systems, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission. 
• Applications: SCORP is designed for high-risk environments such as disaster zones, industrial sites, tunnels, or areas unsafe for humans where its mobility and manipulation can reduce danger to human workers. 
  • Space Exploration: Future adaptations could serve as planetary rovers for exploring rocky lunar or Martian surfaces. 
• Significance: SCORP places India in an elite group of nations developing advanced legged robotics, reducing dependence on expensive imports. 

Read More: Atmanirbhar Bharat 

Madhya Pradesh SpaceTech Policy-2026 Approved

Why in News? 

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has approved the implementation of the SpaceTech Policy-2026, aimed at promoting space technology innovation, manufacturing and employment generation in the state. 

Key Points 

• Policy Approval: The SpaceTech Policy-2026 was approved by the MP Cabinet to create a comprehensive ecosystem for space-related industries and downstream applications. 
  • Objective: To position Madhya Pradesh as a hub for space technology, satellite manufacturing, geospatial services and allied innovation. 
• Focus Areas: The policy promotes satellite manufacturing, space-grade components, geospatial analysis, data analytics and downstream space applications. 
• Investment: The policy is expected to attract around ₹1,000 crore investment over the next five years. 
• Industrial Ecosystem: Leverages MP’s industrial parks, electronics manufacturing clusters, reliable power supply and skilled human resources. 
• Use of Space Applications: Supports application of space tech in agriculture, disaster management, urban planning, infrastructure monitoring and governance. 
• Governance & Innovation: Encourages start-ups, private sector participation, R&D collaboration and industry-academia partnerships in space technology.

Read More: SpaceTech Policy-2026,  Startups 

Maharashtra Launches ‘Arunodaya’ Mission for Statewide Sickle Cell Screening

Why in News? 

Maharashtra Government has launched the ‘Arunodaya’ sickle cell screening drive in 21 high-prevalence districts to ensure early detection, timely treatment, and move towards a sickle cell-free state. 

Key Points 

• Implementing department: Maharashtra Public Health and Family Welfare Department. 
• Coverage and duration: Implemented from January 15 to February 7 across 21 districts covering tribal and high-risk population areas. 
• Objective: To ensure early detection, timely treatment, genetic counselling, and reduction in sickle cell disease-related morbidity and mortality. 
• Administrative support: Executed under the guidance of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra with monitoring by the State Public Health Department. 
• Integration with existing state programme: Aligned with the Sickle Cell Control Programme (since 2008)  
  • Providing free screening, diagnostics, medicines, blood transfusion, and telemedicine services. 
• Sickle cell anaemia: A hereditary haemoglobin disorder causing sickle-shaped red blood cells leading to chronic anaemia, pain crises, infections, and organ damage. 

Read More:  Sickle cell, 

Gujarat to House India’s First State-Funded BSL-4 Lab for High-Risk Pathogens

Why in News? 

The foundation stone was laid for India’s first state-funded Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in Gujarat. This facility marks a significant leap in India's decentralized high-containment research, previously limited to central government institutions.

Key Points: 

• Integrated Complex: The lab is designed as a multi-tier facility featuring BSL-4, BSL-3, and BSL-2 modules. 
• Animal Research: Crucially, it includes ABSL-3 and ABSL-4 (Animal Biosafety Level) modules, allowing scientists to study how deadly viruses interact with living organisms—a vital step in vaccine development. 
• Funding Model: Unlike India’s existing BSL-4 labs (such as the NIV in Pune), which are centrally funded by the ICMR, this is the first project of its kind to be financed and managed by a State Government. 
• Timeline: Planning for the high-containment hub began in mid-2022 following the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding local diagnostic self-reliance. 
• Pandemic Preparedness: The facility will allow Gujarat to identify and research "Disease X" or new viral outbreaks without having to send all samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, thereby saving critical response time. 
• One Health Approach: By integrating Animal Biosafety (ABSL) modules, the lab supports the "One Health" framework, recognizing the link between human, animal, and environmental health in preventing zoonotic spillover.

