UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 JUNE 2026

Context: The Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme has completed six years of public implementation since its initial launch in June 2020.

About The PM SVANidhi Completes Six Years of Empowering Street Vendors:

What It Is?

• PM SVANidhi is a pioneering, central sector micro-credit flagship scheme launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist urban street vendors and hawkers.
• Managed as a joint administrative responsibility of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS), the scheme provides formal, collateral-free working capital loans to support business recovery, grassroots digital onboarding, and comprehensive social security protection.

Key Features of PM SVANidhi:

• Progressive Collateral-Free Loans: Provides credit in three separate tranches of ₹15,000, ₹25,000, and ₹50,000. Successive higher limits are unlocked automatically upon the timely repayment of previous loans.
• Interest Subsidy Incentive: Incentivizes timely or early loan repayments by offering an interest subsidy of 7 percent per annum, which is credited directly to the vendor’s account.
• UPI-Linked RuPay Credit Cards: Vendors who successfully repay their second tranche become eligible for special UPI-linked RuPay Credit Cards with an operating limit of up to ₹30,000.
• Digital Adoption Cashback: Offers an annual digital cashback incentive of up to ₹1,600 to reward and encourage retail or wholesale transactions through digital payment gateways.
• SVANidhi se Samriddhi (SSS): Conducts detailed socio-economic profiling of vendors and their families to seamlessly link them with eight selected Central Government welfare schemes, creating an institutional safety net.
• FSSAI Food Safety Training: Collaborates directly with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to provide specialized capacity building in local financial literacy, digital workflows, and hygiene standards.

Current Status of PM SVANidhi:

• Massive Loan Disbursals: More than 75.5 lakh unique street vendors have accessed the scheme, accounting for over 1.12 crore loan sanctions.
• Total Disbursed Capital: Financial assistance totaling more than ₹17,800 crore has been funneled directly into India’s informal urban markets.
• Massive Digital Footprint: Over 55 lakh vendors have been digitally onboarded, executing more than 841 crore digital transactions worth an estimated ₹8.96 lakh crore.
• Extensive Social Net Sanctions: The SVANidhi se Samriddhi sub-program has profiled over 50 lakh families, resulting in 1.52 crore formal welfare benefits being sanctioned.

Success of the Scheme:

• First-Time Access to Institutional Credit: The program successfully broke dependence on high-interest local informal moneylenders by opening standard bank channels for the urban poor.

Example: Independent impact assessments found that nearly 95% of all scheme beneficiaries were able to access formal institutional credit for the first time in their lives.

• Measurable Growth in Household Vendor Incomes: Regular access to affordable cash allowed hawkers to expand inventory and secure better long-term earnings.

Example: Field surveys recorded that beneficiary households experienced an average annual income growth of nearly 20% after joining the scheme.

• Deepening Gender and Social Inclusion: The scheme has acted as a powerful tool for equity, targeting funding directly to vulnerable and marginalized urban groups.

Example: Demonstrating structural inclusion, nearly 46% of all beneficiaries are women (representing 34.81 lakh individuals) and 70% belong to marginalized communities.

• Unlocking Expanded Secondary Credit Mobility: The scheme acts as a financial stepping stone, allowing micro-entrepreneurs to build up their credit scores for larger future business goals.

Example: Proving improved creditworthiness, around 30% of verified vendors successfully accessed additional credit lines beyond their basic PM SVANidhi loans.

Challenges Associated with the Scheme:

• Disparities in Regional and Inter-State Outreach: While some states have utilized the program extensively, others show lower coverage due to varying local implementation speeds.

Example: While states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh show high numbers, Tripura has logged only 9,300 loan sanctions, reflecting uneven distribution patterns.

• Persistent Friction in Initial Turnaround Timelines: Despite a strong end-to-end digital portal, documentation delays can still slow down fast-paced urban businesses.

Example: On average, it takes about 23 days for an application to be processed and approved, leaving fast-moving street vendors waiting for critical capital.

• Vulnerability of Small Vendors to Harsh Seasonal Closures: Extreme weather and heavy monsoons cause seasonal losses that make fixed repayment schedules a burden.

