Prelims Oriented
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
Overview
- Launched on 18 February 2016 as a crop insurance scheme by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare.
- Aims to provide financial protection against crop loss from natural disasters, pests and diseases.
- Offers affordable insurance premiums for all farmers across India.
- Implemented through a network of insurance companies and banks.
Objectives
- Provide timely financial assistance to farmers suffering crop damage due to unforeseen events.
- Stabilise farm income and ensure continuity in agricultural activities.
- Encourage adoption of modern farming technologies and innovative practices.
- Promote crop diversification, enhance creditworthiness and improve competitiveness of the agriculture sector.
- Protect farmers from production-related risks, improving long-term resilience.
Eligibility
- All farmers cultivating notified crops in notified areas are eligible.
- Compulsory for farmers availing Seasonal Agricultural Operations (SAO) loans for notified crops.
- Voluntary for non-loanee farmers seeking insurance independently.
- Farmers must possess insurable interest in the insured crop and hold valid land ownership or tenure documents.
- No farmer should receive duplicate compensation for the same crop loss.
- Special emphasis on inclusion of SC, ST and women farmers with proportional budget allocation based on landholding patterns.
Benefits
- Affordable Premiums
- Maximum farmer premium: 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi, and 5% for annual commercial/horticultural crops.
- Balance premium subsidised by government; full premium paid for farmers in Northeast, Jammu, Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
- Comprehensive Risk Coverage
- Covers natural disasters, pests, diseases and post-harvest losses from localised events.
- Excludes losses from war, nuclear risks, malicious damage and preventable hazards.
- Timely Compensation
- Scheme targets claim settlement within two months after harvest to prevent debt accumulation.
- Technology-Driven Implementation
- Uses satellite imagery, drones and mobile apps for accurate loss estimation.
- NCIP ensures digital processes across stakeholders.
- YES-TECH enables remote-sensing based yield estimation.
- CROPIC uses geo-tagged crop images for precise damage verification.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)
Overview
- IWAI is a statutory authority constituted under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985.
- Its primary role is developing and maintaining Inland Water Transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways.
- The Authority executes projects using grants provided by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Headquarters and Administrative Setup
- Headquarters: Located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
- Nodal Ministry: Functions under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
- Operates five regional offices situated in Guwahati, Patna, Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
Purpose and Functions
- IWAI focuses on creating navigable channels, maintaining river depths and establishing key IWT facilities.
- It supports smooth movement of cargo and passengers through structured waterway development.
- The Authority ensures strategic expansion of national waterways to promote cost-effective and eco-friendly transport solutions.
PM-KISAN Scheme
Overview
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Government of India.
- Launched in December 2018 to offer direct income support to all landholding farmer families.
Key Features
- Income Support
- Provides ₹6,000 annual assistance to eligible families, released in three instalments of ₹2,000.
- Direct Benefit Transfer
- Benefits are transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts, ensuring transparency and timely disbursal.
- Eligibility
- All landholding farmer families with cultivable land in their names are considered eligible.
- Definition of Family
- A PM-KISAN family includes husband, wife and minor children.
- Beneficiary Identification
- Identification of eligible beneficiaries is carried out by State Governments and UT administrations as per guidelines.
- Implementing Agency
- Implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW) under the Ministry of Agriculture.
- DA&FW coordinates with state agriculture departments for smooth execution.
- KCC Linkage
- Kisan Credit Card is linked with PM-KISAN to simplify access to formal credit and accelerate loan processing using existing beneficiary records.
Exclusion Categories
- Institutional landholders are entirely excluded from receiving benefits.
- Families where any member holds or has held constitutional positions are ineligible.
- Excludes former or present Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Mayors and District Panchayat Chairpersons.
- Ineligible groups include serving or retired Central/State Government employees, PSU staff and autonomous body employees, except MTS, Class IV and Group D staff.
- Pensioners receiving ₹10,000 or more monthly are excluded, except lower-grade retirees.
