About Yadava Dynasty:

• The Yadava Dynasty, also known as the Seuna Dynasty, ruled around 12th–14th-in central India.
• At its zenith they ruled a vast kingdom stretching from the River Tungabhadra to the River Narmada, including modern Maharashtra, the north of Karnataka, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Originally a feudatory of the Eastern Chalukyas of Kalyani, the dynasty became paramount in the Deccan under Bhillama (c. 1187–91), who founded Devagiri (later Daulatabad) as his capital.
• Under Bhillama’s grandson Singhana (reigned c. 1210–47), the dynasty declared independence and reached its height, as the Yadava campaigned against the Hoysalas in the south, the Kakatiyas in the east, and the Paramaras and Chalukyas in the north.
• Later rulers continued expansionist wars with varying success.
• During the reign of the last Yadava king, Ramachandra (reigned 1271–c. 1309), a Muslim army commanded by the Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji invaded the kingdom in 1294 and imposed tributary status.
• A later attempt to throw off the vassalage brought another Delhi army; Ramachandra was imprisoned but was later released and remained loyal to Delhi until his death.
• In a further attempt, his son and successor died in battle, and the kingdom was annexed by the Khilji empire in 1317.
• The foundations of Marathi culture were laid by the Yadavas, and the peculiarities of Maharashtra's social life developed during their rule.
• The Hemadpanti architectural style (stone masonry without mortar) is associated with this period.

About Carbon-14:

• Carbon has three main isotopes: carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14. The first two are stable.
• Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon.
• It is created in the atmosphere through the bombardment of nitrogen by cosmic rays.
• It has six protons and eight neutrons in its nucleus.
• It is used in radiocarbon dating to determine the age of organic substances by measuring its decay over time.

What is Radiocarbon Dating, or Carbon-14 Dating?

• It is a method that provides objective age estimates for carbon-based materials that originated from living organisms.
• It is based on the fact that living organisms—like trees, plants, people, and animals—absorb carbon-14 into their tissue.
• When they die, the carbon-14 starts to change into other atoms over time.
• Carbon-14 has a half-life of approximately 5,730 years (i.e., half the amount of the isotope present at any instant will undergo spontaneous disintegration during the succeeding 5,730 years).
• Because carbon-14 decays at this constant rate, an estimate of the date at which an organism died can be made by measuring the amount of its residual carbon-14.
• Over the years, carbon-14 dating has also found applications in geology, hydrology, geophysics, atmospheric science, oceanography, paleoclimatology, and even biomedicine.

About Gitchak nakana:

• It is a new species of groundwater fish.
• It belongs to a newly described genus within the family Cobitidae (loaches).
• Named Gitchak nakana, the species draws from the Garo language, “Gitchak” meaning red, referencing its striking blood-red live colour, and “na-tok” and “kana” referring to a blind fish.
• It displays classic subterranean adaptations, or troglomorphies: no externally visible eyes, a translucent, pigmentless body, and extreme miniaturization.
• It is the most unusual among other groups due to the complete lack of a skull roof, with the brain covered dorsally only by skin.
• It lives in aquifers, groundwater habitats far more difficult to access.
  • While more than 300 fish species worldwide are known from subterranean habitats, the vast majority inhabit caves.
  • Fewer than 10 percent are known from groundwater aquifers, making such discoveries rare.

About Porcelain:

• It is a type of ceramic material that is highly durable and has high-performance characteristics due to its production process.
• It is made from a combination of natural materials including kaolin (china clay), feldspar, and quartz.
• Porcelain was first made in China—in a primitive form during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) and in the form best known in the West during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368 CE).
• The word porcelain is derived from porcellana, used by Marco Polo to describe the pottery he saw in China.
• There are three major types of porcelain historically used in dinnerware and decorative pieces: hard paste, soft paste, and bone china.
• Properties of Porcelain:
  • High material density.
  • Smooth, glossy surface, which is particularly translucent and gives porcelain products a refined, elegant character.
  • High resistance to scratches and breakage, making it ideal for everyday use as well as special occasions.

