Current Context : The Prime Minister greeted the nation, especially tribal communities, on the occasion of Karma Puja.

About Karma Puja

• Also called Karam or Karam Parab.
• Type: Tribal festival linked with harvest and fertility.
• Sacred Symbol: Karam tree (represents prosperity and auspiciousness).

Where Celebrated

• States: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam.
• Communities: Munda, Ho, Oraon, Baiga, Kharia, Santhal.

Celebration

• Women sow seven types of grains a week before.
• A Karam tree branch is planted in the courtyard or akhra.
• Worship by the pahan (tribal priest) with flowers and songs.
• Ends with immersion of the branch in a river or pond.

Current Context : India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows rose 15% year-on-year to USD 18.62 billion in April–June FY26, compared to USD 16.17 billion in the same quarter last year.

• USA emerged as the largest investor, with inflows tripling to USD 5.61 billion.

ABOUT FDI

• Meaning: Investment by a company or individual from one country into business interests in another country.
• Law: Governed under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
• Regulator: Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

RELEVANT DATA :

• Total FDI (Equity + Reinvested Earnings + Other Capital): USD 25.2 billion.
• Top Sources: USA (USD 5.61 bn), Singapore (USD 4.59 bn), Mauritius (USD 2.08 bn).
• Top Sectors: Computer Software & Hardware (USD 5.4 bn), Services (USD 3.28 bn), Automobiles (USD 1.29 bn).
• Top States: Karnataka (USD 5.69 bn), Maharashtra (USD 5.36 bn), Tamil Nadu (USD 2.67 bn).

Current Context : The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 was released by the Ministry of Education on 4 September 2025.

• IIT-Madras has secured the 1st position in the Overall category for the 7th consecutive year, followed by IISc Bengaluru and IIT-Mumbai.

ABOUT NIRF

• Launched: 2015 by Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education).
• Purpose: Provides a ranking framework for Indian higher education institutions.
• 2025: Marks the 10th edition with evaluation across 17 categories.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2025 RANKINGS

• Top Overall Institutions: 1^st IIT-Madras, 2^nd IISc Bengaluru, 3^rd IIT-Mumbai.
• Engineering: IIT-Madras (1^st), IIT-Delhi (2^nd).
• Innovation: IIT-Madras (1^st).
• Research Institutions: IISc Bengaluru.
• Medical: AIIMS Delhi.
• Law: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
• Management: IIM Ahmedabad (1st), IIM Bangalore (2nd).
• Agriculture: Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Delhi.
• Sustainable Development Goals (New Category): IIT-Madras.

Celebrated on 5 September every year to honor Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s second President and great philosopher.

• Introduced In: 1962

ABOUT DR. SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN

Early Life & Education

• Born: 5 September 1888, Tiruttani (Tamil Nadu).
• Education: Studied Philosophy (B.A. & M.A.) at Madras Christian College.

Academic Career

• Professor of Philosophy at Mysore, Calcutta, and Oxford universities.
• Vice-Chancellor: Andhra University and Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
• Chancellor: Delhi University.

Diplomatic Career

• India’s Delegate to UNESCO (1946–52), also Chairman of UNESCO Executive Board (1948–49).
• Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1949–52).

Political Career

• Vice President of India (1952–62): First person to hold this post.
• President of India (1962–67): Elected with 25% votes; served till 1967.

Legacy & Honours

• Bharat Ratna (1954): India’s highest civilian award.
• Requested that his birthday be celebrated as Teachers’ Day instead of a personal celebration.
• Many institutions are named after him, including medical, arts, and Ayurvedic universities.

Observed every year on 5 September by all United Nations member states.

Purpose : To promote and mobilize charitable efforts worldwide. Encourage donations, volunteering, and awareness activities to reduce poverty and support people during humanitarian crises.

• Declared By: United Nations General Assembly in 2012 (Resolution 67/105).
• Proposed By:
• Date Significance: Chosen to mark the death anniversary of Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize laureate), known for her lifelong service to the poor and needy.

Current Context: The Coconut Development Board celebrated World Coconut Day by launching newly revised schemes for the integrated development of the coconut sector.

 ABOUT CDB

• Established on: 12 January 1981
• Type: Statutory body
• Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India
• Headquarters: Kochi, Kerala
• Regional Offices: Bangalore (Karnataka), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Guwahati (Assam), Patna (Bihar)

FUNCTIONS OF CDB

• Promote integrated development of coconut production and utilization
• Provide technical advice to coconut cultivators and industry
• Offer financial assistance for expansion of coconut area
• Encourage modern processing technologies for value addition
• Suggest measures for remunerative prices for coconut products
• Recommend improvements in marketing, imports, and exports
• Fix grades, standards, and specifications for coconut and its products

Current Context: APEDA launched BHARATI initiative to strengthen India’s agri-food exports.

ABOUT BHARATI

• Full Form: Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement
• Launched by: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
• Target: Empower 100 agri-food and agri-tech startups
• Vision: Achieve USD 50 billion agri-food exports by 2030

 FOCUS AREAS

• High-value exports: GI-tagged products, organic foods, superfoods, livestock, AYUSH products
• Tech integration: AI-based quality control, blockchain traceability, IoT-enabled cold chains, agri-fintech
• Startup support: 3-month acceleration program covering product development, compliance, and market access.

Current Context: New Delhi will host the BWF Badminton World Championships 2026, announced at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Paris edition.

ABOUT THE EVENT

• Host: New Delhi, India
• Last hosted in India: 2009 (Hyderabad)
• Last hosted in Asia: 2018 (Nanjing, China)
• Significance:
  • Enhances India’s sporting profile
  • Boosts sports tourism and global engagement
  • Celebrates success of Indian badminton stars

Current Context: India unveiled its first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor Vikram 3201 at the Semicon India 2025 conference.

 ABOUT VIKRAM 3201

• Developed by: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
• Fabricated at: ISRO’s Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh
• Predecessor: Vikram 1601 (16-bit, used in launch vehicles since 2009)
• Purpose: Specially designed for rockets and satellites (not consumer devices)
• Functions:
  • Navigation
  • Control and mission management in launch vehicles
  • Real-time calculations to ensure rocket stability and course accuracy

KEY FEATURES

• Military-grade design: Works in –55°C to +125°C, resistant to vibration, heat, radiation
• Upgrades over Vikram 1601:
  • Supports 64-bit floating-point operations
  • Compatible with Ada programming language
  • On-chip 1553B bus interfaces for secure communication
• Significance: First time India has indigenously designed and fabricated a processor of this scale for launch vehicle avionics

Current Context : PM Narendra Modi launched Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited.

• Objective: Provide digital, affordable loans to rural women entrepreneurs.
• Initial Fund: ₹105 crore transferred to the institution’s account.

About Jeevika Nidhi

• A state-level cooperative society for financial assistance at low interest rates.
• Alternative to costly microfinance institutions (18%–24% interest).
• Membership: All registered cluster-level federations under Jeevika are members.
• Governance: Jointly funded by State and Central Government.

Features

• Digital Model → Direct benefit transfer into bank accounts of Jeevika Didis.
• Tech Support → 12,000 cadres equipped with tablets for outreach and monitoring.