DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Monthly DNA

10 May, 2026

26 Min Read

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Paper	Topics	Subject
PT Pointer	Rising Nitrate Levels in India’s Groundwater	Environmental Pollution & Degradation
	Bilateral/Multilateral Exercises involving India	Various Security Forces & Agencies & Their Mandate
	Committee for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance	Fiscal and Monetary policy
	SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting 2025	International Institutions - organizations - conventions
	Major International Honours Received by Narendra Modi in 2025
	Appointments	Person & Personality

Rising Nitrate Levels in India’s Groundwater

GS-III : Environmental Pollution & Degradation Water Pollution

Rising Nitrate Levels in India’s Groundwater

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) annual report of December 2024 revealed a sharp rise in groundwater pollution across India.

The number of districts with excessive nitrate levels increased from 359 in 2017 to 440 in 2023, now affecting more than 60% of the country.

Key Findings and Impacts

Area	Details
Worst-Hit States	Rajasthan recorded 49%, Karnataka 48%, and Tamil Nadu 37% nitrate exceedance in groundwater samples.
Primary Drivers	Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers such as urea and over-exploitation of aquifers reducing natural dilution.
Health Hazard	High nitrate levels can cause Methaemoglobinaemia (Blue Baby Syndrome), which impairs oxygen transport in infants.
Safe Limit	The BIS acceptable limit for nitrate in drinking water is 45 mg/L.

Why Nitrate Pollution is Rising

Cause	Impact
Fertiliser Runoff	Nitrogen-rich fertilisers seep into groundwater through agricultural runoff.
Over-Extraction	Excessive groundwater extraction reduces dilution and increases pollutant concentration.
Sewage Contamination	Untreated sewage and waste disposal add nitrates to groundwater systems.
Public Health Risk	Contaminated drinking water poses severe risks to infants and vulnerable populations.

PT Facts

CGWB: Functions under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
BIS: Stands for Bureau of Indian Standards.
Nitrate Pollution: Commonly linked to fertiliser runoff, sewage, and overuse of groundwater.
Blue Baby Syndrome: Reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, especially in infants.

Source:

Bilateral/Multilateral Exercises involving India

GS-III : Various Security Forces & Agencies & Their Mandate

Bilateral / Multilateral Exercises Involving India

India participated in several important bilateral and multilateral military exercises during 2025–26 to strengthen defence cooperation, interoperability, maritime security, border preparedness, and strategic partnerships with friendly countries.

Major Bilateral and Multilateral Exercises

Exercise	Participating Countries	Location / Time	Key Focus
Vajra Prahar	India – USA	Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh 24 Feb – 16 Mar 2026	Joint Special Forces training and counter-terror operations.
Dharma Guardian	India – Japan	Chaubattia, Uttarakhand 24 Feb – 9 Mar 2026	Military cooperation and interoperability between armies.
Exercise MILAN	Multilateral Naval Partners	Visakhapatnam 2026 Edition	Maritime cooperation and naval interoperability.
Khanjar XIII	India – Kyrgyzstan	Missamari, Assam 4–17 Feb 2026	Joint Special Forces and counter-insurgency operations.
Agni Pariksha	Indian Army – ITBP	Arunachal Pradesh	Border coordination and operational synergy.
Exercise La Perouse	France-led Multilateral Exercise	16–24 Jan 2025	Maritime security and Indo-Pacific naval cooperation.
Exercise Ekuverin	India – Maldives	Maldives & Kerala 2025 Editions	Joint military training and defence cooperation.

Strategic Importance

Aspect	Significance
Defence Diplomacy	Strengthens military cooperation and strategic partnerships with friendly nations.
Interoperability	Enhances the ability of armed forces to operate jointly during missions and emergencies.
Maritime Security	Supports freedom of navigation and security in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region.
Border Preparedness	Improves operational readiness in sensitive border and high-altitude regions.