About Sulawesi Island:

• Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, is a large island in Southeast Asia, in the Indonesian archipelago.
• It sits centrally within the Indonesian archipelago.
• It is part of the island chain known as the Greater Sunda Islands.
• Makassar is the largest city on the island.
• The island is surrounded on all sides by other big islands: Borneo to the west, the Philippines to the north, the Maluku Islands to the east, and Flores and Timor to the south.
• The island is highly mountainous, with some active volcanoes.
• The highest peak on the island of Sulawesi is Ratenkombola, which is also known simply as Mario.
• Sulawesi is known for its rainforests, which once covered the entire island until human activity led to mass deforestation.
• A large number of the species are endemic to the island.
• The island contains thirteen freshwater lakes, including the deepest lake, Matano, in Southeast Asia.
• It has several remarkable prehistoric cave paintings depicting ancient hunts and animal life.
• Seven major ethnic groups inhabit Sulawesi: the Toala, Toraja, Buginese, Makassarese, Minahasan, Mori, and Gorontalese.

About Football for Schools (F4S) Programme:

• It is run by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in collaboration with UNESCO.
• Aim: It aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of children.
• Objective: It seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system, in partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders.
• The programme has been designed to promote targeted life skills and competencies through football and contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other priorities.
• The F4S Programme is aligned with:
  • Global sport, education and health policies, including UNESCO’s Kazan Action Plan, the Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework of Action, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA).
• In India, the programme is implemented by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (DoSEL), with support from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

About Gypsum:

• It is a sedimentary rock primarily composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4 · 2H2O) and anhydrite (CaSO4).
• Gypsum is found in both crystal and rock forms.
• Occurrence: It commonly occurs in extensive beds alongside evaporite minerals like anhydrite and halite, especially in Permian and Triassic sedimentary formations.
• It is often found in saline lakes and salt pans and constitutes a significant part of cap rock on salt domes,
• It generally results from the evaporation of saline water and is one of the more common minerals in sedimentary conditions.
• Gypsum that occurs in nature is called mineral gypsum.
• In India, Marine gypsum is recovered from salt pans during production of common salt in coastal region, particularly in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
• Applications of Gypsum:
  • Agricultural use: It works as an agent to remove Saline/Alkaline ingredients in the soil. It acts more or less like manure.
  • Industrial use: It is used in manufacturing lime and in cement industry and also used in manufacturing Plaster of Paris.

About LCH Prachand:

• It is an indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
• It is developed by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
• It is the only attack helicopter in the world that can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 metres (16,400 ft).
• Features of LCH Prachand
  • It has the best stealth features, armored-shield systems, and dark-mode attack capability.
  • Its crash-resistant landing gear gives it an added edge for better survivability, among other technologies like radar and IR signature.
  • A pressurised cabin offers protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical contingencies.
  • It is equipped with a countermeasure dispensing system that protects it from enemy radars or infrared seekers of enemy missiles.
  • The multi-role attack helicopter has been customised as per the requirements of the Indian armed forces to operate both in desert terrains and high-altitude sectors. 

About Controller General of Accounts:

• CGA is the Principal Accounting Adviser to the Government of India.
• It was established in 1975 to administer matters pertaining to the departmentalisation of the accounts of the Union.
• The CGA is responsible for for the central government exchequer control and internal audits
• Functions of Controller General of Accounts:
  • The Office of CGA prepare smoothly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings, and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government. 
  • It further formulates policies relating to general principles, forms, and procedures of accounting for the Central and State Governments.
  • It administers the process of payments, receipts, and accounting in the Central Civil Ministries/ Departments. 
  • CGA is also responsible for coordination and monitoring the progress of the submission of corrective/remedial action taken notes (ATNs) on the recommendations contained in the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) reports as well as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports through its web-based Audit Para Monitoring System (APMS).
  • It also looks after the pensions of Central government employees.
• Nodal Ministry: Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.

About Forest owlet:

• It is a member of the typical owl family, Strigidae.
• Habitat: It is mainly found in tropical and subtropical moist lowland woods, dense deciduous woodlands, open dry deciduous teak woods and tropical and subtropical dry forests.
• Distribution:
  • It is endemic to the forests of central India.
  • It was observed in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, and at a few locations in the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
• Features of Forest Owlet:
  • It is a typical owlet with a rather unspotted crown, presence of full throat collar, thickly feathered legs, heavily banded wings, and a tail.
  • These birds are diurnal and have been observed to hunt during the day.
  • They eat rodents, reptiles such as lizards and skinks, and insects.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I