PRELIMS
OPERATION SINDHU
Type: Humanitarian Evacuation Operation
Launched by: Ministry of External Affairs (India)
Date of Launch: June 18, 2025
Trigger: Conflict between Iran and Israel
What is Operation Sindhu?
- A rescue mission to evacuate Indian nationals, especially students, stranded in conflict-affected Iran.
- Named after the Sindhu (Indus) river, reflecting India’s civilizational outreach and commitment.
First Evacuation Flight:
- Date: June 18–19, 2025
- Route: From Yerevan, Armenia to New Delhi
- Evacuees: 110 Indian students
- Students were escorted across the Iran–Armenia border on June 17 under embassy coordination.
Objectives:
- Ensure citizen safety in conflict zones (missile/drone attacks in Iran).
- Provide swift, secure evacuation routes via land (Iran–Armenia) and air.
- Reaffirm India’s diaspora protection policy – “No Indian Left Behind”.
Diplomatic Coordination:
- India coordinated with Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Indian embassies in Iran and Armenia.
- Reflects India’s strategic evacuation capacity like past operations:
- Operation Ganga (Ukraine, 2022)
- Operation Kaveri (Sudan, 2023)
- Operation Ajay (Israel, 2023)
Significance:
- Reinforces India’s soft power and global standing in crisis response.
- Highlights India’s citizen-first diplomacy.
- Demonstrates use of multi-modal evacuation corridors under pressure.
PM JANMAN & DHARTI AABA JANJATIYA GRAM UTKARSH ABHIYAN
- PM-JANMAN (2023): Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan.
- Targets: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
- Objective: Deliver housing, roads, water, telecom, electrification, education, nutrition, healthcare, and livelihood within 3 years.
- Covers: ~75 PVTGs across 18 States/UTs
- Funding: ₹24,000 crore allocated.
- Dharti Aaba Abhiyan (2024):
- Launched on Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2).
- Inspired by PM-JANMAN; multi-ministry initiative (17 ministries, 25 interventions).
- Focus: Grassroots governance, transforming tribal villages into “model” villages.
- Name inspired by Birsa Munda (Dharti Aaba).
- Janjatiya Gaurav Divas: Celebrated 15th November to honor the tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST UNILATERAL COERCIVE MEASURES
- Declared by: UN General Assembly in June 2025
- First Observance: December 4, 2025.
- Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs):
- Sanctions imposed by a country or group without UN approval.
- Examples: Trade restrictions, banking blacklists
- Often affect: Essential supplies – medicine, fuel, finance – and violate sovereignty.
- India generally opposes UCMs, favoring multilateralism.
CCI BUYS 100 LAKH BALES OF COTTON (2024-25)
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI):
- PSU under Ministry of Textiles.
Role: MSP procurement when market price falls below support price.
India’s Cotton Facts:
- 2nd largest cotton producer (after China)
- Largest area under cultivation.
- Key states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan.
- Cotton Surge: Imports rose by 133% in May 2025 due to international cotton being 8% cheaper than domestic.
NICDC— LED INDUSTRIAL NODES
- NICDC: National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation.
- Under: Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
- Develops next-gen smart industrial cities.
- Ensures: Multimodal connectivity, plug-and-play infra, sustainability.
- 5 Corridors:
- Delhi–Mumbai (DMIC)
- Amritsar–Kolkata (AKIC)
- Chennai–Bengaluru (CBIC)
- East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC)
- Bengaluru–Mumbai (BMIC)
- Andhra Pradesh: Only state with nodes under three corridors.
TURMERIC CULTIVATION & NATIONAL TURMERIC BOARD (2025)
- Botanical Name: Curcuma longa.
- Family: Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)
- India: 70% of global production; top exporter.
- Climate: 20–35°C; humid; >1500 mm rainfall.
- Top States: Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka.
- Uses: Spice, Ayurvedic medicine, dye, cosmetics.
- Turmeric Board:
- HQ: Nizamabad, Telangana.
- Aim: Export promotion, research, farmer welfare.
NASA—ISRO SAR (NISAR) MISSION
- Joint Mission: ISRO + NASA.
- Launch Window: July 2025 (from Sriharikota).
- Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (~747 km).
- Instruments: Dual-band L and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).
- Tech: Sweep SAR for high-resolution images over large areas.
- Purpose:
- Monitor: Groundwater, biomass, glacier movement, natural disasters, sea-level rise
- Repeat Cycle: 12 days — will map entire globe consistently.
INS ARNALA — ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE SHALLOW WATER CRAFT
- First in class of 16 ASW-SWCs.
- Commissioned at: Visakhapatnam.
- Named after: Arnala Fort, Maharashtra.
- Built by: GRSE, in partnership with L&T Shipbuilding.
- Features:
- Length: 77.6 m; Displacement: 1,490 tonnes.
- 80% indigenous content (Aatmanirbhar Bharat).
- Role: Submarine detection, mine laying, search & rescue, low-intensity maritime ops.
- Propulsion: Diesel–Waterjet system (rare in Indian Navy).
