20 January 2026 Current Affairs (With PDF)

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SC Issues Interim Directions on Student Suicides in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)

(a) Case:

• Amit Kumar v. Union of India

(b) Basis:

• Recommendations of the National Task Force (NTF) constituted by the Supreme Court in 2025

Why in News

The Supreme Court issued interim directions to address the alarming rise in student suicides in higher educational institutions across India.

Key Observations by the Supreme Court

1. Magnitude of the issue:

• Suicides are among the leading causes of death in the 15–29 age group (Sample Registration System – SRS).
• Around 13,000 student suicides reported in 2022 (NCRB data).

2. Expansion of HEIs:

• Rapid massification and privatisation of higher education has made India the second-largest globally in student enrolment.
• However, this expansion has deepened structural and social inequalities.

Reasons for Rising Student Suicides (as identified by NTF)

1. Institutional Deficits:

• Acute shortage of faculty, administrative staff, and leadership positions (Vice-Chancellors, Registrars).
• Weak governance and grievance redressal mechanisms.
• Incidents of caste-based discrimination, ragging, and lack of accountability.

2. Poor Institutional Responsibility:

• HEIs tend to individualise blame, attributing suicides to personal failure instead of systemic issues.

3. Financial Stress:

• Delays in release of scholarships act as major stressors, particularly for marginalised students.

4. Fragmented Regulatory Framework:

• Multiple instruments exist but lack coherence and enforcement: UGC Regulations, NEP 2020, National Suicide Prevention Strategy, Mental Healthcare Act 2017

Key Interim Directions Issued by the Supreme Court

1. Centralised Data Management

• Sample Registration System (SRS) data on suicides, especially for the 15–29 age group, to be centrally maintained.

2. Mandatory Reporting by HEIs

• All HEIs must Report every incident of student suicide & Submit annual reports on such incidents to regulatory authorities.

3. Addressing Faculty and Leadership Shortages

• Vacant posts of Faculty, Vice-Chancellors, Registrars and other key administrators
• To be filled within four months.

4. Compliance with Existing Regulations

• Mandatory implementation of Anti-Ragging Committees and Squads, Anti-Discrimination Officers, Internal Complaints Committees

5. Additional Directions

• Qualified medical help to be provided in every residential HEI.
• Scholarship backlog to be cleared within four months.

Aatmanirbharta & Making India a Global Production Hub in Defence Manufacturing

Why in News

• Defence Minister inaugurated a fully automated Medium Calibre Ammunition Manufacturing Facility at Solar Defence & Aerospace Ltd.
• First tranche of Guided Pinaka rockets flagged off to Armenia.
• Private sector breakthroughs: Nagastra loitering munitions and successful test of ‘Bhargavastra’ Counter-Drone System.

Rising Defence Indigenisation & Exports

1. Indigenous Defence Production:

• ₹1.51 lakh crore (record high)
• From ₹46,425 crore (2014) → ₹1.51 lakh crore (2025)
• Private sector contribution: ₹33,000+ crore
• Target: Private sector share ≥ 50%

2. Defence Exports:

• Export destinations: 100+ countries (including USA, France)
• Exports grew from < ₹1,000 crore (2014) to ₹24,000 crore (FY 2024–25)

Significance of Defence Aatmanirbharta

1. Strategic Autonomy:

• Reduced import dependence
• Lower supply-chain vulnerability
• Improved Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) capabilities

2. Economic Multiplier Effect:

• Job creation & MSME integration
• Around 16,000 MSMEs integrated into defence supply chains
• Foreign exchange savings and industrial deepening

3. Diplomatic & Strategic Leverage:

• India emerging as a defence exporter and security provider
• Strengthens position in global defence value chains

Key Government Initiatives

1. Indigenisation Push:

• Positive Indigenisation Lists
• ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Scheme
• Defence Industrial Corridors: Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
• iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence)
• SRIJAN portal for indigenisation

2. Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020:

• Priority to Buy (Indian–IDDM) category
• Greater role for private sector
• Simplified approvals & faster procurement

3. Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025:

• Ease of Doing Business
• Industry-friendly and innovation-supportive provisions
• Digital integration and transparency

US Initiates Formation of ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza

Why in News

• The US President has begun the process of constituting a proposed ‘Board of Peace’ as part of the US-led 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan, officially titled the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
• The broader peace framework has received international legitimacy through UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025).
• Parallel steps have been initiated to operationalise:
  - National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)
  - International Stabilization Force (ISF)

About the Board of Peace

1. Nature:

• Envisioned as a new international body with a transitional governance role for post-conflict Gaza.
• Combines elements of international oversight, political coordination, and developmental administration.

