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Current Affairs 30 January 2026

SWM Rules, 2016. 

  • The rules have been notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and will come into full effect from April 1, 2026.
  • The revised rules integrate the principles of Circular Economy and Extended Producer Responsibility. 
  • Key Provisions
  • Four-stream Segregation of Solid Waste at Source: Four-stream includes wet waste (kitchen waste, etc.), dry waste (plastic, paper, etc.), sanitary waste (used diapers, etc.) and special care waste (paint cans, etc.).
  • Clear definition of Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs): BWGs include entities with a floor area of 20,000 square metres or more, or water consumption of 40,000 litres per day or more, or solid waste generation of 100 kg per day or more. E.g., state government departments, local bodies
  • Also, introduced Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR), under which bulk waste generators are made accountable for the solid waste generated by them.
  • Centralised Online Portal: It will track all stages of solid waste management, including waste generation, collection, transportation, etc. 
  • Promoting use of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) by Industries: RDF is produced by shredding and dehydrating municipal solid waste with high calorific value, primarily consisting of non-recyclable plastic, paper and textiles
  • Industrial units, including cement plants and waste-to-energy plants have been mandated to use RDF.
  • Restrictions on Landfilling: Landfills have been strictly restricted to non-recyclable, non-energy recoverable waste and inert material. 
  • Solid Waste Management in Hilly Areas and Islands: E.g., Local bodies can levy user fees on tourists and regulate tourist inflow based on available waste management facilities.
  • Imposing Environmental Compensation (EC): The rules provide for the levy of EC based on the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle for non-compliance. 

Lala Lajpat Rai (1865-1928)

  • He was born in Punjab
  • Key Contributions 
  • Role in Indian Freedom Movement: 
  • He was the leading figure of the extremist faction of the Congress and One of the legendary triumvirates – Lal-Bal-Pal (Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal). 
  • He was elected President of The Indian National Congress at the Calcutta session (1920) and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in 1920.
  • Key Organisations/ movement Established: Hindu Relief Movement, Indian Home Rule League of America, the Servants of the People Society, etc.
  • Also, played key role in establishment of the Punjab National Bank.
  • Literary Contribution:
  •  Established ‘The People’ journal and contributed to ‘The Tribune’ newspaper
  •  Authored Unhappy India, Young India: An Interpretation, History of Arya Samaj, England’s Debt to India and a series of popular biographies on Mazzini, Garibaldi and Swami Dayanand.
  • When the Simon Commission visited Lahore in 1928, he led a non-violent march in protest against it. 
  • He died of severe head injuries he sustained due to police lathi charge. 

Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019

  • Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified key amendments to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019
  • NDCT Rules, 2019 are notified under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
  • Key Amendments
  • Licensing Requirement Replaced with Prior-Intimation Mechanism: The test licence requirement has been replaced by online prior intimation to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for non-commercial purposes.
  • CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs and control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country.
  • Reduced Processing Timeline for Test Licences: The statutory processing period has been reduced from 90 days to 45 days.
  • Other: Waiver of Prior Permission for Low-Risk bioavailability/bioequivalence (BA/BE) studies

Presidential address

  • Article 86 (Right of President to address and send messages to Houses) allows the President to address either House of Parliament or both Houses together.
  • Article 87 (Special address by the President) provides two instances when the President specially addresses both Houses of Parliament assembled together.
  • At the beginning of the first Session after each general election to the Lok Sabha.
  • At the beginning of the first session of each year.

Blue Category of Industries

  • It includes Essential Environmental Services (ESS).
  • ESS are those facilities which are essential to control, abate and mitigate pollution generated from Domestic and Industrial activities.
  • Key Examples: Includes STPs, Waste-to-Energy plants, biomining, and composting units.
  • Classification of industrial sectors
  • CPCB developed a Pollution Index (PI) – based scoring methodology to classify industrial sectors, guided by the Precautionary Principle.
  • PI evaluates potential for water pollution, air pollution, and Waste generation.
  • Categories: Red (PI ≥ 80), Orange (55 ≤ PI < 80), Green (25 ≤ PI < 55), and White (PI < 25).

