UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles
InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.
Table of Contents
GS Paper 2:
• Why SIR verification needs to be completely digitised?
Why SIR verification needs to be completely digitised?
• The perils of integrating AI in police operations
The perils of integrating AI in police operations
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• India–UAE Pledge to Double Trade to $200 Billion
India–UAE Pledge to Double Trade to $200 Billion
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• Gaza Peace Board
Gaza Peace Board
• Environmental Protection Fund
Environmental Protection Fund
• Indian Skimmer
Indian Skimmer
• Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity (GEI) Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025
Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity (GEI) Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025
• India Launches Responsible Nations Index (RNI)
India Launches Responsible Nations Index (RNI)
• Export Promotion Mission (EPM)
Export Promotion Mission (EPM)
• Parbati Giri
Parbati Giri
Mapping:
• Hooghly River
Hooghly River
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026
GS Paper 2 :
Why SIR verification needs to be completely digitised?
Source: TH
Subject: Polity
Context: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2.0 has sparked nationwide concern due to widespread voter distress, manual procedural delays, and the summoning of eminent citizens to prove residency despite the availability of advanced digital infrastructure.
• It highlights a critical mismatch between the Election Commission’s (EC) digital capabilities (ECINet) and the ground-level reliance on error-prone paper-based hearings.
About Why SIR verification needs to be completely digitised?
What is SIR Verification Digitization?
• Digitizing SIR verification refers to the transition from manual, paper-based field inquiries and physical hearings to an automated, audit-ready digital workflow.
• It involves using the ECINet platform for backend cross-verification of identity documents, real-time status updates via SMS/Email, and online document uploading to eliminate the need for voters to appear physically before electoral officers.
Key Features of Special Intensive Revision (SIR):
• Cleaning of Rolls: Aims to remove duplicate, shifted, and deceased voters to ensure one citizen, one vote.
• Inclusion of New Voters: Focuses on registering first-time voters and eligible residents who were previously left out.
• Correction of Legacy Errors: Intended to fix inconsistencies originating from the 2002-04 rolls, such as non-mapped voters.
• Enumeration Forms (EF): Use of specific forms to collect updated demographic and residency data from every household.
• Audit Trails: Built-in digital tracking within ECINet to monitor the progress of applications from submission to final approval.
Need for Digital Special Intensive Revision:
• Accuracy and Integrity: Manual processes are prone to human error; digital cross-referencing with existing databases (like Aadhaar) ensures higher data sanctity.
• Reducing Citizen Hardship: Digitization removes the need for physical summons and long queues, especially for the elderly, monks, and professionals.
• Addressing the Non-Mapped Crisis: Over 10 million voters in states like UP are flagged as non-mapped; digital uploading can resolve these discrepancies in minutes rather than weeks.
• Preventing Legal Risks: Currently, deleted voters must use Form 6 (meant for first-timers), forcing them to make factually incorrect statements that risk criminal liability under BNS 2023.
• Real-time Transparency: Digital systems allow voters to track their status and receive instant acknowledgments, reducing anxiety and procedural indignity.
Challenges Associated with SIR 2.0:
• Reliance on Flawed Legacy Data: The 2002-04 rolls, which were manual and lacked third-party checks, still form the foundation of current rolls.
• Data Inconsistencies: Significant gaps exist between different records. E.g., the 13-million-voter discrepancy between Panchayat and SIR rolls in UP.
• E.g., the 13-million-voter discrepancy between Panchayat and SIR rolls in UP.
• Digital Divide: Vulnerable sections and rural populations may struggle with online uploads without the active assistance of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
• Institutional Resistance: A choice in enforcement where authorities prefer coercive manual hearings over streamlined digital workflows.
• Mass Deletions: Allegations of nearly 65 million genuine voters being deleted nationwide without adequate notice or verification.
Way Forward:
• Notify and Update: The EC must notify every applicant of their form status (accepted/flagged) via SMS and EPIC-linked accounts immediately.
• Backend Integration: Connect ECINet with other government databases for automatic document authentication, similar to Aadhaar-based KYC.
