UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 17-07-2026

One Liners 17-07-2026

Geography

Marine cloud brightening (MCB) could weaken El Niño extremes

• MCB is a theoretical climate intervention that involves spraying microscopic sea salt particles into the lower atmosphere over the ocean.
• The sea salt acts as cloud condensation nuclei. When the salt interacts with low-level marine clouds, it creates numerous tiny water droplets.
• These densely packed, smaller droplets make the cloud tops brighter and thicker, allowing them to effectively bounce sunlight back into space before it can warm the Earth's surface.
• MCB weakens the El Niño climate phenomenon by cooling key ocean temperatures and disrupting the atmospheric feedback loops that fuel its intensification.

Polity & Governance

5^th  BRICS National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) Meeting

Under India's 2026 BRICS Chairship, 5th Meeting of Heads of BRICS National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) recently held.

• Held in – Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Host – Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• Theme – “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
• Focus – To establish a harmonised framework for global standardisation, quality infrastructure, and trade facilitation.
• The meeting will also host, a Thematic Workshop on Standardization in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Social Security Coverage in India - 100 Crore

India has crossed a landmark milestone in social protection, with over 100 crore (1 billion) citizens now covered under at least one social security scheme.

• It was validated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
• Social security coverage has surged from 25 crore citizens (19% of the population) in 2015 to more than 68% in 2026.
• India was conferred with the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Award 2025 for 'Outstanding Achievement in Social Security' in Malaysia in October 2025.

International Relations and Issues

Seafarer-First Maritime Safety Plan

• It is a comprehensive crisis response initiative launched by the Government of India in 2026.
• Launched by – Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Objective – To protect and track Indian merchant navy crew members operating in conflict-hit West Asian waters.
• Geographic coverage –
  • The Strait of Hormuz
  • The Persian Gulf
  • The Gulf of Oman

Economy

Bhagaiya Silk

• It is a world-renowned handwoven textile heritage from the village of Bhagaiya (known as Resham Nagar or "Silk City")
• From – Jharkhand.
• The fabric officially received Geographical Indication (GI) tag in June 2026.
• Characteristics
  • Crafted using premium Tussar-Ghicha silk, Eri silk, cotton, mulberry, and katan yarns.
  • Features a natural, slightly coarse, rustic texture that remains lightweight and remarkably breathable.

Kuchai silk

• From – Jharkhand.
• It has been granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2026.
• Characteristic – It is a wild Tussar silk known for its unique texture and natural golden sheen.
• Features – The silk is produced using indigenous hand-reeling techniques, with silkworms reared on Asan and Arjun trees

Agriculture

National Investment Policy for Urea-2026 for Atmanirbhar Bharat

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by Prime Minister recently approved the National Investment Policy (NIP) for Urea-2026.

• Aim – To boost domestic fertilizer production, bridge supply deficits, and reduce import dependency.
• Objectives –
  • To establish 8 to 9 new natural gas-based fertilizer plants.
  • To add 10 million tonnes of fresh, indigenous urea production capacity to the country's current footprint (33 operational units with 269.42 LMT capacity).

Environment

Kevda plant – Older than Human Civilization & Predates Himalaya formation

• Fossil evidence confirms that the Kevda (Pandanus) plant is an ancient survivor, in the Indian subcontinent dating back to 24 million years.
• Scientists from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow recovered exceptionally well-preserved fossil leaves in the Makum Coalfield of Assam.
• These fossils reveal that Kevda is deeply native to India.
• The plant family's older fossil records (85–66 million years ago) were found in Europe and North America,

Kevda plant

• Scientific name – Pandanus odorifer
• Commonly known as – Screw Pine
• It is a palm-like tropical evergreen shrub renowned for its intensely fragrant male flowers.
• It is native to the coastal regions of India and Southeast Asia.
• Usage –
  • Indian perfumery and cosmetics.
  • Cooking – Sweets, dishes etc.
• The Ganjam Kewda Flower from Odisha has been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag due to its superior aromatic quality and extensive local cultivation.

Index

Index of Services Production (ISP)

India has launched its first trial sub-sectoral Index of Services Production (ISP) recently.

• Released by – Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Base year – 2024–25.
• Frequency of release – Monthly basis.
• The index was created under the direction of the Technical Advisory Committee on Index of Services Production (TAC-ISP).
• The ISP was created using a variety of data sources, such as
  • Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE).
  • Administrative records.
  • GST data.
• Highlight – It shows that 14 out of 19 tracked sub-sectors registered double-digit growth (As of April 2026).
• Performance highlights –

Miscellaneous

World Day for International Justice 2026

• Observed on – July 17, 2026.
• Also referred as – International Criminal Justice Day.
• The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on July 17, 1998.
• Rome statute laid the legal groundwork to establish the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• This annual event unites global efforts to
  • Advocate for victims' rights.
  • Promote international criminal justice.
  • Combat impunity for grave violations of human rights.