News In Shorts: 23 March 2026

IOS SAGAR 2026

Context: In March 2026, the second edition of IOS SAGAR reaffirmed India’s commitment to collaborative maritime security under the SAGAR vision in the Indian Ocean Region.

About SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)

• SAGAR is India’s strategic maritime vision promoting security, cooperation, and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region based on inclusivity and mutual trust.
• Launch: Launched on March 12, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mauritius.
• Key Objectives
• • Maritime Security: Ensures safe seas by combating piracy, terrorism, and illegal activities while strengthening coastal and regional security.
  • Capacity Building: Supports littoral states through training, technical assistance, and surveillance infrastructure like radar networks.
  • Regional Growth & Blue Economy: Promotes sustainable fisheries, economic cooperation, and responsible use of ocean resources.
  • HADR (Disaster Response): Positions India as a first responder for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the region.
  • Rules-Based Order: Advocates adherence to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for maritime governance.

About Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR

• The IOS SAGAR initiative is a unique operational engagement program led by the Indian Navy, designed to foster maritime cooperation, interoperability, and trust among Indian Ocean Region (IOR) nations.
• Origin: The first edition of IOS SAGAR was flagged off at Karwar, Karnataka in April 2025 aboard INS Sunayna with nine IOR nations participating.
• IOS SAGAR 2026: Facilitates joint training and sailing of naval personnel from 16 Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) members of the Indian Ocean Region(IOR) onboard Indian naval ships.
  • It commenced in Kochi (Southern Naval Command) with shore-based training, followed by joint sea deployment on an Indian Naval Ship (INS Sunayna).

Significance

• Strategic Role: Strengthens India’s position as a “net security provider” and counters external influence in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Economic Security: Safeguards vital Sea Lines of Communication crucial for India’s trade and energy flows.
• Sustainable & Cooperative Order: Promotes environmental protection, climate resilience, and inclusive maritime governance.

Bharat Innovates 2026 Pre-Summit

Context: Bharat Innovates 2026 pre-summit at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay showcased 137 deep-tech startups for global selection and investor engagement.

About Bharat Innovates Pre-Summit

• The pre-summit is a preparatory platform that brings together promising deep-tech startups, investors, and academia to evaluate and promote innovation-driven enterprises.
• Objective: To identify high-potential startups and provide them opportunities for global exposure, funding, and strategic partnerships.
• Key Features:
  • Participation of 137 deep-tech startups for pitching sessions.
    • Deep tech (deep technology) refers to companies and startups developing innovative, science-driven solutions to complex global problems, often requiring long research & development (R&D) cycles, substantial capital, and creating defensible intellectual property
  • Interaction with venture capitalists, industry leaders, and policymakers.
  • Selection of startups for global showcase in France.
• Significance: It served as the final domestic preparation stage before the selected teams will represent India at the International Innovation Showcase 2026, Nice, France.

About Bharat Innovates Summit

• Bharat Innovates is a national initiative aimed at promoting India’s innovation ecosystem and positioning the country as a global deep-tech hub.
  • It is an International showcase to be held at France in June as part of India-France Year of Innovation 2026
• Objective: To take indigenous innovations to the global stage, especially targeting scalable and cost-effective solutions for the Global South.
• Organised By: Led by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with premier institutions and innovation stakeholders.
• Focus Areas:
  • Deep-tech sectors: AI, semiconductors, biotech, space, defence
  • Climate and sustainability technologies
  • Healthcare, mobility, and Industry 4.0
• Significance:
  • Supports Vikshit Bharat vision through innovation-led growth.
  • Encourages startup ecosystem expansion.
  • Strengthens India’s role as a global innovation leader.

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Dimona Nuclear Facility

Context: Iran’s missile strike on Dimona amid escalating Israel–Iran tensions has brought global attention to Israel’s strategic nuclear facility.

About Dimona

• Location: Dimona is located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.
• Strategic Importance: Known for the Negev Nuclear Research Center (Dimona reactor), central to Israel’s nuclear programme.
• The facility was built in 1958 with French assistance.
• Nuclear Ambiguity: Israel follows a policy of “nuclear opacity”, neither confirming nor denying possession of nuclear weapons.
• Desert Development: Also represents Israel’s efforts in settlement and development of the Negev desert region.

Open Schooling Push via NIOS

Context: The Government, through the Department of School Education & Literacy, is strengthening open schooling via the National Institute of Open Schooling.

• Aim: Achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2030 in line with National Education Policy 2020 and vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Scale of Challenges

• Large Out-of-School Population: Nearly 2 crore children (14–18 years) are currently out of school (PLFS 2023–24).
• Low Attendance in Early Grades: Around 11% of children in Classes 3–8 are not attending school, indicating foundational gaps.
• High Board Exam Failure Rate: Over 50 lakh students fail board exams annually, contributing to dropouts.

