PRELIMS
INDIA POST PAYMENTS BANKS (IPPB) — DIGITAL PAYMENTS
Awarded by: Ministry of Finance
Recognition: For significant contribution to digital payments and financial inclusion
Launched: 2018
- Ownership: 100% Government of India under Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications
- Model: Utilizes India Post’s vast network – 1.65 lakh post offices and 3 lakh postal employees, especially in rural India
- Technology: Based on India Stack, enables paperless, cashless, presence-less banking
- Doorstep Services: Through biometric-enabled smartphones
Recent Achievement:
- 1st Rank among Payments Banks in FY 2024–25
- Special Mention Award for FY 2023–24
WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY 2025
Observed on: June 19
Theme: “Global Action, Local Impact: Empowering Communities for Effective Self-Advocacy”
Disease: Inherited blood disorder caused by abnormal haemoglobin S
Effects: Red blood cells become sickle-shaped, leading to:
- Blocked blood flow
- Oxygen shortage in tissues
- Anemia, pain, infections, stroke, chest syndrome
Treatment Options:
- Symptomatic care: hydroxyurea, transfusions, pain relief
- Bone marrow transplant (only curative method but risky)
- Gene-editing therapies: Casgevy and Lyfgenia (FDA-approved in 2023; first patient treated in 2024)
India’s Initiative:
National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission
- Launched: July 1, 2023, by PM Modi
- Goal: Eliminate the disease as a public health issue by 2047
BUSHEHR NUCLEAR PLANT – IRAN
Location: Southern Iran, 750 km south of Tehran, on the Persian Gulf
Built by: Russia
Type: Iran’s only operational civilian nuclear reactor
Holds: Thousands of kilograms of nuclear material
Current News: Russia confirms the site is stable despite Israel’s claims of targeting it
Other Iranian Nuclear Facilities
Natanz:
- Iran’s main uranium enrichment site
- Located ~220 km SE of Tehran
- Houses two major enrichment plants
Isfahan:
- 350 km SE of Tehran
- Hosts Chinese research reactors and labs
- Part of Iran’s broader nuclear research programme
