Current Affairs 09 January 2026

Content

1. 10–20 Minute Delivery Model & Gig Workers 
2. ISRO and the Next Big Challenge
3. Madhav Gadgil’s Enduring Legacy in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve
4. Why Folic Acid Awareness is Key to Preventing Spina Bifida
5. Monument Conservation Opens to the Private Sector
6. AI-Based Citizen Participation in Budgeting

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10–20 Minute Delivery Model & Gig Workers 

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Why in News?

• On 31 December, over 1 lakh gig and platform workers went on strike across India.
• Memorandum submitted to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya demanding:
  • Immediate withdrawal of 10–20 minute delivery models.
  • Priority to worker safety, income stability, and accountability of platforms.
• Renewed debate on:
  • Adequacy of four Labour Codes in protecting gig workers.
  • Regulation of algorithm-driven work systems.
• Contextual relevance due to:
  • Rapid expansion of quick commerce.
  • Projections by NITI Aayog that 2.35 crore workers will be part of the gig economy by 2029–30.

Relevance

GS II (Governance & Social Justice)

• Labour reforms and adequacy of Labour Codes.
• Social security coverage of gig and platform workers.
• Role of State in regulating new forms of work.
• Worker safety, dignity of labour, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

GS III (Economy, Technology & Employment)

• Gig economy and platform capitalism.
• Impact of AI and algorithms on labour markets.
• Employment generation vs job precarity.
• Urban logistics, quick commerce, and informalisation of work.

What is the 10–20 Minute Delivery Model?

• Ultra-fast delivery promise driven by competitive business strategy, not essential consumer demand.
• Initiated by private platforms; replicated to avoid market loss.
• Relies on:
  • Dense urban logistics.
  • Algorithmic task allocation.
  • High-pressure human labour rather than pure technological efficiency.

Key Concerns with the 10–20 Minute Delivery Model

1. Worker Safety & Human Cost

• Time compression leads to:
  • Rash driving, traffic violations, accident risks.
  • Physical exhaustion and mental stress.
• Speed is extracted from workers, not created by technology.

2. Algorithmic Control & Precarity

• Work allocation, incentives, ratings, and deactivations controlled by opaque algorithms.
• Risks:
  • Sudden ID blocking without explanation.
  • Income volatility and psychological stress.
• No statutory right to explanation, appeal, or grievance redressal.

3. Unequal Risk Allocation

• Tech infrastructure and marketing costs treated as fixed.
• Labour treated as the only adjustable variable.
• Workers effectively subsidise platform growth through risk-bearing.

Economic Context: Why Platforms Defend the Model ?

• Quick commerce growth trajectory:
  • ~₹50,000 crore market (2025).
  • Expected to reach ₹1–1.5 lakh crore in next 2 years.
  • Industry CAGR ~28%.
• Online grocery market projected growth: 40–50%.
• Generates rapid, low-entry-barrier employment in an economy with:
  • ~20 million new workforce entrants annually.
  • Only ~2 million formal jobs created per year.

Are the Labour Codes Adequate for Gig Workers?

Structural Limitations

• Gig workers explicitly excluded from employee status.
• No entitlement to:
  • Minimum wages.
  • Regulated working hours.
  • Paid leave, overtime, or collective bargaining.

Social Security Provisions: Weak & Non-Mandatory

• Social Security Code mentions:
  • Accident insurance, maternity benefits, welfare schemes.
• Issues:
  • Non-binding nature.
  • No guaranteed funding ratios.
  • Registration on e-SHRAM offers identification, not assured benefits.

Algorithmic Blind Spot

• No regulation of:
  • Automated penalties.
  • Task allocation logic.
  • Deactivation decisions.
• Absence of transparency or accountability mechanisms.

Debate: Protection vs Platform Viability

Platform-Side Argument

• Over-regulation may:
  • Reduce flexibility.
  • Increase costs.
  • Shrink gig opportunities.
• High attrition suggests workers value flexibility.
• Fear of “killing the golden goose” in a fast-growing employment segment.

Worker-Centric Argument

• Evidence shows ~80% of gig workers are full-time.
• For millions, gig work is primary livelihood, not supplemental income.
• Core demands are basic, not radical:
  • Predictable minimum earnings.
  • Safety cover.
  • Protection from arbitrary deactivation.
  • Data and algorithmic transparency.

