Mission MITRA (Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Response Assessment)

Context: Recently, ISRO announced the launch of Mission MITRA (Mapping of Interoperable Trades and Response Assessment), which will contribute to the design and development of the Gaganyaan mission.

About Mission MITRA

• Mission MITRA is launched in Leh, Ladakh, to investigate the behaviour, performance, and dynamics of the crew in an environment that simulates space flight.
• It aims to develop critical insights into team interoperability between ‘Gaganyatris’and ground-control teams, and assess their decision-making effectiveness under extreme environmental and operational conditions.
• It is launched by ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre in collaboration with the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (Indian Air Force) and Protoplanet Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru.
• In this mission, ISRO is utilising the extremely challenging environment of Ladakh—characterised by high altitude (approximately 3,500 meters above sea level), sub-zero temperatures for more than half of the year, and low humidity—and is employing it as a 'Space-Like' test bed for human spaceflight missions.

About Gaganyaan Mission

• Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth.
• It integrates Indian and international expertise. Key requirements include human-rated launch vehicles, life support systems, emergency escape provisions, and crew management.
• Various precursor missions, including Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights, are planned to demonstrate the technology preparedness levels before carrying out the actual Human Space Flight mission.

Sādhana Saptah 2026

Context: In a first-of-its-kind national initiative, the Capacity Building Commission launched Sādhana Saptah 2026 (2–8 April), one of the largest collaborative capacity-building initiatives in India’s civil services.

About Sādhana Saptah

• Sadhana Saptah is an initiative under Mission Karmayogi, also known as the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building.
• It aims to build competencies for citizen-centric governance, focusing on adaptive development and humane aptitude.
• The programme is organised by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Capacity Building Commission, and Karmayogi Bharat.
• It brings together Central Ministries, States/UTs, and training institutions on a common platform to promote responsive governance.
• The initiative is guided by three key Sutras—Technology, Tradition, and Tangible Outcomes, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
• It offers diverse learning avenues through the iGOT Karmayogi platform, along with group discussions (Samuhik Charcha), thematic webinars, and hands-on practical workshops conducted by various training institutions.
• The focus of the initiative is on enhancing core competencies such as leadership, communication, data analysis, project management, and digital governance.

FAO Food Price Index

Context: Recently, the FAO Food Price Index rose in March 2026, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to the West Asia conflict, which in turn pushed up global food prices.

About the FAO Food Price Index

• It is a monthly indicator that tracks the international price movements of a basket of key food commodities.
• It is published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
• It is calculated as a weighted average of 5 commodity group indices: cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat, and sugar, based on their average export shares.
• Base year: 2014–16
• It serves as an important global food inflation indicator, reflecting trends in international food markets and is widely used to assess global food security conditions, inflationary pressures, and commodity market volatility.

About the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• It is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads global efforts to eliminate hunger, improve nutrition, and ensure food security.
• Its core objective is to achieve food security for all, ensuring regular access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food for an active and healthy life.
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Membership: It comprises 195 members (194 countries + the European Union) and operates in over 130 countries worldwide.
• Works in coordination with sister UN bodies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• Reports published by FAO:
  • The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)
  • The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO)
  • The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA)
  • The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)

OPEC+ to Raise Oil Output After Hormuz Re-Opens

Context: Amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, the OPEC+ has agreed to raise oil output quotas by 206,000 barrels per day for May, conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

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• The decision is largely symbolic or “theoretical”, as several member countries currently lack the capacity to ramp up production due to war-related disruptions and damaged infrastructure.
• The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused one of the largest oil supply disruptions in history, leading to Oil prices surging above $110–120 per barrel.

About the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+

• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of major oil-producing nations founded in 1960 to coordinate production policies to stabilize global oil markets.
  • It currently has 12 Member Countries.
• OPEC+ is an expanded alliance formed in 2016 that includes non-OPEC producers like Russia and several Central Asian states, formed to enhance market control through coordinated output decisions.
  • It is an alliance of 12 OPEC members and 10 other major non-OPEC oil-exporting nations (including Russia, Mexico, and Kazakhstan).
• The grouping plays a crucial role in balancing supply-demand dynamics, influencing oil prices, and responding to geopolitical disruptions such as wars or sanctions.
• OPEC and OPEC+ countries combined produced about 59% of global oil production.

India Achieves the Highest-Ever Annual Wind Energy Addition in 2025–26

Context: India achieved its highest-ever annual wind capacity addition of 6.05 GW during FY 2025-26, taking cumulative installed capacity to over 56 GW.

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• The annual addition of 2025-26 crosses the landmark of 5.5 GW capacity addition in FY 2016-17.
• The record addition significantly strengthens India’s wider goal of reaching 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
• The addition also represents an increase of nearly 46% over the capacity in FY 2024–25, marking a decisive acceleration in India's onshore wind deployment trajectory.

Wind Energy Landscape of India

• As per IRENA RE Statistics 2025 (with data as of December, 2024), globally, India stands 4th in Wind Power capacity.
• Wind power contributes approximately 10.8% of installed power capacity and plays a complementary role to solar energy in grid stability.
• Major wind-rich states include: Gujarat (largest share), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
• Government initiatives boosting the sector include:
• Waiver of ISTS transmission charges
• Concessional customs duty on turbine components
• Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO/RCO)
• Competitive bidding frameworks

India’s First Gourami Fossil Found in UP’s Siwalik Foothills

Context: Scientists have discovered India’s first-ever fossil of a gourami fish in the Siwalik foothills of Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.

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• The fossil is dated to approximately 4.8 million years ago (Pliocene epoch), making it one of the earliest records of freshwater fish in this region.
  • Notably, this is only the second such fossil globally, with the earlier record reported from Sumatra, Indonesia.
• The discovery includes otoliths (ear bones) of multiple fish species such as gourami, snakehead, and goby, helping reconstruct ancient aquatic life.
• Historically, fossil finds in the region were dominated by terrestrial mammals (e.g., elephants, giraffids, carnivores), with minimal evidence of aquatic life.
• However, the recent discovery challenges this view by revealing freshwater biodiversity in the Himalayan foothills.

Significance

• Rewriting Paleoenvironmental History: Establishes that the Siwalik region supported freshwater ecosystems, not just terrestrial habitats.
• Insight into Climate and Ecology: Indicates a humid, vegetation-rich environment during the Pliocene, aiding climate reconstruction.
• Understanding Himalayan Evolution: Helps trace how geological uplift and environmental shifts transformed aquatic landscapes into present-day foothills.