Example: The mandatory June-to-September rough season halts outdoor foot traffic, making it difficult for vendors to maintain daily loan repayments.

• Sustaining Long-Term Digital Literacy and Cashback Utilization: Onboarding a vendor does not automatically mean they understand or regularly use digital accounts.

Example: Out of 75.5 lakh unique beneficiaries, nearly 20.5 lakh vendors have still not transitioned to active digital payment workflows on the ground.

Way Forward:

• Deploying U-WIN Style Mapping for Regional Balances: Use advanced data dashboards to spot low-coverage urban municipal wards, helping local field teams onboard vendors in lagging states.
• Integrating FSSAI Hygiene Training with Smart Cart Upgrades: Expand the ongoing food safety courses for street vendors by offering extra, low-interest micro-loans to help them buy clean, modern vending carts.
• Automating Tranche Transitions via AI Credit Scoring: Program the central SVANidhi app to instantly approve higher loan tranches the moment a vendor successfully settles their previous balance, skipping repetitive paperwork.
• Introducing Flexible Repayment Windows During Peak Monsoons: Restructure repayment models to allow lower, flexible daily terms during rainy or off-season months, helping vendors protect their credit scores when sales are low.

Conclusion:

Over the last six years, PM SVANidhi has successfully evolved from an emergency pandemic relief tool into a powerful, permanent driver of economic mobility for millions of informal street vendors. By replacing high-interest informal loans with low-cost, collateral-free institutional credit, the scheme has brought dignity and formal recognition to the urban poor.

Context: Security forces continued Operation Sheruwali in Jammu & Kashmir’s Rajouri district as the anti-terror operation entered its seventh day, targeting suspected militants hiding in the Dorimal–Gambhir Mughlan forest belt.

About Operation Sheruwali:

What It Is?

• Operation Sheruwali is a large-scale, multi-agency counter-terrorism operation being conducted in the dense forested region of Manjakote sector, Rajouri district, Jammu & Kashmir to neutralize suspected terrorists and dismantle their support infrastructure.

Launched By: Jointly launched by the Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police (Special Operations Group), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Aim:

• Track, isolate, and eliminate terrorists operating in the Rajouri–Poonch forest belt.
• Prevent infiltration, disrupt terror networks, and restore security in the Pir Panjal region.

Key Features:

• Multi-Agency Coordination: Involves Army, J&K Police, CRPF, Intelligence Bureau, and other security agencies for integrated operations.
• Technology-Driven Surveillance: Uses drones, helicopters, thermal imaging systems, and sniffer dogs for real-time monitoring and target tracking.
• Cordon-and-Search Operations: Security forces have established layered cordons and blocked possible escape routes in dense forest terrain.
• Targeting Terror Infrastructure: Focuses on destroying militant hideouts, supply dumps, and logistics networks in remote forest areas.

Significance:

• Demonstrates India’s ability to conduct sustained, intelligence-based operations in difficult mountainous and forested terrain.
• Helps curb the recent resurgence of terrorist activity in Rajouri–Poonch, a strategically sensitive area near the Line of Control (LoC).

Relevance in UPSC Examination

• GS Paper III – Internal Security
  • Role of security forces in combating terrorism.
  • Challenges of insurgency and counter-insurgency operations.
  • Technology in internal security management.
• GS Paper III – Defence & Security
  • Multi-agency coordination in national security.
  • Border management and anti-infiltration measures.
  • Use of drones and surveillance technologies in security operations.

Context: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has crossed a landmark milestone by generating over 90 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs) across the country.

About The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM):

What It Is?

• The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a flagship national digital public infrastructure (DPI) project implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It functions as a single, unified digital highway that links various stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem—including citizens, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and insurers.

Launched In: The mission was officially launched in September 2021.

Aim:

• The objective of ABDM is to develop an integrated, transparent, and interoperable digital health infrastructure for India.
• It aims to bridge the information gap between public and private healthcare entities, establish a single source of truth for health data, and hand citizens absolute ownership of their lifelong longitudinal health records.

