Feb to April 2024

150 Topics

Part 2 of 450
Topic Series
Topic International Relations Topic Location in News Topic Location in News
No. No. No.
1 Free Movement Regime (FMR) 12 Jim Corbett NP 23 Sweden-32nd Member NATO
2 Kaladan Multimodal Project 13 2nd Launchport ISRO 24 Darien Gap
3 India led Group of Friends 14 Jiadhal River 25 Operation Indravati: Haiti
4 SASEC 15 Katchatheevu Island 26 Brazil
5 G-4 Model UNSC 16 Nikitin Seamount 27 Afar Depression
6 UNSC 17 Mauritius 28 Lake Kariba
7 AUKUS 18 Mekong Delta Region 29 Atacama Desert
8 Eurasian Economic Union 19 Qatar
9 Marrakesh Agreement 20 Phillipines
10 Weimar Triangle Revival 21 Sea of Japan
11 CoViNet 22 Taiwan Earthquake
Topic Science & Technology Topic Science & Technology Topic Science & Technology
No. No. No.
30 MethaneSAT 43 Guinea Worm Disease 56 Google DeepMind’s Genie
31 Vikram-I Skyroot 44 Global Hepatitis Report 57 Llama-3
32 ‘Odysseus’ Moon lander 45 Meningitis 58 Phi-3-mini
33 Vyommitra 46 NexCAR19 59 Neuralink
34 Sakhi App Gaganyaan 47 Glycaemic Index and 60 Lab-grown diamonds
Diabetes
35 Satellite based toll collection 48 Euvichol-S 61 Cyber Slavery in Cambodia
36 Agni-V and MIRV 49 Penicillin-G 62 Juice Jacking
37 Total Solar Eclipse 50 Harmful Dyes 63 Shallow fakes
38 Measles & Rubella champion 51 Rhodamine-B 64 Doxxing
award
39 Lyme Disease 52 Deep Tech 65 Anthropocene
40 Lymphatic Filariasis 53 Carbon Nanotubes 66 Thermonuclear Fusion
41 Alaskapox 54 Sangam: Digital Twin 67 White Rabbit Collaboration
Initiative
42 Bubonic Plague 55 Open AI’s Sora
Topic Environment Topic Environment Topic Species in News
No. No. No.
68 Nagoya Protocol 79 Terai Arc Landscape 90 Hanguls
69 CMS Convention 80 TN Godavarman Case 91 Indian Grey Wolf
70 SDGs 81 BioTRIG 92 Golden Langur
71 Blue economy 82 Heat Wave in India 93 White Rhinocerous
72 New Ramsar Sites 83 Cardamom Plantation 94 Invasive Chital in A&N islands
73 Leopard Population 84 Plankton Crash 95 Gray Whale
74 Mass Bleaching: Great Barrier 85 Vietnam method to 96 Golden Trevally
Reef reduce Methane
75 Black Carbon 86 Pink Hydrogen 97 Gentoo Penguins
76 Atmospheric Rivers 87 Ethylene Oxide 98 Olive Ridley Turtles
77 Brumation 88 Green Credit Programme 99 Hawksbill Turtle
78 GROW 89 Chipko Movement 100 Cicadas
Topic Polity & Governance Topic Govt. schemes in News Topic Economy
No. No. No.
101 CAA 2019 & Citizenship Rules 113 IndiaAI Mission 121 RBI’s Monetary Policy
2024
102 Sixth schedule 114 PMAY-Urban 122 Imported Inflation
103 Art. 142 of Constitution 115 UNNATI scheme 123 GDP vs GVA
104 Article 371A 116 E-Kisan Upaj Nidhi 124 Tax-to-GDP Ratio
105 Expansion of Scope of Articles 117 CCMS Platform 125 Direct Taxes
14 and 21
106 Article 244(A) 118 AHIDF 126 India-EFTA-TEPA
107 Const. Provisions for Women 119 Horticulture Cluster 127 HDI Report 2023-24
Development Programme
108 Nomination to Rajya Sabha 120 Mission Utkarsh 128 Coffee
109 Lokpal 129 Lavendar Cultivation
110 Kovind Panel Report 130 D-SII
111 Model Code of Conduct (MCC) 131 UPI
112 VVPAT 132 UNCTAD
Topic No. Miscellaneous Topic Miscellaneous
No.
133 Swami Dayanand Sarasvati 142 Grey Zone Warfare
134 Rakhigarhi 143 Project Akashteer
135 Lachit Borphukan 144 Theatre Commands
136 Usha Mehta 145 NSG
137 Vaikom Satyagraha 146 NCC
138 Order of Druk Gyalpo 147 BrahMos
139 Bharat Ratna 148 Red Corridor & Naxalism
140 Grammy Awards 149 Digital Services Act
141 Mohiniyattam 150 Candidates Chess
Tournament
International
Relations
1. Free Movement
Regime (FMR)
India has planned to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement
with Myanmar

The FMR was established in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy, promoting
cross-border movement up to 16 km without a visa.

Individuals residing at the border need a one-year border pass for stays lasting up
to two weeks in the neighbouring country.

It aimed to facilitate local border trade, improve access to education and

healthcare for border residents, and strengthen diplomatic ties.

Concerns have arisen about the influx of illegal immigrants, particularly the Chin,
Naga communities and Rohingyas from Myanmar, potentially straining resources
and impacting local demographics.

The porous border facilitates the illegal movement of drugs and weapons, posing a
threat to internal security to India and fueling crime.
2. Kaladan Multimodal Project
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport
Project has faced a definite setback after an
important town in Myanmar was captured
recently by a rebel group.
About
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is
aimed at connecting the port of Kolkata with the
port of Sittwe in Rakhinewhich would then be
connected to Mizoram by road and the Kaladan
river which flows by Paletwa.
 Recently, the India-led Group of Friends (GOF) deliberated on strategies to
strengthen legal frameworks against perpetrators of malicious acts targeting
Peacekeepers, focusing on supporting measures for ensuring accountability.

It is a significant initiative launched in 2022 by India during its presidency of the UN

3. India led Security Council (UNSC).

Group of It represents the ‘political will’ of member states, particularly of the troop and
police contributing countries, to champion the implementation of the provisions
of UNSC Resolution 2589.

Friends Resolution 2589 had called upon member states, hosting or having hosted United
Nations peacekeeping operations, to take all appropriate measures to bring to
justice perpetrators of the killing of, and all acts of violence against United Nations
personnel, including, but not limited to, their detention and abduction.

It comprises 40 member states, and India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco,

and Nepal serve as co-chairs of the GOF.
 The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for multiple road upgrade projects as part of
the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Corridor Connectivity.

Established in 2001, it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,
and Sri Lanka in a project-based partnership.

SASEC seeks to strengthen multimodal cross-border transport networks that

4. SASEC boost intraregional trade and open up trade opportunities with East and Southeast Asia.

The key projects underway in the region include:

• formulation and implementation of new Customs laws and regulations;

• strengthening of automated Customs systems;
• implementing provisions of the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) such as on pre-arrival processing, risk management
and post-clearance audit; and
• developing trade portals for better transparency.
5. G-4 Model UNSC
India has presented a detailed model on behalf of the G4 nations for Security Council reform.

India presented the ‘G4 model’ on behalf of Brazil, Germany, Japan and India for debate, dialogue and
finally negotiations.

The proposals elicited strong support from wider UN members.

New Members: It proposes that the Security Council’s membership increase from the current 15 to 25-
26, by adding six permanent and four or five non-permanent members.

Regional Representation: Among the six new permanent members, two each are proposed to be
from African states and Asia Pacific states, one from Latin American and Caribbean states; and one
from Western European and Other states.

Flexibility in Veto: The G4 model offered flexibility on the veto, while the new permanent members
would, as a principle, have the same responsibilities and obligations as current permanent members,
they shall not exercise the veto until a decision on the matter has been taken during a review.

Permanent Members are not Specified: G4 model does not specify which member states will occupy
the new permanent seats.

This decision will be made by the General Assembly in a democratic and inclusive election.
6. UNSC
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the
principal organs of the United Nations, responsible
for maintaining international peace and security.

It was established in 1945 as part of the UN Charter and is

composed of 15 member states, including five permanent
members with veto power—China, France, Russia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States—and ten non-permanent
members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

It is headquartered in New York City.

 Recently, the US, UK and Australia have unveiled details of their plan to
create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, aimed at countering
China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Under the AUKUS pact
7. AUKUS Australia is to get at least three nuclear-powered submarines from the US.

It is a trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific, between

Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) which was signed in 2021.

The major highlight of this arrangement is the sharing of US nuclear

submarine technology to Australia.

Its Indo-pacific orientation makes it an alliance against China’s assertive

actions in the South China Sea.

It involves a new architecture of meetings and engagements between the

three countries, as well as cooperation across emerging technologies
(applied AI, quantum technologies and undersea capabilities).
§ Recently, India, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) bloc
officials held talks to formally start negotiation for the Free
Trade Agreement (FTA).
§ It is an Economic Union, established in 2015, that integrates
several post-Soviet states.
§ It includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
the Russian Federation (Russia).
§ It aims to ease cross-border trade and labour migration, and
eliminate non-tariff trade barriers among member states.
§ It has a Common External Tariff (CET) and a common
customs code.
§ It boasts a combined GDP of more than $1.5 trillion and
represents a market of 180 million
The World Trade Organization (WTO) marks the 30th anniversary of the Marrakesh Agreement, a
significant milestone in global trade cooperation.

It was signed on April 15, 1994, during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations held in
Marrakesh, Morocco.

The agreement marked a significant milestone in global trade cooperation and set the framework
for international trade relations among participating countries.

The Marrakesh Agreement formally created the World Trade Organization, replacing the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as the primary international body governing global trade.

The WTO officially came into existence on January 1, 1995.

 10. Weimar Triangle Revival
The Foreign Ministers of Poland, France
and Germany have discussed reviving
the Weimar Triangle in a meeting in
Paris.

The “Weimar Triangle” is a regional

alliance of France, Germany,
and Poland created in 1991 in the
German city of Weimar.

The group is intended to promote

cooperation between the three countries
in cross-border and European issues.

It also aimed at assisting Poland’s

emergence from Communist rule

The ministers discussed creating a joint

mechanism to detect and respond to
potential Russian internet attacks.
11. CoViNet

Recently, the World Health CoViNet is a network of

The network currently
Organisation (WHO) global laboratories with
includes 36 laboratories
launched the ‘CoViNet’ — a expertise in human, animal,
from 21 countries in all 6
global laboratory to monitor and environmental
WHO regions.
emerging coronaviruses. coronavirus surveillance.

It expands on the WHO

However, the network
COVID-19 reference
Initially, the lab network was will now address a broader
laboratory
focused on SARS-CoV-2, the range of coronaviruses,
network established during
virus that causes COVID-19. including MERS-CoV and
the early days of the
potential new coronaviruses.
pandemic.
Location in
News
 12. Jim Corbett NP

The Supreme Court banned Tiger safaris will be limited to

tiger safari in the core areas of the peripheral and buffer
the Jim Corbett National Park. zones surrounding the
national park, offering
opportunities for wildlife
conservationists while
minimizing disruptions to the
core habitats.
13. 2nd Launchport
ISRO
Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the second rocket
launchport of ISRO at Kulasekarapattinam, in Tamil Nadu.

The trajectory followed by all launches from Satish Dhawan Space

Centre are longer as they follow a path which requires the vehicle to skirt
eastwards around Sri Lanka before taking the actual southward flight. This
consumes additional fuel.

However, the same would not be required for future launches from
Kulasekarapattinam, which is geographically located several kilometers to
the west of Colombo, thereby allowing a straight southward flight and
simultaneously saving the fuel available onboard SSLV.

The new launchport will provide a natural advantage to ISRO’s future

launches pertaining to the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
14. Jiadhal River
• Excessive rainfall, caused by changing
climate, has triggered unprecedented shifts
in the course of the Jiadhal river.

• The Jiadhal River is a northern sub-

tributary of the Brahmaputra River in the
Indian state of Assam.

• The river originates from the hills

of Arunachal Pradesh.

• The Jiadhal river flows through the Dhemaji

district of Assam and takes the name
of Kumotiya River from Gogamukh.

• The river finally joins Subansiri river, a

major tributary of Brahmaputra River.

