26 January 2026 Daily Current Affairs: UPSC GS2 + Prelims

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 26 January 2026 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents

GS Paper 2:

1. Elimination of Malaria in India

2. India and the EU — A Fit Partnership

 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. Nihilist Penguin

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. Bactrian Camel

2. The Padma Awards

3. Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards

4. Agarwood

5. Narayan Ramachandran Committee

 Mapping:

1. Lakkundi Excavation

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 26 January 2026

GS Paper 2:

Elimination of Malaria in India

Source:  TH

Subject:  Health

Context: India is in the news for its remarkable public health achievement of reducing malaria cases and deaths by over 80% between 2015 and 2023.

• Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) recently reported that 160 districts across 23 States and UTs maintained zero indigenous cases for three consecutive years (2022–2024).

About Elimination of Malaria in India:

What it is?

• Malaria elimination is defined as the interruption of local transmission (reduction to zero incidence of indigenous cases) of all human malaria parasites in a defined geographical area.
• It differs from eradication, which refers to the permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide incidence of an infection.

Key Trends in Malaria in India:

• Drastic Case Reduction: Confirmed malaria cases plummeted from 11.69 lakh in 2015 to approximately 2.27 lakh in 2023, an 80.5% drop.
• Plummeting Mortality: Malaria-related deaths fell by 78.3% during the same period, reaching a historic low of 83 deaths in 2023.
• Surveillance Growth: The Annual Blood Examination Rate (ABER) increased from 9.58 in 2015 to 11.62 in 2023, indicating that India is testing more people despite falling case numbers.
• Species Shift: Plasmodium vivax now accounts for nearly 40% of cases, posing a unique challenge due to its ability to remain dormant in the liver and cause relapses.
• Geographic Concentration: As of 2025, over 85% of cases are concentrated in just a few high-burden states, primarily Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

Initiatives Taken to Eliminate Malaria

In India:

• National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016-2030): A roadmap categorizing states into four categories based on transmission intensity to provide tailored interventions.
• National Strategic Plan (2023-2027): Focuses on the “Test, Treat, Track” (3Ts) strategy and achieving zero indigenous cases by 2027.
• Integrated Vector Management (IVM): Massive distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) in high-risk tribal and forest areas.
• MERA India: The Malaria Elimination Research Alliance, launched by ICMR to foster operational research and innovation.

Globally:

• WHO Global Technical Strategy (GTS): A global framework aiming for a 90% reduction in malaria incidence and mortality by 2030.
• E-2025 Initiative: A WHO-led effort supporting a group of countries (including those in the Mekong region) that have the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025.
• Malaria Vaccines: The rollout of the RTS,S and R21 vaccines in African countries has marked a new era in global prevention.

Challenges to Elimination of Malaria are:

• Asymptomatic & Relapsing Malaria (P. vivax): Dormant liver stages of P. vivax cause relapses without new mosquito bites.

E.g. In states like Odisha, the persistence of P. vivax hotspots despite high net coverage makes interruption of transmission difficult.

E.g. Emerging signs of partial resistance in West Bengal and Northeast border areas could render standard treatments less effective.

• Migration and Cross-Border Importation: Movement of people from endemic to malaria-free zones triggers new outbreaks.

E.g. Tamil Nadu, which is near elimination, frequently reports imported cases among migrant workers arriving from higher-burden states like Odisha.

• Urban Malaria Paradigms: Rapid urbanization creates unique breeding sites like construction tanks and overhead wells.

E.g. Large metropolitan cities like Chennai struggle with Anopheles stephensi, an urban vector that breeds in man-made clean water containers.

• Insecticide Resistance: Mosquitoes are increasingly evolving to survive the chemicals used in bed nets and sprays.

E.g. Surveys in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have shown mosquito populations developing resistance to synthetic pyrethroids, requiring a shift to more expensive dual-insecticide nets.

Way Ahead:

• Mandatory Reporting: Ensure all private practitioners and hospitals mandatorily report every suspected and confirmed case.
• Strengthening Surveillance: Transform surveillance into a core intervention, focusing on case-based investigations in “Category 1” and “Category 0” districts.
• Inter-sectoral Convergence: Collaborate with urban planning, education, and rural development ministries to manage environmental factors.
• Community Engagement: Use Behavior Change Communication (BCC) to involve households in larval control, especially in urban settings.
• Innovation & Research: Scale up the use of new dual-insecticide bed nets and foster research through the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India.

Conclusion:

India is on a steady path toward its 2030 elimination goal, having already achieved a massive 80% reduction in cases and exiting the WHO’s high-burden list. Success now hinges on sustaining zero-case status in 160 districts while aggressively tackling the remaining hotspots in tribal and urban areas. With continued political commitment and accurate real-time data, a malaria-free India is a tangible reality for the next decade.

India and the EU — A Fit Partnership

Source:  TH

Subject:   International Relations

Context: The relationship is in the news as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa serve as the chief guests for India’s 77th Republic Day, followed by the 16th India-EU Summit to finalise a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and a new Security and Defence Partnership.

About India and the EU — A Fit Partnership:

What it is?

• A fit partnership refers to the pragmatic alignment between India and the EU as they navigate a multipolar world where reliance on traditional powers like the U.S., China, or Russia is being reassessed.
• It is a relationship of necessity and shared strategic autonomy, focusing on creating a resilient trade corridor, technological co-innovation, and a rules-based order that respects sovereign domestic sensitivities.

