UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 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 1:
• India’s Demographic Dividend is Turning into a Divide
India’s Demographic Dividend is Turning into a Divide
GS Paper 3:
• Reusable Rockets and the Future
Reusable Rockets and the Future
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• Young Ambassadors of Change Initiative
Young Ambassadors of Change Initiative
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• Lok Sabha to launch digital attendance system
Lok Sabha to launch digital attendance system
• Silver metal
Silver metal
• Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS)
Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS)
• Artemis II Mission
Artemis II Mission
• UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance
UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance
• Two new rare ant fly species discovered
Two new rare ant fly species discovered
Mapping:
• Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026
GS Paper 1 :
India’s Demographic Dividend is Turning into a Divide
Source: FL
Subject: Population and Associated Issues
Context: The report warns that India’s demographic dividend is narrowing rapidly. While the population may reach 1.59 billion by 2051, a stark regional divide—an aging South and a youthful North—will reshape politics, labour markets and India’s federal structure.
About India’s Demographic Dividend is Turning into a Divide:
What it is?
• The Demographic Divide refers to the phenomenon where different regions of the country are at entirely different stages of demographic transition.
• The North (High Growth): States like Bihar and UP are in the late expanding stage with high birth rates.
• The South (Aging): States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have reached the stationary/declining stage, with fertility rates well below replacement level (TFR < 2.1).
Key Trends/Data:
• Population Peak: National population to grow to 1,590.1 million by 2051, but the annual growth rate will slow to 0.5%.
• Stabilization Delay: The target of population stabilization by 2045 is now pushed to 2065.
• Regional Weight: The share of Northern/Central regions will rise to 52.7%, while the Southern share will drop to 17%.
• Workforce Peak: India’s working-age population (15-59) will peak in 2041 at 1.01 billion and decline thereafter.
• School Enrolment: National school enrolment (pre-primary to Class 12) has already dropped by 13.4 million between 2019 and 2025.
Current Transition in Indian Demography:
• The Aging South: Southern states are entering a phase of depopulation and high elderly dependency.
E.g. Kerala’s 60+ population is projected to hit 23-25% by 2036, requiring a shift toward geriatric healthcare.
• The Youthful North: Northern states continue to provide the bulk of India’s youth power.
E.g. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh currently account for one in every three Indian children under the age of 14.
• Fertility Faultline: National TFR has dropped to ~2.0, but regional variations are massive.
E.g. Sikkim and Goa have TFRs as low as 1.1-1.3, while Bihar remains around 2.9-3.0.
• Ruralization of Aging: Aging is occurring faster in rural areas as youth migrate to cities.
E.g. Census data indicates 71% of India’s elderly live in rural regions with limited access to advanced medical care.
• Feminization of Aging: Due to higher life expectancy, the elderly population is increasingly composed of widows.
E.g. In Himachal Pradesh, women at age 60 live 4 years longer than men on average, leading to a high number of dependent elderly women.
Challenges Associated:
• Political Representation (Delimitation): Slower population growth in the South threatens their share of Lok Sabha seats.
E.g. The 2026 Delimitation exercise could see the North gain 40+ seats while the South loses representation, sparking federal tensions.
• Economic Strain on the South: A shrinking workforce and growing elderly population increase the dependency ratio.
E.g. The Old-Age Dependency Ratio in the South (20) is significantly higher than the North (13), straining state pension funds.
• Education Infrastructure Mismatch: Ghost schools are appearing in the South while the North faces a shortage.
E.g. Over 80,000 government/aided schools closed or merged between 2019 and 2025 due to low enrolment in states like Kerala.
• Inter-State Migration Frictions: The South needs Northern labor, but this creates social and linguistic friction.
E.g. Recent political rhetoric in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has highlighted growing insider-outsider debates regarding migrant labor from Bihar/UP.
• The Silver Economy Gap: India is unprepared for the market shifts required for an aging society.
E.g. Despite a rising 60+ population, geriatric care facilities in states like Andhra Pradesh remain underfunded and largely private-sector driven.
Way Ahead:
• Promoting Internal Migration: Facilitate safe, legal, and dignified migration of youth from the North to the labor-scarce South.
• Leveraging the Longevity Dividend: Shift policies from viewing the elderly as passive recipients to active contributors in the Silver Economy.
