CURRENT CONTEXT: Japanese Coast Guard Ship Itsukushima docked at Chennai Port on 7 July, concluding with the “Jaa Mata” sea‑exercise on 12 July, marking enhanced India–Japan maritime cooperation.

 ABOUT JAA MATA EXERCISE:

• Code name: “See you later” (Japanese).
• Participants: India Coast Guard (ICG) and Japan Coast Guard (JCG).
• Activities:
  • Joint sea drills, ship visits, professional and cultural exchanges, sports & yoga sessions.
  • Four ICG officers as “Sea Riders” on Itsukushima to Singapore.

CURRENT CONTEXT : A powerful flash flood triggered by ~20 in (508 mm) of rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise by up to 29 ft in under 45 minutes.

 ABOUT THE GUADALUPE RIVER:

• Source: Springs forming North & South Forks in Kerr County, Texas.
• Course: Flows to San Antonio Bay → Gulf of Mexico.
• Basin Features: Canyon Reservoir, Edwards Aquifer in Balcones Fault zone.
• Flash Flood Alley: Steep terrain, shallow limestone soils — rapidly converts rain into flash flood.
• Historical Floods: 1978 (Storm Amelia), 1987 (Comfort camp disaster), with the region being flash-flood prone.

CURRENT CONTEXT: Union Minister Sonowal announced that the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) between India and Myanmar will be fully functional by 2027, reducing transit distance between Kolkata and Aizawl by ~700 km.

 ABOUT KMTTP:

• Framework: Bilateral agreement (India–Myanmar, 2008); nodal agency: Ministry of External Affairs with IWAI as PDC .
• Corridor components:
  • Sea: Kolkata → Sittwe Port
  • River: Sittwe → Paletwa via Kaladan River
  • Road: Paletwa → Zorinpui → Aizawl
• Investment & Support: ₹5,000 cr for northeastern waterways; ₹1,000 cr specifically for Kaladan waterway; maritime skills for 50,000 youth.
• Benefits:
  • Cuts Kolkata–Aizawl distance by 700 km (1,800 to ~1,100 km).
  • Offers alternative access bypassing Siliguri Corridor.
  • Boosts India–Myanmar–ASEAN trade and connectivity with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal.

CURRENT CONTEXT ): At the Rio BRICS Summit, the member nations condemned and rejected the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), calling it a unilateral, discriminatory trade barrier.

 ABOUT CBAM:

• Definition: EU’s carbon border tax designed to equalise carbon pricing on imports to avoid carbon leakage and incentivise low-carbon production.
• Implementation timeline: Transitions between 2023–25; fully enforceable from 2026.
• BRICS objection: Claims CBAM is protectionist, undermines global trade, and hampers developing countries’ cleaner transitions without financial assistance.

CURRENT CONTEXT : Under the BIND Scheme, the Centre approved a new Akashvani Kendra in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, intended to strengthen regional broadcasting.

 ABOUT BIND SCHEME:

• Type: Central Sector Scheme (2023) by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B).
• Purpose: Financial support to Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan and AIR) to upgrade broadcasting infrastructure, develop regional content, and enable civil works.

Objective: Expand digital and terrestrial reach, preserve cultural heritage via local programming .

CURRENT CONTEXT : A herd of 33 Kharai camels was rescued by marine police and villagers near Vadinar Jetty, Gujarat, after being caught in rising tides while grazing on mangroves of Kalubhar Tapu island.

 ABOUT KHARAI CAMELS:

• Breed: Unique dromedary camel adapted to swim and graze in saltwater mangrove ecosystems, chiefly in Kutch, Gujarat.
• Name Origin: ‘Khara’ = saline; also called ‘Dariyataru.’
• Habitat & Behavior: Swim up to 3 km offshore to feed on mangroves.
• Community Link: Domesticated and preserved by Rabari and Fakirani Jat tribes for ~400 years.
• Population Status: Estimated ~4,000 in Gujarat (2,000 in Kutch).
• Uses: Milk is nutrient-rich with therapeutic potential.

CURRENT CONTEXT : A CareEdge report highlights that India holds 8% of global Rare Earth Element (REE) reserves—the third-largest globally—but contributes less than 1% to REE mining and refining.

 ABOUT REE IN INDIA:

• Global share: India hold 8% of world reserves; China holds 49% of reserves, 69% of mining, 90% of refining.
• Key reserves: ~130 monazite sand deposits located in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha.
• Contributing factors:
  • REEs co-occur with radioactive thorium; complex extraction is expensive.
  • India lacks full value chain: while it mines and produces oxides, it cannot produce REE magnets or alloys—requires upgrades.
  • Predominantly Light REEs; Heavy REEs are scant.
  • Mining hampered by Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
  • IREL (Indian Rare Earths Limited) is the sole monazite processor.
• Policy push: 2025 National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) launched to promote domestic REE processing and reduce China dependence

Observed on 10 July each year, aligning with Nikola Tesla’s birthday.

• Aim : to raise awareness about achieving energy independence and transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
• Established: First observed in 2006 and trademarked in 2010 by Michael D. Antonovich, then LA County Supervisor, to promote green energy and energy autonomy.

Current Context: In July 2025, Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to adopt Aadhaar-based Face Authentication for PDS ration distribution.

ABOUT FACE AUTHENTICATION:

• Developed by UIDAI.
• Works on 1:1 matching of live face image with Aadhaar repository image.
• Alternative to fingerprint, iris scan, and OTP-based
• Expected to reduce errors in rural/aged population biometric failures.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The Haryana Government announced plans to build Asia’s largest jungle safari, spanning 10,000 acres across Gurugram and Nuh in the Aravalli Hills.

The project aims to protect wildlife, boost eco‑tourism, and create local jobs.

 About the Jungle Safari:

• Location & Area: Encompasses 6,000 acres in Gurugram + 4,000 in Nuh, totalling 10,000 acres in protected Aravalli forest land
• Planned Zones & Attractions:
  • Large herpetarium, aviary/bird park
  • Four big‑cat zones (including leopards)
  • Herbivore section, exotic fauna, underwater aquarium.
  • Botanical gardens, multiple biomes (equatorial, tropical, coastal, desert), and nature trails.
• Design & Governance:
  • Modeled after Sharjah Safari (~2,000 acres), five times larger
  • Operated by an Aravalli Foundation under Haryana Forest & Tourism departments.

Central Zoo Authority granted feasibility approval; top firms shortlisted via global EoI.