UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 23-07-2026

One Liners 23-07-2026

History, Art and Culture

Kharchi Puja

• Kharchi Puja is a major festival of Tripura.
• It is observed after the Ama Pechi (Ambu Bachi) period, believed to represent the menstruation of Mother Earth.
• The festival marks the ritual purification of Mother Earth, during which ploughing, digging, and certain auspicious activities are avoided.
• The 7-day festival includes the worship of 14 Tripuri dynasty deities by the hereditary Chantai royal priest.
• Though rooted in tribal traditions, both tribal and non-tribal communities participate in the celebrations.

Social Issues

Hunger in India

• India has reduced its undernourished population by 42% over the last two decades, outpacing global trends in its battle against hunger.
• According to the United Nations State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI) report, the share of undernourished Indians plummeted from 21.1% in 2004–06 to 9.8% in 2023–25.
• India faces a dual challenge –
  • Massive absolute number of people still facing hunger
  • Skyrocketing costs for nutritious food.

Core challenges –

• Over 142 million people remain undernourished.
• More than a third of the population—520.1 million people (35.5%)—cannot regularly afford a nutritionally adequate diet.
• The cost of a healthy diet in India increased by more than a 3 times over six years.
• Within South Asia, the cost of a healthy diet in India was the lowest among all countries except Pakistan.
• This SOFI report is published jointly by 5 specialized United Nations agencies –
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
  • World Food Programme (WFP).
  • World Health Organization (WHO).

Polity & Governance

Tamil Nadu tops in Female-LFPR (Labour Force Participation Rate)

• Tamil Nadu accounts for 40% of all women directly employed in Indian factories, establishing an unmatched lead in replicating China’s industrial model.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reported that Coimbatore (41.3%) and Madurai (37%) rank among the top 3 Indian cities in female-LFPR.
  • Both cities significantly exceed the urban India average of 27.7%.
• Maharashtra and Karnataka saw declines in the share of women they employ in the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products.
• Tamil Nadu’s strategy mirrors China’s large-scale manufacturing success through several key elements
  • Massive Industrial Hubs
  • Safe worker housing, hostels
  • The state's share of women in computer, electronic, and optical manufacturing jumped from 20% to 43% within a decade.

The Labour Force Participation Rate refers to the percentage of people either already employed or looking for work.

• Structural challenges for f-LFPR –
  • Heavy reliance on short-term contracts making hiring and firing easier.
  • Wage inequalities and persistent gender pay gaps.
  • High concentration in shop-floor roles with limited upward mobility to managerial positions.

Anurag Jain – NITI Aayog CEO

• The Union Government appointed senior IAS officer Anurag Jain as the CEO of NITI Aayog.
• The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), according to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
• NITI Aayog serves as the Government of India's premier public policy think tank, driving national development priorities.

International Relations and Issues

BRICS Health Ministers meeting

• Venue – Chandigarh
• Chaired by – Union Health and Family Welfare Minister.
• Objective – To deepen cooperation on health security, digital health, pandemic preparedness and equitable access to quality healthcare.
• Theme – “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
• Focus on –
  • Commitment to preventive healthcare.
  • Establishing a BRICS Training Hub Network and Centres of Excellence, with NIMHANS (Bengaluru) serving as a key institutional contributor.

BRICS Network University Meet

• Union Ministry of Education recently held virtually the International Governing Board (IGB) meeting of the BRICS Network University (BRICS NU).
• Focused on –
  • Integrating Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge Systems into higher education.
  • To bring together member nations to discuss academic collaboration.
• Theme – "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
• Highlights –
  • Discussions focused on the ethical documentation and AI-driven sharing of indigenous knowledge.
  • The alliance reviewed the 2025–2028 Action Plan and approved a new official BRICS NU website.
  • The meeting concluded with the formal adoption of the IGB Declaration.

Economy

Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) project

• India’s first utility-scale flow battery project.
• It is being developed by Delectrik Systems and Bondada Engineering for NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd.
• This non-lithium system will be 100% designed and manufactured in India.
• Location – Khavda Solar Park, Gujarat.
• Capacity – 100 MWh
• Deployment year – 2027.
• Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes contained in external tanks.
  • This technology is ideal for long-duration energy storage (LDES) and stabilizing the power grid.

India’s Installed Wind Power Capacity in 2026

• India’s installed wind power capacity reached 57,443 MW as of June 30, 2026.
• Wind energy production also rose to 106.7 billion units in FY 2025-26.
• India ranks 4th globally in installed wind power capacity (after China, the US, and Germany).
• The government has established targets of 100 GW of wind energy by 2030 and 156 GW by 2036.

India’s Renewable Energy Capacity

• India's installed renewable energy capacity has surged nearly fourfold from 76.38 GW in 2014 to 288.58 GW as of June 30, 2026.
• Total non-fossil fuel capacity, including nuclear, stands at 297.36 GW.
  • Renewable energy – 288.58 GW (comprising solar, wind, biomass, and hydro power).
  • Nuclear power – 8.78 GW.
• Breakdown of renewable energy –
  • Solar power – Leads the mix at 162.15 GW.
  • Wind power – Reached 57.44 GW.
  • Hydropower – Stands at 57.24 GW.

Environment

India’s First AI-Powered Bird Sanctuary

Mumbai is set to host an artificial intelligence-assisted bird park.

• India’s first AI-powered bird sanctuary is being developed at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It spans a 20-hectare eco-nature park and will use AI-enabled cameras and sensors across a 1.5 km radius for –
  • Real-time automated tracking.
  • Species identification.
  • Migration monitoring.
• TCFS is a recognized Ramsar Site and a crucial stop on the Central Asian Flyway.
  • It supports nearly 250 native and migratory bird species, including thousands of pink flamingos.
• Tourism infrastructure (including multi-story observation towers, and nature trails) is strictly limited to 0.35 hectares of the 20-hectare park to ensure minimal ecological disturbance.