• 26 Mar 2026

Indus River Green Corridor Initiative in Ladakh

Why in News? 

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena launched the Indus River Green Corridor Eco‑Restoration Plantation project at Spituk Pharka in Leh, Ladakh. 

Key Points 

• About: The Indus River Green Corridor is a one-of-a-kind cold desert river bank restoration project in India that seeks to build green buffers along the Indus River in the fragile high‑altitude landscape of Ladakh’s Leh region.  
  • Nearly 1000 saplings of indigenous species like Oleaster, Sea buckthorn were planted on the riverbank through collaborative efforts of civil administration, military, police, and local communities. 
  • 1000 saplings of Cherry Blossom and Apricot were also planted along the roadside in Leh city, aimed at enhancing the green aesthetics of the city. 
• Objectives: 
  • To restore the ecological integrity of the Indus riverbanks and enhance biodiversity in Ladakh’s cold desert ecosystem. 
  • To address pressing ecological challenges like soil erosion, desertification, and low green cover. 
  • To develop Ladakh as a sustainable and resilient environment while improving the region’s aesthetic appeal. 
• Irrigation Techniques: Adopting gravity-based solar submersible strip irrigation and drip irrigation systems, to optimise water usage in plantation and afforestation activities. 
• Ecological Benefits: Strategic plantation efforts will help reduce wind speed through shelter belts, prevent soil erosion along riverbanks, improve micro‑climatic stability, enhance oxygen levels, and support biodiversity conservation in a challenging environment. 
• Significance: Ladakh’s current forest cover stands at less than 1%. The Lieutenant Governor set an ambitious target to raise forest cover to 5% in the coming two years. 
  • It will help attain the national goal of restoring 2.6 crore hectares of degraded land by 2030. 
• Indus River:  
  • Indus (In Tibetan called Sengge Chu/‘Lion River’) is a major river in South Asia, originating in Tibet near Mansarovar Lake in the Trans-Himalaya. 
  • The river flows through Tibet, India and Pakistan and about 200 million people live in the area of its drainage basin. 
  • The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, with the support of the World Bank 

Read More: Indus Waters Treaty 

Jharkhand MLA Kalpana Soren Honoured with BRICS CCI Award

Why in News? 

Jharkhand MLA Kalpana Soren was conferred with the prestigious Women Empowerment Trailblazer Award at the 6th edition of the BRICS CCI WE Annual Women Summit and Felicitation 2026 held in New Delhi. 

Key Points 

• About: Kalpana Soren is a Member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, representing the Gandey constituency.  
  • She has been actively involved in social and community development work, particularly focusing on women’s empowerment and inclusion in socio‑economic processes.  
• Organiser: The three-day summit, organised by the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Women Empowerment Vertical (BRICS CCI WE) from 21st - 23rd March 2026. 
• Theme: It was held under the theme “Women in Innovation, Science Leadership, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (WISE) – Inspiring Change, Shaping Tomorrow.” 
  • The WISE initiative, first launched during the BRICS Women Business Alliance Annual Plenary Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 2025, has since evolved into a global platform aimed at enabling ecosystem partnerships and advancing women-led innovation across geographies. 
• Other Awards: 
  • Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, honoured with the “Trailblazer: Living Legend” award. 
  • Debjani Ghosh, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. 
• BRICS: 
  • The inaugural BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009 
  • The acronym BRIC originally represented Brazil, Russia, India, and China; South Africa joined later in 2010, making it BRICS. 
  • During the 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil (2014), the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB).  
  • The group expanded in 2024 with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. 
  • Indonesia became a member in 2025. 

Read More: BRICS 

Haryana Police Launches ‘Abhedya’ App

Why in News? 

Haryana Police has introduced a first‑of‑its‑kind mobile application called ‘Abhedya’ to prevent threatening and extortion calls and messages from ever reaching citizens, strengthening public safety against digital harassment and cybercrime.  

Key Points 

• About: Abhedya has been introduced to proactively counter extortion, stalking, cyber harassment, and other threatening communications before they reach the user. 
• Functioning: The application monitors incoming calls and WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers, identifies suspicious international, virtual, or masked numbers, and automatically blocks or rejects them before users see them.  
  • It also deletes threatening messages, voice notes, and notifications to prevent exposure and distress. 
  • Even when calls are blocked, the system retains data on blocked numbers at the backend, enabling the police to analyse patterns and strengthen investigations into evolving cyber threats. 
• Impact Seen in the Trial Phase: The Haryana Police noted that overall crime has reduced by about 8% in the first two months of 2026 compared to last year, with extortion calls dropping by around 40%, indicating early positive outcomes of proactive tech‑driven measures. 

