Daily Current Affairs Analysis | 01st September, 2026 | Shankar IAS Academy | UPSC | Mains 2026

[music] Hello everyone, welcome to the daily current affair analysis brought by Shankreas Academy 1st September 2026. Before getting into the discussion, please make sure that you subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you haven't, please do subscribe and also hit the bell icon to receive ontime updates from the academy. And before moving to the topics for today's discussion, we have an important announcement. It is about the pre-stroming UPSC prelimin series of Shankare Academy. The batch one will be starting on 7th September 2026. So the offline mode under this batch is exclusively in the Ananaga tender and those who are planning to take online, they can write the exam after 2 days of the offline mode examination. And uh this batch includes uh nearly 48 test including GS and CE set. And once you are enrolled uh for the preforming you will be receiving last 10 years PQ compilation. So the link for the registration is available on the website do register and crack the prelims in 2027. And coming to the topic for today's discussion L1 detecting early warning signs of solar flare. So recently the researchers from ISRO and Manipal University they have identified the signs the early signs before the solar flare using the data from Aditya L1 and the second article is about food safety and standard authority of India and alcohol regulation. So recently the food safety and standard authority of India inspected uh you know uh the distilleries in Tamil Nadu and they halted 11 liquors. So this action from the authority raised a question whether a central government authority can regulate a state product because alcohol is a state uh you know it's a product mentioned in the state list and the third article is about diaspora and India's growth. So uh this article is talking about how the diaspora is going to participate or how they are going to contribute to the growth of the Indian economy in the coming decades. And the next article is about Meta Teenage safety in Instagram and Facebook. So recently the Meta made a settlement of approximately $18 billion dollar and they also guaranteed better uh control measures to regulate the social media usage of the teenage children. So in this background we'll be discussing what are the concerns associated with the overuse of social media by the teenagers. what are the measures the meta had earlier to regulate the social media users and what are the new measures uh meta is going to implement and what are the major challenges in implementing the new measures and finally we'll be discussing the prelims focus for the day so if all set let's begin the discussion with the first article coming to the first article study sheds light on early warning signs before eruption of solar flare article is taken from the Hindu so now the research team from the manipal center for natural science and manipal academy for higher education along with other researchers from the Indian space organization understood about the early warning sign from the sun before the eruption of a major solar flare. So the research team using the Aditya L1 they found uh some brightening events on the sun's atmosphere before the eruption of the solar flare. So this is a this is another you know a better understanding about the solar flare. We know that understanding the solar flare and space weather is very important to manage the communication system because sometimes the if there is a massive solar flare it can disrupt the communication GPS. So if the GPS is disrupted the logistics defense everything will be affected right. So understanding the space weather is very important and now using the Adita L1 the research team have identified an early warning from the sun's atmosphere before the eruption of a solar flare. So in this background let us understand more about this article. So what is the background? Using the Aditi L1 we have recorded a small short-lived brightening events on the sun's atmosphere before the eruption of a major solar flare. So what is mean by solar flare? Solar place player is a giant explosion on the sun that sends a massive rust of radiation energy and high-speed particles into the space. So this is how the solar flare will look like. And if you go to the NASA website, you can see something like this. So this is how the solar eruption will mostly take place. So immense energy particles and radiation will be released into the space. And if it is a massive solar flare then the energy can reach the earth. Most of the time the magnetic field of the earth will protect us from the solar flare. But if it is too strong then it can disrupt the communication system and GPS system. And uh coming to the uh next formation. So how the solar flare is mostly formed. So we can see that the solar flare is the result of you know magnetic reconnection in the sun. So the magnetic uh you know uh energy the magnetic uh that means the player will be usually starting in the regions called sunspot. So sunspots are nothing but the dark cold regions. They are temporary dark cold regions formed on the earth due to the magnetic field and the the the sunspot the number of sunspot will be high during the time of high magnetic activity in the sun. So we can see that the magnetic field in the sun is always volatile. It is always active. So the magnetic field will twist. It will tangle and once the tension reaches the peak they will break and they will reconnect. So this breaking and reconnection of the magnetic field is enough to release immense energy and sometimes this breaking and reconnection of the magnetic field can even happen even after the release of the solar flare. So we can see that and in such case the earth will be recording high you know aurora and such events and we can see that this magnetic reconnection is another major reason behind the the the coronal heating problem. So we know that the outer layer of the sun is much hotter than the inner layer. Right? So what is the reason? The reason is uh that sorry the outer layer of the sun is much hotter than the visible layer of the sun. Right? So what is the reason? The reason is nothing but this magnetic reconnection. So the magnetic reconnection is one of the major reasons behind the heating of the outer layer of the sun. So we can see that this magnetic reconnection can happen. Some sometimes this magnetic reconnection can happen even after the release of the solar flare and in that case we can see that earth will be recording strong aurora and it can disrupt the communication and satellite system and uh coming to the sun sport. So like I mentioned sunspotport they are the dark cold temp temporary dark cold regions in the sun and they will the number of sun sport will be high during the time of solar maxima and uh talking about the classification of solar flare. So these are the basic things. So solar flare can be classified based on the peak x-ray intensity. So based on the extra intensity we can classify the solar flare into X-class, ML class, C-class, B and A class. So X-class is the most powerful solar flare which can cause widespread radio blackout and radiation storm. And next is the ML class which is a moderate solar flare and it may cause brief polar radio disruption and minor radiation storm. And the next is the C-class which is a small uh solar flare which which is generally have very little impact on earth. And next comes the weakest solar flare and they are B and A class solar flare. They they they have only negligible effect on earth and space weather. So this is how we will be classifying the solar flare and it is it is the classification is done based on the X-ray intensity and impact of solar play. So we know that it can affect the space weather which can disrupt the satellite