UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 21-01-2026

One Liners 21-01-2026

History, Art and Culture

Ramayana

Recently, 233-Year-Old Valmiki Ramayana gifted to Ram Katha Museum.

Authored by – Adi Kavi Valmiki with a classical commentary (Tattvadipikaṭika) by Maheshvara Tirtha, is written in Sanskrit (Devanagari script).
Dating back to – Vikrama Saṁvat 1849 (1792 CE) and represents a rare preserved textual tradition of the Ramayana.
5 principal kaṇḍas of the epic – Balakanda, Araṇyakanda, Kiṣkindhakanda, Sundarakanda, and Yuddhakanda reflecting the narrative and philosophical depth of the Itihasa.

Polity & Governance

Karnataka's Bhoomi Project: Digital Land Records

Karnataka's Bhoomi project, celebrating 25 years, exemplifies successful administrative reform through digital land records.

Launched in – 2000.
Aim – To provide citizens with secure, accurate, and easily accessible Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops (RTC) while addressing long-standing issues in land administration.
Key Achievements
- Computerized land records (RTCs), making them accessible.
- Legal recognition of computerized RTCs, abolition of hand written records.
- Integrated with Kaveri registration system, reducing fraud.
- Automated mutation process.
- Mojini (Survey) software for digital land measurement.
- 11E Sketch for accurate land boundaries.
- Integration with welfare services (crop compensation, PM-Kisan, FRUITS, Aadhaar).

International Relations and Issues

India-Germany Defence & Strategic Cooperation

germany india cooperation

Pax Silica Initiative

India is set to be invited to the "Pax Silica"initiative.

It is a multilateral arrangement for cooperation on semiconductors, critical minerals, and AI.
Led by – United States
Objectives –
- To reduce coercive dependencies.
- To secure global tech supply chains, address AI supply chain opportunities and vulnerabilities, and explore joint investment with partners.
- To protect sensitive technologies and build trusted digital infrastructure.
Signatories – Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.
Non-signatory Participants – Canada, European Union, Netherlands, Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development and Taiwan.

Monroe Doctrine of 1823

Recently, Trump administration invoked the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervention in Venezuela.

Declared in – 1823 by President James Monroe to US Congress.
4 basic points –
- United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of or the wars between European powers.
- United States recognized and would not interfere with existing colonies and dependencies in the Western Hemisphere.
- Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization.
- Any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States.

Economy

Chain-Based Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

Release of Discussion Paper 2.0: Adoption of Chain-Based Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Base revision exercise of IIP is undertaken by – Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Traditional methodology – IIP has been compiled using a fixed-base Laspeyres framework, in which sectoral and industry weights remain unchanged until a base-year revision.
However, shifts in demand, technology, and policy cause some industries to grow, others to decline, and new ones to emerge.
Therefore, fixed weights become progressively less relevant and thus affects the efficacy of the indices.
New methodology – The chain-based method of compilation of IIP offers better accuracy by capturing these changes by allowing the increase and decrease in weights annually to correctly reflect a more recent production structure.

Agriculture

Rajasthan's 1^st Fully Organic Panchayat

Bamanwas Kankar panchayat in Rajasthan has become the 1^st in the state to be certified as fully organic.

Located in – Bamanwas Kankar panchayat, Kotputli-Behror district, Rajasthan.
Transition support by – Cofarmin Federation of Organic Societies and Producer Companies (COFED).
Key benefits – Access to premium markets, reduced input costs, increased biodiversity, better animal health, safer dairy products.
Model – Community-driven movement, not bureaucratic.
Aim – To convert 300 panchayats by year-end.
Key features –
- All farming practices are free of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
- Animal husbandry is carried out according to ecological principles.
- Agriculture, livestock, and the environment are managed through an integrated approach.

Science

Bharat Electricity Summit 2026

A global conference-cum-exhibition for the power and electricity sector.
To be held from – 19^th to 22^nd March 2026 at New Delhi.
Theme – “Electrifying Growth. Empowering Sustainability. Connecting Globally”.
Objectives – To deliberate on the future of electricity and sustainable energy systems, facilitate cross-sector dialogue.
To strengthen global cooperation, foster strategic partnerships.

Index

Responsible Nations Index (RNI)

RNI – It introduces a comprehensive global framework for assessing nations on parameters such as ethical governance, social well-being, environmental stewardship, and global responsibility, going beyond conventional indicators of power and economic prosperity.
Launched by – World Intellectual Foundation (WIF).
Collaboration with – Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai), and the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC).

India’s Energy Shift

India saw year-on-year decline in coal-fired generation (2025), first time in 50 years; driven by rapid renewable expansion.

Key Data
- Coal generation – Output fell from 1,322 billion units in 2024 to 1,283 billion units in 2025, a 3% drop.
- Renewable capacity – 41 GW was added in the first 11 months of 2025, compared to a 15% increase in 2023.
- Overall trend – Coal output is steady in absolute numbers but its share of total energy is shrinking.
Renewable Energy Growth
- Renewable generation – Production rose from 221 billion units in 2024 to 270 billion units in 2025, marking 22% growth.
- Large hydroelectric – Generation increased by 15%, reaching 151 billion units.
- Future target – India aims to meet electricity demand by 2030 without expanding coal capacity.