Current Context : The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan with a total outlay of Rs 79,156 crore for improving the socio-economic condition of tribal communities.

• Objective: To improve the socio-economic status of tribal communities through comprehensive development initiatives.
• Budget: ₹79,156 crore (₹56,333 crore from the Centre and ₹22,823 crore from states)​
• Coverage: Targets 63,000 villages across 549 districts, benefitting 10.45 crore Scheduled Tribe (ST) people.
• Key Focus Areas: Housing, healthcare, education, skill development, and village infrastructure.
• Implementation: Coordinated by 17 ministries, monitored via the PM Gati Shakti portal.

Current Context : Union Cabinet approved  ₹1,236 crore for Venus Orbiter Mission.

ABOUT VENUS ORBITER MISSION (VOM)

• It is a project of ISRO, also known as
• Launch Year: Scheduled for March 2028
• Budget: ₹1,236 crore (~$149 million), with ₹824 crore for spacecraft development.​

MISSION GOALS:

• Study Venus’s surface, subsurface, and atmosphere.
• Investigate the effects of solar radiationon Venus’s thick atmosphere.
• Understand the planet’s evolutionand its extreme greenhouse conditions​

Current Context : Cabinet approves budget of ₹2,104.06 crore for Chandrayan 4 mission.

About Chandrayaan-4

• It will be a remote mission seeking to retrieve samples of the lunar surface.
• Aim : to collect rocks and soil from the lunar surface and ensure their safe return to Earth.
• Focus on a soft landing on the Moon’s surface.
• Launch Year : 2027.
• Technological Advancements: It will build on Chandrayaan-3, incorporating advanced technologies such as:
• Lunar docking.
• Precision landing.
• Sample collection.
• Safe return of the collected samples to Earth.

Current Context : Central government approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ – aligning polls for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies,

• The committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind
• The committee had recommended 15 amendments to the Constitution of India — in the form of both new provisions and changes to existing provisions to enable the holding of simultaneous polls in the country.

WHAT IS ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION?

• One Nation, One Election’ basically means holding elections to Lok Sabha, all the state assemblies, and local bodies – municipalities and panchayats, together.
• It aims to ensure that elections are held every five years, simultaneously across the country.

POLLS BEEN HELD BEFORE

• India held simultaneous elections in 1951-52, 1957, 1962, and 1967 for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
• This synchronisation was disrupted due to political instability, including the rise of regional parties and frequent use of Article 356 (President’s Rule) in state assemblies.

BENEFITS:

• Cost Efficiency
• Administrative Ease
• Governance Stability
• Curbing Policy Paralysis

Current Context : Union Cabinet approves Bio-RIDE scheme to boost biotechnology research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Launched by India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• Bio-RIDE combines two existing schemes — Biotechnology Research and Development (R&D) and Industrial and Entrepreneurship Development (I&ED)
• It includes a new component, ‘Bio-manufacturing and Bio-foundry’,”
• The scheme will offer grants and incentives for cutting-edge research and development in areas such as synthetic biology, bio-pharmaceuticals, bio-energy, and bio-plastics.

OBJECTIVES:

• Fostering Innovation: It supports pioneering research in fields like synthetic biology, biopharmaceuticals, bioenergy, and bioplastics.
• Promoting Bio-Entrepreneurship: Provides seed funding, incubation, and mentorship for startups in biotechnology.
• Industry-Academia Collaboration: Encourages partnerships to facilitate the commercialization of research and bio-based products.
• Sustainable Biomanufacturing: Aligns with India’s environmental goals through sustainable practices in biomanufacturing.

Observed on September 21

• Dedicated to building a culture of peace and non-violence around the world.
• Theme : Cultivating a Culture of Peace
• Established in 1981 and in 2001, the General Assembly adopted a resolution to established 21 September as International Day of Peace of non-violence and cease-fire.

Current Context : Indian Men’s Hockey Team  won the Asian Champions Trophy 2024.

• The Indian side led by captain Harmanpreet Singh secured the trophy for the fifth time after beating hosts China 1-0
• Final was held at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in China.

Current Context :  IPS officer Amrit Mohan Prasad is appointed as the Director General, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

• Tenure up to the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2025
• Prasad, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Odisha cadre, is currently working as Special Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

ABOUT SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL (SSB)

• SSB is a Paramilitary force under Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Established in May 1963 as Special Service Bureau

SSB guards the country’s frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan.

Current Context : Scottish government has agreed to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

ABOUT COMMONWEALTH GAMES

• Nature: International multi-sport event.
• Established in 1930
• Participants:Athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations,
• Frequency:Held every four years.
• First held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada.
• Original Name: British Empire Games (renamed to Commonwealth Games in 1970).
• 2022 Commonwealth Games was held in Birmingham, England.

Current Context : Social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy was remembered on the occasion of his 146th birth anniversary on 17 September.

ABOUT  E.V. RAMASAMY

Birthplace: Erode, Tamil Nadu

Also Known As: Father of the Dravidian Movement

CONTRIBUTIONS:

• Anti-Brahminical Movement:Challenged Brahmin dominance and caste/gender inequality in Tamil Nadu.
• Vaikom Satyagraha (1924):Supported lower-caste rights to use a public path in front of the Vaikom temple.
• Resignation from Congress (1925):Opposed Indian National Congress’s conservatism and resigned.
• Justice Party:Associated with the party founded in 1916 to counter Brahmin political and economic power.
• Self-Respect Movement (1925):Founded to promote rationalism, self-respect, and social justice.