About Medak Fort:

• It is a historic hill fort located in Medak town, Telangana.
• The fort was built during the 12th century under the reign of the Kakatiya ruler, Pratapa Rudra, and it was initially called ‘MethukuDurgam’ in Telugu.
• It served as a command post for the Kakatiyas and later for the Qutub Shahis.
• Features:
  • It has three main entrances, namely the “Prathama Dwaram”, the “SimhaDwaram” and the “GajaDwaram”.
  • The main entrance features the double-headed “Gandabherundam”, the emblem of Vijayanagara Empire built by the great ruler Srikrishna Devaraya.
  • The fort also has a 17th-century mosque on its premises built by the Qutub Shahis, as well as granaries.

About Lake Powell:

• It is a huge man-made lake located on the Colorado River and stretches across parts of Utah and Arizona in the United States.
• The lake was created by building the Glen Canyon Dam, which flooded Glen Canyon.
• It's the second-largest reservoir in the United States by volume (second only to Lake Mead).
• It is an oligotrophic reservoir, which means that nutrient concentrations and algal production are generally low. This often results in very clear-water conditions.
• The lake is also a major recreation area, known for magnificent sandstone canyons and rock formations.

About Huntington's Disease:

• It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that changes brain functioning over time.
• It is a rare hereditary disorder in which brain cells, or neurons, in certain areas of brain start to break down.
  • The destruction of nerve cells happens in the basal ganglia, or the region of brain that regulates your body’s movements.
  • It also affects the brain cortex (surface of your brain) that regulates thinking, decision-making, and memory.
• As the neurons degenerate, the disease can lead to emotional disturbances, loss of intellectual abilities, and uncontrolled movements.
• What causes HD?
  • A genetic mutation of the HTT gene causes HD. If one of the parents has HD, a child has a 50% chance of also developing it.
  • The HTT gene makes a protein called huntingtin. The exact function of this protein is not yet known, but researchers believe it plays a role in supporting the function of nerve cells in the brain.
  • If a person has HD, his/her DNA doesn’t have all the information needed to make the huntingtin protein.
  • As a result, these proteins grow in an abnormal shape and destroy neurons.
• How common is HD?
  • HD affects an estimated 3 to 7 out of every 100,000 people, most often people of European ancestry (biological family comes from European descent).
• Symptoms:
  • HD symptoms can begin at any age but usually first appear between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
  • About 5-10% of people have symptoms before age 20 (Juvenile HD) and 10% have onset after age 60 (late onset).
• Treatment:
  • There is no cure for HD.
  • Medicines can help manage some of the symptoms, but cannot slow down or stop the disease.
  • People usually die from the disease within 15 to 20 years of developing symptoms.

About INS Imphal:

• It is an indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy.
• It is the third ship to be built under the Project P-15B series of stealth destroyers, otherwise known as the Visakhapatnam-class.
• It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2023.
• The Navy’s Warship Design Bureau designed the ship in-house, and Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL) was responsible for its construction.
• It is the first warship to be named after a city in the Northeast, Imphal — the capital of Manipur.
• It was the first naval warship commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors.
• It is a unit of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet.
• Missions include anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
• Features:
  • It is propelled by four powerful Gas Turbines, in a Combined Gas & Gas configuration, and is capable of achieving speeds in excess of 30 knots (56 km/hour).
  • It has a maximum operating endurance of 45 days.
  • It has enhanced stealth features, resulting in a reduced Radar Cross Section.
  • The ship has BrahMos missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, indigenous anti-submarine rocket launchers, and a 76 mm super-rapid gun mount.
  • It has modern surveillance radar, which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems.
  • It has a total atmospheric control system (TACS) that offers protection to the crew from chemical, biological, and nuclear threats.

About Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE):

• It is a type of propulsion system that differs from conventional gas turbines and ramjets in the way it uses fuel.
• Usually, engines use deflagration, which is a subsonic, steady way of burning fuel through a flame.
• On the contrary, an RDE uses detonation, wherein the fuel burns faster as rapid supersonic explosions rotate through the chamber of the engine.
• This rapid detonation produces more thrust for the same amount of fuel.
• This volume savings can be used to increase fuel and/or payload volume, providing potential range, speed, and affordability benefits compared to rockets, ramjets, and gas-turbines.
• These mechanically simple RDEs have no moving parts, making them less complex than gas turbine engines and therefore potentially lower cost and simpler to manufacture.

About National Anubhav Awards:

• It was launched in 2015 by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.
• Eligibility: The employees of Central Government, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and Public Sector Banks who are going to retire in the next 8 months or who have retired within 3 years are the ‘eligible employees’ for the submission of Anubhav write-ups. 
• Categories: The categories included Administrative Work, Good Governance, Research, Simplification of Procedures, Accounts, Field Work Contributions, and Constructive Feedback for Work Improvement.
• Objectives:
  • It aims to create a database of significant suggestions and work experiences.
  • It channels the human resource of retiring employees for nation building.
  • Enable Ministries/ Departments to take crucial steps while considering useful and replicable suggestions.
• Each ANUBHAV Awardees will be felicitated with a medal and certificate and a Prize of 10,000 rupees, whereas a Jury certificate Winner will be presented with a medal and a certificate.

About Appeal and Complaint Management System Portal:

• It is an online web application portal, initially introduced by the Central Information Commission in 2016.
• It enables citizens to file Second Appeals and Complaints online and facilitates end-to-end digital processing of cases.
• It includes registration, scheduling of hearings, issuance and uploading of decisions and other related processes.

Key Facts about Appeal and Complaint Management System Portal 2.0:

• It has been developed as a technologically upgraded platform with enhanced security standards, improved functionalities and streamlined workflows.
• Key feature of AppCoMS 2.0
  • It has introduced a feature of user accounts for Applicants, Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) of the Public Authorities and other stakeholders, linked with their e-mail ID and mobile number.
  • In the upgraded system, applicants will be able to submit Second Appeals and Complaints through their user accounts.
  • Under this version, applicants can view case timelines, access documents, download hearing notices and decisions/ orders.
  • It has the facility for use of Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs) for digitally signing and issuing notices/orders by the Commission.

About Exercise MAITREE:

• It is the joint military exercise between India and Thailand.
• It was instituted in 2006.
• It is an important platform for sharing best practices and strengthening military cooperation between India and Thailand.
• In Exercise MAITREE 2026, the Indian Army contingent is represented primarily by troops from 9 Gorkha Rifles.
• Focus: The exercise will involve company-level joint training focused on operations in jungle and semi-urban terrain.
• Aim: Aim of the exercise is to foster Military Cooperation between India and Thailand.
• The Exercise will enhance combined capabilities in executing Joint Counter Insurgency/ Terrorist Operations in Jungle and semi-urban Environment under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter.
• The training will include field exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations and a culminating validation exercise.
• The contingents will also exchange operational experience and showcase contemporary equipment and technologies employed during joint operations.
• Significance: It will further reinforce the longstanding bilateral relations between the two nations.

About Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme:

• It was launched in 2025 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• Objective: To develop robust component manufacturing ecosystem by attracting investments (global / domestic) across the value chain by integrating its domestic electronic industry with the Global Value Chains (GVCs).
• The scheme will offer three incentive structures:
  • turnover-linked incentive (based on revenue)
  • capex-linked incentive (for investments in plants & machinery)
  • hybrid incentive model (a combination of both)
• Employment generation will be a mandatory requirement for all applicants, including both component manufacturers and capital equipment producers.
• Tenure: It has six-year tenure with a one-year gestation period for the Turnover Linked Incentive and the Capex Incentive is available for a five-year period. 
• The scheme focuses particularly on passive electronic components. In contrast, active components fall under the purview of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
• Target: It to promote the manufacturing of select passive electronic components, including resistors, capacitors, speakers, microphones, special ceramics, relays, switches, and connectors.