communication system, navigation system. It sometimes if the radiation is too strong then it can affect the health of the researchers working in the outer space, the astronauts and sometimes it can disrupt the power infrastructure. So the impact of the the solar flare was once a UPSC prelims question. We know that and coming to the observation. So what we observed using the Adita L1. So the researchers from the Manipal institution and the researchers from the uh NAS sorry ISRO they they used certain instruments in the Adity. We will be discussing what are the instruments and what are the instruments. Uh we used three instruments to observe three elements. So we will be discussing that in the upcoming slide. So what we have observed we have observed small short-lived transient events before the major solar flare. So the small brightenings are mainly act occurring in the active regions of the sun. That means they are mostly near to the sunspot of the sun and the the the events are short-lived. That means they won't la they will be lasting only from few minutes to know only for few minutes and often cluster around the location where the major solar flare later develops. So it this happens in in the cluster where later we can record the solar flare and some show X-ray signature indicating a release of magnetic energy. So these are the major features of the uh you know the the transient events that we have observed before the major solar eruption and how did the L1 help? So we have used three instruments on the Adity L1 to observe or to study this uh small transient event that happens before the solar flare. The first is the suit that is the solar ultraviolet imaging telescope. So we used the solar ultraviolet imaging telescope in the L1 to observe the near ultraviolet wavelength from the sun. So this ultraviolet near ultraviolet wavelength are usually not uh we cannot observe that from the earth because most of the time the magnetic field of this the earth will be observing this near ultraviolet. Therefore, we used the solar ultraviolet imaging telescope on the Adita L1 which is placed in the leage point.1 to observe the near earth sorry the near ultraviolet wavelength. And next next instrument that we used to study this is solar low energy X-ray spectrometer to measure the low energy X-ray emitted during the energetic solar process. And next instrument is the high energy L1 orbiting X-ray spectrometer to observe high energy X-ray produced by the energetic process in the sun before the solar eruption. So we used the three instruments to measure three elements or three factors associated with the uh with the solar process. So we used the suit to observe the near ultraviolet wavelength. We used the the solex to observe the low energy X-ray emitted during the process and we used the high energy L1 orbiting X-ray spectrometer for observing high energy X-ray in the solar process. So what is the significance of the study? So first is it will improve the solar flare forecasting. So we are studying about something an event that happens before the solar flare. So using this event we can know understand about the development of solar player and if it is too powerful then we can give warning to the astronauts and also we can inform the uh the the the operators of the communication system and next is it will enhance the space weather prediction. So we can see that using uh you know this uh activity or using this early warning sign we can understand about the development of the solar flare and we can inh we can uh inform the people who are working in the space. Next is it will improve the understanding of the solar activity and next is it highlights the importance of Aditi element. So we know that we are known for our space you know achievements and uh now we can say that from this we can understand the importance of Aditi L1 in observing the space and using the Adity L1 we also studied the we also studied the 2024 major knower. So the uh this uh this new study is once again you know it is highlighting the importance or its role uh the role of the L1 in understanding the space weather and observing the sun and its solar activity. And uh now we have a prelimin practice question. The question is with reference to the classification of solar flare consider the following statements. So the question is about the classification of solar flare. Statement one, X-class solar players are the most powerful category and be and can cause significant radio blackout. Statement two, Mclass players are generally weaker than C-class players. And statement three, B-class and Aclass players represent the weakest category. Which of the statements given above is or are correct? Option A 1 and two only. Option B 2 and three only. Option C 1 and three only. And option D 1 2 and three. So we can see that uh the statement two is incorrect. Mclass players are more powerful than the C-class player. So the statement two is incorrect. Remaining two statements are correct. And in the month of July we have recorded uh an ex-class player from the sun. So the statement one and three are correct. So the correct answer is going to be option C one and three only. Yes. With this we will move to the next article. Coming to the second article why FSSAI is also putting liquor under scann article is taken from the Hindu. So what is the news? So recently the food safety and standard authority of India they inspected a Tamil Nadu distillery and they halted 11 liquor products. They found that 11 liquor products in this distillery is substandard and therefore they prohibited the the 11 liquor products. So this led to a question. Alcohol is a state subject. Can a central authority that means can a central food authority can uh control or they can regulate this state product. So we know that alcohol the intoxicating products uh intoxicating liquor you know it is coming under the state list. Therefore it is the area of the state. So the question is can a central authority can regulate the state a product in the state list? That is the question. So let us discuss. So talking about the authority food safety and standard authority of India. So we can see that it is an autonomous statutory body established under the food safety and standard act of 2006. So this authority was established the the food safety and standard authority of India was established in the year 2008 and uh the parent act is food safety and standard act of 2006 and it is working under the ministry of health and family welfare. It is working under the ministry of health and family welfare. So the mandate is that means the what is the ultimate purpose of this institution laying down science-based standard for articles of food across uh India that means setting standard ensuring the quality of the food banning or prohibiting substandard or unsafe food. So that is the mandate of this authority and it covers that means it is not just focusing on production transportation or storage. It covers the entire supply chain of the food product covering from uh manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale and import of the food. And we can see that uh this uh food safety and standard act of India uh standard act of India 2006 we it replaced nearly eight older laws uh that regulated the food product and food production in India and composition. So the authority has a chairperson and it also has you know 22 members including the chief executive officer and the person's rank. So the chairperson will be you know held by a person of secretary to the government of India rank. So usually you know a person in the uh in the in the rank of secretary to the government of India is appointed as the chairperson of the food safety and standard authority of India. So what are the areas we have to remember? It is an autonomous statutory body. It is not it is not