• Jiadhal River is known as ‘Sorrow of

Dhemaji’ for the heavy damage caused by
annual flood and erosion.
 It is an uninhabited island
Recently, the Prime in the Palk Strait, and is
Minister raked up the
believed to have been
Katchatheevu Island issue,
formed following a volcanic
ahead of the Lok Sabha
eruption in the 14th
elections 2024.
Century.

During the British Raj, it

It passed to became part of the Madras
the Ramanathapuram- presidency. However, in
based Ramnad kingdom in 1921, both Sri Lanka and
India in the 17th Century. India, then British colonies,
laid claim to Katchatheevu.

The issue dates to 1974

when the island was ceded
to Sri Lanka by the Indian
government under the
leadership of then Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi
 16. Nikitin Seamount
India applied to the International
Seabed Authority (ISA),
Jamaica, for rights to explore two
vast tracts in the Indian Ocean
seabed that aren’t part of its
jurisdiction.

The AN Seamount is a structural

feature (400 km-long and 150 km-
wide) in the Central Indian
Basin, located about 3,000 km away
from India’s coast.

From an oceanic depth of about

4,800 km it rises to about 1,200
metre and — as surveys from about
two decades establish — rich in
deposits of cobalt, nickel,
manganese and copper.
17. Mauritius
18. Mekong Delta
Region
Southern Vietnam, including its “rice bowl” Mekong Delta region, suffered
an unusually long heatwave in February, 2024

The Mekong Delta is one of the largest and most fertile deltas in Asia and in
the world, located in Southern Vietnam.

It covers about four million hectares and supports a population of about 18

million people who depend on it for agriculture and aquaculture.

It is also considered among the world’s five most vulnerable deltas.

Threats: Urbanization and construction now pushing the delta beyond its
capacity.

The Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia

Countries: It flows from the Tibetan Plateau in China through Myanmar,

Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
19. Qatar

• In a move hailed as a
significant diplomatic success,
Qatar has freed eight
imprisoned former Indian Navy
personnel, with seven already
back on home soil. This
development follows intense
diplomatic efforts nearly four
months after a Qatari court's
death sentences were
commuted to various prison
terms.
20. Philippines

Recently, India’s External Affairs

Minister firmly supported the
Philippines in upholding its
national sovereignty during his
visit to Manila.

Historically, Indian influences

reached the Philippines through
the Srivijaya and Majapahit
empires, contributing to the early
Philippine culture, religion, and
language.
21. Sea of Japan
South Korea is on high Alert as North
Korea has launched Multiple Cruise
Missiles into the Sea of Japan

Sea of Japan, marginal sea of the

western Pacific Ocean

It is bounded by the Japanese

archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean
Peninsula, and the mainland of
the Russian Far East.

The sea is separated from the East

China Sea to the south by
the Tsushima and Korea straits and
from the Sea of Okhotsk to the north
by the La Perouse and Tatar straits.
Recently, Taiwan experienced its strongest earthquake of
7.2 magnitude in nearly 25 years.

Taiwan has a long history of earthquakes due to its location

along the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, a line of seismic faults
encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s
earthquakes occur.

The tension accumulated from the interactions of two

tectonic plates, the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian
Plate, may lead to sudden releases in the form of
earthquakes.
The ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ is one of the
most seismically and volcanically active
zones in the world.

It is primarily due to the movement of

tectonic plates in this region.

Much of the volcanic activity occurs along

subduction zones, which are convergent
plate boundaries where two tectonic
plates come together.
23. Sweden-
32nd Member
NATO
Sweden has officially become
the 32nd member of NATO,
joining the military alliance two
years after applying following
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden’s NATO membership

was delayed due to objections
from Turkey and Hungary, but
eventually received approval.
24. Darien Gap
Darien Gap had become a major route for the illegal
migration to US.

The Darien Gap is a stretch of densely forested jungle

across northern Colombia located in South America
and southern Panama located in North America.

Roughly 60 miles (97 kilometres) across, the terrain is

muddy, wet and unstable.

The challenging topography of humid, swampy

rainforest as well as criminal gangs who control the
area, make the route an extremely challenging and
deadly one.
25. Operation
Indravati: Haiti

About

• India launched ‘Operation Indravati’ to evacuate its nationals

from Haiti.

Background

• Haiti has been witnessing violence for over two years since
the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
• Now various armed groups launched coordinated attacks on
key installations in Haiti in an attempt to force the resignation
of the country’s de facto leader Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

About Haiti

• Capital: Port-au-Prince
• Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean
Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of The Bahamas.
26. Brazil
Rio De Janeiro Declared a Dengue Health Emergency. Rio de Janeiro
is a city in Brazil and it is shaped by interaction with mountains
and sea.
Brazil is a country in South America and It is the fifth largest
country in the world.
It borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
To the north, it shares a boundary with Colombia, Venezuela,
Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. To the northwest, it meets
Peru and Bolivia, to the west Argentina and Paraguay, to the
southwest Uruguay, and to the south it is bounded by the Atlantic
Ocean.
§ Geologists predict that the African continent’s rift in the Afar
Triangle could lead to the formation of a new ocean in 5 to
10 million years.
§ The Afar Triangle is also known as the Afar
Depression, located in the Horn of Africa.
§ The Afar Triangle is a geological depression where three
tectonic plates—the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates—
converge.
§ This area is part of the East African Rift system, which
extends from the Afar region down through eastern Africa.
§ The rifting process occurring here is a result of the tectonic
plates slowly moving apart, a phenomenon that has been
taking place for millions of years
 28. Lake Kariba
• Water levels at Lake Kariba have dropped
to just 13.52% of its capacity because of
the latest El Niño drought.
• Lake Kariba is the world’s largest
artificial lake and reservoir by volume.
• Location: It was formed by damming
the Zambezi River in the Kariba Gorge in
central Africa.
• It lies 1,300 kilometers upstream from the
Indian Ocean, along the border
between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Islands: The lake has several islands,
including Maaze Island, Chete Island,
Sekula, Sampa Karuma, Fothergill,
Spurwing, Bed Island etc.
§

§
Science &
Technology
 30. MethaneSAT
About

• MethaneSAT, a new satellite backed by Alphabet Inc’s Google and the Environmental Defense
Fund group, was launched recently.
• The satellite will track and measure methane emissions at a global scale and was launched
aboard a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket from California.
• It is not the first spacecraft to identify and quantify methane emissions, it will provide more
details and have a much wider field of view than any of its predecessors.

Need to Track Methane Emissions

• Contribution of Methane Gas: Methane is an invisible but strong greenhouse gas, and
the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, responsible for 30
percent of global heating since the Industrial Revolution.
• According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over a period of 20 years, methane
is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide.
 31. VIKRAM-1 SKYROOT
• Vikram-1 is a three-stage, solid-fuel based rocket. Testing
of the “second stage” is significant because this stage
propels satellites from the dense atmosphere of Earth to
the deep vacuum of outer space.
32. ‘Odysseus’ Moon
lander
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket recently lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida, USA, carrying the private “Odysseus” moon lander.

If Odysseus completes its journey and soft lands on the Moon, it will make it the first
privately-led mission to do so.

Israel’s Beresheet attempted in 2019, Japan’s Hakuto in 2023 and the American
Peregrine in 2024.

All of them failed to land on the Moon, with Astrobiotic’s Peregrine suffered a
propellant leak hours after launch and eventually burned up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Developed by: Intuitive Machines, a private entity.

33. Vyommitra
Recently, the Ministry of Science & Technology announced that woman robot astronaut
"Vyommitra" will fly into Space ahead of Indian Space Research Organisation's
(ISRO) ambitious “Gaganyaan" mission, which will be India’s first human manned Space
Flight carrying Indian Astronauts into Space.

The "Vyommitra" Mission is scheduled for the third quarter of 2024 while a manned
mission “Gaganyaan” is scheduled to be launched in 2025.

“Vyommitra” is a name derived from two Sanskrit words namely, “Vyoma” (meaning
Space) and “Mitra” (meaning Friend). This Female Robot Astronaut is equipped with the
capability to monitor Module Parameters, issue Alerts and execute Life Support
operations.
◦ It can perform tasks such as operating six panels and responding to queries.
◦ Vyommitra Astronaut is designed in such a manner to simulate human functions in
the Space environment and interact with the Life Support System.

The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human space capabilities, launching

astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit and safely bringing them back to Earth, landing in
India's sea waters.
 34. SAKHI APP GAGANYAAN
• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), under the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), has developed an innovative and versatile application called
the Space-borne Assistant and Knowledge Hub for Crew Interaction (SAKHI) to
support astronauts during the Gaganyaan space flight mission.
• SAKHI offers access to technical information, facilitates communication,
monitors health, ensures connectivity with Earth and onboard systems, and
manages dietary schedules.
• Strapped to space suits, SAKHI helps astronauts access data, maintain logs, and
stay informed about their well-being, enhancing safety and efficiency for the
Gaganyaan mission and aligning with ISRO's goal of advancing space exploration.
 The government is planning to implement a highway toll
collection system based on the global navigation satellite
system

GNSS refers to a constellation of satellites providing signals

from space that transmit positioning and timing data to
GNSS receivers. The receivers then use this data to
determine location
35. Satellite
The system will use an automatic number plate recognition
based Toll (ANPR) system through cameras installed on highways and
deduct tolls based on the distance traveled by a vehicle.

Collection The device monitors the movements while driving,

accurately marking the entry and exit points on tolled
segments. By analyzing travel distance, it computes the
charges accordingly.

This eliminates the uniformity of fixed tolls at booths,

ensuring fairness for drivers traversing shorter distances.
Difference between
FASTags and ANPR tech
+ The current system of FASTags
facilitates the process of electronic
payment at the toll plaza, which has
a scanner. This allows the vehicle to
pass through the plaza, without
needing to stop.
+ In the case of the GNSS-based
system, the toll will be deducted
based on the distance measured by
ANPR technology, thereby making
the toll plazas redundant.
36. Agni-V and MIRV
India recently successfully tested a new Agni-V missile with MIRV
(Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle)
technology, capable of carrying multiple warheads and striking
multiple targets.

MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry

Vehicle) technology is the capability that allows multiple
warheads to be loaded on a single missile delivery system and
programmed to hit different targets, thus greatly enhancing the
missile’s destructive potential.

They can all be made to hit the same location too, one after the
other, thus ensuring complete annihilation of the target.

Apart from the obvious advantage of inflicting multiple

damages with a single strike, MIRV is a sought-after military
technology for its ability to penetrate missile defence systems
37. Total Solar
Eclipse
Recently, the total solar It occurs when the Moon
eclipse was observed passes directly between
covering over 30 million the Earth and the Sun,
people in the US, Canada, completely blocking the
and Mexico. Sun’s light and casting a
shadow on certain parts of
the Earth.

While there can be A particular spot on Earth

between two and five solar witnesses a total solar
eclipses every year, total eclipse only once in 400
eclipses only happen years.
about once every 18
months.
 Types of Solar Eclipses
- Total: It occurs when the Moon completely blocks the
Sun, allowing observers in the path of totality to see
the Sun’s corona.

- Annular: It happens when the Moon is at its farthest

point from Earth and does not completely cover the
Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight visible.

- Partial: It takes place when the Moon only partially

obscures the Sun.

- Hybrid (the rarest type): It occurs when an eclipse

transitions between annular and total as the Moon’s
shadow moves across the Earth.
 38. Measles and Rubella Champion Award

Measles and Rubella

India received the Measles Awarded by: Measles and are vaccine preventable
diseases (VPDs) and MR Measles : It is caused by
and Rubella Champion Rubella Partnership at the
a single-stranded,
Award for its exemplary American Red Cross Vaccine is part of enveloped RNA virus with 1
efforts in combating these Headquarters in Washington India’s Universal
serotype.
Diseases. D.C., USA. Immunization
Programme since 2017.

Rubella: It is also known

Symptoms include a high Symptoms include fever, red
as German measles or three-
fever, cough, runny nose and rash blotchy and swollen
day measles, is an infection
a rash all over the body. lymph glands.
caused by the rubella virus.
 39. LYME DISEASE

A case of Lyme disease was reported in Kerala’s Ernakulam.

It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.

It is transmitted by infected ticks of the genus Ixodes.

