Prelims Focus 23rd July 2026

23/07/2026

22 3 minutes read

World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026

In news:The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 took place in Shanghai, China, from July 17 to 20, 2026, featuring key global announcements including the launch of the World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (WAICO), major showcases in embodied intelligence, and advanced computing infrastructure.

Key Highlights and Announcements

WAICO Launch: Headquartered in Shanghai, the newly formed intergovernmental body aims to foster multilateral cooperation and capacity building for developing nations.
Exhibition Scale: Over 1,100 companies and 3,000 exhibits showcased recent innovations, featuring more than 300 global product debuts with a strong focus on humanoid robots and physical AI integration.
Global Action Plans: Organizers released core cooperative frameworks, including the AI Cooperation and Development Action Plan and the Action Plan on International AI Ethics Governance.

Mission Golden Spice

In News: Mission Golden Spice was launched by Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on July 21, 2026, in New Delhi. The ₹175.45 crore project aims to transform the GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric into a global premium brand.

Key Project Details

Financial Outlay: ₹175.45 crore investment.
Timeline: Five-year roadmap running from 2026 to 2030.
Target Beneficiaries: Empowers over 17,500 farming households and creates more than 3,000 livelihoods, heavily focused on women-led employment.
Cultivation Goal: Expands organic turmeric farming to 7,000 hectares.

Core Objectives

Value Addition: Builds modern processing infrastructure, including the Northeast’s largest organic turmeric processing and curcumin extraction facility.
Global Branding: Positions Lakadong turmeric as a flagship “Brand North East” item internationally by leveraging its naturally high curcumin content.
Institutional Support: Connects farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and integrates support from multiple central ministries and national boards.

‘Angen’ wins National Award

In News: Jharkhand Santali movie “Angen” has won the 72nd National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director in the Non-Feature category.

It is the first Santali movie to get a National Film Award.
It is directed by Ravi Raj Murmu; it is a short film running for 12 minutes and 10 seconds inspired by a mystical folktale of Jharkhand.
Santali is among the 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
Official languages of the Republic of India are given in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The other language groups such as Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santali have been added by the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003.

Nifty500 Ahimsa Index

In News: To promote non-violence towards animals, NSE Indices Limited (the index-building arm of NSE) has launched the Nifty500 Ahimsa Index, a stock market index based on the non-violence concept.

The Nifty500 Ahimsa Index selects companies from the Nifty 500 that do not benefit animals and gauges the performance of the stocks of these companies. This index is not like other environmental or governance indexes that screen companies based on environmental or governance scores; it is simply asking the question: Does this company do harm to animals in its business? It currently has 326 companies listed.
The concept is to provide investors with a quick and easy option to invest in “cruelty-free” businesses.
It’s an initiative of NSE Indices Limited and Ahimsagain Foundation.

Karlapat Bauxite Block

In News: Odisha’s Karlapat bauxite block is being eyed by some of the major industrial groups in India.

Karlapat is one of the biggest bauxite fields in Odisha. It was responsible for 41% of India’s bauxite resources.
The state of Odisha is the biggest producer of bauxite in India with more than 70% of the country’s total production. Other significant bauxite-producing states are Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
The Directorate of Geology, Government of Odisha estimates its resource at approximately 207 million tonnes, with 153 million tonnes as proved reserves and 54 million tonnes as possible reserves.
Karlapat bauxite deposit is a greenfield, meaning that it has not been commercially mined.