• Delimitation Reforms: Explore weighted voting or hybrid allocation formulas to ensure Southern states aren’t punished for successful population control.
• Skill Standardization: Invest in quality education in the North to ensure that the migrating workforce is high-skilled and productive.
• Geriatric Infrastructure: Expansion of schemes like Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana to ensure rural elderly have access to telemedicine and social security.
Conclusion:
India’s demographic story is no longer about a population explosion, but about managing a fragmented transition. The success of the Indian Century depends on how the state manages the political and economic friction between a youthful North and an aging South. If handled with federal sensitivity and smart migration policies, this divide can be turned back into a dividend; if not, it risks becoming a lasting fissure in the Indian union.
Q. “India is grappling with various demographic issues, including fertility decline and population ageing”. How can accurate and current Census data help in addressing these issues effectively in terms of policy planning and resource allocation? (15 M)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026 GS Paper 3:
Reusable Rockets and the Future
Source: TH
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: The space industry is at a crossroads as SpaceX’s Starship prepares for full-scale commercial operations and ISRO moves toward its critical Orbital Return Flight Experiment (OREX).
• These developments aim to solidify reusability as the global standard for lowering the cost of access to space by up to 80%.
About Reusable Rockets and the Future:
What are Reusable Rockets:
• A reusable rocket is a launch vehicle designed to return to Earth intact, allowing its most expensive components—like engines and avionics—to be refurbished and flown again.
• This shifts spaceflight from a disposable model (where a new rocket is built for every mission) to a transportation model (similar to commercial aviation), where the hardware is used dozens of times, amortizing the manufacturing cost across multiple flights.
Key Trends in Rocket Reusability:
• Starship Dominance: The push toward Full Reusability (recovering both the booster and the upper stage) is nearing reality, promising to carry up to 100 tons to orbit.
• Rapid Turnaround: Leading companies are targeting a 24-hour turnaround time, treating rockets like aircraft to meet the demand of massive satellite constellations like Starlink.
• Vertical Integration: Companies are moving toward in-house 3D printing and modular designs to make the maintenance of reusable parts faster and cheaper.
• Global Competition: Beyond SpaceX, players like Blue Origin (New Glenn) and China’s LandSpace (Zhuque-3) are entering the market with vertical landing boosters in 2026.
Why Rockets Have Different Stages:
• Shedding Dead Weight: As fuel is consumed, the heavy empty tanks become dead weight.
• Efficiency: By discarding spent stages, the rocket becomes lighter, allowing the remaining fuel to push the smaller remaining mass much faster.
• The Reusability Shift: In traditional rockets, these stages are thrown into the ocean; in reusable systems, they are guided back to land.
Comparison of Global Leaders vs. India (2026):
Feature | Global Status (SpaceX / Blue Origin) | India Status (ISRO)
Recovery Method | Vertical Takeoff & Vertical Landing (VTVL): Uses retro-propulsion (firing engines downward) to land on a pad or drone ship. | Winged Body (Spaceplane) & Retro-propulsion: Uses a glider design (Pushpak) for horizontal runway landings; retro-propulsion is planned for the NGLV.
Reuse Record | Mature & Operational: Boosters (Falcon 9) are routinely reused 30+ times. Starship is moving toward 100% reusability. | Experimental & Testing: Successful LEX (Landing Experiment) series completed in 2024-25. No orbital stage has been reused yet.
Main Vehicle | Falcon 9 & Starship: Reliable workhorse fleet. Starship is the world’s first fully reusable heavy-lift vehicle. | Pushpak (RLV-TD) & NGLV: Pushpak is a technology demonstrator; the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) is the future reusable workhorse.
Cost per kg to LEO | Highly Competitive: Approximately $1,500 – $2,700 due to high launch cadence and mass recovery. | Targeting Efficiency: Currently higher; however, ISRO aims for a 10x reduction in costs once the RLV/NGLV is operational.
Primary Goal | Commercial Dominance & Deep Space: Focus on Mars colonization, Starlink, and private space tourism. | Strategic Autonomy: Focus on Aatmanirbhar space access, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, and cost-effective commercial launches.
