Current affairs — 4 August 2026

Prelims pointers

• MSPs are fixed annually for 22 mandated crops on CACP recommendations after considering views of states and concerned central ministries.
• Since 2018-19, MSPs have carried a minimum 50% margin over the all-India weighted average cost of production.
• NAFED and NCCF procure pulses, oilseeds and copra under the Price Support Scheme component of PM-AASHA at a state's request.
• The Market Intervention Scheme covers perishable commodities outside PSS and requires at least a 10% fall from the previous normal year's ruling price.
• From 2024-25, MIS added Price Differential Payment and reimbursement of storage and transport costs for tomato, onion and potato.

Prelims pointers

• A total of 12,500 existing Ayush dispensaries and sub-health centres were upgraded as Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush).
• The annexure reports 12,500 Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush) units as both approved and functional.
• The centres are intended to provide preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care through integration with public healthcare.
• Quality oversight includes NABH assessment, third-party review and visits by central teams in States and Union Territories.
• NAM provides a unit cost of ₹16.22 lakh per Ayush dispensary and ₹15.744 lakh per sub-centre for upgradation.

Prelims pointers

• Public health is a State subject, placing primary responsibility for new Ayush institutes and infrastructure on States and Union Territories.
• The National Ayush Mission is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented through State and Union Territory governments.
• NAM can finance new government Ayush colleges where the availability of Ayush teaching institutions is inadequate.
• NAM assistance covers integrated Ayush hospitals with capacities of 50, 30 or 10 beds.
• From 2014-15 to 2025-26, ₹6,40,699.24 lakh was released to States and Union Territories under NAM.

Prelims pointers

• NCISM and NCH were established under separate National Commission Acts enacted in 2020.
• NCISM measures address medical education in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha, while NCH regulates homoeopathy education.
• NCISM reversed the undergraduate ratio of lecture to non-lecture hours to 1:2 to promote professional and soft skills.
• The postgraduate credit framework combines lecture, practical training and experiential learning in a 1:2:3 ratio.
• NEET is used for undergraduate BAMS, BSMS and BUMS admissions, while AIAPGET is used for Ayush postgraduate entry.

Prelims pointers

• Agricultural Action Plans were initiated for Assam, Goa, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The roadmaps are being prepared with consultations involving the concerned governments and other stakeholders.
• Participants include ICAR, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, State governments, State Agricultural Universities and experts.
• Planning is based on agro-climatic regions, natural resources, climate resilience, technological interventions and farmers' needs.
• States and Union Territories may refer to the roadmaps' guiding principles while framing annual action plans under various schemes.

Prelims pointers

• The Soil Health & Fertility Scheme has operated since 2014-15, and 26.09 crore Soil Health Cards have been issued to farmers.
• The Union Cabinet approved the National Mission on Natural Farming on 25 November 2024; it promotes chemical-free farming based on on-farm inputs.
• Integrated Pest Management combines cultural, mechanical, biological and need-based chemical control measures and has guided plant protection since 1985.
• PKVY and MOVCDNER have promoted organic farming since 2015-16, with MOVCDNER specifically covering the North-Eastern states.
• ICAR's Directorate of Weed Research at Jabalpur promotes Integrated Weed Management and analyses herbicide residues in soil and the food chain.

Prelims pointers

• PMFBY was introduced from 2016-17 and is voluntary for both state governments and farmers.
• The scheme covers non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest for crops and areas notified by the state government.
• Wild-animal damage was not covered earlier because the scheme treated such crop losses as preventable.
• States may notify wild-animal losses as an individually assessed add-on cover, with its cost borne by the state government.
• Inundation cover applies to notified crops, but hydrophilic crops such as paddy, jute, mesta and sugarcane are excluded in localized claims.

Prelims pointers

• NMEO-OS, approved on 3 October 2024, targets an increase in primary oilseed output from 39 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31.
• More than 600 Value Chain Clusters under NMEO-OS are managed by partners including Farmer Producer Organizations and cooperatives.
• India imported 160.72 lakh tonnes of edible oils in 2024-25, including 75.17 lakh tonnes of palm oil, or 46.77% of the total.
• NMEO-OP was launched in August 2021, operates in 15 states and gives special attention to oil-palm cultivation in North-Eastern states.
• By 31 March 2026, cumulative oil-palm area reached 6.40 lakh hectares, while 27 oil-palm processing mills were operational nationally.

Prelims pointers

• The Central Sector Scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs has formed 10,000 organisations since 2020-21.
• An FPO may receive up to ₹18 lakh for management and handholding expenses during its initial three years.
• Eligible FPOs can receive a matching Equity Grant of up to ₹15 lakh and credit guarantee support for project loans up to ₹2 crore.
• Each scheme FPO receives five years of handholding from a Cluster-Based Business Organization for capacity, planning and market linkages.
• More than 65 lakh shareholders, predominantly small and marginal farmers, have been collectivised under the scheme.

Prelims pointers

• The T2T reference genome was developed by ICAR-NIPB for pigeonpea variety Asha, scientifically named Cajanus cajan and commonly called arhar or tur.
• The 752.65-million-base-pair sequence is assembled into 92 contigs and completely represents all 11 pigeonpea chromosomes.
• The assembly includes 11 centromeres and 22 telomeres; annotation identified 36,557 genes producing 48,008 mRNAs.
• ICAR-NIPB published the world's first draft genome of a pulse crop in 2011 and an improved pigeonpea genome in 2017.
• The complete assembly, designated NIPB_CcT2T_4, was deposited in NCBI and released on 20 April 2026.