• Hybrid Support Model: Utilize BLOs to assist digitally illiterate voters in uploading documents at their doorstep or nearby kiosks.
• Policy Correction: Amend the process so that restored voters are not forced to file first-time applications (Form 6), thus protecting them from legal jeopardy.
• Real-time Draft Updates: Transition to a system where draft rolls are updated in real-time as digital verification is completed.
Conclusion:
The sanctity of the electoral roll is the bedrock of a healthy democracy; however, it must be achieved without compromising the dignity of the citizen. By shifting from suspicion-based manual hearings to a trust-based digital infrastructure, the Election Commission can ensure a clean roll that is both inclusive and accurate. Ultimately, technology must be used not just as a tool for administration, but as a safeguard for public trust and democratic participation.
Q. Judicial pronouncements have played a crucial role in shaping the autonomy of the Election Commission of India. Examine whether the legislature’s response to these rulings strengthens or weakens institutional independence. (15 M)
The perils of integrating AI in police operations
Source: IE
Subject: Governance
Context: In January 2026, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Indian law enforcement has reached a critical milestone with the Delhi Police’s announcement of the Safe City Project and Maharashtra’s statewide rollout of MahaCrime OS AI.
About The perils of integrating AI in police operations:
Current AI Integration in India Policing:
• Delhi (Safe City Project): Launching in 2026, it features 10,000 AI cameras equipped with Face Recognition and Distress Detection (identifying screams or emergency gestures).
• Maharashtra (MahaCrime OS AI): An AI platform for predictive policing, aimed at identifying crime hotspots and processing complex investigative data.
• Surveillance Drones: Deployed for crowd and traffic management, providing a top-down view that replaces dozens of personnel on the ground.
• Data Backends: Systems like the CCTNS (Criminal Tracking Network and Systems) feed decades of historical data into these AI models to train them in pattern recognition.
Key Ethical and Administrative Concerns:
• Centralisation of Power: Policing is shifting from local beat cops to big data centres. This removes the human touch and makes it difficult for citizens to navigate a system where decisions are made by an invisible algorithm at the top.
• Excessive Policing & Imprisoning Cities: One AI camera is estimated to be as effective as 100 policemen. In cities like Hyderabad, with millions of cameras, the scale of surveillance creates a premise of suspicion where every citizen is a potential suspect.
• Historical Bias & Targeting: AI is trained on historical data. If past policing was biased against certain communities, the AI will learn to target those same groups, institutionalizing discrimination.
• Erosion of Fundamental Rights: AI tools can track protesters with ease, potentially chilling the Right to Dissent.
• Lack of Transparency: There is currently no AI Rulebook or statutory manual comparable to existing Police Manuals, leading to a black box where decisions cannot be easily challenged.
Challenges in the 2026 Landscape:
• Accuracy vs. Brutality: A tragic 2023 case in Telangana (the Khadeer Khan case) showed that reliance on grainy CCTV and facial recognition can lead to the detention and death of innocent people.
• Legal Vacuum: While the DPDPA (Digital Personal Data Protection Act) 2023 provides some safeguards, it contains broad exemptions for law enforcement, leaving a gap in protecting individual privacy against AI overreach.
• The Guilty until Proven Innocent Shift: Experts argue that AI-led policing flips the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence by treating every public movement as data to be analyzed for anomalies.
The Way Ahead:
• Statutory Framework: Enacting specific laws for AI in policing that mandate Safety Tests and public disclosure of algorithmic logic before deployment.
• Human-in-the-Loop: AI must remain an assistive tool. Final decisions regarding arrests or detentions must always be made by a human officer held legally accountable for the action.
• Algorithmic Audits: Regular, third-party audits of police AI to detect and remove caste, religious, or gender-based biases.
• Police Reforms: Reforming acts like the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 to ensure that data collection of non-convicts is strictly limited and proportional.
Conclusion:
Technology is not a substitute for institutional integrity. To prevent AI from becoming a tool of digital authoritarianism, India must ensure that its march toward a high-tech future remains anchored in Constitutional Values. A safer world is created not by watching every citizen, but by building a society rooted in trust, transparency, and the Rule of Law.