Erythema migrans rash is the most characteristic symptom

and others are headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.

It is mostly common in the US, Europe & some parts of Asia.

 The first phase of the Bi-annual Nationwide Mass Drug
Administration (MDA) campaign for Lymphatic Filariasis
elimination was launched recently.

It is a Vector Borne Disease which is caused mainly

by Wuchereria Bancrofti and spread by Culex mosquito.

40. This mosquito grows in dirty accumulated water.

Lymphatic It is a neglected tropical disease that is commonly known

Filariasis as elephantiasis.

Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to

humans through mosquitoes.

Infection is usually acquired in childhood and causes hidden

damage to the lymphatic system
 Lymphatic Filariasis
Prevalence Impact Treatment India’s Efforts

• It affects over 120 • The disease affects • It can be eliminated • India is committed
million people in 72 the poorest by stopping the to eliminating
countries population in spread of infection Lymphatic Filariasis
throughout the society, particularly through preventive by 2027, three
tropics and sub- those living in areas chemotherapy with years ahead of the
tropics of Asia, with poor water, safe medicine global target
Africa, the Western sanitation and combinations through mission
Pacific, and parts of hygiene. repeated annually. mode, multi partner,
the Caribbean and • LF does not kill the multi sector,
South America. affected people, targeted drive for
but may cause which we have
permanent drawn up the
disfigurement, roadmap”
reduced
productivity and
social stigma.
41. Alaskapox
 About the Bubonic
Transmission Symptoms Treatment:
Plague
• Recently, a new • Humans can • It can cause fever, • All forms of
case of bubonic contract the plague headache, the plague are
plague was in one of three weakness, and treatable with
detected in the ways: painful, swollen common antibiotics,
USA. • The bite of infected lymph nodes. It and people who
• It is often referred fleas. usually happens seek treatment
to as the ‘Black • Unprotected from the bite of an early have a better
Death’. contact with infected flea. chance of a full
• It is an infectious infectious bodily • Septicemic recovery.

42. Bubonic
disease caused by fluids or Plague: It happens if • Sunlight and drying
the bacterium contaminated the bacteria enters can kill plague
Yersinia materials. the bloodstream, bacteria on
pestis which is • The inhalation of causing abdominal surfaces.
usually found in respiratory pain, shock,
small mammals and bleeding into the

Plague
droplets/small
their fleas. particles from a skin, and blackening
• It occurs when patient with of appendages,
the bacteria get into pneumonic plague. most often fingers,
the lymph nodes. toes, or the nose.
• Earlier, it occurred • Pneumonic
from 1346 to 1353, Plague: This is the
resulting in the most dangerous
deaths of as many form of the plague,
as 50 million people and it happens
in Europe. when the bacteria
enter the lungs.
• It adds rapidly
developing
pneumonia to the
list of symptoms.
 The world is on the brink of eradicating Guinea
worm disease.

The disease had more than 3.5 million cases in

43. Guinea the 1980s, but according to the World Health

Organization’s (WHO), they dwindled to 14
cases in 2021, 13 in 2022, and just six in 2023.

Worm India eliminated Guinea worm disease in

the late 1990s, through a rigorous campaign of
Disease surveillance, water safety interventions, and
community education.

The government of India received Guinea

worm disease-free certification status from
the WHO in 2000.
 It is the first consolidated According to the The data shows that the
Recently , the 2024 Global
WHO report on viral Report, 254 million estimated number of
Hepatitis Report was
hepatitis epidemiology, people lived with hepatitis deaths from viral
released by the World
service coverage and B and 50 million with hepatitis increased from
Health Organization
product access, with hepatitis C in 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3
(WHO).
improved data for action. 2022 globally. million in 2022.

India accounted for the With a total of 3.5 crore

Of these, 83% were second-highest number of cases, India accounted for
caused by hepatitis B, and cases of hepatitis B and C 11.6% of the total disease
17% by hepatitis C. in 2022 after China, with burden globally that year.
3.5 crore infections
 45. Meningitis

It can be caused by viruses,

Nigeria has become the first bacteria, fungi, or
Meningitis is a
country in the world to parasites and can lead to
dangerous inflammation of the
introduce a new, highly serious complications,
membranes surrounding including brain damage,
effective vaccine against
meningitis. the brain and spinal cord. hearing loss and learning
disabilities.

The vaccine, called Men5CV, is

Bacterial meningitis, recommended by the World
A region of 26 countries known
specifically caused by Health Organization (WHO) and
as the “African meningitis
the meningococcus bacteria, is offers protection against five
belt” stretches across the strains of the meningococcus
a particular concern in
Africa. continent, including Nigeria. bacteria in a single shot.
 The President of India, launched India’s first
home-grown gene therapy which is CAR-T cell
therapy (NexCAR19) for cancer at IIT Bombay.

46. NexCAR19
NexCAR19 is the indigenously
developed therapy for B-cell cancers (types of
cancers that form in the immune system’s
cells) such as leukemia and lymphoma.

It has been developed collaboratively

by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at the
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB),
and Tata Memorial Hospital.

B-cells and T-cells are a specific type of white

blood cell called lymphocytes.
CAR-T Cell Therapy
T cells are the cells of the immune system that fights
infections and can kill cancer.

But, sometimes cancers can evade the T cells and

there comes the use of “CAR-T cell therapy”
or Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

In this, patients own T cells are taken and modified in

the lab so that they can recognise and react against
the cancer.

These modified T cells, also called CAR-T cells are

then reinfused back into the patients. Now, these cells
can better recognise cancer and are able to attack it.
Different Types of Cell Therapies

Stem cell therapy: This type of therapy involves the transplantation of stem cells to
replace damaged or diseased cells. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various
types of cells, including blood cells, nerve cells, and muscle cells, and can help repair
damaged tissue.

Dendritic cell therapy: This type of therapy involves the use of dendritic cells, which are
immune cells that help to coordinate the immune response against cancer
47. Glycaemic Index and Diabetes
A Lancet paper has provided proof for the undeniable link between high glycaemic index and diabetes.

Findings: The findings suggest that consuming low glycaemic index and low glycaemic load diets might prevent
the development of type 2 diabetes.
They also found a strong association between glycaemic index (GI) and the risk of type 2 diabetes among
individuals with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI).
The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates.

It shows how quickly each food affects blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.

High GI foods: Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by body and cause a rapid increase in blood
glucose have a high GI rating.
Low and medium GI foods: Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in
blood sugar levels over time.
 48. Euvichol-S
• Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO)
prequalified a new oral simplified vaccine
for cholera.
• Euvichol-S is a simplified formulation of the WHO
prequalified inactivated oral cholera vaccine,
Euvichol-Plus.
• Cholera, a deadly diarrheal disease, caused by the
bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has been surging globally
since 2021, with high case fatality rates despite the
availability of simple, effective, and affordable
treatment.
• The approval of Euvichol-S is expected to increase
the overall supply of oral cholera vaccines available
in 2024, with approximately 50 million doses now
forecasted to be available to the global stockpile
this year, compared to 38 million in 2023.
 49. Penicillin-G
+ Recently, the Union Health Minister announced to restart
Penicillin G manufacturing in India, which was stopped in
the 90s.
+ About Penicillin G (Benzylpenicillin)
+ It is an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) used in
several common antibiotics such as pneumonia, meningitis,
gonorrhoea, syphilis, etc.
+ It is a narrow spectrum antibiotic used for treatment of
several serious bacterial infections.
+ It is a natural penicillin antibiotic that is
administered intravenously or intramuscularly due to poor
oral absorption.
+ However, the production of Penicillin G in India was halted
in the 1990s due to the influx of cheaper alternatives from
China that Indian manufacturers could not compete with.
 50. KARNATAKA BANS
HARMFUL DYES
• Karnataka bans harmful dyes in Gobi
Manchurian, cotton candy, imposing
imprisonment of up to seven years and
fines of up to Rs 10 lakh for violators.
51. Rhodamine-B

The Tamil Nadu government banned the sale and production of cotton candy in the state due to the
presence of Rhodamine-B in it.

Rhodamine-B or RhB is a chemical commonly used for dyeing in the textile, paper, leather, and paints
industry as a coloring agent that helps in attaining the red and pink spectrum.

In powdered form the chemical is green in color and upon being added to water, it turns pink.

It is widely used as a food additive in the manufacturing, packaging, import, and sale of various food
items.

According to studies, even if consumed in small quantities, the chemical is highly toxic and
carcinogenic
52. Deep Tech
During her Interim Budget address, the Finance Minister pledged to introduce a new program to enhance deep-tech
capabilities in defense, hinting at a broader policy to support deep-tech startups across various sectors, expected later this year

Deep tech or deep technology refers to a class of startup businesses that develop new offerings based on tangible engineering
innovation or scientific discoveries and advances.

Deep tech fields like Artificial Intelligence, advanced materials, blockchain, biotechnology, robotics, drones, photonics, and quantum
computing are moving more and more quickly from early research to market applications.
53. Carbon Nanotubes
Researchers at the Institute of
Advanced Study in Science and
They are pivotal in advancing
Technology (IASST) have
modern technology by
pioneered a novel method for
showcasing extraordinary
directly synthesising CNTs on
properties.
glass substrates at a
temperature of 750 °C.

Recent Developments : The

Applications: They have found
experiment is performed using
applications in diverse fields,
the Plasma Enhanced Chemical
including rechargeable
Vapour Deposition Technique
batteries, flexible electronics,
(PECVD), where plasma is
aerospace, transparent
generated using a specially
electrodes, touch screens,
designed spiral-shaped fused
supercapacitors, and medicine.
hollow cathode source.

This innovative process

circumvents the need for
elevated temperatures and
eliminates the necessity for a
transition metal catalyst.
54. Sangam: Digital Twin Initiative

To demonstrate practical implementation of innovative infrastructure planning

About solutions.

To develop a model framework for facilitating faster and more effective

collaboration.

To provide a future blueprint that may serve as a roadmap to scale and

replicate successful strategies in future infrastructure projects.

Digital Twin technology creates virtual replicas of physical assets, constantly

Digital updated with real-time data and replicating its behavior.

Twin
It allows for real-time monitoring, simulation and analysis for experimental
iterations.

It leverages data collected from sensors and other sources to create a real-
time representation that reflects the physical counterpart’s state and behavior.
 OpenAI, the creator of the revolutionary chatbot ChatGPT,
has launched a new generative artificial intelligence
(GenAI) model “Sora”

Sora is an AI model that can create realistic and

imaginative scenes from text instructions.

55. Sora can generate videos up to a minute long while

maintaining visual quality and adherence to the user’s

OpenAI’s
prompt.

Sora is able to generate complex scenes with multiple

characters, specific types of motion, and accurate details

Sora of the subject and background.

Concerns : The current model has weaknesses. It may

struggle with accurately simulating the physics of a
complex scene and may not understand specific instances
of cause and effect.

Future Outlook : Open AI is building tools to help detect

misleading content such as a detection classifier that can
tell when a video was generated by Sora.
56. Google DeepMind’s
Genie
The model can generate
Google DeepMind has
an endless variety of
introduced Genie, a new enie is a foundation world
playable (action-
model that can generate model that is trained on
controllable) worlds from
interactive video games videos sourced from the
synthetic images,
from just a text or image Internet.
photographs, and even
prompt.
sketches.

Genie can be prompted to

Significance: This opens up
generate a diverse set of With Genie, anyone will be
many possibilities,
interactive and able to create their own
especially new ways to
controllable entirely imagined virtual
create and step into virtual
environments although it is worlds
worlds.
trained on video-only data.
57. Llama-3

Meta introduced its most capable Large Language Model (LLM), the Meta Llama 3.

It also introduced an image generator, which updates pictures in real-time even as

the user types out the prompt.

Llama or Large Language Model Meta AI is a family of LLMs introduced by Meta AI

in 2023.

Llama 3, the latest iteration of its LLM and has been released in two sizes, 8B and 70B
parameters.

Parameters are a measure of the size and complexity of an AI model and generally,
a larger number of parameters means an AI model is more complex and powerful.
Large Language
Models (LLMs)
• A large language model (LLM) is a type of
artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that
uses deep learning techniques and
massively large data sets to understand,
summarize, generate and predict new
content.
• Deep learning involves the probabilistic
analysis of unstructured data, which
eventually enables the deep learning
model to recognize distinctions between
pieces of content without human
intervention.
• It helps to understand how characters,
words, and sentences function together.
 58. Phi-3-mini
Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its ‘lightweight’
AI model – the Phi-3-Mini.

