Current Affairs, 29 May 2026

Forecast value

Seasonal rainfall for India is forecast at 90% of the LPA, with a model error of plus or minus 4%.

LPA base

The LPA of seasonal rainfall is 87 cm, based on 1971-2020 data.

Forecast system

IMD uses a Multi-Model Ensemble built from coupled global climate models, including its own MMCFS, for monthly and seasonal forecasts.

ENSO and IOD

ENSO is moving from neutral towards El Nino, while the Indian Ocean Dipole is expected to stay neutral through the monsoon.

Regions covered

Forecasts cover four homogeneous regions (northwest, central, south Peninsula, northeast India) and the Monsoon Core Zone of rainfed agriculture areas.

Forecast

Seasonal rainfall is forecast at 92% of LPA, with a model error of ±5%. This falls in the below-normal band.

Ocean signals

MMCFS suggests El Niño conditions may develop during the monsoon season. Positive IOD is likely towards the end of the season.

Snow cover link

Northern Hemisphere winter and spring snow cover has a general inverse relationship with monsoon rainfall.

Don’t confuse with ENSO vs IOD: ENSO is the Pacific ocean-atmosphere cycle (El Nino and La Nina). The IOD is the sea surface temperature difference across the Indian Ocean. Both affect the monsoon.

Don’t confuse with Extended range vs long range forecast: Long range forecasts cover a month or a season. Extended range forecasts are weekly averages for the next four weeks. Short to medium range forecasts are issued daily.

Don’t confuse with Seasonal vs monthly forecast: The seasonal forecast covers June-September for the whole country. Monthly forecasts are issued at the end of June, July and August for the next month.

Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

1. 2015Mains GS1 · Q18Whether Indian monsoon behaviour changing due to humanised landscapes
2. 2014Mains GS3 · Q14Preparedness for likely El Nino and La Nina drought fallouts
3. 2022Mains GS1 · Q5Meaning of IMD's colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas
4. 2017Prelims Q66IOD definition and its role in El Nino monsoon impact
5. 2020Prelims Q93Statements on OMT depth and monsoon rainfall forecasting use
6. 2011Prelims Q52La Nina versus El Nino: temperature differences and monsoon effects
7. 2026Prelims Q84Which statements on the Bharat Forecast System weather model are correct?

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

ToFEI app

A digital tool for self-assessment, reporting and compliance monitoring of tobacco-free norms in schools and colleges.

Pilot States

The pilot runs in Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Maharashtra, to test feasibility before a national scale-up.

100-yard rule

The app tracks the ban on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions.

Sample collection SOP

It standardises collection, handling, storage, transport and documentation of tobacco product samples for testing.

Cessation centres

Over 2,000 Tobacco Cessation Centres exist in district hospitals, medical and dental colleges, AYUSH institutions and NCD clinics.

WNTD 2026 theme

The WHO theme is 'Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction'.

Don’t confuse with NTCP vs COTPA: NTCP is a Health Ministry programme for enforcement, awareness and cessation. COTPA, 2003 is the law that bans tobacco sale near educational institutions and regulates its advertising.

Don’t confuse with ToFEI app vs SOP: The app monitors tobacco-free campuses. The SOP governs sample collection for testing tobacco products.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

Survey rounds compared

The release compares NFHS-5 (2019-21) with NFHS-6 (2023-24).

Fertility

Total Fertility Rate stayed at 2 in both rounds, below the replacement level of 2.1.

Contraception

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate rose from 66.7% to 69.1%.

Rotavirus vaccine

Coverage more than doubled, from 36.4% to 85.4%.

Stunting

Stunting among under-fives fell from 35.5% to 29.3%.

Nodal agency

NFHS is conducted by IIPS, Mumbai, for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Health insurance

Household coverage by a health insurance or financing scheme rose from 41.0% to 60.2%.

Don’t confuse with NFHS vs SRS: NFHS is a periodic household survey on health and family planning. The Sample Registration System, run by the Registrar General, gives yearly vital rates such as birth rate and TFR.

Don’t confuse with NFHS vs Sample Registration System: NFHS is a periodic household survey run with IIPS. The SRS, run by the Registrar General of India, gives annual vital statistics such as birth rate and infant mortality.

Don’t confuse with Stunting vs wasting vs underweight: Stunting is low height for age, wasting is low weight for height, and underweight is low weight for age.

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

1. 2013Mains GS2 · Q15Health-related MDGs and government success in achieving them
2. 2022Mains GS3 · Q5Health challenges from rising life expectancy and steps needed to meet them
3. 2026Mains GS1 · Q19Critically examine challenges of demographic transition in contemporary India
4. 2024Prelims Q41Defines total fertility rate, a key NFHS family planning indicator
5. 1999Prelims Q75Most accepted reason for Kerala's lowest population growth rate among states

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

Launched by

Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, launched it; Secretary DFS M. Nagaraju released it.