Gita Mittal Committee

  • 3 member All-women committee comprising former High Court judges.
  • Headed by former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court,  Justice Gita Mittal.
  • Constituted in August 2023 by SC to address the humanitarian concerns stemming from the ethnic clashes in Manipur.
  • Key Mandate: Inquire into nature of violence against women; ensure free and psychological medical assistance to survivors, etc. 

Indian Data Privacy Framework

  • Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000: Data protection in India governed by the  IT Act, 2000, the country’s core cyberspace law that provides legal recognition to electronic records and digital signatures and enables e-governance and digital commerce. 
  • The IT Act, 2000, established CERT-In for cyber incident response, with key provisions supporting cybersecurity, adjudication, and content regulation. 
  • CERT-In is national nodal agency for cybersecurity with a vision of proactive prevention, incident response, and securing India’s communications & information infrastructure 
  • IT (Intermediary Guidelines & Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (amended in 2025): Prescribe due diligence obligations for intermediaries, mandate time-bound grievance redressal, and aim to ensure a safe, transparent, and accountable online ecosystem aligned with India’s data security needs. 
  • Intermediaries are defined as entities that store or transmit data on behalf of others, including telecom and internet service providers, online marketplaces, search engines, and social media platforms. 

National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) 

  • The NCVET is the apex regulator for India’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem.  
  • NCVET enforces uniform standards by regulating Awarding and Assessment Bodies, approving NSQF-aligned qualifications, and ensuring oversight and grievance redressal, with the framework anchored in National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and aligned with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Credit Framework. 
  • It subsumed the roles of the erstwhile National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) and the former National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) to address fragmentation, inconsistent norms, and quality gaps in skilling.  
  • Through the National Skill Qualification Committee, NCVET enabled future-oriented qualifications, micro-credentials and IndiaSkills standards. 
  • Key Initiatives under NCVET: 
  • KaushalVerse (Digital Governance): Digitised recognition, approvals, monitoring, and grievance redressal for real-time, data-driven oversight. 
  • SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness): Introduced foundational AI literacy for Classes 6–12 and educators through NSQF-aligned micro-credentials. 
  • Employability & Life Skills Framework: Launched a national framework to strengthen soft skills, workplace readiness, and 21st-century competencies. 
  • Apprenticeship Creditisation: Standardised apprenticeship learning outcomes and linked credits with DigiLocker and Academic Bank of Credits. 
  • Semiconductor Workforce Strategy: Developed industry-led, stackable qualifications to build a future-ready talent pipeline for semiconductors. 

Sela Lake 

  • About: Sela Lake is a high-altitude glacial lake (over 13,000 feet) situated on the northern side of the Sela Pass in Tawang, in the eastern Himalayas. 
  • A glacial lake is a body of water formed from glacial meltwater, which is trapped by ice, moraines, or bedrock depressions carved by glacial erosion. 
  • Geographical Features: It is surrounded by sparse alpine vegetation due to extreme climatic conditions, and is used as a summer grazing ground for yaks. 
  • It drains into the Nuranang River, a tributary of the Tawang River. 
  • Cultural Significance: It is known as “Paradise Lake” for its scenic beauty, is one of the sacred lakes in Tibetan Buddhism, and holds deep spiritual importance for the local Monpa communities. 
  • Sela Pass 
  • About: It is a high-altitude mountain pass in Tawang serving as a strategic logistical corridor connecting Tawang with Assam’s plains.  
  • It is among the highest motorable passes in India and is maintained year-round by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). 
  • Strategic Significance: Located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), it played a role in the 1962 Sino-Indian War and remains a vital military logistics and troop movement route.  
  • The Sela Tunnel provides all-weather connectivity across the Sela Pass, linking Tezpur in Assam to Tawang near the LAC with China. 
  • Nearby, the Jaswant Singh War Memorial commemorates the Indian soldiers who died fighting the Chinese army in 1962.