Current context: The Pink E-Rickshaw Scheme launched by the Government of Maharashtra aims to empower women by providing eco-friendly livelihood opportunities through the distribution of electric rickshaws.

Key Highlights:

• Coverage: 10,000 electric rickshaws (e-rickshaws) to be distributed across 8 districts.
• Target Group: Women aged 20–50, including widows, divorcees, and those from low-income backgrounds.
• Pilot Success: Initially tested in Pune, now expanding statewide.
• Deployment Areas: Metro stations, airports, tourist hubs as feeder services.
• Integration Plan: Tie-ups with Ola and Uber for wider reach.

Financial Support:

• Subsidies: ₹25,000 from Central Government, ₹75,000 from State Government.
• Loan Model: 10% down payment; 70% through low-interest bank loans.

Current Context: The Government of Andhra Pradesh has announced the establishment of India’s first Quantum Computing Village in Amaravati, supported by the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS).

Key Highlights:

• Location & Scale: Spread across 50 acres in Amaravati.
• Backed By: RTGS with infrastructure collaboration from IBM (International Business Machines), TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), and L&T (Larsen & Toubro).
• Iconic Building: To be designed by IBM and house the advanced IBM Quantum System Two and a high-performance data center.
• Objective: To create a research and collaboration ecosystem for quantum computing in India.

Current Context: The United Kingdom (UK) Government has launched Project Sea Carbon Utilisation through Removal and Extraction(SeaCURE) in Weymouth, England to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from seawater. The initiative aims to enhance the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon and contribute to the fight against climate change.

Key Details

• Carbon Capture from Seawater: The project extracts CO₂ from seawater using acidification, converting dissolved carbon into gas for capture.
• Sustainable CO₂ Storage: Captured CO₂ is stored using bio-materials like charred coconut husks.
• Closed-Loop System: The treated seawater is neutralised and returned to the ocean, enabling continuous CO₂ absorption.
• Renewable Energy Powered: The system is powered by floating solar panels and other green energy sources.

Potential Impact

• Global Carbon Removal: Processing 1% of global seawater could remove 14 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Scalability for Climate Goals: This technology could play a key role in achieving net-zero emissions globally.

Current Context: India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on tourists, where 26 people were killed by Pakistani terrorists. This marks the first suspension of the treaty since its signing in 1960.

Key Highlights:

• Decision: The suspension is effective immediately until Pakistan ceases supporting cross-border terrorism.
• Diplomatic Actions: India also took actions like closing the Attari border post, cancelling visas, and expelling Pakistani personnel.
• Water Usage: India can now fully control water from the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) and stop sharing water flow data with Pakistan.
• Implications: India may create reservoirs on these rivers and stop visits by Pakistani officials to Indian hydropower projects like Kishenganga and Ratle.
• Background on IWT: The IWT, signed in 1960, allocates waters from the Indus River system, with India having unrestricted access to the Eastern Rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) and Pakistan to the Western Rivers.

• World Malaria Day 2025 is observed on April 25, led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership to End Malaria.
• The theme is “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite”, promoting community-driven and policy-level efforts.
• Since the late 1990s, over 2.2 billion cases and 7 million deaths have been prevented, but progress has now stalled.
• This day urges the world to recommit to malaria elimination through reinvestment, innovation, and equitable healthcare access.

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