2. Proposed Mandate:

• Supervise and guide the functioning of:
  - NCAG (civil administration)
  - ISF (security and stabilization)
• Mobilise international financial and technical assistance.
• Ensure transparency, coordination, and accountability during Gaza’s transition from conflict to reconstruction and governance.

Institutional Structure

1. Leadership

• Chair: US President Donald Trump
• Executive Board:
  - Comprising select global leaders and prominent international figures
  - Example: World Bank President Ajay Banga

2. Membership Framework

• Invited countries: India, Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Turkey, among others.
• Tenure: Rotational membership of 3 years without mandatory financial contribution.
• Permanent Membership: Available through a reported contribution of USD 1 billion.

Broader Significance

1. New Model of Global Governance:

• Represents a move away from traditional universal multilateral institutions towards minilateral, leader-centric mechanisms.
• Emphasises political authority, resource mobilisation, and rapid decision-making over consensus-based diplomacy.

2. Beyond Gaza:

• Though focused on Gaza, the Board is being projected as a template for managing complex global conflicts.
• Signals evolving US thinking on conflict resolution, post-war governance, and international institutional design.

Second Nationwide Dolphin Estimation Launched under Project Dolphin

Why in News

• India has initiated the Second Rangewide Population Estimation of Riverine and Estuarine Dolphins under Project Dolphin.
• The earlier national survey conducted during 2021–23 estimated the presence of 6,327 riverine dolphins across Indian river systems.
• The current exercise expands its scope by including the Irrawaddy dolphin in the Sundarbans and coastal Odisha, in addition to the Gangetic and Indus river dolphins.

About Project Dolphin

• Launch: 15 August 2020
• Scheme: Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Development of Wildlife Habitats
• Objective: Conservation of riverine and marine dolphins and other cetaceans through: Habitat protection, Scientific population assessment, Research and monitoring, Community participation and awareness

Riverine Dolphins (Superfamily: Platinistoidea)

Key Characteristics

• Functionally blind; depend on echolocation for navigation and hunting.
• Distinct physical traits: Long, narrow snout, Rounded abdomen, Stocky body and large flippers
• Serve as apex predators and indicator species, reflecting the ecological health of river systems.

Major Dolphin Species Covered

1. Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

• Distribution: Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Sangu–Karnaphuli river systems (India, Nepal, Bangladesh).
• Local name: Susu
• Special Status: India’s National Aquatic Animal
• Conservation Status:
  - IUCN: Endangered
  - Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

2. Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor)

• Distribution: Indus river basin, primarily Beas River in India.
• Local name: Bhulan
• State Symbol: Punjab’s State Aquatic Animal
• Conservation Status:
  - IUCN: Endangered
  - Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

3. Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

• Distribution: Marine, brackish, and freshwater habitats across Southeast Asia; now included in Indian estuarine assessment.
• Distinct Features: Slow swimming behaviour, Unique water-spitting activity
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Endangered

Key Conservation Initiatives

• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar
• Chambal River Dolphin Conservation Zone
• Satellite tagging of Ganges River Dolphins for migration and habitat tracking

EU’s ‘Bazooka’ or Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)

Why in News

The French President urged the European Union to invoke its trade “Bazooka”—the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)—for the first time to counter U.S. tariffs on European countries, amid a broader standoff linked to Greenland.

What is the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)?

• ACI is an EU legal mechanism designed to respond when a non-EU country seeks to pressure or coerce the EU or its Member States by applying or threatening measures that affect trade or investment.
• Nature: Primarily a deterrent tool, with the capacity for proportionate retaliation if coercion persists.
• Objective:
  - Deter economic coercion
  - Protect EU’s strategic autonomy and policy space
  - Ensure disputes are resolved through dialogue first, with escalation only if necessary.