Read More:  Cybercrime, Digital harassment 

India Becomes World’s Third‑Largest Metro Network

Why in News? 

India has emerged as the world’s third-largest metro rail network, reflecting the rapid expansion of urban public transport infrastructure across the country. 

Key Points 

• Network Size: India now has over 1,143 km of operational metro lines spread across 29 cities, making it the third-largest metro network in the world. 
  • China has the largest metro network in the world, while the United States ranks second. 
• Under Construction: Approximately 936 km of metro lines are under construction, which will further enhance urban connectivity. 
• Major Cities Covered: Metro services are operational in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, and others. 
• Government Initiatives: The expansion is part of the Smart Cities Mission and Urban Transport Policy, aiming to improve urban mobility, reduce travel time, and enhance commuter safety. 
  • The Metro Rail Policy 2017 mandates cities to prepare Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMPs) and establish Urban Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) to guide the development of metro systems with a strong emphasis on sustainability, economic viability, and integrated urban mobility.  
• Technology: Modern metros incorporate driverless trains, automated signalling, energy-efficient operations, and integrated ticketing systems. 
• Environmental Impact: Metro systems contribute to lower carbon emissions, reduced road traffic, and promotion of sustainable urban transport. 
• Historical Facts:  
  • The first metro railway in India is the Kolkata Metro, which began operations on 24th October , 1984. 
  • The Delhi Metro was launched on 24th December 2002. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was established in 1995. 
  • First underwater metro tunnel was launched in 2024 in Kolkata. 
  • Kochi, Kerala, has become India’s first city to launch a Water Metro. 
  • One Nation, One Card for transport mobility has also been launched. 

Read More: Delhi Metro, Smart Cities Mission, Urban Transport 

INS Nilgiri Participated in Exercise Kakadu 2026 in Australia

Why in News? 

The Indian Navy’s frontline warship INS Nilgiri has joined the multinational Exercise Kakadu 2026 in Australia, enhancing naval cooperation and interoperability among Indo‑Pacific maritime forces. 

Key Points 

• Exercise Kakadu: Exercise Kakadu is the Royal Australian Navy’s flagship multinational maritime exercise, held biennially to enhance maritime security cooperation, improve interoperability, and strengthen partnerships across the Indo‑Pacific region. 
  • It was initiated in 1993.  
• INS Nilgiri: The INS Nilgiri is an advanced stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, part of the indigenous Project 17A class designed for multi‑role operations, including surface warfare, anti‑submarine warfare, and air defence. 
  • The ship was launched in September 2019 and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2025. 
• Project 17A: 
  • The Indian Navy initiated Project 17 Alpha (P‑17A) in 2019 to build a series of stealth guided‑missile frigates. 
  • INS Nilgiri is the first of seven frigates being built under Project 17A in 2019. 
  • The six remaining frigates are Himgiri, Udaygiri, Taragiri, Dunagiri, Vindhyagiri, and Mahendragiri. 
  • Constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. 

Read More: Project 17A, INS Nilgiri, Indo‑Pacific 

Bank of Baroda Launches UPI-Based Credit Line for Women SHGs

Why in News? 

The Bank of Baroda has introduced an overdraft facility on Credit Line via UPI for women Self-Help Group (SHG) members, becoming the first bank in India to launch such a feature to promote digital financial inclusion. 

Key Points 

• About: The initiative enables eligible beneficiaries (women SHG members) who hold Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts to access and avail a ₹5,000 overdraft digitally. 
  • The initiative has been launched in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). 
• Objective: The facility aims to expand access to formal credit for rural women, strengthen financial inclusion, and support women-led economic empowerment. 
• Benefits: Provides instant digital credit access to women SHG members, promoting financial inclusion, easy transactions via UPI, and support for small financial needs. 
• Policy Alignment: The initiative aligns with national programmes such as Digital India, PMJDY, and DAY-NRLM. 

Read More: PMJDY, DAY-NRLM, Digital India, UPI, NPCI, SHG