About Labeo kaage:

• It is a new species of freshwater fish.
• It was discovered from the Shivanasamudra stretch of the Cauvery River basin in Mandya, Karnataka.
• The name kaage, derived from the Kannada word for crow, refers to the fish's dark body colour.
• Locally, it is known as ‘kaage meenu' in Karnataka.
• It is the latest in a series of dark-coloured Labeo species discovered in the Western Ghats.
• Recent Findings:
  • During 2025, the same team also discovered Labeo chekida from the Chalakkudy River and Labeo uru from the Chandragiri River of Kerala.
  • While Labeo chekida is locally known as ‘kaka chekida', Labeo uru was named after the traditional wooden dhow (uru) of the Malabar coast due to its elongated sail-like fins.
  • The scientists also clarified the identity of Labeo nigrescens, the enigmatic ‘Dark Labeo' originally described in 1870, resolving a long-standing taxonomic confusion surrounding the group.

About Fjord:

• A fjord is a long, narrow, deep body of water that stretches far inland from the coast.
• A fjord was formed when a glacier made a U-shaped valley by segregation through several ice ages .
• The valley was then filled with water from the sea once the glaciers melted.
• The opening toward the sea is called the mouth of the fjord, and is often shallow.
• The fjords can be long and quite deep and often surrounded by high mountains.
• Typically, fjords reach their greatest depths farther inland, where the force of the glacier that formed them was the most potent.
• Many fjords are actually deeper than the sea that feeds into it.
• Some features of fjords include coral reefs and rocky islands called skerries.
• Epishelf Lakes:
  • Another feature of some fjords is the presence of epishelf lakes. These lakes occur when melted fresh water becomes trapped under a floating ice shelf.
  • This freshwater does not mix with the saltwater below, but rather floats on top of it.
• Fjords are found mainly in Norway, Chile, New Zealand, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. state of Alaska.
  • Sognefjorden, a fjord in Norway, is more than 160 kilometers (nearly 100 miles) long.

About Dhow:

• A dhow is a traditional wooden sailing vessel used mainly in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and along the coasts of East Africa and the Middle East.
• A dhow has a long, narrow hull and is propelled only by its sail.
• Historians aren't sure who invented the dhow — Indians or Arabs — but they do know the first ones appeared before 600 C.E.
• The dhow has been a central part of maritime trade, fishing, and culture for countries like Oman, Yemen, India, and coastal regions of East Africa.
• Today the term generally refers to all sailing ships in that region with one or two masts and triangular or quadrilateral-shaped sails.
• Bows are sharp, with a forward and upward thrust, and the sterns of the larger dhows may be windowed and decorated.

Key Facts about Beypore Uru:

• It is a wooden dhow handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore town, Kozhikode district, Kerala.
• Beypore urus are purely made of wood, without using any modern techniques, and traditional methods are used to launch these ships into the water.
• The carpenters manually join each piece of wood to build the large boat.
• Uru making in Beypore is a centuries-old tradition that was established since India began its maritime trade with Mesopotamia.
• Arab traders were among the first major patrons of these vessels.
• Usually an Uru is built by a team of fifty men over a period of at least four years.
• No blueprints are made and the entire aspect of shipbuilding is embedded in the minds of the highly skilled shipwrights.
• Khalasis are a group of people traditionally involved in the construction of Urus.

About Odonata Species:

• Odonata, popularly known as dragonflies and damselflies are primarily associated with wetlands and surrounding landscape.
• The order Odonata is one of the ancient groups of insects.
• Odonata is an insect order consisting of three groups: Anisoptera (which includes dragonflies), Zygoptera (which includes damselflies), and Anisozygoptera (a relict group represented by only two living species).
• Habitat: They are found in a variety of habitats, such as freshwater environments like ponds, rivers, and lakes.
• Distribution:
  • They are globally distributed, from the tropics, where they are most numerous and varied, to the boreal forests of Siberia and North America.
  • They are also found throughout the Southern Hemisphere, with the exception of Antarctica.
• Features:
  • Behaviour: Large, active by day, and often strikingly coloured, they are usually seen flying near water.
  • Diet: Adult odonates are voracious predators, as are the aquatic larvae.

