About International Mother Language Day:

• It is observed every year on February 21 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity across the world.
• The day highlights the importance of preserving mother languages and encouraging multilingual education for inclusive and sustainable societies.
• With over 40% of the world's languages vulnerable, the day reinforces the global commitment to safeguarding languages that are at risk of disappearing.
• History:
  • The day commemorates the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh, where students protested for recognition of their mother tongue.
  • Their sacrifice led to global recognition of linguistic rights and diversity.
  • The day was first proposed by Bangladesh.
  • In 1999, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day, and it has been observed worldwide since 2000.
• Theme for 2026: This year’s theme, “Youth voices on multilingual education,” emphasises the crucial role young people play in preserving and promoting linguistic diversity.

About Lake Baikal:

• It is located in the southern part of eastern Siberia, south-central Russia, near the border with Mongolia.
• It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth.
• It is also the world’s largest freshwater lake.
• It is also the world’s deepest lake.
• Barguzini, Selenga, Upper Angara, Sarma, and Turka are the major rivers that drain into the lake.
• However, the lake has only one outlet, the Angara River.
• It is also home to the Buryat people, who follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion and reside on the eastern side of the lake, rearing goats, camels, cattle, and sheep.
• The lake was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
• Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas.

About Lunar New Year:

• It marks the beginning of a new year in the lunisolar calendar, which was developed in ancient China.
• Often known in the West as Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year occurs on the first new moon of the lunar calendar.
  • Lunar calendars consist of 12 months, each month corresponding roughly to one cycle of the moon.
  • Because 12 lunar cycles do not fill a whole year an extra month is added periodically to Lunar calendars to stay close to the solar year.
• Since the lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, the date of Lunar New Year is different each year.
• However, it is usually in January or February.

About Tetrodotoxin (TTX):

• It is an extremely potent marine neurotoxin.
• It naturally occurs in the skin, intestine, and liver of some fish in the family Tetraodontidae.
  • Examples include puffer fish, porcupine fish, ocean sunfish, and some species of newts and salamanders.
• Human poisonings occur when the flesh and/or organs of the fish are improperly prepared and eaten.
• TTX interferes with the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles and causes an increasing paralysis of the muscles of the body.
• Its toxicity is more than 1000 times greater than sodium cyanide.
• TTX poisoning can be fatal.
• It has no known antidote. Treatment is mainly supportive.

About Contarinia icardiflores:

• It is a new species of blossom midge.
  • Blossom midges of the genus Contarinia are small insects known to be serious pests of ornamental and food crops
  • The larvae feed inside flower buds or blossoms, often causing severe yield loss in agricultural and horticultural crops.
• icardiflores has been named in honour of ICAR-DFR, acknowledging the institute’s contributions to floriculture research.
• Although C. icardiflores closely resembles C. maculipennis — the only other midge known to attack jasmine — it is genetically distinct.
• The findings provide essential biological insights and lay the groundwork for developing targeted and eco-friendly pest management strategies for jasmine farmers in the country.

About Fishing Cat:

• It is a medium-sized wild cat species.
• Habitat: It is found in a variety of wetland habitats, mangrove forests, swamps, marshes.
• It is adapted to both fresh and saltwater habitats, and is able to tolerate a wide range of weather conditions, from tropical rain forests to temperate regions.
• Distribution: It is native to South and Southeast Asia.
  • It inhabits the peninsular region of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Java, and Pakistan.
  • In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys, and in the Western Ghats.
• Fishing Cat Features:
  • The fishing cat is an adept swimmer and enters water frequently to prey on fish, as its name suggests. It is known to even dive to catch fish.
  • They show strong sexual dimorphism. Males are considerably larger. 
  • They are
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I

About Cuba:

• Location: It is the largest island country located in the north western Caribbean at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
• Cuba shares its maritime borders with the US, Haiti, Honduras, The Bahamas, Jamaica and Mexico.
• Capital City: Havana
• Geographical Features of Cuba
  • Climate: In Cuba, the climate is tropical
  • Mountain ranges:Sierra Maestra.
  • River: The country’s longest river is the Cauto.
  • Lakes and Reservoirs: Laguna de Leche and man-made Zaza Reservoir
  • Natural Resources: Cuba has plenty of natural resources such as nickel, cobalt, petroleum, arable land, forests.

About PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana:

• It was launched in 2024 with an aim to provide free electricity to households in India.
• Under the scheme, households will be provided with a subsidy to install solar panels on their roofs.
• Subsidy: The scheme provides for a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2 kW capacity and 40 percent of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity. 
• The subsidy has been capped at 3 kW capacity.
• Other component of the scheme is the development of Model Solar Village in each district of the country.
  • Under the component Incentives to Local Bodies, the scheme has provision of providing an incentive at Rs 1,000 per rooftop solar installation in the respective jurisdiction of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) at the Gram Panchayat level.
• Implementing agency: It is implemented by a National programme Implementation Agency (NPIA) at the National level and by the State Implementation Agencies (SIAs) at the state level. 
  • Under this, DISCOMs are designated as State Implementation Agencies (SIAs) responsible for facilitating various measures, including net meter availability, timely inspection, and commissioning of installations. 
  • DISCOMs will receive incentives based on their achievement in the installation of additional grid-connected rooftop solar capacity beyond a baseline level.
• Eligibility Criteria for PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana
  • The household must be an Indian citizen.
  • The household must own a house with a roof that is suitable for installing solar panels.
  • The household must have a valid electricity connection.
  • The household must not have availed any other subsidy for solar panels.

About Lenacapavir:

• It is the new long-acting injectable HIV-prevention drug.
• It is the first twice-yearly injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, offering a highly effective, long-acting alternative to daily oral pills.
  • PrEP is a medication that can reduce the risk of HIV infection for individuals who are HIV-negative but are at risk of contracting the virus.
• The results of two key studies have shown that it helps prevent 99.9 per cent of all HIV transmission.
• It is developed by Gilead Sciences and marketed under the brand name Yeztugo.
• How does lenacapavir work?
  • Lenacapavir is a capsid inhibitor, a class of drugs that blocks the protein shell (capsid) the HIV virus needs to replicate.
  • Unlike oral PrEP pills that must be taken daily, lenacapavir is administered as an injection once every six months, providing a discreet and highly effective method of prevention.