PRELIMS BITS Context: The Indian Navy recently conducted a successful test of the MR-SAM air defence missile system aboard the INS Surat warship in the Arabian Sea. INS Surat is the fourth and final ship in the P15B Guided Missile Destroyer Project. Key Features: MR-SAM: A quick-response, high-speed, vertically launched …

GS 1 – HISTORY Context: The Vachana Mantapa project was launched in Kalaburagi during Basava Jayanti in 2025. Biography: Basaveshwara, also referred to as Bhakti Bhandari (treasurer of devotion), was an Indian philosopher, poet, and social reformer. Birth and Early Life: He was born in 1131 AD in Bagevadi, now …

GS 3 – DEFENCE Context: Fifty years after the Vietnam War (1955-1975), millions of Vietnamese continue to suffer from the devastating effects of Agent Orange. This toxic herbicide was sprayed by U.S. forces to destroy forests and food crops that provided cover and sustenance to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong …

GS3 – Environment Context: A recent study has linked daily exposure to phthalates, particularly di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), to approximately 350,000 deaths worldwide due to heart disease in 2018. India accounted for the highest number of these deaths (103,587), followed by China and Indonesia. What Are Phthalates? Phthalates are chemicals commonly …

GS3 – Environment Context: UNESCO has included 16 new sites from 11 countries in its Global Geoparks Network. Notably, North Korea has joined for the first time, and Saudi Arabia introduced two new geoparks. In 2025, UNESCO celebrated the 10th anniversary of its International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme, a key …

PRELIMS BITS – MAPS Context: Pakistan has temporarily suspended its Green Pakistan Initiative, which includes the development of six strategic canals, most notably the Cholistan Canal, intended to irrigate the Cholistan Desert. The Cholistan Desert, locally known as Rohi, is located in the southern region of Punjab, Pakistan. It borders …

 GS 3 – INTERNAL SECURITY   Context (UNODC): The 2025 UNODC report titled “Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking, and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia” highlights the escalating threat posed by transnational organised crime (TOC) in East and Southeast Asia. The United Nations Office on Drugs …

GS 3 – ENVIRONMENT Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) introduced the Draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity (GEI) Target Rules, 2025. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity (GEI): GEI measures the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted per unit of product, such as per tonne of cement or …