Observed each year on 17 June.

Aim : To promote international cooperation to fight land degradation and drought.

Theme : “Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities.”

• UNGA Proclamation: Resolution 49/115 (1994) designated 17 June to spotlight desertification and drought.
• Objective: Raise awareness, foster policy action, and support Sustainable Development Goal 3—to restore degraded land and soil by 2030.

Current Context : Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated civilian access to Shipki La Pass (3,930 m) in Kinnaur district, opening it for domestic tourists and potential Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims.

 ABOUT SHIPKI LA PASS

• Location: High Himalayan pass on the India–China border in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh.
• Altitude: 3,930 metres above sea level.
• Historical Role: Ancient trade route for textiles, wool and herbal medicines between India and Tibet.
• Tourism & Trade:
  • Expected to boost local economy through border tourism.
  • Potential alternative route for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra (subject to central approval).

Current Context : In mid‑2025, Power Finance Corporation withdrew its plan to issue a zero‑coupon bond, reflecting changing market conditions.

ABOUT ZERO‑COUPON BOND

• Definition: A debt instrument sold at a deep discount without periodic interest payments; redeemed at face value at maturity.
• Characteristics:
  • No coupon: All return arises from difference between purchase price and face value.
  • Interest‑rate sensitivity: Price fluctuates significantly with market rates.
• Use in India: Raised funds for infrastructure by government‑owned enterprises.

Current Context : The Central Bureau of Investigation secured India’s firstever Silver Notice from the International Criminal Police Organization to trace global assets of a fugitive former embassy officer in a visafraud laundering case.

ABOUT SILVER NOTICE

• Purpose: International request for cooperation to locate and identify assets of wanted persons for potential recovery.
• Mechanism:
  • Member countries share assetrelated intelligence through their National Central Bureaus.
  • India’s National Central Bureau is the Central Bureau of Investigation, which connects via the Bharatpol portal.
• Pilot Phase:
  • India is one of fiftyone participants in the pilot (running until November 2025).
  • Each country may request up to nine Silver Notices during the pilot.

Current Context : A successful trial of Rudrastra, India’s indigenous hybrid VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle, took place at Pokhran ranges in June 2025, demonstrating advanced surveillance and strike capabilities.

ABOUT RUDRASTRA

• Manufacturer: Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited under Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• Type: Hybrid Vertical Take‑Off and Landing unmanned aerial vehicle.
• Key Features:
  • Range: 170 km (including loiter time).
  • Endurance: 1.5
  • Payload: Precision‑guided anti‑personnel warheads with mid‑altitude release.
  • Surveillance: Live video relay and automated return‑to‑base.

Current Context : Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the state rollout of Component C of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, popularly known as the KUSUM‑C scheme, to solarise agricultural power substations and ensure reliable daytime electricity for farmers.

ABOUT KUSUM‑C SCHEME

Objectives : Seven‑Hour Daytime Power: Guarantee seven hours of uninterrupted solar electricity to farmers during daylight.

Implementation & Coverage

• Solarisation of Substations: 389 agricultural power substations across all five Karnataka Electricity Supply Companies.
• Installed Capacity: 2,396 megawatts of solar energy.
• Beneficiaries:
  • 1,555 agricultural feeders
  • Over 632,000 pump sets to receive solar power.
• Operational Deadline: Central Government extended completion deadline to March 2026 due to land and transmission‑line challenges; ~90% work underway.

Funding & Subsidies

• Total Subsidy: ₹19,000 crore earmarked by the Karnataka Government for pump‑set subsidies.
• Solar Equipment Subsidy:
  • 50 percent state subsidy
  • 30 percent central subsidy
  • 20 percent farmer contribution.

Current Context : Recently, Government of Punjab launched the Punjab Udyog Kranti programme—India’s first comprehensive “industrial revolution” initiative—aimed at streamlining and fast‑tracking all clearances for setting up and expanding industries in the state.

About Punjab Udyog Kranti

Key Features

• Deemed Approval System: All approvals (environmental, land, utilities, building plans) guaranteed within 45 working days; previously took 60–120 days.
• Fast‑track Punjab Portal: Single‑window online platform for investors; absence of decision within 45 days triggers automatic approval with full legal validity.
• Self‑Certification: Applicants submit self‑declarations for building‑plan and stability certificates, reducing compliance burdens.

Current Context : During Global Wind Day 2025 in Bengaluru, Karnataka was honoured for adding 1,331.48 MW of new wind power capacity in FY 2024–25, leading all Indian states.

ABOUT WIND POWER IN KARNATAKA

• New Addition: 1,331.48 MW in FY 2024–25, raising the state’s total to 7,351 MW.
• Recognition: Awarded at the Global Wind Day event by the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy.
• Key Drivers:
  • Investment agreements worth ₹4 lakh crore signed at Karnataka’s 2025 Global Investors Meet.
  • Planned 17 GW under the Renewable Energy Cluster Programme, including 5 GW offshore.
• India’s Position:
  • Fourth‑largest wind power generator globally (51.5 GW installed).
  • National target: 100 GW wind capacity by 2030 as part of 500 GW renewable goal.

Current Context : Swedish startup NitroCapt won the 2025 Food Planet Prize (US $2 million) for its green fertiliser that uses plasma technology and renewable energy to extract atmospheric nitrogen.

ABOUT FOOD PLANET PRIZE

• Founded: 2019 by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Stockholm.
• Aim: Celebrate innovations that reduce the environmental impact of food systems.
• Prize: US $2 million, the world’s largest environmental award.
• 2025 Jury: 10 international experts, co‑chaired by Johan Rockström and Magnus Nilsson.
• Innovation Impact:
  • Eliminates fossil‑fuel‑based Haber–Bosch process emissions.
  • Enhances food security by enabling local green‑fertiliser production.

Current Context : During his state visit to Cyprus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, the island nation’s highest civilian honour, by President Nikos Christodoulides.

ABOUT ORDER OF MAKARIOS III

• Establishment: Named after Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of Cyprus.
• Purpose: Awarded to foreign heads of state and dignitaries for outstanding contributions to peace and bilateral relations.
• Notable Recipients: Global leaders who have strengthened ties with Cyprus.