Key Features and Building Blocks:

The ABDM architecture is powered by six foundational, open-standard components designed to drive frictionless data exchange across the nation:

• Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA): A unique, 14-digit digital health identifier assigned to citizens. It acts as the master key to securely compile, link, and share digital medical histories across different healthcare apps and facilities.
• Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR): A centralized, verified national repository of all licensed healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff practicing across modern and traditional systems of medicine.
• Health Facility Registry (HFR): A comprehensive master registry of all public and private medical establishments, including hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers, and pharmacies across the country.
• Health Information Exchange & Consent Manager (HIE-CM): A secure data-routing architecture that ensures medical files are only transferred between doctors and patients using explicit, electronic, and revocable consent-based protocols.
• Unified Health Interface (HI): An open network protocol that allows patients to seamlessly schedule teleconsultations, book diagnostic slots, or look up medical services across any compliant application or portal.
• National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX): A digital platform designed to standardize, quicken, and automate the settlement of health insurance claims between hospitals and insurance providers.

Context: A massive dust storm swept across Churu and several other districts of Rajasthan on May 30, 2026, highlighting the structural degradation of the Aravalli range.

About The Northwest Indian Dust Storms:

What It Is?

• A dust storm (locally known as Andhi) is a meteorological phenomenon common to arid and semi-arid regions. It occurs when strong, turbulent winds lift vast quantities of loose sand and dust particles from dry soils into the atmosphere, creating a sweeping wall of dust that drastically reduces visibility and compromises air quality.

Impacted Region:

• The primary impact zone covers Northwest India, specifically across Rajasthan (Churu, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur), Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab, and western Uttar Pradesh. As the protective Aravalli barrier degrades, the dust trajectory is extending much deeper into the densely populated Indo-Gangetic plains.

How It Forms?

The formation of pre-monsoon dust storms is driven by a precise combination of thermal and atmospheric conditions:

1. Extreme Thermal Heating: During pre-monsoon months (April to June), intense solar radiation bakes the Thar Desert, creating localized pockets of extreme heat and convective instability.
2. Low-Pressure Inversion: This intense heating creates a strong surface low-pressure system. Strong south-westerly and westerly winds, carrying dust from the Middle East and the Thar, rush in to fill the void.
3. Mechanical Lifting: When wind speeds breach the 35–40 kmph threshold over dry, un-vegetated soil, particles are lifted mechanically. Without the continuous tree cover and altitude of the Aravallis to block them, these winds carry sediment thousands of kilometers eastward.

Key Features:

• Seasonality: Strictly concentrated in the pre-monsoon window, peaking in intensity during May and June.
• Obstacle Dunes: Historically, the western slopes of the Aravalli range acted as physical interceptors. Winds hitting the slopes drop their payload, forming unique obstacle sand dunes tied down by desert vegetation.
• High Frequency in Capital Zones: Long-term climatological data from the IMD reveals that Delhi suffers an average frequency of 2.5 dust-storm days in June alone—the highest in India.
• Anthropogenic Gaps: A key feature of modern storms is their ease of travel. A Wildlife Institute of India (WII) study confirmed 12 widening operational gaps across the Aravallis caused by the disappearance of 31 entire hillocks to illegal mining.

Context: Following the release of the Class 12 board examination results, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing intense public backlash over massive discrepancies in its newly implemented On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

About On-Screen Marking (OSM) system:

What It Is?

• On-Screen Marking (OSM) is a digital evaluation framework for handwritten examination papers. Instead of physical answer scripts being packed, shipped, and graded manually with a red pen, the booklets are collected at centers, scanned, anonymized, and uploaded onto a secure cloud platform where evaluators grade them digitally on computer screens.

Developed and Managed By:

• The digital evaluation infrastructure and the OnMark portal used by the CBSE were outsourced to Coempt Eduteck Pvt. Ltd.

