Supreme Court held that Section 60(4) of the Social Security Code, 2020, which allow maternity benefit to an adoptive mother only if the adopted child is less than 3 months of age, is unconstitutional.

• Social Security Code, 2020, merges nine existing social security acts including the Maternity Benefit Act 1961. 

Key Observations of Court

• It held that adoptive mothers are entitled to 12 weeks leave, irrespective of child’s age.
• The right of reproductive autonomy is not confined to the biological act of giving birth. Adoption is an equal exercise of the right to reproductive and decisional autonomy under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• Supreme Court urged the Union Government to enact laws recognizing paternity leave as a social security benefit.

Scientists have decoded the evolution of the Ladakh Magmatic Arc in the North-West Himalaya.

About Ladakh Magmatic Arc (LMA)

• It is a belt of igneous rocks and a long-extinct volcanic system located in the Trans-Himalaya that acts as a 130-million-year record of plate tectonics.
  • It documents the entire process of subduction, maturation and the eventual collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
• Present Ladakh region lay above Neo-Tethys Ocean and below that ocean, giant slabs of Earth’s crust slowly plunged into the mantle in a process known as subduction leading to the formation of the LMA. 

The Supreme Court formally disposed of the landmark 1985 PIL filed by environmentalist MC Mehta.

• In MC Mehta case, Supreme Court recognized the principle of Absolute Liability and applied Doctrine of Public Trust to natural resources.
  • It also led to lead free petrol in India, coastal management plans in states, shifting of stone crushers out of Delhi etc. 

Other Landmark Environmental Cases

• T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad Case (1995) - Expanded the definition of forest land to include all areas recorded as forests in government records, regardless of ownership.
• Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum Case (1996) - Recognized the Precautionary Principle and the Polluter Pays Principle as essential features of Indian environmental law.
• S.P. Muthuraman Case (2025)- SC declared post-facto or retrospective environmental clearances illegal.

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare released Final 2024-25 horticulture estimates.

Key Highlights

• Total horticulture crop area grew from 290.86 lakh hectares in 2023-24 to 301.36 lakh hectares in 2024-25.
• Total crop production climbed from 3547.44 lakh tonnes to 3707.38 lakh tonnes.
• 2024-25 fruit production rose 4.13% (46.71 lakh tonnes) to 1176.49 lakh tonnes from 1129.78 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, driven by gains in banana, mango, mandarin, papaya, guava, watermelon and jackfruit.
• Vegetable production is estimated up 5.11% (105.89 lakh tonnes) to 2177.97 lakh tonnes from 2072.08 lakh tonnes, with rises in onion, potato, green chilli, cauliflower, cabbage, brinjal, etc.

Operations at UAE’s Shah gas field suspended after drone attack.

About Shah Gas Field

• Location: UAE (near border with Saudi Arabia).
• Type: One of the world’s largest sour gas fields (natural gas with very high hydrogen sulphide content).
• Production: Natural gas and sulphur.

The government has cleared 23 institutions to set up ‘quantum labs’ under the National Quantum Mission.

About National Quantum Mission (NQM):

• Overview:  NQM was launched by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) for the period of 2023-2031 to make India a global leader in quantum technologies.
• Aim:  To seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT). 
• Mission objectives:
  • Establishing a secure and high-bandwidth communication infrastructure spanning 2,000 kilometers.
  • Developing quantum computers with a processing capacity of 500 to 1,000 qubits, unlocking immense computational capabilities, etc.

Recently in news, fat cells (both white fat and brown fat) can become a promising target for future weight-loss therapies as they burn energy to make heat.

About White Fat and Brown Fat

• White Fat is the most abundant fat in adults and Brown Fat is mainly found in neck and upper chest.
• Primary Function: White Fat stores energy in the form of triglycerides.
  • Brown Fat burns energy and dissipates calories; converts chemical energy into heat.
• White Fat acts as a powerful endocrine organ, releasing hormones like leptin (to reduce appetite) and adiponectin (to regulate insulin and blood sugar).
  • Brown Fat is naturally triggered by the brain upon exposure to cold temperatures to generate heat.

The Union Budget 2026-27 announced ‘Coconut Promotion Scheme’ aimed at rejuvenating old, non-productive coconut gardens and expanding cultivation along coastal areas.

About Coconut Production

• India is the world’s largest producer of coconuts contributing to nearly 30% of the Global coconut production.

• Ideal Conditions for Coconut Cultivation
  • Latitude: 23 degrees North and South of Equator in tropical and hot climate.
  • Altitude: Grows from sea level up to 600 m.
  • Temperature: should be from 20 ° to 32°C.
  • Rainfall: 1000–2500 mm annually.
  • Soil Type: Well-drained sandy loam, laterite, coastal alluvial soils.
• Major Producers: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.