- All income tax payers from the previous assessment year are not eligible.
- Registered professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, CAs and Architects are also excluded.
Geological Survey of India (GSI)
Overview
- The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was established in 1851 by Sir Thomas Oldham to identify coal deposits for the expanding Railways.
- Over time, it evolved into a major repository of geoscientific information supporting multiple national sectors.
Role and Mandate
- Provides objective and updated geological expertise to support policy, commercial planning and socio-economic development.
- Focuses on systematic documentation of surface and subsurface geological processes across India and offshore regions.
- Conducts geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys using modern and cost-effective methods.
- Core functions include creation and regular updation of national geoscience databases and mineral resource assessments.
Key Contributions
- Played a pioneering role in geological mapping across the country.
- Undertook extensive mineral exploration, aiding industrial growth and economic expansion.
- Contributed significantly to disaster studies, including earthquake and landslide investigations.
- Supported national development through sustained geoscientific research and data generation.
Organisational Structure
- Headquarters: Located in Kolkata, functioning as the central administrative hub.
- Regional Offices: Six regional units operate from Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata.
- Each State has an associated State Unit to execute field-level tasks.
- Administrative Ministry
- GSI functions as an attached office under the Ministry of Mines.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
Overview
- AMR arises when microbes defeat drugs designed to eliminate them.
- Resistance may occur naturally or be acquired through mutations or genetic exchange.
WHO AWaRe Classification of Antibiotics
- Access Group
- Acts against common susceptible pathogens with lower resistance potential.
- Examples: Amikacin, Doxycycline.
- Watch Group
- Includes highest-priority antimicrobials with elevated risk of resistance selection.
- Examples: Cefbuperazone, Levofloxacin.
- Reserve Group
- Treated as last-resort drugs, used for confirmed or suspected multi-drug-resistant infections.
- Examples: Telavancin, Colistin (IV).
Global Burden (Data Bank)
- 1.27 million deaths in 2019 caused directly by bacterial AMR.
- Projected US$1 trillion in additional healthcare costs by 2050.
- Identified among the Top 10 global health threats by WHO.
Reasons Behind Rising AMR
- Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in humans and livestock.
- Poor infection-control practices in healthcare facilities.
- Discharge of contaminated effluents from hospitals, industries and settlements.
- Over 75% of antibiotics excreted unmetabolized into sewage and water systems.
- Ambiguous treatment guidelines, including unclear antibiotic durations.
Implications
- Higher mortality and morbidity due to difficult-to-treat infections.
- Increased healthcare spending from longer stays and costly advanced antibiotics.
- Economic losses through reduced productivity and rising out-of-pocket expenses.
- WHO-World Bank projections: US$1–3.4 trillion annual GDP loss by 2030.
- Greater outbreak risk as ineffective drugs enable continued transmission.
- Limited future treatment options due to scarce antibiotic pipelines.
National Measures
- National Programme on AMR Containment (2012–17) led by NCDC for usage surveillance.
- National Action Plan on AMR (2017) emphasising a One Health approach.
- NARS-Net to generate high-quality AMR data via medical college labs.
- Red Line campaign discouraging unsupervised antibiotic use.
- Schedule H1 restrictions mandating prescriptions for key antibiotics.
- Ban on irrational fixed-dose combinations (FDCs).
- Operation AMRITH in Kerala to curb OTC antibiotic sales.
- Kerala’s KARSAP (2018) aligning with India’s NAP-AMR.
Global Initiatives
- GLASS (2015): Global surveillance for AMR and antibiotic usage optimisation.
- World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) to spread awareness and best practices.
African Swine Fever (ASF)
Context
- Assam banned inter-district pig movement and pork sales in seven districts after a sharp rise in ASF cases.
About ASF
- ASF is a highly contagious viral haemorrhagic disease affecting domestic and wild pigs.
- Caused by ASFV, a large double-stranded DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family.
- The disease is harmless to humans but causes up to 100% mortality in pigs.