History:

• The CBSE first piloted an early version of OSM in 2013-14, which failed due to a lack of digital literacy and infrastructure.
• Despite its own governing body advising in June 2025 to limit OSM to small-volume subjects as a trial run, the CBSE bypassed the pilot phase and enforced full-scale nationwide adoption across all subjects in 2026.

Aim:

• The CBSE introduced full-scale OSM to modernize its evaluation pipeline. The stated objectives included:
  • Complete elimination of manual totaling and tabulation errors.
  • Accelerated evaluation cycles to compress the processing window from 12 days down to 9 days.
  • Enhanced transparency and reduction of post-result verification applications.

How It Works & Key Features:

• Anonymization: Student roll numbers and barcode identifiers are digitally masked before uploading to prevent examiner bias.
• Digital Canvas Grading: Evaluators log into a monitored portal under video surveillance, using digital tools to add ticks, cross out answers, and assign step-wise marks on screen.
• Auto-Tabulation: The software automatically aggregates question-wise scores into a final tally, preventing manual arithmetic errors.
• SLA-Driven Security (Contractual): The system features a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA) penalizing software downtime or page-loading lags at a rate of ₹1 lakh per 15 minutes.

Context: Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Indian Defence Secretary confirmed that India has signed a strategic ₹5,800-crore deal to export BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam.

• He added that a similar export agreement with Indonesia is in its final stages of completion.

About The BrahMos Missile:

What It Is?

• BrahMos is a state-of-the-art, universal, long-range supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, sub-sea, and air platforms. It operates on a Fire and Forget principle, maintaining high supersonic speeds throughout its flight envelope, making it incredibly difficult for modern air-defense networks to intercept.

Developed By:

• The missile is manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace, a historic joint venture established in 1998 between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
• Its name is a portmanteau derived from two major rivers: the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

Aim:

• The primary aim of the BrahMos weapon system is to provide devastating precision-strike capability against high-value surface and land targets, guaranteeing absolute maritime denial and strategic deterrence for operating forces.

Key Technical & Performance Features:

• Two-Stage Propulsion: It features a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage for initial acceleration and separation, followed by a liquid ramjet second stage that maintains a high cruise speed near Mach 2.8.
• Unmatched Kinetic Performance: Compared to traditional subsonic cruise missiles, BrahMos possesses 3 times the velocity, up to 3 times the flight range, and 9 times more destructive kinetic energy upon target impact.
• Flight Trajectory & Altitudes: The missile carries a conventional warhead of up to 200 kg. It can cruise at altitudes as high as 15 km or fly as low as 5 meters (sea-skimming terminal phase) to evade enemy radar.
• Universal Launch Configuration: It uses an identical internal missile configuration across all deployment options. It utilizes a Transport Launch Canister (TLC) that acts as a secure storage container, transport medium, and launch tube.
• Multi-Platform Deployments:
  • Land: Fired vertically from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL).
  • Sea: Installed in vertical or inclined configurations on frontline warships and submarines.
  • Air: Tailored and integrated onto the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft fleet.

Global Footprint & International Buyers:

• The Philippines (First Buyer): Became the first foreign nation to buy the system, signing a $375 million deal in 2022 for shore-based anti-ship variants to secure its coastal borders.
• Vietnam: Signed a major agreement valued at approximately ₹5,800 crore, acquiring coastal defense batteries, missiles, training, and logistics support.
• Indonesia: Defense negotiations are in the final stages to finalize an export contract shortly.

Context: Admiral Krishna Swaminathan officially assumed charge as India’s new Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), during a formal ceremony in New Delhi.

About Admiral Krishna Swaminathan Assumes Charge As Navy Chief:

Who He Is?

• Admiral Krishna Swaminathan is a highly decorated flag officer of the Indian Navy. Prior to his elevation to the top post of the maritime force, he served in the vital role of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Western Naval Command, which acts as the Navy’s sword arm in the Arabian Sea.

