PRELIMS
MADHUBANI PAINTING
Syllabus: GS1 – Art & Culture
Origin: Madhubani district, Bihar (also known as Mithila painting).
Features:
- Painted using natural dyes with twigs, fingers, matchsticks.
- Bright earthy colours, geometric patterns, no empty spaces.
- Themes: Hindu deities, nature, celestial bodies, cultural rituals.
- GI Tag: First GI tag from Bihar in 2007.
US DRAFT LAW ON FOREIGN REMITTANCES
Syllabus: GS2 – IR, GS3 – Economy
Bill: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Revised)
Tax Rate: Reduced to 1%, applicable only to cash-based remittances
Non-taxable modes: Bank, debit, credit card remittances
India’s Concern:
- World’s top remittance recipient ($135.46 billion in FY25)
- US is a major contributor; tax may impact Forex reserves & Current Account
19th NATIONAL STATISTICS DAY
Syllabus: GS3 – Economy
Celebrated Since: 2007
Person Honoured: P.C. Mahalanobis – Father of Modern Statistics in India
Contributions: Indian Statistical Institute, Mahalanobis Distance
Role: Pioneered India’s national statistical system
LADAKH’s FIRST ASTRO TOURISM FESTIVAL
Syllabus: GS3 – Economy (Tourism)
Organised by: Dept. of Tourism + Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Location: Leh, Ladakh
Features:
- Night sky observation
- Talks by ISRO & academic experts
- Promotes Ladakh for astro-tourism (clear skies, low pollution)
GPS INTERFERENCE THREATENING TRANSPORT SAFETY
Syllabus: GS3 – Science & Tech
Types of Interference:
- Jamming: Blocks satellite signals
- Spoofing: Sends fake signals
- Recent Incidents: Near Red Sea, Jeddah, Hormuz
Mitigation:
- INS, VOR/DME, celestial navigation
- Use of NavIC for redundancy
- Multi-GNSS usage (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou)
NATIONAL TURMERIC BOARD
Syllabus: GS3 – Agriculture
Established: 2025
Headquarters: Nizamabad, Telangana
Under: Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Functions:
- Boost turmeric production, exports, logistics
- Promote medicinal value awareness
India’s Role:
- 70% of global production (2023–24)
- 30 turmeric varieties; Key states: AP, TN, Odisha, Assam, WB, etc.
SYNTHETIC HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
Syllabus: GS3 – Science & Tech
Objective: Move from reading to writing human DNA
Duration: 5 years
Use Cases:
- Disease modelling
- Gene therapy
- Synthetic organs
Compare:
- HGP (1990–2003): Sequenced ~92% of 3.1 bn base pairs
- SynHG: Will construct synthetic DNA fragments
SECONDARY POLLUTANTS & INDIA PM2.5
Syllabus: GS3 – Environment
Primary Pollutants: Direct emission (e.g., CO, NOx, SO2)
Secondary Pollutants: Formed by reactions (e.g., ozone, ammonium sulphate)
Key Concern:
- Ammonium sulphate = nearly 1/3rd of PM2.5 load in India
- Formed via SO2 + NH3 reactions
- PM2.5: Particles <2.5μm; affects lungs and visibility; emitted via combustion
