UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 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:
• India-USA Trade Deal 2026
India-USA Trade Deal 2026
GS Paper 3:
• Kidnapping: An Organized Crime
Kidnapping: An Organized Crime
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• Operation Kiya
Operation Kiya
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• Sabhasaar Initiative
Sabhasaar Initiative
• India Joins BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies
India Joins BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies
• Anthropic AI Workplace Suite
Anthropic AI Workplace Suite
• India’s first cooperative-based taxi service – Bharat Taxi
India’s first cooperative-based taxi service – Bharat Taxi
• Military exercises in news
Military exercises in news
• Rafah Border Crossing
Rafah Border Crossing
Mapping:
• Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary
Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026
GS Paper 2:
India-USA Trade Deal 2026
Source: HT
Subject: International Relations
Context: India and the US have reached a landmark trade deal in February 2026, significantly reducing tariffs to 18% and ending a period of intense trade friction between the two nations.
About India-USA Trade Deal 2026:
What it is?
• The India-USA Trade Deal 2026 is a strategic economic reset announced by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of India on February 2, 2026.
• This reciprocal agreement aims to de-escalate the trade war triggered in late 2025, providing Indian exporters a competitive edge in the American market while securing massive energy and agricultural commitments for the United States.
Key Features of the Deal:
• Tariff Reduction: The US has slashed effective tariffs on Indian goods from a peak of 50% down to 18%.
• Removal of Punitive Duties: The additional 25% penalty—previously imposed due to India’s Russian oil imports—has been scrapped.
• Energy Pivot: India has agreed to significantly reduce or halt Russian oil purchases, shifting procurement to the US and potentially Venezuela.
• $500 Billion Commitment: India has pledged to purchase $500 billion worth of US energy, agriculture, coal, and technology products (likely over a multi-year period).
• Reciprocal Access: India will work toward reducing its own tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US industrial goods toward zero.
• Sectoral Safeguards: India has successfully excluded sensitive dairy and core agricultural sectors (like staple crops) from the deal to protect domestic farmers.
• Tech & Nuclear Expansion: The deal leverages India’s SHANTI Act, 2025, allowing US firms greater access to India’s civil nuclear and data center markets.
• Preferential Treatment: India now enjoys a tariff rate (18%) better than regional competitors like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Pakistan (facing 19–20%).
Significance of the Trade Deal:
• Export Revival: Restores price competitiveness for labor-intensive sectors like textiles, leather, and gems, which were struggling under the 50% tariff regime.
• Strategic Alignment: Reaffirms the India-US partnership as a critical counterweight to China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Economic Stability: The deal has already stabilized the Rupee and boosted the Indian stock market (Sensex/Nifty) by reducing trade uncertainty.
• Investment Inflow: Tax holidays for data centers and nuclear energy cooperation are expected to attract billions in FDI from US tech giants.
• Global Supply Chain Role: Positions India as a reliable, lower-tariff alternative for global companies looking to de-risk from China.
Challenges Associated with the Trade Deal:
• Erosion of Strategic Autonomy: Reducing Russian oil imports may strain India’s long-standing Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership with Moscow.
E.g. India’s continued reliance on Russia for S-400 missile defense parts could become a point of friction if the US demands a total break.
• Domestic Political Backlash: Opening markets to US farm products, even partially, faces stiff opposition from farmer unions.
E.g. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has already termed the deal a surrender to U.S. imperialism, fearing a flood of subsidized American crops.
• The Zero-Tariff Trap: Trump’s claim that India will move to 0% tariffs could cripple small-scale Indian manufacturers.
E.g. Zero duty on US-made machinery could outprice local MSMEs currently benefiting from protective duties.
• Import Bill Inflation: Shifting from discounted Russian crude to higher-priced US or Venezuelan oil could widen India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD).
E.g. Recent data showed India’s oil import dependence at 88.2%, making any price hike in sourcing a massive fiscal burden.
• Non-Tariff Barriers: While tariffs are lower, Indian exporters still face invisible hurdles like strict US quality and safety standards.
E.g. Indian shrimp and fruit exports frequently face rejection at US ports due to stringent Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulations.
Way Ahead:
• Legal Scrubbing: Both nations must now finalize the fine print and formalize the joint statement into a legally binding treaty.
• Infrastructure Scaling: India needs to rapidly upgrade its LNG terminals and ports to handle the promised $500 billion surge in US energy imports.
