• Both nations set a goal to double bilateral trade to over USD 200 billion by 2032.
• A Letter of Intent was signed for UAE investment in the development of Gujarat's Dholera Special Investment Region, covering infrastructure like an international airport, greenfield port, and smart urban township.
• UAE firms, including First Abu Dhabi Bank and DP World, will also establish operations in India's GIFT City.
• A letter of intent was signed to work towards a formal Strategic Defence Partnership Framework Agreement.
• A crucial 10-year agreement for the long-term supply of 0.5 million metric tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) annually was signed between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and ADNOC Gas, starting in 2028.
• Building on India's new SHANTI Act 2025, both sides agreed to explore partnerships in advanced nuclear technologies, including large nuclear reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
• The leaders exchanged views on regional peace and stability and reaffirmed their support for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project. The UAE also expressed full support for India's BRICS Chairmanship in 2026.

• Capital: Abu Dhabi
• Currency: UAE Dirham (AED)
• Prime minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Memberships: UN, Arab League, GCC (founding member), OPEC, BRICS (joined 2024), and I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, USA).

• Sharjah: Known as the "Cultural Capital of the Arab World"
• Dubai: Commercial and financial center; home to the Burj Khalifa (tallest building at 828m)
• Headquarters: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is headquartered in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.

• Borders: Saudi Arabia (South & West) and Oman (East & Northeast)
• Terrain: Primarily flat coastal plains and sand dunes (Rub' al Khali or "Empty Quarter" in the south), with the Hajar Mountains in the east.

• The highest judicial body in the country
• Guardian of the Constitution
• Acts as the highest court
• Mention in Constitution: Articles 124 to 147 (Part V)
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Appointment of Judges: By the President under Article 124(2)

Powers and Functions of the Supreme Court:

• Original Jurisdiction: Article 131 (dealing with Centre-State and inter-state disputes)

• Appellate Jurisdiction: Articles 132-134 (Appeals can be made in the Supreme Court against the decisions of the High Courts)
• Special Leave Petition: Article 136
• Interpretation of the Constitution: Article 143
• Protection of Fundamental Rights: Article 32

Discussions covered cooperation in:

• Defense and Security: Including emerging technologies like AI and cybersecurity.
• Economy and Trade: Bilateral trade currently stands at approximately $7 billion, having grown nearly 200% over the last decade.
• India-EU Relations: Sikorski signaled support for stronger India-EU ties and the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

About Poland

• Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea to the north.
• Borders: Shares borders with 7 countries: Germany (west), Czech Republic and Slovakia (south), Ukraine and Belarus (east), and Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad exclave) to the northeast.
• Rivers: Vistula (Wisła) and Oder (Odra) rivers
• Capital: Warsaw.
• Currency: Polish złoty (PLN).
• President: Karol Nawrocki
• Major Organizations: Member of EU, NATO, Schengen Area.
• Landmarks: Bialowieza Forest (UNESCO site shared with Belarus).

• Capitals: Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
• Governor: Shiv Pratap Shukla
• Statehood: Became the 18th state of India on January 25, 1971
• Highest Peak: Shilla (7,025m) or Reo Purgyil (6,816m)
• Rivers: Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, and Yamuna
• Major Festivals: Kullu Dussehra (starts when it ends elsewhere), Lavi Fair, Minjar Fair, Phulaich/Ukhyang (Kinnaur), Losar (Lahaul-Spiti)
• Tribes: Koli, Hali, Dagi, Dhaugri, Dasa, Khasa, Kanaura, and Kirata
• UNESCO Sites: Great Himalayan National Park (Kullu) and Kalka-Shimla Railway
• Famous Folk Dances: Rakshasa (demon), Kayang, Bakayang, the Bnayangchu, the Jataru Kayang, Chohara, Shand and Shabu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief Minister: M.K. Stalin
• Main Language: Tamil
• State Animal: Nilgiri Tahr
• State Bird: Emerald Dove
• State Tree: Palm Tree
• State Flower: Gloriosa
• Important River: Cauvery
• Important Mountain Range: Nilgiri, Shevaroy, Palani
• Important Dance: Bharatanatyam
• Famous Temple: Meenakshi Temple (Madurai), Brihadeeswarar Temple (Thanjavur), Rameswaram Temple
• Tourist Places: Ooty, Coonoor, Mahabalipuram, Kanyakumari, Madurai
• Neighboring States: Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry (Union Territory)
• World Heritage Site: Chola Temple Group, Monuments of Mahabalipuram

