Global Liveability Index 2026
Context: The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index 2026 ranked Delhi 120th among 173 cities, while Copenhagen retained the top position.
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About Global Liveability Index
- Global Liveability Index assesses the quality of living in major cities worldwide measuring how conducive a city is for residents, businesses and expatriates.
- Published By: Annually published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research and analysis division of The Economist Group.
- Key Parameters: The Index evaluates 173 cities across 30 indicators grouped under five categories of Stability, Healthcare, Culture & Environment, Education and Infrastructure.
- 2026 Highlights
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- Global Rankings: Copenhagen (Denmark) was ranked as the world’s most liveable city, followed by Vienna (Austria) in second place and Melbourne (Australia) in third.
- Performance of Indian Cities: New Delhi emerged as the highest-ranked Indian city, securing the 120th position among 173 cities.
- Mumbai ranked 121st, followed by Chennai (123rd) and Bengaluru (127th).
- Comparison with Previous Year: New Delhi and Mumbai retained their 2025 rankings, indicating no change in their overall liveability performance.
- Regional Trends: Western Europe remained the highest-scoring region in overall liveability, while Asian cities recorded notable improvements in their average liveability scores during 2026.
‘Manas and Mahabharata’ Civilizational Studies Centre
Context: India and Kyrgyzstan jointly inaugurated the International Centre for Civilizational Studies “Manas and Mahabharata” in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
- The event also marked the release of the first Hindi translation of the Kyrgyz epic Manas, covering all three parts—Manas, Semetey and Seitek.
About the Manas and Mahabharata Centre
- It is established by the Manas National Academy (Kyrgyzstan) in collaboration with the Centre for Studies of International Relations (CSIR), New Delhi.
- Platform for: Comparative civilizational studies, Research on the epics Mahabharata and Manas, History, culture and intercultural dialogue, Humanitarian diplomacy, International scientific cooperation, Training of researchers.
About the Manas Epic
- Manas is the national epic of Kyrgyzstan and an oral epic trilogy that reflects the history, identity, and cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz people.
- Length: One of the longest epic poems in the world.
- Content: Narrates the life and exploits of the hero Manas and his descendants: Semetey (the story of Manas’s son) and Seitek (the journey of Manas’s grandson).
Uttarakhand Became Fully Literate State
Context: Uttarakhand became India’s sixth fully literate State after achieving the prescribed adult literacy benchmark under the ULLAS–New India Literacy Programme.
- Uttarakhand’s literacy rate currently stands at over 98 percent.
About 100% Literacy Status in India
- A State or Union Territory is declared fully literate after achieving the literacy benchmarks prescribed under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the ULLAS.
- Nodal Body: The declaration is approved by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.
- Criteria for Full Literacy
- Adult Literacy Benchmark: A State/UT must achieve an adult literacy rate of at least 95% among persons aged 15 years and above; 100% literacy is not mandatory due to practical limitations.
- Functional Literacy: An individual is considered functionally literate if he/she can read, write and perform basic arithmetic with comprehension, along with possessing digital, financial and critical life skills.
- Assessment & Certification: Learners are certified after successfully qualifying the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) conducted under the ULLAS framework.
- States/UTs Declared Fully Literate
- States: Mizoram, Goa, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
- Union Territories: Ladakh and Chandigarh.
About ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society)
- ULLAS (also known as the Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme) is a centrally sponsored programme launched under NEP 2020 to promote adult education and lifelong learning.
- Tenure: Financial Year 2022 to 2027.
- It covers foundational literacy & numeracy, critical life skills, vocational skills, basic education and continuing education.
- Implemented through community participation, volunteerism and technology-enabled learning.
Achieving full literacy enhances human capital, improves employability, promotes inclusive socio-economic development and accelerates progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-4 on Quality Education.
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Long March-10B Reusable Launch Vehicle
Context: China successfully achieved its first controlled recovery of an orbital-class reusable rocket booster after launching the Long March-10B carrier rocket.
About Long March-10B Reusable Launch Vehicle
- Long March-10B is China’s first orbital-class reusable liquid-fuelled carrier rocket to successfully recover its first-stage booster after launch.
- Key Features
- Launch & Recovery: Successfully launched from Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan Province, placing its payload into the designated orbit.
- The first-stage booster was recovered using a sea-based platform equipped with a net-capture system, following stage separation.
- Technical Specifications
- Has a lift-off mass of about 760 tonnes and lift-off thrust of about 890 tonnes.
- Can carry a payload of 16 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in its reusable configuration.
- It is explicitly engineered using liquid oxygen and kerosene (LOX/Kerosene) propellants
- Technological Advancement: Represents China’s first successful controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster.
- Unlike SpaceX, which lands boosters vertically on landing pads or drone ships, China used a net-assisted sea-based recovery system.
- Builds on earlier unsuccessful reusable rocket landing attempts made in 2025.
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ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle Programme
- Pushpak (RLV-TD): A winged reusable spaceplane designed for autonomous runway landings; successfully demonstrated RLV-LEX and is preparing for Orbital Re-entry Experiments (ORE).
- Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV): A three-stage heavy-lift rocket with a reusable first stage using Vertical Take-off and Vertical Landing (VTVL) technology, intended to eventually replace the PSLV.
Reusable rocket technology reduces launch costs, increases launch frequency and strengthens a country’s commercial space capabilities and long-term space exploration ambitions.
11 Jul 2026