a constitutional body. It is a it is an autonomous statutory body and it is working under the ministry of health and family welfare not under the ministry not under the ministry of uh you know uh distribution the the consumer affairs. It is not working under the ministry of consumer affairs. It is working under the ministry of health and family welfare and it covers the entire supply chain of the food. That means it it monitors the safety of the food throughout throughout its supply chain and it it has a chairperson and 22 members including a chief executive officer and we can see that the chairperson is usually a person who has a rank equal to the secretary to the government of India and uh coming to the structure and the core function. So structure so the chairperson he is appointed by the central uh government and the chief executive officer who who will be in a rank of joint secretary to the government of India or the the rank above that and it has a scientific panel which is established under the section 13 of the act of 2006. So it is a it is a body of independent expert group and next it has scientific committee so that coordinates the panel's work and you know its opinion and it also has a central advisory committee so that you know um that gives advisers to the states industries and protects the consumer's voice and it has a state arm that is the stateood authority. So this is the arm for the implementation of the central authority in the state and next is the uh food safety officers. So the these are the ground level workers who will be inspecting you know labeling and sampling and also you know they will be the officers seizing this uh you know substandard or unsafe food. So these are the this is the structure of the uh food safety and standard authority of India. So the chairperson, chief executive officer, scientific panel for independent expertise, scientific committee for coordinating the scientific panel, central advisory committee to give advice to the state government industry and also to protect the consumer's voice and also it has a state food authority for implementing the central advisers in the state level and also it has food safety officers who will be working in the ground level. uh you know they are they are responsible for testing sampling you know uh and also seizing the unquality food the you know substandard food and next is the core functions. So what are the core function? Setting standard to the food you know reducing the you know harmful substance in the food. And next is licensing that means register and license food business and food business operators. That means if you want to start uh you know a company a food producing company then you have to get certificate from the food safety and standard authority of India. And next is lab network. So the the food safety and standard authority of India will be notifying and they will be recognizing the food labs in the country and enforcement that means they will be playing a crucial role in sampling seizing and prohibition of sale of the unsafe products. And next is risk communication that means if there is any concern associated with any particular food product or the the substance used in a particular food product then they will notify this issue to the respective authorities. And next is data and information system for rapid alert about any substance that can cause harmful impact in the people. And next is training that includes raising awareness and the capacity building in the offices. So these are the major functions of the food safety and standard authority of India. So now we are going to come uh discuss the the core question. Can a central government authority regulate a product in the state list? So we can see that under the entry 8 the intoxicating liquor is a state product that means production manufacturing and the pro possession of the intoxicating liquors are are coming under the state list and it covers transport purchase and sale of alcohol and we can see that the excise licensing is given by the state government for example the taskmark in Tamil Nadu. So they will be regulating the distribution of alcohol and the other liquors in Tamil Nadu. So the entire management of the intoxicating liquor is coming under the state list. So can a central government authority uh regulate uh this uh this product in the state list. So for that we have the answer from the entry 18 of the concurrent list. So from the concurrent list under the entry 18 we have the answer for this question. So we can see that in this in the in the concurren list we know that both the central government and the state government they have the rights or they have the power to you know uh take decisions regarding the matter in the concurrenist. And here we can see that alcohol falls under the consumable product. That means it is also it is also a part of it since it is consumable it is it can be considered as food. Therefore uh it it it can be regulated under the food safety and standard act of 2006. That means the central government authority which is regulating this product that mean uh which is monitoring this product also has the control to regulate the product in case if there is any issue associated with this food or the food item or this intoxicating liquor. So even though it is falling under the intoxicating liquors are falling under the state list still it is it is I know I know it is coming under the food safety and standard act of 2006. Therefore the food safety and standard authority of India can regulate this uh liquor in case if there is any issue because it is consumable and it is associated with the health of the people and uh now we are going to discuss the difference between the substandard and unsafe. So these are the broad classification given by the food safety and standard authority of India. So the liquors that they have seized from Tamil Nadu was classified as substandard. So what is the difference between the substandard and unsafe food items? So substandard foods are the substandard food or food items are the food items that fails to meet specified standards. For example, whiskey with the external added flavor. So we know that whiskey is naturally made made from cereals right it is made from the cereals but if you are adding too much flavors external flavors then that whiskey can be considered substandard that means because it is not meeting the specific standards and on other side the unsafe food are the food items or substance that can cause serious injury to the human health. For example the methanol contaminated illicit liquor this can lead to mass death sometimes. So this is the basic difference between substandard food and unsafe food. So substandard food are the food items which fails to meet the standard. But on other side the unsafe food is a food item that can cause serious injury to the human health. The difference is whiskey with the external added flavor. On other side the methanol contaminated liquor and uh what will be the consequences in the case of substandard food there is a possibility for prohibition of sale and you know action for lack of complaints and on other side for the unsafe food it will lead to seashore prosecution and also higher penalty. So these are the major uh you know uh action taken against the substandard food and unsafe food. So this is a major difference and we can see that in the case of Tamil Nadu uh the inspection was happened on 11th August and on 13th August the food safety and standard authority of India they found that this captured liquor is not meeting the standard that means it was a substandard food and they banned they halted this 11 liquor products and on 13 uh sorry on 14 on the very next day the operator gave assurance that they will cooperate with the standard and uh they also went for appeal and later the food