Q. “The integration of artificial intelligence into policing marks a shift from community-based law enforcement to centralised algorithmic control”. Evaluate the nature of this shift. Analyse its implications for police accountability and its impact on democratic freedoms. (15 M)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
India–UAE Pledge to Double Trade to $200 Billion
Context: India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to double bilateral trade to USD 200 billion by 2032 and jointly condemned terrorism in all its forms, following high-level talks.
About India–UAE Pledge to Double Trade to $200 Billion:
What it is?
• A comprehensive strategic understanding between India and the UAE to deepen cooperation across trade, defence, energy, space, infrastructure, finance, and people-to-people ties, reinforcing the India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Key provisions:
• Trade and economic cooperation: Commitment to double bilateral trade to USD 200 billion by 2032. Builds on the India–UAE CEPA (2022) to expand goods, services, and investment flows.
• Commitment to double bilateral trade to USD 200 billion by 2032.
• Builds on the India–UAE CEPA (2022) to expand goods, services, and investment flows.
• Energy partnership: USD 3 billion LNG deal: ADNOC Gas to supply LNG to HPCL for 10 years. India becomes UAE’s largest LNG customer. Cooperation in civil nuclear energy and broader energy infrastructure.
• USD 3 billion LNG deal: ADNOC Gas to supply LNG to HPCL for 10 years.
• India becomes UAE’s largest LNG customer.
• Cooperation in civil nuclear energy and broader energy infrastructure.
• Defence and security: Letter of Intent to conclude a Strategic Defence Partnership. Joint condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
• Letter of Intent to conclude a Strategic Defence Partnership.
• Joint condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
• Space and technology: LoI on joint space infrastructure development and commercialisation. Agreement to establish a supercomputing cluster in India.
• LoI on joint space infrastructure development and commercialisation.
• Agreement to establish a supercomputing cluster in India.
• Investment and infrastructure: UAE participation in developing a Special Investment Region at Dholera, Gujarat. DP World and First Abu Dhabi Bank to set up operations in GIFT City.
• UAE participation in developing a Special Investment Region at Dholera, Gujarat.
• DP World and First Abu Dhabi Bank to set up operations in GIFT City.
• Culture and people-to-people ties: Establishment of the House of India in Abu Dhabi, showcasing Indian art, heritage, and archaeology.
• Establishment of the House of India in Abu Dhabi, showcasing Indian art, heritage, and archaeology.
Relevance for UPSC examination:
• GS Paper II – International Relations: The development highlights India–West Asia relations, strategic defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, and the Gulf’s role in India’s foreign policy.
• The development highlights India–West Asia relations, strategic defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, and the Gulf’s role in India’s foreign policy.
• GS Paper III – Economy & Energy Security: It is relevant for trade diversification, LNG-based energy security, infrastructure investments, and the emergence of GIFT City as an international financial hub.
• It is relevant for trade diversification, LNG-based energy security, infrastructure investments, and the emergence of GIFT City as an international financial hub.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Gaza Peace Board
Source: TN
Subject: International Relations
Context: India has received an invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Gaza Peace Board”, a new international body intended to oversee ceasefire implementation, governance, and reconstruction in Gaza.
About Gaza Peace Board:
What it is?
• The Gaza Peace Board (also referred to as the Board of Peace) is a proposed US-led international body designed to supervise post-war governance, reconstruction, investment mobilisation, and security transition in Gaza, following the Israel–Hamas
Proposed by: Donald Trump, President of the United States
Chaired by: Donald Trump, as inaugural Chairman, with veto powers under the draft charter—independent of his tenure as US President.
• Invitations extended to countries including India, Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye, Canada, Argentina, among ~60 nations.
• To stabilise Gaza after the Israel–Hamas conflict, oversee its rebuilding and governance, and potentially act as a template for resolving other global conflicts.
Functions:
• Supervising post-war governance through a technocratic Palestinian administration (NCAG).
• Coordinating reconstruction, investments, and capital mobilisation.
• Monitoring ceasefire compliance and transition from Hamas rule.
• Supporting delivery of public services and economic revival.
• Acting as a high-level political and financial decision-making body for Gaza.