Key Initiatives for Open Schooling via NIOS

• Nationwide Enrolment Drive: Identification and enrolment of out-of-school and dropout children using district-level survey data.
• “NIOS Mitra” Programme: Technology-enabled outreach with facilitators for counselling, enrolment, and academic support, especially for marginalised groups.
• Infrastructure Expansion: Plan to establish at least one NIOS study/exam centre in every block to improve accessibility.
• Use of Existing School Infrastructure: Schools like PM SHRI Schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya to function as NIOS examination centres.

National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)

• Establishment: NIOS started as an “Open Schooling” project under CBSE in 1979, later established as the National Open School (NOS) in 1989.
  • It was subsequently renamed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in July 2002.
• Nature & Status: It is the world’s largest open schooling system, providing flexible education through distance and open learning.
• Target Group: Caters to out-of-school children, dropouts, working individuals, and marginalized groups.
• Flexible Learning System: Offers open admission, multiple exam attempts, and on-demand examinations, enabling learner-centric education.
• Recognition: NIOS certificates are equivalent to CBSE/state boards and recognised for higher education and employment.

Minor Planet Center (MPC)

Context: The Minor Planet Center recently announced the discovery of 15 new moons around Jupiter and Saturn.

Recent Findings of Minor Planet Center (MPC)

• New Moons Discovery: The MPC confirmed 15 new natural satellites, including 4 around Jupiter and 11 around Saturn, expanding knowledge of outer planetary systems.
• Global Scientific Collaboration: Discoveries were made by international teams, highlighting coordinated efforts between observatories and astronomers worldwide.
• Enhanced Planetary Tracking: These findings improve understanding of orbital dynamics and evolution of planetary systems.

About Minor Planet Center (MPC)

• The Minor Planet Center is the global repository for observational data on small solar system bodies, including asteroids, comets, and moons.
• Establishment: 1947 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• Headquarters: It is based at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
• Funding & Administration: It operates under the IAU and is primarily funded by NASA Near-Earth Object Observations program grant.

Key Roles of MPC

• Data Collection & Verification: It receives observational data from astronomers worldwide and verifies discoveries of minor planets and comets.
• Orbit Computation & Designation: The MPC calculates orbital paths and assigns official designations to newly discovered celestial bodies.
• Monitoring Near-Earth Objects (NEOs): It tracks objects that may pose a potential threat to Earth, supporting planetary defense initiatives.
• Scientific Communication: It publishes updates through Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs), enabling global coordination among researchers.
  • It updates a master database of over 700,000 minor planets.

Significance

• Planetary Defence: Plays a crucial role in identifying and predicting trajectories of hazardous space objects.
• Advancement of Astronomy: Supports research on solar system evolution and celestial mechanics.
• Global Coordination Hub: Acts as a central node connecting observatories and scientists across the world.

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Global Terrorism Index 2026

Context: Institute for Economics and Peace released Global Terrorism Index 2026, ranking Pakistan highest while India stood 13th amid evolving global terrorism trends.

Key Highlights of Global Terrorism Index 2026

• Pakistan Tops the Index: Pakistan ranked first with the highest impact of terrorism, driven by increased attacks from groups like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
  • Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali are among the most impacted countries.
• India’s Position: India ranked 13th with Score of 6.43 reflecting continued security challenges but relatively improved stability compared to highly affected regions.
  • The score reflects over 140+ incidents, 100+ fatalities, and 100+ injuries recorded in 2025
• Shift in Global Trends: African countries dominate the top ranks, indicating a shift of terrorism epicentre toward the Sahel region.
• Emerging Threat Patterns: Rise in lone-wolf attacks and youth radicalisation, especially in Western countries, highlighting the evolving nature of terrorism.

About Global Terrorism Index (GTI)

• The Global Terrorism Index is an annual report that measures and ranks the impact of terrorism across 163 countries, covering over 99% of the global population.
• Published By: It is published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent global think tank.
• Parameters and Methodology of Global Terrorism Index (GTI)
• Composite Scoring System: The GTI assigns each country a score ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no impact of terrorism and 10 represents the highest impact.
• Time-Based Assessment: The index uses a five-year weighted average to capture both immediate and long-term effects of terrorist activities.
• Key Parameters:
  • Terrorist Incidents (Weight: 1): Total number of attacks in a year.
  • Fatalities (Weight: 3): Number of deaths caused by terrorism.
  • Injuries (Weight: 0.5): Total number of people injured.
  • Property Damage (Weight: 0–3): Economic impact based on severity of destruction.
• The methodology combines frequency, intensity, and impact of attacks to provide a comprehensive measure of terrorism across countries.

Significance

• Helps in policy formulation and counter-terrorism strategies
• Tracks global and regional terrorism trends
• Identifies emerging threats and hotspots
• Enables comparative assessment of national security environments

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