safety and standard authority of India they uh removed uh you know they revoked the prohibition on the liquor. So we can see that currently the the the incident uh in that means the captured items in the distillery was substandard and coming to the prelims practice question. The question is with reference to the food safety and standard authority of India consider the following statements. Statement one food safety and standard authority of India functions under the ministry of consumer affairs food and public distribution. So we already discussed it. Even though it is dealing with food, it is not coming under the ministry of consumer affairs, good food and public distribution. It is working under the ministry of health and family welfare. So the statement one is incorrect. Statement two, alcoholic beverages are excluded from the definition of food under the food safety and the standard act of 2006. No, the food safety and standard uh uh standard act of uh six is including you know it includes the alcoholic beverages as a under the definition of food. So therefore it is incorrect. And statement three the regulation of intoxicating liquor is placed in the state list of the seventh schedule. Yes, that is correct. The intoxicating liquor is coming under the state list. The complete responsibility is given to the state list. And uh uh statement four food safety and standard authority of India is a constitutional body established under the article 47 of the constitution. Now it is an autonomous body that is working under the ministry of health and family affairs and the parent act is food safety and standard act of 2006. So the statement four is also incorrect. So all the out of four statements three statements are incorrect. So only the third statement is correct. So the correct answer is option B three only. Yes, with this we will move to the next article. Coming to the third article, diaspora to shape India's next growth chapter. Article is taken from the Hindu. So this article is taken from Hindu and it is talking about how the 35 million overseas Indians are going to change the upcoming uh chapters of Indian economy. So we can see that diaspora are the people of one country or people who have origin in one country living in another nation right. So in the case of India we can we can see that we have nearly 35 million plus diaspora residing in different parts of the world and we can see that this includes NRI that is non resident Indians and this includes peoples of Indian origin but in 2015 we ended the scheme of peoples of Indian origin and we merged that with the overseas citizenship of India overseas citizens of India. So this will avoid lot of confusion and at the same time it will make the procedure more easy. That is why the government ended the people of Indian origin scheme which lasted for nearly 15 years and we can see that if you take the five countries these are the five countries which host most number of Indian diaspora. So the in the in the case of United States we have nearly 5.4 4 million Indian people and in the in UAE in United Arab Emirates 3.5 and in Malaysia 2.9 million and Saudi Arabia 2.6 million and in United Kingdom 1.9 million. So these are the five countries that host the highest number of Indian diaspora and we have nearly 35 million plus Indian diaspora residing in different parts of the world and now we can see that they are contributing a lot to the Indian economy that means they are going to they are going to play a crucial role in the in the in the next chapters of the Indian economy the next growth chapter of the Indian economy. So talking about the significance of diaspora these are the general significance of diaspora. So remittance power. So we know that India has received approximately dollar 143 billion in the financial year 2026 which helps in household consumption, education and also developments. And next is external buffer. So we can see that this reserve the foreign uh you know the remittance reserve is approximately 700 billion. And we can see that that makes India one of the biggest highest one of the countries that receives highest amount of remittance and this will absorb the external shock like external economic shock or any uh shock created due to the disruption in production or supply chain. And next is the soft power ambassador. So we can see that in many countries for example if you take Malaysia the for generations people of Indian origin are living there and they can they can influence that means they can influence the politics of the other country they can influence the culture of the other country they can influence the vote bank of other countries therefore they are the soft power ambassadors of the India and next is political lobby. So we can see that the diaspora leaders in different parts of the world they can uh know uh they can play a crucial role in deciding the politics shaping the policy and know the next is knowledge capital. So we can see that in many countries like in including in Google many uh people who are in the top chair are Indian origin or they are from the India and uh investment channel. So we can see that now the people of Indian origin or the diaspora they are investing in you know equities mutual funds and all. Therefore it they are boosting the Indian economy and next is skill transfer. So we can see that the the return of migration brings global best practices to India that can be technology that can be expertise in various other field. So these are the general uh you know significance of diaspora and uh challenges faced by diaspora. So the Indian diaspora what are the major challenges faced by it? First is labor exploitation. So we can see that in many countries especially in many West Asian countries there is no proper you know uh labor code or labor act to protect the rights of the people the the labors working in West Asian countries. And we can see that recently many countries have uh you know um abolished this sponsorship program that is Kapala system. So under the sponsorship program once the people are recruited under this uh sponsorship program they will be you know under the complete control of the sponsor. So that is called kapala system and you might have seen the movie god life right. So in that movie it it accurately depicts what this kapala system is all about. So in kafala system sometimes the labors can be exploited they can be treated without any rights. And next is the legal vulnerability. So in many countries we can see that there is no proper act or legislation like I mentioned there is no proper act or legislation to protect the the migrant labors and their rights and at the same time sometimes the accessibility to the the council can be also limited. In that in in such in such case you know people cannot access the legal system they cannot seek the justice. And next is racism and xenophobia. So we can see that you know in many countries in especially in the European, American and Australian uh regions. Many people from the South Asian region are facing uh you know racial as well as xenophobic practices. Xenophobia means fear of foreign people. So sometimes the xenophobia can be exhibited through discrimination or sometimes it can be you know uh it can be through colorblind racism. That means externally or apparently there will be no racism but internally the racism will be there. So that will be reflected in accessibility to employment and services. So the racing the the rising uh uh hate crime you know in different parts of the world is the one of the major concerns of diaspora not just Indian diaspora the diaspora are from different parts of the world. And next is the recognition gap. So we can see that people of Indian origin and overseas citizens of India are often they are not they in certain nations they are considered as secondary