About ICGS Achal:

• The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Achal is the new-generation Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV).
• It is named Achal, meaning firm.
• It is the fifth one in a series of eight FPVs being constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the coast guard.
• Features:
  • Propulsion: It is powered by two 3000 kW advanced diesel engines,
  • Speed: The vessel delivers a top speed of 27 knots and an operational endurance of 1500 nautical miles.
  • It has a suite of integrated technologies, including an Integrated Bridge System, Integrated Machinery Control System, and Automated Power Management System.
  • It has 60% indigenous content, dual-class certification (ABS & IRS).
• Functions: It will undertake a wide range of missions, including surveillance, interdiction, Search and Rescue (SAR), anti-smuggling operations, and pollution response.
• The ship will be stationed at Vadinar, Gujarat, operating under the administrative and operational control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (North West).

About International Organisation for Standardisation:

• It is an international nongovernmental organization established in 1947 and made up of national standards bodies.
• It is made up of members from the national standards bodies of 177 countries.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Functions of ISO:
  • The ISO plays a role in facilitating world trade by providing common standards of safety, reliability, and quality.
  • It develops and publishes standards for a vast range of products, materials, and processes. 
  • It publishes technical reports, technical specifications, publicly available specifications, technical corrigenda, and guides.
• Governance of International Organisation for Standardisation:
  • General Assembly: It is the overarching organ and ultimate authority of the organization.
  • ISO Council: It is the core governance body of the organization and reports to the General Assembly. It meets three times a year and is made up of 21 member bodies
  • Technical Management Board : The management of the technical work is taken care of by the Technical Management Board, which reports to Council.

About National Panchayat Awards:

• It is awarded by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj annually to recognize and incentivize best-performing Panchayats.
• Background: These awards have been revamped and launched during the year 2022 aligning them with 9 Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) themes aggregating 17 SDGs.
• Objective: To assess the performance of Panchayats in attainment of SDGs, promote competitive spirit among them and catalyze the process of LSDGs through Panchayati Raj Institutions for attaining LSDGs by 2030.
• The awards are given under the Incentivization of Panchayats (IoP) scheme, a central component of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA).
• All the Panchayats are ranked based on their performance under each of the following 9 LSGD themes :
  • Poverty free and enhanced livelihoods Panchayat
  • Healthy Panchayat
  • Child Friendly Panchayat
  • Water Sufficient Panchayat
  • Clean and Green Panchayat
  • Self-sufficient infrastructure in Panchayat
  • Socially Just and Socially secured Panchayat
  • Panchayat with Good Governance
  • Women-Friendly Panchayat
• The awards are conferred under two distinct categories.
  • Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP): Recognises outstanding Gram Panchayats for their performance across 9 LSDGs themes.
  • Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP): It is conferred to the best-performing Panchayats at the District, Block, and Gram Panchayat levels on an overall basis.

About Litchi:

• It is a delicious juicy fruit belongs to Sapindaceae family.
• Required Climatic Conditions for Litchi:
  • Climate: It is a sub-tropical fruit and thrives best under moist sub-tropical climate.
  • It usually prefers low elevation and can be grown up to an altitude of 800 m.
  • Soil: Deep, well drained loamy soil, rich in organic matter and having pH in the range of 5.0 to 7.0 is ideal for the crop.
  • Temperature: The temperature should not go beyond 40.5 0C in summer and below freezing point in winter.
  • Rain: Prolonged rain may be harmful especially at the time of flowering, when it interferes with pollination.
  • The young trees require protection against frost and hot winds for several years till they are firmly established.
  • It is sensitive to frost during winter and dry heat in summer.
• Distribution of Litchis Cultivation:
  • India is the second largest producer of litchi in the World after China. Other major producing countries are Thailand, Australia, South Africa, Madagascar and Florida in US.
  • It is widely cultivated in India, especially in Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Assam.

Why in the News?

