News Context

• Astrobase Space Technologies, a Bengaluru-based startup, successfully completed the full-duration hot-fire test of its Everest rocket engine.
• It is India’s first privately developed rocket engine using the Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) cycle.
• The engine was tested at ISRO’s Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

Key Facts for Prelims

• Everest is a bi-propellant liquid rocket engine using Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as propellants.
• It generates a thrust of approximately 20 kN in its current configuration.
• Developed under the IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) framework, which regulates private space activities in India.
• Astrobase is one of India’s emerging private space launch companies targeting orbital launch capabilities.

Full-Flow Staged Combustion: Concepts for Prelims

• FFSC is the most thermodynamically efficient rocket engine cycle currently known.
• It burns all propellants through pre-burners before they enter the main combustion chamber, achieving near-complete combustion.
• SpaceX’s Raptor engine (used in Starship) is the most prominent example of an FFSC engine globally.
• FFSC engines offer higher specific impulse (Isp) compared to open-cycle or gas-generator engines — more thrust per unit of fuel.

News Context

• India’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $716.3 billion as of August 1, 2026 — an all-time high.
• The surge was driven by strong FPI inflows, FCNR(B) deposits, and RBI’s concessional swap facility attracting $40.8 billion.
• India’s forex reserves now cover approximately 11 months of imports, improving external sector resilience.

Key Facts for Prelims

• Forex reserves are assets held by the RBI in foreign currencies, used to back liabilities and influence monetary policy.
• RBI is the custodian and manager of India’s foreign exchange reserves.
• India’s forex reserves are managed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
• The Weekly Forex Reserves data is published by RBI every Friday.

Components of Forex Reserves: Concepts for Prelims

• Foreign Currency Assets (FCA): Largest component; held in major currencies like USD, EUR, GBP, JPY.
• Gold Reserves: Physical gold held by RBI domestically and abroad (Bank of England).
• Special Drawing Rights (SDRs): International reserve assets created by the IMF and allocated to member countries.
• Reserve Tranche Position: India’s quota-based reserve held with the IMF.

News Context

• Houthi rebels escalated attacks on Yemen’s Marib province, killing at least 10 people with missiles and drones.
• A 2022 truce between Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has unravelled, raising fears of renewed war.
• The Saudi-led coalition warned it would not stand idly by, calling Marib a “red line.”

Yemen: Key Facts for Prelims

• Yemen is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia (north) and Oman (east).
• It has coastlines along the Red Sea (west), Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Guardafui Channel (south).
• Yemen is the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.

Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Key Facts

• Bab el-Mandeb Strait is located between Djibouti and Yemen.
• It is a key maritime chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
• It is crucial for global trade, particularly oil tankers and container ships.

Houthis: Concepts for Prelims

• Houthis are a Zaidi Shia militant group from northwestern Yemen, emerging in the 1990s as a rebellion against the Yemeni government.
• They are backed by Iran and are part of the “Axis of Resistance” (Iranian-supported militia coalition).
• Marib province is an oil-rich region currently split between Houthis and the Yemeni government.

News Context

• The proposed NFSA amendment replaces the household-based AAY entitlement of 35 kg with a per-capita entitlement of 7 kg per person, capped at 35 kg per household.

Key Facts for Prelims

• NFSA 2013 aims to ensure food and nutritional security through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Covers up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population (approximately 81.35 crore persons at Census 2011).
• From January 2023, NFSA entitlements became free of cost after merger with PMGKAY.

AAY Eligibility Categories: Concepts for Prelims

• AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) was launched in late 2000 under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government for the poorest of the poor.
• Eligible categories include households headed by widows, terminally ill, disabled, or elderly persons (60+) without assured means of subsistence.
• Also covers all Primitive Tribal Groups (PVTGs), landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans, slum dwellers, and HIV-positive BPL families.

PMGKAY-NFSA Merger: Key Facts

• PMGKAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, providing additional free foodgrains.
• From January 2023, PMGKAY was merged with NFSA, making regular NFSA entitlements free of cost.
• The free foodgrain scheme was extended for five years (January 2024 to December 2028) in November 2023.

News Context

• The government is preparing a PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme for polysilicon manufacturing to reduce import dependence and deepen India’s solar manufacturing value chain.
• The announcement was made at the 7th SECI International Energy Conference and Exhibition.
• The government is considering treating polysilicon manufacturing as an independent industry, since it is essentially a chemical and refining process.

Solar Manufacturing Value Chain: Key Facts for Prelims

• Upstream: Polysilicon (raw material) processed into ingots.
• Midstream: Ingots sliced into wafers used to manufacture solar cells.
• Downstream: Cells assembled into modules or panels.
• India currently relies completely on imports for polysilicon, creating strategic vulnerability.

Polysilicon: Concepts for Prelims

• Polysilicon is the key raw material for crystalline silicon solar cells, which dominate the global market.
• Global polysilicon supply is heavily concentrated in China, creating supply chain risks for India.
• High-purity polysilicon is also used in the semiconductor industry, relevant to India’s chip manufacturing ambitions.

India’s Solar Manufacturing Capacity: Key Facts

• India’s solar cell manufacturing capacity is expected to more than triple to 100 GW from the current 32 GW within a year.
• India’s solar module manufacturing capacity is approximately 213 GW per annum.
• The government expects ingot and wafer manufacturing capacity to reach 80 GW by June 2028.