It is the smallest AI model developed by Microsoft. It is

believed to be the first in a series of three smaller
models planned by Microsoft.

It reportedly outperformed models of the same size and the

next size up across a variety of benchmarks, in areas like
language, reasoning, coding, and maths.

Essentially, language models are the backbone of AI

applications like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.

These models are trained on existing data to solve common

language problems such as text classification, answering
questions, text generation, document summarisation, etc.
59. Neuralink
The first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink recently.

Initial results show promising neuron spike detection

Neuralink is a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk in 2016.

The company’s main goal is to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can be implanted
in the human brain.

These BCIs would allow people to control computers and other devices with their thoughts, and
could also be used to treat a variety of neurological conditions.

Neuralink’s BCI is a small, flexible device that is implanted in the motor cortex of the brain.

The device contains thousands of tiny electrodes that can detect the electrical activity of
neurons. This activity is then processed by a computer, which can interpret it as commands or
intentions.
60. Lab-Grown
Diamonds
Lab-grown diamond exports from India tripled in value
between 2019 and 2022.

LGDs are manufactured in laboratories, as opposed to

naturally-occurring diamonds.

But the chemical composition and other physical and

optical properties of the two are the same.

In Union Budget 2023-24, a five-year research grant for one

of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) was announced
to encourage the indigenous production of lab-grown
diamonds (LGD) machinery, seeds and recipe.
 It is the exploitation and
abuse of individuals
MEA rescued many Indians
through digital means, often
from Cambodia who were
involving forced labor or
trapped to do cyber slavery.
human trafficking facilitated
by technology.

In this individuals are

coerced, manipulated, or
deceived into performing It is an organized crime of
tasks or services against unprecedented severity and
their will or under duress, scale.
typically for the benefit of
others.
 62. Juice Jacking

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a warning against charging
mobile phones using public ports.

It is a type of cyberattack where hackers tamper with public USB charging ports,
infecting them with malware or making hardware changes that allow them to
steal data from devices connected to them.

Most attacks target both Android and iOS mobile devices, with older devices
being particularly vulnerable due to their outdated software.

When users connect their devices to compromised USB ports, hackers use the
connection to hack into mobile devices and steal personal data like email, SMS,
and saved passwords or deliver malware by gaining access to the phones.
§ The influx of shallow fakes on social media is increasing
every day.
§ Shallow fakes or cheap fakes are pictures, videos and voice
clips created without the help of AI technology but by either
editing or by using other simple software tools.
§ Shallow fake videos are manually altered or selectively
edited.
§ They can be created easily, in some cases it can be just a
clipped video being shared without any context.
Deep Fakes Shallow fakes

Shallow fakes or cheap fakes are

made with existing technologies—
Deep Fakes describe for example a conventional edit on
photorealistic and audio- a photo or slowing-down a video to
realistic images, video and change the speech patterns of an
audio created or individual, or more often rely on
manipulated with artificial mis-captioning or mis-
intelligence to deceive. contextualising an existing image
or video, claiming it is from a time
or place which it is not from.
 64. Doxxing
In today’s digital era, concerns of doxxing are increasing manifolds.

The act of digitally publicising a person’s private details is called doxxing.

Such as home addresses, phone numbers, private email IDs, medical conditions,
government documents, live locations, etc.

It allows abusers and criminals who are thousands of miles away to target
victims by putting their private details online for others to exploit.

Such information is usually obtained through illegal methods such as hacking or

theft.

Social media companies are bound by India’s IT Rules, submitting a cybercrime

complaint is one way to make sure the platform is forced to take action quickly.
65. Anthropocene
Recently, a committee of scientists voted down a proposal to declare the start of
the Anthropocene (or the Human Epoch) in geologic time.

It was coined in 2000 by scientists Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer, and is proposed as a new
geological epoch to reflect the significant alterations to the planet caused by human activities.

The term is derived from the Greek words ‘anthropo’ meaning ‘human’ and ‘-cene’ used in names
of geological epochs.

It saw the warming of the Earth, which closely corresponded with the rise and proliferation of
human beings.

Various start dates for the Anthropocene have been proposed, ranging from the beginning of
the Neolithic Revolution (12,000–15,000 years ago), to as recently as the 1960s.
 66.
THERMONUCLEAR
FUSION

• India and Russia are in discussions to

collaborate on a range of activities
including research on
controlled thermonuclear fusion.
• Thermonuclear fusion is a process in
which two light atomic nuclei combine
to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a
significant amount of energy in the
process.
• This process is the same as what powers
stars, including our sun.
• The most common fusion reaction
involves the isotopes of
hydrogen: deuterium and
tritium. When these isotopes fuse, they
form helium and release a neutron,
along with a large amount of energy.
 • The European Organization for Nuclear Research or CERN has
launched the White Rabbit Collaboration.
• White Rabbit: The technology is developed to synchronise devices in
the accelerators down to sub-nanoseconds and solve the challenge of
establishing a common notion of time across a network.
• At a scale of billionths of a second, the time light takes to travel through
a fibre-optic cable and the time the electronics take to process the signal
are no longer negligible. To avoid potential delays, the co-inventors of
67. W H I T E R A B B I T White Rabbit designed a new ethernet switch.
C O L L A BO R AT I O N • Application: White Rabbit is used in the finance sector as well as in
many research infrastructures, and it is currently being evaluated for
application in the future quantum internet.
• The technology could also play a key role in the future landscape
of global time dissemination technologies, which currently rely heavily
on satellites.
• White Rabbit Collaboration: It is a membership-based global
community whose objective is to maintain a high-performance open-
source technology that meets the needs of users and to facilitate its
uptake by industry.
ENVIRONMENT
68. Nagoya Protocol • Recently, Cameroon adopted the Nagoya Protocol to benefit from its
rich biodiversity.
• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair
and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation is a
supplementary agreement to the UN Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD).
• It is an offshoot of the CBD that addresses fair and equitable
benefit sharing in the context of biodiversity access.
• Cameroon in central Africa is home to vast biological resources,
which have long been exploited by foreign firms, without fair and
equitable benefits to the communities that own them.
• It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective
implementation of objectives of the CBD, that is the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic
resources.
Convention on Biological Diversity
69. Convention on the Conservation
of Migratory species of Wild Animals
Recently, the United Nations (UN) has recently released the ‘Financing for
Sustainable Development Report 2024’ highlighting the urgent need for
increased investment in sustainable development to achieve the SDGs.

These are a set of 17 goals established by the UN as a shared blueprint for

peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

These goals, adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, are an urgent call for
action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership
71. Blue
Economy

The Interim Budget presented by the Finance

Minister recently stressed on environment-
friendly development through the promotion
of ‘blue economy’.

The budget proposes to promote climate

resilient activities for blue economy 2.0 for
restoration and adaptation measures.

Additionally, the budget outlines plans to set

up five integrated aqua parks and enhance
the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
(PMMSY) to increase aquaculture
productivity, double exports, and generate
employment opportunities.
72. New Ramsar Sites
Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changeannounced that on the
eve of World Wetlands Day, 2024, India has increased its tally of Ramsar sites to 80 from
the existing 75 by designating five more wetlands as Ramsar sites.

Three of these sites, Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve, Aghanashini

Estuary and Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve are located in Karnataka whereas
two, Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary and Longwood Shola Reserve Forest are in Tamilnadu.

Tamil Nadu continues to have the maximum number of Ramsar Sites (16 sites) followed
by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
 73. LEOPARD
POPULATION
• The fifth cycle of leopard population estimation was carried out by
the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute
of India.
• India’s leopard numbers rose by 8% from 12,852 in 2018 to
13,874 in 2022.
• Madhya Pradesh houses the largest population of leopards in the
country – 3907 , followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu.
• Tiger Reserves or sites with highest leopard population are,
Nagarajunasagar Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), followed by Panna
(MP), and Satpura (MP).
• The Shivalik hills and the Gangetic plains recorded 3.4% yearly
decline in leopard population.
• Central India and the Eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats and the
hills of the northeast, and the Brahmaputra flood plains recorded
growth of 1.5%, 1% and 1.3% per annum respectively.
 74. MASS BLEACHING:
GREAT BARRIER REEF
• Recently, the fifth Mass Bleaching
event hit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in
the past eight years
• When corals are stressed by changes in
conditions such as temperature, light or
nutrients, they expel the algae living in
their tissue, causing them to turn white,
hence bleached.
• However, Corals can survive a bleaching
event, but they are under more stress and
are subject to mortality.
 75. BLACK
CARBON
• Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana
(PMUY), a
scheme of the
government of
India can
contribute to net
zero
emission signific
antly by
mitigating the
black carbon
emission.
76. Atmospheric Rivers

They are large, narrow sections of the Earth’s When they reach land, atmospheric rivers
Recently, the Atmospheric Rivers have
atmosphere that carry moisture from the release this moisture, producing heavy snow
brought massive rainfall to California (U.S.).
Earth’s tropics near the equator to the poles. and rain.

Atmospheric rivers are commonly observed

A well-known example of a strong
in the extratropical North Pacific/Atlantic, the
atmospheric river is the “Pineapple
southeastern Pacific, and the South Atlantic
Express” that is a common feature for the
oceans, frequently making landfall along the
west coast of the US and Canada.
western coasts of North and South America.
 77. Brumation
Researchers have observed instances of brumation in various
reptilian species across habitats
It’s a state of sluggishness, inactivity, or torpor exhibited by
reptiles during winter or extended periods of low temperature
because of scarcity of food.
About It is a period of dormancy in reptiles, similar to hibernation in
mammals, to conserve energy and survive the adverse
environmental conditions.
During brumation, reptiles may retreat to underground burrows,
rock crevices or other sheltered areas where temperatures are
relatively more stable.

It allows reptiles to go weeks or even months without eating, and

to conserve energy and minimise their resource requirements.
It is crucial for reptiles to survive cold climes and endure
Significanc challenging environmental conditions, until they can reemerge to
e feed and reproduce in more favourable climes.
It is a survival strategy hardwired into these animals over
thousands of years to adapt to sudden climatic changes.
78. Greening and Restoration of
Wasteland with Agroforestry
(GROW)
• Recently, the NITI Aayog unveiled the ‘Greening and Restoration of
Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW)’ report and portal, aiming to bolster
efforts in environmental conservation and sustainable land use across
India.
• About the GROW
• It is a multi-institutional effort led by NITI Aayog, which utilised remote
sensing and GIS to assess agroforestry suitability across all districts in
India.
• It provides state-wise and district-wise analysis, supporting government
departments and industries for greening and restoration projects.
• It underscores the potential benefits of converting underutilised areas,
especially wastelands, for agroforestry.
 The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) has been recognized and honored as one of the
seven UN World Restoration Flagships .

It extends over 900 km from the Bagmati River (Nepal) in the east to the
Yamuna River (India) in the west.

79. Terai It comprises the Shivalik hills, the adjoining bhabhar areas and the Terai flood
plains.

Arc It is spread across the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,

Landscape
and the low lying hills of Nepal.

The landscape boasts of some of India’s most well-known Tiger Reserves and
Protected Areassuch as Corbett Tiger Reserve, Rajaji National Park, Dudhwa
Tiger Reserve, Valmiki Tiger Reserve and Nepal’s Bardia Wildlife Sanctuary,
Chitwan National Park, and Sukhla Phanta Wildlife Sanctuary

Importance: TAL envisions a globally unique landscape where biodiversity is

conserved, ecological integrity is safeguarded, and the socio-economic well-
being of the people is secured
80. T N Godavarman
Case and Forests
Recently, the Supreme Court of India directed governments to follow ‘broad’ definition
of forests

The Supreme Court of India, in TN Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India Case,

observed that the ‘forest’ has to be understood in terms of its dictionary meaning.

It defined ‘forest’ to include any piece of land that resembles the dictionary meaning
of forest for the purpose of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

It ruled that the Forest (Conservation) Act applies to all land parcels that were either
recorded as ‘forest’, or which resembled the dictionary meaning of forest

It covers all statutorily recognized forests, whether designated as reserved, protected,

or otherwise.

