CURRENT CONTEXT: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will retire all MiG-21 fighter jets by September 2025, marking the end of over 62 years of service. The final ceremonial flight will take place on 19 September 2025 at Chandigarh, flown by No. 23 Squadron “Panthers”.

 ABOUT MIG-21 FIGHTER JETS:

• First Inducted:
• Over 600 units built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Nickname: “Flying Coffin” due to frequent accidents.
• Combat Role: India’s first supersonic jet fighter; served in wars of 1965, 1971, 1999 (Kargil), and Balakot 2019.

 SIGNIFICANCE OF RETIREMENT:

• Strategic Shift: Being replaced by Tejas LCA Mk 1A, part of India’s indigenous defence drive.
• Squadron Challenge: IAF now has only 31 operational squadrons, below the required 42 squadrons.
• Future Outlook: Opens opportunities for private players and expansion in UAVs and next-gen aircraft.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The state of Goa is preparing to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka for allegedly diverting water from the Mhadei River through the Kalasa-Banduri project.

 ABOUT MHADEI RIVER & DISPUTE:

• Origin: Jamboti Ghat, Karnataka.
• Flows through Goa and Maharashtra into the Arabian Sea.
• Kalasa-Banduri Project:
  • Diverts water from Mhadei’s tributaries to the Malaprabha River basin.
• Water Allocation (2018 Tribunal Award):
  • Goa: 24 tmcft
  • Karnataka: 5.4 tmcft
  • Maharashtra: 1.33 tmcft
• Dispute Highlights:
  • Goa alleges illegal water diversion, affecting Western Ghats ecology.
  • Karnataka defends the move citing tribunal approval and central clearance.
• The issue raises questions on federal rights, water sharing, and ecological balance.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The Great Ruaha River in Tanzania is drying up, severely affecting ecosystems and local communities dependent on it.

 ABOUT THE GREAT RUAHA RIVER:

• Flows approximately 475 km through the Iringa, Dodoma, and Morogoro regions before joining the Rufiji River basin.
• Supports the USangu wetlands and Ruaha National Park, which are rich in biodiversity.
• Environmental Impact:
  • Dry-season water flow has drastically reduced since the 1990s.
  • Harmful effects on agriculture, tourism, and wildlife habitats.
• Key Causes:
  • Climate change (reduced rainfall and altered flow patterns).
  • Over-abstraction of water for irrigation and farming.

Commemorated every year on 26 July

Aim : to mark India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil War and the success of Operation Vijayin evicting Pakistani intruders from Indian territory.

 ABOUT KARGIL WAR & ITS SIGNIFICANCE:

• Background: The conflict began in May 1999 when Pakistani soldiers and militants occupied high-altitude Indian posts in the Kargil sector of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Response: Indian Army launched Operation Vijay, reclaiming the positions after intense combat that lasted nearly two months.
• Celebration: Includes tribute ceremonies at Kargil War Memorial (Drass), Amar Jawan Jyoti, and other defence establishments across India.
• Notable Observances: Army honours families of martyrs; events are held in schools and institutions to educate the youth.
• Legacy: Symbol of courage, patriotism, and the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that its Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) increased from 64.2 in FY2024 to 67.0 in FY2025, reflecting an improvement of 4.3%.

ABOUT THE FI-INDEX:

• Launched: 2021 by the RBI.
• Purpose: Measures financial inclusion across sectors like Banking, Investments, Insurance, Postal, and Pensions.
• Scoring Range: 0 (complete exclusion) to 100 (full inclusion).
• Index Components:
• Access: 35%
• Usage: 45%
• Quality: 20%

The growth in FY2025 was mainly due to improved usage of services and quality of financial delivery

CURRENT CONTEXT: The Kashi Declaration was adopted at the Youth Spiritual Summit in Varanasi to advance a drug-free India by 2047.

ABOUT KASHI DECLARATION:

• It is a national action plan adopted to combat substance abuse through youth and spiritual leadership and create a “Nasha Mukt Yuva” (drug-free youth) as the foundation for a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047.
• Theme: “Drug-free Youth for Developed India.”
• Organised by: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Attended by 600+ youth leaders from 120+ spiritual and socio-cultural organisations.
• Aimed at tackling substance abuse as a public health and social challenge.
• Advocated for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Formation of a Joint National Committee.
• Annual progress reporting.
• Creation of a national platform to link individuals to support systems.

CURRENT CONTEXT: Abu Dhabi will host the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 with focus on genetic tools in conservation.

ABOUT THE CONGRESS:

• Organised by: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Frequency: Once every 4 years.
• Purpose: To shape global conservation and climate change priorities for the next decade.

COMPONENTS OF THE CONGRESS:

1. Forum: Global platform for conservation science and innovation.
2. Exhibition: Showcasing work by IUCN Members, partners, and academia.
3. Members’ Assembly: IUCN’s top decision-making body.

 THEME 2025: “Powering Transformative Conservation” – focusing on five key thematic areas driving sustainable change.

ABOUT IUCN:

• Established:
• Type: Membership Union of governments and civil society organisations.
• Role: World’s largest environmental network.

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE:

• IUCN Council: Governing body between Congress sessions, presided over by the IUCN President.
• Members’ Assembly: Highest governing body.
• IUCN Statutes: Define governance rules, including eligibility, re-election, and removal provisions.

CURRENT CONTEXT: WiFEX has completed 10 successful years since its launch in 2015 to study dense winter fog over North India.

ABOUT WiFEX:

• Launch: Winter 2015 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.
• Lead Institution: Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), under Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Collaborators: India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
• Focus: One of the world’s few long-term open-field experiments solely dedicated to winter fog.

OBJECTIVES:

• To improve nowcasting (within 6 hours) and forecasting of winter fog.
• To reduce the adverse impacts of fog on aviation, transport, economy, and human life.

HOW IT WAS CONDUCTED:

• Used instruments like micrometeorology towers, ceilometers, high-frequency sensors.
• Collected data on temperature, humidity, wind, turbulence, soil heat, and aerosols.

 KEY OUTCOME:

• Developed a high-resolution (3 km) probabilistic fog prediction model.
• Model achieves over 85% accuracy for predicting very dense fog (visibility <200m).

What is Dense Winter Fog?

Dense winter fog refers to a weather condition where air contains a large amount of suspended water droplets, drastically reducing visibility—often to less than 200 meters. It is common during winter months (December–February), especially in North Indian plains.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The United States has decided to exit UNESCO, the UN’s cultural and educational agency, under a renewed global disengagement policy.

ABOUT UNESCO:

• Full Form: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
• Established: 1945 (post-World War II)
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Parent Body: UN Economic and Social Council
• Members: 194 countries + 12 associate members

FOCUS AREAS: Education, Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, Communication and Information

FUNCTIONS:

• Supports literacy and free education
• Maintains the World Heritage Site list
• Publishes global reports:
• Global Education Monitoring Report
• World Water Development Report
• World Trends in Freedom of Expression

CURRENT CONTEXT: Jharkhand has launched India’s first Mining Tourism Project in collaboration with Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).

OBJECTIVES:

• Promote alternative tourism
• Offer educational exposure
• Showcase industrial heritage and culture
• Generate employment opportunities

 KEY FEATURES:

• Pilot at North Urimari (Birsa) open-cast mine, Ramgarh
• Tour Circuits:
  • Rajrappa Route: ₹2,800 + GST
  • Patratu Route: ₹2,500 + GST
• Includes temple, valley, and cultural site visits with lunch
• Operated twice weekly, 10–20 visitors per group
• Three planned circuits: Eco-Mining Circuit-1, Circuit-2, Religious Circuit