Impact of AI on Gig Work: Future Risks

• AI likely to:
  • Intensify surveillance and control.
  • Enable faster, cheaper worker replacement.
  • Reduce human discretion and dialogue.
• Workers risk becoming:
  • More disposable.
  • One algorithm update away from income loss.

Way Forward: Regulatory Balance

• Avoid binary of “consumer convenience vs worker welfare”.
• Key policy directions:
  • Minimum floor income and insurance mandates.
  • Algorithmic transparency and explainability norms.
  • Independent grievance redressal mechanisms.
  • Shared responsibility where control implies obligation.
• Parallel focus on:
  • Expanding labour-intensive manufacturing to absorb workforce surplus.

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ISRO and the next big challenge

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Why in News?

• Over the last decade, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has delivered high-complexity, high-credibility missions:
  • Chandrayaan-3 soft lunar landing (23 Aug 2023).
  • Aditya-L1 placed in halo orbit at Sun–Earth L1 (6 Jan 2024).
  • NISAR launched with NASA (July 2025).
• Parallel preparation for Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4, and Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
• Post-2020 liberalisation of India’s space sector has exposed gaps in governance, execution capacity, and competitiveness.

Relevance

GS III (Science & Technology)

• Space technology and applications.
• Transition from mission-based success to institutional capacity building.
• Heavy-lift launch vehicles, reusability, and space competitiveness.

ISRO’s Recent Performance: What Has Changed?

1. Launch Reliability

• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV):
  • Normalised multi-satellite, multi-orbit missions.
  • Reliable, cost-effective access to space → operational maturity.

2. Capability Leap

• Shift from Earth-centric missions to:
  • Lunar surface operations.
  • Solar physics.
  • Human spaceflight preparation.

3. International Credibility

• NISAR marks:
  • Billion-dollar, equal partnership mission.
  • Entry into elite group executing advanced Earth-observation systems.

Implication

• Success has raised the bar: future evaluation is about routine excellence, not isolated achievements.

Core Challenges Ahead

1. Execution Capacity & Mission Bottlenecks

Parallel Mission Load

• Human spaceflight.
• Advanced science missions.
• Satellite replenishment.
• Development of NGLV (beyond medium-lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Symptoms of Strain

• Only 5 launches in 2025 (vs projected 8).
• Delays linked to:
  • Big-ticket programme prioritisation.
  • Limited annual launch cadence.

Structural Issue

• ISRO remains:
  • Designer + integrator + operator.
• Creates a single institutional bottleneck.

Systemic Risk

• One anomaly → cascading delays across unrelated missions.

What is Needed ?

• Expanded integration and testing capacity.
• Robust industrial supply chains (structures, avionics).
• Clear separation of:
  • R&D vehicles vs operational vehicles.
• Workflows that absorb setbacks without system-wide paralysis.

2. Governance Gap in a Liberalised Space Sector

Post-2020 Institutional Architecture

• IN-SPACe: authorisation & promotion.
• New Space India Limited: commercialisation.

Critical Gap

• Absence of a comprehensive national space law.

Consequences

• Legal ambiguity on:
  • Authorisation powers.
  • Liability and insurance.
  • Dispute resolution.
• ISRO pulled in as:
  • Default regulator.
  • Technical certifier.
• Commercial failures risk being socialised onto ISRO.

Why a Space Law Matters ?

• Provides statutory authority to IN-SPACe and NSIL.
• Insulates ISRO from routine regulatory/commercial tasks.
• Ensures continuity across political and administrative cycles.

3. Competitiveness as an Ecosystem Problem

Global Trends

• High-frequency launches.
• Partially reusable launch vehicles.
• Rapid satellite manufacturing cycles.

India’s Strategic Response

• NGLV targeting:
  • Reusability.
  • ~30-tonne payload to Low Earth Orbit.

Core Constraint

• Competitiveness is no longer purely technological.
• Requires:
  • Advanced manufacturing.
  • Production depth.
  • High qualification throughput.
  • Large, patient capital.

Financial Stress

• Space-sector investment fell sharply in 2024.
• Hardware-heavy, long-gestation projects deter private finance.

Policy Response

• IN-SPACe’s Technology Adoption Fund:
  • Bridge prototype → scalable product.
  • Reduce import dependence.

