Current Context: On 7 May 2025, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, carrying out precision strikes on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK), in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen.

About Operation Sindoor:

• Background:
  • Initiated as a direct response to the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam attack, which was planned and directed from camps across the border.
  • Aimed at dismantling bases used by groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and “The Resistance Front.”
• Targets:
  • Nine sites including Markaz Subhan Allah, Syedna Bilal (JeM), Sarjal (Tehra Kalan), and Markaz Abbas(Kotli).
  • These camps were involved in training terrorists for attacks in India, including 26/11 Mumbai.
• Symbolism of the Name:
  • “Sindoor” (vermilion) is applied by Hindu married women—spilled sindoor in the operation’s logo symbolizes the blood of 25 murdered spouses and the vow to avenge.

Current Context: The Election Commission of India announced ECINET as a unified digital portal in May 2025, consolidating over 40 electoral applications into one interface.

About ECINET:

• Platform Scope:
  • Integrates apps including Voter Helpline, cVIGIL, Voter Turnout, Suvidha 2.0, ESMS, and more.
  • Aims to eliminate multiple downloads/login requirements.
• User Benefits:
  • Single-window access for 100+ crore electors, 5 lakh Booth Level Officers, and 45 lakh polling staff.
  • Real-time notifications, grievance redressal, and streamlined workflows.

Current Context: Recently, DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully test-fired the indigenously developed Multi Influence Ground Mine (MIGM), enhancing underwater defence capabilities against stealth vessels.

About MIGM:

• Background:
  • Designed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam.
  • Collaboration with Bharat Dynamics Limited and Apollo Microsystems Limited.
• Technological Features:
  • Multi-sensor Detection: Acoustic, magnetic, and pressure signature sensors.
  • Deployment Modes: Cable-controlled mode for remote operation; autonomous mode for pattern-based targeting.
  • Materials & Electronics: FRP composites, high-density power packs, embedded software for target discrimination.

World Thalassaemia Day is marked on 8 May 2025

Aim : to raise awareness about thalassaemia and honor patients, families, and caregivers worldwide.

• Established in 1994 by the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF).
• 2025 theme: “Together for Thalassaemia: Uniting Communities, Prioritising Patients.”
• Disease Overview:
  • Genetic blood disorder characterized by reduced hemoglobin synthesis.
  • Requires regular blood transfusions and chelation therapy; widespread in South Asia and Mediterranean regions.

Observed on 8 May 2025

Aim : to commemorate Henry Dunant’s birthday—founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and first Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

• Founder & History:
  • Henry Dunant born in Geneva, 1828.
  • Established the ICRC in 1863 and received the inaugural Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
  • First celebrated in 1948; renamed in 1984 to include Red Crescent societies.

Current Context: The Government of India has announced the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai, aiming to foster talent in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sectors.

About Indian Institute of Creative Technology:

• Definition: IICT is India’s first dedicated institute for AVGC-XR, modeled after the IITs and IIMs, to set new benchmarks in creative technology education and research.
• Functionality: Aims to create Indian intellectual property leveraging the country’s rich cultural heritage and to cultivate talent for the global digital content industry.
• Infrastructure: Features state-of-the-art facilities, including immersive studios, animation and gaming labs, virtual production setups, editing and sound suites, and smart classrooms.
• Support: Seven global tech giants, including JioStar, Google, and Microsoft, have pledged support through Letters of Intent, committing to skill development and platform co-creation.

Current Context: India is presenting its SVAMITVA Scheme at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 in Washington, D.C., highlighting its success in digitizing land records and empowering rural communities.

About SVAMITVA Scheme:

• Definition: Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) is a central sector scheme launched in 2020 to provide rural residents with legal ownership of their residential properties.
• Functionality: Utilizes drone technology for high-resolution mapping of inhabited rural areas, creating accurate land records.
• Achievements: Issued legal property ownership cards to over 24.4 million rural households across 1.6 lakh villages, mapping over 100 million property parcels.
• Applications: Facilitates financial stability for rural citizens, aids in property tax determination, supports better Gram Panchayat Development Plans, and reduces property-related disputes.

Current Context: Researchers from the University of Oxford have introduced a novel method for monitoring volcanic activity by analyzing shear-wave splitting at Mount Ontake, Japan. This technique aims to provide early warnings for eruptions by detecting stress-induced changes in the Earth’s crust.

About Shear-Wave Splitting:

• Definition: Shear-wave splitting occurs when seismic shear waves divide into two polarized waves traveling at different speeds due to aligned cracks or fractures in rocks.
• Functionality: The movement of magma and volcanic fluids alters stress conditions, causing cracks to open or close. These changes affect shear-wave propagation, allowing scientists to monitor subsurface stress variations.
• Significance: Increased shear-wave splitting indicates rising internal pressure, serving as a potential early-warning signal for volcanic eruptions.

About Mount Ontake:

• Location: An active stratovolcano on Honshū Island, central Japan, and the country’s second-highest volcano.
• Notable Event: Experienced a deadly phreatic eruption in 2014, which occurred without significant seismic warning, resulting in over 60 fatalities.

Current Context: In a significant political development, all political parties in Punjab have unanimously decided not to release any additional water from the Bhakra Dam to Haryana. This decision underscores the ongoing inter-state water-sharing disputes in the region.

About:

• Type: Concrete gravity dam
• Location: Near the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, situated at a gorge near the upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Height: Approximately 207.26 meters (680 feet), making it the highest straight gravity dam in the world.
• Length: 518.25 meters (1,700 feet)
• River : Sutlej River
• Reservoir: Gobind Sagar
  • Storage Capacity: 9.34 billion cubic meters
  • Length: 90 km
• Significance: Asia’s second tallest dam, following the 261-meter Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand, India.

Current Context: India has recently halted the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, a move perceived as a strategic response to escalating tensions with Pakistan.

About Baglihar Dam:

• Location: Situated in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
• Project Details: A run-of-the-river hydroelectric power project comprising a 144.5-meter-high concrete gravity dam and an underground powerhouse.
• Capacity: Generates 900 MW of electricity through two stages of 450 MW each.
• Construction Timeline: Planning commenced in 1992, with construction starting in 1999 and completion in 2008.
• Strategic Importance: The dam’s operation has been a point of contention under the Indus Waters Treaty, with recent actions indicating a shift in water-sharing dynamics between India and Pakistan.

About Chenab River

• The Chenab River literally means “Moon” (Chan) and “River” (aab); is a major river of India and Pakistan.
• It is a tributary of the Indus River.
• Origin: It is formed by the confluence of two streams, Chandra and Bhaga,at Tandi in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti Districts of Himachal Pradesh.
  • In its upper reaches, it is also known as the
• Total length : 605 miles (974 km), and it feeds several irrigation canals.
• Tributaries: include Miyar Nalla, Sohal, Thirot, Bhut Nalla, Marusudar, and Lidrari.