citizens and they are not treated adequately and they do not have a proper political representation. And next is investment friction. So we can see that regulatory ambiguity you know know your customer hurdles and taxation can sometimes you know discourage the NAS and people of Indian origin from investing in the equities and market. But in the recent times we have brought a lot of uh schemes or we have brought a lot of reforms that built uh you know confidence in the diaphora to invest in the uh you know mutual funds and equities and next is return migration stress. So we can see that reintegration of the uh the workers postcoid or gulf downturns uh turns the state economy. So sometimes you know uh we can say that India is one of the countries which receives highest amount of remittance from the laborers and if there is an external shock like if there is a crisis in that country in such case there is a possibility of strain and stress. The next is skill recognition. So we can see that uh people who have completed the skill training in India or who have completed the graduation in India they may face difficulty in getting job and adequate employment in other countries because of difference of standards. So these are the major challenges faced by the Indian diaspora. So what are the initiatives that we have taken for the daspora? First is we have we we are observing the praasi bharaty datas which is celebrated on 9th January and it is organized by the ministry of external affairs and this day marks the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South South Africa in 1915 and we can see that the next initiative is Prabasi Paradia award which is given to the which is the highest honor for outstanding contribution to India by an overseas Indian and next we have the over overseas citizens of India car scheme. So now it merged the PIO that is persons of Indian scheme. This was ended in 2015 and later we merged the scheme with the OCI scheme and now we have digital we have launched the ministry of home affairs they have launched the the digital card. So the this will provide lifelong visa parity with NIS and also we can see that they will also get you know rights over significant economic matters like holding properties and all. Next is MADAD portal. So it's an online grievance redressel portal for the uh which is launched by the counselors. So so the labors can file complaint and they can address their issues. And next is e- migrant system. So it regulates the migration of workers to uh other countries. So they we will protect them from fraud and other illegal recruitment practices. And next is no India program. So it engages daspora youth particularly the youth between the age group of 18 and 30 with the India's heritage and development story. So this is the step towards enhancing the soft power. And next is the scholarship program for diaspora children. So they can uh the children the diaspora children they can study in the in good universities in other countries. And next is praasi koshal vikasana which is certifies skill program for the workers so they can find employment in other countries. So these are the major initiatives taken by the government of India for the welfare of the diaspora and we have signed bilateral agreements with the different countries to for better protection and better welfare of the diaspora. So talking about the shift from remittance to long-term capital growth. So we can see that before the diaspora they contributed to the remittance but now we can see that they are investing in the Indian economy and they are going to play a crucial role in the growth of the economy in the coming days. So in the financial year 2026, India received approximately 1431 143.6 billion dollar as remittance and we can see that this rem remittance support supported the household consumption, education and housing in India but in the coming decade they are going to shift towards long-term growth capital. So where this capital from the diaspora will go? It will go to equities, debt market, investment in real estate and infrastructure, investment for startups. So we can see that the diaspora can sometimes act as a angel investment uh you know angel investor for the startups including the deep tech startups and next they can they will be focusing on management of assert. So in the in the coming decade in the coming decade they are not just contributing to the remittance but they will also make a you know uh contribution to the long-term growth of the Indian economy and uh so what are the factors in the recent time that brought investment to the diaspora to invest in the Indian economy or what is the reason behind this shift from remittance to long-term capital growth. So the first is the growth leader. So we can see that currently India is the world's sixth largest economy. So this will bring more confidence in the diaspora and invest and second is the foreign reserve. So we can see that we have a reserve of approximately dollar 700 billion which will give you know uh which will give a resilience to the external shock. So this will also boost you know uh the the the confidence in the diaspora investors and second is the macro stability. So we can see that even though there is some slight volatility in the PPI, WPI and also there is a slight volatility in the industrial production but still the overall economy is stable and next is a reform consistency. So we can see that since uh last decade India have brought lot of changes from you know bringing IBC that is you know insolveny and bankruptcy code GST we brought uh UPI you know we brought uh you know changes in the PLI that is production incentive scheme to boost uh national production so this will also bring confidence in the daspora and next is deep capital market so we can see that currently the equity market capital is standing at 5.18 8 trillion which is considered as an L8 tire. So what is the capital market cap capital? It is a it is a total value of publicly you know sold share of a company right. So we can see that in the in the case of India the equity market capital of India is standing at 5.18 trillion which is considered as good and it is an LA and next is the uh current the current asset asset under management is around 85.76 lakh cr which is good and also the monthly systematic investment plan is also around 31.9 sorry 319 31,961 cr. So that is also you know show showing the the uh you know the increasing number of investors in the market and also we can see that recently we have brought many digital uh changes in the in in the fintech sector like UPI you know Aadhaar bank card and the digitalization of all these platforms. So that will ensure better know transparency and accountability. So this will also boost the in uh the the confidence in the investors. So these are the major factors in the recent time that marks the shift from remittance to long-term capital growth and in the coming year the diaspora is going to play a significant role in the uh in the economic growth. So how the diaspora will shape the India's next chapter. The first is patient capital. So we can see that long horizon inflow into infrastructure, renewable energy and manufacturing. So we can see that the remittance was mainly contributing to the household consumption, housing and education. But now the investment this shift from the remittance to the long-term growth will mark development or investment in infrastructure renewable energy and also in manufacturing and startup fuel. So we can see that many investors. So many startups in India are struggling to get investors but the diaspora they can they can act as angel investors and they can even support the deep tech you know companies which is working on artificial intelligence, semiconductors and also biotechnology. And next is the green transition. So through