It is intended to ensure that the protection and conservation of forests are prioritised
in India.
81. BioTRIG

It is a new waste
Researchers claimed that management technology,
It is a community-level
the BioTRIG, a new waste based on the process of
pyrolysis system designed to
management technology pyrolysis, could help rural
run on the waste generated
could improve life in rural Indians cut indoor air
by villagers.
India. pollution, improve soil health,
and generate clean power.

The syngas and bio-oil can The clean-burning bio-oil

It produces three products —
heat and power the pyrolysis could replace dirty cooking
bio-oil, syngas, and biochar
system in future cycles, with fuels in homes, and biochar
fertiliser — that could help
surplus electricity used to could be used to store
rural Indians live healthier and
power local homes and carbon while improving soil
greener lives
businesses. fertility.
Pyrolysis (A Chemical Recycling Process)

– It is a kind of chemical recycling that transforms

leftover organic materials into their component
molecules.
– It works by sealing the waste inside an oxygen-free
chamber and heating it above 400 degrees Celsius.
 About

• Above-normal temperatures are likely to be recorded over

most parts of the country
• During April May June hot weather season, above normal
heatwave days are likely to occur over most parts of south
peninsula, central India, east India and plains of northwest
India

What is Heat Wave

• Qualitatively, a heat wave is a condition of air temperature

which becomes fatal to the human body when exposed.
82. HEAT WAVE IN • Quantitatively, it is defined based on the temperature
thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its
INDIA departure from normal.
• Heat waves in India are typically recorded between March
and June and tend to peak in May.

Criteria

• The IMD declares a heat wave if the maximum temperature of

a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees C in the
plains and at least 30 degrees C in hilly regions, with a
departure of around 4.5-6.4 degrees C from the normal
maximum temperature.
• The IMD can also declare a heat wave if the actual maximum
temperature crosses 45 degrees C, and a ‘severe heat wave’ if
it crosses 47 degrees C.
 Cardamom belongs to
The drought has caused the ginger family
extensive damage to (Zingiberaceae). It has
cardamom plantations a strong, warm flavour
across Kerala. that is both spicy and
sweet

Cardamom thrives in
Native to the Western a warm and humid
Ghats of South India. It climate with well-
is a perennial distributed rainfall
herbaceous plant. ranging from 1500 to
2500 mm annually.

The most suitable soil

The ideal temperature for cardamom
range is between 15°C plantation is deep, well-
to 35°C. drained, and rich in
organic matter.
84. Plankton Crash
- The panel formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to
probe the cause of the sea turning red in Puduicherry in
October and November 2023 has attributed the
phenomenon to plankton crash.

- As per a study by Annamalai University, the majority of a

particular unicellular species of phytoplankton — Noctiluca
scintillans — in the sea were found ruptured, leading to
the release of red pigment into the sea.

- The environmental parameters such as sea surface

temperature (31°C), salinity(41psu), pH (6.5), and dissolved
oxygen (5.8ppm) were assessed and related to the
phytoplankton proliferation.

- The parameters were found to be conducive to the

development of this species
Vietnamese rice farmers are pioneering new methods to cut down on methane emissions.

Irrigation Methods: Vietnamese Rice farmers are adopting a water-saving irrigation technique called
alternate wetting and drying (AWD). AWD reduces methane emissions because it keeps paddies
moist but not constantly flooded, unlike traditional methods.

Using Drones: To save the labour costs they are opting drone technology.

Stubble Disposal: Once crops are harvested, he no longer burns the rice stubble — a major cause of
air pollution in Vietnam. Instead, it’s collected by the Loc Troi Group for sale to other companies
that use it as livestock feed and for growing straw mushrooms, a popular addition to stir-fries.
86. Pink
Hydrogen
• Recent studies claim that pink
hydrogen facilities can achieve
a high capacity factor due to
the steady base load profile of
nuclear power.
• Pink hydrogen is generated
through the electrolysis of water,
similar to green hydrogen.
However, the key difference lies
in the source of electricity
used for the process.
• Pink hydrogen uses electricity
generated by nuclear power.
 Singapore recalls India’s spice product over alleged presence of a
pesticide called ethylene oxide.

It is a highly reactive compound that has not only been found to be

carcinogenic but can also be mutagenic if inhaled.

It is a flammable, colorless gas with a sweet, ether-like odor.

87. Ethylene
Oxide Ethylene oxide is a food fumigant that prevents microbial contamination,
including bacteria, virus, and fungi.

Long-term exposure or high concentrations can lead to severe health risks

including mutagenicity (changes in DNA), reproductive effects, and
carcinogenicity.

The discovery of this compound in Indian spice exports underscores the

considerable gap in oversight and regulatory alignment between the
production standards practiced in India and the standards demanded by
international markets.
 88. Green Credit Programme

It is an innovative initiative
It aims to create a market-
launched by the Ministry of
Recently, the Union based mechanism for
Environment Ministry has made Environment, Forest and
incentivising ‘voluntary
Climate Change (MoEF&CC) that
significant changes to the was announced under the environmental actions’ by
Norms of the Green Credit individuals, urban local
government’s ‘Lifestyle for
Programme. bodies, communities and the
Environment’ or
private sector.
‘LiFE’ movement.

It is designed to incentivise
voluntary environmental
In its initial phase, the GCP
actions across diverse
focuses on two key activities:
sectors, by various
stakeholders like individuals, water conservation and
communities, private sector afforestation.
industries, and companies.
89. Chipko
Movement
• The Chipko movement, a landmark
environmental movement, marked its
50th anniversary.
• It was a forest conservation
movement that created a precedent for
starting non-violent protest against
deforestation and commercial logging,
where villagers, particularly women,
embraced trees to prevent them from
being cut down.
• It began in 1973 in Uttarakhand, then a
part of Uttar Pradesh (at the foothills of
Himalayas) and went on to become a
rallying point for many future
environmental movements all over the
world.
SPECIES IN NEWS
 90. HANGULS
About the Hangul (aka the Kashmir Stag):

• Recently, the experts suggested that the number of Hanguls in

Kashmir will cross 300 this spring, the first time in more than three
decades.
• It is a unique subspecies of the Asian Red Deer. It is the State
Animal of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Hanguls are, by nature, high-altitude forest dwellers.
• Distribution: Dachigam National Park and its nearby
areas; Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary, Overa Aru, Sind Valley, and the
forests of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah in Jammu and Kashmir.

Conservation Efforts:

• In 1947, around 2000 were spotted and the number fell to 384 by
1968.
• Despite being the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir, only 289
individuals of this elusive species remain.
• IUCN’s Red Data Book: Critically Endangered
• Project Hangul: In an effort to address the decreasing population of
the Hangul, the government of Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration
with the IUCN and WWF, initiated this project.
 91. Indian Grey Wolf
Recently, The Indian gray wolf has recently been sighted in the confines
of National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) in Uttar Pradesh.

The last sightings were reported during ‘Operation Bhediya’carried out

between 1997 and 2000 to map the canines’ footprint in Chambal.

Scientific Name: Canis lupus pallipes

Conservation Status
◦ IUCN: Least Concern
◦ Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
◦ CITES : Appendix 1

National Chambal Sanctuary, is also known as the National Chambal

Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary.

NCS is located on the Chambal River near the tri-point ofRajasthan,

Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
 There are an estimated 7,396 golden langurs in India, the latest survey of the primate has revealed.

92. Golden Langurs Scientific Name: Trachypithecus geei

Native to: India and Bhutan.

Geographic Range:
• The geographic range of golden langurs is limited to Assam, India and neighboring Bhutan where they live year-round.
• The area they inhabit is restricted to the region surrounded by four geographical landmarks: the foothills of Bhutan (north), Manas river (east), Sankosh river (west),
and Brahmaputra river (south).

Habitat:
• Golden langurs occupy moist evergreen and tropical deciduous forests as well as some riverine areas and savannas in Assam and Bhutan.
• They are very much dependent on trees, living in the upper canopy of sub-tropical forests in the south and in more temperate forests in the north.
Food Habits: Golden langurs are both folivores and frugivores.

Unique features:
• Golden langurs can be most easily recognized by the color of their fur, after which they are named.
• It has been noted that their fur changes colors according to the seasons.
• Males also tend to be slightly larger than females.

Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• CITES: Appendix I
 93. White Rhinocerous
• Scientists performed the first successful embryo transfer in white rhinos
with the help of In-vitro fertilization (IVF)

• White rhinos are the second largest land mammal after the elephant.

• They are also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros due to their

square upper lip.

• They are the only grazer among the five rhino species.

• Subspecies: The white rhinoceros includes two genetically distinct

subspecies, northern and southern, found in two different regions in
Africa.

• Distribution : The majority of white rhinos occur in just four countries:

South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

• Threats : The main threat to the population is illegal hunting (poaching)

to supply the illegal international rhino horn trade

• IUCN status:
• Northern White Rhino: Critically Endangered
• Southern White Rhino: Near Threatened
The chital (Axis axis) population on Bose Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has exceeded
the ecosystem's carrying capacity, prompting the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department
to consider relocating around 500 deer to a Biological Park in Port Blair.

It was brought to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for hunting in the early 1900s by the
British.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a Chief Wildlife Warden can permit translocation for
the purpose of scientific management.
§

§
 Gray whales were recently seen in the United States’ New England region.

95. Gray Whale It was last seen in the Atlantic Ocean in the 18th century.

It is a primarily bottom feeders and are thus restricted to shallow continental shelf waters for
feeding
Habitat and Distribution : It is now regularly found in the North Pacific and adjacent seas.

The greatest numbers occur along the west coast of Canada, the United States and Mexico, but
small numbers are observed every year in near-shore waters of eastern Russia and Japan.
IUCN Red List status : is listed as Least Concern.
96. Golden Trevally
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi has developed seed
production technology for golden trevally.

It is also known as the golden kingfish and It is a high-value marine fish.

Physical Characteristics : It is a silver grey fish with yellowish colouration on the belly,
with scattered black patches and all fins coloured yellow and a black tail

Distribution : It is distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific.

It is primarily found in reef area fishing grounds in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala,
Karnataka, and Gujarat,

Importance : It is a promising marine aquaculture species due to its rapid growth

rates, high meat quality, and high market demand for consumption and ornamental
purposes.

IUCN Red List status : Listed as Least Concern.

97. Avian Influenza and
Gentoo Penguins
Recently, over 200 Gentoo penguins have been found dead in
the Falkland Islands, Antarctica due to the spread of the H5N1 Avian
Influenza Virus.

Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Avian influenza, often referred to as bird flu, is a highly contagious

viral infection that primarily affects birds, particularly wild birds
and domestic poultry

India's approach to controlling Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

(HPAI) follows a "detect and cull" policy as outlined in the National
Action Plan for Prevention, Control, and Containment of Avian
Influenza
Gentoo Penguins
They are characterized by a band of white feathers extending
across the top of the head from just above each eye.

They are exclusively located in the Southern

Hemisphere,primarily found on the Antarctic Peninsula and
numerous sub-Antarctic islands, with a notable concentration in
the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Changing environmental conditions and competition with

humans for prey, potentially impact population sizes.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

 98. Olive Ridley Turtles
After a gap of nearly 40 years, Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) returned
to nest on the beaches of Karnataka’s Mangalurudivision in February 2024,
overcoming environmental challengessuch as increased salinity and pollution.
Olive Ridley turtles, typically laying around 150 eggs per site, have pleasingly
nested on Sasihithlu and Tannerbavi beaches.
The Olive Ridley turtles, named for their olive-coloured shell, are the
world’s smallest and most populous sea turtles.
They are known for their mass nesting practice called 'A rribada'.
Protection Status:
• IUCN- Vulnerable
• Wildlife Act of 1972- Schedule 1

They feed on jellyfish, play a role in controlling the jellyfish population.

