🔆 PMGSY-III Extended till March 2028

📍 Why in News?
The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Phase III till March 2028.

📍 About PMGSY
▪️ Launched on 25 December 2000.
▪️ It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development.

📍 Objective
✅ Provide all-weather road connectivity to unconnected rural habitations.

▪️ Eligibility:
✅ Population of 500 or more in plain areas
✅ Population of 250 or more in:
▪️ North-Eastern States
▪️ Himalayan States
▪️ Desert areas
▪️ Select backward and tribal districts

📍 Phases of PMGSY

▪️ Phase I (2000)
✅ Focused on connecting eligible unconnected habitations with all-weather roads.

▪️ Phase II (2013)
✅ Upgraded 50,000 km of existing rural roads to improve connectivity with markets and economic centres.

▪️ Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Areas (2016)
✅ Targeted 44 LWE-affected districts across 9 states.
✅ Aimed to improve development as well as movement of security forces.

▪️ Phase III (2019)
✅ Upgradation of 1,25,000 km of Through Routes and Major Rural Links.
✅ Links villages with:
▪️ Gramin Agricultural Markets
▪️ Higher Secondary Schools
▪️ Hospitals

✅ This phase has now been extended up to March 2028.

▪️ Phase IV (2024–25 to 2028–29)
✅ Will construct 62,500 km of roads.
✅ Targets connectivity for 25,000 previously unconnected habitations.

📍 Impact of PMGSY
▪️ By 2025:
✅ More than 8.25 lakh km of rural roads sanctioned
✅ Nearly 95% completion achieved

📍 Socio-Economic Benefits
✅ Increase in non-farm employment and women’s workforce participation
✅ Better market access and price realisation for farmers
✅ Improved access to:
▪️ Hospitals and institutional deliveries
▪️ Immunisation services
▪️ Schools and colleges
▪️ Banks and financial services

📍 Other Features
▪️ District-level planning through District Rural Roads Plan prepared by Panchayats.
▪️ Uses technology and sustainability measures such as:
✅ e-MARG monitoring system
✅ GPS tracking
✅ Green construction materials like waste plastic and fly ash

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🔆 Japan

📍 Why in News?
✅ A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the north coast of Japan.
✅ Japan frequently experiences earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

📍 Political Features

▪️ Japan is an island nation in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
▪️ Capital: Tokyo
▪️ It has no land borders.
▪️ Japan is an archipelago of more than 14,000 islands.

✅ Four major islands (North to South):
▪️ Hokkaido
▪️ Honshu
▪️ Shikoku
▪️ Kyushu

📍 Maritime Boundaries

▪️ East – Pacific Ocean
▪️ North – Sea of Okhotsk
▪️ West – Sea of Japan (also called East Sea)
▪️ Southwest – East China Sea

📍 Why is Japan Prone to Earthquakes?
✅ Japan lies at the junction of several tectonic plates:
▪️ Pacific Plate
▪️ Philippine Sea Plate
▪️ Eurasian Plate
▪️ North American Plate

✅ Their interaction makes Japan one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

📍 Geographical Features

▪️ Climate ranges from subarctic in the north to humid subtropical in the south.

✅ Highest Peak:
▪️ Mount Fuji

✅ Major Rivers:
▪️ Shinano River
▪️ Tone River
▪️ Kiso River

#GS1 #Geography #places_in_news

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Food chains

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Shekha Lake - Now recognized as a Ramsar Site (99th in India), it’s a vital hub for biodiversity, climate balance & local livelihoods

International Mother Earth Day

🔆 Highlight the Central Asian and Greco-Bactrian elements in Gandhara art.

The Gandhara Art developed in the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent under the patronage of Indo-Greeks, Scythians, Parthians and Kushanas. It represented a fusion of Indian themes with Greco-Bactrian and Central Asian artistic traditions.

📍 Greco-Bactrian Elements

▪️ Anthropomorphic representation of Buddha was inspired by Greek and Roman traditions.
▪️ Buddha was shown with an Apollo-like youthful face, sharp nose and idealized body.

