CURRENT CONTEXT: India secured 7th rank out of 110 countries at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Sunshine Coast, Australia, with a record score of 193/252.

 ABOUT THE COMPETITION:

• Organised Since: 1959
• Format: Two-day exam with six complex problems in algebra, geometry, number theory, and combinatorics.
• India’s Entry: Since 1989, managed by HBCSE under TIFR.

 TEAM INDIA HIGHLIGHTS:

• Gold: Kanav Talwar, Aarav Gupta, Adhitya Mangudy
• Silver: Abel George Mathew, Aadish Jain
• Bronze: Archit Manas
• Note: This is only the second time India won three golds, and third time India ranked 7th (after 1998 and 2001).

CURRENT CONTEXT: Uttarakhand endangered plant conservation programme launched by Uttarakhand Forest Department’s Research Wing, the programme aims to reintroduce 14 critically endangered plant species into natural habitats.

 ABOUT THE PROGRAMME:

• State Profile: Uttarakhand has 69% forest cover, highest in India.
• Species Included: Himalayan Gentian, Indian Spikenard, Kumaon Fan Palm, etc.
• Methodology: Nursery cultivation, habitat mapping for 4 years, monsoon reintroduction. 7 species already reintroduced; rest by end of July.

CURRENT CONTEXT: India successfully conducted night-time test launches of two nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles—Prithvi-II and Agni-I—from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur.

 ABOUT PRITHVI-II MISSILE:

• Range: ~350 km
• Warhead: Up to 500 kg (conventional/nuclear)
• Purpose: Tactical short-range deterrence

 ABOUT AGNI-I MISSILE:

• Range: 700–900 km
• Payload: ~1,000 kg (conventional/nuclear)
• Purpose: Strategic depth and regional deterrence

 AKASH PRIME TEST IN LADAKH:

• Conducted on 16 July 2025 at high altitude near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• Successfully intercepted two high-speed aerial targets using indigenous radio-frequency seeker.

Celebrated on 22 July.

Aims : to highlight the history and cultural importance of the mango.

 ABOUT NATIONAL MANGO DAY:

• Origin & Timing: Started in 1987, linked to India’s International Mango Festival; held during peak mango season.
• Global Reach: Initially celebrated in India, now also observed in countries like the United States.
• Symbolism: Mango symbolizes love, prosperity, and friendship, especially in Indian culture.

Observed on 22 July every year

Aim : to mark the day in 1947 when the Constituent Assembly adopted India’s national flag weeks before independence.

 ABOUT THE NATIONAL FLAG OF INDIA (TIRANGA):

• Designer: Pingali Venkayya
• Adoption Year: 1947 (first drafted in 1921)
• Features: Three horizontal bands — saffron (courage), white (peace and truth), green (growth), with a navy-blue Ashoka Chakra at the center.

 FLAG RULES (FLAG CODE OF INDIA):

• Governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002.
• Must be flown between sunrise and sunset, not to touch the ground, and should be treated with respect.

Celebrated annually on 22 July.

• Pi Approximation Day (also known as Casual Pi Day) recognizes the value of the mathematical constant π (pi), as 22/7 approximates pi to 1429.

ABOUT π (PI):

• Definition: Ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
• Nature: Irrational number; its decimal form neither ends nor repeats.
• Historical Reference: Archimedes used 22/7 as an early approximation of π.

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the results of Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, India’s annual cleanliness survey under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM–U).

HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGHLIGHTS

• Theog, a small town near Shimla, has been declared the cleanest city in Himachal Pradesh.
• It secured 12th rank nationally in the “Promising Swachh Shehar”
• Naidun ranked second in the state, followed by Shimla at third.

SHIMLA’S DECLINE IN RANKING

• Shimla, once the cleanest city in Himachal Pradesh, slipped from 188th to 347th place nationally.
• Major reasons cited include:
• Poor waste collection and segregation
• Inadequate cleaning of water bodies
• Delays in dump-site remediation
• Shimla Municipal Corporation has requested a re-evaluation of the survey findings.ABOUT SWACHH SURVEKSHAN

• Launched in: 2016
• Conducted by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI)
• Objective: To promote a competitive and cooperative approach to improving urban sanitation
• Coverage: Over 4,500 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country
• Citizen Engagement: More than 12 crore responses collected in the 2024–25 edition
• Evaluation Parameters:
• Service Level Progress (SLP)
• Citizen Feedback
• Direct Field Observation
• Third-party Certification & Documentation

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Labour Bureau has revised the base year of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural Labourers (AL) and Rural Labourers (RL) from 1986–87 to 2019.

ABOUT CPI–AL & RL

• Compiled by: Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
• New Base Year: 2019 = 100 (Earlier: 1986–87 = 100)
• CPI measures price changes of a fixed basket of goods and services over time.

DEFINITIONS

• Agricultural Labourer (AL): One who works in agriculture on hire (paid in cash, kind, or both).
• Rural Labourer (RL): One who does manual labour in rural areas, in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, for wages in cash/kind.

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Government of Kerala has declared the State Kathakali Awards, Pallavur Appu Marar Vadya Puraskaram, and Keraleeya Nritta-Natya Puraskaram for the year 2023 to honour artists for their contribution to Kerala’s classical performing arts.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

• These awards aim to promote, preserve, and honour Kerala’s traditional arts such as Kathakali, Koodiyattam, and traditional percussion music.
• Reflects Kerala’s cultural policy to recognize veteran artists and support art forms unique to the state.

AWARDEES – 2023

State Kathakali Award

• Kuroor Vasudevan Namboothiri – for excellence in Chenda
• Kalamandalam Sankara Warrier – for mastery in Maddalam

Pallavur Appu Marar Vadya Puraskaram

• Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar – renowned Chenda exponent, known for innovation and rhythmic brilliance

Keraleeya Nritta-Natya Puraskaram

• Kalamandalam P.N. Girijadevi – for contributions to Koodiyattam, the ancient Sanskrit theatre tradition of Kerala

CURRENT CONTEXT : The European Space Agency (ESA), along with UK-based Frazer-Nash Consultancy, has launched INVICTUS, a programme to develop hypersonic flight technologies.

ABOUT INVICTUS

• Type: Experimental, fully reusable aerospace vehicle
• Speed: Capable of reaching Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound)
• Funded under:
• ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)
• Technology Development Element (TDE)

KEY FEATURES

• Designed for sustained hypersonic flight within Earth’s atmosphere
• Fully reusable and upgradable platform Allows exchange of materials, propulsion systems, and software between test campaigns

SIGNIFICANCE

• Aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a hydrogen-fuelled, precooled air-breathing propulsion system

Supports horizontal take-off and landing, paving the way for reusable spaceplanes in the future