Key Features

• Trigger: Evidence of economic coercion—i.e., pressure intended to force the EU or a Member State to change legitimate policies.
• Approach:
  - Graduated response: Consultation and diplomacy → Countermeasures (if coercion continues).
  - EU-level decision-making, ensuring unity and credibility.

Possible Countermeasures under ACI

• Trade Measures: Import/export restrictions on goods and services
• Investment Measures: Restrictions on foreign direct investment (FDI)
• Market Access: Limiting access to the EU internal market
• IP & Services: Measures affecting intellectual property rights, public procurement, and services

Significance

• Signals the EU’s willingness to defend its economic sovereignty.
• Adds teeth to the EU’s trade policy amid rising geoeconomic competition.
• Reflects a shift from purely rules-based multilateralism to credible deterrence against coercive practices.

Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming Project

Why in News

The Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences launched India’s first-ever Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming Project in the Andaman Sea, marking a major step toward harnessing the Blue Economy.

About the Project

1. Implementation:

• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
• National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) – technical arm
• UT Administration of Andaman & Nicobar Islands

2. Nature:

• India’s first initiative for open-sea (offshore) mariculture, moving beyond near-shore or coastal aquaculture.

Objectives

• Promote open-sea cultivation of Marine finfish and Seaweed
• Use natural oceanic conditions for sustainable aquaculture.
• Integrate scientific innovation with livelihood generation for coastal and island communities.

Significance

• Blue Economy: Unlocks the economic potential of India’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• Sustainable Fisheries: Diversifies income sources and lowers dependence on capture fisheries.
• Livelihood Generation: Enhances income and employment for coastal and island populations.
• Technological Advancement: Demonstrates offshore aquaculture feasibility under Indian oceanographic conditions.
• Environmental Benefits: Seaweed farming aids in nutrient absorption and carbon drawdown.

Central Information Commission (CIC)

Why in News

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that advocates cannot invoke the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 to seek case-related details on behalf of their clients, clarifying the scope and intended use of the RTI framework.

About the Central Information Commission

• Nature: A statutory body established under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Objective: To uphold transparency and accountability in public authorities by ensuring effective implementation of the RTI Act.

Key Functions

• Receives and examines Complaints from citizens regarding denial or obstruction of information.
• Appeals against decisions of Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs).
• Issues directions to public authorities for Disclosure of information and Compliance with provisions of the RTI Act.

Composition

Members:

• One Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)
• Up to 10 Information Commissioners (ICs)

Appointment Process

Appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a high-level committee comprising:

• Prime Minister – Chairperson
• Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
• One Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister

Significance of the Ruling

• Reinforces that RTI is a citizen-centric transparency law, not a substitute for judicial or professional disclosure mechanisms.
• Legal professionals must rely on procedural laws and court rules, not RTI, to access case documents.
• Prevents misuse of RTI for purposes beyond public interest and statutory intent.

Hope Island and Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS)

Why in News

The Andhra Pradesh government plans to develop a satellite launching facility under its proposed Space City project on Hope Island, which forms part of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Hope Island

1. Geographical Nature:

• A relatively young island, formed as a 16-km long sand spit due to sediment deposition from the Godavari delta.

2. Ecological & Strategic Importance:

• Acts as a natural breakwater, protecting Kakinada city from cyclones and storm surges.
• Provides calm waters, making Kakinada Port one of India’s safest natural ports.

3. Coastal Function:

• Absorbs wave energy and reduces coastal erosion, highlighting its role in coastal resilience.

About Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

1. Location:

• East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, at the confluence of the Godavari River and the Bay of Bengal.

2. Ecosystem:

• Part of the Godavari Mangroves, the second-largest mangrove forest in India after Sundarbans.

3. Declared:

• 1978 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

4. Biodiversity Significance:

• Rich in mangrove species, estuarine fauna, migratory birds, reptiles, and fish.

5. Ecological Role:

• Acts as a carbon sink, fish nursery, and natural shield against cyclones and tidal surges.

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