▪️ Distinct Hellenistic features included:
✅ Wavy hair tied in a topknot
✅ Deep-set eyes and calm expression
✅ Muscular body and realistic anatomy
✅ Thick drapery with natural folds resembling Greek robes covering both shoulders

▪️ Decorative motifs borrowed from Greco-Roman art included:
✅ Vine scrolls
✅ Cherubs carrying garlands
✅ Tritons and centaurs

▪️ Use of perspective, smooth surface treatment and naturalistic expressions also reflected Greco-Bactrian influence.

📍 Central Asian Elements

▪️ Scythians and Kushanas introduced Central Asian features into Gandhara art.

▪️ Figures are often shown wearing:
✅ Conical or pointed caps resembling Scythian headgear
✅ Heavy boots and long tunics

▪️ The halo behind Buddha’s head resembles solar symbolism from Persian and Central Asian traditions.

▪️ Frequent depiction of fire altars and fire worship indicates Iranian influence.

Thus, Gandhara art became a unique syncretic style combining Indian spirituality with Greco-Bactrian realism and Central Asian motifs.

#prelims
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🔆 Need for Multilateralism in Outer Space Governance

📍 Why in News?
✅ The launch of the Artemis II and the renewed “space race” have revived debate over governance of outer space.

📍 Present System of Outer Space Governance

▪️ Governed mainly through UN-led treaties, especially:
✅ Outer Space Treaty (OST)
✅ Rescue Agreement (1968)
✅ Liability Convention (1972)
✅ Registration Convention (1975)
✅ Moon Agreement (1979)

▪️ Core principles of the OST:
✅ Outer space is the “province of all mankind”
✅ No national sovereignty over celestial bodies
✅ Peaceful use of outer space
✅ States are responsible for activities of private entities

📍 Why Existing Frameworks Are Inadequate

▪️ The OST was framed when only governments operated in space.
▪️ It lacks detailed rules for:
✅ Private companies
✅ Space mining
✅ Commercial lunar activities
✅ Space tourism and settlements

▪️ Enforcement mechanisms remain weak and largely dependent on state compliance.

📍 Key Challenges Necessitating Multilateralism

▪️ Space Resource Exploitation
✅ The Artemis Accords permit “safety zones” around lunar activities.
▪️ These may gradually become exclusion zones, allowing early movers to dominate lunar resources.

▪️ Geopolitical Rivalry
✅ Competition is growing between:
▪️ US-led Artemis programme
▪️ China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)

▪️ This may fragment outer space into rival blocs.

▪️ Militarisation of Space
✅ Dual-use satellites and anti-satellite weapons increase strategic mistrust.
✅ Space may become a new arena for military competition.

▪️ Risk of De Facto Sovereignty
✅ As states establish long-term presence on the Moon and other celestial bodies, there is a danger of indirect territorial control despite the OST prohibition.

📍 Why Multilateralism Is Necessary

✅ To ensure equitable access to outer space and its resources.
✅ To create universally accepted rules on mining, safety zones and commercial activities.
✅ To prevent conflict, militarisation and monopoly by a few countries.
✅ To strengthen global cooperation under the UN framework.

📍 Way Forward

▪️ Strengthen the role of United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
▪️ Develop a new international treaty on space resources and private actors.
▪️ Ensure transparency, dispute-resolution mechanisms and benefit-sharing.

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#science_and_technology

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🔆 Personality in News: Adi Shankaracharya

📍 Why in News?
✅ The Prime Minister paid tribute to Adi Shankaracharya on his Jayanti.

📍 About Adi Shankaracharya
▪️ Born in 788 CE at Kalady.
▪️ He was one of the greatest philosophers and spiritual reformers of India.
▪️ He played a major role in reviving Hindu philosophy and integrating diverse traditions.

📍 Philosophy: Advaita Vedanta
✅ He propounded the doctrine of Advaita (non-dualism).