Transmission
- Soft ticks (Ornithodoros spp.) act as biological vectors sustaining the virus.
- Spread through infected pigs, contaminated clothing, vehicles, feed waste, bedding, slaughter residue and unprocessed pork products.
- Virus survives long in the environment and in pork items like ham, sausages and bacon.
Symptoms
- Peracute: sudden death within 1–3 days, very high fever.
- Acute: lethargy, anorexia, respiratory distress, bluish skin patches, bloody froth, diarrhoea and abortions.
- Mortality rate remains 90–100%.
Key Features
- A notifiable disease requiring mandatory reporting.
- Highly stable virus surviving on surfaces, soil, equipment and meat products.
- Maintained in an endemic cycle among wild pigs, warthogs, bushpigs and ticks.
- First detected in India in 2020 (Arunachal Pradesh and Assam).
Control Measures
- No vaccine or cure available globally.
- Only strategy: strict biosecurity, culling and movement restrictions.
- Measures include 30–45 day quarantine, vehicle controls, farm disinfection and segregating infected pigs.
Rudra Brigade
Context
- The Army validated a newly raised Rudra Brigade during the tri-service Trishul exercise, prompting debate on shifting from Cold Start to Cold Strike doctrine.
What is a Rudra Brigade?
- A permanently integrated all-arms combat formation combining infantry, armour, mechanised units, artillery, engineers, signals, UAV units, logistics and support under one command.
- Aim
- To create self-contained, rapidly deployable formations for swift, multi-axis offensives.
- Supports India’s transition from Cold Start → Cold Strike with faster mobilisation under a nuclear backdrop.
- Operational Details
- Operated by the Indian Army under various regional Corps (e.g., Konark Corps).
- Two brigades already deployed in Eastern Ladakh and Sikkim.
- Key Features
- Integrated all-arms structure for peace and war.
- Tailored composition for deserts, plains, mountains or LoC environments.
- Enables faster mobilisation and higher combat readiness.
- Capable of multi-domain operations using drones, air support and precision weapons.
- Modular structure allows units to be added or detached as required.
- Includes strong ISR, logistics and artillery support systems.
- Significance
- Operationalises Cold Strike doctrine combining speed and technology.
- Strengthens India’s posture on western and northern borders.
- Reduces response time during crises with pre-aligned, mission-ready forces.
Global Big Cats Summit
Context
- India will host the Global Big Cats Summit in New Delhi in 2026, reinforcing leadership in conservation.
Global Big Cats Summit
- A high-level platform promoting global cooperation and scientific collaboration for big-cat conservation.
- Brings together range countries, experts, NGOs and policy leaders.
- Focus areas include tiger recovery, lion and snow leopard conservation, cheetah translocation experiences and global best practices.
- Strengthens partnerships for protecting habitats supporting carbon sequestration, watersheds and climate resilience.
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
- A global coalition for conserving seven major big cats: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
- Launched on 9 April 2023 during 50 years of Project Tiger.
- Headquarters in India, approved in March 2024.
- Aim
- Create a unified platform to protect and recover big-cat populations globally.
- Pool knowledge, technology and funding among 95 member countries.
- Address gaps in capacity building, financing and scientific expertise.
- Key Features
- Central repository for best practices and conservation models.
- Focus on training, funding access and technology transfer.
- Addresses poaching, illegal trade, habitat loss, prey depletion and ecological degradation.
Military Exercises
Garuda-2025
- A bilateral air-combat exercise between the IAF and the French Air & Space Force.
- Hosted at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base, France.
- Aims to enhance air-combat interoperability and operational synergy.
- Features IAF Su-30 MKI flying with French Rafale jets in simulated missions.
Ajeya Warrior-2025
- A biennial India–UK military exercise focusing on counter-terrorism.
- Hosted at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
- Conducted under a UN mandate.
- Involves 240 personnel with equal representation; Indian Army represented by the Sikh Regiment.
- Includes brigade-level planning, simulation drills and semi-urban combat training.