Significance:
• Represents a parallel global governance mechanism, outside established institutions like the UN.
• Raises concerns about concentration of power, sovereignty, and conditional membership.
Environmental Protection Fund
Source: TOI
Subject: Environment
Context: The Union Government has notified detailed rules for the utilisation and administration of the Environmental (Protection) Fund, operationalising provisions introduced under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023.
About Environmental Protection Fund:
What it is?
• The Environmental (Protection) Fund is a statutory fund of the Government of India created to utilise penalties imposed for violations of environmental laws for pollution control, environmental restoration, monitoring, research, and capacity building.
Established in:
• Provided for under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
• Operationalised through rules notified in January 2026
• Strengthened by the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, which decriminalised several environmental offences while retaining monetary penalties
Nodal authority:
• Administered by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) or any body notified by the Central Government
Aim: To ensure that pollution penalties are recycled for environmental protection, remediation, clean technology promotion, and strengthening regulatory institutions.
Key features:
• Source of funds: Penalties under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, interest from investments, and other prescribed sources.
• Permitted uses (11 activities): Pollution prevention and mitigation, remediation of contaminated sites, environmental monitoring equipment, clean technology research, IT-enabled systems, laboratory infrastructure, and capacity building of regulatory bodies.
• Revenue sharing: 75% of penalty proceeds transferred to the Consolidated Fund of the State/UT, 25% retained by the Centre.
• Governance mechanism: Creation of dedicated Project Management Units at Central and State levels.
• Oversight & transparency: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to audit the Fund Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to develop and maintain a centralised online portal for fund implementation
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to audit the Fund
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to develop and maintain a centralised online portal for fund implementation
Significance:
• Strengthens the “polluter pays principle” by directly linking penalties to environmental remediation.
• Converts decriminalisation into deterrence with accountability, avoiding regulatory dilution.
• Enhances Centre–State cooperation in environmental governance through revenue sharing.
Indian Skimmer
Source: DH
Subject: Species in News
Context: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) have launched a new conservation project to protect the endangered Indian Skimmer and its breeding habitats across the Ganga Basin.
About Indian Skimmer:
What it is?
• The Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) is a riverine bird species known for its unique feeding behaviour of skimming the water surface with an elongated lower mandible to catch fish.
Habitat:
• Large, slow-flowing rivers with exposed sandbars and islands.
• Breeds mainly along river systems such as the Ganga, Chambal, Yamuna, and their tributaries.
• Uses coastal areas during the non-breeding season.
IUCN status:
• Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List
• Global population estimated at 3,700–4,400 individuals, with India hosting nearly 90% of the world population
Key characteristics:
• Distinctive bill: bright orange, with the lower mandible longer than the upper.
• Plumage: black upperparts and white underparts.
• Colonial nester, often sharing sandbars with terns.
• Indicator species of healthy riverine ecosystems.
Significance:
• Acts as a flagship and indicator species for river health and sediment dynamics.
• Sharp decline signals degradation of riverine habitats due to dams, altered flows, sand mining, and human disturbance.
Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity (GEI) Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025
Source: TOI
Subject: Environment
Context: The Union Government has notified the second round of legally binding emission reduction targets for carbon-intensive industries under the Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity (GEI) Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025.
About Greenhouse Gases Emission Intensity (GEI) Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025:
What it is?
• The GEI Target (Amendment) Rules, 2025 are statutory rules notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to set mandatory, sector-specific greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-intensity reduction targets for industrial entities, operationalising India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS).
Came into force:
• Came into force on October 9, 2025, becoming India’s first legally binding industrial emission intensity rules
• Builds on the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023.
Nodal ministry / agencies:
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) – rule notification
• Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) – issuance and calculation of carbon credits
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) – compliance enforcement and penalties
Sectors covered (second round):
• Petroleum refineries, Petrochemical units, Textile sector (spinning, processing, fibre, composite units), and Secondary aluminium.
• 208 industrial units added, including PSUs like Indian Oil, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC, Numaligarh Refinery and private players such as Reliance Industries.
• Earlier round – Oct 2025: aluminium, cement, chlor-alkali, pulp & paper were added.
