As per NITI Aayog’s Trade Watch Quarterly report, HHI for exports are falling indicating diversification, with declining concentration in both products and regions.

Other Key Highlights

• Gems and jewellery sector: India’s exports (excluding raw gold) represent a 7.8% share of the global market
• Instability in West Asia slowed India-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement cooperation

About HHI

• It is a measure of the dispersion of trade value across an exporter’s partners.
  • It is calculated as the sum of the squares of the share of each trade partner in total trade.
• Higher HHI values indicate greater concentration, and lower diversification
  • Trade concentration reduces resilience by increasing exposure to region and product-specific shocks.

Odisha becomes first state to launch MSP.

• It signed an MoU with National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences 
• MSP was earlier taken up in two UTs- Puducherry and Lakshadweep as part of Indo-Norway Integrated Ocean Initiative (2019).

About MSP

• It is a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives.
• Significance: 
  • Boost Blue economy by enabling sustainable utilization of marine resource
  • Policy formulation, e.g., for allocating space for offshore wind energy plants, deep sea mining etc. while avoiding conflicts with environment. 
  • Strengthens climate resilience by enabling sustainable and integrated ocean management.

• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO develops key guidelines and supports implementation of MSP across countries.

The RBI partially reversed curbs on rupee derivative deals, allowing authorized dealers to offer NDF again.

About Non-Deliverable Forwards (NDF)

• It is a cash-settled, over-the-counter (OTC) foreign exchange derivative, with no physical exchange of currencies at maturity.
• Key features: 
  • Traded offshore, primarily in hubs like Singapore, Dubai, London, and New York.
  • Used to hedge or speculate on currencies from emerging markets that have capital controls or restricted liquidity.
    • Examples: Indian rupee (INR), Chinese yuan (CNY), Brazilian real (BRL) etc.
  • Settled in cash at the contract’s maturity, based on the difference between the contract rate and the spot rate.

Samriddh Gram Initiative was nominated for World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2026 under Enabling Environment category.

• Governments, Private companies, civil society, international organizations, etc. can all submit projects for WSIS prize. 
• It involves unique public online voting to select champion before final selection.

About Samriddh Gram Initiative: Integrated Phygital Service Delivery Model

• Ministry: Ministry of Communication 
• Built on the backbone of BharatNet, it establishes Samriddhi Kendras as one-stop hubs delivering integrated “phygital” (physical+digital) services.
• Significance: Enables rural citizens to access essential services e.g. healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, and e-commerce.

About WSIS

• It is a 2 phase multi-stakeholder summit fostering digital development and inclusive information societies. 
  • Geneva Phase (2003): Established the foundational framework
  • Tunis Phase (2005): Focused on implementation, and established the Tunis Agenda (created Internet Governance Forum)
• Lead UN Agency: International Telecommunication Union 

Jamun has been found to have originated much earlier than previously believed, with India playing a central role in its evolutionary history, according to a new study.

Jamun (Syzygium cumini)

• Distribution:
  • Native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
  • Widely found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar.
• Climatic conditions: 
  • Evergreen tree that thrives in tropical and subtropical climates.
  • Tolerant to waterlogging and salinity.
  • Suitable for agroforestry and afforestation programmes. 

• Significance: Seeds and bark used in Ayurveda, especially for managing diabetes 

Released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the survey was conducted during January – December, 2025 under 80^th round of National Sample Survey (NSS). 

Key Findings

• About 13.1% (7.5% in previous survey, 2017-18) persons reported suffering from some ailments, including chronic ailments during last 15-day in 2025.
• Hospitalization rate was highest in age-group 60 years or more (8.1%). 
• Reporting of infectious diseases decreased while non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes (both with highest contribution), and thyroid disorders increased. 
• Cardio-vascular and endocrine/metabolic diseases most frequently reported after 30 years of age. 
• Nearly universal institutional deliveries (about 96% of childbirth) were reported. 
• Health insurance coverage expanded (more in rural areas than urban) with majority enrolments being in government-sponsored schemes.

Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced its 2026 laureates. 

About Breakthrough Prize

• Renowned as “Oscars of Science”, recognizes world’s top scientists working in fundamental sciences. 
• Each prize is $3 million and presented in fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. 
  • In addition, New Horizons in Physics and Mathematics Prizes and Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize are awarded to early-career researchers.
• Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates in each field choose the winners.
• 2026 Prize Recognizes achievements in: sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia; development of Casgevy, first CRISPR-based medicinal treatment; evolution of waves over time, etc.