 99. Hawksbill Turtle
• The 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS
COP14) adopted the Single Species Action Plan for
conservation of theHawksbill Turtle
• Hawksbills are named for their narrow, pointed beak.
• They inhabit the tropical and sub-tropical waters of all of the
world’s major oceans.
• They are the only species of sea turtle that can survive on a
diet consisting mainly of sponges
• Hawksbills help maintain the health of coral reefs.
• Threats : In many parts of the world, hawksbills face the
unique threat of being hunted for their beautiful shell, also
known as “tortoise shell”, which is used by craftspeople to
create many types of jewelry and trinkets.
• Habitat and Distribution: The largest populations of hawksbills
are found in the west Atlantic (Caribbean), Indian, and Indo-
Pacific Oceans.
• The largest nesting populations of hawksbill turtles occur in
Australia and Solomon Islands.
• IUCN Red List status : Critically Endangered
 100. Cicadas
A trillion cicadas from two different broods are expected to begin appearing in
the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States at the end of April.

Cicadas are insects and members of the superfamily Cicadoidea.

Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous
front wings.

Cicadas are found in tropical and temperate areas worldwide and occur in
deserts, grasslands, and forests.

They have an exceptionally loud song, produced in most species by the rapid
buckling and unbuckling of drum-like tymbals.
Polity & Governance
101. CAA, 2019 & Citizenship
Rules 2024
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified the Citizenship Amendment
Rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which was
enacted in December 2019.
In December 2019, Parliament passed an amendment to
The Citizenship Act, 1955, to include a provision for grant
of citizenship to migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,
Jain, Parsi, or Christian communities who entered India
before December 31, 2014 from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or
Bangladesh.
The law was notified on January 10, 2020 amidst protests around
the country, particularly in Assam, but could not be implemented
in the absence of the Rules.
102. Sixth Schedule Recently, the Union Territory of Ladakh observed a shutdown over demands for statehood and constitutional protection
under the Sixth Schedule.

Sixth Schedule contains special provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the four northeastern states of
Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram under Article 244(2) of the Indian Constitution

It aims to safeguard tribal land and resources, preventing their transfer to non-tribal entities. It also strives to protect
tribal communities from exploitation, ensuring their cultural and social identities are upheld and promoted.

The tribal areas within these states are to be administered as Autonomous Districts.

The Governor is vested with the power to organise, reorganise, and alter the boundaries or names of autonomous
districts.

The Governor is vested with the power to organise, reorganise, and alter the boundaries or names of autonomous
districts.
103. Article 142 of
the Constitution
• The Supreme Court recently quashed the result of the
January 30 Chandigarh Mayor election after finding that
the presiding officer had deliberately invalidated eight
ballots.

• The court used its power under Article 142 of the

Constitution to do “complete justice” and protect the
sanctity of electoral democracy.

• Article 142 of the Constitution: Enforcement of decrees

and orders of Supreme Court and orders as to discovery,
etc

• Article 142 of the Indian Constitution allows the Court to

pass any necessary decree or order to do “complete
justice” in any cause or matter pending before it.

• It empowers the Supreme Court with a unique and vast

power known as “suo moto jurisdiction.”
104. Article 371A

Article 371A of the Constitution of

Article 371 A was inserted into the
India has been the major hurdle
Constitution in 1962 following the
in the Nagaland government’s
16-point agreement between the
efforts to regulate small-scale
Government of India and the
illegal coal mining activities in the
Naga People’s Convention.
State.

Numerous illegal and unscientific

The unique land rights conferred
coal mining operations were
under Article 371A have made
posing a serious threat to human
regulating illegal coal mining
and environmental health in
activities more challenging.
Nagaland.
Article 371A: Special
provisions for Nagaland
The state can have its own administrative and legal mechanisms based
on the Naga customary laws, and the right to carry on religious and
local social practices.

Special powers to the governor to overrule the decision of the chief

minister on a law and order situation.

It empowers the Nagaland Legislative Assembly to enact laws on

matters like ownership and transfer of land and its resources, which
otherwise would have required the assent of the President of India.
105. Expansion of scope of Article 14 and
21
- The Supreme Court has expanded the scope of Articles 14
and 21 to include the “right against the adverse effects of
climate change”.

- The Supreme Court was hearing a plea to protect the Great

Indian Bustard (GIB) from losing its habitat due to power
transmission lines.

- The court also highlighted

the interconnection between climate change and various
human rights, including the right to health, indigenous rights,
gender equality, and the right to development.

- The court highlighted that “States owe a duty of care to

citizens to prevent harm and to ensure overall well-being”:
“The right to a healthy and clean environment is undoubtedly a
part of this duty of care.
 Article 14

• The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law
or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”
• Equality before law prohibits discrimination. It is a negative
concept.
• The concept of ‘equal protection of the laws’ requires the State to

Article 14 and 21
give special treatment to persons in different situations in order to
establish equality amongst all.
• It is positive in character.
• Therefore, the necessary corollary to this would be that equals
would be treated equally, whilst un-equals would have to be
treated unequally

Article 21

• recognises the right to life and personal liberty : It lays down that,
no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except
according to procedure established by law.
• It guarantees that life or personal liberty shall not be taken away
without the sanction of law. It ensures that no person can be
punished or imprisoned merely at the whims of some authority.
He/she may be punished only for the violation of the law.
• By the 86th Amendment Act of the Constitution a new article 21-
A has been added after Article 21.
• By this Amendment Act, Right to Education has been made a
Fundamental Right
In Assam’s tribal-majority Diphu Lok Sabha constituency, candidates of all parties have promised
the implementation of Article 244(A) of the Constitution.

Article 244(A) was inserted by The Constitution (Twenty-second Amendment) Act, 1969, which enabled
Parliament to pass an Act to “form within the State of Assam an autonomous State comprising (whether
wholly or in part) all or any of certain specified tribal areas”, including Karbi Anglong.

This autonomous state would have its own Legislature or Council of Ministers or both.

The autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule have elected representatives for more decentralised
governance of these tribal areas, but they have limited legislative powers, do not have control over law
and order, and have only limited financial powers.
 In News
•In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court declared that two-year
childcare leave, alongside mandatory maternity leave, is a
constitutional right for women employees.

Fundamental rights
•Article 15 (1): The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on
grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of
107. Constitutional them.
Provisions for •Article 15 (3): Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from
making any special provision for women and children.
Women •Article 16 (1): There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in
matters relating to employment or appointment to any office
under the State.

Directive Principles of State Policy

•Article 39 (a): The citizens, men and women equally, have the right
to an adequate means to livelihood.
•Article 42: The State shall make provision for securing just and
humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
 Sudha Murty has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu on International Women’s Day.
108. Nomination to rajya
sabha Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members which represent States and Union Territories of Delhi and
Puducherry. Out of the total 245 members, 12 are directly nominated by the President who are veterans in the field of art,
literature, sports, science etc.

Based on population, each state is allocated a certain number of candidates in the Upper House. For instance, Uttar Pradesh has
31 Rajya Sabha seats while Goa has one.

As per the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, “Nominations to the Rajya Sabha” is allocated to the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA).

Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha possess the same powers and privileges as elected MPs, allowing them to participate
fully in House proceedings. However, they are unable to vote in the election of the President, though they retain the right to
vote in the election of the Vice-President
 Former Supreme Court judge A.M.
Khanwilkar was appointed the Chairperson of
the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal recently.
109. Lokpal

In India, the ombudsman is known as

Lokpal( “protector of people”) or Lokayukta(
People’s appointee).

The Lokpal, established as an independent anti-

corruption ombudsman at the central level to
investigate allegations of corruption against
public officials, including PM, derives authority
from the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
Lokpal and Lokayukta Act
2013

About Structure of lokpal Selection committee

Aim: To eradicate corruption The institution of Lokpal is The members are appointed
at all levels of the Indian a statutory body established by the president on the
polity. by the Lokpal Act 2013. recommendation of a
Mandate: to provide for the Members: Lokpal is a multi selection committee,
establishment of Lokpal for member body, made up composed of: The Prime
the Union and Lokayukta for of one chairperson and Minister who is the
States. maximum of 8 members. Chairperson; Speaker of Lok
Sabha, Leader of Opposition
Functions: To inquire into in Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of
allegations of corruption India or a Judge nominated
against certain public by him / her, and One
functionaries and for related eminent jurist.
matters.
110. Kovind Panel Report
A committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind
submitted a report on the ‘One Nation One Election’
initiative to the President.
 111. Model Code of Conduct (MCC)
Recently, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has It helps the EC in keeping with the mandate it
The MCC is a consensus document. The political
come into force with the announcement of has been given under Article 324 of the
parties have themselves agreed to keep their
voting dates for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 by Constitution, which gives it the power to
conduct during elections in check and to work
the Election Commission of India (ECI), marking a supervise and conduct free and fair elections to
within the Code.
significant aspect of electoral governance. the Parliament and State Legislatures.

The government cannot announce any financial

The MCC is operational from the date on which grants, promise construction of roads or other
the election schedule is announced until the date facilities, and make any ad hoc appointments in
of the result announcement. government or public undertaking during the
time the Code is in force.
§ Opposition parties have been demanding complete
(100 percent) counting of VVPATs to increase public
confidence in Electronic Voting Machines.
§ Introduced for the first time in India in the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections, VVPAT or the Voter Verifiable Paper
Audit Trail is basically a ballot-less vote verification
system connected with the EVM.
§ The VVPAT generates a paper slip to be viewed by the
voter and allows him/her to verify whether the vote was
cast correctly on the EVM.
§ The slip contains the name and symbol of the party they
have voted for.
§ The machine also has a transparent window for the voter
to see the printed slip. Eventually, the slip goes inside a
sealed box of the machine.
 G OV T.
SCHEMES/POLICIES
113. IndiA-AI Mission
114. PMAY-
Urban
Recent estimates of the government show that
there is a shortage of three million houses in
urban centres.

It is a flagship and Centrally Sponsored

Scheme by the Union Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA), launched in 2015, to
provide affordable housing to the urban poor.

The PMAY scheme aims to address the urban

housing shortage among the Economically
Weaker Section (EWS), Lower Income Group
(LIG), and Middle Income Group (MIG)
categories, including slum dwellers.
115. UNNATI Scheme
116. e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi
Recently, the union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Commerce and Industry and Textiles launched ‘e-Kisan Upaj
Nidhi’ (Digital Gateway) in New Delhi.

It is a digital gateway of Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA).

The initiative with its simplified digital process can ease the procedure of farmers' storage at any registered WDRA warehouse for a period of
6 months at 7% interest per annum.

This digital intervention is poised to mitigate distress sales by providing farmers with viable post-harvest storage options.
 In a major fillip to India’s fight against terrorism and organised crime, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation virtually
inaugurated a unique digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) and also launches a mobile app ‘Sankalan in New Delhi.

It will enable the National Investigation Agency (NIA) personnel to better coordinate in terrorism and organized crime cases,
117. CCMS thereby improving justice delivery.

Platform The new stand-alone version of CCMS has been developed by designed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

It is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy, customizable, browser-based software to help the State Police forces in their
investigations and prosecution.

The state-of-the-art CCMS software would not only bring standardisation into investigations but also enable easy and streamlined
compilation of terror-related data across the country.
118. Animal Husbandry Infrastructure
Development Fund (AHIDF)
About Funding

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the • 3% interest subvention for 8 years including
continuation of the Animal Husbandry two years of moratorium for loan up to 90%
Infrastructure Development Fund from the scheduled bank and National
(AHIDF) for another three years up to 2025- Cooperative Development Corporation
26. (NCDC), NABARD and NDDB.
• It is a scheme launched under the Atma • Credit guarantee to the MSME and Dairy
Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Stimulus package, Cooperatives up to the 25% of the credit
and has been approved for incentivizing borrowed from the Credit Guarantee Fund
investments by individual entrepreneurs, of Rs.750 crore.
private companies, MSMEs, Farmers
Producers Organizations (FPOs) etc.
• It aims to increase processing capacity by 2-
4% in the dairy, meat and animal feed sector.
The government has come up with a new platform to
disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers under
the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) known
as CDP-SURAKSHA.

The CDP-SURAKSHA is essentially a digital platform.

SURAKSHA stands for “System for Unified Resource
Allocation, Knowledge, and Secure Horticulture
Assistance.”

The platform will allow an instant disbursal of subsidies to

farmers in their bank account by utilising the e-RUPI
voucher from the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).

The CDP-SURAKSHA platform will provide subsidies to

farmers upfront, at the time of purchasing the planting
material.
120. Mission Utkarsh

Recently, the Union Ministry of AYUSH and Women & Child Development signed an MoU for improving
the nutrition among adolescent girls.

It is a joint public health initiative by the Ministries of Ayush and Women and Child Development.

