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One Liners 07-02-2026
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Polity & Governance
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India International Arbitration Centre (IIAC)
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Established under – India International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019.
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Objective – To create an independent and autonomous regime for institutional arbitration.
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Karnataka Constitutes Gig Workers’ Welfare Board
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Constituted under – Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Welfare Development Act, 2025.
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Composition:
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Labour Minister (ex-officio president).
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Senior officials from Labour, IT, Commercial Taxes Departments (ex-officio members).
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Board's CEO (Member Secretary).
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Four representatives each from gig worker unions and aggregator platforms (e.g., Zomato, Uber, Amazon, Porter).
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Registration - Both gig workers and aggregator platforms must register with the Board.
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Welfare Fund
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Built from fees collected from aggregator platforms.
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Contributions made by gig workers.
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Supported through grants from State and Union governments.
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Welfare Fee
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Objective
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Maintain a stable welfare fund.
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Avoid immediate financial strain on platforms.
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Strengthen social security for gig workers.
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First Information Reports at Doorstep
Telangana Police allow FIR registration at complainant's residence in sensitive cases.
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Eligible Cases
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Offences against women and children.
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Atrocities under SC/ST Prevention Act.
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POCSO Act violations.
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Telangana Prohibition of Ragging Act.
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Process
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Complaint given orally or via phone to jurisdictional police.
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Police visit victim’s residence, workplace, or hospital.
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Statement recorded under IPC Sections 161 & 16
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Physical evidence secured at the site.
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FIR registered on location.
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Significance
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Victim-focused – Ensures safety, dignity, and reduces trauma.
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Accessibility – Lowers barriers to reporting.
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Evidence preservation – Immediate documentation at crime scene.
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NHRC on Re-verification of Govt. Staff with Disabilities
NHRC stated that re-verification of disability certificates for government employees should only occur in cases of specific suspicion, not mass re-verification.
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NHRC Recommendation – Issued after Centre’s advisory and revised SOP (Oct 2025) on disability verification.
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Scope of SOP – Applies only to new applicants, not existing beneficiaries.
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Concerns – Repeated re-verification creates anxiety, fear, and insecurity among persons with disabilities.
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Suggestion – Adopt UDID-based digital verification as the default method.
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Key note –
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Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 – Guarantees rights and entitlements for persons with disabilities.
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UDID (Unique Disability ID) Card – Serves as a single document enabling access to benefits for persons with disabilities.
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International Relations and Issues
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India – EU Agreement
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Economy
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Tourism Performance
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By August 2025, India drew 5.6 million foreign tourists, far fewer than Singapore’s 11.6 million visitors or Thailand’s $60 billion in tourism revenue.
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Challenges ("Three I" Problems)
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Image – Safety concerns, scams, sanitation issues.
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Infrastructure – Poor last-mile connectivity, lack of public toilets, limited Wi-Fi.
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India – Overcrowding, weak service culture, tout harassment.
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Suggestions
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Rebrand with targeted narratives (“Incredible Indias”).
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Upgrade infrastructure via public–private partnerships (“Clean Tourism”).
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Enhance safety and training (tourist police, skill development).
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Simplify visa process (e-visas, global “Visa on Arrival”).
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Promote sustainable and authentic tourism.
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Economic Impact
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Tourism generates more jobs than manufacturing, especially for unskilled and semi-skilled workers
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Criticism of GST reforms – Denial of input tax credit hurting hospitality industry.
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Environment
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Conservation of Indo-Pacific Leopard Sharks
Thailand's first efforts to "rewild" the endangered species.
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Location – Maiton Island, Phuket, Thailand.
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Objective – To revive the leopard shark population in the wild.
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Collaboration – Thai government, aquariums, and NGOs.
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Action – Release of 7 leopard shark pups.
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Evolution of Kangaroos to Hop
A study challenges the belief that giant, extinct kangaroos were too heavy to hop, identifying skeletal adaptations that made hopping possible for these larger ancestors.
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Key adaptions -
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Metatarsals – Shorter and thicker fourth metatarsals, built for weight-bearing and resistant to bending forces.
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Calcaneus – Wider heel bones, offering greater tendon attachment area, indicating strong, thick tendons capable of handling high tension.
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Science
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Legitimate Application of Ammonium Nitrate
Nagaur police seized about 10,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate from a farmhouse from a quiet area in the district.
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Mining & Quarrying
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Application: ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate-Fuel Oil) blasting
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Purpose: Rock breaking for mineral extraction
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Operations: Quarry activities
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Market Share: ~70–80% of global ammonium nitrate consumption in mining.
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Agriculture (Fertilizer)
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Nitrogen-rich fertilizer (33–35% nitrogen content)
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Applied to crops: wheat, rice, sugarcane, vegetables
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Methods: direct soil application or foliar spray
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Usage in India: significant across agricultural regions
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Industrial Applications
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Explosives manufacturing (regulated, licensed)
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Construction blasting (tunnels, dams)
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De-icing agent (anti-freeze properties)
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Cold pack production
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Pharmaceutical manufacturing
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Index
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DoPT Report
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Key Facts
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Over 66% of Group C safai karmacharis are from SC, ST, and OBC communities.
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Overall representation among 32.52 lakh employees: SC 16.84%, ST 8.7%, OBC 26.32%.
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DoPT reservation norms: SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC 27%, EWS 10%.
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Report does not include data on EWS employees.
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First comprehensive dataset since 2018–19.
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Comparison with 2018–19
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SC representation declined (17.49% → 16.84%).
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ST representation rose slightly (8.47% → 8.94%).
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OBC representation increased significantly (21.57% → 26.32%).
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