Padma Awards Historical Background

• The Padma Awards were established in 1954 alongside the Bharat Ratna.
• Initially, Padma Awards had three classes: Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg, and Tisra Varg.
• These were renamed in 1955 via Presidential Notification as: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri

Padma Awards Categories

• Padma Vibhushan: Awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan: Conferred for distinguished service of a high order.
• Padma Shri: Recognises distinguished service in any field.

Eligibility Criteria

• All persons, regardless of race, occupation, position or gender, are eligible for the award.
• Government servants, including employees of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), are not eligible, except doctors and scientists.
• Awards are normally not conferred posthumously, but in highly deserving cases, exceptions are allowed.
• A minimum 5-year gap is required for conferring a higher category Padma award upon a previously awarded individual. However, this can be relaxed by the Awards Committee in exceptional cases.
• Nominations are open to the public, and self-nomination is also allowed.

 Selection Process

• All nominations are evaluated by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted annually by the Prime Minister.
• The Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
• Its recommendations are submitted to the Prime Minister and President for final approval.
• The awards are presented by the President, usually in March or April.
• Awardees receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion.

Other Key Features

• The total number of Padma awards per year is capped at 120, excluding:
  • Posthumous awards
  • Awards to NRIs, foreign nationals, and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs)
• The award does not constitute a title and cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the awardee’s name.
• Disciplines covered: Awards span across art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, among others.

Key Facts about Bhutan

• Bhutan is a landlocked Himalayan country, bordered by India to the south, east, and west, and China (Tibet Autonomous Region) to the north.
  • Indian states bordering Bhutan: Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan.
  • Phuntsholing is Bhutan’s key financial and trade hub, located along the India-Bhutan border.
• Political System: Bhutan is a parliamentary monarchy.
  • It transitioned to democracy in 2008 with the first democratic elections.
  • The King of Bhutan remains the Head of State.
• Official name: Kingdom of Bhutan.
  • Local name: Druk Gyal Khap, meaning "Land of the Thunder Dragon".
• Longest River: The Manas River (376 km), a transboundary river flowing through southern Bhutan into India, forms an important ecological and trade corridor.

Significance of India–Bhutan Customs Cooperation

• India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 80% of Bhutan’s total trade, making border customs cooperation vital for both countries.
• Bhutan, being a landlocked country, relies heavily on Land Customs Stations (LCSs) for trade. There are 10 India-Bhutan LCSs—6 in West Bengal and 4 in Assam.
• The JGC is an annual bilateral mechanism aimed at strengthening Customs cooperation, facilitating cross-border trade, and reforming customs procedures in line with global best practices.

About National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

• The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a flagship initiative launched in 2015 by the Government of India to strengthen the nation’s High-Performance Computing (HPC)
• It aims to enhance India’s computational capacity in sectors like science, technology, academia, research, and industry, making the country self-reliant in supercomputing technologies.
• The mission is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), and is implemented by C-DAC, Pune and IISc, Bengaluru.
• The key goal is to position India globally among top nations in supercomputing by enabling research, reducing technological import dependence, and creating a robust indigenous HPC ecosystem.

Key Achievements

• 34 supercomputers have been deployed with a total computational capacity of 35 Petaflops across top institutes like IITs, IISc, and C-DAC, including institutions in Tier II and Tier III cities.
• Supercomputers have recorded 85–95% utilisation, supporting over 10,000 researchers and 1,700+ PhD scholars from 200+ institutions.
• More than 1 crore computing jobs have been completed and over 1,500 research papers published, reflecting substantial research productivity.
• NSM has trained over 22,000 individuals in HPC and AI skills through five dedicated centres in Pune, Kharagpur, Chennai, Palakkad, and Goa.

Indigenisation Milestones

• "Rudra" HPC servers, developed indigenously, are the first HPC-class servers built in India, matching global standards.
• Supercomputers like PARAM Rudra (Pune, Delhi, Kolkata) have been dedicated for advanced research in physics, cosmology, and earth sciences.
• The Trinetra high-speed network (developed under NSM) boosts data transfer rates up to 200 Gbps and is being rolled out in phases – PoC, Trinetra-A (100 Gbps), and Trinetra-B (200 Gbps).

AI Supercomputing: AIRAWAT

• The AIRAWAT project is India’s AI-focused supercomputing initiative under NSM, offering a common AI computing platform for start-ups, researchers, and innovation hubs.
• The Proof of Concept (PoC) system of AIRAWAT features 200 petaflops of AI processing power, scalable to 790 AI petaflops.
• AIRAWAT secured 75th rank in the Top 500 Global Supercomputing List (ISC 2023, Germany), placing India among the top AI supercomputing nations.

Institutional Milestones

• PARAM Shivay (2019) at IIT-BHU was the first indigenous supercomputer under NSM.
• PARAM Pravega (2022) at IISc Bengaluru is among the largest academic supercomputers in India, with 3 petaflops processing power.

About Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA)

• The Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) was established in 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
• It manages the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) and promotes investor awareness and financial protection.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Corporate Affairs
• The IEPF consists of amounts that remained unclaimed for 7 years, including:
  • Unpaid dividends,
  • Application money is due for refund,
  • Matured deposits and debentures,
  • Interest on investments from the fund,
  • Grants or donations received from the government or other entities.

IEPFA’s ‘Niveshak Shivir’ Initiative

• ‘Niveshak Shivir’ is a joint initiative of IEPFA and SEBI launched to simplify the process of reclaiming unclaimed dividends and shares.
• The camps will feature one-stop kiosks set up by companies and RTAs in cities with large numbers of unclaimed dividend holders, starting with Mumbai and Ahmedabad in May 2025.
• Investors can update KYC and nominations, verify claim status, and get real-time grievance redressal at these camps.
• The initiative aims to reduce investor dependence on intermediaries, thereby minimising fraud and misinformation risks.

A QR-code-based Google Form will be used for pre-registration, supported by the regional offices of ICAI and SEBI.

Significance of Action

• The move is aimed at protecting consumer rights and preventing undue pressure on consumers to pay additional charges during service availing.
• As per law, no hotel or restaurant can force consumers to pay a service charge, nor can a service charge be collected under any alternative name.

About Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)

• The CCPA was established under Section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which replaced the 1986 Act, was notified on August 9, 2019, and came into force on July 20, 2020.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

Functions and Powers of CCPA

• The CCPA protects, promotes, and enforces the rights of consumers as a class under the Act.
• It prevents unfair trade practices and curbs false or misleading advertisements.
• The CCPA ensures that no one publishes or disseminates false or misleading advertisements.
• The CCPA can initiate class-action suits, including recalls, refunds, and cancellation of licenses, when necessary.
• The CCPA can conduct inquiries and investigations through its Investigation Wing, headed by a Director-General.
• It can order the discontinuation of unfair practices, impose penalties on errant businesses, and enforce consumer welfare measures.
• Composition of CCPA: A Chief Commissioner heads the CCPA and has two other commissioners:
  • One commissioner deals with goods-related issues.
  • The other commissioner handles service-related complaints.

About GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance:

• It is an independent public-private partnership that was created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
• Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Gavi brings together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to vaccines for children, wherever they live.
• It brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, research and technical agencies, civil society organizations, and private philanthropists.
• Gavi’s main activities include supporting low- and middle-income countries’ access to new and underused vaccines for vulnerable children through financial support, technical expertise, and market-shaping efforts, such as negotiating with manufacturers, to help lower the cost of procuring vaccines.
• By bringing the key stakeholders in global immunisation together around one mission, Gavi combines the technical expertise of the development community with the business know-how of the private sector.
• Since its beginnings, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children and saved an estimated 18.8 million lives (2023 figures).
• Gavi was one of the organizations leading COVAX, a multilateral effort that supported the equitable development, procurement, and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines globally that began in 2020 and ended in 2023.

About Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is located in the Balasore District of Odisha within the Eastern Ghats.
• It is spread across 272 sq.km. in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.
• It is part of the larger Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve, making it a crucial habitat for the conservation of elephants in the region.
• It is connected with Simlipal Tiger Reserve via Nato and Sukhupada Hill ranges.
• It features a network of streams, including the Kuldiha stream and its tributaries.
• Vegetation: Kuldiha sanctuary area, adjoining Nilgiri forest in the North and Mayurbhanj Forest in the West, is a typical representative of a mixture of peninsular (coastal) Sal forest and moist mixed deciduous forest.
• Flora: The sanctuary boasts a rich diversity of flora, including dense forests of sal (Shorea robusta), jamun (Syzygium cumini), piyasal (Pterocarpus marsupium), bahera (Terminalia bellirica), mango (Mangifera indica), and simul (Bombax ceiba).
• Fauna:
  • It is home to a number of endangered and threatened wild animal species like Asiatic Elephant, Leopard, Gaur, Mouse deer, Pangolin, Ratel, Giant squirrel, etc.
  • Besides that, some endangered bird species like Hill myna, Woodpecker, Hornbill and Eagles are also found in the Sanctuary.

About Uturuncu Volcano:

• It is located in southwestern Bolivia, within the Andes Mountains.
• It is a stratovolcano dominated by dacitic lava domes and flows.
• Elevation: About 6,008 meters (19,711 feet) above sea level — it is the tallest mountain in the southern part of Bolivia.
• Uturuncu last erupted 250,000 years ago, yet is seismically active and lies at the centre of a 70 km diameter uplifted region.
• Uturuncu sits above an enormous and extremely deep underground reservoir of magma named the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB), which stretches beneath southern Bolivia, northern Chile, and northern Argentina.
• Uturuncu is known as a "zombie" volcano because of its ongoing but non-eruptive activity.
• The "zombie"-like unrest of Uturuncu is due to the movement of liquid and gas beneath the crater, with a low likelihood of an imminent eruption.

About Mackinac Island:

• It is an island and city located in northern Michigan, United States.
• It sits in the extreme northeast part of Lake Huron, just as it prepares to join the waters of Lake Michigan - two of North America's Great Lakes.
• It has an area of approximately 4.35 square miles.
• The island is bordered by limestone cliffs and rises in the east to 339 feet (103 metres) above the surrounding waters.
• History:
  • The French arrived in the territory encompassing the island, which had long been the home of the Anishinaabek People, back in the 1600s.
  • By the 1700s, the British had taken over, and Americans claimed it shortly thereafter.
• The Mackinac Island State Park covers the vast majority of the island and provides hiking trails, wooded canopies, and the famous Arch Rock limestone formation.
• It retains an 18th- and 19th-century atmosphere; automobiles are banned, and horses and buggies and bicycles are used for transport.
• The restored Fort Mackinac, Beaumont Memorial (dedicated to U.S. Army surgeon William Beaumont, who, while serving at the fort, made discoveries regarding human digestion), and the Stuart House (1817; the residence of the island’s American Fur Company agent) are preserved as historical museums.

About Trends in World Military Expenditure Report:

• It is an annual report published by the leading Swedish think tank, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
• It provides a comprehensive analysis of military spending across the globe.
• Highlights of 2024 Report:
  • The global defence expenditures reached $2.46 trillion in 2024, an increase from $2.24 trillion in the previous year, bringing the average defence spending to 9% of global GDP, up from 1.6% in 2022 and 1.8% in 2023.
  • Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East, courtesy of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and Israel-Hamas conflict.
  • Military spending in Europe (including Russia) rose by 17 percent to $693 billion and was the main contributor to the global increase in 2024.
  • Military spending by the USA rose by 5.7 percent to reach $997 billion, which was 66 percent of total NATO spending and 37 percent of world military spending in 2024.
  • Military expenditure in the Middle East reached an estimated $243 billion in 2024, an increase of 15 percent from 2023, with Israel and Lebanon emerging as the biggest spenders in the region.
  • 60 percent of the world’s military spending came from only five countries – the USA (37 percent), China (12 percent), Russia (5.5 percent), Germany (3.3 percent) and India (3.2percent).
  • India, the fifth biggest military spender in the world in 2024, increased its spending to $86.1 billion, up by 1.6 percent from 2023 and by 42 percent from
  • India's military spending in 2024 was nearly nine times that of Pakistan's
  • China's military spending rose by 7.0 percent to an estimated USD 314 billion, marking three decades of uninterrupted growth. China alone accounted for half of the defence spending across Asia and Oceania.

About Bone Collector’ Caterpillar

• The "Bone Collector" is a newly discovered carnivorous caterpillar found exclusively on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
• It constructs a protective case using body parts of its prey, such as ant heads and fly wings, along with silk.
• Habitat: The bone collector is found in a small, isolated patch of mountain forest on Oahu, which is also threatened by invasive species.
• The caterpillar's evolutionary lineage is estimated to be at least six million years old, older than the formation of the Hawaiian islands themselves.
• This caterpillar feeds on insects caught in spider webs and adorns its silk case using the body parts of its prey, such as ant heads and fly wings.

About Hawaii

• Hawaii is a S. state located in the Pacific Ocean and is made up of an archipelago formed by volcanic activity.
• It comprises eight main islands: Hawaii (Big Island), Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe.
• The capital city is Honolulu, situated on Oahu.
• The islands feature diverse landscapes, including active volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, and dramatic cliffs.
• The Hawaiian Islands originated from a hotspot in the Earth's mantle, which continues to create volcanic formations across the Pacific.

Introduction

• Every year, farmers across India and the world face a relentless and invisible enemy: plant viruses. In India, the Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV) alone causes 25–30% yield losses in banana plantations and infects up to 70% of pumpkin, cucumber and melon crops. Affected plants often exhibit mosaic discoloration, stunted growth, and produce fruits that are commercially unviable, leading to significant economic hardships for farmers.
• In the absence of effective traditional treatments, scientists have turned to RNA-based technologies to bolster plant defenses. This innovative approach mimics the way the human immune system combats viruses. RNA-based solutions work by silencing specific genes in viruses or by enhancing the plant's natural immune responses, offering a promising method of protecting crops without heavy reliance on chemical pesticides.

RNA-Based Defence Mechanism

• RNA Silencing: A natural defence system in plants against viral attacks.
  • Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) from the virus triggers the plant’s immune response.
  • Dicer-like enzymes (DCLs) slice the dsRNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
  • siRNAs then guide the system to destroy viral RNA, stopping virus replication.

Types of RNA-Based Techniques

• Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS): Plants are genetically modified to produce virus-targeting dsRNA internally for continuous protection. However, high costs, regulatory hurdles, and risk of viral resistance limit its use.
• Spray-Induced Gene Silencing (SIGS): RNA sprays are applied to plant leaves, activating natural immunity without altering plant DNA. Cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but traditional dsRNA often generates a random mix of siRNAs, reducing efficiency.

What is Lapu-Lapu Day?

• Lapu-Lapu Day commemorates the Battle of Mactan, fought on April 27, 1521, where Datu Lapulapu, the chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated the Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan.
• Ferdinand Magellan, the renowned Portuguese explorer, was killed in this battle.
• Lapulapu is celebrated as the first Filipino hero who resisted foreign colonialism.

