Current Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Mizoram’s first railway line — the Bairabi–Sairang broad gauge line (51.38 km), marking a historic milestone in Northeast India’s connectivity.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

• Sanctioned: 2008–09 | Construction started: 2015
• Cost: ₹8,070 crore
• Route: From Bairabi (Assam border) to Sairang (20 km from Aizawl)
• Structures: 45 tunnels, 55 major bridges, 87 minor bridges
• Tallest Bridge: Bridge No. 144 at 114 m — tallest pier railway bridge in India
• Terrain: 54% alignment through tunnels and bridges due to complex Himalayan geology

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

• Makes Aizawl the 4th northeastern capital with railway connectivity (after Guwahati, Agartala, Itanagar).
• Reduces travel time and logistics cost; supports supply of essentials and promotes tourism.
• Supports Act East Policy and enhances cross-border trade.

NEW TRAIN SERVICES

• Sairang–Delhi Rajdhani Express (weekly)
• Sairang–Guwahati Express (daily)
• Sairang–Kolkata Express (thrice weekly)

COMPLEMENTARY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

• ₹9,000 crore worth projects announced:
  • Aizawl Bypass (45 km)
  • Roads like Thenzawl–Sialsuk and Khankawn–Rongura
  • Chhimtuipui bridge under Kaladan Multimodal Transit framework
  • LPG bottling plant, sports facilities, and new educational institutions

Current Context:

World Ozone Day is observed every year on 16 September to raise awareness about the depletion of the ozone layer and the need to protect it.

ABOUT WORLD OZONE DAY

• Commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol on 16 September 1987 to phase out ozone-depleting substances.
• Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994.
• The ozone layer absorbs most of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation.
• The day highlights global efforts in ozone protection and celebrates the success of the Montreal Protocol.

Current Context: The Indian Navy has recently commissioned a new naval base named INS Aravali at Gurugram, Haryana to strengthen its information and communication infrastructure.

ABOUT INS ARAVALI

• Location: Gurugram, Haryana
• Named after: Aravali mountain range
• Motto: “Maritime Security through Collaboration”

Key Features:

• Supports naval information and communication centres
• Enhances Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)
• Strengthens command and control operations
• Promotes cooperation with other naval units and allied stakeholders
• Part of India’s MAHASAGAR vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions)
• Symbolism:
  • Crest shows central mountain (strength) and rising sun (vigilance and innovation)
• Strengthens India’s role as the Preferred Security Partner in the Indian Ocean Region

Current Context: The Indian Army has recently conducted Exercise Siyom Prahar to test and validate the operational use of drones under realistic battlefield conditions.

ABOUT EXERCISE SIYOM PRAHAR

• Type: Major field training exercise of Indian Army
• Focus: Use of drone technology in modern tactical operations
• Aim: Enhance operational preparedness and battlefield effectiveness

Current Context: Madhya Pradesh has initiated a plan to introduce a female cheetah into the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary to expand the cheetah reintroduction programme in India.

ABOUT GANDHI SAGAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• Location: Northwestern Madhya Pradesh (along MP-Rajasthan border)
• Declared as: Wildlife sanctuary in 1974
• Area: 368 sq. km
• Rivers: Chambal River flows through it, dividing it into two parts
• Ecoregion: Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests

Key Features:

• Identified as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)
• Includes historical and archaeological sites like:
  • Chaurasigarh
  • Chaturbhujnath Temple
  • Bhadkaji rock paintings
  • Hinglajgarh Fort
  • Taxakeshwar Temple

Current Context: Andhra Pradesh’s Erra Matti Dibbalu (Red Sand Dunes) have recently been included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

ABOUT ERRA MATTI DIBBALU

• Location: Near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
• Discovered by: British geologist William King in 1886
• Declared as: National Geo-heritage Monument by Geological Survey of India in 2016

Key Features:

• Composed of sand, silt, and clay with a distinct red colour due to natural oxidation
• Represent the late Quaternary geologic age
• Show unique badland topography with gullies, dunes, buried channels, beach ridges, wave-cut terraces, etc.
• Depict real-time climate change effects and geological evolution
• Archaeological significance: Artefacts from the Upper Palaeolithic period (around 20,000 BC) found
• Only two similar sites exist globally — one in Sri Lanka and one in Tamil Nadu (Teri Sands)
• Faces threats from uncontrolled tourism and filming activities

Current Context: India has successfully tested the indigenously developed Supersonic TARget (STAR) missile, ending the country’s dependence on costly imported target systems for missile training exercises.

ABOUT STAR MISSILE

• Developer: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
• Purpose: To simulate realistic threats for training India’s armed forces in missile interception and defence systems
• Nature: Not a combat weapon — mimics enemy missiles for training

Variants:

• Air-Launched STAR:
  • Can be launched from fighter jets like LCA Tejas
  • Simulates air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes including Anti-Radiation and Anti-AWACS roles
• Ground-Launched STAR:
  • Truck-mounted, mobile
  • Can be launched from shorelines or remote areas

Key Features:

• Two-stage propulsion:
  • Solid booster rocket for launch
  • Liquid Fuel Ramjet (LFRJ) for sustained supersonic speed
• Speed: Mach 1.8 – 2.5
• Altitude: 100 metres – 10 kilometres
• Range: 55 – 175 kilometres
• Flight time: 50 – 200 seconds
• Simulates sea-skimming and high-altitude attack profiles
• Highly manoeuvrable and can perform evasive movements
• Allows radar and missile systems to practice interception
• Option for safe recovery or detonation after mission

Observed on 15 September every year to promote democratic values worldwide.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY

• Established in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly.
• Aim: To raise public awareness about democracy as a universal value and to uphold human rights and the rule of law.
• Emphasises that democracy is about people and participation, not just elections.
• Encourages governments to strengthen democratic institutions and civic education.

Celebrated on 15 September every year in India

Aim : to honour the contribution of engineers in nation building.

ABOUT ENGINEER’S DAY

• It marks the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861–1962).
• Visvesvaraya was a renowned civil engineer, statesman, and the Diwan of Mysore (1912–1919).
• He made pioneering contributions in the field of irrigation, flood control, and dams (notably the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam).

Celebrated on 14 September every year to honour the adoption of Hindi as the official language of India.

ABOUT HINDI DIWAS

• On 14 September 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Republic of India.
• It recognises the role of Hindi in national integration and communication.
• The day promotes awareness about the use and importance of the Hindi language.
• The first Hindi Diwas was celebrated in 1953.