Daily Briefing Current Affairs

GS-3NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTING FOR FISHERIES

The Sea's Missing Balance Sheet: India Tries to Price What GDP Has Always Ignored

MoSPI published its concept paper "Methodological Approach for Compilation of Experimental Monetary Asset Accounts of Marine Fish Resources" via a PIB release, marking India's first serious attempt to build a monetary asset account for its marine fisheries, aligning with global SEEA standards used by a handful of countries including Australia, Norway and the UK.

Sub TopicBLUE ECONOMY, MARINE RESOURCE VALUATION, SEEA FRAMEWORKSourcePIB, THE HINDU, AGRI TIMES…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views29,558
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GS-3THORIUM FUEL CYCLE STRATEGY

Why Wait for Stage 3 When Stage 1 Is Already Big Enough to Do the Job?

The proposal comes months after India's first indigenous fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam achieved criticality in April 2026, a milestone in the second stage of the three-stage programme and raises the question of whether India can afford to wait for that programme's slower timeline given the country's rapidly growing energy needs.

Sub TopicTHREE-STAGE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME, PHWR FLEET, FAST BREEDER…SourceINDIAN EXPRESS, PHDCCI, WORLD…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views31,867
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GS-3STUBBLE BURNING AND REMOTE-SENSING GOVERNANCE

The Farmers Read the Satellite's Schedule and Simply Moved Their Fires

The shift undercuts claims that farm fires have fallen 90% since 2021, since that figure was calculated using satellite fire counts that farmers appear to have deliberately learned to evade, raising the stakes for CAQM's new monitoring approach ahead of the October-November 2026 burning season. The CAQM and ISRO are developing new ground-truthing protocols to accurately track stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana. This…

Sub TopicAIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT, ISRO SATELLITE MONITORING…SourceTHE HINDU, REDDIT
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views26,242
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GS-3DIRECT TAX ADMINISTRATION REFORM

"Why Should All Taxpayers Be Treated As Criminals" - The Question a Ruling-Party MP Asked His Own Government

The criticism comes even as net direct tax collections have grown 23.09% year-on-year to Rs 8.11 lakh crore by August 2026, raising the question of whether that growth is being driven by genuine economic expansion or by an enforcement culture that pressures already-compliant taxpayers harder rather than widening the base.

Sub TopicINCOME TAX ENFORCEMENT CULTURE, PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT…SourceTHE HINDU, ANI, JURIS HOUR…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views40,787
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GS-3MONETARY POLICY AND CAPITAL FLOWS

136 Billion Dollars Is a Success the RBI Now Has to Spend Money Undoing

Economists say the scale of inflows, far exceeding expectations, has "complicated" liquidity management for the RBI at a time when inflation is already edging upward and the Monetary Policy Committee faces pressure to consider rate action. The RBI's special swap facility successfully attracted over $136 billion in foreign inflows, pushing India's forex reserves to a record $729 billion but creating a massive domestic…

Sub TopicFCNR(B) DEPOSITS, LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT, STERILIZATION…SourceECONOMIC TIMES, REDIFF
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views46,843
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GS-3EL NIñO AND CLIMATE RISK

The WMO Has Never Said "Near 100%" Before - That Should Worry You More Than the Forecast Itself

The unprecedented certainty behind this forecast, combined with the unprecedented scale being projected, has prompted WMO to step up early-warning and preparedness efforts globally, with direct implications for countries like India whose monsoon and agricultural output are historically sensitive to strong El Niño conditions.

Sub TopicENSO CYCLE, EXTREME WEATHER, EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS…SourceWORLD METEOROLOGICAL…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views43,315
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