investment in the renewable infrastructure, through investment in the renewable energy. So you know that can contribute to the green transition. And next is financial deepening. So we can see that international finance service center. So they can channel the uh the the the uh the capital from the uh from the diaspora to the market. And next is soft power diplomacy. So we can see that diaspora I already we already mentioned it. So the diaspora can shape the the politics, voting and policies in different countries. Therefore they are you know they will be also enhancing India's role in the global community. And next is institutional trust. So we have brought up we have uh traditional institutions like RBI Sebi no they they to monitor the market and to ensure stability in the market. So these are the uh you know these this is how the diaspora is going to change or they are going to contribute to the development of India in the coming days. And now we have a mains practice question. The question is critically examine how Indian diaspora can transform from a remittance source into a strategic partner partner shaping India's next growth chapter. So it's a 15 marks question and you have to write around 250 words. Write the answer post it in the comment section. We will review and we will reply for your answer. Now it's time to move to the next article. Coming to the fourth article. Can meta safety controls can make Facebook and Instagram less addictive for teens? Article is taken from the Hindu. So we can see that now the Meta company they have paid approximately 18 billion uh in settlement with the US states to bring stricter and know regulatory measure for controlling the teenage social media addiction. So in this background let us understand what are the major concerns associated with the teenage social media addiction. What were the measures the meta already had to control the the teenage social media user and also what are the new initiatives or new mechanisms adopted by the meta company to deal with this uh you know or to regulate the the teenage social media users and what are the major concerns associated with the implementation. So what are the major concerns associated with the teenage uh users? So the first is risk of mental health issues. So the you know uh spending too much time on social media or on on the digital platform can lead to increased risk of anxiety, depression and social isolation. And next is the issue associated with the body image. That means in the social media it's a vast platform right people will often compare one's life with another life. know one's uh you know appearance with another person's appearance. So this can lead to inferiority complex and other mental health issue and next is the problem of sleep disruption. So the late night use of the mobile phone or social media platform can reduce the melatonin and this can lead to uh reduce the sleep or reduce the quality of sleep. And next is the attention decay. So we can see that too much real or too much Tik Tok can eventually lead to short attention span. So this will affect the studies of the children. And next is the cyber bullying. So we know that in the social media there are many anonymous users. You know sometimes the people will create uh accounts just for uh know cyber bullying. So uh so in the in the case of children children may not have sufficient maturity or to deal with the cyber bullying or they may they may easily fall into anxiety, depression and other health issues. And the next is the risk of grooming. So that means suspicious people can contact the children you know they can DM the children. So this can uh you know this can raise the concern about the security of and the safety of the children. And next is the data harvesting that means behavioral profiling of minors monetized without informed consent. So that means the content that is available on the social media is often monetized without informing the family or the children. And next is the algorithmic nudging. That means if you're watching um you know uh a video that means similar videos will be appearing again and again. So this will lead to you know unconscious addiction into the social media. For example, if you are watching too much fitness related video, then fitness related video will know will be flooding on your feed. So that will you know this is how the algorithm is acting and this is how the algorithm is reinforcing the addiction in the social media and in the case of children they are too much vulnerable to it because they don't know how how to handle the situation. You know they have only very limited world experience. So these are the major concerns associated with the teenage social media addiction or the teenage uh social media usage. So what were the steps the meta had taken earlier to address or to regulate the teenage social media addiction. The first is the teen account. So they created teenage account in Instagram. That means uh here the you know default private account and stricter message limits were uh imposed uh on the accounts which were managed by the people under the age of 60. And next is the take a break uh you know u notification that means uh after 1 hour or after 15 minutes or after 30 minutes you know the Instagram will automatically inform the user to reduce the usage. And next is the sensitive uh content control that means you know uh that means there is no auto play for the uh content which is associated with the violence you know uh or the content that can trigger or that can disturb the people. And next is the family center. So supervision tools letting the parents view the spend time and you know uh follower activity that means there is an option uh in the Instagram and also in the in the mobile phone that is called parental regulation or parental control. So in that case the family members that means the the father or mother or any relative can watch how many time or how much time the children spend on social media and what are the major activities in the social media. And next is the age verification trial that means selfie videos and the ID card submission to uh you know to open the uh teenage account. And next is the DM restriction that means automatic uh blocking of un suspicious or unverified account on the social media. So they can they cannot uh you know message the teenage users. And next is a hidden like count. So you know like is you know it can also lead to addiction. So sometimes people will post for like right. So hiding the like account will uh reduce the addiction. That means sometimes it will it will reduce the photo addiction and the people will always have a especially the young age people will have a tendency to upload more photos to get more like. So they will feel like they are getting some recognition. So such issues can be addressed through hiding the like out. And next is content warning that means blocking the autoplay to uh reduce the exposure to the disturbing or violent content on the social media. So these were the measures that the meta had taken earlier to protect the teenage children from uh you know social media addiction and harmful side of the social media. So what is the present place? So now we discussed that the meta company they gave $18 billion to 29 US states as a settlement you know and also they gave guarantee that they will improve the safety measures on the social media and we can see that out of this $18 billion $5 billion is tied to rival complaints that means the meta wanted other companies like Tik Tok Apple they also want the meta asked Tik Tok Google and Apple to uh bring similar measures es to control the teenage users and also for better safety and privacy on the social media. So this 5 billion is dollar uh sorry the $5 billion is given based on that guarantee. So what are the new control measures