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- The Jute Corporation of India (JCI) has raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute from ₹5,335 to ₹5,650 per quintal for the 2025–26 crop year.
- This step aims to prevent distress sales and ensure fair returns for jute farmers.
- JCI, a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Textiles, was established in 1971 to support jute growers by purchasing raw jute and mesta at MSP without any quantity limit.
- The MSP is revised annually based on recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
- JCI helps protect farmers from exploitation by intermediaries and ensures price stability in the jute market.
- Initially a small agency, JCI now operates in seven key jute-producing states—West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Its functions include procuring raw jute, managing imports/exports, promoting jute products, and undertaking commercial operations to sustain the jute economy and benefit rural livelihoods.
- Japan's Sakurajima volcano recently erupted, sending a thick ash column nearly 3,000 meters into the sky, marking another event in its history of frequent activity.
- Located just 4 kilometers from Kagoshima City on Kyushu Island's southern tip, Sakurajima is among Japan's most active and closely monitored volcanoes.
- Standing at 1,117 meters with a 50-kilometer circumference, it lies on a convergent plate boundary, forming a stratovolcano composed of layered lava and ash.
- Originally an island, the volcano became connected to the mainland after a major 1914 eruption deposited enough material to create a land bridge.
- It features two main peaks—the North and South Peaks—and is known for its near-constant smoking and frequent minor eruptions, sometimes several per day.
- Its eruptions are explosive, emitting ash, pyroclastic flows, volcanic bombs, and toxic gases. The lava is andesitic, rich in gas and highly viscous, contributing to the volcano’s powerful, hazardous eruptions.
- The Himachal Pradesh government has officially declared the Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve in the Lahaul-Spiti region, marking a major step in wildlife protection.
- Spanning 1,585 sq.km, it is now India’s largest conservation reserve. Bordered by Ladakh to the north, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary to the east, Kabjima Nala to the south, and Chandratal Sanctuary to the west, the area is ecologically significant.
- It includes the confluence of the Unam River and Charap Nala and serves as the catchment for Charap Nallah. This reserve forms a vital wildlife corridor between Kibber and Chandra Taal sanctuaries.
- A Conservation Reserve Management Committee, including local Panchayat representatives, will oversee its administration, balancing conservation efforts with community interests.
- The region is a known habitat for snow leopards, Tibetan wolves, Himalayan ibex, bharal, kiang, and the rare Tibetan argali. Birdlife such as the Rose Finch, Tibetan Raven, and Yellow-billed Chough also thrive in this high-altitude ecosystem.