About QS World University Rankings:

• It is published annually by global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds.
• The QS rankings evaluate universities on several parameters, including academic reputation, overall score, employer reputation, and employment outcomes.
• It uses a structured approach to assess institutions across the globe. Each ranking is built on a set of measurements that help evaluate different aspects of university performance. These measurements are grouped as follows:
  • Lens:A collection of indicators linked by a common theme, such as research or employability.
    • Five Lenses: Research and Discovery, Employability and Outcomes, Global Engagement, Learning Experience, Sustainability.
  • Indicator:A specific area of performance, such as Citations per Faculty or Employer Reputation. Institutions are scored and ranked on each indicator, which contributes to their overall rank.
  • Metric:A detailed calculation within an indicator, used to generate precise scores.

Key Highlights of QS World University Rankings

• India recorded 120 new entries this year, placing it fourth globally for fresh appearances, behind only the US (287), China (181), and the UK (159).
• The country now holds the fourth-largest presence in these rankings by institution count, after the US, China, and the UK.
• Six Indian institutions now feature in the global top 100 for computer science, all improving from last year.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, both securing the country's highest global rank of 21.
• IIT-ISM Dhanbad has retained its stronghold in mineral and mining engineering.
• IIM Ahmedabad has broken into the top 25 globally in business and management studies as well as marketing.

About Amrabad Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in the Nallamala hills of the Eastern Ghats in Telangana state.
• It was originally part of the larger Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve before the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in 2014.
• Terrain: The reserve is renowned for its rugged terrain, deep valleys, and dense forests.
• Rivers: The Krishna River and its perennial streams originating within the reserve contribute to the water supply of major reservoirs such as the Srishailam Dam and Nagarjunsagar Dam.
• Tribal Community: The Chenchu tribe is one of the major tribal communities that live in the ATR.
• Flora: 
  • Amrabad is characterized by dry deciduous forests, primarily made up of sal, teak, bamboo, and acacia trees. 
  • The forest is rich in medicinal plants and shrubs, which have long been used by local tribes for traditional remedies.
• Fauna: It is home to leopards and wild cats, along with herbivores like sambar deer, chital (spotted deer), nilgai (blue bull), wild boar, and the Indian bison (gaur). 

Over 303 bird species have been identified in this region. Some important groups include Eagles, Pigeons, Doves, Cuckoos, Woodpeckers, Drongos, etc.

About Lebanon:

• Location: It is situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia.
• Borders: It is bounded in the northern and eastern parts by Syria; in the southern part by Israel; in the western part by the Mediterranean Sea.
• The country shares its maritime borders with Cyprus.
• Capital City: Beirut
• Geographical Features of Lebanon:
  • Climate: Its Mediterranean climate brings mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
  • Mountains: Its major mountains are Lebanon Mountains (Jabal Lubnan), Hermon Ranges.
  • Highest Peak: The highest point of Lebanon is Qurnat as Sawda’
  • Major Valley: Bekaa (Al-Biqa)
  • River: The Litani the most significant river which irrigates the heart of the fertile Bekaa Valley.
  • Natural Resources: Lebanon has various mineral products which include limestone, gypsum, oil, natural gas, and salt. Other important commodities include semiprecious gemstones.
  • Economy: Services, including banking and tourism, are Lebanon’s most important economic activities.

About PRISM-SG Portal:

• PRISM-SG (Portal for Rail-Road Inspection & Stages Management – Steel Girders) Portal aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and inter-agency coordination in infrastructure development.
• Features:
  • It has been developed to digitise key approval and inspection processes related to the construction of
  • Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and also includes Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), Welding Procedure Specification Sheet (WPSS) and fabrication stage inspection of steel girders.
  • It enables end-to-end online submission of documents, scrutiny, raising and resolution of queries, approvals, scheduling of inspections, and uploading of inspection reports, supported by a complete audit trail and real-time monitoring capabilities.
  • It provides an integrated digital platform that brings together all key stakeholders, including Road Owning Departments, Indian Railways, contractors, fabricators, and inspection agencies.
• Significance:
  • It will help to reduce the approval and inspection timeline from approximately 12 months to about 3 to 4 months.
  • It will play a critical role in ensuring timely completion of RoBs and Railway Bridges, strengthening infrastructure delivery and enhancing connectivity across the country.

About Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking (lVFRT) Scheme:

• The IVFRT platform is aimed at integrating and streamlining immigration, visa issuance, and foreigner registration processes in India through a secure, technology-driven framework.
• It was approved for a period of five year from 2026 to 2031.
• It was originally approved in 2010; the project has undergone multiple phases of expansion and extension.
• The latest approval comes in the backdrop of the recently enacted Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, 
• Features of lVFRT Scheme:
  • The scheme will concentrate on three broad areas:
    • Emerging technology innovations, transformation of core infrastructure and optimisation of technology-enabled service delivery
  • The scheme will modernize the immigration and visa ecosystem through adoption of emerging technologies, including mobile-based services and self-service kiosks for seamless and secure passenger movement.
  • It will upgrade and expand core infrastructure across Immigration Posts, FRROs, and Data Centres to build a resilient and scalable system nationwide.
  • It will optimize technology and service delivery by introducing unified digital platforms, revamping core application architecture, and strengthening network and deployment frameworks for improved efficiency and user experience.

Why in the News?

• The Union Cabinet has approved a revamped UDAN Scheme with higher funding and extended subsidy support.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• UDAN Scheme (Objectives, Key Features, Funding Mechanism, Achievements, Challenges, etc.)
• News Summary

UDAN Scheme

• The Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme was launched in 2017 under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to enhance air connectivity to underserved and unserved regions.
• Objectives

• Improve regional connectivity across Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
• Make air travel affordable for common citizens.
• Promote balanced regional development.
• Enhance the infrastructure utilisation of unused and underutilised airports.

• Key Features

• Airlines are selected through a competitive bidding mechanism.
• Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is provided to airlines to operate on less profitable routes.
• 50% of seats are offered at a capped fare of around Rs. 2,500 per hour of flight.
• Focus on connecting remote, hilly, and island regions.

• Funding Mechanism

• Initially funded through a Regional Connectivity Scheme levy imposed on flights operating on major routes.
• The levy subsidised airlines operating on regional routes.

• Achievements of the Scheme

• Over 600 routes have been operationalised since launch.
• More than 90 airports, including many previously unused airstrips, have been revived.
• Improved last-mile connectivity in remote areas such as the North-East and hilly regions.

• Challenges

• Low route viability after subsidy withdrawal.
• Limited passenger demand in certain regions.
• Operational challenges such as infrastructure gaps and airline sustainability.
• High discontinuation rate of routes after the subsidy period.

News Summary

• The government has approved a major revamp of the UDAN scheme to address structural issues and improve sustainability.
• Increased Funding and Scope
  • The revamped scheme has a total outlay of 28,840 crore, which marks a nearly six-fold increase from the earlier allocation.
  • The scheme now goes beyond airport redevelopment to include support for operations and maintenance.
• Extension of Subsidy Period

• Subsidy support for airlines has been extended from three years to five years.
• This aims to improve route viability and reduce premature discontinuation.

• Shift in Funding Source

• Subsidy funding will now come directly from the government exchequer instead of the RCS levy.
• This marks a significant policy shift in financing the scheme.

• Viability Concerns Highlighted
  • The revamp was triggered by poor performance under the earlier scheme:

• Over 90% of routes fell into disuse after subsidy withdrawal.
• Only about 7%-10% of routes remained viable beyond the subsidy period, as noted by a CAG report.
• Out of 663 routes launched since 2017, 327 have been discontinued.

• Airport Infrastructure and Expansion

• 100 additional airports will be redeveloped with an outlay of Rs. 12,159 crore.
• Around 441 aerodromes will receive operational and maintenance support.
• This reflects a shift from infrastructure creation to sustained operational support.

• Focus on Last-Mile Connectivity

• Development of 200 helipads to improve connectivity in remote regions.
• Investment in helicopters and small aircraft to strengthen regional aviation networks.

• Support for Aircraft Procurement

• Procurement of HAL Dhruv helicopters for Pawan Hans.
• Procurement of HAL Dornier aircraft for Alliance Air.
• This aims to enhance fleet availability for regional routes.