▪️ According to him:
✅ Atman (individual soul) and Brahman (ultimate reality) are one and the same.
✅ The apparent distinction between them is due to Maya (illusion).
✅ Liberation or Moksha is attained through knowledge of this oneness.

📍 Key Teachings
▪️ Emphasized Jnana Marg (path of knowledge).
▪️ Advocated unity of all existence.
▪️ Opposed ritualism and sectarian divisions.
▪️ Promoted spiritual harmony and philosophical inquiry.

📍 Four Mathas Established by Him
✅ To preserve and spread Advaita philosophy, he established four Mathas in four directions of India:

▪️ Sringeri Sharada Peetham – South
▪️ Dwarka Sharada Peetham – West
▪️ Govardhan Math – East
▪️ Jyotir Math – North

📍 Literary Works
✅ Major works include:
▪️ Bhaja Govindam
▪️ Atma Shatakam
▪️ Saundarya Lahari
▪️ Commentaries on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras.

📍 Significance
✅ Adi Shankaracharya unified India culturally and spiritually through his philosophy and travels.
✅ His teachings continue to influence Indian philosophy, ethics and spirituality.

#history #prelims #mains

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Gandhian DPSP & concept of welfare state

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🔆 Personality in News: Saint Basaveshwara (Basavanna)

📍 Why in News?
✅ The Vice President called upon society to emulate the philosophy of Basaveshwara.

📍 About Basaveshwara
▪️ 12th-century philosopher, Kannada poet and social reformer.
▪️ Founder of the Lingayat (Veerashaiva) movement.
▪️ Born in 1131 CE in Karnataka.
▪️ Served as a minister under Bijjala I, giving institutional support to reforms.

📍 Core Philosophy

▪️ Ishtalinga Concept
✅ Personal worship of Shiva through a linga worn by devotees.
❌ Rejected priestly intermediaries and ritual hierarchy.

▪️ Kayaka and Dasoha
✅ Kayaka – Work is divine (dignity of labour)
✅ Dasoha – Wealth must be shared equitably

▪️ Equality & Social Justice
✅ Rejected caste, gender discrimination and superstitions
✅ Emphasised dignity of all forms of labour

▪️ Spiritual Principles
✅ Arivu (true knowledge)
✅ Ethos (right conduct)
✅ Anubhava (divine experience)

📍 Institutional Contribution

▪️ Founded Anubhava Mantapa
✅ Considered the first spiritual parliament
✅ Platform for free dialogue on ethics, equality and spirituality

📍 Cultural & Literary Contributions

▪️ Spread ideas through Vachanas (poetic compositions in Kannada)
✅ Simplified spiritual teachings for the masses
▪️ Works include: Shat-sthala vachana, Kala-jnana vachana, etc.

📍 Social Impact

▪️ Promoted caste-free, egalitarian society
▪️ Advocated respect for women and social inclusion
▪️ Linked Bhakti movement ideals with social reform

📍 Legacy

✅ Basava Jayanti celebrated annually
✅ Statues at Basavakalyan and Gadag symbolize his ideals
✅ His philosophy inspired modern democratic values like dialogue, equality and collective wisdom

#history #prelims #mains

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🔆 Designer Rice

📍 Why in News?
✅ Scientists at CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology have developed “designer rice”.

📍 What is Designer Rice?
▪️ A type of functional food designed to meet specific nutritional and health needs.
▪️ Developed in Thiruvananthapuram.
▪️ Technology transferred to Tata Consumer Products Limited for large-scale production.

📍 Aim
✅ To combat malnutrition and improve nutritional intake at scale.

📍 How is it Made?
▪️ Broken rice is ground into flour.
▪️ Enriched with:
✅ Protein
✅ Fibre
✅ Starch
✅ Micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12)
▪️ Re-shaped into rice-like grains using food-processing (extrusion) technology.