Prelims pointers

• ICAR used CGWB and monthly gridded GRACE satellite data to identify crop-water mismatches in seven groundwater-depleted states.
• District crop plans for 14 crops combine RSI, RYI, SYI and the Soil-climate Suitability Index.
• Rice, sugarcane, cotton and jute together occupy about 62.7 million hectares, nearly one-third of India's gross cropped area.
• Per Drop More Crop under PMKSY promotes efficient irrigation through drip and sprinkler systems.
• NICRA supports Climate Resilient Villages in 151 vulnerable districts and District Agriculture Contingency Plans for 651 districts.

Prelims pointers

• The Union government has approved 20 industrial nodes under NICDP, of which 12 were approved in the last five years.
• Four NICDP projects are complete: Dholera, Shendra-Bidkin, Greater Noida and Vikram Udyogpuri.
• DPIIT released ₹16,172.95 crore to NICDIT, which released ₹14,569.97 crore to industrial-project SPVs.
• In the partnership model, State governments contribute land while the Union government contributes equity and/or debt.
• External connectivity is mapped on the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan portal, while PRAGATI and PMG help fast-track work.

Prelims pointers

• Fresh commitments of ₹2,000 crore at the Mumbai meet took cumulative TMZ commitments to ₹5,500 crore.
• The Gwalior Telecom Manufacturing Zone is expected to create more than 18,000 employment opportunities.
• The zone's stated long-term vision is to attract more than ₹10,000 crore in investment.
• Its value chain is to include design, R&D, testing, components, semiconductors, optical fibre and telecom equipment.
• A joint SPV with Department of Telecommunications and Madhya Pradesh representatives will steer implementation.

Prelims pointers

• In Q1 FY 2026-27, 1.085 million UCC complaints were registered, of which 0.553 million were actionable.
• TRAI DND app submissions accounted for 0.966 million complaints, or 89% of all UCC complaints received.
• The 140 series is designated for promotional calls, while 1600xx is for specified service and transactional calls.
• DND preference checks blocked 1.48 billion promotional calls and 7.30 billion promotional SMS during the quarter.
• AI systems flagged 22.99 billion incoming calls and 1.44 billion incoming SMS as suspected spam.

Prelims pointers

• PKVY and MOVCDNER have promoted organic farming through government support since 2015-16.
• PKVY operates across States and Union Territories, while MOVCDNER is for the northeastern States.
• Both schemes support production, processing, certification and marketing and favour clusters of small and marginal farmers.
• PKVY provides ₹31,500 per hectare over three years, including ₹15,000 as DBT for organic inputs.
• MOVCDNER provides ₹46,500 per hectare over three years, including ₹32,500 for organic inputs and ₹15,000 as DBT.

Prelims pointers

• Eligible cooperatives, including PACS, may build storage infrastructure on self-owned or leased land under the plan.
• Facilities must follow prescribed technical standards and Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority specifications.
• Across the four reported States, 168 projects were approved, 119 godowns constructed and five remained under construction.
• Andhra Pradesh had 117 approved and constructed godowns but had received no AMI subsidy so far.
• WDRA registration can enable eligible PACS and cooperatives to use electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipts.

Prelims pointers

• BBSSL has introduced 124 seed varieties covering 18 crops under the Bharat Beej brand.
• Its distribution channels include member cooperatives, private dealers, State Seed Federations and Seed Corporations.
• Maharashtra received fodder-crop, cotton, sorghum and groundnut seeds through the State government under named schemes.
• The Department of Agriculture is BBSSL's nodal agency for seed-distribution coordination in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• BBSSL's mandate includes quality-seed production and distribution, strategic R&D and preservation of indigenous natural seeds.

Prelims pointers

• The National Cooperative Database listed 41,501 societies in Mumbai as of 15 July 2026, with 40,853 functional.
• Among functional Mumbai cooperatives, 19,911 were profit-making and 14,877 loss-making; data were unavailable for 6,065.
• PACS computerisation expanded from 63,000 societies and ₹2,516 crore to 79,630 and ₹2,925.39 crore.
• Model bye-laws enable PACS to undertake over 25 activities, including PMKSK, PMBJK and CSC operations.
• NCDC had cumulatively disbursed ₹5,74,090.48 crore for cooperative development as of 30 June 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The 10th Ayurveda Day was celebrated on 23 September 2025 under the aegis of the Ministry of Ayush.
• The All India Institute of Ayurveda, Goa was designated as the nodal institute for the 2025 observance.
• The 2025 theme was “Ayurveda for People and Planet,” linking holistic health with environmental sustainability.
• Ayurveda Day 2025 was observed in more than 150 countries, and 32 States and Union Territories reported activities.
• The government has notified 23 September as the fixed annual date for observing Ayurveda Day.

Prelims pointers

• African Swine Fever is caused by ASF virus, affects domestic and wild pigs, and can produce mortality rates approaching 100%.
• India first detected ASF in 2020, after which it spread to several states and Union Territories, particularly harming North-Eastern pig farmers.
• ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal developed India's first indigenous MA-104-cell-line-based live-attenuated ASF vaccine using a Genotype II virus.
• The vaccine is recommended for healthy pigs above eight weeks as a 1 mL intramuscular injection followed by a booster after 14 days.
• Field validation involved the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying after laboratory tests of safety, stability, immunity and efficacy.

Prelims pointers

• Six blocks were auctioned under the 15th round and second attempt of the 13th commercial coal-mine auction round.
• Four auctioned blocks are fully explored and two partially explored, with combined geological reserves of about 1,503.93 million tonnes.
• The six blocks have a cumulative Peak Rated Capacity of 11.62 million tonnes per annum.
• The blocks are located across Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
• Since commercial coal mining began in 2020, 147 blocks with production capacity of 377.974 million tonnes per year have been auctioned.