Key Achievements & Priorities:

• Niche Technology Induction: He has positioned himself as a strong advocate for asymmetric warfare capabilities, promising to rapidly scale up the deployment of indigenous emerging technologies and AI platforms across naval systems.
• Operational Preparedness: Under his command structures, he has led complex anti-piracy operations and maritime security deployments in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), handling volatile regional uncertainties and volatile maritime choke points.
• Modernization Momentum: He is actively driving the Navy’s structural self-reliance blueprint (Aatmanirbharta), overseeing the consolidation of ongoing indigenization ship and submarine construction programs.

The Indian Navy Hierarchy:

The organizational matrix of the Indian Navy is structured as a clear, pyramidical military command framework designed for rapid tactical execution:

• The Apex: The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), holding the four-star rank of Admiral, is the highest operational commander and administrative head of the Indian Navy, reporting directly to the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• Operational Commands: The force is structurally split into three localized commands led by three-star Vice Admirals (Flag Officers Commanding-in-Chief):
  • Western Naval Command (HQ: Mumbai): Protects maritime interests along the Arabian Sea and Pakistan border.
  • Eastern Naval Command (HQ: Visakhapatnam): Guards the Bay of Bengal and tracks Chinese movements in the Malacca Strait.
  • Southern Naval Command (HQ: Kochi): Functions primarily as the training and institutional command framework.

Key Functions of the Indian Navy:

• Military Role: Protects India’s maritime interests by deterring and defeating threats at sea through warfighting capabilities, surveillance, anti-submarine operations, and air defence.
• Diplomatic Role: Strengthens strategic partnerships through naval exercises, port visits, and defence cooperation, enhancing India’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Constabulary Role: Enforces maritime law and secures sea lanes by conducting anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, counter-narcotics, and maritime security operations.
• Benign & Humanitarian Role (HADR): Provides disaster relief, search-and-rescue assistance, medical support, and evacuation of civilians during natural disasters and conflict situations.

Context: An unusual astronomical event known as a Blue Micromoon became visible in the night sky.

• According to NASA, this specific full moon was the farthest, smallest, and dimmest of the year, marking a dual phenomenon that will not repeat until the year 2053.

About Blue Micromoon:

What It Is?

• A Blue Micromoon is the simultaneous occurrence of two distinct lunar phenomena: a Blue Moon (the second full moon within a single calendar month) and a Micromoon (a full moon that coincides with apogee, the farthest point in the moon’s orbit around Earth).

How It Forms?

The phenomenon is a result of orbital mechanics and calendar alignment:

• The Micromoon Mechanics: The moon orbits Earth in an elliptical (elongated) path over a 27.3 day cycle. The point farthest from Earth is called apogee (approx 403,945  km). When the moon’s fully illuminated phase (Full Moon) aligns within a short time window of reaching apogee, it appears physically smaller and dimmer to observers on Earth.
• The Blue Moon Calendar Inversion: The standard lunar cycle from new moon to new moon takes 29.5 days. Because a standard calendar month lasts 30 or 31 days, a full moon appearing on the 1st or 2nd of a month occasionally allows a second full moon to squeeze into the same month on the 30th or 31st.

Blue Micromoon vs. Standard Blue Moon:

The structural and optical differences between these two celestial designations are distinct:

Key Features:

• Diminished Luminosity: Due to its extreme distance at apogee, it reflects less concentrated light back to Earth, making it the dimmest full moon of the calendar year.
• Angular Diameter Shift: The absolute angular size of the disk is noticeably compressed, making it appear about 7% smaller than an average full moon.
• Non-Optical Color Naming: Despite the name Blue, the moon does not change color. It retains its standard pearly-gray hue unless rare local atmospheric dust or volcanic smoke scatters red wavelengths of light to give it a bluish tint.

Context: A team of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered a new-to-science cascade-dwelling frog species in Nagaland. Named Amolops kamal, the research paper confirming this distinct evolutionary lineage was published in journal of ZSI.

About Nagaland Cascade Frog:

What It Is?

• Amolops kamal, commonly known as the Nagaland cascade frog, is a newly discovered amphibian species belonging to the genus Amolops (family Ranidae).
• These are true frogs specially adapted to surviving in turbulent, fast-flowing mountain streams and waterfalls. The species name kamal was chosen to honor the late Dr. Kamal Choudhury, a prominent zoologist and mentor to the study’s lead author.