taken by the meta. So first is default 2 hours daily cap. So only uh that means the people can use the social media only for 2 hours and if the children want to use the social media beyond that then the parent has to extend the time. And next is the night mode. That means the res and the content will be blocked from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. So the children know will not be able to use the Instagram after the 12:00 a.m. And next is the school mode. That means from 8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. the notification messages all these things will be muted. And next is the screen time prompt. That means every 15 minutes you know the Instagram will notify the teenage users that you are using the Instagram for nearly 15 minutes continuously. Now it's time to you know uh give some break and uh the next is non-algorithmic speed option that means uh you know the auto play that means similar content will not be played so it will it will reduce the possibility of addiction and next is the extreme filter block so which will ban the disturbing and violent contents on the social media and next is the private by default so suspicious adult cannot reach out that means if the account is managed or used by a teenager under the age of 15 or 18 it will be considered as a private account. So unknown people cannot check their profile they cannot you know DM them. So these are the new measures taken by the meta to regulate the teenage users for better safety on the social media. So what are the challenges in enforcing these two uh the sorry these two uh measures. So the first is age verification gap. So controls only works as well as the tech verifying the user's real ages. So sometimes that can be manipulated. The age can be manipulated. Fake birthdays. So teenagers will routinely enter you know date of birth of adult to bypass this law. And next is the DM loophole. The default time gaps do not apply to the direct messages. So in the you know even though there is a uh there is a cap for this 2 hours till after the 2 hours the messages will be notified to the user. Next is the rival migration. So the children may shift it to other social media platforms like Tik Tok and the other platforms and we can see that um parental approval ask. So the meta wants Apple and Google to verify age at the app store level. So you know this that means they are slowly uh you know sharing their burden with the the the parents and other rival companies like the Apple and the Google and the tech heavy miners that means AI native teens often outsmart parental supervision settings. So we can see that parents also they have their own limitations right they have their own limitations in regulating the social media handles of the children. So sometimes the children can you know uh bypass their their parents and they can use the social media and in the case of Australia we can see that recently Australia banned the social media for the children under the age of 16 but u and this ban this ban led to removal of approximately 7 lakh 50,000 plus social media account and even after that nearly 30%age of underageed users remained on social media that means even after banning the uh social media accounts which is managed by the children under the age of 16. We have banned approximately 7 lakh plus accounts but even after that 30%age underage users remained on social media platform. So this is indicating the ground level reality or this is indicating the ground level difficulty in implementing or enforcing these new control measures and next ethical question. So ethical questions uh the settlement raises. So what are the ethical questions raised by the settlements? First is responsibility shift. So we can see that the measures taken by the meta that is the new control measures taken by the meta has its own loophole. It can be bypassed by the children. So the children you know comparing with their parents generation the children is much smarter. Therefore they can easily bypass bypass their parents and also there is even though there is a default gap of 2 hours still the messages and other things will be notified to the children. So the loophole is there and the responsibility is slowly shifting from you know the meta to other rival companies and parents. And next is the selfie data harvest. So Meta is asking for selfie verification but this is raising concern about biometric privacy. And next is the anti-competitive angle. That means you know $5.3 billion is conditional. That means it will be it is based it is given based on what it is based on the guarantee that other rival companies like Tik Tok and other applications will also take the similar measure. So it will you know incre it will increase the regulatory capture risk. And next is the privacy versus the safety tradeoff. So stronger surveillance of teenage conflicts with the data minimization principles and next is the parental overreach. So supervision tools can chill teenage autonomy and a healthy self exploration. So we can say that we cannot absolutely say that the social media is you know completely harmful to the children. The children are exploring lot of you know good things in social media you know they they are exhibiting a lot of good talents. So so we can see that in that case you know social media is acting as a platform for upliftment or empowerment of many children and their talents. So in in that case if you are going for over regulation of children and their social media presence then it is it will affect the social media or the autonomy of the children. And next is the illusion of consent. So we can see that even though you know u uh we are using the social media we are not aware about lot of things including when we give the concern to the social media or any you know other digital platforms. So the miners and the parents rarely read the conditions and without reading the conditions without knowing this uh you know regulatory measures they will give consent or they will start using it. So this is these are the major uh you know concerns ethical concerns associated with the settlement uh you know given settlement issue from the meta and next is the how the world is responding to it. So we can see that Australia recently went for a blanket ban banning of social media to the children under the age of 16. But we can see that even after that 30%age of the underage users remain in the social media and we can see that in in the European Union they have a digital services act which imposes duty of care on very large online platforms especially protection of minors and uh protection of uh protection for minor mandated. So they have the DSA framework for regulating the the children and their social media usage. And in the case of India, we have the uh digital data protection act of 2023 which ensures the parental concern for you know sharing or for processing the personal data especially the children's data. So these are the ma you know major uh framework that we have across the world uh to address this issue and uh coming to the way forward. So what can be done? So the first is platform level age gating that means robust crossplatform verification via Apple, Google or neutral registry. That means we have to make sure that across the handles across the handles the details uh you know the data is same. If it is not same then the account can be rejected. And next is the design regulation. So dark band D pattern like infinite scroll and autoplay for miners by loop. So you know regulating the algorithm you know uh regulating the time. So these are the measures that we can take. So if we can bring this changes in the design it will to an extent it will address the the the addiction problem of uh teenagers in the social media. And next is algorithmic transparency that means publish audit report on