Current Trends in India-EU Trade:

• Largest Trading Partner: The EU is India’s largest trading partner in goods, with bilateral trade reaching approximately US$136 billion in 2024–25.
• Surging Services: Trade in services hit a record high of US$53 billion in 2023, with Indian IT and professional services exports leading the growth.
• Investment Powerhouse: The EU is a leading foreign investor in India, with FDI stock reaching €140 billion in 2023 and over 6,000 European companies operating in India.
• Strategic Diversification: Trade is shifting from traditional commodities to value-added items like electronics, machinery, and specialty chemicals, reflecting India’s China Plus One strategy.
• Steady Growth: Bilateral merchandise trade has grown by 36% over the last five years, outpacing India’s trade growth with the United States.

Opportunities in India-EU Trade:

• Textiles and Apparel: Elimination of the current 10% EU tariff would make Indian garments highly competitive against rivals like Bangladesh and Vietnam.

E.g. Revitalization of textile hubs in Tiruppur and Noida as they gain direct duty-free access to the European luxury and fast-fashion markets.

• Automobiles and E-Mobility: Europe’s lead in EV platforms combined with India’s low-cost manufacturing can create a global supply chain for green mobility.

E.g. Premium brands like BMW and Audi are exploring expanded manufacturing operations in India to leverage Make in India for global exports.

• Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals: India’s Pharmacy of the World status can meet Europe’s growing demand for affordable generics and specialty chemicals.

E.g. Indian chemical giants are securing long-term export contracts with European buyers to reduce the EU’s dependence on Chinese industrial chemicals.

• Security and Defence Manufacturing: The new Security and Defence Partnership shifts the relationship from buyer-seller to co-producers.

E.g. Indian firms are increasingly exporting ammunition and explosives to European nations like Poland and Germany to help replenish their strategic stockpiles.

• Digital and IT Services: Regulatory harmonisation through the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will allow smoother flow of data and skilled professionals.

E.g. The proposed European Legal Gateway Office in India will streamline work visas for Indian ICT professionals moving to tech hubs like Berlin or Paris.

Challenges Associated:

• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): The EU’s 20%–35% carbon tax on imports is seen as a non-tariff barrier that could erase FTA gains.

E.g. Indian steel and aluminium exporters face billions in additional costs starting in 2026, threatening the competitiveness of Indian metal exports.

• Agricultural and Spirit Tariffs: The EU demands lower duties on wine and spirits (currently >100%), while India protects its sensitive farm sector.

E.g. Small-scale Indian grape farmers and local wine producers fear being overwhelmed by high-quality, lower-priced European imports.

• Labor and Sustainability Standards: The EU’s insistence on strictly linking trade to environmental and labor laws is viewed by India as regulatory imperialism.

E.g. Indian MSMEs in the leather and footwear sector struggle to meet the expensive compliance costs of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

• Data Sovereignty: Differences in data privacy laws and India’s “data localization” push create friction for European tech firms.

E.g. European fintech and cloud companies face high operational costs in India due to requirements to store financial data exclusively on local servers.

• Geopolitical Divergence: Disagreements over the Russia-Ukraine war and oil purchases continue to create narrative wars.

E.g. Occasional European criticism of India’s purchase of Russian crude leads to diplomatic friction, though both sides have recently moved toward pragmatic silence.

Way Ahead:

• Finalise the FTA: Conclude the long-pending Free Trade Agreement by mid-2026 to provide a geopolitical insurance policy against global protectionism.
• CBAM Relief: Negotiate a Green Transition grace period or technology transfer for Indian industries to adapt to carbon taxes without losing market access.
• Defence Co-Production: Move beyond naval exercises to joint R&D in semiconductors, cyber defence, and drone technology under the new Defence Pact.
• Operationalise IMEC: Rapidly develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to reduce transit times and logistics costs.
• Skilled Mobility: Expand the Talent Partnership to ensure Indian youth can fill the demographic labor gaps in Europe’s aging economies.

Conclusion:

India and the EU have evolved from distant democracies into indispensable partners shaping stability in a divided world. By bridging climate and trade differences, the 2026 Summit signals a shift toward a resilient, strategically autonomous, trillion-dollar partnership in a multipolar order.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 26 January 2026 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

Nihilist Penguin

Anecdote:  In the frozen expanse of Antarctica, a camera once captured an unsettling moment. While thousands of penguins moved together towards the sea—towards food, safety, and survival—one penguin turned away. Not towards danger in haste, nor rebellion in fury, but with a quiet, deliberate calm. It walked inland, step by step, into the white emptiness of the mountains. There was no drama, no struggle—only silence. Scientists called it a biological anomaly. The filmmaker called it a “death march.” Years later, millions online would call it something else: a mirror. The penguin did not protest. It did not explain. It simply refused to continue a journey that no longer made sense to it. In that refusal lay a haunting question: Is survival meaningful if it demands constant pretense? For many today—trapped in routines they did not choose, careers that exhaust rather than fulfil, systems that reward compliance over conscience—the penguin’s solitary walk resonates deeply. It represents the moment when continuing feels heavier than stopping, when optimising life feels less honest than abandoning its false comforts, and when silence becomes truer than justification. The penguin did not seek heroism. It sought alignment—with something only it could sense. In a world obsessed with success, speed, and collective validation, the lone penguin reminds us that sometimes the most radical act is to step away, not in despair, but in fidelity to one’s inner truth—even when the destination is uncertain.

Relevance in UPSC exam syllabus:

Essay Paper:

• Alienation and modern existence: Illustrates the psychological and moral alienation of individuals in hyper-competitive societies, useful for themes like freedom vs conformity, the individual and society, and meaning in modern life.
• Choice, conscience, and freedom: Serves as a powerful metaphor for essays on authentic living, the road not taken, and ethical decision-making beyond material success.

GS Paper IV – Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

• Moral courage: Demonstrates the courage to act according to conscience despite social pressure, fear of isolation, or uncertainty.
• Authenticity and integrity: Highlights alignment between inner values and outward action, a core ethical virtue in public and private life.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 26 January 2026 Facts for Prelims (FFP)