27th MAY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Mission Queen Pineapple

Chief Minister of Tripura, today launched the “Mission Queen Pineapple”, a ₹236 crore convergence-led initiative for pineapple cultivation and value chain development in the State of Tripura.

The Mission is designed as a three-year implementation roadmap from FY2026 toFY2028 for promoting Tripura’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) — the GI-tagged Queen Pineapple

Nearly 60 percent of the pineapple plant, presently discarded as waste, would be converted into value-added products through Bromelain extraction, Pineapple Leaf Fiber (PALF) processing and GI-branded confectionery units.

He emphasised that these interventions would create new opportunities for women SHGs, tribal communities and rural entrepreneurs while strengthening the circular economy around pineapple cultivation.

In India, smallholder growers presently receive only ₹6–10 per kilogram at the farmgate level

2. National Health Accounts Estimates for India 2022-23

The NHA 2022–23 is the tenth report on health expenditure estimates prepared by the National Health Accounts Technical Secretariat (NHATS), National Health Systems Resource Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, using the System of Health Accounts (2011) framework.

The report indicates an increase government expenditure on healthcare since 2013-14, reflecting sustained efforts to strengthen public investment in the health sector.

Government Health Expenditure (GHE) in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has risen from 1.15% in 2013–14 to 1.43% in 2022–23, As per the new GDP series with base year 2022-23, GHE as % of GDP is 1.48%.

Similarly, GHE’s share in General Government Expenditure (GGE) has increased from 3.78% to 4.89% over the same period, underscoring the growing prioritisation of health in public spending. In per capita terms, GHE has increased nearly 2.7 times

Social Security Expenditure (SSE) on healthcare increased from 6% to 9.9%

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) as a share of Total Health Expendituredeclined from 64.2% to 43.4%.

3. High-Level Committee on Demographic Change

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially constituted a "High-Level Committee to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons."

The panel is headed by Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar, a retired Supreme Court Judge and former Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh, and also comprises the Census Commissioner, among others.

Demographic Change is a serious problem linked not only to our sovereignty but also to national security, law and order, major changes in the social structure, and the protection of tribal societies

This Committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the demographic changes occurring across India due to illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons

The Committee will analyse the patterns of abnormal population changes at the level of religious and social communities and will present a well-planned and time-bound solution to address the issue

The Committee will submit its report within one year, if necessary, the tenure of the Committee may be extended by up to six months

The proposed structure and Terms of Reference of the Committee are as follows:

To comprehensively deliberate upon the challenges arising from demographic changes, including illegal immigration.

To study the possible causes of such demographic changes, such as cross-border activities (including illegal immigration), economic opportunities, and other socio-environmental factors.

To identify the underlying factors behind these changes, which include illegal immigration, abnormal settlement patterns, and orchestrated migration

To analyse structural population changes at the level of religious or social communities, particularly where they deviate from broader trends.

4.Water Governance in Rural India

India has 17.5 percent of the global population and 11.6 percent of the world’s livestock. This creates significant demand on water resources.

Agriculture accounts for 8.

0 to 90 percent of water use in rural areas.

Water budgeting

Atal Bhujal Yojana

The National Water Mission

Varuni web application

Atal Bhujal Yojana Launched in 2019, the Atal Bhujal Yojana promotes water budgeting as a key tool for decentralized water governance at Gram Panchayat (GP).

National Water Mission (NWM)

The National Water Mission recognises water budgeting as a foundational element of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

Water budgeting under the Mission aligns with national priorities of water conservation, sustainability, and long-term water security.

Additionally, Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti under NWM emphasizes women-led institutions, including Self-Help Groups

Varuni Web Application

The Varuni web application employs a scientifically robust yet user-friendly methodology to generate block-level water budgets.

It integrates automatically sourced data from authoritative government portals, including rainfall, land use, cropping patterns, population, and water resources

The Varuni web application was developed under the Indo-German bilateral project “Water Security and Climate Adaptation in Rural India (WASCA)”.

The project is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Rural Development, with technical support from NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India).

5. Government Releases Guidelines for Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna Scheme to Develop 100 Industrial Parks

The Government of India released detailed guidelines for the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna BHAVYA Scheme aimed at developing 100 world-class industrial parks across India.

The guidelines were issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

The BHAVYA Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme focused on creating integrated industrial ecosystems to attract domestic and global manufacturers.

The scheme aligns with major national initiatives such as Make in India and Prime Minister Gati Shakti.

Under the scheme, 100 industrial parks will be developed between Financial Year 2026–27 and Financial Year 2031–32.

States, Union Territories, and eligible agencies will compete based on infrastructure quality, connectivity, and investment potential.

The scheme focuses on developing plug-and-play industrial infrastructure to enable faster industrial operations.

Key infrastructure facilities will include multimodal logistics connectivity, reliable water and electricity supply, underground utility systems, renewable energy infrastructure, worker housing facilities, skill development centres, waste management and treatment systems, and testing laboratories.

The scheme supports both greenfield and brownfield industrial park development.

Minimum land requirements are 100 acres for non-hilly states and 25 acres for hilly states, northeastern states, Union Territories, and smaller states.

Industrial parks of up to 1,000 acres can also be considered under the scheme.

Each industrial park will be developed through a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Companies Act, 2013.

The National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation will function as the Project Management Agency for the scheme.

Monitoring mechanisms will include Geographic Information System-based tracking, audit systems, progress reporting, and oversight by a National Steering Committee.

The scheme aims to improve ease of investment, industrial competitiveness, accountability, and transparency in industrial infrastructure