Daily Current Affairs (29/28 – Apr – 26)

Daily Current Affairs (29/28 – Apr – 26)

1. Manipur Ethnic Conflict and UAPA Power Expansion  –

• The Home Department of Manipur issued a notification implementing Section 43A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. This directive allows lower-ranked law enforcement officers to conduct arrests, searches, and seizures across the state.
• The move has faced strong opposition from rights groups, citing risks of misuse in a volatile region where peace remains fragile despite administrative and security efforts.

What are the Key Provisions of UAPA, 1967 Notification in Manipur? 

• Empowerment of Lower-Ranked Officers: The notification allows officers not below the rank of Head Constable or Havildar in civil and armed police to exercise wide anti-terror powers, citing heavy First Information Report (FIR) workload and a shortage of senior officers during ongoing unrest.
• Under UAPA, such powers are usually limited to senior officers like Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) or Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) as a safeguard due to the law’s stringent nature.
• Appointment of “Designated Authority”: The state’s Secretary (Home) is appointed as the official “designated authority” to oversee actions against offenses related to unlawful and anti-national activities under this provision.
• The “Reason to Believe” Standard: Empowered officials can make arrests or conduct searches merely if they have a “reason to believe” that a UAPA-related offense has been committed or may be committed.
• This also applies to cases involving the suspected possession of evidence or property linked to unlawful activities.

2. India’s Ethanol Blending Programme and the Path to E100 –

• The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways advocated for India to move towards 100% ethanol blending (E100) in the near future to achieve energy self-reliance and insulate the country from global oil supply shocks. 

What is India’s Ethanol Blending Programme?

• Ethanol: Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is a biofuel naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes.
• In India, it is primarily derived from sugarcane molasses, but increasingly from maize, surplus rice, and damaged foodgrains.
• Ethanol is classified into 1G, 2G, and 3G based on the type of feedstock used and the production technology.
• Blending: It involves mixing ethanol with motor fuel (petrol) to reduce the consumption of imported crude oil and curb carbon emissions.
• E10 and E20 petrol blended with 10%, 20% ethanol respectively, with higher blends reducing crude oil use and emissions.
• E100 means using pure ethanol as fuel, instead of mixing it with petrol.  
• While E10 works in most vehicles, E20 requires compatible engines with a slight efficiency loss, and E100 needs flex-fuel vehicles that can run on varying ethanol blends.
• These vehicles use corrosion-resistant components, modified engines, and advanced sensors, and while countries like Brazil have widely adopted them, India is still at an early stage.

3. India’s Defence Spending Rises to $92.1 Billion, Ranks Fifth Globally: SIPRI –

• India has been emerged as the fifth-largest military spender in the world in the year 2025. This position reveled as per the report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The country’s defense expenditure rose by the 8.9% to $92.1 billion which is showcasing the growing security needs and modernization efforts. The key factor behind this increase was the India and Pakistan conflict in the May 2025 which involved the advanced warfare technologies like drones, missiles and the combat aircraft.

India’s Defense Spending Surge in 2025

• The military expenditure of India has reached to the $92.1 billion and making India as the 5th largest spender worldwide and overtaking the United Kingdom.
• This accounts for nearly the 3.2% of the global military spending.
• The increase was largely influenced by the India and Pakistan conflict which started in the May 2025 which have required the higher operational readiness and rapid deployment of the advanced military systems.

4. India Submits Updated Climate Targets for 2031–2035 to UNFCCC –

• India has submitted the its updated targets for the 2031-2035 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This new plan focuses on to the reducing emissions, expanding clean energy and increasing the forest cover. This targets were announced after the Cabinet approval in the month of March 2026 and these targets will reflect the India’s growing role to tackling climate change while. The targets are aimed to significantly reduce emissions and boost clean energy. India have come long way with the environmental efforts and it will trying to come closer to 2070 net Zero target.

What Is India’s New NDC (2031-2035)?

• Updated NDC of India reflects the higher level of climate ambition while balancing development needs. These targets are part of the global commitments under the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.

The new goals are focus on three major pillars,

• Emission reduction,Clean energy transitionCarbon sequestration.

5. Ladakh to Get Five New Districts, Boosting Decentralised Governance and Development –

• Ladakh is set to witness the creation of the five new districts and it marks the step towards the decentralized governance model and the regional development. The announcement was made by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena who have approved the Centre’s notification to expand the Union Territory’s district count from two to the seven.

Five New Districts Announced in Ladakh

• The Union Territory of Ladakh will now have the total seven districts instead of the existing two which are earlier Leh and Kargil.
• Newly Created Districts.
• Nubra
• Sham
• Changthang
• Zanskar
• Drass
• This expansion will fulfills the long-standing demand of the local residents for the better administrative representation.

MCQ Quiz

Q1. Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is located in which state ?

1. a) Arunachal Pradesh
2. b) Assam
3. c) Sikkim
4. d) Manipur

Q2. Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is administered by which ministry ?

1. a) Ministry of Education
2. b) Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
3. c) Ministry of Women and Child Development
4. d) Ministry of Culture

Q3. Thrissur Pooram festival is mainly celebrated in which state ?

1. a) Kerala
2. b) Andhra Pradesh
3. c) Tamil Nadu
4. d) Maharashtra

Q4. Consider the following statements (with reference to SIPRI 2025 Report):

1. India, in the year 2025, with a defence expenditure of approximately 92 billion dollars, is the fifth largest defence spender in the world.
2. In recent years, a continuous decline has been recorded in global military expenditure.
3. Increasing global defence expenditure indicates a “global arms race.”
4. India’s defence expenditure is linked to its regional security challenges and strategic priorities.

Choose the correct answer:

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

Explanation-

• Recently, according to the 2025 report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India, with a defence expenditure of approximately 92 billion dollars, has become the fifth largest defence spender in the world, which reflects the continuous increase in global military expenditure amid rising geopolitical tensions (Russia–Ukraine war, China–India border dispute, Indo-Pacific competition); therefore, statement 1 is correct.
• Statement 2 is incorrect because there is not a decline but a continuous increase in global military expenditure. Statement 3 is correct because increasing defence expenditure indicates a “global arms race,” while statement 4 is also correct because India’s defence expenditure is linked to its regional security challenges (China, Pakistan) and strategic priorities (modernization, self-reliance/Atmanirbhar Bharat).
• Therefore, the correct answer is (a) Only 1, 3 and 4.

Q5. Recently, the creation of 5 new districts in Ladakh was approved by the Lieutenant Governor (LG). In this context, consider the following Statement (A) and Reason (R):

Statement (A): The creation of new districts in Ladakh was done through a law passed by the legislature.

Reason (R): Ladakh is a Union Territory which does not have its own legislature.

Choose the correct answer:

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-

• Recently, in Ladakh, the creation of 5 new districts was approved by the Lieutenant Governor (LG). The main objective is to increase administrative reach in remote and border areas, make service delivery more effective, and strengthen administrative decentralization. In a geographically challenging and strategically important region like Ladakh, the creation of smaller administrative units is considered necessary for improving governance efficiency.
• In this context, Statement (A) is incorrect because it states that the decision was taken through a law passed by a legislature. In reality, Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature, so district creation is not done through legislative law-making but through executive/administrative decisions taken by the Lieutenant Governor and the Central Government.
• Reason (R) is correct because Ladakh indeed does not have its own legislature and is directly governed by the Central Government. Due to this administrative structure, reorganization such as the creation of new districts is carried out through executive authority rather than legislative processes. Thus, Reason (R) correctly explains why Statement (A) is incorrect, and the correct answer is (d).