Upcoming Mentoring Sessions

RMS - Geography 1 - Geomorphic Processes

RMS - Polity 5 - Constitutional & Non-Constitutional Bodies

Mentoring Session - UPSC Form Filling

RMS - Economy 5 - Financial Markets

RMS - Polity 4 - Fundamental Rights - P3

RMS - Economy 4 - Fiscal Policy and Budgeting

RMS - History 2 - From 1765 to 1858 - P2

RMS - Polity 4 - Fundamental Rights - P2

RMS - Economy 3 - Taxation

RMS - Polity 4 - Fundamental Rights-P1

RMS - History 1 - European Penetration to Battle of Buxar

RMS - Economy 2 - Money & Banking - P2

Mentoring Session (2024 - 25) - How to Write an ESSAY?

Social Issues Doubts and Mentoring Session

Ethics & Essay Doubts and Mentoring Session

Geography & Environment Doubts and Mentoring Session

History Doubts and Mentoring Session

Economy & Agriculture Doubts and Mentoring Session

Online Orientation Session

How to Read Newspaper and Make Notes?

Mains Support Programme 2024-(2)

Mains Support Programme 2024- (1)

Polity & International Relations Doubts and Mentoring Session

Mentoring Sessions (2024-25) - How to DO REVISION?

RMS - Polity - Parliament 3

Mentoring Sessions (2025-26) - How to Start Preparation?

RMS - Geography - World Mapping

RMS - Polity - Parliament 2

Prelims 2024 Strategy Session

RMS - Polity 3 - Union & its Territories and Citizenship

RMS - Geography - Major Landforms

RMS - Polity 2 - Preamble

RMS - Economy 2 - Money & Banking - P1

Mentoring Session (2024-25) - How to Make Notes?

RMS - Polity 1 - Constitution & its Salient Features

General Mentoring Session (GMS ) 2024-25

RMS - Modern History - Constitutional Developments - Important Acts in British India

Mentoring Session (2025-26) – How to Read and make Notes of the Newspaper?

Mentoring Session (2025-26) - How to write an Answer?

RMS - Economy 1 - Fundamentals of Economy and NIA
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Cascade Range
New research reveals that long-dormant volcanoes in the Cascades region of the Pacific Northwest still have substantial magma reservoirs beneath them.

About Cascade Range:
- It is a prominent collection of mountains found in the Pacific Northwest area of the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada.
- The range was formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate, which continues to drive volcanic activity.
- It is known for its snow-capped peaks, massive glaciers, steep scree slopes, and lush forests.
- The range is home to 4375 named mountains, the highest and most visible of which is Mount Rainier 4,392 m.
- It includes both volcanic and non-volcanic mountains, including the rugged spires of the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades.
- The Cascades are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean.
- All of the known historic eruptions in the contiguous United States have been from Cascade volcanoes.
Geography
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
M23 Rebels
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently captured the regional capital Goma in an anarchic and mineral-rich part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About M23 Rebels:
- M23, or the March 23 Movement, is one of more than 100 armed groups fighting Congolese forces in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- M23’s leadership is dominated by ethnic Tutsis, a minority group in eastern DR Congo.
- It is present in North Kivu province in areas bordering Rwanda and Uganda and has more than 8,000 fighters, according to the UN.
- It is named after the date in 2009 of the signing of an accord between the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), a Tutsi-led rebel group, and the Congolese government to end a revolt led by the Tutsi people in eastern DRC.
- The agreement promised better political representation and integration of former rebels into the Congolese army.
- It is alleged that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebels.
- Why is M23 fighting Congolese forces?
- It was created in 2012 after former CNDP troops rebelled against the Congolese government, accusing it of failing to implement the 2009 agreement by integrating Tutsi fighters into the army, protecting minorities, and distributing resources evenly.
- Its objective is to safeguard the interests of the Congolese Tutsi and other minorities, including protecting them against Hutu rebel groups who escaped to the DRC after taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that targeted Tutsis.
International Relations
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
The state govt's decision to open the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) in Khanapur for a wildlife safari has sparked controversy and is facing backlash from environmentalists.

About Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It spans over the Western Ghats in Belgaum district of Karnataka.
- It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in December 2011.
- The sanctuary has been named after the Bhimgad Fort, constructed and commanded by Shivaji in the 17th century as a defence from Portuguese troops.
- It shares its boundary with the north of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, north-west of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, north of Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and east of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
- BWS forms the headwaters of a number of rivers like Tillari, Malaprabha and Mhadei and several perennial streams.
- The forest is also famed for its Barapede caves which serve as the only known breeding area of a threatened species on the verge of extinction called Wroughton's free-tailed bat.
- Flora: It mainly comprises a combination of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and grasslands. It also hosts a number of medicinal plants.
- Fauna: It has a rich biodiversity and shelters animals like Elephants, King Cobras, Wild Dogs, Foxes, Chitals, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Leopards and Tigers.
Environment
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Donkey Route
Indian deportees from the US, arriving in Amritsar, recently shared their harrowing experiences using the "donkey route" for illegal immigration.