PT Facts

Vajra Prahar: India-US Joint Special Forces exercise.
Dharma Guardian: India-Japan bilateral military exercise.
MILAN: Multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy.
Ekuverin: India-Maldives military exercise; “Ekuverin” means “Friends” in Dhivehi.
ITBP: Indo-Tibetan Border Police is responsible for guarding the India-China border.
Eastern Naval Command: Headquartered at Visakhapatnam and responsible for India’s eastern maritime operations.

Source:

Committee for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance

GS-III : Fiscal and Monetary policy Banking System

Committee for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance

On 25th January 2026, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) constituted a committee of investment experts for Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG).

The committee has been formed to review, modernize, and strengthen the investment framework under the National Pension System (NPS).

Aim of the Committee

Objective	Details
Modernisation of NPS Framework	To review, recommend, and modernize the investment architecture, governance standards, and risk management practices under the National Pension System.

Key Mandates of SAARG

Mandate	Purpose
Global Benchmarking	Compare NPS investment guidelines with leading global pension systems.
Asset Classes	Expand and diversify investment avenues for greater resilience and stability.
Asset Allocation	Recommend an optimal asset mix with suitable risk-control mechanisms.
Performance & Accountability	Improve evaluation standards, accountability, and transparency of fund management.
Risk Management	Strengthen frameworks related to market, credit, liquidity, and operational risks.
Governance Review	Review custodial systems and intermediary governance processes.
Sustainability	Integrate climate-risk and net-zero considerations into pension investments.

PT Facts

PFRDA: Regulates pension funds and the National Pension System in India.
NPS: A voluntary retirement savings scheme regulated by PFRDA.
Strategic Asset Allocation: Long-term allocation of investments across asset classes based on risk-return objectives.
Net-Zero Consideration: Incorporating climate and sustainability goals into investment decisions.

Source:

SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting 2025

GS-II : International Institutions - organizations - conventions Other international organizations

SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting 2025

The SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting 2025 was held in Qingdao, China, on 26 June 2025.

India was represented by Rajnath Singh, and Belarus was welcomed as a new member.

Key Highlights of the Meeting

Aspect	Details
Venue	Qingdao, China.
Date	Held on 26 June 2025.
India’s Representative	India was represented by Rajnath Singh.
New Member	Belarus was welcomed as a new member.
India’s Stand	India refused to sign the joint declaration because the Pahalgam attack was not mentioned.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Feature	Details
Full Form	SCO stands for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Total Members	SCO has 10 members.
Member Countries	China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus.
Headquarters	SCO headquarters is located in Beijing, China.

SCO Membership Background

Category	Countries / Details
Founding Members	China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan	India and Pakistan became SCO members in 2017.
Belarus	Belarus became a full SCO member in 2024.

PT Facts

Full Form: SCO stands for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
India & Pakistan: Both became SCO members in 2017.
Headquarters: SCO headquarters is in Beijing, China.
Belarus: Became a full SCO member in 2024.

Source:

Major International Honours Received by Narendra Modi in 2025

:

Major International Honours Received by Narendra Modi in 2025

Date	Country	Award	Description
05 Mar 2025	Barbados	Honorary Order of Freedom	One of Barbados’ highest national honours.
12 Mar 2025	Mauritius	Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean	Mauritius’ highest national honour.
05 Apr 2025	Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana	Highest Sri Lankan honour to a foreign national.
16 Jun 2025	Cyprus	Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III	Cyprus’ highest civilian honour.
02 Jul 2025	Ghana	Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana	Ghana’s highest national honour.
04 Jul 2025	Trinidad and Tobago	The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago	The country’s highest civilian accolade.
08 Jul 2025	Brazil	Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross	Brazil’s highest civilian honour.
09 Jul 2025	Namibia	Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis	Namibia’s highest civilian award.

PT Facts

Sri Lanka Honour: Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana is Sri Lanka’s highest honour to a foreign national.
Trinidad and Tobago: Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is its highest civilian accolade.
Brazil Honour: Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross is Brazil’s highest civilian honour.