• Diversification: While the US deal is vital, India must continue fast-tracking FTAs with the UK, EU, and Gulf nations to avoid over-dependence on a single market.
• MSME Support: The government should provide transition subsidies to help small businesses upgrade technology to compete with US imports.
• Monitoring Mechanism: Establish a bilateral committee to ensure that US technical standards (SPS/TBT) are not used as backdoor protectionism against Indian goods.
Conclusion:
The 2026 India-US trade deal is a pragmatic give-and-take that trades energy concessions for manufacturing survival. By securing an 18% tariff rate, India has protected its core export sectors while navigating a complex geopolitical landscape between Washington and Moscow. Its long-term success will depend on how well India balances its domestic farmer interests with its global trade ambitions.
Q. “The protectionist turn in U.S. trade policy signals not just an economic shift, but also a geopolitical recalibration”. Examine. How might this impact global multilateralism? (10 M)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026 GS Paper 3:
Kidnapping: An Organized Crime
Source: IT
Subject: Internal Security
Context: In the first 27 days of 2026, Delhi reported 807 missing persons, averaging 27 cases daily. Alarmingly, 137 children remain untraced from this period, with a significant gender skew involving adolescent girls.
About Kidnapping: An Organized Crime
What it is?
• Kidnapping as an organized crime involves the systematic abduction of individuals by criminal syndicates for illicit gains. Unlike isolated incidents, this is a structured enterprise where victims are targeted for ransom, human trafficking, forced labor, or sexual exploitation.
Trends and Data in India:
• Daily Average: In early 2026, Delhi saw an average of 27 people going missing every day, with only a third being traced.
• Gender Skew: Adolescent girls (12–18 years) form the largest and most vulnerable demographic; in Jan 2026, 120 out of 137 untraced minors were girls.
• Long-term Backlog: Over the last 11 years (2015–2025), 5,559 children went missing in Delhi, with nearly 700 still unaccounted for.
• Urban Concentration: Metropolitan hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru remain hotspots due to high population density and migrant anonymity.
• Low Recovery Rates: Roughly 11% of missing children in the national capital remain untraced over a decade-long period (2016–2026).
Causes and Reasons:
• Human Trafficking Networks: Vulnerable children and women are abducted to supply illegal markets for domestic servitude or the flesh trade.
E.g. The 2024 crackdown on interstate gangs in Delhi revealed children being trafficked to neighboring states for forced agricultural labor.
• Economic Hardship and Runaways: Poverty leads many minors to flee home in search of work, making them easy prey for recruiters.
E.g. In 2025, several minors found at New Delhi Railway Station stated they left homes in Bihar due to financial distress before being intercepted by traffickers.
• Technological Exploitation: Social media is increasingly used to lure adolescents through honey-trapping or fake job offers.
E.g. Recent Delhi Police reports highlight cases where girls were lured via Instagram influencers into modeling gigs that were fronts for abduction.
• Poor Surveillance in Slums: Clusters with minimal CCTV coverage and high-density housing provide perfect cover for kidnappers.
E.g. High missing rates in areas like Nizamuddin and Jahangirpuri often correlate with dark spots in the city’s digital surveillance grid.
• Parental Neglect and Domestic Abuse: Hostile home environments push children toward the streets where organized gangs operate.
E.g. Investigations into the 2026 missing cases show a spike in runaway adolescents citing domestic violence as a trigger for leaving.
Security Implications and Challenges:
• Inter-State Coordination Gaps: Traffickers quickly move victims across state lines, outstripping the jurisdiction of local police.
E.g. The delay in tracing children moved from Delhi to Rajasthan in 2025 highlighted the lack of real-time data sharing between state police forces.
• Under-Reporting and Fear: Families often hesitate to report missing adults due to social stigma or threats from local goons.
E.g. In several missing adult cases in South Delhi, families only approached police weeks later after receiving ransom calls from untraceable VoIP numbers.
• Resource Constraints: The sheer volume of cases (27 per day) overwhelms the dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU).
E.g. In early 2026, Delhi’s AHTUs reported a shortage of personnel to investigate over 500 untraced cases simultaneously.
• Sophisticated Gang Logistics: Organized syndicates now use encrypted apps and stolen vehicles to evade electronic footprints.
