Current context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on May 2, 2025.

• Significance: The port will be India’s first semi-automated deep-water international container transhipment port, marking a milestone in India’s maritime infrastructure development.
• Greenfield Project: Vizhinjam port is the first Greenfield port project in India, initiated by a state government with an investment exceeding ₹18,000 crore.
• Development Mode: The port has been developed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, making it one of the largest initiatives in India’s port sector.
• Project Details: The project was allotted to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone(APSEZ )after the Government of Kerala and Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd. (AVPPL) signed a concession agreement in 2015.

Current context: The Surya Kiran aerobatic team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will perform a two-day airshow in Patna, Bihar.

• Schedule: The airshow will take place on April 23 between 10 am to 11 am over the Ganga River in Patna.
• Occasion: The event is being organized to commemorate the Vijayotsav of Babu Kunwar Singh, a prominent freedom fighter from the 1857 revolution in Bhojpur, Bihar.
• Highlight: The show will feature intricate maneuvers and performances by the IAF Surya Kiran aircraft.

Current context: The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, recently released the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)Snow Update Report 2025.

Key Highlights:

• Decline in Snow Persistence: The Ganga, Indus, and Brahmaputra river basins have recorded significant declines in snow persistence, with reductions of -24.1%, -27.9%, and -27.9%, respectively.
• Impact on Water Supply: The decline in snowmelt threatens the water supply for nearly 300 million people, posing risks to agriculture, hydropower, and overall water availability during crucial summer months.
• Regional Sensitivity: The Tibetan Plateau’s snow persistence has drastically fallen from
• Urgent Recommendations: ICIMOD calls for enhanced water management, drought preparedness, and regional cooperation to manage transboundary water resources effectively.

Current context: The Bullseye Galaxy was recently discovered by researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope.

About

• Size: It is approximately 2.5 times larger than the Milky Way.
• Rarity: The galaxy features nine concentric rings, which is an extremely rare structure in the universe.
• Formation Theory: Scientists believe these rings formed when a blue dwarf galaxy passed through it nearly 50 million years ago, creating ripples in the gas that later developed into ring formations.
• Future Evolution: The Bullseye Galaxy is expected to gradually evolve into a Giant Low Surface Brightness (GLSB) galaxy over billions of years, as the rings dissipate.
• Significance: This discovery provides valuable insight into galactic evolution, intergalactic interactions, and the formation of large-scale structures in space.

Current context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the second in-orbit docking of two satellites  SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) in April 2025.

About

• Docking is the process of joining two spacecraft in orbit.
• It enables space station assembly, modular missions, and crew/cargo transfer.

Mission Highlights

• Launch Date: 30 December 2024
• Launch Vehicle: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ( PSLV-C60)
• 1st Docking: 16 January 2025
• 1st Undocking: 13 March 2025
• 2nd Docking: April 2025
• India becomes the 4th nation (after United States, Russia, and China) to achieve this capability.
• Objectives: Demonstrate Orbital rendezvous, Docking/undocking operations& Electric power transfer between docked satellites
• Support long-term goals: Indian space station, Lunar missions&In-space robotics

Current Context: Garia Puja is a seven-day festival celebrated annually in Tripura. The festival honors Garia, a deity symbolizing prosperity and well-being, and is a key cultural event for the state.

About

• Originated in the tribal traditions of Tripura.
• Marks the beginning of the Tripuri calendar month of Boishakh.
• Rituals and Practices
• Bamboo pole erected as a symbol of Lord Garia.
• Offerings: Rice, fowl, rice beer, and eggs.
• Chicken sacrifice is common among the Tripuri community, with the blood offered as a blessing.

Modern Celebrations

• The festival has expanded beyond tribal areas to urban centers like Agartala.
• Celebrated by diverse communities, promoting social harmony and recognizing the region’s rich culture.

Current Context: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 16 new sites from 11 countries to its Global Geoparks Network, bringing the total to 229 sites across 50 countries.

About

• UNESCO Global Geoparks are designated areas with significant geological heritage, including geological formations like volcanoes, fossils, and canyons.
• Purpose: They aim to preserve Earth’s geological history and promote sustainable tourism and education.
• Established: . The Global Geoparks Network was established in 2004 and was formally adopted by UNESCO in 2015.
• Total Area Covered: Approximately 855,000 square kilometers (km²).
• New Countries with Geoparks:China, North Korea, Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Norway, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and Vietnam.

India & Global Geoparks

• Current Status: India does not yet have any UNESCO Global Geopark.

Proposed Sites:

• Lonar Crater (Maharashtra): An impact crater formed by a meteorite.
• Mary’s Island (Karnataka): Known for its columnar basaltic lava formation.
• Siwalik Fossil Park (Himachal Pradesh): A significant fossil-rich zone.

Current context: A newly discovered submerged landmass was found beneath the icy waters of the Davis Strait a Study Led By Scientists from the United Kingdom and Sweden.

Key Highlights:

• A previously hidden landmass, called the Davis Strait proto-microcontinent, was found beneath the icy waters of the Davis Strait.
• The discovery was made through satellite gravity data and seismic readings.
• The proto-microcontinent is formed from unusually thick continental crust (12-15 miles or 19-24 km thick).

About Davis Strait

• A bay in the northern Atlantic Ocean between southeastern Baffin Island (Canada) and southwestern Greenland.
• Separates Baffin Bay (north) from the Labrador Sea (south).
• Forms part of the Northwest Passage, connecting the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
• Known as one of the broadest straits in the world.

Home to complex geological features like underwater basins and ridges, formed by strike-slip faulting along the Ungava Fault Zone 45-62 million years ago.

Current Context: South Korea is considering the establishment of a “necessary facility” in the Yellow Sea’s overlapping territorial waters with China. This comes after China’s deployment of a steel structure in the region, which South Korea views as a potential threat to its maritime sovereignty.

About

• Location: Marginal sea of the Western Pacific, north of the East China Sea. Bordered by China (north/west), North Korea, and South Korea (east).
• Named for: Yellowish sand particles from the Gobi Desert.
• Rivers: Han, Yangtze, Datung, Yalu, Guang, Sheyang.
• Islands: Jeju (South Korea), Shandong Peninsula (China), Ganghwa (South Korea).
• Ports: Qingdao, Dalian (China), Inch’ŏn (South Korea), Namp’o (North Korea).

• Observed on April 24 every year to commemorate the enactment of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which came into force in 1993, institutionalizing Panchayati Raj in India.
• Engagement: Celebrated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, through gram sabhas, awareness campaigns, and best-performing panchayat awards.
• Significance: Marks the decentralization of power to the rural population and strengthens participatory democracy at the village level.