It is initially be launched as a pilot project in five aspirational districts across five states – Assam (Dhubri),
Chhattisgarh (Bastar), Jharkhand (Paschimi Singhbhum), Maharashtra (Gadchiroli), and Rajasthan
(Dhaulpur)
It aims to control anaemia among adolescent girls using Ayurvedic interventions.

Under this program, over 94,000 adolescent girls between the age group of 14-18 years registered
under Poshan Tracker at approximately 10,000 Anganwadi Centres will be benefited in a 12-month
period.
ECONOMY
121. RBI’s Monetary Policy
The Monetary Policy Committee
(MPC) of the Reserve Bank of The Committee sees Q1FY25
RBI has forecast the Indian
India (RBI), decided to keep growth rate at 7.1%, Q2 at 6.9%,
economy to grow at 7 percent in
the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 Q3 and Q4 at 7% each, with
FY25.
percent announced in April risks evenly balanced.
2024.

Inflation: Core inflation has

Forex reserves at an all time Indian Rupee: The Indian rupee
declined steadily over the past 9
high of $645.6 billion as of (INR) was most stable in FY24
months to its lowest level in the
March 29. among major economies.
series.

Food prices: An expected

normal south-west monsoon
should support agricultural
activity.
 122. Imported Inflation
About

•The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently warned that India could face imported inflation as
the rupee could depreciate amid the rise in interest rates in the West.
•It refers to the rise in the prices of goods and services in a country, caused by an increase
in the price or the cost of imports into the country.
•It is believed that a rise in input costs pushes producers to raise the price they charge
from their local customers.

Causes

•Depreciation of a Currency: When a country’s currency depreciates, people in the country will
have to shell out more of their local currency to purchase the necessary foreign currency
required to buy any foreign goods or services.
•It effectively means that they will be paying more for anything that they import.
•Rise in International Crude Oil Prices: It is due to a fall in oil output. It is expected to
cause prices to rise across an economy which imports oil to produce goods and services.

Impact

•Imported inflation can lead to higher prices for goods and services, which can reduce
purchasing power and lead to a decrease in consumer spending.
•It can slow down economic growth and lead to economic instability.
 According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation India’s GDP spiked to a six-quarter high of 8.4% in
Q3 FY24, while GVA growth stood at 6.5% during the same period.

GVA quantifies the value of goods and services produced in a

country, deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials.

It adjusts GDP by factoring in subsidies and taxes on products.

123. GDP VS
G VA Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of all of the total
goods and services produced in a country.

Gross value added (GVA) is the value added to these products to

enhance the various aspects of them.

GVA takes the GDP and adds to the value of subsidies paid on those
products and then subtracts out taxes paid on them.
 India’s tax-to-GDP ratio is expected to hit a record high of 11.7% of GDP in 2024-25, led by
an uptick in the more ‘equitable’ direct taxes.

124. Tax-to-GDP-Ratio The tax-to-GDP ratio measures a nation’s tax revenue relative to the size of its economy.

Developed nations typically have higher tax-to-GDP ratios than developing nations.

A higher ratio denotes a wider fiscal net and reduced dependence on borrowings.

Higher tax revenues mean a country can spend more on improving infrastructure, health,
and education—keys to the long-term prospects for a country’s economy and people
125. Direct Taxes
• India’s net direct tax collections grew 17.7% in 2023-
24 to hit ₹19.58 lakh crore.
• The Net collections (provisional) of Direct Tax
collections for the FY 2023-24 show that Net
collections are at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore, compared to
Rs. 16.64 lakh crore in the preceding Financial Year
i.e. FY 2022-23, representing an increase of 17.70%
• Direct taxes are imposed on the basis of individuals
ability to pay principle, which says that those
individuals or entities having access to more
resources and earning a higher income need to
pay higher taxes.
• The direct rules are framed such that taxes turn out
to be a method to redistribute money in the
country.
 Types of Direct Taxes
Estate Tax: It is also called Inheritance Tax and is paid based on the value of the estate or the
money that an individual has left after his/her death.

Income tax: It is a tax charged on the annual income of an individual or business earned in a
financial year.

Wealth Tax: The tax must be paid on a yearly basis and depends on the ownership of properties
and the market value of the property.

Corporate Tax: A corporate tax is a tax on the profits or net income of a corporation. Corporate
tax is paid on a company’s taxable income which includes company’s revenue after
deductions such as cost of goods sold (COGS), general and administrative (G&A) expenses,
selling and marketing, depreciation, research & development etc.

Capital Gains Tax: It is a form of direct tax that is paid due to the income that is earned from
the sale of assets or investments. Investments in farms, bonds, shares, businesses, art, and home
come under capital assets.
1 2 6 . I N D I A - E F TA T E PA

About

• India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) signed a

Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).
• India has been working on a TEPA with EFTA countries
comprising Switzerland, Iceland, Norway & Liechtenstein.
• This agreement aims to encourage investments and
enhance trade in goods and services between the two
parties.

EFTA

• The EFTA is the intergovernmental organisation of

Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
• It was set up in 1960 (by the Stockholm Convention in
1960) by its then seven Member States for the promotion
of free trade and economic integration between its
members.
• The organisation operates in parallel with the European
Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the
European Single Market and are part of the Schengen
Area
 127. HDI REPORT
2023-24

ž
 Recently, it was found that the Price of Robusta coffee has spiked due to
drastic fall in traditional growing regions like Vietnam and Indonesia.

Production: India is among the top 10 coffee-producing countries, with about

3% of the global output in 2020.

Types: Arabica and Robusta.

128. COFFEE
( R O B U S TA Arabica has higher market value than Robusta coffee due to its mild aromatic
flavour.
AND ARABICA)
Robusta is the majorly manufactured coffee with a share of 72% of the total
production.

Major Producers: South Indian states like Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil
Nadu contribute 80% of the country’s total coffee production.

Orissa and the northeastern areas also have a smaller proportion of

production
 129. Lavendar Cultivation
CSIR’s scientific interventions have led to the phenomenal growth of lavender cultivation and
development of lavender products.

Lavenders are small evergreen shrubs with gray-green hoary linear leaves.

The purple flowers are sparsely arranged on spikes at the tips of long bare stalks and
produce small nutlet fruits.

Distribution : It is native to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and southern Europe
through northern and eastern Africa and Middle Eastern countries to southwest Asia and
southeast India.
The variety of Lavender is highly suitable for cultivation in the rainfed temperate regions of
India.

The success of Lavender cultivation in J&K earned it the sobriquet, ‘Purple Revolution’.

In 2016, the central government launched the ‘Aroma Mission’ to boost cultivation of plants
like lavender that have aromatic medicinal properties
 130. D-SII

News About the D-SIIs: The Role of D-SIIs:

• Recently, Insurance Regulatory • These are perceived as insurers • D-SIIs refer to insurers of such
and Development Authority of that are ‘too big or too important size, market importance, and
India (IRDAI) retained certain to fail’ (TBTF). domestic and global
insurers in India as Domestic • Life Insurance Corporation of interconnectedness, whose
Systemically Important Insurers India (LIC), General Insurance distress or failure would cause a
(D-Slls). Corporation of India (GIC), and significant dislocation in the
New India Assurance domestic financial system.
Co continue to be identified as • Therefore, the continued
D-Slls for the year 2023-24. functioning of D-SIIs is critical for
• This identification is a the uninterrupted availability of
continuation from the 2021-22 insurance services to the
list of D-SIIs. national economy.
 About
• It is a statutory body formed under an Act of Parliament,
i.e., Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
Act, 1999 (IRDAI Act 1999).
• It was established in 2000 following the
recommendation of the Malhotra Committee report in
1999.
• It acts as the regulator of the insurance industry in India
I R DA I and oversees the functioning of the Life Insurance and
General Insurance companies operating in the country.

Objectives:
• To protect the interest and fair treatment of the
policyholder.
• To regulate the insurance industry in fairness and ensure
the financial soundness of the industry.
• To regularly frame regulations to ensure the industry
operates without any ambiguity.
131. UPI
 UPI
The UPI is a digital and real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

It was launched on April 11, 2016.

It is designed to enable peer-to-peer inter-bank transfers through a single two-click factor authentication process.

Features:
• Unlike traditional methods, UPI simplifies transfers using the recipient's UPI ID, be it a mobile number, QR code, or Virtual Payment Address, eliminating account numbers.
• It eliminates the need to enter bank details or other sensitive information each time a customer initiates a transaction.
• A consistent UPI transaction PIN across apps enhances cross-operability, enabling 24/7 transactions.
• UPI operates as a digital public infrastructure, allowing seamless interactions for all players, including merchants and customers, without transaction costs.
• PI uses technologies like the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and the Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to ensure that payments between accounts go smoothly.
• It facilitates push (pay) and pull (receive) transactions and even works for over-the-counter or barcode payments, as well as for multiple recurring payments such as utility bills, school fees, and other
subscriptions.
• It also works with "Peer-to-Peer" requests, which can be scheduled and paid for based on need and convenience.
132. UNCTAD

• It is the UN’s leading institution dealing with trade and development.

• It is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in
1964.
• Its objective is to assist developing countries, especially the least developed countries, and countries
with economies in transition, to integrate beneficially into the global economy.
• It also seeks to help the international community promote a global partnership for
development, increase coherence in global economic policy making, and assure development gains for
all from trade.
• It provides economic and trade analysis, facilitates consensus-building, and offers technical
assistance to help developing countries use trade, investment, finance, and technology for inclusive
and sustainable development.
• Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland.
• UNCTAD membership consists of 195 states.
• Its activities are advisory by nature.
 Structure:

• The highest policy-making body of UNCTAD is the

Conference, which meets once every four years to set
policy guidelines and formulate a program of work.
• The Trade and Development Board,
UNCTAD’s executive body, is responsible for the
operations of the organization when the Conference is
not in session.
• The UNCTAD Secretariat, whose members form part of
UNCTAD the UN Secretariat, performs policy analysis, monitors
and implements the decisions of UNCTAD’s
intergovernmental bodies, and provides for technical
cooperation and exchanges of information.

Reports published by UNCTAD:

• Trade and Development Report

• World Investment Report
• The Least Developed Countries Report
Miscellaneous
133. Swami Dayanand
Saraswati
The Prime Minister virtually addressed the 200th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

He was a social reformer who founded Arya Samaj in 1875 to counter then prevalent social inequities.

Rejection of Idolatry and Ritualism: He opposed idol worship and ritualistic practices that he believed deviated
from the true teachings of the Vedas.

He promoted the worship of a formless, attributeless God.

Shuddhi Movement: The Shuddhi Movement was introduced to bring back the individuals to Hinduism who were
either voluntarily or involuntarily converted to other religions like Islam or Christianity.

Back to Vedas: He highlighted the social reformer’s role in awakening India from the shackles of ignorance and
superstition, leading a movement to rediscover the essence of Vedic knowledge.

Women’s Rights: Dayanand Saraswati advocated for the rights and empowerment of women. He encouraged
women to receive education and participate in social and religious activities on an equal footing with men.

Opposition to Child Marriage and Sati: He opposed practices such as child marriage and sati, considering them
detrimental to society and contrary to Vedic principles.
 Arya Samaj

The purpose of the Samaj

Dayanand Saraswati formed It was a Hindu reforms
was to move the Hindu
the Arya Samaj at Bombay in movement, meaning “society
religion away from the
1875. of the nobles”.
fictitious beliefs.

The Samaj directs its

members to condemn
‘Krinvanto Vishwam
ritualistic practices like idol The Samaj launched
Aryam” was the motto of the
worship, pilgrimage and programs to support widow
Samaj, which means, “Make
bathing in holy rivers, animal remarriage in the 1880s.
this world noble”.
sacrifice, offering in temples,
sponsoring priesthood etc.
 134. Rakhigarhi
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has
proposed to add findings from the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi in
Haryana.

Site location: The present-day Rakhigarhi is located 27 km from the Ghaggar

river, in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.

The archaeological site, dating back to 2600-1900 BCE.

It is the largest Harappans site in the Indian Subcontinent.

