CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) suffered a setback at the start of the year when the PSLV-C62 mission, carrying 16 satellites, failed to achieve its intended orbit. This marks the second consecutive failure of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)—ISRO’s most reliable launch vehicle for over three decades—following the PSLV-C61 failure in May 2025.

The Union Government is considering legally enforcing the Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR) for smartphones, introducing 83 mandatory security standards covering source code disclosure, software controls, logging requirements, and user-permission restrictions.

Amid heightened global geopolitical tensions and growing fears of escalation between major powers, the Boeing E-4B Nightwatch, popularly known as the United States military’s “Doomsday Plane,” made a rare and unexpected appearance over Los Angeles, triggering public anxiety and widespread speculation.

M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is an IT-based advanced monitoring system used in India for the protection, surveillance, and scientific management of tigers and other wildlife.

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved a major milestone under India’s hypersonic missile programme. DRDO successfully conducted a ground test of a full-scale, actively cooled, long-duration scramjet engine.

Forest staff involved in the upcoming tiger and wildlife census at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve will be using the Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPES) mobile application.

The Central Government has approved the proposal to conduct the 2027 Census of India. ₹11,718.24 crore has been approved for this purpose. This decision was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting on December 12, 2025. Census 2027 will be the eighth census of independent India and the 16th census of the country overall.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed a significant initiative to make India's rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem more transparent, sustainable, and regulatory-friendly.

Indian States have significantly expanded dedicated police social media monitoring cells over the last five years, reflecting a shift in policing strategies to address emerging digital-era crimes, misinformation, and public order challenges.

Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology has developed a new open-source software called PathGennie, which is being considered a significant advancement in the field of drug discovery and molecular simulation.