Strategic Insight: From Feats to Systems

• Past: Individual mission brilliance.
• Future: Sustained, institutionalised performance.
• Decisive factors:
  • Engineering capacity.
  • Legal clarity.
  • Industrial depth.
  • Financial maturity — evolving together.

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Madhav Gadgil’s Enduring Legacy in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

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Why in News?

• Madhav Gadgil, one of India’s most influential ecologists, passed away recently.
• Renewed national attention on:
  • His foundational role in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR).
  • His philosophy of people-centric, landscape-level conservation.
• Relevance for contemporary debates on:
  • Western Ghats conservation.
  • Community participation vs top-down environmental regulation.
  • Sustainable livelihoods in biodiversity-rich regions.

Relevance

GS I (Geography & Environment)

• Western Ghats as a global biodiversity hotspot.
• Biosphere Reserves and landscape ecology.

GS III (Environment & Ecology)

• Conservation models: people-centric vs exclusionary.
• Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).
• Human–wildlife coexistence and corridor-based conservation.

Who Was Madhav Gadgil?

• Pioneer of ecological science and conservation biology in India.
• Founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
• Architect of participatory environmental governance in India.
• Chairperson of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP).

Contribution to the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

1. Conceptualising India’s First Biosphere Reserve

• Authored the NBR concept document.
• Enabled designation of NBR as:
  • India’s first Biosphere Reserve.
  • Part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).
• Integrated conservation with human use rather than exclusionary protection.

2. Landscape-Level Conservation Approach

• Moved beyond fragmented, species-specific protection.
• Emphasised:
  • Ecological connectivity across forests, grasslands, and human settlements.
  • Conservation at landscape and regional scales.
• Insight emerged from:
  • Field studies on Asian elephants, highlighting the need for corridor-based conservation.

3. People-Centric Conservation Philosophy

• Advocated:
  • Local communities as stakeholders, not threats.
  • Protection of biodiversity-dependent livelihoods.
• Rejected fortress-style conservation.
• Influenced later debates on:
  • Eco-sensitive zones.
  • Community forest rights.

Institutional & Academic Legacy

1. Building Ecological Institutions

• Established CES at IISc as:
  • India’s premier ecology research hub.
  • A cradle for interdisciplinary ecological science.
• Trained generations of ecologists, conservationists, and policy thinkers.

2. Western Ghats Network Programme

• Connected:
  • Universities and researchers from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu.
• Created a pan-Western Ghats research ecosystem.
• Democratized ecological knowledge across regions and institutions.

Policy Impact Beyond the Nilgiris

Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP)

• Chaired by Gadgil.
• Recommended:
  • Zoning of Western Ghats into Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).
  • Decentralised, participatory decision-making.
• Though politically contested, it:
  • Set the intellectual benchmark for future Western Ghats governance.

Why Gadgil’s Legacy Matters Today ?

• Climate change, habitat fragmentation, and infrastructure pressures are intensifying in the Western Ghats.
• Gadgil’s framework offers:
  • A scientifically grounded yet socially just conservation model.
  • An alternative to purely technocratic or exclusionary approaches.
• His work underlines that:
  • Long-term conservation success depends on local legitimacy and ecological realism.

Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve  

• India’s first Biosphere Reserve (declared in 1986); part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
• Located at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka in the Western Ghats.
• Covers diverse ecosystems: tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, shola–grassland complexes.
• Landscape-level conservation model integrating forests, wildlife habitats, and human settlements.

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Folic Acid Awareness & Prevention of Spina Bifida

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Why in News?

• Renewed public health concern following reporting on Spina Bifida, India’s most common birth defect, and the persistently low awareness about its prevention.
• Expert calls for:
  • National awareness campaigns.
  • Food fortification with folic acid.
• India continues to record one of the highest global prevalence rates, despite three decades of scientific evidence on prevention.

Relevance

GS II (Social Justice & Health)

• Preventive healthcare and maternal nutrition.
• Public health awareness failures.
• Role of State in reducing avoidable disabilities.

GS III (Human Resource Development)

• Nutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and long-term productivity.
• Cost-effectiveness of prevention vs treatment.

What is Spina Bifida?

• A neural tube defect (NTD) where the spinal cord fails to develop properly in early pregnancy.
• Occurs very early in gestation (within first 28 days).
• Leads to irreversible neurological damage.

