The 2026 Union Budget has sanctioned the establishment of two new telescopes to study the sun and the origins of the universe in Ladakh

About the Two New Telescopes

• National Large Solar Telescope (NLST): A 2-metre aperture telescope in Merak (Ladakh) to study solar dynamics, magnetism, and space weather. 
  • Once operational, NLST will serve as India’s third ground-based solar observatory. 
  • Currently, the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (in Tamil Nadu, established 1899) and the Udaipur Solar Observatory (in Rajasthan, established 1975) are operational.
• National Large Optical Telescope (NLOT): A 13.7-metre segmented-mirror telescope in Hanle (Ladakh). It will research exoplanets and the universe's origins using optical-infrared wavelengths.

nion Budget 2026 cut the Tax Collected at Source (TCS) rate for education and medical expenses abroad under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

• TCS is an additional tax collected by sellers from buyers at the time of sale for specific goods/services under Section 206C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

About Liberalised Remittance Scheme 

• Overview: All resident individuals (including minors) are allowed to freely remit up to USD 2,50,000 per financial year for permissible current or capital account transaction or a combination of both.
  • It is not available to corporates, partnership firms, Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), Trusts etc.
• Introduced: 2004 by Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
• Prohibited under LRS: Gambling & Lottery, Trading & Speculation

The Home Minister launched the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) dashboard of Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Ministry of Home Affairs. 

About I4C

• Aim:  To provide a framework and eco-system for Law Enforcement Agencies for dealing with Cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.
• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre scheme was approved in 2018; I4C was dedicated to the Nation in 2020.
• Objectives:
  • To act as a nodal point to curb Cybercrime in the country.
  • To strengthen the fight against Cybercrime committed against women and children.
  • Public Awareness creation etc.

10.5 lakh govt servants have been trained under Rashtriya Karmayogi Large Scale Jan Seva Programme.

About Rashtriya Karmayogi Large Scale Jan Seva Program:

• Overview: It is a flagship behavioural training initiative of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).
  • CBC is the executive body of the Mission Karmayogi framework, to drive civil service reforms through capacity building and competency-based learning.
• Objective: To emphasise the deeper sense of Seva Bhav (spirit of service) and Svadharma (duty aligned with personal purpose) among Government servants, to strengthen citizen-centric governance.

The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index reveals worsening global corruption, with number of countries scoring above 80 dropping from 12 to just five in a decade.

About Corruption Perceptions Index

• Released by: Transparency International.
• Methodology: It evaluates 182 countries based on perceived public sector corruption, using a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
• Least Corrupt nations: Denmark, Finland and Singapore.
• Most Corrupt nations: South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela.
• Performance of India: Rank improved from 96 (2024) to 91 (2025).

Stanford University researchers have created the first global map of rare continental mantle earthquakes.

About Continental Mantle Earthquakes

• Mantle earthquakes occur far deeper, sometimes more than 80 km below the Mohorovičić discontinuity, unlike most earthquakes, which originate in the Earth’s crust at depths of around 10 to 29 kilometres.
  • The Mohorovičić discontinuity or “Moho”, separates the crust from the warm, semi-solid mantle that makes up most of the planet’s interior.
• They do not cause serious shaking at the surface.
• Mantle earthquakes offer a novel way to explore earthquake origins and the internal structure of Earth.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) released a new analysis of the global pipeline of wind and utility-scale solar projects.

Key Highlights

• Pipeline: The global wind and utility-scale solar pipeline reached a record 4.9 TW in 2025, marking an 11% year-on-year increase.
• The G7 Gap: G7 nations account for only 11% of this prospective capacity, despite controlling 50% of the global wealth.
• Operating solar and wind power capacity: China has passed 1.6 TW of operating wind and solar projects. India ranks third globally, with more than 163 GW of operating wind and solar capacity.
• Solar Composition: Distributed solar now comprises 42% of global solar capacity, though deployment remains unevenly concentrated in a few key markets.