E.g. The 2025 Mewat Gang abductions involved the use of fake license plates and Signal app communication to bypass traditional surveillance.
• Identity Erasure: Once kidnapped, victims’ identities are often altered with fake documents, making recovery through standard checks impossible.
E.g. Tracing efforts in 2024 were stalled when recovered children in Haryana were found with forged Aadhaar cards issued under different names.
Initiatives Taken:
• Operation Muskaan/Milap: Periodic dedicated drives by Delhi Police to rescue and rehabilitate missing children.
• ZIPNET (Zonal Integrated Police Network): A real-time database sharing information on missing persons across North Indian states.
• Facial Recognition System (FRS): Implementation of AI-based software by Delhi Police to match missing children with those found in shelter homes.
• TrackChild Portal: A national tracking system for missing and vulnerable children to ensure inter-state coordination.
Way Ahead:
• Predictive Policing: Use AI to identify hotspots and peak times for missing cases to increase patrolling in vulnerable sectors.
• Strengthening AHTUs: Mandate a dedicated task force in every district with specialized training in cyber-forensics and victim psychology.
• Community Vigilance: Integrate resident welfare associations (RWAs) and Mohalla Committees into the early warning system for missing persons.
• Universal Portability of Cases: Ensure that a Zero FIR for a missing person triggers an automatic inter-state alert across all transit hubs.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Target schools and slum clusters to educate children about the dangers of online grooming and unidentified job providers.
Conclusion:
The alarming rise in missing cases in 2026 underscores a systemic failure in protecting the most vulnerable citizens of the national capital. Addressing this crisis requires shifting from reactive tracing to a proactive, tech-driven strategy that dismantles organized trafficking networks. Only through seamless inter-state cooperation and community involvement can Delhi hope to turn the tide on this silent epidemic.
Q. “The evolving nexus between organized crime and terrorism is undermining India’s border security”. Discuss this linkage with contemporary examples and its implications for national security. (10 M)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
Operation Kiya
Context: Operation Kiya is in the news due to a fierce counter-terrorism encounter in the forested Basantgarh area of Udhampur, where security forces have cordoned off Pakistani terrorists.
About Operation Kiya:
What it is?
• Operation Kiya is a joint counter-terrorism operation launched by Indian security forces to neutralise terrorists hiding in remote forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Aim: To track, contain, and eliminate infiltrated terrorists while preventing their movement across districts and safeguarding civilian areas.
Key features (2 points)
• Joint security grid: Conducted by the Army’s White Knight Corps, Counter Insurgency Force (Delta), J&K Police, and CRPF, ensuring coordinated intelligence and firepower.
• Cordon-and-search strategy: Establishment of tight cordons in difficult terrain (forests, hills) to trap terrorists and deny escape routes.
Significance:
• Strengthens internal security: Prevents regrouping of terrorist modules and disrupts cross-border terror networks.
• Area domination: Enhances long-term control over forested and mountainous infiltration corridors in J&K.
• Operational preparedness: Demonstrates synergy among forces and readiness to conduct prolonged operations in harsh terrain.
Relevance in UPSC exam syllabus:
• GS Paper III – Internal Security: Role of security forces and agencies in counter-terrorism Challenges of insurgency and terrorism in border areas
• Role of security forces and agencies in counter-terrorism
• Challenges of insurgency and terrorism in border areas
• GS Paper II – Governance: Centre–State coordination in maintaining public order
• Centre–State coordination in maintaining public order
• Prelims: Current affairs related to internal security operations and armed forces
• Current affairs related to internal security operations and armed forces
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Sabhasaar Initiative
Source: PIB
Subject: Government Scheme
Context: SabhaSaar Initiative is in the news as over 1.11 lakh Gram Panchayats have adopted this AI-enabled tool for automated Gram Sabha meeting summarisation as of January 2026.
About Sabhasaar Initiative:
What it is?
• SabhaSaar is an AI-powered voice-to-text and meeting summarisation platform designed to automatically generate structured Minutes of Meetings (MoM) from Gram Sabha and Panchayat meeting recordings.
Launched in: 14 August 2025
Organisations involved:
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj – Nodal implementing ministry
• IndiaAI Mission under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology – AI & cloud infrastructure
• To strengthen participatory democracy, transparency, and efficiency in local self-government by digitising and standardising Gram Sabha documentation.