Challenges to India in Reusable Rockets:
• Thermal Protection Systems (TPS): Withstanding the 2000°C heat of re-entry is a major hurdle for India’s winged RLV.
E.g. ISRO is currently testing advanced Ceramic Matrix Composites to ensure the Pushpak vehicle doesn’t disintegrate during its 2026 orbital return test.
• Precision Autonomous Landing: Guiding a vehicle from space to a specific runway or barge requires sub-meter accuracy.
E.g. The RLV-LEX-03 test in June 2024 validated landing in high-wind conditions, but doing so from an orbital velocity remains the next big challenge.
• Propulsion Limitations: Current Indian engines (like those in PSLV/LVM3) are not designed for the multiple re-starts needed for landing.
E.g. ISRO’s development of the LOX/Methane engine is a response to the need for a cleaner, more easily refillable propellant for reusability.
• Refurbishment Economics: The cost of cleaning and testing a used rocket must be significantly lower than building a new one.
E.g. Following the PSLV C-62 failure in early 2026, concerns about trust deficits in reused hardware have increased insurance premiums for the Indian space sector.
• Infrastructure Gaps: India lacks dedicated recovery barges and high-speed telemetry networks for ocean landings.
E.g. ISRO is currently planning a 4 km long airstrip at Sriharikota specifically for future RLV landings.
Way ahead:
• Fast-track the NGLV (Soorya) roadmap: NGLV Soorya is India’s future heavy-lift vehicle with 30-tonne LEO capacity and a reusable first stage. Completing the three developmental flights (D1–D3) within the 8-year timeline is essential for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and crewed lunar missions.
• Shift to a PPP-led manufacturing model: ISRO must act as a technology enabler while industry handles large-scale manufacturing through PPPs.
• Support reusable launch start-ups: Start-ups like Agnikul and Skyroot provide fast, low-cost experimentation in reusable systems. Their SSLVs function as agile testbeds whose validated technologies can be scaled into national heavy-lift programmes.
• Leverage the IN-SPACe Venture Capital fund: The ₹1,000-crore VC fund supplies long-term risk capital for deep-tech launch systems. By backing ~40 firms, it curbs brain drain, promotes competition, and drives down orbital launch costs through market pressure.
• Master advanced recovery technologies: India must develop both vertical booster landings for heavy rockets and horizontal runway landings for winged RLVs like Pushpak.
Conclusion:
India must fast-track the NGV (Next Generation Vehicle), designed from the ground up for reusability, while fostering private space start-ups (like Agnikul and Skyroot) to build smaller, reusable launch solutions. Shifting focus from “Government-only” to a “PPP model” will provide the capital needed for the high-risk R&D of full reusability.
Q. What is reusable launch vehicle (RLV)? RLV offers cost-effective access to space, reduced launch costs, and increased flexibility in deploying satellites and conducting space missions. Discuss. (250 words)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
Young Ambassadors of Change Initiative
Context: A government school in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, has launched an innovative value-education programme to inculcate moral values and social responsibility among children through daily practice rather than rote learning.
About Young Ambassadors of Change Initiative:
What it is?
• A school-based value education initiative launched at the Government Aadi Dravidar Primary School, Kattur, aimed at nurturing core moral and civic values among children through experiential and community-linked learning.
Key features:
• Values-focused learning: Emphasises honesty, kindness, respect, responsibility, patience, discipline and gratitude.
• Storytelling & reflection: Value-based stories during morning assemblies followed by prayers and reflective discussions.
• Practice-oriented approach: Children apply values both at school and at home through simple daily actions.
• Parental involvement: Parents are engaged through WhatsApp communication to reinforce values at home.
• Inclusive participation: Students rotate in batches every 15 days to ensure equal opportunity.
• Non-evaluative assessment: No marks or registers; teachers assess through observation, encouragement and behaviour change.
• Motivational tools: Character badges and value-quote walls at school and home.
Significance:
• Promotes character building alongside cognitive learning, especially at the foundational stage.
• Strengthens family–school–community linkage in moral education.