About Donkey Route:
- Named after a Punjabi idiom referring to an arduous, unplanned journey, it involves crossing multiple international borders, often through treacherous terrain, under false promises of legal entry.
- It typically involves illegal border crossings via indirect routes with multiple stops in different countries.
- For instance, individuals might obtain a tourist visa for the European Union's Schengen Area, allowing free movement across 26 countries, and then illegally enter the UK with the help of "consultants" or "agents."
- These agents often charge hefty fees for services ranging from fake documentation to smuggling via shipping containers.
International Relations
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Daya River
The 2025 annual bird count at Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary recorded an unprecedented surge in waterfowl, with a total of 1,53,719 birds of 97 species, according to officials.

About Daya River:
- It is a 37 km small river in Odisha.
- It originates from the Kusabhadra River and flows through the Khurda and Puri districts before emptying into the Chilika Lake, the largest coastal lagoon in India.
- Tributaries: Malaguni River
- It supports wetland biodiversity, providing habitat for fish and migratory birds near Chilika Lake.
- Historical significance:
- The Daya River is historically important because of its connection to the Kalinga War (261 BCE), fought between Emperor Ashoka and the Kalinga kingdom.
- It is believed that after the battle, the river turned red with the blood of slain soldiers.
- This sight deeply moved Ashoka, leading him to embrace Buddhism and adopt a path of non-violence.
Geography
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a three-year extension of tenure for the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK).

About National Commission for Safai Karamcharis:
- It was first set up in 1994 under the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993.
- It was functioning as a statutory body till 2004, when the law lapsed.
- Since then, the commission is acting as a non-statutory body under the Social Justice Ministry with its tenure being extended from time to time.
- Functions of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis:
- The NCSK gives recommendations to the Government regarding specific programmes for welfare of Safai Karamcharis, study and evaluate the existing welfare programmes for Safai Karamcharis, investigate cases of specific grievances etc.
- The NCSK has been assigned the work to monitor the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
- It is the only body keeping track of sewer deaths in the entire country.
Polity & Governance
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Marsupials
Recently, a team of scientists has successfully produced the first kangaroo embryos using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) which could be a crucial step towards the conservation of endangered marsupial species.

About Marsupials:
- Marsupials are the group of mammals commonly thought of as pouched mammals.
- They give birth to relatively undeveloped young that often reside in a pouch located on their mothers' abdomen for a certain amount of time.
- A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a pouch. They have an extra pubic bone, the epipubic bone, to support their pouch.
- Examples: Marsupials include opossums, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies, bandicoots, and the extinct thylacine.
- They represent the clade originating from the last common ancestor of extant metatherian, the group containing all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. Not all marsupials have pouches.
- Distribution: There are over 330 species of marsupials. Around two-thirds of them live in The other third live mostly in South America.
What is In-Vitro Fertilization?
- It is a medical procedure used to assist individuals or couples who are facing fertility challenges in achieving pregnancy.
- It is the most common and effective type of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
- Process:
- It is a complex process that involves retrieving eggs from ovaries and manually combining them with sperm in a lab for fertilization.
- Several days after fertilization, the fertilized egg (now called an embryo) is placed inside a uterus.
- Pregnancy occurs when this embryo implants itself into the uterine wall.
- The procedure can be done using a couple's own eggs and sperm. Or IVF may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or anonymous donor.
Environment
Current Affairs
Feb. 8, 2025
Swavalambini Programme
Recently, the union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched the Swavalambini programme.

About Swavalambini Programme:
- It was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), in collaboration with NITI Aayog in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
- This initiative is aimed at empowering female students in select Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the northeast by equipping them with the essential entrepreneurial mind-set, resources, and mentorship they need to succeed in their entrepreneurial journey.
- Those who successfully build their ventures will be recognized and awarded, ensuring that their success stories inspire others. This initiative will define a clear process for how we nurture and scale women-led enterprises in India.
- The initiative aims to provide structured training through the Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) which introduces 600 female students to entrepreneurship as a viable career option.
- For 300 selected students, the Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) offers an intensive 40-hour training covering crucial business aspects such as training and skilling, access to finance, market linkages, compliance and legal support, business services, and networking opportunities.
- This will be followed by six months of mentorship and handholding support to help participants translate their ideas into sustainable prospects.
Polity & Governance