Current Context : India will jointly manufacture advanced jet engines for the AMCA programme with French aerospace major Safran.

ABOUT ADVANCED MEDIUM COMBAT AIRCRAFT (AMCA)

• Type: 5th generation, medium-weight stealth fighter jet
• Developer: DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation)
• Cost: Approx. ₹15,000 crore
• Timeline:
  • Prototype – by 2028-29
  • Induction – by 2034-35

FEATURES (Fifth-generation fighter jet)

• Stealth technology
• Twin-engine powered
• Supercruise capability (sustained supersonic speed without afterburner)
• AI-enabled avionics
• AESA radar for long-range detection

Current Context : The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has approved the West Bengal government’s proposal to expand the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (STR). With this, STR has become the second-largest tiger reserve in India, after Andhra Pradesh’s Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.

ABOUT SUNDARBANS TIGER RESERVE (STR)

• Location: Coastal districts of West Bengal
• Uniqueness: World’s only mangrove forest with a significant tiger population (shared with Bangladesh).
• Boundaries:
  • East – International boundary with Bangladesh (rivers Harinbhanga, Raimangal, Kalindi)
  • South – Bay of Bengal
  • West – River Matla
  • North-West – Rivers Bidya & Gomdi
• Status: National Park area is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and part of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.

Observed every year on 26 August

Aim : To mark the birth anniversary of Mother Teresa (1910–1997), globally remembered for her humanitarian service and compassion for the poor and destitute.

ABOUT MOTHER TERESA

• Full Name: Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu
• Born: 26 August 1910, Skopje (then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in North Macedonia)
• Nationality: Originally Albanian, later became an Indian citizen.
• Missionary Work:
  • Founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 in Kolkata, India.
  • The organisation works to serve the poorest of the poor, including orphans, the sick, and the dying.

CONTRIBUTIONS

• Dedicated life to humanitarian service, promoting compassion, dignity, and care.
• Expanded Missionaries of Charity to over 130 countries.
• Inspired thousands of people worldwide to engage in social service

AWARDS & HONOURS

• Nobel Peace Prize – 1979
• Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) – 1980
• Canonised as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the Catholic Church in 2016.

Observed every year on 26 August

Aim :  to commemorate the historic moment when women in the United States were granted the right to vote.

• Origin: Marks the certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, granting American women the right to vote.

Current Context : India has extended UN-level privileges and immunities to IBCA officials under the UN (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947.

ABOUT IBCA

• Launched: April 2023, during 50 years of Project Tiger.
• Nature: Treaty-based inter-governmental organisation for big cat conservation.
• Coverage: Seven Big Cats – Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, Puma.
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States – both range countries (where cats live) and non-range countries(supporters).
• Participants: 95 countries, conservation partners, NGOs, corporates.
• Implementation Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under MoEFCC.
• Funding: India committed ₹150 crore (2023–2028) for corpus fund, infra, and recurring expenses.
• Members: 12 founding members (including India).
• Objective: Facilitate global collaboration, share expertise, and consolidate conservation efforts.

Current Context : A rise in HFMD cases has been reported in New Delhi, particularly among children.

ABOUT HFMD

• Nature: Common viral illness, mostly affecting children (can affect adults with weak immunity).
• Cause: Mainly by Coxsackievirus A16.
• Symptoms:
  • Sores in the mouth.
  • Rash on hands and feet.
  • Fever and general weakness.
• Spread: Highly contagious in schools/daycare centres.
• Treatment: No specific treatment; recovery usually in 7–10 days.
• Complications: Rare; can cause viral meningitis in severe cases.
• Not Related To: Foot-and-Mouth disease (affects cattle).

Current Context : The Government of India launched a 15-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme under SMILE Scheme to empower transgender persons.

ABOUT SMILE SCHEME

• Type: Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• Sub-Schemes:
  1. Welfare of Transgender Persons.
  2. Welfare of Persons Engaged in Begging.
• Key Features:
  1. Scholarships: For transgender students (Class IX to post-graduation).
  2. Skill Development: Under PM-DAKSH scheme.
  3. Healthcare: Gender-reaffirmation surgeries supported under PM-JAY.
  4. Housing: Garima Greh with food, clothing, medical support, and training.
  5. Transgender Protection Cells in every state for timely redressal of offences.
  6. National Portal & Helpline for grievance support.

Current Context : A 7.5 magnitude earthquake recently hit the Drake Passage, triggering a brief tsunami alert.

ABOUT DRAKE PASSAGE

• Location: Between Cape Horn (South America) and South Shetland Islands (Antarctica).
• Width: Narrowest stretch of the Southern Ocean, ~800 km
• Named After: Sir Francis Drake, first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.
• Ocean Link: Connects Southwestern Atlantic Ocean with Southeastern Pacific Ocean.
• Climatic Role: Acts as a transition zone between subpolar Tierra del Fuego and polar Antarctica.
• Navigation: Known as one of the roughest waterways in the world due to collision of cold and warm seawater, eddies, storms, and strong winds.

History: Important for 19th–20th century trade routes, until Panama Canal reduced dependency.

Current Context : Kerala has become the first fully digitally literate state in India, marking the successful completion of the first phase of the Digi Kerala Project.

ABOUT DIGI KERALA PROJECT

• Survey Coverage:
  • Covered 5 crore people from 83.46 lakh families.
  • Identified 88 lakh digitally illiterate persons.
  • Trained 87 lakh (99.98%), who cleared digital literacy evaluation.
• Inclusivity:
  • Training included all age groups, even senior citizens (e.g., 104-year-old M.A. Abdullah Moulavi Baqavi from Ernakulam participated).
  • Delivered through local bodies, reflecting Kerala’s decentralised governance
• Purpose: To bridge the digital divide and empower citizens with basic digital skills.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Governance: Enables citizens to access e-governance services (Ayushman Bharat, PM-Kisan, Jan Dhan, etc.) without intermediaries.
• Digital Democracy: Citizens can file grievances, RTI requests, and participate in online civic activities → promotes transparency and accountability.
• Financial Inclusion: Promotes use of digital transactions and benefits for marginalised groups and women.

Current Context: NATO is considering establishing a logistics base in Sweden after Sweden’s accession as the 32^nd member (2024).

ABOUT NATO

• Nature: A political and military alliance of countries from Europe and North America.
• Founded: April 1949, with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• Membership: 32 members (latest: Sweden, 2024).

OBJECTIVES

• Cold War era: To provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• Presently: Ensures members protect each other from threats, including cyber, terrorism, and hybrid warfare.

KEY PRINCIPLE

• Article 5: An armed attack against one or more members is considered an attack against all members.
• Invoked only once: after 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001).