Relevance for UPSC Examination
• GS Paper I – Society / Education
• Role of education in socialisation and value formation Child development and ethical foundations
• Role of education in socialisation and value formation
• Child development and ethical foundations
• GS Paper IV – Ethics
• Values: integrity, compassion, responsibility, gratitude Role of educational institutions in inculcating ethics
• Values: integrity, compassion, responsibility, gratitude
• Role of educational institutions in inculcating ethics
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Lok Sabha to launch digital attendance system
Source: HT
Subject: Polity
Context: The Lok Sabha will introduce a digital attendance system from the Budget Session 2026 to ensure the physical presence of MPs inside the House.
About Lok Sabha to launch digital attendance system:
What it is?
• A seat-based biometric attendance mechanism where Members of Parliament mark attendance electronically from their designated seats inside the House, replacing the earlier lobby register system.
Announced by: Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha
• Ensure actual presence of MPs during sittings.
• Improve transparency, discipline, and productivity of Parliament.
• Link attendance with daily allowance strictly to House presence.
How it works?
• Every designated seat in the Lok Sabha chamber is fitted with a digital console, ensuring attendance can be marked only from within the House and not elsewhere in the Parliament complex.
• MPs authenticate their presence using biometric thumb verification, eliminating proxy marking and ensuring that attendance reflects the actual physical presence of the member.
• Once the House is adjourned—whether due to protests or completion of business—the system is locked, preventing members from retroactively marking attendance.
• If an MP fails to record attendance during a sitting, it results in the forfeiture of daily allowance and related entitlements, creating a direct financial accountability mechanism.
Key features:
• The earlier practice of signing a register outside the chamber is abolished, ensuring MPs remain present during proceedings, not just for formality.
• Biometric verification enhances accuracy, tamper-resistance, and transparency, aligning parliamentary functioning with modern e-governance standards.
• The strict time-bound system discourages strategic delays and reinforces the principle that attendance equals participation, not mere appearance.
• MPs can no longer mark attendance and leave immediately, promoting serious legislative engagement and debate continuity.
• The system complements initiatives like real-time multilingual translation, paperless proceedings, and AI-assisted workflows, advancing a more efficient and citizen-centric Parliament.
Silver metal
Source: TOI
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: Silver prices are projected to rise by nearly 20% in the coming months amid sustained global supply deficits and strong industrial demand.
About Silver metal:
What it is?
• Silver is a precious and noble metal known for its brilliant white lustre and dual role as a store of value and a critical industrial input, especially in electronics and renewable energy.
Key characteristics:
• Highest electrical and thermal conductivity among all metals, making it indispensable for electronics and photovoltaics.
• Malleable, ductile, and corrosion-resistant, allowing extensive use in alloys, jewellery, solar cells, and precision instruments.
Key facts (from Indian Minerals Yearbook 2023)
• India: Silver production
• India produced 7,13,768 kg of silver in 2022–23, marking about a 10% increase over the previous year. Silver in India is primarily recovered as a by-product, not from standalone silver mines.
• India produced 7,13,768 kg of silver in 2022–23, marking about a 10% increase over the previous year.
• Silver in India is primarily recovered as a by-product, not from standalone silver mines.
• Top 3 silver-producing States in India:
• Rajasthan: Dominates production through Hindustan Zinc Ltd’s Chanderiya lead-zinc smelter (≈ 99% of output). Karnataka: Minor production from gold refining at Hutti Gold Mines (Raichur). Andhra Pradesh: Holds limited resources, mainly as associated minerals.
• Rajasthan: Dominates production through Hindustan Zinc Ltd’s Chanderiya lead-zinc smelter (≈ 99% of output).
• Karnataka: Minor production from gold refining at Hutti Gold Mines (Raichur).
• Andhra Pradesh: Holds limited resources, mainly as associated minerals.
• India and silver:
• India has no major native silver deposits; silver occurs with lead, zinc, copper, and gold ores. Total silver reserves/resources are estimated at 30,267 tonnes (metal content), with Rajasthan accounting for ~86% of ore resources.
• India has no major native silver deposits; silver occurs with lead, zinc, copper, and gold ores.
• Total silver reserves/resources are estimated at 30,267 tonnes (metal content), with Rajasthan accounting for ~86% of ore resources.
World silver scenario:
• World top silver producers:
The leading producers globally are:
• Mexico (largest producer, ~26% share) China Peru
• Mexico (largest producer, ~26% share)
followed by Poland, Russia, Chile, and Bolivia.
