News Context

• The Centre announced a relief package for tobacco farmers comprising credit and price support.
• Interest-free loans of ₹50,000 each will be provided to about 45,000 tobacco farmers, repayable over two years (total outlay ₹250 crore).

Tobacco Cultivation — Key Facts

• Tobacco is a tropical crop but grown under tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates.
• Requires 100–120 frost-free days and an ideal temperature of 27°C (80°F).
• Needs well-distributed rainfall of 88–125 mm per month and warm, well-drained rich soil.
• Gujarat is the largest producer (41%), followed by Andhra Pradesh (22%) in India.

Tobacco Plant — Key Facts

• Tobacco refers to plants in the genus Nicotiana, primarily N. tabacum (chief commercial crop).
• The word “tobacco” originates from the Spanish “tabaco,” likely from the Taíno language of the Caribbean.
• Traditional uses include smoking, chewing, snuffing, and nicotine extraction.
• WHO (2008) named tobacco the world’s single greatest preventable cause of death.

Tobacco Board of India

• Constituted as a statutory body on January 1, 1976 under Section 4 of the Tobacco Board Act, 1975.
• Headquarters: Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Headed by a Chairman.
• Primary function: export promotion of all varieties of tobacco and allied products.
• Also regulates production and distribution of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco.

News Context

• Kerala reported a rise in leptospirosis cases during the 2026 monsoon season, particularly in Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts.
• The Health Department issued advisories for people working in flooded fields, construction sites, and sewage-prone areas.
• Kerala regularly reports outbreaks post-heavy rainfall as rodents proliferate in waterlogged areas.

Leptospirosis — Key Facts

• A bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira interrogans.
• Also known as “Weil’s Disease” in its severe form.
• One of the world’s most widespread zoonoses.
• Reservoir hosts: rodents (rats), cattle, pigs, dogs, and other mammals.
• Most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, especially during monsoon and flood seasons.
• Symptoms: sudden high fever, severe headache, muscle pain (calves), chills, vomiting, and red eyes (conjunctival suffusion).
• Severe form can cause liver failure, kidney failure, bleeding, and meningitis, leading to death.
• Treatment: Doxycycline is the most commonly used antibiotic for treatment and prophylaxis.

Transmission — Concepts for Prelims

• Bacteria are excreted in the urine of infected animals and survive in soil/water for weeks to months.
• Transmission occurs via direct contact with infected urine or indirect contact with contaminated water, soil, or mud.
• Bacteria enter through cuts, abrasions, or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth).
• Does not spread person-to-person.
• High-risk groups: farmers, sewage workers, veterinarians, slaughterhouse workers, flood-affected populations.

News Context

• FPI inflows into India touched ₹1.52 lakh crore in the first four months of FY26 (April–July 2026) — the highest in four years.
• Equities attracted ₹1.01 lakh crore while debt markets received ₹51,000 crore.
• Strong inflows driven by India’s economic resilience, stable rupee, and attractive valuations.
• SEBI reported total registered FPIs in India crossed 12,000.

FPI — Key Facts

• FPI refers to investment by foreign entities in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other securities in India.
• Regulated by SEBI under SEBI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) Regulations, 2019.
• Custodian banks (HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Citi) hold assets on behalf of FPIs.
• Categorised into Category I (low risk — government entities, central banks) and Category II (all others).
• RBI monitors FPI investments in debt markets under FEMA, 1999.

FPI Characteristics — Concepts for Prelims

• Typically passive investment without management control over the investee company.
• Highly liquid; can enter/exit markets quickly, making it more volatile than FDI.
• Stake above 10% triggers reclassification as FDI under Indian regulations.
• Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) allows FPIs into Indian debt markets with a minimum 3-year retention.
• FPI in G-Secs is governed by RBI’s Medium-Term Framework (MTF).

FPI vs FDI

News Context

• ZSI (Zoological Survey of India) scientists published a “Catalogue of Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) of India” in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
• Scientists Navneet Singh and Rahul Joshi took 12 years to complete the cataloguing work.
• The catalogue bridges taxonomic gaps persisting for more than 100 years.

Key Facts for Prelims

• India is home to 13,703 species of Lepidoptera — approximately 8.25% of the world’s total.
• Of these, 1,417 are butterflies and 12,286 are moths.
• Spans 3,705 genera, 240 subfamilies, 102 families, and 31 superfamilies.
• 2,205 species of Geometroidea (nocturnal pollinators) catalogued — 8.8% of the world’s known species in this superfamily.
• This positions India among megadiverse nations with an authoritative baseline inventory.

Lepidoptera — Concepts for Prelims

• Order of insects including butterflies, moths, and skippers.
• Name derives from Greek, meaning “scaly winged”, referring to microscopic dustlike scales on wings.
• Butterflies are day-flying and brightly coloured; moths are chiefly night-flying and dull-coloured.
• Skippers are a worldwide group intermediate between butterflies and moths.
• Serve as herbivores, detritivores, and pollinators; vital food resource for birds, bats, and insectivores.

News Context

• OPEC+ agreed to increase oil production by 548,000 barrels per day from September 2026, continuing its unwinding of voluntary cuts.
• Decision driven by higher-than-expected compliance from member nations and rising global oil demand.
• Saudi Arabia and Russia, the two largest producers in OPEC+, led the production increase consensus.
• The hike comes amid supply-demand balance concerns and pressure from consuming nations including India and China.

OPEC — Key Facts

• Founded in Baghdad, Iraq on September 14, 1960.
• Five founding members: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Venezuela.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria. Currently has 12 member countries.
• Objective: coordinate petroleum policies, ensure stable oil markets and fair prices.
• India is not a member of OPEC.

OPEC+ — Key Facts

• Alliance between OPEC members and 10 non-OPEC oil-producing nations, led by Russia.
• Formed in December 2016 to coordinate oil production cuts more broadly.
• Key non-OPEC members: Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Oman.
• Controls approximately 40% of global oil supply.
• Brent Crude (North Sea) and WTI (West Texas Intermediate) are the two global benchmark crude prices.
• India’s oil import basket is benchmarked to Brent crude.