Development partner

The portal was developed in collaboration with PSB Alliance.

Assets covered

It gives search access to unclaimed bank deposits, insurance claims, shares, dividends and mutual funds.

Campaign link

It builds on the 'Your Money, Your Right' campaign, run with regulators, banks and other stakeholders for awareness, tracing and restitution.

Don’t confuse with Common Landing Portal vs. RBI's UDGAM: UDGAM is the RBI portal for searching unclaimed bank deposits only. The new portal is a single entry point across banking, insurance and securities.

Economy terms and data: 42 Prelims questions since 2013, rising in recent years; they test what a term or instrument means. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

1. 2013Mains GS2 · Q8Whether overlapping products justify merging SEBI and IRDA regulators; justify.
2. 2016Mains GS3 · Q3Whether PMJDY is necessary for financial inclusion of the poor; give arguments.
3. 2026Prelims Q99Which statements on NBFC deposits and DICGC insurance are correct.

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

Issuing body

The roadmap comes from NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub. It is described as India's first comprehensive 10-year semiconductor roadmap.

2035 target

The roadmap sets out a vision for a USD 120-150 billion semiconductor value chain by 2035.

Five pillars

The pillars are R&D and design IP, policy and investment, production (advanced packaging and compound semiconductors), people, and partnerships.

Goals

Goals include making India a leading destination for advanced packaging and OSAT, a major supplier of wide-bandgap semiconductors, and creating over 100 advanced semiconductor design IPs.

Link to ISM 2.0

The roadmap reinforces the priorities announced for India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 in Union Budget 2026. It marks a shift from ecosystem creation to ecosystem deepening.

Don’t confuse with OSAT vs fab: OSAT means outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing, the packaging end of the chain. A fab makes the wafers. The roadmap stresses advanced packaging, not only fabs.

Don’t confuse with Compound vs wide-bandgap semiconductors: Compound semiconductors combine two or more elements, such as gallium arsenide. Wide-bandgap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, are a group that largely overlaps with them.

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

1. 2025Mains GS3 · Q16Semiconductor industry challenges and India Semiconductor Mission features
2. 2026Prelims Q83Which semiconductor plant–location pair is not correctly matched?

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

New Schedule VII item

Item (xiii) allows subscription to zero coupon zero principal instruments on the Social Stock Exchange as a CSR activity.

Rules amended

The CSR Policy Rules, 2014 now define 'Not for Profit Organization' and the instrument in Rule 2. Rule 4A sets the criteria for CSR through the instrument.

Issuer and regulator

Not-for-profit organisations issue the instrument on the Social Stock Exchange under SEBI Regulations.

Legal framework of CSR

CSR is governed by Section 135 of the Companies Act, Schedule VII and the CSR Policy Rules, 2014.

Don’t confuse with Zero coupon bond vs zero coupon zero principal instrument: A zero coupon bond pays no interest but returns principal at maturity. The zero coupon zero principal instrument returns neither interest nor principal.

Don’t confuse with Schedule VII vs Section 135: Section 135 sets who must do CSR and the 2% spending norm. Schedule VII lists the permitted activities.

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. 2013Mains GS3 · Q1Challenges in implementing CSR as a mandatory obligation under the Companies Bill 2013
2. 2022Mains GS4 · Q6Whether corporate social responsibility is efficient and sufficient for corporate social roles
3. 2017Mains GS4 · Q4Analyse how corporate social responsibility makes companies more profitable and sustainable

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

Framework

LPPI is developed under the Sagar Aankalan framework as a national benchmarking mechanism for Indian ports.

Segments and indicators

Ports are assessed in dry bulk, liquid bulk and container cargo, using indicators such as vessel turnaround time, berth idle time and container dwell time.

Weightage

Absolute performance and year-on-year improvement get equal weightage.

Top performers FY 2024-25

Paradip led dry bulk, Sikka Port and Terminals led liquid bulk, and Mundra was top in containers, with JNPA second among major container ports.

Alignment

The index aligns with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

Ship Recycling Credit

Owners recycling ships at Hong Kong Convention-compliant Indian yards get a credit note worth 40% of scrap value, usable for new Indian shipbuilding.

Don’t confuse with LPPI vs World Bank LPI: LPPI is India's domestic index ranking Indian ports. The Logistics Performance Index is a World Bank cross-country ranking of trade logistics.

Don’t confuse with LPPI vs Container Port Performance Index: The Container Port Performance Index covers global container ports and is published by the World Bank; LPPI covers Indian ports across three cargo types.

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

1. 2022Mains GS2 · Q6Gati Shakti connectivity needs government and private sector coordination; discuss
2. 2025Mains GS3 · Q20Why maritime security is vital for sea trade; challenges and way forward
3. 2026Prelims Q35Sagarmala programme's port-led growth, shipping growth, and Sagarmala 2.0 statements
4. 2026Prelims Q24How Vizhinjam port represents a structural shift in maritime trade policy

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