Region and Habitat:

• The specimens were collected from the rugged, isolated hill-stream ecosystems near Singrep village in the Kiphire district of Nagaland, a mountainous region bordering Myanmar.
• The area sits within a major global biodiversity hotspot characterized by unique microclimates and fragmented stream habitats.

Key Characteristics of the Species:

• Morphological Mimicry: Like other cascade frogs, it features large digital discs on its toes to grip slick rocks against rushing water currents. Morphologically, it is incredibly similar to related species, making it a cryptic species—one that looks nearly identical to others on the outside but is genetically distinct.
• Taxonomic Grouping: It is categorized under the highly diverse Amolops marmoratus species group, specifically sitting within the Amolops indoburmanensis species complex.
• Genetic Divergence: It was identified using integrative taxonomy, a method combining traditional body measurements with advanced molecular phylogenetic (DNA) mapping. This revealed that the frog constitutes an entirely separate, unique evolutionary lineage.

Significance:

• The discovery shows that Amolops indoburmanensis is not a single widespread species but a group of distinct evolutionary lineages with restricted geographic distributions.
• It highlights the importance of DNA-based analysis, as genetic evidence can reveal hidden species that cannot be reliably distinguished through physical appearance alone.
• The finding underscores the rich yet understudied biodiversity of Northeast India and strengthens the case for conserving fragile stream and forest ecosystems.

Context: WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to monitor and coordinate response operations as a complex Ebola outbreak intensifies.

About The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):

What It Is?

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (officially abbreviated as the DRC and historically known as Zaire) is the second-largest country on the African continent by land area, trailing only Algeria. It is a unitary multiparty republic rich in strategic natural resources, possessing massive global reserves of cobalt, industrial diamonds, copper, and primary rainforests.

Location and Capital:

• The DRC is situated squarely in Central Africa, astride the Equator.
• Its capital and administrative center is Kinshasa, the largest city in Central Africa, positioned strategically along the banks of the Congo River.

Border Nations:

• The DRC shares its borders with nine neighboring states: Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola (including the small Angolan coastal exclave of Cabinda), Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Key Geological and Physical Features:

• Central Congo Basin:
  • The DRC’s interior consists of a vast low-lying basin covered by dense equatorial rainforests, forming one of the world’s largest tropical forest ecosystems.
  • Lakes Tumba and Mai-Ndombe are remnants of an ancient inland sea and support rich biodiversity and freshwater resources.
• Western Rift Valley and Highlands
  • Mitumba Mountains: The Mitumba Mountains run along the eastern border, creating a rugged natural barrier and influencing local climate and river systems.
  • Ruwenzori Range: Located on the Uganda border, the Ruwenzori Mountains contain Margherita Peak (5,109 m), the highest point in the DRC and a major glaciated mountain system.
  • Virunga Mountains: This volcanic chain includes active volcanoes such as Mount Nyiragongo, making it one of Africa’s most geologically active regions.
  • Great Lakes Network: Rift lakes such as Albert, Edward, Kivu, and Tanganyika provide freshwater resources, fisheries, and important transport corridors.
• Peripheral High Plateaus:
  • Northern Plateaus: The Ubangi-Uele Plateaus form a watershed divide between the Congo River Basin and the Nile River Basin.
  • Southeastern Katanga Plateaus: The mineral-rich Katanga region contains vast deposits of copper, cobalt, and other strategic minerals, making it an economic hub.
• Drainage and Volcanic Hydrology
  • The Congo River drains a huge basin and follows a unique looping course, crossing the Equator twice before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Volcanic soils around the eastern Great Lakes are highly fertile, supporting intensive agriculture and dense human settlements.

Active Ebola Outbreak Hotspots:

• Ituri Province: Ituri is the main center of the current Ebola outbreak, recording the highest concentration of confirmed cases and fatalities.
• Eastern Rift Insecurity Zones: Ebola containment is complicated by armed conflicts, population displacement, food insecurity, and limited healthcare access.