Key features:
• Emission intensity metric: Targets expressed as tCO₂e per unit of output, covering all greenhouse gases by global warming potential.
• Baseline year: 2023–24; compliance targets set for 2025–26 and 2026–27.
• Carbon market linkage: Covered entities are brought under India’s domestic carbon market via the CCTS.
• Incentive mechanism: Entities exceeding targets earn carbon credit certificates. Credits can be traded or banked for future compliance years.
• Entities exceeding targets earn carbon credit certificates.
• Credits can be traded or banked for future compliance years.
• Penalty for non-compliance: Environmental compensation = twice the average carbon credit price of that compliance year. Payable within 90 days, enforced by CPCB.
• Environmental compensation = twice the average carbon credit price of that compliance year.
• Payable within 90 days, enforced by CPCB.
• Overall reduction ambition: ~3–7% reduction in emission intensity by 2026–27 compared to baseline.
Significance:
• Marks India’s shift from voluntary efficiency measures to legally binding climate compliance.
• Strengthens the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) and price discovery for carbon.
• Supports India’s NDC commitment of 45% reduction in GDP emission intensity by 2030 (vs 2005).
India Launches Responsible Nations Index (RNI)
Source: PIB
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: India has launched the Responsible Nations Index (RNI) 2026 to introduce a new global benchmark for evaluating countries on ethical governance and responsibility, with India ranked 16th globally.
About India Launches Responsible Nations Index (RNI):
What it is?
• The Responsible Nations Index (RNI) is a global composite index designed to assess countries based on ethical governance, social well-being, environmental stewardship, and global responsibility, moving beyond traditional power- and GDP-centric metrics.
Launched by: Under the aegis of the World Intellectual Foundation (WIF).
• To redefine national success by embedding ethical responsibility, inclusiveness, sustainability, and global cooperation into the assessment of nationhood.
Assessment criteria:
The RNI evaluates nations across four broad pillars:
• Ethical governance
• Social well-being and inclusiveness
• Environmental responsibility and sustainability
• Global responsibility and cooperative international conduct
Key features:
• Responsibility-centric framework, not power-centric.
• Integrates governance, moral values, and humanitarian outcomes.
• Encourages policy introspection and ethical benchmarking among nations.
• Designed as a dialogue-driven index, fostering global cooperation rather than competition.
• Accompanied by an annual Responsible Nations Index Report.
Rankings (RNI 2026):
Top 5 countries:
• Singapore – Rank 1
• Switzerland – Rank 2
• Denmark – Rank 3
• Cyprus – Rank 4
• Sweden – Rank 5
• India: Rank 16 (Overall Score: 0.5515) and Central African Republic – Overall Score: 0.35715, Rank: 154 (Last).
• India is the top-ranked Asian nation.
• India ranks 16th globally, ahead of South Korea (21), Thailand (24) and Kyrgyzstan (22).
• 9 of the top 10 countries are European, underscoring Europe’s strength in institutional ethics.
Significance:
• Introduces a normative shift in global governance metrics, prioritising ethics over dominance.
• Complements global agendas such as SDGs, climate responsibility, and inclusive governance.
Export Promotion Mission (EPM)
Source: News on Air
Subject: Government Scheme
Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued operational guidelines for extending interest subvention on export credit under Niryat Protsahan, bringing exporters under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM).
About Export Promotion Mission (EPM):
What it is?
• The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is a mission-mode, unified national framework to strengthen India’s export competitiveness by integrating financial support, market access, compliance readiness, and digital governance for exporters.
Established in: Union Budget 2025–26
Mission period: FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31
Implemented by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) as the nodal implementing agency
• To boost India’s export competitiveness, especially for MSMEs, first-time exporters, labour-intensive sectors, and non-traditional districts, by ensuring affordable trade finance and global market readiness.
Key features:
• Unified mission architecture: Merges multiple fragmented export-support schemes into a single, outcome-linked and digitally driven framework.
• Two integrated sub-schemes: Niryat Protsahan (Financial enablers): Interest subvention on pre/post-shipment credit, export factoring, deep-tier financing, collateral support, e-commerce exporter credit cards. Niryat Disha (Non-financial enablers): Quality certification, branding, trade fairs, logistics & warehousing support, inland transport reimbursement, cluster and district capacity building.
