Current Affairs, 14 January 2026

Land identified

6.45 million hectares of degraded land in the Aravalli region identified; greening started on 2.7 million hectares.

States covered

Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Implementation

Divisional Forest Officers of 29 Aravalli districts implement it, using native species.

UNCCD target

India has committed under the UNCCD to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land.

Haryana Protected Forest

About 97 sq km of degraded revenue land from Naurangpur to Nuh was declared a Protected Forest by Haryana.

Protected areas

The Aravalli ecosystem has four tiger reserves and 18 protected areas.

Don’t confuse with Aravalli Green Wall vs Great Green Wall: The Great Green Wall is an African initiative across the Sahel; the Aravalli Green Wall is India's own project in the Aravalli landscape.

Don’t confuse with UNCCD vs UNFCCC: UNCCD deals with desertification and land degradation; UNFCCC deals with climate change.

Environment: Prelims tests bodies, programmes and the law behind them; Mains asks why plans fall short.

1. 2019Mains GS1 · Q15Restoring mountain ecosystems damaged by development and tourism.
2. 2020Mains GS1 · Q5Does desertification have climatic boundaries? Justify with examples.
3. 2016Mains GS1 · Q20How micro-watershed development helps water conservation in drought-prone semi-arid regions.

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Edition and venue

The 28th CSPOC is held at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament House Complex, New Delhi.

Chair

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chairs the conference.

Participation

61 Speakers and Presiding Officers from 42 Commonwealth countries and 4 semi-autonomous parliaments attend.

Agenda

Topics include the role of presiding officers in strong democratic institutions, AI in parliamentary work, social media's impact on MPs and citizen participation beyond voting.

Don’t confuse with CSPOC vs CPA: CSPOC is a conference of presiding officers; the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is the wider body of Commonwealth legislatures and members.

Don’t confuse with CSPOC vs Inter-Parliamentary Union: The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments, not limited to Commonwealth countries.

International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.

1. 2023Mains GS2 · Q5Role of state presiding officers in order, impartiality, and democratic practices
2. 2020Mains GS2 · Q5Whether Speaker should stay in office after tenure for objectivity; implications
3. 2026Mains GS2 · Q3Whether Lok Sabha Speaker's neutrality is threatened; institutional reforms needed
4. 2012Prelims Q9Tenure, membership requirement, and resignation procedure of the Lok Sabha Speaker
5. 2010Prelims Q130Whether the Commonwealth has a charter, and whether all British territories automatically joined
6. 2024Prelims Q93Powers of Lok Sabha Speaker while a removal resolution against them is considered

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Structure

The index has four pillars, 13 sub-pillars and 70 indicators.

Classification

States and UTs are grouped as Large States & Small States, North East States and Union Territories. Within each group they are labelled Leaders, Challengers or Aspirers.

Publisher

NITI Aayog, the Government of India's policy think tank, publishes the index.

Don’t confuse with EPI vs Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS): EPI, from NITI Aayog, scores States on overall export readiness. LEADS is a Commerce Ministry index that ranks States on logistics efficiency.

Reports and indices: 14 Prelims questions since 2013; they test who publishes a report and what it measures.

1. 2025Mains GS3 · Q11How Fiscal Health Index assesses state fiscal performance and encourages prudent policies
2. 2017Mains GS3 · Q2Why manufacturing failed in labour-intensive exports; measures for labour-intensive exports
3. 2015Mains GS3 · Q10Issues plaguing SEZs' success regarding taxation, governing laws, administration
4. 2026Prelims Q29Implications of Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk's export to premium markets
5. 2023Prelims Q88India's 3.2% share of global exports; whether PLI scheme benefited companies

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

New centre

The 'Aqua Life Conservation Monitoring Centre for Ganga and Other Rivers' was set up with WII to monitor and conserve aquatic life. It has ecotoxicology, aquatic ecology, spatial ecology and micro plastic labs.

Dolphin Rescue Ambulance

A rescue van was inaugurated to give a rapid, equipped response for Ganga dolphins in distress. It is described as a major NMCG effort.

Turtle reintroduction

Captive-bred Red-crowned Roofed Turtles (Batagur kachuga) were reintroduced into the Upper Ganga near Haiderpur Wetland Complex. It was the first monitored reintroduction of the species in its historic range after three decades.

Indian Skimmer project

The Bombay Natural History Society formally launched the Indian Skimmer Conservation Project for rare birds along the Ganga.

Gharial publication

WII released a population status and conservation action plan for the critically endangered Gharial, showing its distribution in the Ganga basin.

National aquatic animal

The Ganga river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is India's national aquatic animal.

Don’t confuse with Gharial vs Mugger: The gharial is a fish-eating crocodilian with a long thin snout and is critically endangered. The mugger is a broad-snouted crocodile and is classed as vulnerable.

Don’t confuse with NMCG vs National Ganga Council: NMCG is the implementing body of Namami Gange. The National Ganga Council is the higher authority that oversees the river's rejuvenation.

Environment: Prelims tests bodies, programmes and the law behind them; Mains asks why plans fall short.

1. 2015Mains GS3 · Q15Discuss Namami Gange, NMCG; why earlier schemes gave mixed results.
2. 2024Mains GS3 · Q7Industrial river pollution mitigation measures and government initiatives, discussed.
3. 2013Mains GS3 · Q20Enumerate Water Policy; Ganges pollution control strategies; hazardous waste laws
4. 2015Prelims Q25Which is India's national aquatic animal among given options?
5. 2014Prelims Q14Reasons besides poaching for decline of Ganges river dolphins?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Legal basis

The VOPPA Order, 2025 is issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, so breaching it is a contravention of that Act.

Who must register

All manufacturers, processors, blenders and re-packers of edible oils must register on the National Single Window System and the VOPPA portal, and file monthly returns.

Returns cover

Monthly returns cover production, stocks, imports, dispatches, sales and consumption of products such as crude and refined oils, blended oils, vanaspati and margarine.

Enforcement powers

Section 6A allows inspection and confiscation for contravention of Section 3 orders. Section 6B requires a reasonable opportunity to show cause before any confiscation order.

Time given

The concerned units have been given seven days to submit written replies.

Administering department

The Department of Food and Public Distribution, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, runs the compliance drive.

Don’t confuse with Section 3 vs Section 6A/6B of the EC Act: Section 3 empowers the Centre to issue control orders. Sections 6A and 6B deal with confiscation of goods and the show cause opportunity.

Don’t confuse with VOPPA Order vs Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order: VOPPA is about registration, returns and availability data. The packaging order is a separate order on how edible oils are packed and sold.

Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.

1. 2014Mains GS3 · Q3Critically examine whether APMCs impeded agriculture and caused food inflation in India.
2. 2015Prelims Q24Which Act or Order regulates agricultural product markets in India, with four options.

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.