Current Context : South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets to win their first ICC World Test Championship title, at Lord’s, London, chasing 282 runs with a captain’s century from Aiden Markram and leadership by Temba Bavuma.

ABOUT WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP

• Inception: August 2019, administered by the International Cricket Council.
• Cycle: Matches played over two years; six series per team; each series awards 120 points divided by number of Tests.
• Qualification: Top nine teams in MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings.
• Final: Single Test match between top two teams (2023–25 final: South Africa vs Australia).

Current Context : The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, India’s largest tribal welfare saturation campaign, covering nearly 100,000 villages across 549 tribal districts.

About Dhartiaaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan

• Coverage: 549 tribal districts, 2,900+ blocks, 207 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group habitations, nearly 1 lakh villages.
• Objectives:
  • Achieve full delivery of government benefits in tribal areas.
  • Ensure last‑mile service (health, education, livelihood) to tribal households.
  • Promote people’s participation (“Janbhagidari”) in local governance.
  • Honor tribal heritage during the Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh.
• Implementation: Multi‑ministerial coordination, biometric/Aadhaar‑linked beneficiary verification, mobile outreach teams.
• Significance: Embodies the vision of Antyodaya and Viksit Bharat, strengthening social justice in India’s federal framework.

Current Context : India’s Ministry of External Affairs appointed Aliawati Longkumer as Ambassador to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, restoring a full embassy presence in Pyongyang after a four‑year gap.

• New Ambassador: Aliawati Longkumer, 2008‑batch Indian Foreign Service officer and currently Charge d’Affaires in Asunción, Paraguay.
• Embassy Status: Reopened December 2024; vacant since July 2021 (COVID‑related closure).
• India–DPRK Relations:
  • Diplomatic ties since 1973; humanitarian assistance extended (food, medical training).
  • Maintained envoy-level relations despite UN sanctions compliance.

Celebrated annually on 18 June since 2005,

Aim : to celebrate neurodiversity and the rights of autistic people worldwide.

• Origin: Launched by Aspies For Freedom in 2005; date chosen for the birthday of a founding member.

About Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Definition : A group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by persistent social‑communication challenges and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour.
• Prevalence
  • Global estimate: 1 percent of the population (around 1 in 100 children)
  • India: estimated 1 to 5 percent of children aged 2–9 years (≈18 million people)

Observed each year on 17 June.

Aim : To promote international cooperation to fight land degradation and drought.

Theme : “Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities.”

• UNGA Proclamation: Resolution 49/115 (1994) designated 17 June to spotlight desertification and drought.
• Objective: Raise awareness, foster policy action, and support Sustainable Development Goal 3—to restore degraded land and soil by 2030.

Current Context : Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated civilian access to Shipki La Pass (3,930 m) in Kinnaur district, opening it for domestic tourists and potential Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims.

 ABOUT SHIPKI LA PASS

• Location: High Himalayan pass on the India–China border in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh.
• Altitude: 3,930 metres above sea level.
• Historical Role: Ancient trade route for textiles, wool and herbal medicines between India and Tibet.
• Tourism & Trade:
  • Expected to boost local economy through border tourism.
  • Potential alternative route for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra (subject to central approval).

Current Context : In mid‑2025, Power Finance Corporation withdrew its plan to issue a zero‑coupon bond, reflecting changing market conditions.

ABOUT ZERO‑COUPON BOND

• Definition: A debt instrument sold at a deep discount without periodic interest payments; redeemed at face value at maturity.
• Characteristics:
  • No coupon: All return arises from difference between purchase price and face value.
  • Interest‑rate sensitivity: Price fluctuates significantly with market rates.
• Use in India: Raised funds for infrastructure by government‑owned enterprises.

Current Context : The Central Bureau of Investigation secured India’s firstever Silver Notice from the International Criminal Police Organization to trace global assets of a fugitive former embassy officer in a visafraud laundering case.

ABOUT SILVER NOTICE

• Purpose: International request for cooperation to locate and identify assets of wanted persons for potential recovery.
• Mechanism:
  • Member countries share assetrelated intelligence through their National Central Bureaus.
  • India’s National Central Bureau is the Central Bureau of Investigation, which connects via the Bharatpol portal.
• Pilot Phase:
  • India is one of fiftyone participants in the pilot (running until November 2025).
  • Each country may request up to nine Silver Notices during the pilot.

Current Context : A successful trial of Rudrastra, India’s indigenous hybrid VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle, took place at Pokhran ranges in June 2025, demonstrating advanced surveillance and strike capabilities.

ABOUT RUDRASTRA

• Manufacturer: Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited under Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• Type: Hybrid Vertical Take‑Off and Landing unmanned aerial vehicle.
• Key Features:
  • Range: 170 km (including loiter time).
  • Endurance: 1.5
  • Payload: Precision‑guided anti‑personnel warheads with mid‑altitude release.
  • Surveillance: Live video relay and automated return‑to‑base.

Current Context : Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the state rollout of Component C of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan, popularly known as the KUSUM‑C scheme, to solarise agricultural power substations and ensure reliable daytime electricity for farmers.

ABOUT KUSUM‑C SCHEME

Objectives : Seven‑Hour Daytime Power: Guarantee seven hours of uninterrupted solar electricity to farmers during daylight.

Implementation & Coverage

• Solarisation of Substations: 389 agricultural power substations across all five Karnataka Electricity Supply Companies.
• Installed Capacity: 2,396 megawatts of solar energy.
• Beneficiaries:
  • 1,555 agricultural feeders
  • Over 632,000 pump sets to receive solar power.
• Operational Deadline: Central Government extended completion deadline to March 2026 due to land and transmission‑line challenges; ~90% work underway.

Funding & Subsidies

• Total Subsidy: ₹19,000 crore earmarked by the Karnataka Government for pump‑set subsidies.
• Solar Equipment Subsidy:
  • 50 percent state subsidy
  • 30 percent central subsidy
  • 20 percent farmer contribution.