Magnitude of the Problem in India

• >25,000 children born annually with Spina Bifida.
• Prevalence: ~4 per 1,000 births (much higher than global best practices).
• India among countries with highest disease burden globally.
• >75% of affected children lack access to comprehensive medical care.

Clinical & Social Impact

• Physical disability:
  • Ranges from mild foot weakness to complete paralysis below the hips.
  • Many children wheelchair-dependent from early childhood.
• Associated conditions:
  • Hydrocephalus (excess fluid in brain).
  • Urinary & bowel incontinence.
  • Orthopaedic deformities (club foot).
• Cognitive function:
  • No intellectual impairment — children can lead productive lives if treated.
• Socio-economic burden:
  • Long-term medical costs.
  • Caregiver burden.
  • Loss of household income and dignity.

Why Folic Acid is Critical ?

• Folic acid (Vitamin B9) intake:
  • Before conception and during early pregnancy.
  • Can prevent >70% of Spina Bifida cases.
• Evidence established since 1991:
  • Medical Research Council (MRC) Vitamin Study (published in The Lancet).
• Cost-effective:
  • ₹1 spent on prevention saves >₹100 in treatment and rehabilitation.

India’s Policy & Awareness Gap

• No large-scale national awareness campaign.
• Limited counselling on pre-conception nutrition, especially for:
  • Rural women.
  • Unplanned pregnancies.
• Absence of:
  • Mandatory food fortification with folic acid.
  • Systematic education via primary healthcare systems.
• Represents public health negligence, given known preventability.

Global Best Practices

• 68 countries mandate folic acid fortification in staple foods.
• Outcomes:
  • Reduced Spina Bifida prevalence to <1 per 1,000 births.
• Combined approach:
  • Mass awareness campaigns.
  • Mandatory fortification laws.

Emerging Research & Indian Context

• Exploration of universally consumed food vehicles:
  • Salt.
  • Tea.
• Preliminary Indian trial:
  • Tea fortification with folate and vitamin B12.
  • Published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
• Objective:
  • Address both neural tube defects and anaemia-related neurological issues.

Expert & Institutional Advocacy

• Strong advocacy by public health experts including:
  • Emory University-based Center for Spina Bifida Prevention.
• Calls for:
  • Primary prevention over curative focus.
  • Integration of folic acid awareness into maternal health programmes.

Way Forward

• Launch nationwide awareness campaign on:
  • Pre-conception folic acid intake.
  • Early antenatal nutrition.
• Introduce mandatory food fortification with folic acid and vitamin B12.
• Strengthen:
  • Primary healthcare counselling.
  • Referral and rehabilitation systems for affected children.
• Align with goals of:
  • Reducing under-five mortality.
  • Preventing avoidable disabilities and stillbirths.

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Monument Conservation Opens to Private Sector 

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Why in News?

• The Ministry of Culture has decided to open conservation and restoration of centrally protected monuments to private agencies.
• This marks a major shift as Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will no longer be the sole implementing authority.
• Over 200 private heritage conservation agencies are being empanelled following a Request for Proposals (RFP).
• The move formally ends ASI’s exclusive mandate in monument conservation.

Relevance

GS I (Indian Culture & Heritage)

• Conservation of monuments and heritage management.
• Role of ASI and centrally protected monuments.

GS II (Governance)

• Changing role of the State: implementer → regulator.
• Public–Private Partnerships (PPP) in public goods.
• Accountability and regulatory oversight.

What is the New Conservation Framework?

• Private sector participation allowed in:
  • Conservation.
  • Restoration.
  • Preservation of centrally protected monuments.
• Work will be carried out:
  • Under ASI supervision.
  • Following approved conservation plans and standards.
• Ministry will:
  • Vet and empanel agencies through an internal committee.
  • Monitor execution and compliance.

How Will the System Work?

• Detailed Project Reports (DPRs):
  • Prepared by expert conservation architects.
• Execution:
  • Can be done by:
    • PSU corporations.
    • Municipal bodies.
    • Private heritage firms.
• Funding mechanism:
  • Use of National Culture Fund (NCF).
  • Encourages CSR-based funding.
• ASI’s role shifts to:
  • Approval of plans.
  • Oversight and quality control.
  • Ensuring adherence to conservation norms.