Source:

Appointments

GS-I : Person & Personality Person & Personality

Appointments

Person	Appointment / Position
Rakesh Aggarwal	Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Jared Isaacman	15th Administrator of NASA, succeeding Bill Nelson.
Nidhi Chhibber	Took additional charge as CEO of NITI Aayog.
Shatrujeet Kapur	Appointed Director General of ITBP.
Praveen Vashista	Appointed Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission.
Deepak Gupta	Chairman and Managing Director of GAIL (India) Limited.
A.K. Balasubrahmanian	Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
Uday Kotak	Chairman of GIFT City, Gujarat.
Aparajita Sarangi	Chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill 2025.
Sanjay Garg	Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Justice Surya Kant	53rd Chief Justice of India.
Justice Pratibha M. Singh	Chairperson of the Judges’ Advisory Board of WIPO.
Shirish Chandra Murmu	Deputy Governor of the RBI.
R. Venkataramani	Tenure extended as Attorney General of India.
Praveer Ranjan	Director-General of the CISF.
General Anil Chauhan	Tenure extended as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Rishi Sunak	Joined Microsoft and Anthropic as senior advisor.
Kanad Das	13th Director of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
TCA Kalyani	Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
Urjit Patel	Executive Director at the IMF for a three-year term.
Akash Tripathi	Managing Director of SECI.
Rajit Punhani	CEO of FSSAI.
Sudhanshu Vats	Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
Anish Dayal Singh	Deputy National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister.
Radha Chauhan	Chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission.
Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan	47th Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
Pushpendra Singh	Vice Chief of Army Staff.
Shashi Bhushan Singh	25th Commissioner of Delhi Police.
Zhou Jiayi	President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Parag Jain	Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Abhijit Sheth	Chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Sivasubramanian Raman	Chairperson of PFRDA.
Aliawati Longkumer	India’s Ambassador to North Korea.
S Mahendra Dev	Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM.
Rajiv Memani	President of CII for 2025-26.
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai	Served as the 52nd Chief Justice of India and became the first Buddhist CJI.
Ajay Kumar	Chairman of the UPSC.
Justice Vikram Nath	Executive Chairman of NALSA.
Alok Joshi	Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB).
Kamla Persad-Bissessar	Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago for a second term.
Mark Carney	Prime Minister of Canada.
Justice (Retd.) Dinesh Maheshwari	Chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission of India.
Sourav Ganguly	Reappointed as ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair.
Ajay Bhushan Pandey	Vice President of Investment Solutions at AIIB.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi	Appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Amitabh Kant	Chancellor of NIIT University.
Ajay Seth	Finance Secretary of India.
Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman	CEO of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
Atul Kumar Goel	Chief Executive of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
Vikas Kaushal	CMD of HPCL.
Ajay Bhadoo	CEO of Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
Rajiv Gauba	Full-time member of NITI Aayog.
Gyanesh Kumar	26th Chief Election Commissioner of India and first CEC appointed under the new EC selection law.

PT Facts

Justice Surya Kant became the 53rd Chief Justice of India.
Justice B.R. Gavai became India’s first Buddhist Chief Justice.
Gyanesh Kumar became the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Uday Kotak was appointed Chairman of GIFT City.
Ajay Kumar became Chairman of UPSC.
Parag Jain became the new RAW Chief.
Zhou Jiayi became President of AIIB.
Mark Carney became Prime Minister of Canada.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar became PM of Trinidad and Tobago for a second term.
Sourav Ganguly was reappointed ICC Men’s Cricket Committee Chair.
Ajay Seth became Finance Secretary of India.
Rajiv Gauba became full-time member of NITI Aayog.
Aliawati Longkumer became India’s Ambassador to North Korea.
Rishi Sunak joined Microsoft and Anthropic as senior advisor.

Source:

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