About Etruscan Civilization:

• It was a pre-Roman Mediterranean civilization that flourished between the 8th and 3rd centuries BCE.
• The Etruscans, also known as the Tyrrhenians, inhabited the area that is now Italy.
• Their country was called Tuscia, or Etruria, which was located in the central part of the Italian peninsula.
• They played a significant role in the cultural and political development of early Rome.
• They established a confederation of twelve city-states.
• One of the key features of Etruscan society was their system of government.
  • The Etruscans were ruled by a series of kings, who were elected by the members of the aristocratic families.
  • This system of government was highly decentralised, with each city-state having its own king and its own system of laws and governance.
• Etruscan society was marked by a high degree of leisure and luxury, evident in their art, elaborate burial practices, and the status of women, who experienced more equality compared to many contemporary cultures.
• The Etruscans were skilled traders and builders, known for their wealth derived from local metal deposits and fertile agricultural land.
• The Etruscans possessed the biggest iron reserves in the whole of the western Mediterranean.
• They had a strong navy and dominated the seas on the western coast of Italy.
• They developed advanced architectural techniques, including the use of the arch and vault.
• Etruscans were the first in the Mediterranean region to construct a city on the basis of a grid plan.
  • In this plan, most of the streets were laid in a north-south direction with a few streets crossing them from the east-west direction.
• Despite their many accomplishments, the Etruscan civilization began to decline in the 5th c. BC, as they were gradually absorbed into the expanding Roman Republic.
• The Romans were heavily influenced by Etruscan culture and adopted many of their traditions and practices, such as their system of government, their religious beliefs, and urban planning.

About mBridge Project:

• mBridge is a cross-border payments platform designed to allow central banks to transact directly using central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
• It is a joint project launched in 2021 between the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) innovation hub and the Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Digital Currency Institute of the People’s Bank of China, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
• The project aimed to explore a multi-CBDC platform shared among participating central banks and commercial banks, built on distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enable instant cross-border payments and settlement.
• Need for mBridge:
  • The project aimed to tackle key inefficiencies in cross-border payments, including high costs, low speed, and operational complexities.
  • It also aims to address financial inclusion concerns, particularly in jurisdictions where correspondent banking (which connects countries to the global financial system) has been in retreat, causing additional costs and delays.
  • The system is designed to potentially reduce the need for the US dollar to act as an intermediary currency.
• How does mBridge work?
  • The platform uses blockchain technology, which makes all the participating banks connect to the same network, which is shared among them.
  • The blockchain is a shared digital record which helps keep in tracking the transactions, including maintaining who has paid whom and how much.
  • Participating central banks as well as monetary organisations use their own computers on the mBridge network, which are called as validating nodes.
  • They play a role in maintaining the transactions that have taken place as well as also help in maintaining the shared digital record to maintain clarity on the transactions that have taken place.
  • This means that international payments no longer pass through several banks, rather they are settled directly through one shared platform, mBridge in this case.
• Why is it seen as China-led?
  • The mBridge platform is often said to be a China-led cross-border digital currency project.
  • China has been involved in this project since the very beginning in 2021, as the Digital Currency Institute of the People’s Bank of China was one of the founding partners.

About Basic Customs Duty (BCD):

• BCD is a type of tax imposed on goods imported into India.
• It is the principal custom duty levied on imported goods.
• It is levied under the Customs Act, 1962.
• It is calculated as a percentage of the assessed value of the goods, i.e., it is fixed based on the ad-valorem, with rates set out in the Customs Tariff Act, 1975.
• There is no specific rate of BCD, and it can vary on the basis of the country of origin and the types of goods being imported.
• The Central Government holds the power to exempt specific goods from BCD.
• Purpose:
  • It protects domestic manufacturers from underpriced foreign competition by raising the landed cost of comparable imports.
  • It generates revenue for the central government, since customs duty remains a significant indirect tax stream.
  • It also functions as a policy lever. The government raises or removes BCD on specific inputs to support sectors such as electronics, renewable energy, and defence manufacturing.
  • Because BCD applies before Integrated GST (IGST) on imports, it directly affects the final landed cost that a business builds into its pricing.
• The calculation of BCD involves several steps:
  • Classification of Goods: Imported goods are classified under specific Harmonized System (HS) codes, which determine the applicable duty rate.
  • Assessment of Value: The value of the goods is assessed based on the transaction value, including the cost of goods, insurance, and freight (CIF).
  • Application of Duty Rate: The BCD rate for that HS code is applied to the assessed CIF value to arrive at the duty payable.

About Marfan Syndrome:

• It is a genetic condition that affects the connective tissue in the body.
  • Connective tissue helps support structures in the body, including organs, bones, and blood vessels.
• It most commonly affects the heart, eyes, blood vessels, and bones.
• Cause:
  • It is a hereditary
  • There’s a change in the fibrillin-1 or FBN1 gene that gives your cells instructions to make fibrillin, a protein.
  • This protein helps connective tissue stay strong and flexible.
• Treatment:
  • There's no cure for Marfan syndrome, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms and reducing the risk of complications.
  • Treatment usually includes medicines to keep your blood pressure low. This helps reduce the strain on your aorta.
  • Many people with Marfan syndrome eventually require preventive surgery to repair the aorta.

