Current Context: Recent reports indicate that 30% of India’s estimated 3,682 tigers live outside designated reserves, leading to increased human-wildlife conflict and poaching threats.

• To tackle this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has launched the “Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves” project with an allocated budget of ₹176.45 crore until 2026-27.

Key Concerns

• Tigers outside reserves often enter human settlements, attack livestock, and face poaching risks.
• Conflict-prone areas include Wayanad, Chandrapur, and Pilibhit.
• 2020-2024: 378 human fatalities due to tiger conflicts, highest in Maharashtra, UP, MP.

Implementation Strategy:

• Led by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• Covers 80 forest divisions across 10 states.
• Utilizes data from the 2022 Tiger Census & conflict trends.
• Additional funding from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority(CAMPA) for afforestation & conservation efforts.

Tiger Population & Distribution

• Largest populations found in Central Indian Highlands & Eastern Ghats.
• Other key landscapes: Shivalik Hills, Terai plains, Sundarbans.

Current context: India’s manufacturing activity saw significant growth in March 2025, with the Seasonally Adjusted Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) climbing to 58.1, the highest in eight months.

Key Facts

• March 2025 Update: India’s Manufacturing PMI rose to 58.1 (highest in 8 months) from 56.3 in February, driven by new orders (index at 61.5).
• Definition: PMI measures economic activity in manufacturing, services, and overall business through monthly surveys.
• Compiled by: S&P Global, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation(HSBC), and others.
• Index Scale:

1. Above 50 → Expansion in production.
2. Below 50 → Contraction in production.

• The International Day of Conscience is observed annually on April 5.
• It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.
• Aims to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity among individuals and communities. ​

Current Context: Himachal Pradesh has started work on the Tara Devi-Shimla Ropeway Project, which will be Asia’s longest and the world’s second-largest ropeway after Bolivia’s.

• Key Points:
• Length: 13.79 km
  • Cost: ₹1,734.40 crore
  • Funding: 80% by the New Development Bank
  • PPP Model: Implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
• Capacity: 2,000 passengers per hour with 660 cabins (8-10 passengers each)
  • Route: Maa Tara Devi to Sanjauli, covering 15 key stations in Shimla
  • Impact: Expected to boost tourism, improve connectivity, and reduce pollution

Current context: Assam launched the ‘Lakhpati Baideo’ programme to empower 40 lakh women SHG members through financial support and training.

• Announced by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, the scheme promotes women’s financial independence and rural entrepreneurship.
• Key Features
• Financial Assistance:
  • Year 1: ₹10,000 seed capital.
  • Year 2: ₹25,000 (₹12,500 loan + ₹12,500 grant).
  • Year 3: ₹50,000 for successful entrepreneurs.
• Total Budget: ₹4,000 crore.
  • Eligibility Criteria:Women from SHGs (General, OBC, SC, ST categories).
• Population control norms:
• General & OBC: Max 3 children.
  • SC & ST: Max 4 children.
• Policy Integration
  • Aligned with Assam’s population control strategy.
  • Promotes women’s financial & social upliftment.

Current Context: West Bengal launched the ‘Triple Elimination’ Initiative to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B by 2026 in collaboration with the William J. Clinton Foundation and WHO.

• Key Points:
  • Objective: Ensure disease-free births by integrating healthcare for HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B.
• Implementation:
  • Pilot launched in April 2024 in 4 districts; expanded statewide by March 2025.
  • State Task Force & Technical Advisory Group oversee progress.
• Screening & Treatment:
  • Mandatory screening for all pregnant women.
  • Institutional deliveries ensured to prevent transmission.
  • Newborns of Hepatitis B-positive mothers receive Hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours.

Current context :Historian and former IAS officer Sanjeev Chopra released his latest book, The Great Conciliator: Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Transformation of India, offering insights into India’s second Prime Minister’s leadership and contributions.

• Key Highlights:
  • Explores Shastri’s political, social, and administrative journey.
  • Details his role in nation-building and economic policies.
  • Covers the formation of the Border Security Force (BSF).
  • Highlights his famous slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”.

Current Context: At the Asian Wrestling Championships 2025 in Amman, Jordan, Deepak Punia and Udit secured silver medals, contributing to India’s overall medal tally.

• Key Points:
• Deepak Punia won silver in the 92kg freestyle category.
• Udit claimed silver in the 61kg freestyle division.
• Dinesh won bronze in the 125kg category after defeating Turkmenistan’s Zyyamuhammet Saparov.

India’s total medal count: 10 medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze).

Current Context: The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has achieved major milestones in FY 2024-25, with 55 crore beneficiaries and a total account balance of ₹2.5 lakh crore, reinforcing India’s financial inclusion efforts.

• Key Points:
• Launched: August 15, 2014, to provide banking access to the unbanked population.
• Accounts & Demographics:
  • 14 crore accounts as of March 2025.
  • 67% beneficiaries from rural/semi-urban areas.
  • Women account holders: 30.71 crore (56%).
• Financial Impact:
  • Average account balance: ₹4,726.
  • Enabled Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) and improved bank liquidity.
• Digital Growth:77 crore RuPay debit cards issued to promote digital transactions.
• Economic Influence:
• Financial inclusion index rose from 43.4 (2017) to 64.2 (2024).

Current Context: The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and global partners have completed a feasibility study on the Future Circular Collider (FCC), involving over 1,000 experts.

• Key Points
  • The FCC is planned as the successor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), with a 91 km circumference and a focus on Higgs boson research.
  • Aims to explore fundamental physics, including the origin of mass and the fate of the universe.
• Will operate in two phases:
  • 2046 – Electron-positron collider.
  • 2070 – Proton-proton collider.
• Potential applications in medicine, fusion energy, and advanced accelerators.