News Context

• The GOBARdhan scheme registered 1,000 operational biogas plants across India, processing over 5,000 tonnes of organic waste daily.
• The scheme is being converged with Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) to strengthen rural sanitation and waste management.

Key Facts for Prelims

• GOBARdhan stands for Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan.
• Launched in 2018 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (earlier under Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation).
• It is implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II.
• Nodal agency: Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).
• Central financial assistance of ₹50 lakh per plant is provided for community and cluster-level biogas plants.

Scheme Components

• Biogas Plants: Convert cattle dung, agricultural waste and organic waste into biogas and organic manure (slurry).
• Compressed Biogas (CBG): Biogas compressed and purified to become CBG, equivalent to CNG, used as vehicle fuel.
• SATAT: Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation — a Petroleum Ministry initiative to procure CBG and supply through existing CNG infrastructure.
• Integrated registration portal (one.nic.in/gobardhan) for registering all biogas plants across India.

Objectives — Concepts for Prelims

• Waste to Wealth: Convert agricultural and household organic waste into economic resources.
• Rural energy access: Provide clean cooking fuel to rural households through biogas.
• Sanitation: Keep villages clean by scientifically managing organic waste.
• Farmer income: Provide additional income through sale of biogas and organic slurry fertiliser.
• Circular economy: Promote circular economy principles at the village level.

News Context

• The Supreme Court ordered a halt to mining activities near the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve, Uttarakhand.
• SC held that Ramsar sites require a precautionary approach prohibiting activities that adversely affect ecological character.

Asan Wetland — Key Facts for Prelims

• Asan Wetland is located at the confluence of the Asan and Yamuna rivers in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand.
• It was declared Uttarakhand’s first Ramsar site in January 2020.
• Notified as a Conservation Reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• It is a major wintering ground for migratory waterfowl, including bar-headed goose, common teal and ruddy shelduck.

Ramsar Sites — Key Facts

• India now has 101 Ramsar Sites (after Glaw Lake, Arunachal Pradesh, in 2026).
• The Montreux Record registers Ramsar sites where ecological character changes have occurred; India’s entries are Keoladeo National Park and Loktak Lake.

Legal Framework — Concepts for Prelims

• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, under EPA 1986, is the primary domestic legal framework.
• State Wetland Authorities are designated for management and oversight.
• Precautionary Principle (Vellore Citizens case, 1996): When environmental harm is uncertain, protective measures must be taken.

News Context

• National Handloom Day is observed on August 7 every year; the 12th edition was celebrated in 2026 with events across the country.
• Handloom Hackathon 2026 (“Weaving Innovation”) Grand Finale was held on August 1, 2026 at FITT, IIT Delhi.

Key Facts for Prelims

• National Handloom Day was established by the Government of India and first observed on August 7, 2015.
• It commemorates the Swadeshi Movement launched on August 7, 1905, calling for boycott of foreign goods and promotion of Indian-made products.
• The day honours handloom weavers and promotes the handloom industry across India.

Significance

• India’s handloom sector is the second largest employer after agriculture.
• It employs approximately 43 lakh weavers and allied workers across the country.
• The sector contributes significantly to rural livelihoods and cultural heritage preservation.

Famous Handloom Traditions — Concepts for Prelims

• Banarasi Silk — Uttar Pradesh
• Kanjivaram Silk — Tamil Nadu
• Paithani — Maharashtra
• Pochampally Ikat — Telangana
• Muga Silk — Assam
• Chanderi — Madhya Pradesh
• Sambalpuri — Odisha
• Pashmina — Jammu & Kashmir

Government Initiatives

News Context

• BCI directed all universities to physically inspect affiliated law colleges and submit compliance reports within six weeks.
• BCI ordered an end to weekend, evening and shift-based law programmes used to overcome infrastructure shortages.
• The directive follows the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment in All Saints Christian Education Society vs State of Andhra Pradesh (July 29, 2026).