Significance of Lapu-Lapu Day in British Columbia, Canada

• British Columbia officially declared April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023.
• The declaration recognises both the heroic legacy of Datu Lapulapu and the contribution of the Filipino community to the cultural fabric of the province.
• It symbolises the values of cultural harmony, respect for indigenous resistance, and multicultural recognition.

Who was Lapulapu?

• Lapulapu was the chieftain of Mactan Island, located in the present-day Philippines.
• His name was recorded as Çilapulapu by Antonio Pigafetta, the Venetian scholar and assistant of Magellan. The prefix 'Si' is believed to be an honorific, derived from Sanskrit 'Sri'.
• In 2021, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte standardised the spelling as Lapulapu (without a hyphen).

About Hyenas

• Hyenas are dog-like carnivores belonging to the family Hyaenidae, native to Asia and Africa, noted for their scavenging habits.
• There are four extant hyena species:
  • Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
  • Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
  • Brown Hyena (Parahyaena brunnea)
  • Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)
• Habitat: Forest edges, grasslands, savannas, sub-deserts, and mountains up to 13,000 feet elevation.
• Distribution: Across Africa, parts of the Middle East, and Asia.

Physical Features

• Hyenas are four-legged animals with scraggly fur and large ears.
• They have long forelegs, a powerful neck, and strong shoulders, allowing them to dismember and carry prey.
• Excellent sight, hearing, and sense of smell make them proficient scavengers and hunters.
• Hyenas are predominantly nocturnal, being most active during the night.
• Their lifespan averages 12 years, although they can live up to 25 years; Brown hyenas typically have a shorter lifespan.

Conservation Status (IUCN)

• Spotted Hyena: Least Concern but declining, with fewer than 50,000 individuals remaining.
• Striped Hyena: Near Threatened, with less than 10,000 mature individuals.
• Brown Hyena: Near Threatened, with just over 10,000 in the wild.
• Aardwolf: Least Concern, though exact numbers are unknown due to their elusive nature.

About Bonds and Inflation Impact

• A bond is a financial instrument that promises a fixed return (face value) at the end of a specific period, unlike equity, which has no fixed term or guaranteed returns.
• Bonds are generally safer investments used to hedge against risks or act as a store of value.
• Bond yields are inversely proportional to their market price: when prices fall, yields rise.
• Inflation erodes the real returns from bonds. If inflation exceeds bond yield, investors lose purchasing power.
• When inflation expectations rise, the Central Bank typically raises interest rates, causing bond prices to fall and yields to rise, impacting investment decisions across the economy.
• Currency depreciation also impacts foreign bondholders negatively, reducing their real returns when converting back to their home currency.

About the Indian Bond Market

• The Indian Bond Market is a vital segment of the financial system where government entities, corporations, and financial institutions raise funds by issuing bonds.
• Investors provide loans to the issuers and, in return, receive periodic interest payments and principal repayment upon maturity.

Structure of the Indian Bond Market

• Primary Bond Market: In the Primary Market, new bonds are issued by the government, corporations, or financial institutions to raise capital.
  • Government Securities (G-Secs): Bonds issued by Central and State Governments, including Treasury Bills (short-term) and Government Bonds (long-term).
  • Corporate Bonds: Bonds issued by private or public companies, credit-rated based on their creditworthiness.
  • Municipal Bonds: Issued by local governing bodies for funding public infrastructure projects.
  • Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Bonds: Bonds issued by government-owned corporations.
  • Green Bonds: Dedicated bonds for financing environmentally sustainable projects.
  • Masala Bonds: Rupee-denominated bonds issued in foreign markets.
• Secondary Bond Market: In the Secondary Market, previously issued bonds are traded among investors.
  • Examples include instruments like Treasury Bills (T-Bills), Commercial Papers (CPs), and Certificates of Deposit (CDs).

About Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH):

• Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH), also known as core areas of tiger reserves, are identified under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), 1972.
• These are based on scientific evidence that "such areas are required to be kept as inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers".
• The notification of CTH is done by the state government in consultation with the expert committee constituted for the purpose.
• Inviolate Status: These areas are kept inviolate (free from human activities) for the purpose of tiger conservation.
• The forests peripheral to CTH are notified as buffer areas, which act as a transition between CTH and non-tiger reserves.

Key Facts about Central Empowered Committee (CEC):

• It was set up in 2002 (reconstituted in 2008) by the Supreme Court.
• It served as a watchdog for issues pertaining to environmental conservation and compliance.
• In 2023, the Supreme Court transferred the CEC, to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
• According to the Union Environment Ministry’s notification, the central empowered committee will now be institutionalised as a permanent statutory body, moving away from its earlier ad hoc status.
• Composition of the new CEC
  • It will have a chairman with experience of 25 years in the field of environment, forests and wildlife or proven administrative experience of not less than 25 years in the central or state governments.
  • He will be nominated by the central government for a tenure of three years.
  • The age limit for the Chairperson is set at 66 years, and the rank must not be below that of an Additional Secretary.
  • The member secretary will be a full-time serving officer of the government not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of forests or director in the Government of India.
  • This person is required to have special knowledge in the field of environment, forests, or wildlife, and experience of at least 12 years.
  • The member secretary too, will be appointed by the Centre.
  • The three expert members will be one each from the fields of the environment, forests, and wildlife with experience of at least 20 years.
  • They will also be nominated by the Centre for a tenure of three years.
  • One notable change in the new central empowered committee structure is the exclusion of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which were previously part of the committee.

About Medium Range-Surface to Air Missile (MR-SAM):

• It is a high-response, quick-reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters, etc.
• It is developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries, and is produced at Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
• Features:
  • Each MRSAM weapon system comprises one command and control system, one tracking radar, missiles, and mobile launcher
  • The mobile launcher is used to transport, emplace, and launch up to eight canisterised missiles in two stacks.
  • It can fire the missiles in single or ripple firing modes from the vertical firing position.
  • The weapon is 4.5 m-long, weighs approximately 276kg, and is equipped with canards and fins for control and manoeuvrability.
  • It is equipped with an advanced active radar radio frequency (RF) seeker, advanced rotating phased array radar, and a bidirectional data link.
  • It is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system developed by DRDO.
  • The propulsion system, coupled with a thrust vector control system, allows the missile to move at a maximum speed of Mach 2.
  • The weapon has the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously at ranges of 70 km.

About Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV):

• It is one of the most common plant viruses.
• CMV was first identified in 1916 as the causal agent of cucumber and muskmelon disease in the United States.
• CMV infects more than 1,200 plant species, including critical food crops like cucumbers, squash, and cereals, and medicinal plants.
• It spreads through small sap-sucking insects called aphids.
• With nearly 90 aphid species capable of transmitting CMV, outbreaks are often difficult to contain.
• In India, CMV is responsible for 25-30% yield losses in banana plantations. In pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons, infection rates can soar up to 70%.
• Symptoms: Affected plants develop a mosaic discolouration, stunted growth, and commercially unviable fruits.
• Management:
  • Cultural practices and the heavy use of agrochemicals are the most common control measures for CMV.
  • There is no known cure for cucumber mosaic.
  • Infected plants should be removed and destroyed to eliminate the plants as potential reservoirs for the virus (which can subsequently be spread to other nearby healthy plants).

About Balikatan Exercise:

• It is the largest bilateral exercise conducted between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States.
• “Balikatan,” a Tagalog phrase that means “shoulder-to-shoulder,”  characterizes the spirit of the exercise and represents the alliance between the Philippines and the United States.
• Held annually, Exercise Balikatan is designed to enhance military interoperability and readiness in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines.
• The 2025 edition is the 40th iteration of the exercise.
  • Distinguishing itself from past iterations, Balikatan 25 will feature a Full Battle Test that incorporates real-world forces and events into a virtual and constructive exercise scenario.
  • The exercise will span all domains—air, land, sea, space, and cyber—testing the interoperability between U.S. and Philippine forces to simulate the defense of Philippine sovereignty.
  • The exercise will consist of four primary components: a Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS) operation, humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) activities, a command-and-control exercise (C2X), and a Multilateral Maritime Exercise (MME).
  • Each component will encompass several training events and engagement throughout the Philippines.

About Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C):

• I4C has been established under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to act as a nodal point at the National level in the fight against cybercrime.
• It is designed to provide a framework and ecosystem for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to deal with cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.
• I4C brings together academia, industry, public, and government in the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Objectives:
  • To act as a nodal point to curb Cybercrime in the country.
  • To strengthen the fight against Cybercrime committed against women and children.
  • Facilitate easy filing of cybercrime related complaints and identifying cybercrime trends and patterns.
  • To act as an early warning system for LEAs for proactive cybercrime prevention and detection.
  • Awareness creation among the public about preventing cybercrime.
  • Assist States/UTs in capacity building of Police Officers, Public Prosecutors and Judicial Officers in the area of cyber forensic, investigation, cyber hygiene, cyber-criminology, etc.
  • Identify the research problems and needs of LEAs and take up R&D activities in developing new technologies and forensic tools in collaboration with academia/research institutes within India and abroad.
  • Suggest amendments, if required, in cyber laws to keep pace with fast-changing technologies and international cooperation.
  • To coordinate all activities related to the implementation of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT) with other countries related to cybercrimes in consultation with the concerned nodal authority in MHA.
• Components of I4C:
  • National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (TAU): For reporting threats pertaining to cybercrimes at regular intervals.
  • National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP): To report various cybercrime complaints by citizens at all India levels on a common platform on a 24x7 basis from “anywhere, anytime”.
  • National Cybercrime Training Centre (NCTC): To impart training to government officials, especially state law enforcement agencies.
  • National Cybercrime Research and Innovation Centre: To carry out research for the development of indigenous tools for the prevention of cybercrimes.
  • Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Coordination Team: For coordination, sharing of modus operandi of cybercrimes, data/information among states/UTs LEAs.
  • Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit: For creating mass awareness in cyber hygiene for prevention of cybercrimes.
  • National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory (Investigation) Ecosystem: For helping LEAs in cyber forensics investigation.
• Other Initiatives:
  • Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System: For immediate reporting of financial cyber frauds and preventing the siphoning of funds by cyber criminals on a near-real-time basis.
  • National Toll-Free Helpline number ‘1930’ has been operationalized to provide citizen assistance in lodging online cyber complaints.
  • The social media handle “CyberDost”, which provides cyber safety tips at regular intervals.
  • I4C has envisaged the Cyber Crime Volunteers Program to bring together citizens with a passion to serve the nation on a single platform and contribute to the fight against cybercrime in the country.

About Continental Shelf:

• It is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean.
• It is the extension of a coastal State’s land territory under the sea.
• It extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break.
• From the break, the shelf descends toward the deep ocean floor in what is called the continental slope.
• The actual boundary of a continent is not its coastline, but the edge of the continental shelf.
• Formation:
  • Over many millions of years, organic and inorganic materials form continental shelves.
  • Inorganic material build up as rivers carried sediment—bits of rock, soil, and gravel—to the edges of the continents and into the ocean.
  • These sediments gradually accumulate in layers at the edges of continents.
  • Organic material, such as the remains of plants and animals, also accumulate.
• The widths of the continental shelves vary.
• Most continental shelves are broad, gently sloping plains covered by relatively shallow water. Water depth over the continental shelves averages about 60 meters (200 feet).
• Sunlight penetrates the shallow waters, and many kinds of organisms flourish—from microscopic shrimp to giant seaweed called kelp.
• Ocean currents and runoff from rivers bring nutrients to organisms that live on continental shelves.
• Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures.
• The shelves make up less than 10 percent of the total area of the oceans.
• In some places, deep canyons and channels cut through the continental shelves.
• Little light penetrates these submarine canyons, and they are sometimes the least-explored areas of continents.

What is the Extended Continental Shelf?

• Geopolitically, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal countries have special rights over the continental shelf for exploring and exploiting natural resources up to 200 nautical miles (exclusive economic zone).
• In addition to this, such States can make claims for more area in the ocean provided they can scientifically establish to a UN body, called the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), that this claimed area extends unbroken from their landmass all the way to the seabed.
• All of this oceanic area is considered part of a country’s extended continental shelf.
• This gives them rights to commercially mine for valuable minerals, polymetallic nodules, and oil reserves.

About UN High Seas Treaty:

• The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement , or the ‘High Seas Treaty’, is an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• It is the first-ever treaty to protect the world's oceans that lie outside national boundaries.
• It is also known as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean.’
• It is a legally binding treaty to protect marine life in international waters.
• It sets precise mechanisms for the sustainable use of marine biological diversity through international cooperation and coordination.
• It would also contribute to achieving several SDGs, particularly SDG14 (Life Below Water).
• The treaty will enter into force 120 days after the 60th country formally ratifies the agreement.
• Features:
  • It contains 75 articles that aim at protecting, caring for, and ensuring the responsible use of the marine environment, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and conserving the inherent value of marine biological diversity.
  • It aims to place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030 (a pledge made by countries at the UN biodiversity conference in 2022).
  • It will provide a legal framework for establishing vast marine protected areas (MPAs) to protect against the loss of wildlife and share out the genetic resources of the high seas.
  • It also covers environmental assessments to evaluate the potential damage of commercial activities, such as deep-sea mining.
  • It will establish a Conference of Parties (CoP) that will meet periodically and enable member states to be held to account on issues such as governance and biodiversity.
  • The treaty also includes a pledge by signatories to share ocean resources.
  • Parties cannot claim or exercise sovereign rights over marine resources derived from the high seas and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
  • It follows an inclusive, integrated, ecosystem-centric approach based on the precautionary principle and promotes using traditional knowledge and the best available scientific knowledge.
  • It helps minimise impacts on the marine environment through area-based management tools and establishes rules for conducting environmental impact assessments.

What are High Seas?

• The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 370 km (200 nautical miles) from coastlines.
• Beyond that point, the seas are under the jurisdiction of no country, and all countries have a right to fish, ship, and do research.
• They make up more than 60% of the world’s oceans by surface area.
• Activities on the high seas are often unregulated and insufficiently monitored, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

About Anaemia:

• Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
• Hemoglobin is a protein found in red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs in the body.
• Having anemia can cause tiredness, weakness, and shortness of breath.
• There are many forms of anemia. Each has its own cause.
  • Some types of anemia are inherited, but people may also acquire or develop the condition during their lifetimes.
• WHO estimates that 40% of children 6–59 months of age, 37% of pregnant women, and 30% of women 15–49 years of age worldwide are anaemic.
• Anaemia can be short-term or long-term. It can range from mild to severe.
• Severe anemia can be life-threatening. This condition may also be a symptom of serious conditions like
• A common type of anemia is iron-deficiency anaemia, which is usually caused by not eating or absorbing enough iron, or by losing blood.
• Treatments for anemia might involve taking supplements or having medical procedures.
• Eating a healthy diet might prevent some forms of anemia.

About StormBreaker Glide Bomb:

• The Stormbreaker, designated as the GBU-53/B and also known as the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II), is an American air-launched, precision-guided glide bomb developed by Raytheon.
• It is designed for all-weather precision strikes against both stationary and moving targets.
• Features:
  • The weapon weighs 93 kg, measures 1.76 meters in length, and has a diameter ranging from 15 to 18 cm.
  • It features a multi-mode guidance system that combines millimeter-wave radar, uncooled infrared imaging, and a digital semi-active laser.
  • Its GPS/INS navigation system allows for real-time in-flight target updates, enhancing adaptability to evolving mission requirements.
  • It incorporates TacNet Data Link (DL) technology, enabling weapon-to-weapon collaboration.
  • This system facilitates Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) to identify and engage tracked or wheeled vehicles.
  • It features a multi-effects warhead that enhances lethality against a range of targets.
  • The weapon, which combines blast, fragmentation, and shaped charge modes, guarantees decisive outcomes with each attack, efficiently eliminating threats on the battlefield.
  • It can strike moving targets at a range of 45 miles and stationary targets at a maximum range of 69 miles.

About Line of Control (LoC):

• The LoC is the de facto military boundary between India and Pakistan in the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is not an international boundary but a ceasefire line that was established after the 1947-48 India-Pakistan war over Kashmir.
• Then called the Ceasefire Line (CFL), it was redesignated as the "Line of Control" following the Simla Agreement, which was signed on 3 July 1972, following the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.
• The LoC stretches about 740 kilometers, from the region of Ladakh in the north down to the Poonch district in the south.
• It is heavily militarized, with frequent skirmishes and exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani forces.
• On the Indian side of the LoC comes a part of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. On the Pakistani side comes the part of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), Gilgit, and Baltistan.
• The LoC is different from the International Border (IB), which is the officially recognized border between India and Pakistan elsewhere.

About Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary

• Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary, located in the Latehar district of Jharkhand, is India’s first and only wolf sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation of the Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes).
• The sanctuary, spread over approximately 63 square kilometers, was declared in 1976 specifically for the protection of the Indian wolf population.
• Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary is an integral part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve.
• The wildlife of the sanctuary includes species such as spotted deer, wild boar, hyena, bear, and notably, the Indian wolf.

About the Indian Grey Wolf

• The Indian grey wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf found across Southwest Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
• It inhabits scrublands, grasslands, and semi-arid agroecosystems and thrives in warmer temperatures.
• Unlike other wolf subspecies, it lives in smaller packs and is less vocal, being primarily nocturnal and hunting from dusk to dawn.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered (Indian population estimated between 2,000–3,000 individuals).
• CITES: Listed in Appendix I, indicating the highest level of international protection.
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Included under Schedule I, granting maximum legal protection in India.

About

• Iran, with its capital at Tehran, is a prominent country located in West Asia.
• Iran shares land boundaries with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, Iraq to the west, and Turkey to the northwest.
• Iran has maritime borders with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
• It is bordered by major water bodies, namely the Caspian Sea to the north, and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south.

Geographical Features of Iran

• Iran's terrain is predominantly marked by the Iranian Plateau, characterised by vast deserts like the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut.
• The country is home to important mountain ranges such as the Zagros Mountains in the west and the Alborz Mountains in the north.
• Mount Damavand, located in the Alborz Mountain Range, is the highest peak in Iran and also the highest volcano in the Middle East.
• Iran's climate varies from arid and semi-arid conditions to subtropical regions, especially along the Caspian coast.
• Major rivers in Iran include the Karun, Dez, Karkheh, and Diyala rivers, essential for irrigation and agriculture.
• Iran's natural resources are abundant and include oil and natural gas, along with coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, and sulphur.

Strategic Importance of Shahid Rajaee Port

• Location: The port is located near the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil trade passes, making it a critical choke point in global energy security.
• Economic role: It is Iran’s largest and most technologically advanced container port, handling a significant share of the country’s import-export trade.

What is a Microscope?

• A microscope is an instrument that magnifies small objects, making them visible to the naked eye by bending (refracting) light rays through curved lenses.
• The most commonly used microscopes are optical microscopes, where visible light is focused through lenses to create an enlarged image.

What is a 3D Microscope?

• A 3D microscope produces images with depth information (X, Y, and Z axes), allowing researchers to visualize and measure the topography, volume, and internal structures of samples.
• Unlike traditional light microscopes, which provide flat, 2D images, 3D microscopes use advanced optical, electron, or computational techniques to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional data.
• This is particularly useful for studying complex biological or environmental samples, such as soil microbes, aquatic organisms, or

Features of the 3D Microscope

• The 3D Microscope uses advanced three-dimensional visualisation, assisting in complex eye surgeries such as treatment for squint, cataract, corneal diseases, glaucoma, and retinal conditions.
• It employs special 3D polarisation glasses for surgeons and a 55-inch 4K ultra-HD display.
• Key advantages include:
  • Reduced surgical time and lower complication rates compared to conventional microscopes.
  • Decreased endoilluminator power requirements, thereby reducing photo-toxicity risks.
  • Ease of performing surgeries in complex and rare cases.

Background

• The project successfully collected blood samples and associated phenotype data from over 20,000 individuals belonging to 83 population groups, comprising 30 tribal and 53 non-tribal populations spread across India.
• Preliminary findings based on the genetic data of 9,772 individuals were published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 8, 2025.

Types of Phenotype Data Collected

• The collected phenotype data included anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, and blood pressure.
• From the blood samples, complete blood counts and biochemical data such as glucose levels, lipid profiles, liver function, and kidney function tests were measured.

About 'Phenome India' Project

• Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) is an initiative launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on December 7, 2023.
• The main objective of the project is to develop India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• It is India’s first-ever pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study focused specifically on cardio-metabolic health.
• Participants include around 10,000 individuals—primarily CSIR employees, pensioners, and their spouses—from across 17 states and 24 cities.
• Collected data includes clinical questionnaires, lifestyle and dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, imaging and scanning data, and extensive biochemical and molecular data.
• This study is crucial for understanding how ethnic diversity and lifestyle patterns unique to India influence the risk and incidence of cardio-metabolic disorders.
• Through this project, CSIR is promoting a Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare model suited to Indian genetic and phenotypic profiles.

About National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP)

• NICDP is India's most ambitious infrastructure initiative aimed at developing new industrial cities as "Smart Cities", integrating next-generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
• National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is the nodal agency managing the programme.
• NICDP is designed to attract investments from both large anchor industries and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), acting as a catalyst for achieving the Government’s goal of $2 trillion in exports by 2030.
• Newly sanctioned industrial areas under NICDP include: Khurpia (Uttarakhand), Rajpura-Patiala (Punjab), Dighi (Maharashtra), Palakkad (Kerala), Agra and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Zaheerabad (Telangana), Orvakal and Kopparthy (Andhra Pradesh), and Jodhpur-Pali (Rajasthan).
• These projects are closely aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, ensuring integrated, seamless multi-modal connectivity across the country.

Palakkad Industrial Smart City (Kerala)

• The Palakkad Industrial Smart City, spanning 1,710 acres across Pudussery Central, Pudussery West, and Kannambra, is set to reshape Kerala’s industrial landscape.
• Strategic location advantages:
  • 21 km from Palakkad city
  • 120 km from Cochin
  • 50 km from Coimbatore
  • Offering seamless interstate connectivity and strong logistical benefits.
• Designed to be South India's key industrial gateway, it ensures multimodal connectivity via road, rail, and air, making it attractive for high-quality investments, regional employment generation, and innovation.

