Current Context: The Government of India has announced the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai, aiming to foster talent in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sectors.

About Indian Institute of Creative Technology:

• Definition: IICT is India’s first dedicated institute for AVGC-XR, modeled after the IITs and IIMs, to set new benchmarks in creative technology education and research.
• Functionality: Aims to create Indian intellectual property leveraging the country’s rich cultural heritage and to cultivate talent for the global digital content industry.
• Infrastructure: Features state-of-the-art facilities, including immersive studios, animation and gaming labs, virtual production setups, editing and sound suites, and smart classrooms.
• Support: Seven global tech giants, including JioStar, Google, and Microsoft, have pledged support through Letters of Intent, committing to skill development and platform co-creation.

Current Context: India is presenting its SVAMITVA Scheme at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 in Washington, D.C., highlighting its success in digitizing land records and empowering rural communities.

About SVAMITVA Scheme:

• Definition: Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) is a central sector scheme launched in 2020 to provide rural residents with legal ownership of their residential properties.
• Functionality: Utilizes drone technology for high-resolution mapping of inhabited rural areas, creating accurate land records.
• Achievements: Issued legal property ownership cards to over 24.4 million rural households across 1.6 lakh villages, mapping over 100 million property parcels.
• Applications: Facilitates financial stability for rural citizens, aids in property tax determination, supports better Gram Panchayat Development Plans, and reduces property-related disputes.

Current Context: Researchers from the University of Oxford have introduced a novel method for monitoring volcanic activity by analyzing shear-wave splitting at Mount Ontake, Japan. This technique aims to provide early warnings for eruptions by detecting stress-induced changes in the Earth’s crust.

About Shear-Wave Splitting:

• Definition: Shear-wave splitting occurs when seismic shear waves divide into two polarized waves traveling at different speeds due to aligned cracks or fractures in rocks.
• Functionality: The movement of magma and volcanic fluids alters stress conditions, causing cracks to open or close. These changes affect shear-wave propagation, allowing scientists to monitor subsurface stress variations.
• Significance: Increased shear-wave splitting indicates rising internal pressure, serving as a potential early-warning signal for volcanic eruptions.

About Mount Ontake:

• Location: An active stratovolcano on Honshū Island, central Japan, and the country’s second-highest volcano.
• Notable Event: Experienced a deadly phreatic eruption in 2014, which occurred without significant seismic warning, resulting in over 60 fatalities.

Current Context: In a significant political development, all political parties in Punjab have unanimously decided not to release any additional water from the Bhakra Dam to Haryana. This decision underscores the ongoing inter-state water-sharing disputes in the region.

About:

• Type: Concrete gravity dam
• Location: Near the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, situated at a gorge near the upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Height: Approximately 207.26 meters (680 feet), making it the highest straight gravity dam in the world.
• Length: 518.25 meters (1,700 feet)
• River : Sutlej River
• Reservoir: Gobind Sagar
  • Storage Capacity: 9.34 billion cubic meters
  • Length: 90 km
• Significance: Asia’s second tallest dam, following the 261-meter Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand, India.

Current Context: India has recently halted the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, a move perceived as a strategic response to escalating tensions with Pakistan.

About Baglihar Dam:

• Location: Situated in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
• Project Details: A run-of-the-river hydroelectric power project comprising a 144.5-meter-high concrete gravity dam and an underground powerhouse.
• Capacity: Generates 900 MW of electricity through two stages of 450 MW each.
• Construction Timeline: Planning commenced in 1992, with construction starting in 1999 and completion in 2008.
• Strategic Importance: The dam’s operation has been a point of contention under the Indus Waters Treaty, with recent actions indicating a shift in water-sharing dynamics between India and Pakistan.

About Chenab River

• The Chenab River literally means “Moon” (Chan) and “River” (aab); is a major river of India and Pakistan.
• It is a tributary of the Indus River.
• Origin: It is formed by the confluence of two streams, Chandra and Bhaga,at Tandi in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti Districts of Himachal Pradesh.
  • In its upper reaches, it is also known as the
• Total length : 605 miles (974 km), and it feeds several irrigation canals.
• Tributaries: include Miyar Nalla, Sohal, Thirot, Bhut Nalla, Marusudar, and Lidrari.

Current Context: Scientists are closely monitoring the Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano located approximately 300 miles off the Oregon coast, due to signs indicating a potential eruption—the first in a decade.

About Axial Seamount:

• Location: Situated on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a tectonic plate boundary in the Pacific Ocean.
• Geological Features: A shield volcano characterized by a large caldera and hydrothermal vent systems.
• Eruption History: Previously erupted in 1998, 2011, and 2015, making it the most active submarine volcano in the northeast Pacific.
• Scientific Significance: Hosts the world’s first underwater volcanic observatory, NeMO, as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative.

Current Context: Anthony Albanese secured a second consecutive term as Australia’s Prime Minister, leading the Labor Party to a significant victory in the federal elections. This marks the first time in two decades that an incumbent Australian PM has been re-elected.

• Election Outcome: The Labor Party won a decisive majority, with projections indicating up to 90 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives.
• Opposition Defeat: Conservative leader Peter Dutton lost his seat, reflecting a broader rejection of right-wing populist policies.

Current Context: In the Baipariguda block of Koraput district, Odisha, eight Gram Sabhas have harvested over 4 lakh bundles of kendu leaves, awaiting government notification to deregulate the trade.

About:

• Kendu Leaf: Also known as Tendu leaf in other parts of India, referred to as the “Green Gold of Odisha.”
• Primary Use: Used for rolling tobacco into bidis (local cigarettes) and has medicinal value.
• Key Producer States: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat.
• Legal Recognition under FRA (2006):
  • The Forest Rights Act (FRA) recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities to collect, use, and sell minor forest produce (MFP) like kendu leaves.
  • The 2012 amendment empowers communities to process, store, transport, and sell MFP without paying royalties or seeking permission.
  • Transit permits must be issued by the Community Forest Rights Management Committee (CFRMC), not forest officials.

Celebrated annually on May 7, to promote athletics among youth and encourage active lifestyles.

• Established: Initiated in 1996 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), now known as World Athletics.
• Objective: To raise awareness about the importance of athletics and physical activity among young people.

Current Context:The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has successfully scaled Mount Makalu,the fifth highest peak in the world, marking a historic achievement for India’s Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

About:

• Height: 8,485 meters (27,838 feet) above sea level.
• Location: Situated in the Mahalangur range of the Nepal Himalayas, straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet (China).
• Proximity to Everest: 23 km southeast of Mount Everest.
• Distinctive Features:
  • Known for its perfect pyramid shape with four sharp ridges.
  • Makalu I and Makalu II are the notable subsidiary peaks located 3 km north-northwest of the main summit.
  • The mountain lies within Makalu Barun National Park, home to the Barun Valley.
• Climbing Difficulty: Considered one of the most challenging eight-thousanders due to steep pitches, knife-edged ridges, and technical rock climbing.
• First Ascent: Achieved on May 15, 1955, by a French team led by Jean Franco.

ITBP Achievement: The ITBP team scaled the peak in April 2025, marking a milestone for CAPF.