Current Affairs 30 May 2026

Canada-India Joint Statement 2026

Canada and India have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations and advancing negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Key Highlights

1. CEPA Negotiations

Both countries reiterated their commitment to concluding negotiations for an ambitious and mutually beneficial CEPA by the end of 2026. The agreement aims to expand market access, strengthen resilient supply chains, promote two-way economic growth, and increase commercial opportunities for businesses.

2. Launch of Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum

The Ministers launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum, which will serve as a platform for:

• Business collaboration
• Commercial partnerships
• Trade and investment engagement

3. Priority Sectors for Cooperation

The two countries identified several key sectors for deeper cooperation: clean energy, critical minerals, agri-food, advanced manufacturing, and digital technologies.

4. Team Canada Trade Mission

Canada announced that it will lead a Team Canada Trade Mission to India later this year, reflecting growing Canadian business interest in the Indian market.

India Inaugurates First Indigenous “SkyCast System”

Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first SkyCast System at the Indira Gandhi International Airport under the government’s Mission Mausam initiative. India has now become the 19th country in the world to install such an integrated atmospheric remote sensing system.

Key Features of SkyCast System

The SkyCast System is designed to improve:

• Aviation safety
• Fog monitoring
• Turbulence detection
• Real-time weather forecasting
• Flight operation efficiency

The system will:

• Provide real-time weather intelligence to pilots and air traffic controllers
• Reduce flight delays, cancellations, and diversions caused by fog
• Improve landing and take-off safety
• Enable short-term snowcasting alerts within three hours

Scientific Background

SkyCast was developed based on findings from the Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) initiated in 2015 by:

• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
• India Meteorological Department

New Evergreen Tree Species Discovered in Kerala’s Western Ghats

Scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, located in Kerala, have discovered a new evergreen tree species in the southern Western Ghats.

The newly identified species has been officially named Humboldtia nairiana and was discovered in the riparian forests of the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary within the biodiversity-rich Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.

The species has been named in honour of G. M. Nair, a noted plant biotechnologist and former Director of JNTBGRI.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey – 6 (NFHS-6) for 2023–24, highlighting significant improvements in maternal and child health, nutrition, immunization, and financial protection in healthcare. The survey was conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences and covered nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts in India.

Highlights

1. Improvement in Maternal Healthcare

• Institutional deliveries increased from 88.6% to 90.6%
• Antenatal Care (ANC) coverage improved from 92.6% to 95.9%.
• Mothers receiving at least four ANC visits increased from 58.5% to 65.2%.

2. Child Immunization Progress

• Full immunization coverage among children aged 12–23 months increased from 83.8% to 87.1%.
• 95.6% of children received vaccinations through public health facilities.
• Rotavirus vaccination coverage increased sharply from 36.4% to 85.4%

3. Nutrition Indicators Improve

• Stunting among children under five declined from 35.5% to 29.3%.
• Severe wasting reduced from 7.7% to 5.2%

4. Family Planning and Fertility

• India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remained stable at 2.0.
• Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) increased from 66.7% to 69.1%.

5. Financial Protection in Healthcare

Health insurance coverage at the household level increased from 41% to 60.2%.

6. Women’s Empowerment

• The number of women using the internet increased from 33.3% to 64.3%.
• Women with self-operated bank accounts increased to 89%.

Q1. The newly discovered evergreen tree species “Humboldtia nairiana” was found in which wildlife sanctuary of Kerala?
A. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
B. Silent Valley National Park
C. Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
D. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Q2. India and Canada are currently negotiating which major trade agreement aimed at expanding bilateral economic cooperation?
A. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
B. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)
C. Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
D. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)

Q3. Which of the following systems has been recently introduced by India for advanced aviation weather monitoring and fog forecasting?
A. MeghNet System
B. SkyCast System
C. AeroVision Grid
D. VayuSuraksha Network

Q4. According to NFHS-6 (2023–24), the percentage of institutional deliveries in India increased to:
A. 83.8%
B. 87.1%
C. 90.6%
D. 95.9%