Current Affairs 14 January 2026
Coal Sector in India
- Coal Reserves: India holds the 5th largest coal reserves in the world, with a total estimated coal resource of about 401 billion tonnes as of April 2025.
- Coal production: It has doubled to 1047.523 Million Tonne (MT) in FY 2024-25 from 565.77 MT in FY 2013-14.
- Future Outlook: Demand for coal is projected to rise to approximately 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030.
National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026, under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.
- National sports bodies includeNational Olympic committee, Regional Sports Federations, etc.
- About the Rules
- Each body to have a General body and an executive committee.
- Composition of General Body: At least 4 sportspersons of outstanding merit (SOMs), not less than 25 years in age, with 50% being women.
- Women’s representation in Executive Committee: specific posts to be reserved for women to ensure at least 4 women members.
- National Sports Election Panel to oversee elections of national sports bodies must consist of at least 20 members at all times.
- Disqualification criteria: persons convicted by a court followed by a sentence of imprisonment.
PNGRB
- Genesis: It is a statutory body formed under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, of 2006.
- Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
- Functions:
- Fosters fair trade and competition and ensure competitive market for gas.
- Regulates refining, transportation, distribution, etc. of petroleum products and natural gas, excluding production of crude oil and natural gas.
- It can adjudicate upon dispute arising amongst entities on issues relating to petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas.
- Appeals against its decisions go before the Appellate Tribunals for Electricity established under Electricity Act, 2003.
Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters
- Established in 1978.
- Secretariat: New York.
- Functions:
- To advise the Secretary-General on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament.
- To serve as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
- Membership: Secretary-General chooses the members of the Board from all regions of the world for their knowledge and experience in the field of disarmament and international security. There are 15 members of the Board.
Australia Group
- Genesis: It was founded in 1985, in the wake of chemical weapons use in the Iran–Iraq war.
- It is an informal arrangement with no legally binding obligations for participants.
- It aims to allow exporters or transshipment countries to minimize the risk of further proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW).
- Participants: 43 participants (42 countries and the European Union)
- India became a member in 2018.
- It is a key multilateral export control regime.
- Multilateral export control regime also includes Wassennar Arrangement, Nuclear Suppliers Group, and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)
Aadhaar
- About: Aadhaar is a 12-digit biometric identification number issued by the UIDAI, serving as a proof of identity and address for residents across India. It is not proof of citizenship or date of birth, and cannot be used to establish nationality.
- Aadhaar is issued by UIDAI, a statutory authority under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.
- Eligibility: Any individual, including foreign nationals, who has resided in India for 182 days or more in the 12 months before the enrolment application date is eligible, subject to submission of one of the 18 notified identity and address documents.
- Utility: Aadhaar facilitates access to direct benefit transfer (DBT), banking services, mobile connections, and various Government and Non-Government services.
- Judicial Stand: In the Justice KS Puttaswamy vs Union of India case 2017, the Supreme Court upheld Aadhaar’s constitutional validity and clarified that, under Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Aadhaar number itself does not confer or prove citizenship or domicile.
India’s Foreign Trade Pattern
- India’s Export Growth: India’s total exports reached USD 778.21 billion in 2023–24 (Merchandise exports: USD 437.10 billion and service exports USD 341.11 billion).
- Regional Distribution: North America emerged as the largest export destination, followed by strong growth in the EU, West Asia, and ASEAN.
- Largest Export Destinations: United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, Netherlands etc.
- Largest Import Sources: China, Russia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States etc.