Current Context : Recently, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (CSK HPKV), Palampur, received the Best Centre Award at the National Group Meeting of the All-India Coordinated Research Project on Forage Crops & Utilisation in Dharwad.

About CSK HPKV’s Achievement

• Competition: Selected among 21 research centres
• Contributions:
  • Varietal Improvement: Developed high-yielding, climate-resilient fodder strains.
  • Technology Dissemination: Field demonstrations and farmer trainings.
  • Impact: Boosted fodder productivity, livestock health, and rural incomes across HP.

Current Context : Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, ending a 14-year career that reshaped India’s long-format approach.

• Career Highlights
  • Matches & Runs: 123 Tests, 9 230 runs at an average of 46.85.
  • Milestones: 30 centuries, 31 half-centuries; highest score 254* vs. South Africa (2019).
  • Ranking: Fourth-highest Test run-scorer for India, behind Tendulkar, Dravid, and Gavaskar.
  • Captaincy Record: 68 Tests as captain, 40 wins, win rate 58.8% (India’s best).
• Legacy & Awards
  • Awards: ICC Test Player of the Year 2018; Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2018).
  • Impact: Elevated fitness standards, introduced aggressive field settings and mindset.

Current Context : On 11 May 2025 in Shanghai, India’s top recurve archer Deepika Kumari bounced back after losing her semifinal match to world No. 1 Lim Sihyeon. She then beat Korea’s Kang Chae Young 7–3 in the bronze-medal match, helping India win six medals at the event.

About the Archery World Cup

• Organizer: World Archery, the sport’s international federation.
• Format: Four stages held annually (Shanghai, Antalya, Medellín, and Paris), culminating in a Finals for the top eight archers per category.
• Ranking Points: Medals and match wins award points toward Olympic qualification and world rankings.
• India’s Performance: Historically strong in recurve; Deepika’s podiums contribute to India’s push for quota places for the 2028 Olympics.

Current Context : Justice Surya Kant (SC judge) assumed charge as Executive Chairman of NALSA, succeeding Justice B.R. Gavai, effective from 14 May 2025,

About NALSA

• Establishment: Under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 (operational from 1995).
• Mandate: Provide free legal aid to the poor and marginalized per Article 39-A of the Constitution.
• Functions:
  • Convene Lok Adalats for speedy dispute resolution.
  • Conduct legal awareness campaigns, legal aid camps.
  • Oversee State & District Legal Services Authorities

Current Context : A recent expert committee report (2025) on the Vembanad Lake Rejuvenation Project revealed the lake’s surface area shrank by 27% between 1917 and 1990, underscoring urgent conservation needs.

About Vembanad Lake

• Location: Southwest coast of Kerala; part of the Vembanad-Kol wetland system.
• Ramsar Site: Designated under the Ramsar Convention for its rich biodiversity.
• Ecological Role:
  • Largest brackish water lagoon in India.
  • Habitat for third-largest waterfowl gatherings in winter.
  • Supplies 30% of Kerala’s surface water resources.
• Tourism & Culture:
  • Houseboat cruises on the backwaters.
  • Pathiramanal Island (“Midnight Sands”)—a birdwatcher’s haven.

Current Context : India’s External Affairs Minister joined Europe Day celebrations in New Delhi, marking the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950).

• About the Schuman Declaration
  • Proposed by: French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950.
  • Core Idea: Pool Franco-German coal & steel production under a supranational authority—the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) —to make war “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible.”
  • Legacy: Laid the institutional groundwork that evolved into today’s EU.
• Significance
  • Europe Day: Celebrated on 9 May by the EU as a symbol of peace & integration.
  • Global Impact: Inspired creation of common markets, EU institutions, and the ethos of “ever closer union.”

Current Context : Defence Minister inaugurated the BrahMos Aerospace Testing Facility in Lucknow, part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor.

• About the Facility
  • Investment: ₹300 crore; capacity for integration, testing, and quality assurance of BrahMos missiles.
  • Strategic Aim: Enhance indigenous production and Atmanirbhar Bharat
• About BrahMos Missile
  • Type: Two-stage supersonic cruise missile (Mach 2.8–3).
  • Range: 290 km (land/sea/air-launched variants).
  • Propulsion: Solid booster + liquid ramjet.
  • Features: Fire-and-forget capability, low radar signature, GPS/INS + terminal seeker guidance.
  • Export: First delivery to Philippines (2024); export potential underscores India’s role in global arms market.
• Defence Corridor Context
  • UP Defence Corridor includes six nodal points (Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow).
  • Objective: Attract ₹50 000 crore investment, create 1 00 000 jobs in defence manufacturing.

Current Context : The Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner released the SRS Statistical Report 2021, presenting demographic indicators for 2019–21.

• Key Findings
  • Maternal Mortality Ratio decreased from 130 to 93 per 100 000 live births (target ≤ 70 by 2030).
  • Infant Mortality Rate decreased from 39 to 27 per 1 000 live births (target ≤ 12).
  • Neonatal Mortality Rate decreased from 26 to 19 per 1 000.
  • Under-Five Mortality Rate decreased from 45 to 31 per 1 000 (target ≤ 25).
  • Sex Ratio at Birth improved from 899 to 913 girls per 1 000 boys.
  • Total Fertility Rate fell from 2.3 to 2.0; Bihar highest at 3.0.
  • Life Expectancy at birth was 69.8 years (males 68.2, females 71.6).
• About SRS Methodology
  • Sampling: Large-scale annual survey across all States/UTs using continuous enumeration in sample units.
  • Usage: Monitors progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3).

Current Context : In the early hours of 13 May 2025, the Indian Army launched Operation Keller, a high-intensity counter-terror operation in the dense Keller forests of Shopian, South Kashmir, acting on credible Rashtriya Rifles intelligence about Lashkar-e-Taiba militants.

• Relation to Operation Sindoor
  • Operation Keller followed Operation Sindoor (7 May 2025 airstrikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan/PoK), forming a two-pronged response: air strikes abroad and ground action at home.
• Objectives & Outcome
  • Prevent Planned Attacks: Disrupt LeT operatives plotting new strikes.
  • Neutralise Key Figures: Eliminated LeT/TRE Resistance Front chief Shahid Kuttay and two associates.
  • Secure the Valley: Deter future infiltration via the Shopian–Kulgam corridor.
• Terrain & Challenges
  • Keller Region: Rugged, dense deodar forests; favored militant hideouts.
  • Operational Complexity: Steep slopes, limited visibility, risk of civilian presence.

Current Context : Pallavi Sharma, vocational instructor at Government Senior Secondary School Nagwain, won the Best Vocational Trainer Award at the State Conference on Skill Development, Financial Inclusion & Social Entrepreneurship (AISECT) in Palampur.

About the Award

• Organiser: AISECT’s Annual State Conference, Palampur.
• Criteria: Excellence in curriculum innovation, student outcomes, and linkages with local industries.
• Impact: Recognition highlights Nagwain’s role in nurturing employable skills among rural youth.