recommendation systems shown to the uh uh the people under the age of 18. So we can see that here you know uh we have to we should have a a budget or an audit like system uh through this they the children or the parents should be able to see what type of content the children is consuming too much. So you know in that case audit report will be very helpful in managing the or in regulating the behavior or the algorithmic pattern of the social media. And next is the parental engagement that means screen time contract phone free zone uh non-pinitive dialogue at a form. So parents we cannot say that parents should not take any know responsible parents should also take a responsibility but that should be you know more healthy. That means the treatment of the children should be more healthy. And next is the teacher alert that means use non-addictive channels you know for uh school communication that so we know that these days the children are using YouTube for learning lot of things you know they are using uh Instagram Instagram groups telegram groups for communicating with their peer group and school teachers. So instead of using this addictive platforms or instead of using this unregulated platform go for regulated non-addictive channels like email and other forum for communicating with the institutions and the peer group and also with the teachers and setting global standards that means UN level child online safety benchmark for preventing the uh to prevent the jurisdiction uh you know arbitrate. So know that means bringing a global standard. So instead of uh you know we can say that meta is a global uh platform right it is accessed by every people in this planet that means to to regulate such a global platform we need a global framework so it will ensure uniform safety to the children across the world. NXT is independent oversight that means empower regulator regulators to find platforms for design harm that means we should have a regulatory body at every level to monitor the social media handles and other digital platforms. So in case if there is any uh fault in their design or in the usage then the company should take the responsibility that is the producer has to take the responsibility and for that for that we need an expert panel which is uh free from all type of political and regional bias. So these are the measures that we can take or these are the principles that we can consider in the coming days to regulate the the the the social media use by the children. And uh coming to the mains practice question, the question is critically examine whether platform driven safety settlements can meaningfully curb teen social social media addiction and out uh and outline a regulatory framework balancing safety, privacy and autonomy. So you know the question is simple is this is asking whether the settlement alone can bring safety to the children or whether the new control measures can bring safety to the children. So it's a 15 marks question and you have to write around 250 words. Write the answer. Post it in the comment section. We will review and we will reply for your answer. Now it's time to move to the prelims focus for the day. Coming to the prelims focus for the day. The first topic is Donald Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. So recently the US President Donald Trump has signed orders to rename the Lake Ontario into Lake America. So the objective behind the rename of the lake Ontario into Lake America is nothing but asserting the US dominance in this region especially the trade dominance over the Canada. And we know that Lake Ontario it is located between Canada and the United States of America and it is one of the most important uh you know uh trading hub in the USA and we can see that the name Ontario is taken from the Iraqis word Ontario. So the name is coming from the Iraqi language Ontario the Iraqi language. So in Iraqi language Ontario means lake of shining water or beautiful lake. So Iraqis you know are the tribal community living in this region. So they are you know they are living in this region for generations and the name Andari is taken from the Iraqi language which means lake of beautiful waters or shining waters or beautiful lake and we can see that in 2015. So this is not the first attempt of the uh USA to rename uh some geographical feature. In 2015 the uh the US administration tried to rename the Gulf of Mexico into Gulf of America but this proposal was rejected by the Mexican government and it did not happen. And the next is the Amania Telangans. So Amania Telangans is a freshwater flowering plant which was discovered from the Reangaradi district. uh that is exactly from the Amhabad tiger reserve in Telangana. So this Amraabad tiger reserve is located in the Reangar district in the Andhra Pradesh. So the research team from the botanical survey of India, University of Hyderabad and the Andra University team, they discovered this freshwater flowering plant from the Amraad tigers. And talking about the key features, it belongs to the family Lithraia. And uh it the study regarding this flowering plant was later published in the Phytoaxa, an international journal. And we can see that the the key physical features of this plant includes stocked flower clusters, magenta petals, distinct leaves and cerebri form seed cord pattern. And they are mostly found in the uh in the wet sandy soil along the seasonal streams or franches of water bodies. And the flowering season of this plant is between November to February. So in this picture you can see the plant. So this is the plant that we have discovered from the Amraabad tigers. So you can see the the you know it is like a knife. It is like a primitive knife. So we can see that the you know this is the the the pattern or the shape of the leaf of this uh plant and this is the flower and the flowering period is from November to February. And the next topic is national sports day 2026. So we know that the national sports day is observed on 29th August every year since 2012 to commemorate the legend Major Dian Chand. So he's known for his hockey career and in hockey he is known as hockey vizard and the magician and he has scored nearly 400 plus goals in his career and also scored a hat-tick in the Olympics and the highest sports award or the highest sports honor in India is named after him that is the major dian kale ratna award and initiatives associated with the national sports day we have the KA KO India program and we have the fit India movement which was launched in 2015 sorry 2019 which is focusing on promoting sports you know fitness and the healthy diet in India and the the celebration so as a part of the national sports day uh you know uh we have uh we have organized many sports activities fitness programs across the country and uh coming to the prelims practice question the question is consider the following statement regarding national sports day one it celebrated every year on 29th August. Statement two, the day commemorates the birth anniversary of Major Zanch. And statement three, it is observed to promote sports and physical fitness in India. So which of the statements given above is or are correct. So they are asking for the correct statement. We have the option one and two only, two and three only, one and three only and 1 2 and three. So mention the correct answer in the comment box. We will replay. Now we are coming to the conclusion for today's prelims. With this we are coming to the conclusion for today's current affair analysis. If you like the video, hit the like button, give your feedbacks as comments and share this content with your friends. And before leaving this channel, don't forget to subscribe and also hit the bell icon to receive alltime updates from the academy. Thank you for listening to us. Thank you for listening to me. Have a nice day. [music]