Niryat Protsahan interest subvention scheme

• Subvention Rate: Eligible exporters receive a base interest subvention of 2.75% per annum on rupee export credit.
• Maximum Benefit: Individual exporters are capped at a maximum subvention of ₹50 lakh per financial year (FY 2025–26) per Importer Exporter Code (IEC).
• Eligible Entities: The scheme is exclusively for MSME manufacturer and merchant exporters.
• Effective Date: Interest subvention applies to eligible export credit sanctioned on or after January 2, 2026.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

• Established: April 1, 1935, under the RBI Act, 1934
• Nationalization: 1949
• First Governor: Sir Osborne Smith (1935–1937)
• First Indian Governor: C.D. Deshmukh (1943–1949)
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

About Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

• An online public procurement portal for both goods and services in India.
• Launched in August 2016, it is a key pillar of India's digital governance reform.
• Ministry: Under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Ownership: Owned by GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), a 100% government-owned, non-profit Section 8 company.
• Legal Mandate: Procurement through GeM is mandatory for Central Government Ministries and Departments under Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017.
• Target Audience: Central and State Government Departments, PSUs, autonomous institutions, and local bodies. In 2022, its mandate expanded to allow cooperatives as buyers.

Key Aspects of the Proposal

• Objectives: The primary focus is on increasing the efficiency of international transactions and promoting the use of local currencies like India's e-rupee and China’s digital yuan.
• Mechanisms: To manage potential trade imbalances, the RBI is exploring the use of bilateral foreign exchange swap arrangements between member central banks.
• Challenges: Implementation faces significant hurdles, including the need for consensus on interoperable technology, governance rules, and some members' reluctance to adopt platforms developed by other nations.

Global Rankings (2026)

• Top Ranked Country: Singapore holds the first position, followed by Switzerland (2nd) and Denmark (3rd).
• India's Ranking: India is ranked 16th globally, placing it ahead of major powers such as France (17th), Japan (38th), the United States (66th), and China (68th).
• Bottom of the Index: The Central African Republic is ranked last among the 154 assessed nations.
• Regional Neighbors: Pakistan is ranked 90th, and Afghanistan is at 145th.

Key Dimensions of the Index

The index assesses countries across three core dimensions:

• Internal Responsibility: Focuses on justice, dignity, and the well-being of citizens.
• Environmental Responsibility: Measures climate action and the stewardship of natural resources.
• External Responsibility: Evaluates contributions to global peace, cooperation, and stability.

Global Projections for 2026

• Global Growth: Projected at 3.3% for 2026 (a 0.2 percentage point upgrade from October 2025) and 3.2% for 2027.
• Inflation: Global headline inflation is forecast to decline to 3.8% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027.

Major Risks & Policy Recommendations

• Downside Risks: The IMF highlights that resilience is "fragile and uneven," concentrated in a few sectors. Risks include potential reevaluation of AI productivity gains, renewed trade tensions, and high global public debt.
• Policy Priorities: Recommendations include rebuilding fiscal buffers, preserving central bank independence, and pursuing structural reforms in labor markets and education.

About IMF

• Establishment: Conceived in July 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference; formally established in 1945
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C, USA
• Membership: 191 nations; the newest member is Liechtenstein (joined October 21, 2024).
• Legal Status: A specialized agency of the United Nations.
• Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva
• Special Drawing Rights (SDR): An international reserve asset created in 1969. It is not a currency but a claim on the usable currencies of IMF members.
• SDR Basket: Includes US Dollar, Euro, Chinese Renminbi (added 2016), Japanese Yen, and British Pound Sterling.
• India last took assistance during the 1991 BoP Crisis and has not borrowed since 1993.
• India is now a net creditor to the IMF. India holds a quota of roughly 2.75% and a voting share of ~2.63%, ranking it among the top 10/13 nations.