Key features:
• AI & NLP-based transcription: Converts audio/video discussions into structured minutes, capturing decisions, action points, and deliberations.
• Multilingual support: Integrated with Bhashini; currently supports 13 Indian languages, with plans for expansion.
• Secure data governance: Operates entirely within government infrastructure, compliant with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2025.
• Governance analytics: Tracks meeting type, frequency, attendance, resolutions, and follow-up actions.
Significance:
• Boosts grassroots governance: Reduces manual workload, allowing Panchayat officials to focus on service delivery.
• Enhances transparency & accountability: Standardised, verifiable meeting records improve public trust.
• Digital empowerment of Panchayats: Aligns with Digital India and AI-for-Governance objectives, especially in rural areas.
India Joins BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies
Source: News on Air
Subject: International Organisation
Context: India has joined the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) to provide integrated support to manufacturing firms and MSMEs across BRICS countries.
• The National Productivity Council has been designated as India’s nodal centre to lead engagement with BCIC.
About India Joins BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies:
What is the BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC)?
• The BRICS Centre for Industrial Competencies (BCIC) is a multilateral, public–private platform that supports manufacturing companies and MSMEs in adopting advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and sustainable practices across BRICS and BRICS Plus countries.
Established in: 2024–25
• Launched at the headquarters of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
• Supported under the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR).
Aim: To enhance industrial competitiveness, productivity, and digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises and MSMEs across the BRICS region through cooperation, innovation, and capacity building.
Key functions:
• Digital & Industry 4.0 support: Helps manufacturers adopt advanced technologies and transition into Factories of the Future.
• Partnership facilitation: Connects firms with technology providers, research institutions, and business partners across BRICS.
• Market intelligence & advisory: Provides guidance on market access, scaling operations, sustainability, and access to finance.
• Capacity building: Promotes productivity enhancement, skill development, and industrial modernisation.
Significance:
• Boost to Indian manufacturing & MSMEs: Enables Indian firms to integrate into BRICS value chains and access new markets.
• Supports Make in India & Atmanirbhar Bharat: Encourages productivity, innovation, and global competitiveness.
Anthropic AI Workplace Suite
Source: IE
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: Global tech stocks fell sharply after Anthropic launched a new AI-powered workplace automation suite, triggering fears that AI could replace core software and IT services rather than merely augment them.
About Anthropic AI Workplace Suite:
What it is
• Anthropic’s AI workplace suite is a set of AI agent–based automation tools that can directly perform complex office and enterprise tasks—bypassing conventional software platforms and human workflows.
Developed by: Anthropic, creators of the Claude AI model.
• To automate end-to-end white-collar workflows (legal, sales, compliance, analytics, operations) using autonomous AI agents, reducing dependence on traditional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms and human intermediaries.
Key features:
• Claude Cowork agents & plug-ins: 11 new AI plug-ins that can execute tasks such as contract review, NDA analysis, compliance monitoring, sales tracking, and data analysis.
• Platform bypass capability: AI agents can directly perform tasks earlier dependent on tools like CRM, ITSM, and workflow software—without needing interfaces such as Salesforce or ServiceNow.
• Autonomous execution: Moves beyond assistive AI to action-taking AI, capable of decision-making and workflow completion.
About SaaSpocalypse:
What it is?
• SaaSpocalypse is a term coined by analysts (notably Jefferies) to describe a potential existential crisis for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, where AI agents may replace entire software layers and service models.
Key features:
• Disintermediation of software firms: AI agents perform tasks directly, reducing the need for multiple enterprise software subscriptions.
• Threat to IT services outsourcing: Impacts countries like India whose IT sector depends on services such as data processing, compliance, customer support, and enterprise operations.
• Market re-rating: Sharp valuation corrections in global tech stocks as investors reassess long-term revenue models.
India’s first cooperative-based taxi service – Bharat Taxi
Source: TH
Subject: Government Scheme
Context: India’s first cooperative-based taxi service ‘Bharat Taxi’ is being formally launched by Union Minister in New Delhi.
• The launch marks a major push to cooperative-led, driver-owned mobility, aligned with the vision of Sahkar se Samriddhi.
About India’s first cooperative-based taxi service – Bharat Taxi:
What it is?
• Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-sector, driver-owned ride-hailing platform, designed as an indigenous alternative to aggregator-based models like Ola and Uber, with drivers (Sarathis) as owners and stakeholders.