Findings

• Granary: A granary belonging to the mature Harappan phase (2600 BCE to 2000 BCE) has been
found here. It has 7 rectangular or square chambers.
• Culture, clothing and worship: Fire altars and apsidal structures were revealed in Rakhigarhi.
• Cemetery and burial sites: A cemetery of Mature Harappan period is discovered at Rakhigarhi,
with eight graves found.
 1 3 5 . L AC H I T B O R P H U K A N

News
•Recently, the Prime Minister of India unveiled a 125-foot bronze statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan at his
burial site in eastern Assam’s Jorhat district.

About
•He was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826). He was known for his leadership in
the 1671 ‘Battle of Saraighat’.
•He defeated the Mughal forces, led by Raja Ramsingh-I, in this battle, and thwarted a drawn-out attempt by them
to take back Assam.
•He was chosen as one of the five Borphukans of the Ahom kingdom by king Charadhwaj Singha and given
administrative, judicial, and military responsibilities.
•Borphukan preferred guerrilla tactics which provided an edge to his smaller, but fast moving and capable forces.
•He was buried at the ‘maidam’ — burial grounds for Ahom royals and nobles — at Hollongapar, after passing away
a year after the battle at the age of 49 due to illness.

Key points about the Ahom Kingdom

•The Ahom kings ruled large parts of what is now known as Assam for nearly 600 years, from the early 13th
century to the early 19th century.
•This was a prosperous, multi-ethnic kingdom which spread across the upper and lower reaches of
the Brahmaputra valley, surviving on rice cultivation in its fertile lands.
•The Ahoms engaged in a series of conflicts with the Mughals from 1615-1682, starting from the reign of Jahangir
till the reign of Aurangzeb.
 1 3 6 . U S H A M E H TA

Ae Watan Mere Watan movie was released recently which is based on the biography of
Indian freedom fighter Usha Mehta.

Usha Mehta was born in a village named Saras, near Surat in Gujarat in 1920.

She was a true Gandhian at heart and was popularly known as Ushaben.

At the age of eight in 1928, she participated in a protest march against the Simon
Commission.

On 14 August 1942, she and her associates established the Secret Congress Radio during
the Quit India Movement, a covert radio station that went on air on 27 August.

It played a crucial role in keeping the freedom movement leaders connected with the
public.
 The year 2024 marks the centenary of the Vaikom Satyagraha

Background:Vaikom was a temple town in the princely state of

Travancore. The low-caste Hindus were not allowed to enter into
the temples.

The issue of temple entry was first raised by Ezhava leader T

KMadhavan in a 1917 editorial in his paper Deshabhimani.

137. VAIKOM In the 1923 session of the INC in Kakinada, a resolution was
passed by the Kerala Provincial Congress Committee to take
SATYAGRAHA up anti-untouchability as a key issue.

Vaikom, with its revered Shiva temple, was chosen as the location
for the very first satyagraha.

Vaikom Satyagraha was the first among temple entry movements

in India. It lasted for 604 days (20 months) from March 30, 1924 to
November 23, 1925.

Prominent Leaders : The movement, led by TK Madhavan, EVR

Periyar, MK Gandhi, and Narayana Guru.
 138. ORDER OF
D R U K G YA L P O

Recently, the Prime Minister of India received Bhutan’s highest civilian award, the
‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’, during his two-day State visit to the neighbouring
nation.

It stands as Bhutan’s most esteemed civilian accolade, reserved for individuals who
have demonstrated exceptional contributions to society, embodying values of
service, integrity, and leadership.

As per ranking and precedence established, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo was
instituted as the decoration for lifetime achievement and is the pinnacle of the
honour system in Bhutan, taking precedence over all orders, decorations and
medals.

The award has been conferred to the Prime Minister of India in recognition of
outstanding contribution to the growth of India-Bhutan relations and for his
distinguished service to the Bhutanese nation and people.

The present Prime Minister of India became the first foreign head of government to
receive Bhutan’s highest civilian honour.
139. Bharat Ratna
The prestigious Bharat Ratna,
India’s highest civilian honour,
has been conferred upon five
eminent personalities who have
made remarkable contributions to
politics, governance, and
agriculture. They are Karpoori
Thakur, Mankombu Sambasivan
(MS) Swaminathan, Pamulaparthi
Venkata (P. V.) Narasimha Rao, Lal
Krishna Advani, and Chaudhary
Charan Singh.
140. Grammy Awards
The recently reunited fusion
band, once
named “Turiyananda
Indian jazz band
Sangit,” was originally
Shakti bagged Best Global
founded by British
Music Album for ‘This
guitarist John McLaughlin,
Moment’ in the 2024
Indian tabla maestro Zakir
Grammy Awards.
Hussain, and
percussionist Vikku
Vinayakram in 1973

The Grammy Awards,

Objective: To recognize
officially known as
outstanding achievements in
the GRAMMYs, are
the music industry across
the premier music awards in
various genres and
the United States and among
categories.
the most prestigious globally.
 About

•In a historic move, the Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed university for arts and culture,
has lifted gender restrictions to learn Mohiniyattam.
•It is an Indian classical dance form that evolved in the state of Kerala.
•Its roots date back to the age-old Sanskrit Hindu text on performing arts called ‘Natya
Shastra’.
•It is used to be performed by Devadasis (temple dancers) in temples during the rule of
the Chera kings from 9 to 12 C.E.
•Later on it developed further as a performing art during the 18th and 19th centuries due
to the patronage of several princely states.

Features

141.
•It is conventionally a solo dance performed by female artists.
•It adheres to the Lasya type that showcases a more graceful, gentle and feminine form
of dancing.
M O H I N I YAT TA M •Theme: The dance form Mohiniyattam has love and devotion to God as its major
themes, with usually Lord Vishnu or his incarnation Lord Krishna as the lead character.
•It emotes a play through dancing and singing, where the song is customarily in
Manipravala, which is a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam language.
•The recitation may be performed by the dancer or a vocalist, with the music style being
Carnatic.
•The dance is characterized by its graceful swaying body movements with no abrupt jerks
or sudden leaps.
•More than the footwork, emphasis is given to hand gestures and Mukhabhinaya or
subtle facial expressions.
•The hand gestures, 24 in number, are mainly adopted from ‘Hastha Lakshana Deepika’,
a text followed by Kathakali.
•Costumes in Mohiniyattam include plain white or ivory cream traditional sari
embroidered with bright gold-laced brocade.
•Instruments used: Mridangam, Madhalam, ldakka, flute, Veena and
Kuzhitalam(cymbals).
142. GREY ZONE News

WA R FA R E •On the last day of the 2024 Raisina Dialogue, India’s Chief of Defence
Staff General Anil Chauhan said that grey zone warfare is the latest in
informal warfare.

About

•Grey zone warfare generally means a middle, unclear space that exists
between direct conflict and peace in international relations.
•Multitude of activities fall into this zone — from nefarious economic
activities, influence operations, and cyberattacks to mercenary
operations, assassinations, and disinformation campaigns.
•Other experts include economic actions too, such as debt traps and
economic sanctions.

Features

•Activities in the grey zone have always been a feature of great-power

competition.
•Proxy wars, destabilizing insurgencies, legal warfare (lawfare), and
information warfare—by adversaries and allies alike—have been a feature
of this conflict.
•Experts claim that such methods are often employed by parties who have
not had access to massive resources or power, traditionally. Therefore,
such tactics can help gain an advantage over a more technically well-
equipped adversary that is more used to conventional warfare.
 143. Project Akashteer
- The Indian Army has initiated the implementation of control and
reporting systems as part of 'Project Akashteer', a strategic move aimed
at bolstering its air defence capabilities.

- Developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the project is aimed at

significantly enhancing the operational efficiency and integration of the
Army's air defence mechanisms.

- The Akashteer Project stands as a pioneering effort to automate air

defence control and reporting processes through digitisation, promising
a streamlined approach to complex operations.
The Tri-service Conference, ‘Parivartan Chintan’, was held in New
Delhi.

The ‘Chintan’ was curated as a brainstorming and idea incubation

discussion to generate new and fresh ideas, initiatives and reforms
to further propel Jointness and Integration in the Armed Forces.

A theatre command deploys elements of the three services i.e. the

Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force under a single,
unified command structure.

Each command is assigned a specific geographical region,

combining resources of the three services for operational roles.

There will be two land-based commands—one focused on Pakistan

and the other on China—and a third maritime one, overseeing the
Indian Ocean Region.
 145. NSG

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Nalin Prabhat has been appointed as the Director-
General of National Security Guard (NSG).

The NSG was formed in 1986 to save the country from terror activities.

It comes under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

The NSG was established in the wake of Operation Blue Star of 1984.

During this operation the Union Government felt the need to have a special force to tackle
terror activities.

The NSG is served by the officers/personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces, Indian
Army and State Police Forces.

The NSG personnel are often referred as Black Cats because of the black outfit and black cat
insignia on their uniform. The motto of the NSG is “Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha”.

Main operations conducted:

•Black Thunder
•Ashwamedh
•Combat missions in Jammu and Kashmir
•Vajra Shakti
•Black Tornado
 146. NCC
The Ministry of Defence is planning a phase-wise augmentation of the National
Cadet Corps (NCC) from the current 17 lakh cadets to 27 lakh in the next 10
years.

This is aimed at enhancing the reach of the tri-service organisation to

a greater number of educational institutions, with a focus on border areas.

The NCC in India was formed under the National Cadet Corps Act of 1948.

It can be traced back to the “University Corps“, which was created under
the Indian Defense Act 1917, with the objective to make up for the shortage in
the Army.

It is the youth wing of the Armed Forces with its Headquarters at New Delhi.

It is open to school and college students on a voluntary basis. NCC is the

largest uniformed youth organization.

It is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Wing,

engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic
citizens.

Its motto is ‘Unity and Discipline’.

 147. BrahMos
About
• India is set to deliver the first set of BrahMos supersonic
cruise missiles to the Philippines as part of the USD 375
million deal between the two sides signed in 2022.
• It is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s
NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
• The missile derives its name from
the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
• The BrahMos joint venture was formed in 1998 and the first
successful launch of the missile took place in 2001.
Features
• Stages: BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant
booster engine.
• First stage brings the missile to supersonic speed and then
gets separated.
• The second stage takes the missile closer to three times the
speed of sound in cruise phase.
• Range: The range of the missile was originally capped at 290
kms as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR).
• Following India’s entry into the club in June 2016, DRDO
officials had stated that the range would be extended to 450 km
and to 600 km at a later stage.
148. Red Corridor and Naxalism
At least 29 Maoists were killed in an operation by security forces along
the Kanker-Narayanpur border in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

Naxalism or Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is one of the major challenges to India’s
internal security.

Naxal affected areas in India are known as the ‘Red Corridor’.

Reason for Naxalism: Naxalites seek to overthrow the State through violent
means.

They openly proclaim lack of faith in the democratic means of ballot and adhere
to the violence as a means of achieving their ends.

Initial Stage: The Naxal movement started with the tribal-peasant uprising
against landlords in Naxalbari village of Darjiling district, West Bengal
in 1967.

The uprising was led by leaders such as Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal
Santhal.
India’s Red Corridor

• The States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,

Orissa and Bihar are considered severely
affected.

• The States of West Bengal, Maharashtra

and Andhra Pradesh are
considered partially affected. The States
of UP and MP are considered slightly
affected.
 The European Commission recently informed that the Digital
Services Act (DSA) has started applying to all online platforms in the
European Union.

It is a landmark legislation introduced by the European Union (EU) to

regulate online intermediaries and platforms.

149. Digital It was adopted in 2022 and now applicable to all EU Member States.

Services It aims to create a safer and more open digital space, where the
rights of users are protected and businesses can freely and fairly

Act
compete.

It is designed to ensure that users have access to a wide range of

safe products and services online.

It aims to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and curb the
spread of disinformation. It seeks to protect user safety, fundamental
rights, and create a fair and open online platform environment.
 • India’s 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh
recently made history by winning the
Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto to
become the youngest ever challenger to the
world title.
• It is the final event in the World Championship
150. cycle before the World Championship
match itself.
Candidates • The International Chess Federation
(FIDE) has organized the World Championship
Chess cycle since 1948 and the Candidates
Tournament since 1950.

Tournament • Since 2013, the Candidates Tournament

has occurred every two years.
• The number of players in the tournament
varied over the years, between eight and
fifteen players. Currently, it is an eight-
player, double round-robinevent (that is all-
play-all with both colours).