Rationale Behind the Move

• Capacity constraints of ASI:
  • Conservation work for nearly 3,700 monuments handled largely by ASI staff.
• Slow pace of conservation:
  • Limited manpower and institutional bandwidth.
• Need to build a broader ecosystem:
  • Create a national talent pool of conservation professionals.
• Utilise private expertise:
  • Many private agencies possess advanced conservation skills and experience.

Key Institutional Changes

• ASI transitions from:
  • Implementer → Regulator & Supervisor.
• Conservation becomes:
  • More decentralised.
  • Potentially faster and scalable.
• Marks shift from a state-monopoly model to a PPP-style framework.

Illustrative Case

• Ranthambore Fort:
  • Among monuments where NCF is seeking private support for conservation.
• Indicates application to high-value, iconic heritage sites.

Concerns & Criticisms

• Risk of commercialisation:
  • Profit motives may dilute conservation ethics.
• Past experience:
  • Corporates struggled with heritage timelines and compliance.
• Quality control challenges:
  • Need to prevent cosmetic or tourism-oriented alterations.
• Accountability gaps:
  • Clear liability needed in case of damage or non-compliance.

Safeguards Built into the Model

• ASI retains:
  • Final approval authority.
  • Monitoring and enforcement powers.
• Mandatory adherence to:
  • Conservation charters.
  • Scientific restoration norms.
• No transfer of:
  • Ownership.
  • Monument management rights.

Global Parallels

• United Kingdom:
  • Churches Conservation Trust.
• United States:
  • Strong role of private funding and foundations.
• Germany & Netherlands:
  • Historic foundations managing heritage assets.
• India aligning with international best practices under regulatory oversight.

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AI-Based Citizen Participation in Budgeting

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Why in News?

• Haryana government has launched an AI-based Voice Feedback Portal to gather citizen inputs for Budget 2026–27.
• Objective: Formulate a “People’s Budget” through direct public participation.
• Claimed as the first-ever use of Artificial Intelligence for budget consultation within India’s administrative and democratic framework.
• Initiative launched at the instance of Nayab Singh Saini, Chief Minister of Haryana.

Relevance

GS II (Governance & Democracy)

• Participatory democracy and citizen engagement.
• Budget-making as a democratic exercise.
• Role of States as laboratories of governance reform.

GS III (Technology & E-Governance)

• Use of AI in public administration.
• Data-driven policymaking.
• Digital inclusion and exclusion risks.

What is the Initiative?

• An AI-enabled chatbot and voice-based platform allowing citizens to:
  • Submit budget-related suggestions.
  • Share priorities and grievances.
• Inputs collected live and analysed using AI tools.
• Aims to support data-driven budget formulation.

Institutional Framework

• Implemented through Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute for Fiscal Management.
• Role:
  • Design and operationalise AI-based consultation.
  • Aggregate and analyse citizen feedback for policymakers.

Key Features

• Voice-based access:
  • Reduces digital literacy barriers.
  • Enables participation beyond text-based portals.
• AI-driven analysis:
  • Categorisation of suggestions.
  • Identification of recurring themes and priorities.
• Real-time feedback loop:
  • Faster collation compared to traditional consultations.

Why It Matters?

• Deepening participatory democracy:
  • Moves beyond token consultations.
  • Gives citizens a direct voice in fiscal decision-making.
• Administrative innovation:
  • Demonstrates use of AI in core governance functions.
• Inclusive governance:
  • Potential to include rural, semi-literate, and marginalised populations.

Governance Significance

• Marks a shift from:
  • Elite-driven budgeting → citizen-informed budgeting.
• Aligns with:
  • Digital governance.
  • Evidence-based policymaking.
• Sets a precedent for other States and possibly the Union government.

Challenges & Concerns

• Representativeness:
  • Risk of over-representation of digitally active groups.
• Data governance:
  • Privacy, consent, and ethical use of citizen data.
• Policy translation gap:
  • No statutory obligation to incorporate suggestions.
• Algorithmic transparency:
  • Need clarity on how AI prioritises and filters inputs.

Way Forward

• Combine AI consultations with:
  • Offline public hearings.
  • Gram Sabha-level discussions.
• Ensure:
  • Transparency on how feedback influences budget allocations.
  • Clear data protection safeguards.
• Institutionalise citizen consultation as a regular budgetary process, not a one-off experiment.

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