Organisation(s) involved:
• Ministry of Cooperation – policy guidance
• Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited – operating entity
• Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 Established on June 6, 2025
• Established on June 6, 2025
Aim: To promote inclusive, citizen-centric mobility by empowering drivers through cooperative ownership, ensuring fair income distribution, social security, and freedom from exploitative commission-based platforms.
Key features:
• Driver-owned model: Guided by the principle Sarathi hi Malik—drivers are shareholders and decision-makers.
• Zero-commission & surge-free pricing: Entire fare initially goes to drivers; profits are redistributed within the cooperative.
• Strong social security: ₹5 lakh accident insurance, ₹5 lakh family health insurance, retirement savings, and emergency support.
• Women empowerment initiatives: Sarathi Didi and Bike Didi, with 150+ women drivers onboard.
• Digital & safety integration: Multilingual app, transparent fares, real-time tracking, verified ride data, and police integration.
• Non-exclusive model: Drivers can work simultaneously on other platforms.
Significance
• Strengthens cooperative movement: Extends cooperatives into the digital platform economy.
• Improves driver welfare: Enhances income security, dignity of labour, and long-term financial stability.
• Indigenous mobility alternative: Reduces dependence on foreign-funded aggregators and aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Military exercises in news
Source: DD News
Subject: Security
Context: India is conducting multiple high-profile military exercises in early 2026—including Exercise Khanjar, Exercise Agni Pariksha, and Exercise Vayu Shakti-2026—highlighting enhanced operational readiness, jointmanship, and defence diplomacy.
About Military exercises in news:
About Exercise Khanjar:
• Host / Location: India | Missamari, Assam
• Participants: Indian Army – Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) Kyrgyzstan – ILBRIS Special Forces Brigade
• Indian Army – Parachute Regiment (Special Forces)
• Kyrgyzstan – ILBRIS Special Forces Brigade
• Aim: To enhance interoperability and operational synergy in counter-terrorism and special forces operations.
• Key features: Annual bilateral exercise held alternately in India and Kyrgyzstan (13th edition). Focus on urban warfare, mountain warfare, sniping, and complex building intervention. Strengthens India–Central Asia defence cooperation and counter-terrorism collaboration.
• Annual bilateral exercise held alternately in India and Kyrgyzstan (13th edition).
• Focus on urban warfare, mountain warfare, sniping, and complex building intervention.
• Strengthens India–Central Asia defence cooperation and counter-terrorism collaboration.
About Exercise Agni Pariksha:
• Host / Location: India | Sigar, Arunachal Pradesh
• Participants: Indian Army Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• Indian Army
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• Aim: To familiarise non-artillery personnel with artillery procedures and improve inter-force combat integration.
• Key features: First-of-its-kind joint training exposing infantry and ITBP to artillery firing missions. Breaks traditional role silos and enhances firepower coordination and joint operational trust. Focused on future battlefield requirements and integrated combat capability.
• First-of-its-kind joint training exposing infantry and ITBP to artillery firing missions.
• Breaks traditional role silos and enhances firepower coordination and joint operational trust.
• Focused on future battlefield requirements and integrated combat capability.
About Exercise Vayu Shakti-2026:
• Host / Location: India | Pokaran Field Firing Range, Rajasthan
• Participants: Indian Air Force (IAF) units from across the country
• Indian Air Force (IAF) units from across the country
• Aim: To demonstrate IAF’s air-power capability, operational strategy, and precision strike readiness.
• Key features: Largest day-to-night air-power exercise of the IAF. Participation of 120+ aircraft and helicopters, including Rafale, Su-30 MKI, Tejas, Mirage-2000, Apache, Chinook, and Dhruv. Execution of Offensive & Defensive Counter Air, SEAD, precision strikes, airborne command (AWACS), and Para-commando airdrops. Showcase of indigenous systems such as Akash air defence.
• Largest day-to-night air-power exercise of the IAF.
• Participation of 120+ aircraft and helicopters, including Rafale, Su-30 MKI, Tejas, Mirage-2000, Apache, Chinook, and Dhruv.
• Execution of Offensive & Defensive Counter Air, SEAD, precision strikes, airborne command (AWACS), and Para-commando airdrops.
• Showcase of indigenous systems such as Akash air defence.
Rafah Border Crossing
Source: NIE
Subject: International Relations
Context: The Rafah Border Crossing was reopened, after being largely shut for nearly two years following Israeli military control.