About Continental Shelf:

• It is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean.
• It is the extension of a coastal State’s land territory under the sea.
• It extends from the coastline of a continent to a drop-off point called the shelf break.
• From the break, the shelf descends toward the deep ocean floor in what is called the continental slope.
• The actual boundary of a continent is not its coastline, but the edge of the continental shelf.
• Formation:
  • Over many millions of years, organic and inorganic materials form continental shelves.
  • Inorganic material build up as rivers carried sediment—bits of rock, soil, and gravel—to the edges of the continents and into the ocean.
  • These sediments gradually accumulate in layers at the edges of continents.
  • Organic material, such as the remains of plants and animals, also accumulate.
• The widths of the continental shelves vary.
• Most continental shelves are broad, gently sloping plains covered by relatively shallow water. Water depth over the continental shelves averages about 60 meters (200 feet).
• Sunlight penetrates the shallow waters, and many kinds of organisms flourish—from microscopic shrimp to giant seaweed called kelp.
• Ocean currents and runoff from rivers bring nutrients to organisms that live on continental shelves.
• Plants and algae make continental shelves rich feeding grounds for sea creatures.
• The shelves make up less than 10 percent of the total area of the oceans.
• In some places, deep canyons and channels cut through the continental shelves.
• Little light penetrates these submarine canyons, and they are sometimes the least-explored areas of continents.

 What is the Extended Continental Shelf?

• Geopolitically, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal countries have special rights over the continental shelf for exploring and exploiting natural resources up to 200 nautical miles (exclusive economic zone).
• In addition to this, such States can make claims for more area in the ocean provided they can scientifically establish to a UN body, called the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), that this claimed area extends unbroken from their landmass all the way to the seabed.
• All of this oceanic area is considered part of a country’s extended continental shelf.
• This gives them rights to commercially mine for valuable minerals, polymetallic nodules, and oil reserves.

About UN High Seas Treaty:

• The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement , or the ‘High Seas Treaty’, is an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• It is the first-ever treaty to protect the world's oceans that lie outside national boundaries.
• It is also known as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean.’
• It is a legally binding treaty to protect marine life in international waters.
• It sets precise mechanisms for the sustainable use of marine biological diversity through international cooperation and coordination.
• It would also contribute to achieving several SDGs, particularly SDG14 (Life Below Water).
• The treaty will enter into force 120 days after the 60th country formally ratifies the agreement.
• Features:
  • It contains 75 articles that aim at protecting, caring for, and ensuring the responsible use of the marine environment, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and conserving the inherent value of marine biological diversity.
  • It aims to place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030 (a pledge made by countries at the UN biodiversity conference in 2022).
  • It will provide a legal framework for establishing vast marine protected areas (MPAs) to protect against the loss of wildlife and share out the genetic resources of the high seas.
  • It also covers environmental assessments to evaluate the potential damage of commercial activities, such as deep-sea mining.
  • It will establish a Conference of Parties (CoP) that will meet periodically and enable member states to be held to account on issues such as governance and biodiversity.
  • The treaty also includes a pledge by signatories to share ocean resources.
  • Parties cannot claim or exercise sovereign rights over marine resources derived from the high seas and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
  • It follows an inclusive, integrated, ecosystem-centric approach based on the precautionary principle and promotes using traditional knowledge and the best available scientific knowledge.
  • It helps minimise impacts on the marine environment through area-based management tools and establishes rules for conducting environmental impact assessments.

What are High Seas?

• The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 370 km (200 nautical miles) from coastlines.
• Beyond that point, the seas are under the jurisdiction of no country, and all countries have a right to fish, ship, and do research.
• They make up more than 60% of the world’s oceans by surface area.
• Activities on the high seas are often unregulated and insufficiently monitored, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

About Anaemia:

• Anemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
  • Hemoglobin is a protein found in red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all other organs in the body.
• Having anemia can cause tiredness, weakness, and shortness of breath.
• There are many forms of anemia. Each has its own cause.
  • Some types of anemia are inherited, but people may also acquire or develop the condition during their lifetimes.
• WHO estimates that 40% of children 6–59 months of age, 37% of pregnant women, and 30% of women 15–49 years of age worldwide are anaemic.
• Anaemia can be short-term or long-term. It can range from mild to severe.
• Severe anemia can be life-threatening. This condition may also be a symptom of serious conditions like
• A common type of anemia is iron-deficiency anaemia, which is usually caused by not eating or absorbing enough iron, or by losing blood.
• Treatments for anemia might involve taking supplements or having medical procedures.
• Eating a healthy diet might prevent some forms of anemia.

About StormBreaker Glide Bomb:

• The Stormbreaker, designated as the GBU-53/B and also known as the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II), is an American air-launched, precision-guided glide bomb developed by Raytheon.
• It is designed for all-weather precision strikes against both stationary and moving targets.
• Features:
  • The weapon weighs 93 kg, measures 1.76 meters in length, and has a diameter ranging from 15 to 18 cm.
  • It features a multi-mode guidance system that combines millimeter-wave radar, uncooled infrared imaging, and a digital semi-active laser.
  • Its GPS/INS navigation system allows for real-time in-flight target updates, enhancing adaptability to evolving mission requirements.
  • It incorporates TacNet Data Link (DL) technology, enabling weapon-to-weapon collaboration.
  • This system facilitates Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) to identify and engage tracked or wheeled vehicles.
  • It features a multi-effects warhead that enhances lethality against a range of targets.
  • The weapon, which combines blast, fragmentation, and shaped charge modes, guarantees decisive outcomes with each attack, efficiently eliminating threats on the battlefield.
  • It can strike moving targets at a range of 45 miles and stationary targets at a maximum range of 69 miles.

About Line of Control (LoC):

• The LoC is the de facto military boundary between India and Pakistan in the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is not an international boundary but a ceasefire line that was established after the 1947-48 India-Pakistan war over Kashmir.
• Then called the Ceasefire Line (CFL), it was redesignated as the "Line of Control" following the Simla Agreement, which was signed on 3 July 1972, following the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.
• The LoC stretches about 740 kilometers, from the region of Ladakh in the north down to the Poonch district in the south.
• It is heavily militarized, with frequent skirmishes and exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani forces.
• On the Indian side of the LoC comes a part of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. On the Pakistani side comes the part of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), Gilgit, and Baltistan.
• The LoC is different from the International Border (IB), which is the officially recognized border between India and Pakistan elsewhere.

About Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary

• Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary, located in the Latehar district of Jharkhand, is India’s first and only wolf sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation of the Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes).
• The sanctuary, spread over approximately 63 square kilometers, was declared in 1976 specifically for the protection of the Indian wolf population.
• Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary is an integral part of the Palamau Tiger Reserve.
• The wildlife of the sanctuary includes species such as spotted deer, wild boar, hyena, bear, and notably, the Indian wolf.

About the Indian Grey Wolf

• The Indian grey wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf found across Southwest Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
• It inhabits scrublands, grasslands, and semi-arid agroecosystems and thrives in warmer temperatures.
• Unlike other wolf subspecies, it lives in smaller packs and is less vocal, being primarily nocturnal and hunting from dusk to dawn.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered (Indian population estimated between 2,000–3,000 individuals).
• CITES: Listed in Appendix I, indicating the highest level of international protection.
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Included under Schedule I, granting maximum legal protection in India.

About

• Iran, with its capital at Tehran, is a prominent country located in West Asia.
• Iran shares land boundaries with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, Iraq to the west, and Turkey to the northwest.
• Iran has maritime borders with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
• It is bordered by major water bodies, namely the Caspian Sea to the north, and the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to the south.

Geographical Features of Iran

• Iran's terrain is predominantly marked by the Iranian Plateau, characterised by vast deserts like the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut.
• The country is home to important mountain ranges such as the Zagros Mountains in the west and the Alborz Mountains in the north.
• Mount Damavand, located in the Alborz Mountain Range, is the highest peak in Iran and also the highest volcano in the Middle East.
• Iran's climate varies from arid and semi-arid conditions to subtropical regions, especially along the Caspian coast.
• Major rivers in Iran include the Karun, Dez, Karkheh, and Diyala rivers, essential for irrigation and agriculture.
• Iran's natural resources are abundant and include oil and natural gas, along with coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, and sulphur.