Other Reports of IMF

• World Economic Outlook (WEO): Published bi-annually.
• Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR): Assesses the global financial system.
• Fiscal Monitor: Analyzes public finance developments.

• Muthoot Microfin: Secured two Gold Awards for excellence in digital financial inclusion and innovative insurance solutions.
• Dharamsala Municipal Corporation: Honored for the "Digital Dharamsala Mission," promoting e-governance through a unified digital platform.
• Andhra Pradesh Traffic Police: The ASTRAM project (Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management) won for sustainable traffic management.
• Bank of India: Conferred with a Gold Category award for its "MSME Growth Project".
• GAIL (India) Limited: Won the SKOCH ESG Award 2025 for Business Agility and Corporate Performance.
• CONCOR (Container Corporation of India): Won a Gold ESG Award for green initiatives in sustainable logistics.
• Goa State Government: Bagged national awards for its initiatives in Education and Skill Development.
• Uttar Pradesh Police Department: Received a Gold Category award for the Mahakumbh-2025 Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC).
• Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission: The Project TRIPTI won for rural intervention and livelihood generation.

Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)

• Its an India-led global mass movement aimed at encouraging individuals to adopt sustainable daily habits to combat climate change.
• Introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in 2021, the mission seeks to replace "mindless and destructive consumption" with "mindful and deliberate utilization".
• India is the first country to include Mission LiFE in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
• The mission is a collaborative effort, piloted by NITI Aayog and implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Core Objectives

• Individual Action: Shifting the climate change narrative from large-scale government policy to individual responsibility.
• Global Mobilization: Targeting at least one billion people globally to take collective action for the environment between 2022 and 2028.
• Pro-Planet People (P3): Creating a global network of individuals, known as "Pro-Planet People," committed to sustainable living.
• Local Targets: In India, at least 80% of all villages and urban local bodies aim to become environment-friendly by 2028.

Key Outcomes and Approved Projects

• Strategic Defence Infrastructure: 17 defense-related proposals, primarily in Ladakh and Sikkim's border regions, received clearance.
• Public Utility Services: These included proposals for water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission, health facilities, 4G mobile towers, road upgrades, and power lines.
• Water Management: Discussion was held on an irrigation project in Madhya Pradesh aimed at serving the Bundelkhand area and benefiting wildlife such as gharials.

National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)

An apex statutory body for wildlife conservation in India.

• Chairperson: Prime Minister of India (Ex-officio).
• Vice-Chairperson: Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Statutory Basis: Established under Section 5A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972 (as per the 2002 amendment).
• Historical Context: It replaced the non-statutory "Indian Board for Wildlife" (est. 1952) in 2003 to provide stronger legal backing to conservation policies.
• Constitutional Links:

• • Article 48A (DPSP): Mandates the State to protect and improve the environment.
  • Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duty): Requires citizens to protect the natural environment.

About Agreement

• The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Core Objectives:

• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Establishing a legal framework to designate international waters as protected areas to conserve biodiversity.
• Environmental Impact Assessments: Mandating rigorous assessments for any activities (such as deep-sea mining or industrial fishing) that could affect international waters.
• Resource Sharing: Ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources (MGRs).
• Capacity Building: Transferring marine technology and sharing scientific knowledge with developing nations.

Institutional Framework

• Conference of the Parties (COP): The primary decision-making body. The first COP meeting is expected to convene within one year of entry into force (by early 2027).
• Clearing-House Mechanism: An open-access platform managed by the Secretariat to facilitate the sharing of scientific data, information on protected areas, and benefit-sharing details.

• Founded: 26 January 1950
• Navy Day: 4 December

• Motto(s): Shaṁ No Varunaḥ
• Supreme Commander: President Droupadi Murmu

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS): Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi