28 July 2026: MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS | Complete Exam Preparation

MAINS Current Affairs includes State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 & Amendment to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

FOOD SECURITY

1. State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026

Context: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report highlights India’s significant progress in reducing hunger and undernourishment, while drawing attention to persistent challenges related to affordability of healthy diets, malnutrition and rising obesity.

The report emphasizes that ensuring food security alone is not sufficient; equal attention must be given to nutrition security, affordable healthy diets and dietary diversity.

About the SOFI Report

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) is the flagship global report that assesses progress towards ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger.

Published by

The report is jointly prepared by five United Nations agencies:

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
World Food Programme (WFP)
World Health Organization (WHO)

Objectives

The report aims to:

Assess global food security and nutrition trends.
Monitor progress towards SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
Identify emerging challenges.
Provide evidence-based policy recommendations.

Key Findings of SOFI Report 2026

Global Scenario

The report notes an improvement in global hunger levels.

8% of the world’s population experienced hunger in 2025.
This is an improvement from:
- 1% in 2024
- 6% in 2022

The decline indicates gradual global recovery, although hunger remains a significant challenge.

Indian Scenario:
- Undernourished Population:Undernourishment fell to 142.5 million people (9.8% of the population) in 2023–2025, down from 243.9 million (21.1%) in 2004–2006.
- Healthy Diet Cost:The cost of a healthy diet reached PPP $4.11 per person per day in 2025, a nearly 48% increase since 2017.
- Affordability Crisis:Around 520.1 million people (35.5% of India’s population) could not afford a healthy diet in 2025.
- Malnutrition Indicators: Child stunting declined to 32.9% and wasting stood at 18.7%, while childhood overweight, adult obesity, and women’s anaemia continued to rise.

Reasons Behind Nutritional Challenges

High Cost of Nutritious Food: Rising prices of fruits, vegetables, pulses, milk and protein-rich foods.
Income Constraints:Many households prioritize inexpensive calorie-rich staples over diverse diets.
Dietary Imbalance: Excess dependence on cereals with inadequate intake of proteins and micronutrients.
Poor Maternal Nutrition:High prevalence of anaemia contributes to intergenerational malnutrition.
Regional and Social Inequalities:Tribal areas, remote regions and urban poor continue to face higher nutritional vulnerabilities.
Changing Food Consumption Patterns: Increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods has contributed to rising obesity.

Government Initiatives

Mid Day Meal Programme: The Programme aims to boost enrolment, retention, and attendance while improving the nutritional status of children in government, local body, and government-aided schools.
Food Fortification:The government promotes fortified rice, wheat flour, and edible oils as part of the public distribution system.
The National Food Security Act, 2013: The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
Poshan Tracker: The Ministry of Women and Child Development developed the Poshan Tracker ICT application as a key governance tool.
- It uses WHO’s expanded tables with day-based z-scoresto dynamically assess stunting, wasting, underweight, and obesity in children based on height, weight, gender, and age.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana was launched to alleviate hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
SakshamAnganwadi and Poshan 2.0 includes key schemes such as the POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anganwadi Services and Scheme for Adolescent Girls as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country.

Way Forward

India should move beyond ensuring calorie sufficiency and focus on nutrition security by promoting access to balanced, diverse and micronutrient-rich diets. Public policies should encourage the production, availability and consumption of fruits, vegetables, pulses, millets and dairy products, while simultaneously reducing post-harvest losses to improve affordability.
Strengthening maternal and child nutrition must remain a priority through expanded iron-folic acid supplementation, improved antenatal care and targeted interventions to reduce anaemia and intergenerational malnutrition. Programmes such as Poshan Abhiyaan, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 should be further strengthened with better monitoring through digital platforms like the Poshan Tracker.
The affordability challenge highlighted by the SOFI report calls for enhanced income support, improved food distribution systems and diversification of the Public Distribution System beyond cereals. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture, fortified foods and biofortification should be promoted to address micronutrient deficiencies.
At the same time, public health policies should integrate nutrition education, behavioural change communication, promotion of physical activity and regulation of unhealthy ultra-processed foods to address the growing burden of obesity and lifestyle diseases. A coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving agriculture, health, education and social protection will be essential to achieving food and nutrition security for all.

Conclusion

The SOFI Report 2026 reflects India’s commendable progress in reducing hunger and undernourishment, but also highlights that food security alone is insufficient without nutrition security. Rising food prices, the inability of millions to afford healthy diets, persistent child malnutrition and increasing obesity underscore the need for a more holistic approach.

Achieving SDG-2 (Zero Hunger) and the vision of a Healthy India will require sustained efforts to improve the affordability, accessibility and diversity of nutritious foods while strengthening maternal and child nutrition, promoting healthy dietary practices and ensuring that no section of society is left behind.

EDUCATION/GOVERNANCE

2. Amendment to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, with the objective of strengthening India’s anti-paper leak framework through stricter penalties, higher financial sanctions and statutory fast-track courts for the speedy disposal of examination fraud cases.

The amendments are aimed at enhancing the integrity, transparency and credibility of public examinations and restoring public confidence in the examination system.

Background

The proposed amendments come in the wake of several high-profile examination irregularities, particularly the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, which exposed systemic weaknesses in the conduct of public examinations.

To address these concerns, the Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy involving:

Tougher criminal penalties;
Time-bound investigations and trials;
Institutional reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA); and
Technological improvements in examination management.

Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was enacted to curb paper leaks, organised cheating and other unfair practices in public examinations.

The Act applies to major recruitment and entrance examinations conducted by public authorities, including:

UPSC examinations;
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations;
NEET;
JEE;
CUET; and
Other notified public examinations.

Its primary objective is to ensure fairness, transparency and credibility in public examinations.

Definition of “Unfair Means”

The Act broadly defines unfair means to include various forms of examination malpractice such as:

Leaking question papers or answer keys;
Assisting candidates through unauthorised communication or supplying answers;
Tampering with computer systems, networks or digital resources;
Impersonation of candidates;
Conducting fake examinations;
Issuing fake admit cards or certificates;
Manipulating merit lists, ranks or examination records.

The broad definition enables authorities to deal with both conventional and technology-enabled examination fraud.

Penalties and Punishments:
- Individuals:
  - Imprisonment ranges from 3 to 10 years depending on the offense’s severity.
  - Fines up to Rs. 1 crore for organized crimes.
- Service providers:
  - Fines up to Rs. 1 crore for involvement in malpractices.
  - Barring from conducting public examinations for 4 years.
  - Personal liability for directors/management involved.
- Organized crimes:
  - Harsher penalties, with imprisonment between 5 and 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs. 1 crore
  - The institution involved can face property attachment and forfeiture
- Investigation:
  - All offences under the Act are cognisable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable.
  - An officer not below the rank Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police will investigate the offences under the Act.
  - The Central Government may transfer the investigation to any Central Investigating Agency.

Radhakrishnan Panel

Following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, the Ministry of Education formed a high-level committee headed by former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan.

Key Recommendations of Panel for Exam Reforms

Examinations Conducted:NTA from 2025 should conduct only entrance exams for higher education institutions and not recruitment exams.
Restructuring of NTA:10 new posts covering administration, digital infrastructure, IT security being created in an effort aimed at an error-free examination process for students.
Digi- Exam: On the lines of Digi-Yatra, to make the examination process foolproof, authentication at the stages of application, test, admission.
Governing Body:It recommended to set up an empowered and accountable governing body with three designated sub-committees to oversee test audit, ethics and transparency, nomination and staff conditions.
Coordination Committee:It recommends that Coordination Committees at State and District levels may be set up with specified roles and responsibilities.
Test Centres:The panel also recommended usage of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) across the country as test centres.
Secure Question Paper Transportation: This includes the use of secure courier services, sealed by authorized officials and validated by the NTA before dispatch.
- Containers must be locked, monitored during transit, and handed over at test centers under CCTV surveillance and NTA supervision.
Online Examinations:On the recommendations of the Panel, the government plans to introduce computer adaptive testing for future entrance exams.

Significance of the Amendments

Strengthening Examination Integrity
- The amendments enhance the credibility of public examinations by introducing stronger legal deterrence against organised cheating.

Faster Justice

Time-bound investigations and Fast-Track Courts will ensure that examination fraud cases are resolved quickly, preventing prolonged litigation.

Greater Deterrence

Higher imprisonment and increased financial penalties are expected to discourage organised paper leak syndicates and examination mafias.

Institutional Accountability

Strengthening the National Testing Agency through professional appointments and governance reforms will improve transparency and operational efficiency.

Technological Modernisation

Digital authentication, secure logistics and computer-based testing will reduce opportunities for malpractice and improve examination management.

Challenges

Organised examination fraud networks continue to evolve with technological advancements.
Effective implementation of Fast-Track Courts requires adequate judicial infrastructure and manpower.
Strengthening cybersecurity and protecting digital examination systems remain critical.
Coordination among central agencies, state governments and examination authorities needs continuous improvement.
Ensuring that strict enforcement does not adversely affect genuine candidates through procedural delays or errors.

Way Forward

The success of the amended Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 will depend on effective implementation supported by strong institutional capacity and technological safeguards. Dedicated Fast-Track Courts should be adequately staffed and equipped to ensure that investigations, trials and judgments are completed within the prescribed timelines without compromising the principles of natural justice.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) should be strengthened through professional management, robust cybersecurity systems, regular security audits and transparent governance mechanisms. The recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee, particularly regarding Digi-Exam, computer adaptive testing, secure transportation of question papers and restructuring of the NTA, should be implemented in a phased and time-bound manner.
Greater coordination among the Ministry of Education, state governments, law enforcement agencies, examination bodies and technology partners is essential to prevent organised examination fraud. Continuous monitoring, adoption of advanced digital technologies and strict enforcement of legal provisions will help restore public confidence in the examination system.

Conclusion

The proposed amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 represent a significant step towards safeguarding the integrity of India’s public examination system. By introducing stricter penalties, statutory Fast-Track Courts, enhanced institutional capacity and technology-driven reforms, the Government seeks to address the growing challenge of organised examination fraud.

However, legal deterrence alone will not eliminate paper leaks. Sustainable success requires a comprehensive approach combining institutional reforms, technological innovation, effective investigation, judicial efficiency and transparent governance to ensure that examinations remain fair, credible and merit-based.

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