• India’s position globally:
• India holds ~1% of global silver reserves, making it resource-constrained but production-relevant due to integrated smelting and refining capacity. Rising global demand from solar PV, electronics, and EV supply chains is tightening markets, amplifying price volatility.
• India holds ~1% of global silver reserves, making it resource-constrained but production-relevant due to integrated smelting and refining capacity.
• Rising global demand from solar PV, electronics, and EV supply chains is tightening markets, amplifying price volatility.
Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS)
Source: PIB
Subject: Government Scheme
Context: National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has completed one year of its Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS) and marked the milestone with a national-level event in New Delhi.
About Internet Governance Internship & Capacity Building Scheme (IGICBS):
What it is?
• IGICBS is a national internship and capacity-building programme designed to train India’s youth in internet governance, enabling informed participation in national and global internet policy, standards, and technical forums.
Launched in: 2025 (completed one year in January 2026)
Organisations involved:
• National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) – Nodal implementing body
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) – Administrative ministry
• Build a skilled pool of Indian professionals in internet governance.
• Strengthen India’s voice and representation in global internet decision-making platforms.
• Promote a safe, inclusive, resilient, and trustworthy internet ecosystem.
Key features:
• Structured internships: 6-month and 3-month terms combining research + practical outreach.
• Mentorship model: Each intern mentored by senior experts from government, academia, or global IG bodies.
• Capacity building & outreach: Mandatory awareness programmes in colleges, universities, NGOs, and local communities.
• Global exposure: Engagement with international internet governance institutions and processes.
• NIXI Internet Influencer pathway: High-performing interns certified to act as long-term ambassadors of internet governance.
• Interdisciplinary focus: Technology, law, public policy, cybersecurity, digital identity, and Universal Acceptance (UA).
Significance:
• Addresses India’s strategic need for informed participation in global internet governance.
• Bridges policy–technology–academia, creating future-ready digital leadership.
Artemis II Mission
Source: DD News
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: NASA has set February 6 as the target launch date for Artemis II, its first crewed lunar mission in over five decades.
• The mission will send astronauts around the Moon, marking humanity’s return to crewed deep-space exploration since Apollo 17 (1972).
About Artemis II Mission:
What it is?
• Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis programme, involving a lunar flyby (no landing) to test deep-space systems with astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft.
Organisations involved:
• NASA – Lead agency
• Canadian Space Agency (CSA) – International partner
• Validate human-rated deep-space systems in real mission conditions.
• Prepare for Artemis III lunar landing and future Mars missions.
• Establish a sustained human presence beyond Earth orbit.
Key features of the mission:
• Crewed lunar flyby: Four astronauts will orbit the Moon’s far side without landing.
• Free-return trajectory: Uses Earth–Moon gravity to return safely without major propulsion burns.
• Deep-space testing: Full checkout of life support, navigation, communication, radiation protection, and manual piloting.
• Distance milestone: Astronauts will travel over 230,000 miles from Earth, farther than any humans before.
• Mission duration: Approximately 10 days, ending with Pacific Ocean splashdown.
Significance:
• First crewed Artemis mission, bridging the gap between test flight (Artemis I) and lunar landing (Artemis III).
• Revives human lunar exploration after more than 50 years.
• Strengthens international collaboration in space exploration.
UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance
Source: UNESCO
Subject: International Organisation
Context: The UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance has announced the election of its first-ever Global Board, marking a major milestone in its institutional governance.
About UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance:
What it is?
• The MIL Alliance is a global collaborative network coordinated by UNESCO, bringing together organisations and experts to advance media and information literacy (MIL) and counter disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech.
Launched in:
• 2013, at the Global Forum for Partnerships on MIL in Abuja, Nigeria.
• Relaunched in 2025 during Global MIL Week with the Cartagena Declaration, alongside a renewed strategic action plan.
Organisation(s) involved:
• UNESCO (coordination through its MIL Unit).
• 300+ organisations and 180 individual experts from 100+ countries.
• Strengthen societal resilience to disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech.
• Enable the MIL community to shape policies and practices at global, regional, and national levels.
Key functions:
• The Global Board serves as the Alliance’s primary decision-making and coordination body, ensuring inclusive governance, strategic coherence, and effective collaboration across regions.