📍 Designer Rice vs Regular Rice

▪️ Regular Rice
❌ Mostly carbohydrates
❌ High Glycemic Index (GI) → rapid blood sugar spikes

▪️ Designer Rice
✅ Higher protein (~20% vs 6–8%)
✅ Low GI (<55) → slow energy release
✅ Nutritionally fortified

📍 Benefits

✅ Helps manage diabetes due to low GI
✅ Improves satiety and nutritional balance
✅ Tackles anaemia via iron, folic acid, Vitamin B12 fortification
✅ Supports public health nutrition programs

📍 Significance
▪️ Promotes food-based solutions to malnutrition
▪️ Supports India’s nutrition mission and public distribution reforms
▪️ Scalable and cost-effective innovation

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#science_and_technology

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🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 APRIL 2026

🔆 NATIONAL

📍 TDIP Scheme Revised
✅ Technology Development & Investment Promotion (TDIP) scheme launched (2026–2031)
✅ Outlay: ₹203 crore
✅ Focus: telecom innovation, 5G Advanced & 6G development
✅ Aim: strengthen India’s global telecom standardisation role

📍 Online Gaming Rules Notified
✅ Under Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), 2025
✅ New body: Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI)
✅ Focus: player safety, transparency and responsible gaming
✅ E-sports require mandatory registration
✅ Grievance redressal mechanism mandatory

📍 ATF Norms Revised for Cleaner Fuels
✅ Govt allows blending of Aviation Turbine Fuel with synthetic fuels
✅ Promotes Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
✅ Helps reduce emissions and supports biofuel strategy

📍 VM Frames Filmmaking Competition
✅ Launched by Ministry of Culture
✅ Marks 150 years of Vande Mataram
✅ Prize pool up to ₹50 lakh
✅ Aim: promote cultural heritage and creative storytelling

📍 New Sugar Policy Proposal
✅ Minimum distance between sugar mills increased 15 km → 25 km
✅ Addresses overcapacity and changing consumption trends
✅ Large Khandsari units (>500 TPD) brought under stricter norms

📍 Methane Emission Concern
✅ Indian landfill sites among top global methane emitters
✅ Methane = second-largest contributor to global warming after CO₂
✅ Highly potent greenhouse gas despite shorter atmospheric life

🔆 INTERNATIONAL

📍 UK Tobacco Ban Bill
✅ United Kingdom passes Tobacco and Vapes Bill
✅ People born after Jan 1, 2009 can never legally buy tobacco
✅ Aim: create a “smoke-free generation”

🔆 SPORTS

📍 World Para Athletics Championships 2027
✅ Host city: Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
✅ First time event hosted in Central Asia
✅ Reflects expansion of global para-sports

🔆 SCHEMES

📍 Atal Pension Yojana Milestone
✅ Atal Pension Yojana crosses 9 crore enrolments
✅ Target: unorganised sector workers
✅ Guaranteed pension: ₹1,000–₹5,000/month after 60 years

🔆 RANKS & REPORTs

📍 UNESCO Report on Heritage Sites
✅ UNESCO report: ~90% sites under environmental stress
✅ 98% sites affected by climate change
✅ Major threats: wildfires, glacier loss, invasive species
✅ Indian sites at risk: Sundarbans, Western Ghats, Konark, etc.

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS

📍 India International Water Week 2026
✅ Organised by Ministry of Jal Shakti
✅ Theme: Climate Resilient Water Management
✅ Venue: Bharat Mandapam (Sept 22–26, 2026)
✅ Target: sustainable water practices and global collaboration

🔆 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

📍 Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
✅ Developed by NASA
✅ Expected launch: 2026
✅ Field of view: 100× Hubble, faster surveys
✅ Objective: study dark energy, dark matter & map universe

📍 Curiosity Rover Discovery
✅ NASA’s Curiosity rover detects new organic molecules on Mars
✅ Molecules are precursors to DNA & RNA
✅ Strengthens possibility of past microbial life

🔆 ENVIRONMENT

📍 India Wind Energy Update
✅ India adds 6+ GW wind capacity in FY26 (highest ever)
✅ Total capacity: 56+ GW
✅ Target: 100 GW by 2030
✅ India ranks 4th globally

📍 New Ramsar Site
✅ Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary declared India’s 99th Ramsar Site
✅ Important for migratory birds under Central Asian Flyway

📍 Salween River Pollution
✅ Arsenic contamination due to mining in Myanmar
✅ River flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand
✅ Second longest river in Southeast Asia

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🔆 Salween River

📍 Why in News?
✅ Alarming arsenic contamination has recently been detected in the Salween River.