• Recent data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) report shows that India’s informal sector is reducing debt levels significantly, but at the same time witnessing a decline in investments and job creation.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Informal Sector (Introduction, Components, etc.)
• Key Findings of ASUSE Report

Introduction

• India’s informal sector, which forms the backbone of employment and small-scale economic activity, is witnessing a major financial shift.
• According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025, informal businesses are becoming less indebted as outstanding loans and interest liabilities have declined sharply.
• However, the reduction in debt has also coincided with weaker investment activity, slower wage growth, and reduced job creation.
• The findings have raised concerns among policymakers regarding the long-term health of India’s unorganised sector, which employs a majority of the country’s workforce and contributes significantly to Gross Value Added (GVA).

About India’s Informal Sector

• India’s informal or unorganised sector mainly consists of unincorporated non-agricultural enterprises such as:

• Small manufacturers
• Local traders
• Service providers
• Household enterprises
• Micro businesses operating without formal corporate registration

• These enterprises play a vital role in the Indian economy by generating employment and supporting local consumption.
• According to ASUSE 2025, the informal non-agricultural sector contributes nearly Rs 20 lakh crore to the economy, accounting for around 6.4% of India’s total GVA.
• Most enterprises in this category fall under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) framework, with micro enterprises forming nearly 99.94% of the establishments surveyed.

Key Findings of ASUSE 2025

• The ASUSE 2025 survey revealed several important trends regarding the financial condition of India’s informal businesses.
• Decline in Outstanding Loans
  • Outstanding loans per informal establishment declined by nearly 20% to approximately Rs 42,776 compared to the previous survey period.
  • Additionally, annual interest payable by businesses reduced by around 16%, indicating that loan repayments are exceeding fresh borrowings.
  • This trend suggests increasing financial caution among informal entrepreneurs, many of whom appear to be focusing on reducing liabilities instead of expanding operations.
• Reduction in Fixed Asset Investments
  • Alongside lower indebtedness, the survey reported a 14% decline in net addition to fixed assets per establishment.
  • This means informal enterprises are investing less in machinery, infrastructure, technology, or business expansion.
  • The decline in investment is considered worrying because fixed asset creation is closely linked to productivity improvement and future economic growth.
• Slower Job Creation and Wage Growth
  • The survey also showed signs of weakening employment generation:
    • Employment creation declined to 74.5 lakh jobs in 2025 compared to 1.1 crore jobs in the previous year.
    • Wage growth in the informal sector slowed sharply to 3.9%, significantly lower than the 13% increase reported earlier.
  • These indicators suggest that economic momentum in the informal sector may be slowing.

• Growing Concerns Over Investment Slowdown
  • The reduction in investments within the informal economy aligns with broader concerns regarding private sector capital expenditure in India.
  • Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran recently observed that despite strong profit growth among large Indian companies after the Covid-19 pandemic, capital formation and investment activity remain below expectations.
  • For informal businesses, the hesitation to invest may arise due to:

• Economic uncertainty
• Weak consumer demand
• Rising operational costs
• Limited access to affordable finance
• Lack of social security and institutional support

• When businesses prioritize survival and debt repayment over expansion, economic growth potential becomes constrained.

State-wise Variations in Informal Sector Performance

• The ASUSE 2025 survey highlighted large differences among states in terms of investments and indebtedness.
• States Reporting Higher Investments

• Punjab witnessed more than double the investments by establishments, alongside a sharp rise in outstanding loans.
• Goa and Chhattisgarh also reported increasing investments despite declining indebtedness.

• States Reporting Investment Decline
  • Several economically significant states saw substantial reductions in investment levels:

• Telangana: Investment down by 63%
• Gujarat: Investment down by 48%
• Maharashtra: Investment down by 35%
• Uttar Pradesh: Investment down by 30%

• These variations reflect uneven economic recovery and differing business confidence levels across states.

Relationship Between Formal Credit and Informal Enterprises

• An important aspect highlighted in the report is the disconnect between rising formal bank credit and declining informal sector investment.
• According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, loans to micro and small industries increased by nearly 33% year-on-year as of March 2026.
• However, this increase does not appear to be translating into stronger investments among the smallest informal enterprises.
• This indicates that:

• Formal credit may be concentrated among relatively larger MSMEs
• Small informal units may still face barriers in accessing institutional finance
• Broader economic uncertainty may discourage investment even when credit is available