Strategic Importance of Shahid Rajaee Port

• Location: The port is located near the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of global oil trade passes, making it a critical choke point in global energy security.
• Economic role: It is Iran’s largest and most technologically advanced container port, handling a significant share of the country’s import-export trade.

What is a Microscope?

• A microscope is an instrument that magnifies small objects, making them visible to the naked eye by bending (refracting) light rays through curved lenses.
• The most commonly used microscopes are optical microscopes, where visible light is focused through lenses to create an enlarged image.

What is a 3D Microscope?

• A 3D microscope produces images with depth information (X, Y, and Z axes), allowing researchers to visualize and measure the topography, volume, and internal structures of samples.
• Unlike traditional light microscopes, which provide flat, 2D images, 3D microscopes use advanced optical, electron, or computational techniques to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional data.
• This is particularly useful for studying complex biological or environmental samples, such as soil microbes, aquatic organisms, or

Features of the 3D Microscope

• The 3D Microscope uses advanced three-dimensional visualisation, assisting in complex eye surgeries such as treatment for squint, cataract, corneal diseases, glaucoma, and retinal conditions.
• It employs special 3D polarisation glasses for surgeons and a 55-inch 4K ultra-HD display.
• Key advantages include:
  • Reduced surgical time and lower complication rates compared to conventional microscopes.
  • Decreased endoilluminator power requirements, thereby reducing photo-toxicity risks.
  • Ease of performing surgeries in complex and rare cases.

Background

• The project successfully collected blood samples and associated phenotype data from over 20,000 individuals belonging to 83 population groups, comprising 30 tribal and 53 non-tribal populations spread across India.
• Preliminary findings based on the genetic data of 9,772 individuals were published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 8, 2025.

Types of Phenotype Data Collected

• The collected phenotype data included anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, and blood pressure.
• From the blood samples, complete blood counts and biochemical data such as glucose levels, lipid profiles, liver function, and kidney function tests were measured.

About 'Phenome India' Project

• Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) is an initiative launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on December 7, 2023.
• The main objective of the project is to develop India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• It is India’s first-ever pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study focused specifically on cardio-metabolic health.
• Participants include around 10,000 individuals—primarily CSIR employees, pensioners, and their spouses—from across 17 states and 24 cities.
• Collected data includes clinical questionnaires, lifestyle and dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, imaging and scanning data, and extensive biochemical and molecular data.
• This study is crucial for understanding how ethnic diversity and lifestyle patterns unique to India influence the risk and incidence of cardio-metabolic disorders.
• Through this project, CSIR is promoting a Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare model suited to Indian genetic and phenotypic profiles.

About National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP)

• NICDP is India's most ambitious infrastructure initiative aimed at developing new industrial cities as "Smart Cities", integrating next-generation technologies across infrastructure sectors.
• National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is the nodal agency managing the programme.
• NICDP is designed to attract investments from both large anchor industries and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), acting as a catalyst for achieving the Government’s goal of $2 trillion in exports by 2030.
• Newly sanctioned industrial areas under NICDP include: Khurpia (Uttarakhand), Rajpura-Patiala (Punjab), Dighi (Maharashtra), Palakkad (Kerala), Agra and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Zaheerabad (Telangana), Orvakal and Kopparthy (Andhra Pradesh), and Jodhpur-Pali (Rajasthan).
• These projects are closely aligned with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, ensuring integrated, seamless multi-modal connectivity across the country.

Palakkad Industrial Smart City (Kerala)

• The Palakkad Industrial Smart City, spanning 1,710 acres across Pudussery Central, Pudussery West, and Kannambra, is set to reshape Kerala’s industrial landscape.
• Strategic location advantages:
  • 21 km from Palakkad city
  • 120 km from Cochin
  • 50 km from Coimbatore
  • Offering seamless interstate connectivity and strong logistical benefits.
• Designed to be South India's key industrial gateway, it ensures multimodal connectivity via road, rail, and air, making it attractive for high-quality investments, regional employment generation, and innovation.

About Crimea

• Crimea is an autonomous republic situated in southern Ukraine, located between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
• The Crimean Peninsula is connected to mainland Ukraine through the Perekop Isthmus, a narrow 8 km land strip, and separated from the Sea of Azov by the Arabat Spit; Kerch Strait connects it to Russia via the Crimean Bridge.
• Historically called the Tauric Peninsula, Crimea has witnessed multiple invasions and empires, including the Ottomans and Russians, vying for its control.
• The Crimean Mountains, especially Ai-Petri, dominate the southern landscape, while small rivers like Salhir and Alma traverse the region.
• The Kerch Peninsula in the east contains iron ore, mud volcanoes, and mineral springs, fostering a spa and mining industry; the Kerch Bridge connects it to Russia.
• The city of Simferopol serves as the administrative capital, while Sevastopol, a deep-water port, is the base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

About Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

• CBIC is part of the Department of Revenue, under the Ministry of Finance.
• It administers:
  • Customs, Central Excise, CGST, IGST, and Narcotics (where applicable).
  • Policy formulation related to levy and collection of indirect taxes.
  • Custom Houses, Excise & GST Commissionerates, and Revenue Laboratories.
• CBIC manages customs at: International Airports, Seaports, Air Cargo Stations, ICDs, LCSs, CFSs, and SEZs.
• The CBIC is headed by a Chairman, supported by Chief Commissioners and Director Generals across various zones.
• It also operates a GST Intelligence Wing to monitor and prevent tax evasion.

About Scramjet Engine

• A Scramjet (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) is an air-breathing engine designed to operate efficiently at hypersonic speeds (Mach 5 and above).
• Unlike traditional jet engines, it does not use rotating compressors, relying instead on the vehicle's high speed to compress air.
• Scramjets enable supersonic combustion, making them suitable for Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCMs).
• Scramjet Engine Working Principle:
  • Air intake: Vehicle must already be flying at supersonic speeds (Mach 3+).
  • Compression: High-speed movement compresses the incoming air.
  • Combustion: Hydrogen fuel is injected and ignited while air remains supersonic.
  • Thrust Generation: Expanding gases create thrust (based on Newton’s Third Law).
• Scramjets need rocket-assisted takeoff as they can't generate thrust at zero speed.

Jet Engine vs Ramjet vs Scramjet

 About Hypersonic Missiles

• A Hypersonic Missile travels at speeds greater than Mach 5, offering high speed and manoeuvrability.
• There are two types of hypersonic weapons systems:
  • Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs): launched by rockets and glide towards the target.
  • Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCMs): powered by scramjet engines and capable of maintaining hypersonic speed throughout the flight. They typically fly at lower altitudes and are more difficult to detect and intercept due to their speed and manoeuvrability.

• The theme for 2025 is “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”, which urges renewed global action against malaria through innovation, collaboration, and sustained commitment.

About Malaria

• Malaria is a life-threatening febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• The disease is not contagious, but can be spread through infected blood or contaminated needles.
• The most dangerous species are Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.

Symptoms and Risks

• Symptoms appear 10–15 days after infection and include fever, chills, and headache.
• Severe symptoms can include seizures, difficulty breathing, jaundice, dark urine, and death if untreated.
• Partial immunity can develop in endemic regions, making diagnosis difficult in some patients.

Prevention and Treatment

• Prevention includes vector control, use of mosquito nets, repellents (DEET, IR3535, Icaridin), long clothing, and chemoprophylaxis for travelers.
• Early diagnosis and treatment using microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is critical.
• Treatments include:
  • ACTs (Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies) for falciparum.
  • Chloroquine for vivax where effective.
  • Primaquine to prevent relapses in vivax and P. ovale infections.
• Severe malaria cases require injectable treatments in clinical settings.

About Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

• Established under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997, passed by Parliament.
• Primary mandate: To regulate telecom services in India including tariff fixation/revision, which was earlier the domain of the Central Government.
• Scope of regulation: Covers areas like tariffs, quality of service, interconnection, spectrum management, and consumer protection in the telecom sector.
• Policy role: Issues regulations, recommendations, and orders that guide telecom policy-making and market practices.

Composition of TRAI

• Consists of a Chairperson, a maximum of two full-time members, and two part-time members.
• Appointments are made by the Central Government.
• Tenure: Members serve for three years or until the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Extent of Government Control over TRAI

• Not a fully independent body – operates under certain executive constraints:
  • Under Section 25 of the TRAI Act, the Central Government can issue binding directions to TRAI.
  • TRAI’s funding is provided by the Central Government.
  • TRAI's recommendations are advisory, not binding; however, the Government must consult TRAI for licensing of service providers and related matters.
  • TRAI can notify telecom service rates in the Official Gazette for services within and outside India.

Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR)

• Objective of JCoR: A TRAI-led platform for fostering cross-sectoral collaboration between regulatory bodies across telecom, IT, consumer affairs, banking, insurance, and financial markets.
  • Created to address regulatory challenges in the digital ecosystem, especially in areas like fraud prevention, spam control, and digital consumer protection.
• Members: Includes representatives from RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, MoCA, MeitY, with DoT and MHA as special invitees.

About Zero Shadow Day (ZSD):

• It is an interesting celestial phenomenon that occurs twice in a year when the Sun is directly overhead and thus no shadow of any vertical object can be seen.
• This event happens for locations situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The ZSD phenomenon transpires when the Sun's declination becomes equal to the latitude of the location.
• On this day, as the sun crosses the local meridian, its rays fall exactly vertically relative to an object on the ground, making it impossible to observe any shadow of that object.
• This is due to the tilt of the Earth's axis and its rotation around the sun, causing the angle of the sun's rays to change throughout the year, which in turn affects the lengths and directions of shadows.
• When does it occur?
  • There are two zero shadow days every year, observed in places that lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
  • One falls during the Uttarayan (when the Sun moves northwards), and the other is during Dakshinayan (when the Sun moves southwards).
  • It will clearly be different for different places on earth.
  • It lasts for a small part of a second, but the effect can be seen for a minute to a minute-and-a-half.
• The southern part of India, roughly below the latitude of Bhopal, will experience the ZSD.
• The states that can see this event are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, most of Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, and the southern parts of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.

About Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS):

• The CCS, headed by the Prime Minister, is responsible for important discussions and decisions on defence policy, expenditure, and matters related to national security.
• It is also the apex body when it comes to the appointments of the officials in the national security bodies.
• History:
  • A committee comparable to the current CCS structure was first formed in independent India in 1947 by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • Formed against the background of a newly independent nation facing national security challenges, the committee was constituted with the primary aim of assessing and addressing the political, economic, and military situations in India's border areas.
  • The first emergency meeting of this committee was reportedly called during the Indo-Pak War of 1947–48.
  • It was reportedly chaired by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, with Home Minister Sardar Patel and Defence Minister Baldev Singh as its members.
  • It was after the 1999 Kargil War that the committee evolved to adopt the present formal structure of the CCS and became a high-powered committee for defence and national security.
  • Over time, the CCS has evolved into the apex decision-making body concerning internal and external security matters of the Government of India.
• Composition:
  • With the Prime Minister as its chairperson, the committee typically comprises the Home Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister, and External Affairs Minister as members.
  • The National Security Advisor (NSA) acts as secretary-level coordinator on matters within its purview.
  • While the defence minister is a permanent invitee to the panel, other members may be included as per requirements.
  • The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for maintaining records of all the meetings and proceedings of the CCS.
  • The CCS concerns itself with all matters related to defence, foreign affairs, intelligence, nuclear issues, space policy, and major appointments related to national security.

About Yellowstone Supervolcano:

• It lies beneath Yellowstone National Park, in the western United States.
• It is one of the largest active volcanic systems in the world.
• It's a caldera (a large crater formed by a major eruption) and an active supervolcanic system.
• Formation:
  • The caldera formed when pyroclastic material exploded out of the volcano, partly emptying the magma chamber causing the roof to collapse.
  • When the roof collapsed over the magma chamber, it created a bowl shaped depression in the ground.
• Three enormous eruptions occurred at the Yellowstone hotspot 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago.
• Two of these released so much material that the area is often referred to as a supervolcano.
  • A supervolcano is a volcano that at one point in time erupted more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of deposits.
• One recent study estimates that another supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone would blanket North America in ash, and some areas close to the hotspot could be covered by more than a meter of debris.
• Supervolcanoes can also have pronounced cooling effects on the climate for several years after an eruption because of the sulfur dioxide that is released to the atmosphere.
  • The sulfur dioxide forms aerosols that block incoming sunlight.
  • Eventually, the sulfur dioxide from the eruption will wash out of the atmosphere, and the climate cooling effect will subside.

About Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge:

• It is an under-construction 4-lane bridge project over the Brahmaputra River connecting Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya on NH 127 B.
• The length of the bridge is 3 km, which would make it the longest river bridge in the country.
  • It comprises a navigation bridge stretching approximately 1625 kilometers, complemented by approach viaducts on both sides, with 3.5 kilometers on the Dhubri end and 2.2 kilometers on the Phulbari side.
• The project’s civil construction work is being done by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd. (NHIDCL) and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
• The project is estimated to cost Rs 3165.99 crore.
• The bridge will significantly reduce travel distances, especially between Phulbari in Meghalaya and Dhubri in Assam.
• It will shorten travel by more than 200 km, improving the connectivity of India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country.

About Mycetoma:

• It is a chronic, progressively destructive infectious disease of the subcutaneous tissues, that spreads to affect the skin, deep tissues and bone.
• It was first reported in the mid-19th century in Madurai, India, and hence was initially called Madura foot.
• It is a unique neglected tropical disease caused by a substantial number of microorganisms of fungal or bacterial origins.
• The disease commonly affects young adults, mostly males aged between 15 and 30 years in developing countries.
• Distribution:
  • Mycetoma occurs in tropical and subtropical environments characterized by short rainy seasons and prolonged dry seasons that favour the growth of thorny bushes.
  • The causative organisms of mycetoma are distributed worldwide but are endemic in tropical and subtropical areas in the so called 'Mycetoma belt', which includes, among others, Venezuela, Chad, Ethiopia, India, Mauritania, Mexico, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand, and Yemen.
• Transmission:
  • Transmission occurs when the causative organism enters the body through minor trauma or a penetrating injury, commonly thorn pricks.
  • There is a clear association between mycetoma and individuals who walk barefooted and are manual workers.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms are similar for bacterial and fungal mycetoma.
  • Both appear as firm, painless masses under the skin. These masses usually appear on a person’s foot but can form anywhere on the body.
  • Mycetoma masses start small, but over time they can grow larger and develop oozing sores.
  • The affected limb can become deformed or unusable.
  • The discharge from the oozing sores can contain sand-like particles called "grains," that can be white, yellow, red, brown, or black.
  • If left untreated or treatment fails, it can spread to other areas of the body and even result in blood infections.
  • Long-term mycetoma can eventually destroy the underlying muscle and bone.
• Treatment: For bacterial mycetoma, treatment consists of a combination of antibiotics, whereas for fungal mycetoma, treatment consists of a combination of antifungal drugs and surgery.