Biosafety Levels (BSL) 

• BSL-1 & BSL-2: Handle moderate-risk agents (like E. coli or common flu) that cause mild disease in humans. 
• BSL-3: Deals with indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation (e.g., Tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2). 
• BSL-4 (High Containment): Reserved for the most dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high risk of life-threatening disease, have no known vaccine or treatment, and can be transmitted via aerosols.  
• Examples include Ebola, Marburg, and Nipah viruses. 

Read More:National Institute of Virology, One Health Approach 

The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Act 2025

Why in News? 

The Karnataka Government has enacted the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Act 2025 to reform land record administration, particularly to address anomalies in Kodagu’s unique Jamma Bane land tenure system and bring it in line with the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. 

Key Points 

• Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Act, 2025: Assented by the Governor of Karnataka on 7 January 2025 
  • Key provision: The Act empowers Tahsildars in Kodagu district to correct, modify or delete incorrect legacy entries in the Record of Rights (RTC) after proper enquiry. 
  • Legal safeguards: Any decision taken by the revenue authority under the amendment is appealable, ensuring procedural fairness and protection of landowners’ rights. 
  • Objective: To ensure accuracy, uniformity and legal clarity in land records and align Kodagu’s land system with the statewide revenue framework. 
• Parent law: The Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 is the principal law governing land classification, revenue administration, record of rights (RTC), mutation and land ownership records in the state. 
• Need for amendment: Certain regions of Karnataka, especially Kodagu (Coorg), follow a unique land tenure system called Jamma Bane, which created inconsistencies and legal ambiguities in modern land records. 
  • Jamma Bane land system: Under this hereditary system, revenue records continued to show the name of the original grantee (pattedar) even after land passed on to successors, causing problems in inheritance, sale, registration and bank loans. 
• Problem addressed by the Act: The amendment seeks to correct outdated and inaccurate entries in land records that do not reflect actual possession or succession, thereby reducing disputes and litigation. 
• Administrative significance: The amendment strengthens revenue governance by modernising land administration and improving transparency in land ownership records. 
• Overall impact: The reform is expected to ease land transactions, inheritance, registration and access to institutional credit, while reducing long-pending land disputes. 

World Economic Forum Released Global Risks Report 2026

Why in News 

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Risks Report 2026, the 21st edition of its annual assessment of global risk perceptions and anticipated threats. 

Key Points: 

• Age of Competition: The report underscores “uncertainty” as the defining characteristic of the global risk landscape in 2026 and highlights a transition into an “age of competition” where geopolitical and economic confrontations are overtaking cooperation, and traditional multilateral systems are under strain. 
• Top Short-Term Threat: In the immediate outlook (to 2028), economic and geopolitical tensions have overtaken environmental concerns in urgency 
  • Geoeconomic Confrontation: Rising to the top spot (up from #3 in 2025), this includes the "weaponization" of trade through tariffs, sanctions, and investment restrictions. 
  • Misinformation and Disinformation: Driven by AI-generated deepfakes, particularly during election cycles, threatening social stability. 
  • Societal Polarization: Intensifying pressures on democratic systems and public trust. 
  • Extreme Weather Events: Dropped from 2nd to 4th place in short-term salience, though they remain the top long-term threat. 
• Long-Term Risks (10-Year Horizon): Environmental threats continue to dominate the decade-long outlook, with Extreme Weather Events and Biodiversity Loss ranked as the most severe.  
  • Notably, Adverse Outcomes of AI Technologies saw the largest rise in severity, jumping from 30th in the short term to 5th place in the 10-year horizon. 
• Key Findings for India:The report identifies specific "hot spot" risks most likely to impact India over the next two years are 
  • Cyber insecurity: Ranked as the top risk due to India's rapid shift toward digital payments and infrastructure. 
  • Wealth and Income Inequality: A primary driver of internal social instability. 
  • Critical Infrastructure & Resource Security: Highlights "water security" as a major flashpoint, specifically regarding the Indus River Basin. 
  • Economic External Shocks: Susceptibility to global supply chain disruptions and international tariffs.