• The Alliance contributes expert inputs to global and regional policy discussions, helping shape norms, standards, and strategies on media and information literacy.
• It facilitates the sharing of research, tools, and successful practices, strengthening institutional and community capacity to address disinformation and media risks.
• The Board oversees continuous improvement of the MIL Alliance platform, ensuring it remains responsive, user-centric, and aligned with evolving MIL needs.
• The Alliance enables structured growth through new chapters while maintaining transparency and accountability via coordinated monitoring and annual reporting.
Two new rare ant fly species discovered
Source: TH
Subject: Species in News
Context: Researchers have discovered two new, extremely rare ant fly species from Delhi and the Western Ghats, underscoring the hidden biodiversity of urban forests and biodiversity hotspots.
About Two new rare ant fly species discovered:
What it is?
• Ant flies belong to the subfamily Microdontinae (family Syrphidae) and are renowned for myrmecophily—their larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant brood. This specialised ecology makes them exceptionally rare and hard to detect.
Metadon ghorpadei
• Scientific name: Metadon ghorpadei
• Discovery site: Northern Ridge Forest, Delhi Ridge (urban, disturbed habitat)
• Key features: Microdontinae ant fly with ant-nest–dependent larval stage (myrmecophily). Adults are inconspicuous, seldom visit flowers, and stay close to ant colonies.
• Microdontinae ant fly with ant-nest–dependent larval stage (myrmecophily).
• Adults are inconspicuous, seldom visit flowers, and stay close to ant colonies.
• Significance: Reveals high conservation value of urban green patches, even fragmented forests. Highlights risks of habitat-specific biodiversity loss when urban planning focuses only on green cover.
• Reveals high conservation value of urban green patches, even fragmented forests.
• Highlights risks of habitat-specific biodiversity loss when urban planning focuses only on green cover.
Metadon reemeri
• Scientific name: Metadon reemeri
• Discovery site: Siruvani Hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu
• Key features: Shares specialised ant-associated life cycle typical of Microdontinae. Part of a poorly studied insect group despite the region’s strong protection.
• Shares specialised ant-associated life cycle typical of Microdontinae.
• Part of a poorly studied insect group despite the region’s strong protection.
• Significance: Adds to endemism-rich insect diversity of the Western Ghats. Signals the need for targeted surveys and molecular phylogenetics for lesser-known taxa.
• Adds to endemism-rich insect diversity of the Western Ghats.
• Signals the need for targeted surveys and molecular phylogenetics for lesser-known taxa.
Significance:
• Only 27 Microdontinae species are known from the Indian subcontinent (out of ~454 globally).
• Discoveries stress habitat mapping, invasive control, and native vegetation restoration to conserve cryptic insect fauna across urban forests and biodiversity hotspots.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 January 2026 Mapping:
Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Source: News on Air
Subject: Mapping
Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) to strengthen conservation in the Aravalli Range.
About Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary:
What it is?
• Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected wildlife reserve known for its dry deciduous forest ecosystem and rich faunal diversity, surrounding the historic Kumbhalgarh Fort.
Located in:
• Rajasthan, spread across Rajsamand, Udaipur, and Pali districts.
• Part of the Aravalli hill system in western India.
• Total area: ~610.5 sq km, comprising a core and buffer zone.
Geological features:
• Lies at an elevation of 500–1,300 metres, covering four Aravalli ranges: Kumbhalgarh, Sadri, Desuri, and Bokhada.
• Dominated by ancient metamorphic (Archean) rocks with thin sandy-loam soils.
• Falls under the Khathiar–Gir dry deciduous forest ecoregion, supporting scrub forests, grasslands, and woodland species.
• Fauna: Leopard (apex predator), Indian wolf, sloth bear, striped hyena, jungle cat, golden jackal, sambhar, nilgai, chausingha, chinkara, Indian hare, Indian pangolin.
• Avifauna: Grey junglefowl, painted francolin, Indian eagle-owl.
• Herpetofauna & aquatic life: Indian cobra, rat snake, checkered keelback; fish like mahseer, rohu, katla.
Significance:
• Acts as a critical biodiversity corridor in the Aravalli landscape.
• ESZ status (0–1 km around the sanctuary) helps regulate harmful activities and reduce habitat fragmentation.
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