Daily Current Affairs (04/03 – May – 26)

Daily Current Affairs (04/03 – May – 26)

1. Sikkim Becomes India’s First Paperless Judiciary State  –

• Sikkim has been declared the first state in India to adopt a fully paperless judiciary by Justice Surya Kant, marking a major milestone in digital justice delivery.  

Key Points  

• Historic Declaration:The announcement was made by the Chief Justice of India during the National Conclave on Technology and Judicial Education held in Gangtok.
• Organised by: The conclave was organised by the High Court of Sikkim and the Sikkim Judicial Academy.
• Complete Digital Ecosystem: The paperless judiciary involves end-to-end digital functioning including e-filing, digital case records, virtual hearings, and automated workflows.
• Digital processes are expected to reduce case pendency, ensure faster hearings, and improve overall efficiency in justice delivery.
• Use of Advanced Technology:The judiciary is increasingly adopting tools like Artificial Intelligence (e.g., SUPACE and SUVAS) for research, translation, and case management.

2. Strengthening India’s Supply Chains through Inland Waterways –

• The Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) highlighted the importance of inland waterways in strengthening India’s supply chains and logistics efficiency. 
• He stressed that amid disruptions in global shipping routes due to the West Asian conflict 2026, developing internal transport networks is essential for logistics resilience and economic stability.

Summary 

• Inland waterways are emerging as a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and resilient transport mode, crucial for reducing logistics costs and strengthening supply chains.
• With policy push, infrastructure development, and targets (5% modal share by 2030), India aims to make waterways a key pillar of sustainable economic growth.

What is the Importance of Inland Waterways in India’s Supply Chains? 

• Cost-Effectiveness: Inland Water Transport (IWT) is the most economical mode of freight movement.
• Moving goods via waterways costs approximately Rs 0.25– Rs 0.30 per ton-km, drastically lower than rail (Rs 1.0) and road (Rs 1.5).
• This directly reduces the overall logistics cost for domestic industries, making Indian goods more competitive globally.
• Massive Bulk Carrying Capacity: Waterways offer incredible scale for heavy cargo. A single standard 2,000-tonne inland vessel can carry the equivalent of 125 standard trucks.
• This makes it the ideal mode for transporting bulk commodities essential to the economy, such as coal, cement, fertilizers, and food grains.
• Decongesting Terrestrial Networks: India’s road and rail networks are heavily burdened, leading to delayed shipments and higher maintenance costs.
• By absorbing a large share of heavy cargo, waterways alleviate severe congestion on national highways and freight corridors, reducing wear-and-tear on infrastructure and minimizing transit delays.

3. India’s Private Sector Launches ‘Mission Drishti’ Earth Observation Satellite –

Mission Drishti Launch

• The launch of Mission Drishti marks  important moment in the country’s private space journey. It is developed by GalaxEye and the satellite is the largest privately built Earth observation satellite in the India.
• It was launched from Vandenberg, California and was aboard on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The satellite has successfully entered orbit. The Initial imagery from the satellite is expected to be delivered to users in the upcoming weeks after the commissioning phase.
• This mission will showcases the India’s growing capability to compete in the global satellite data market.

What Makes Mission Drishti Unique?

• Mission Drishti stands out in the world as the first satellite to integrate the Electro-Optical (EO) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) into a single platform.

Key Technological Features

• EO Sensors capture the high-resolution images in clear conditions.
• The SAR Technology enables imaging even through clouds, rain and darkness.
• The combined OptoSAR system ensures continuous and reliable data collection.

4. India and Cambodia Kick Off 2nd Edition of CINBAX-II Military Drill –

Key Highlights of The CINBAX-II

• In 2026 the second edition of the bilateral military exercise between the India and Cambodia will deepen the defense collaboration. It will be hosted in Kampong Speu Province and exercise spans around two weeks and aims to strengthen the joint operational capabilities.
• Total 120 personnel from the Indian Army and it will primarily featured from a battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment. While Cambodia has contributed 160 from the Royal Cambodian Army.
• The exercise also designed to simulate the real-world operational conditions and particularly those encountered during United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Focus on Counter-Terrorism and Modern Warfare Skills

• The major focus of CINBAX-II exercise is to enhancing the preparedness for counter-terrorism operations and which remain a key challenge in today’s global security environment.
• The exercise includes,
• The tactical drills simulating real combat like scenarios.
• Also training in drone operations which reflects the modern warfare trends
• Training will be provided for the sniper and mortar handling.

5. India Sets Guinness Record with Largest Underwater Tricolour at Radhanagar Beach –

Andaman Sets Guinness World Record with Underwater Tricolour

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration successfully set the new Guinness World Record by unfurling the largest underwater national flag of India at Radhanagar Beach.
• This massive Indian Tricolour is measuring 60 x 40 metres was carefully deployed underwater in the proper coordinated operation.
• The event was officially confirmed by a Guinness representative and marks a proud moment for the nation.

Massive Coordination Between Divers and Agencies

• The underwater operation required the accurate planning and teamwork and it involves more than 200 trained divers.
• Key Participants Included
• Andaman and Nicobar Police
• Forest Department
• Indian Navy
• Indian Coast Guard
• Professional scuba divers from multiple centres

MCQ Quiz

Q1. SVAMITVA scheme was launched by which ministry ?

1. a) Ministry of Rural Development
2. b) Ministry of Panchayati Raj
3. c) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
4. d) Ministry of Agriculture

Q2. The Korowai tribe is primarily found in which country ?

1. a) Indonesia
2. b) Australia
3. c) New Zealand
4. d) China

Q3. Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in which state ?

1. a) Rajasthan
2. b) Gujarat
3. c) Karnataka
4. d) Kerala

Q4.Consider the following statements regarding INS Mahendragiri:

• It is the final ship of the Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) frigates being constructed for the Indian Navy.
• The ship is built using Integrated Modular Construction techniques by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• It is equipped with the Barak-8 Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) system.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 3 only
3. c) 2 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2, and 3

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is Incorrect: INS Mahendragiri (Yard 12654) is the sixth ship of the Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) frigates. The project aims to build seven stealth frigates, designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
• Statement 2 is Incorrect: INS Mahendragiri was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, not GRSE, Kolkata. While Project 17A involves both yards (MDL building four, GRSE building three), Mahendragiri is a product of MDL.
• Statement 3 is Correct: The frigate boasts a powerful weapon suite, including 32-cell Barak-8 (LR-SAM) for air defense, 8 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for surface strikes, and advanced anti-submarine capabilities.

Q5. Statement (A): Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make the decision-making process in national security and diplomacy completely human-free.

Reason (R): AI can analyze vast data and prepare policy options and crisis forecasts.

Options:

1. a) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
2. b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not correctly explain A
3. c) A is correct but R is incorrect
4. d) A is incorrect but R is correct

Explanation-

• Artificial Intelligence is emerging today as a force multiplierin national security and diplomacy. It is being used in intelligence analysis, cyber security, war simulation, drone operations, and data-based policy making.
• Reason (R) is correct because AI is capable of analyzing big data, identifying patterns, and forecasting potential threats.
• But statement (A) is incorrect because:
• AI lacks human judgment, ethics, and diplomatic sensitivity.
• International relations are not based only on data, but also depend on political, cultural, and strategic contexts.
• There is also a possibility of bias and error in AI.