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UPSC Prelims & Mains
PIB Snippets — September 10, 2026
Today’s official releases — ORV Sagar Manthan’s launch, a metal-free green hydrogen photocatalyst breakthrough, PM SHRI’s school selection milestone, and the Global Dryland Congress 2026 in New Delhi
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ORV Sagar Manthan: India’s Advanced Ocean Research Vessel
News Context
- India launched its first indigenous Advanced Ocean Research Vessel, ORV Sagar Manthan, at Kolkata on September 9, 2026, built under the Deep Ocean Mission — a step toward Atmanirbharta in oceanographic research.
Key Facts for Prelims
- Built by GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, a Defence PSU) at Rishi Bankim Shipyard for NCPOR, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Built under Vertical-4 (Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration) of the Deep Ocean Mission; projected service life 30 years; scheduled delivery 2028.
- Will replace the 43-year-old ORV Sagar Kanya, marking a shift from importing to domestically building research vessels.
Deep Ocean Mission
Flagship mission exploring deep-sea minerals, submersibles (Matsya-6000), climate advisory and deep-sea biodiversity.
NCPOR
Autonomous institute under MoES, based in Goa, for India’s polar and Southern Ocean research.
Source: PIB
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Green Hydrogen via Metal-Free Organic Photocatalyst
News Context
- Scientists at CeNS, Bengaluru (under DST) developed a metal-free organic photocatalyst using aspartic acid + perylene diimide (PDI), improving solar-driven green hydrogen production.
Key Facts for Prelims
- Process: supramolecular self-assembly forms 2D nanosheets in water; result: ~18% higher photocurrent vs bulk material; verified via DFT calculations.
- Green hydrogen: produced using renewable energy to split water — a clean fuel that burns to produce only water.
- Advantage: no rare/precious metals needed, unlike most existing inorganic semiconductor catalysts.
Exam trap: The improvement comes from self-assembly (better light absorption, charge separation, surface area) — not from changing the chemical composition of the materials.
Source: PIB
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PM SHRI Scheme: Building Model Schools for NEP 2020
News Context
- PM SHRI has selected 13,092 schools (~90% of target) as of July 2026, upgrading existing schools into NEP 2020 exemplars — not building new ones.
Key Facts for Prelims
- Centrally Sponsored Scheme, 2022-23 to 2026-27; target 14,500+ schools; selection via Challenge Mode (MoU signing → UDISE+ identification → Challenge Method, urban 70%/rural 60% qualifying score).
- Follows NEP 2020’s 5+3+3+4 curricular structure (Foundational/Preparatory/Middle/Secondary), replacing 10+2.
Six Pillars
Access, Quality, Inclusion, Sustainability, Resource Utilisation, Governance — from 9 chapters of NEP 2020.
Final Selection
By an Expert Committee headed by the Secretary, School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
Source: PIB
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Global Dryland Congress 2026
News Context
- New Delhi is hosting the Global Dryland Congress 2026 (10-12 September), jointly organised by ICAR and ICRISAT, marking 50 years of their partnership.
Key Facts for Prelims
- Theme: “Transforming Dryland Agriculture with South-South Cooperation”; outcome document: Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D); 800+ participants.
- ICRISAT is headquartered in Hyderabad (Patancheru), part of CGIAR; mandate crops: sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeon pea, groundnut.
- Drylands span ~45% of world land surface, home to over 2 billion people.
Source: PIB