• Its reopening is a key component of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan, aimed at enabling civilian movement and humanitarian aid.
About Rafah Border Crossing:
What it is?
• The Rafah Border Crossing is the only border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and Gaza’s sole exit point that does not pass through Israel, making it a critical humanitarian and strategic gateway.
Region located in:
• Lies on the Gaza Strip–Egypt border
• Connects Rafah (Gaza) with Rafah (Egypt)
• Located along the historic Salah al-Din corridor in southern Gaza
History:
• Pre-2005: Controlled by Israel following the 1967 war.
• 2005–2007: Administered by the Palestinian Authority, monitored by the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).
• Post-2007: Largely closed after Hamas took control of Gaza and Israel imposed a blockade.
• 2024–2025: Seized by Israel during the Gaza war; partial withdrawal under ceasefire terms.
• 2026: Reopened in a limited manner under international monitoring and Israeli security oversight.
Key features:
• Humanitarian lifeline: Primary route for medical evacuations, aid supplies, and limited civilian travel.
• Unique status: Gaza’s only non-Israel-controlled international crossing in principle.
• Security-controlled access: Movement subject to Israeli clearance and coordination with Egypt.
• Third-party monitoring: Involvement of EUBAM to provide a neutral presence.
• Aid logistics hub: Closely linked with aid routing via Kerem Shalom crossing.
Significance:
• Humanitarian importance: Enables evacuation of wounded civilians and entry of life-saving aid.
• Geopolitical relevance: Central to ceasefire agreements and Israel–Hamas negotiations.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 5 February 2026 Mapping:
Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary
Source: TH
Subject: Mapping
Context: A recent faunal survey in the Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary has recorded several new species of birds, butterflies, and odonates, significantly enriching Kerala’s biodiversity database.
About Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary:
What it is?
• Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Western Ghats, known for its exceptional biodiversity, wide altitudinal range, and intact forest ecosystems.
Located in:
• The sanctuary falls under the Nilambur forest landscape, an ecologically rich belt of the Western Ghats known for dense forests and high endemism.
• Its position on the Nilgiri slopes places it within a critical Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, influencing rainfall, vegetation, and species diversity.
History:
• Notified in 2020
• Kerala’s 18th Wildlife Sanctuary and 24th Protected Area
• First wildlife sanctuary in Malappuram district
Key geographical & ecological features:
• Sharp altitudinal gradient (40 m to >2,550 m): The wide elevation range creates varied climatic conditions, supporting species adapted to both lowland and montane ecosystems.
• Seven forest types (unique in Kerala): The coexistence of seven distinct forest types in one landscape makes it ecologically exceptional and highly biodiverse. Semi-evergreen & evergreen forests: Support dense canopy, high rainfall species, and endemic flora. Moist deciduous forests: Act as crucial habitats for large mammals and seasonal biodiversity. Sub-tropical savannah & hill forests: Provide transitional ecosystems supporting grassland–forest species. Montane wet temperate forests & grasslands: Sustain high-altitude endemics and regulate hydrology.
• Semi-evergreen & evergreen forests: Support dense canopy, high rainfall species, and endemic flora.
• Moist deciduous forests: Act as crucial habitats for large mammals and seasonal biodiversity.
• Sub-tropical savannah & hill forests: Provide transitional ecosystems supporting grassland–forest species.
• Montane wet temperate forests & grasslands: Sustain high-altitude endemics and regulate hydrology.
• Ecological corridor: By linking Silent Valley National Park and Mukurthi National Park, it ensures habitat continuity for wildlife movement across state boundaries.
• New Amarambalam Reserve inclusion: This largely undisturbed forest tract preserves near-pristine ecosystems, serving as a genetic and ecological refuge within the Western Ghats.
Significance:
• Biodiversity hotspot: Hosts key Western Ghats endemics such as Nilgiri tahr and lion-tailed macaque Rich diversity of birds, butterflies, odonates, amphibians, reptiles, and freshwater fish
• Hosts key Western Ghats endemics such as Nilgiri tahr and lion-tailed macaque
• Rich diversity of birds, butterflies, odonates, amphibians, reptiles, and freshwater fish
• Landscape connectivity: Ensures habitat continuity across Kerala–Tamil Nadu forests, crucial for large mammals and migratory species
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