CURRENT CONTEXT : A Joint Expedition Team has successfully summited Mount Merag-III and Mount Kangju Kangri, the highest peaks in the Pangong Tso region of Ladakh.

ABOUT PANGONG TSO (LAKE)

• Altitude: Located at an altitude of 4,350 meters
• Type: World’s highest saltwater lake
• Location:
  • One-third of the lake is in India
  • Two-thirds lies in China
• Special Features:
  • Changes color – appears blue, grey-green, or red at different times
  • Freezes completely during winters despite being salty
• Ecological Importance:
  • Breeding ground for several migratory birds in summer like:
    • Bar-Headed Geese
    • Brahminy Ducks
    • Black Necked Cranes
    • Seagulls

• Observed on: 7 August every year
• Purpose: To honour India’s handloom weavers, preserve India’s rich textile heritage, and encourage the use of sustainable, handcrafted textiles.
• Inception: Declared in 2015 to mark the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in Calcutta on 7 August 1905, which encouraged Indians to boycott foreign goods and support local hand-weaving industries.
• The 11th National Handloom Day will be celebrated on 7 August 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

 SIGNIFICANCE & ECONOMIC ROLE

• Supports over 30 lakh weavers and allied workers, making it the second-largest rural employment sector after agriculture .
• Handloom textiles account for nearly 22% of all cloth produced in India .
• It helps promote sustainable fashion, supports local livelihoods, and preserves traditional crafts for future generations.

CURRENT CONTEXT : India, in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP), has launched a new project in Nepal.

• The aim is to improve Rice Fortification and Supply Chain Management, helping tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in the region.

ABOUT UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)

• Founded: In the year 1961
• Type: A branch of the United Nations focused on hunger elimination and global food security
• Guiding Goal: Sustainable Development Goal 2 – End hunger, ensure food security and nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030

KEY FEATURES

• Work Areas:
  • Provides food during emergencies (wars, disasters)
  • Supports nutrition programmes and builds community resilience
• Presence: Active in more than 120 countries
• Funding: Based on voluntary donations from governments, companies, and private individuals
• Award: Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020
• Reports Published:
  • Global Report on Food Crisis – Highlights the level of acute hunger across the world
• Headquarters: Located in Rome, Italy
• Member Of: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in partnership with the Ministry of AYUSH, has released a detailed list of food items under the “Ayurveda Aahara” category.

• This was done as part of the Food Safety and Standards (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022.

ABOUT AYURVEDA AAHARA

• Meaning: Foods based on principles of Ayurveda, India’s ancient wellness system
• Focus:
  • Balance of body and nature
  • Seasonal eating
  • Use of natural herbs and ingredients with health benefits
• Regulatory Base: Foods listed are based on classical Ayurvedic texts (listed in Schedule A of the regulation)

CURRENT CONTEXT : Russia has signed a nuclear agreement with Niger, increasing its presence and influence in the Sahel region of West Africa.

• This move comes at a time when the region is already facing political instability, terrorism, and foreign competition for resources.

ABOUT SAHEL REGION

• Location: A semiarid belt across western and north-central Africa
• Stretch: About 5,000 kilometres, from Atlantic Ocean (Senegal) to Red Sea (Eritrea)
• Region Type: Transitional zone between the Sahara Desert in the north and the humid savannas in the south

COUNTRIES COVERED : Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea

VEGETATION AND CLIMATE

• Type: Semiarid steppe (dry grassland)
• Plants: Low grass, thorny bushes, acacia and baobab trees
• Climate: Long dry seasons, low rainfall

CURRENT CONTEXT : Operation Muskaan-XI was conducted across Telangana from 1 to 31 July 2025.

• The mission aimed to rescue children from exploitation and hazardous working conditions.

SCOPE AND SCALE

• Total Children Rescued: 7,678
  • Boys: 7,149
  • Girls: 529
• Children from Other States: 3,787 (from 12 states)
• Children from Nepal: 3,783
• High-Risk Rescue Zones: Railway stations, Bus stands, Brick kilns, Construction sites, Religious places.

CURRENT CONTEXT : India officially became the world’s 5th largest aviation market, according to the World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

• India handled 241 million air passengers, showing a growth of 11.1 percent from 2023.
• The Mumbai–Delhi air route was ranked as the 7th busiest air route in the world.

ABOUT INDIA’S AVIATION GROWTH

• Passengers Handled (2024): 241 million
• Growth from 2023: 1 percent
• 2023 Passenger Data: 211 million
• India Overtook: Japan (205 million passengers)
• Top 4 Countries:
  • United States – 876 million passengers
  • China – 741 million passengers
  • United Kingdom – 261 million passengers
  • Spain – 241 million passengers

CURRENT CONTEXT : Satya Pal Malik, a well-known politician and former Governor of multiple Indian states, passed away at the age of 79.

ABOUT SATYA PAL MALIK

Personal Background

• Born in the year 1946 in Hisawada village, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh.
• He completed his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Law degree (LLB) from Meerut University.

Political Journey

• Entered politics in the 1970s as a socialist leader.
• In 1974, elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Baghpat under the Bharatiya Kranti Dal.
• Later, he served:
  • As a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha (1980–1989)
  • As a Member of Lok Sabha (1989–1991)

Governorship Roles

• Held the position of Governor in the following states:
  • Bihar (2017–2018)
  • Odisha (2018)
  • Jammu and Kashmir (2018–2019)
  • Goa (2019–2020)
  • Meghalaya (2020–2022)

Observed every year on 6 August

Objective :  to remember the day when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan in the year 1945.

• The bombing killed over 1,40,000 people by the end of that year, most of them were civilians.
• The day is also called Atomic Bomb Day (A‑Bomb Day) and is observed around the world to promote nuclear disarmament and world peace.

Current Context: Recently, Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula erupted for the first time in recorded history.

ABOUT KRASHENINNIKOV VOLCANO

• Location: Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
• Height: 1,886 meters
• Volcanic Type: Stratovolcano (also called Composite Volcano)
• Situated In: A collapsed caldera, formed by a powerful eruption 39,600 years ago
• Geological Feature: Made up of two eruptive cones in a 9-kilometre-wide caldera
• Southern Cone: Has a crater 800 meters wide and 140 meters deep
• Previous Eruption: Last erupted about 400 to 600 years ago

ABOUT STRATOVOLCANOES (COMPOSITE VOLCANOES)

• Shape: Tall, cone-shaped, steep volcano
• Location: Usually found above subduction zones, often in the Pacific Ring of Fire
• Lava Type: Eruptions are of andesite and dacite – which are thick and slow-flowing
• Eruption Style: Explosive due to high gas pressure
• Percentage: Make up about 60% of all volcanoes on Earth