About Rangeet River:

• The Rangeet, or Rangit, is a major tributary of the Teesta River, the largest river in Sikkim.
• Course:
  • It originates from a glacier of Mount Kabru at the lower Kanchenjunga
  • The river begins its course from the Himalayan Mountains in the West Sikkim district.
  • A perpetual river, Rangeet is fed by the melting snow of the Himalayas in early summer and the monsoon rains in June-September.
  • The convoluted river joins the Teesta at Teesta Bazaar on the periphery of West Bengal and Sikkim.
  • During its final few kilometres, it forms the boundary between the Sikkim and Darjeeling districts of West Bengal.
  • The river flows past the towns of Pelling, Jorethang, and Legship.
• It is important ecologically as a mountain river system that supports cold-water fisheries (notably trout), provides irrigation and freshwater to local communities, and supplies water for small hydropower projects.
• The banks of the river are enveloped by thick forest cover. Certain areas of the banks are used for terrace farming.
• It is popular among white water rafting enthusiasts because of its turbulent waters.
• The Rangeet Dam is built on this river, which started operating in 2000.
  • It has a 60 MW capacity.

About Exercise Varuna:

• It is the bilateral maritime exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the French Navy.
• This year it is the 24th edition of exercise Varuna.
• Phases: It will witness professional engagements in harbour and at sea, including cross-deck visits, operational interactions and sporting engagements.
• These engagements will provide opportunities for both Navies to share experiences and Best Practices, enhance interoperability and foster greater mutual understanding.
• Other India-France Military Exercises
• FRINJEX: Army Joint Exercise
• GARUDA: Air Force Exercise

Key Facts about INS Trishul:

• It is a front-line Talwar-class guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy,
• It joined the arsenal of the Indian Navy in 2003.
• It is equipped for multi-dimensional maritime
• Speed: It has a top speed in excess of 30 knots and an endurance of 30 days at sea.
• Armaments:
  • Trishul became the second Indian warship to incorporate an eight cell KBSM 3S-14NE Vertical Launcher.
  • It was the first to upload the new Indian/Russian designed missile, the supersonic BrahMos PJ-10 AShCM (anti-sub/ship/surface cruise missile).

About National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions:

• It is a statutory body established under the NCAHP Act 2021. 
• It was established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It aims to enhance the quality of healthcare services by ensuring that all practitioners in the allied health fields meet established national standards.
• It covers allied and healthcare Professions categorized under broad recognized categories.
• Key Functions:
  • Standardization: It provides a framework for the evaluation of educational institutions and training programs and ensures that practitioners are equipped with the necessary skills for high-quality patient care.
  • Registration and Accreditation: It oversees the registration, training, and accreditation of various allied healthcare practitioners. 
  • Continuous Professional Development: It promotes continuous learning among allied healthcare professionals, encouraging them to update their skills in accordance with the latest advancements in the healthcare industry. 
  • Research and Development: It engages in research and development and adoption of latest scientific advancement and connected matters.

About Technology Development Fund Scheme:

• It has been established to promote self-reliance in Defence Technology as a part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
• Objective: It encourages the participation of public/private industries, especially MSMEs and startups, so as to create an ecosystem for enhancing cutting-edge technology capability in the defence sector.
• Project Duration: The maximum development period will be four years.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Defence.
• It is executed by DRDO to promote self-reliance in cutting-edge defence and aerospace technologies.
• Eligibility criteria:
  • Entity Type:
    • A public limited company, a private limited company, a partnership firm, a limited liability partnership, a one-person company, or a sole proprietorship registered as per applicable Indian laws registered in India especially MSMEs and Startups.
    • The industry must be owned and controlled by a resident Indian citizen.
    • An entity with excess of 49 percent foreign investment not be eligible.
  • Start up:
    • Startups must be recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as per Government of India (GOI) guidelines.
    • Startups incorporated for less than three years from date of submission of application will be considered as nascent startups.
    • A nascent startup should be incubated at one of the Central/State government assisted incubators.
    • Startups should not have received any grants/grants-in-aid by any government scheme for a similar technology.
    • The startup must be owned and controlled by a Resident Indian citizen with a shareholding of at least 51%.

About Deen Dayal Upadhyaya- Grameen Kaushalya Yojana:

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 2014, under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
• It provides placement linked skill training to poor rural youth.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development
• Key Features:
  • Target: It has been providing placement-linked skill training to rural youth aged 15-35 years from poor households.
  • Social Inclusion: It also promotes social inclusion through mandatory coverage of SC/ST communities (50%), women (33%), and persons with disabilities (5%).
  • The Government notified the upgraded DDU-GKY 2.0 Guidelines in 2025 and framework provides training across multiple sectors based on industry requirements, including aerospace and aviation, agriculture, beauty and wellness, green jobs, healthcare, textiles, and others.
• Initiatives under DDU-GKY 2.0:
  • Roshni: It addresses the specific needs of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
    • It mandates residential skill training, with 40% coverage for women candidates.
    • The initiative has been extended to Aspirational Districts, focusing on local infrastructure, education, health, natural resources, and traditional skills.
  • Himayat: It is a special DDU-GKY scheme for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
    • It covers rural and urban youth, including BPL and APL persons, and supports wage, self, and gig employment.
    • The scheme is 100% centrally funded and implemented with State support through dedicated Mission Management Units.
  • North East: Acknowledging the challenges of unique topography of the North Eastern States, out of the total allocation for DDU-GKY, 10% is earmarked for the North-Eastern States.
  • Hard to reach Areas: It has provision for Special Area Allowance where Project implementing agencies shall be eligible for a payment at the rate of an additional 10% of the Base training cost per candidate.