📍 About the Salween River
▪️ Also known as:
✅ Nu River in China
✅ Thanlwin River in Myanmar

▪️ It is the second-longest river in Southeast Asia after the Mekong River.
▪️ It is also the longest undammed river in Southeast Asia.

📍 Origin and Course
▪️ Originates from the Tanggula Mountains on the Tibetan Plateau.
▪️ Flows through China, Myanmar and along parts of Thailand.
▪️ Finally empties into the Gulf of Martaban in the Andaman Sea.

📍 River Basin Distribution
✅ China – 53%
✅ Myanmar – 42%
✅ Thailand – 5%

📍 Major Tributaries
▪️ Moei River
▪️ Pang River
▪️ Teng River
▪️ Pawn River
▪️ Hka River
▪️ Hsim River

#GS1 #Geography #places_in_news

🔆 First-Ever Gene Therapy for Genetic Hearing Loss

📍 Why in News?
✅ The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss—Otarmeni, developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

📍 Key Highlights of the Therapy

▪️ Target: OTOF Gene Mutation
✅ The OTOF produces otoferlin, essential for converting sound vibrations into neural signals.
❌ Defective copies lead to severe-to-profound hearing loss (2–8% of inherited cases).

▪️ How Otarmeni Works
✅ A one-time biologic-device combination therapy.
✅ Uses dual AAV (Adeno-Associated Virus) vectors to deliver a functional gene.
✅ Restores otoferlin production in inner ear hair cells.
✅ Enables proper auditory signal transmission to the brain.

📍 What is Gene Therapy?

▪️ Gene therapy involves inserting or modifying genes to treat diseases.
▪️ Uses vectors (commonly viruses) to deliver therapeutic genes into target cells.
▪️ It targets the root genetic cause rather than symptoms.

📍 Significance

✅ First approved gene therapy for hearing loss
✅ Potential cure for inherited deafness
✅ One-time treatment vs lifelong management
✅ Opens new avenues for treating genetic disorders

📍 Concerns

▪️ High cost and accessibility issues
▪️ Long-term safety and durability yet to be fully assessed

📍 Conclusion
Gene therapy like Otarmeni marks a breakthrough in precision medicine, shifting healthcare from symptom management to genetic correction.

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#science_and_technology

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🔆 Tathagata Relics of Lord Buddha

📍 Why in News?
✅ Exposition of sacred Tathagata relics of Gautama Buddha is set to take place in Ladakh.

📍 About Tathagata Relics

▪️ These relics represent the physical remains of Buddha (such as bone fragments, ashes) and sacred objects associated with him.
▪️ They are preserved in stupas and monasteries and hold deep spiritual significance.

📍 Meaning of ‘Tathagata’

▪️ A term used by Gautama Buddha to refer to himself.
▪️ Found in the Tripitaka of the Pali Canon.

✅ Interpreted as:
▪️ “The one thus-come”
▪️ “The one thus-gone”

📍 Philosophical Significance

▪️ Important in Mahayana Buddhism:
✅ Represents enlightenment and ultimate truth
✅ Linked to two lineages:
▪️ Textual transmission (teachings)
▪️ Realization transmission (spiritual experience)

▪️ Also relevant in Vajrayana traditions.

📍 Cultural & Religious Importance

✅ Symbol of reverence and devotion in Buddhism
✅ Represents continuity of Buddha’s teachings
✅ Associated with peace, compassion and protection

📍 Conclusion
Tathagata relics serve as powerful spiritual symbols, connecting devotees with the life, teachings and legacy of the Buddha.

#prelims
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