• Niryat Protsahan (Financial enablers): Interest subvention on pre/post-shipment credit, export factoring, deep-tier financing, collateral support, e-commerce exporter credit cards.
• Niryat Disha (Non-financial enablers): Quality certification, branding, trade fairs, logistics & warehousing support, inland transport reimbursement, cluster and district capacity building.
• Interest subvention under Niryat Protsahan: RBI-guided interest support on export credit, strictly for eligible exporters, routed through banks and financial institutions.
• Credit guarantee support: ₹20,000 crore Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters (CGSE) via NCGTC, providing 100% government-backed collateral-free credit.
• Digital implementation: End-to-end DGFT digital platform aligned with customs and trade systems for transparent, paperless processing.
• RBI regulatory support: Extended export credit tenure, moratoriums, asset-classification forbearance, FEMA relaxations on export realisation.
• Sectoral & regional focus: Priority to textiles, leather, gems & jewellery, engineering goods, marine products, and interior/low-export districts.
Parbati Giri
Source: DD News
Subject: History
Context: Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Parbati Giri on her birth centenary, highlighting her role in the freedom struggle and her lifelong dedication to social service.
About Parbati Giri:
Who she was?
• Parbati Giri (1926–1995) was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from Odisha, widely known as the “Mother Teresa of Western Odisha” for her humanitarian work among the poor, tribals, and marginalised communities.
Early days:
• Born on 19 January 1926 at Samlaipadar village, Bargarh district (Odisha).
• Inspired by nationalist activities led by Congress leaders, including her uncle Ramachandra Giri.
• Left formal education at a young age and joined Congress organisational work by 1938, adopting Gandhian principles as a way of life.
Contributions to the freedom movement:
• Actively participated in Individual Satyagraha (1940) and mobilised villagers for the Khadi and Charkha movement.
• Joined the Quit India Movement (1942) at the age of 16, leading rallies and openly defying British authority.
• Known for bold acts of resistance, including urging Indians to boycott British institutions; arrested and imprisoned for two years.
• Earned the epithet “Banhi Kanya” for her fearless nationalism and mass mobilisation.
Literary and social work:
• While not primarily known for literary writings, her legacy lies in grassroots activism, institution-building, and community service.
• After Independence, devoted herself to relief work during the 1951 Odisha famine, prison reforms, eradication of leprosy, and welfare of tribal communities.
End days and recognition:
• Awarded by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of India (1984) for exemplary service.
• Conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Sambalpur University (1988).
• Passed away on 17 August 1995, leaving behind a legacy of service-driven nationalism and ethical public life.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 January 2026 Mapping:
Hooghly River
Source: TOI
Subject: Mapping
Context: For the first time, West Bengal’s State Mission for Clean Ganga (SMCG) is deploying drones to map pollution sources along a 120 km stretch of the Hooghly River.
About Hooghly River:
What it is?
• The Hooghly River (also spelled Hugli) is a major distributary of the Ganga River system in West Bengal, serving as a crucial lifeline for navigation, industry, and urban settlements, including Kolkata.
Origin:
• Formed at Nabadwip by the junction of the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers.
• The Bhagirathi itself is a distributary of the Ganga, making Hooghly part of the Ganga deltaic system.
Flow through:
• Flows southward through Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, Kolkata, and South 24 Parganas districts.
• Empties into the Bay of Bengal via a wide estuary.
Tributaries: Ajay, Damodar, Rupnarayan, and Haldi
Hooghly is a tributary of:
• The Ganga River (it is a distributary arm providing access from the Bay of Bengal to inland Kolkata).
Key features:
• Tidal river with a strong tidal bore, aiding navigation but contributing to siltation.
• Navigable by ocean-going vessels up to Kolkata, supported by continuous dredging.
• Hosts major infrastructure like the Howrah Bridge and Bally Bridge.
• Environmentally stressed due to sewage discharge, industrial effluents, and urban runoff, making pollution monitoring critical.
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