Key Facts for Prelims

• BCI is a statutory body created by Parliament under the Advocates Act, 1961.
• Established based on recommendations of the All India Bar Committee.
• Its objective is safeguarding rights, interests and privileges of advocates across India.

BCI Functions — Key Facts

• Prescribes standards of professional conduct and exercises disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
• Sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to universities whose law degrees qualify for enrolment as an advocate.
• Conducts the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to grant a “Certificate of Practice” to practising advocates.
• Funds welfare schemes for economically weaker and physically handicapped advocates.
• Recognises foreign law qualifications on a reciprocal basis for admission as an advocate.

BCI Composition — Concepts for Prelims

• Comprises members elected from each State Bar Council, plus the Attorney General and Solicitor General of India as ex-officio members.
• State Bar Council members are elected for five years.
• BCI elects its own Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among members for two years.

Deep-Tech Fund Allocation — News Context

• The RDI (Research, Development and Innovation) Fund approved ₹2,192 crore in soft loans to 22 private companies in its first round.
• Companies were chosen from 124 applicants in sectors including space science, energy tech, pharma, AI and semiconductors.

Deep-Tech Fund — Key Facts for Prelims

• The RDI Fund has a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore, created by the Government last year.
• It provides collateral-free, low-cost, long-term soft loans to private sector companies in deep-tech sectors.
• Priority sectors: AI, quantum technology, space science, defence, robotics, clean energy, semiconductors and digital healthcare.
• The fund is housed under ANRF, administered by the Ministry of Science and Technology (DST).
• A Special Purpose Fund (SPF) has been created under ANRF as custodian of the RDI Fund.

ANRF — Key Facts for Prelims

• ANRF was established through the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023.
• It functions under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has been merged into ANRF.
• Objective: seed, grow and promote R&D and innovation across universities, colleges, research institutions and R&D labs in India.
• It acts as the apex body providing high-level strategic direction for scientific research as per NEP recommendations.
• Funding target: mobilise ₹50,000 crore during 2023-28 through the ANRF Fund, Innovation Fund, Science and Engineering Research Fund and Special Purpose Funds.

News Context

• IMD announced plans to install an X-Band Doppler Weather Radar in Wayanad, Kerala to improve extreme weather forecasts and strengthen early warning systems.
• The radar will be commissioned by December 2026 at Pulpally, where Pazhassi Raja College has provided land.
• This follows the Wayanad landslides (2024) that killed 298 people, exposing gaps in early warning systems.

X-Band Radar — Key Facts for Prelims

• X-Band radar emits radiation in the X-band of the electromagnetic spectrum: 8 to 12 GHz, with wavelengths of around 2 to 4 cm.
• Smaller wavelengths produce higher-resolution images compared to other radar bands.
• Higher frequency means faster signal attenuation over distance, limiting range.
• X-Band radars are typically used for cloud development studies, light precipitation, and detecting tiny water particles and snow.

Applications — Key Facts

• Can monitor particle movements (such as soil) to generate landslide early warnings.
• Performs high temporal sampling (rapid environment sampling) to detect short-duration particle movements.
• Useful for localised extreme weather monitoring in hilly and forested terrain like Wayanad.

Radar and Doppler Radar — Concepts for Prelims

• Radar stands for Radio Detection and Ranging.
• Uses radio waves to determine distance, velocity and physical characteristics of objects.
• A transmitter emits signals; the echoed signal is tracked and analysed by a receiver.
• Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect (change in wave frequency due to source movement) to reveal cloud speed and direction.
• Pulse-Doppler radar measures rainfall intensity by emitting radiation in pulses and tracking reflection frequency.

News Context

• The Supreme Court clarified that FIRs cannot be withdrawn by a government executive order.
• The case itself can be ended through three legal routes only.

FIR Basics — Key Facts for Prelims

• FIR is the first written record of an offence under BNSS.
• No legal provision allows a government to cancel an FIR via executive order.

Three Routes to End an FIR Case — Concepts for Prelims