About Exercise KONKAN-2026:          

• It is an annual bilateral maritime exercise conducted between India and United Kingdom (UK).
• It is fostering enhanced interoperability and mutual understanding in maritime operations between the two Navies.
• Phases: The exercise is being conducted off Plymouth, UK, in two phases.
  • Harbour Phase: It includes a broad spectrum of professional interactions, cross-deck visits, sports fixtures, cultural engagements.
  • Sea Phase: It will encompass complex maritime operational drills across all three domains: air, surface and sub-surface.
• The exercise is a reaffirmation of the shared commitment to ensuring secure, open and free seas and exemplifies the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership outlined in the India-UK Vision 2035.
• The exercise stands as a testament to the enduring bonds between the Indian and UK Navies and their shared commitment to maritime peace and security.

About National Household Travel Survey:

• It is published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Primary objectives of the survey: To generate robust, data-driven insights into domestic travel patterns and dynamics to support regional transport planning, infrastructure development and evidence-based policy formulation.
• The survey captures key aspects of domestic travel, including:
  • Purpose of travel: Employment, education, social engagements, cultural and leisure activities, tourism, domestic work, caregiving and other purposes.
  • Mode of transport: Modes of transportation used by different demographic groups for undertaking trips.
  • Travel duration and distance: Average time taken and distances travelled during trips.
• Major findings of National Household Travel Survey:
  • Student Mobility: Students in the 15-29 age group recorded the highest regular trip participation for daily travel to educational institutions, at 1 per cent in rural India and 73.3 per cent in urban India.
  • Workforce Mobility: Male workers recorded a higher share of daily work trips of more than 1 km, at 61.9 per cent, compared with 41.9 per cent among female workers nationwide.
  • Commuting costs: The average monthly expenditure on commuting to a fixed workplace stood at Rs 785 per worker. Urban workers incurred an average monthly expenditure of Rs 1,044, compared with Rs 612 for rural workers.

About Garba Dance:

• It is a ritualistic and devotional dance performed throughout the State of Gujarat, and across India.
• It is celebrated for nine days during the festival of Navaratri.
• The festival is dedicated to the worship of the feminine energy or Shakti.
• The cultural, performative, and visual expressions of this feminine energy are expressed through the Garba dance.
• The performative and visual celebration of Garba takes place within homes and temple courtyards.
• Social Impact: It promotes gender inclusivity, community bonding, and social equality across rural and urban spaces.
• It continues to be inclusive and participative by diverse and marginalized communities, strengthening community bonds.
• Garba of Gujarat was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023.

About Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems:

• It is a UN Global Initiative.
• It is coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in close collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP).
• This provided a platform for advancing dialogue on the responsible use of AI in agriculture and food systems by promoting trustworthy and interoperable farmer-centric AI solutions.
• It strengthens international cooperation on governance and standards and identifying opportunities to translate innovation into practical applications.

What is International Telecommunication Union?

• It is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.
• Historical Background:
  • It was established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union.
  • In 1947 the ITU became a specialized agency of the United Nations.
• It is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates between governments and private sector bodies with respect to global telecommunication and information communication technology (ICT) services.
• Member countries: It has a membership of 194 countries and more than 1000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations.
• India and ITU: India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869 and has been a regular member of the ITU Council since 1952.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

About Palamu Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in Jharkhand.
• The reserve forms a part of the Betla National Park.
• It is one of the first tiger reserves created in the country at the inception of ‘Project Tiger’.
• It is the first reserve in the world in which a tiger census was carried out as a pugmark count, as early as 1932 under the supervision of J.W. Nicholson.
• Terrain: The terrain is undulating with valleys, hills, and plains. The geological formation consists of gneiss and includes granite and limestone. 
• Rivers: It is drained by three rivers, namely North Koel, Auranga, and Burha, flowing through the valleys. 
• Vegetation: The vegetation comprises moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests.
• Flora: It mainly consists of Sal and bamboo as the major components.
• Fauna: Some keystone and principal species found in the reserve include Tiger, Asiatic Elephant, Leopard, Grey wolf, Wild dog, Gaur, Sloth bear and four horned antelope.

About Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:

• It was launched in 2022.
• It aims at development and upgradation of stations over the Indian Railways (IR) network. 
• It was launched to improve railway stations and make them cleaner, more comfortable and passenger-friendly.
• The ABSS has a long-term vision that involves creating master plans, promoting multimodal connectivity, better station accessibility for passengers, etc.
• Features:
  • Design: One of the significant features of this scheme is to designs of redeveloped station buildings are inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.
  • Amenities: Under the scheme, stations are being upgraded with better waiting halls, toilets, lifts, escalators, free Wi-Fi, executive lounges, improved access roads and landscaping. Some stations may also have designated spaces for business meetings. 
    • The facilities are planned according to the needs of each station.
  • Local Economy Support: Local products will be sold at kiosks under the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme, and efforts will be made to make stations look greener and more attractive.

About Global Innovation Index 2026:

• It is a ranking of countries as per their success and capacity in innovation.
• It was first launched in 2007, and has become the leading global benchmark for measuring and comparing innovation performance.
• It is published yearly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• It is recognized by the UN General Assembly as an authoritative reference for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies.
• It tracks global innovation trends through investment patterns, technological progress, adoption rates, and socioeconomic impacts.

Key Highlights of Global Innovation Index 2026:

• The 19th edition of the GII ranks the innovation performance of 139 economies, maps the world’s top 100 innovation clusters, and tracks the main global innovation trends.
• For the 16th consecutive year, Switzerland is the most innovative economy in 2026 followed by Sweden and the United States.
• The Republic of Korea and Singapore consolidate 4th and 5th place respectively, China remains 10th, Japan holds 12th and Hong Kong, China climbs to 14th.
• India ranks 38th among the 139 economies featured in the GII 2026.
• India ranks 1st among the 36 Lower middle-income group economies and among the 11 economies in Central and Southern Asia.

About Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses:           

• It is aimed at boosting domestic production and achieving self-sufficiency (Aatmanirbharta) in pulses.
• Time Period: The Mission will be implemented over a six-year period, from 2025-26 to 2030-31.
• It aims to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses by significantly enhancing domestic production, reducing import dependence, and sustainably improving farmers’ incomes.
• The Mission plans to expand the area under pulses cultivation by an additional 35 lakh hectares, targeting rice fallows and other suitable lands, while promoting intercropping and crop diversification.
• Key Features of Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses:
  • Comprehensive strategy: The mission covers research, seed systems, area expansion, procurement, and price stability.
  • Focus on quality seeds: A key focus will be the development and dissemination of high-yielding, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient pulses varieties, supported by a robust seed system.
  • Seed Production: To ensure availability of premium quality seeds, states will prepare five-year rolling seed production plans.
    • The breeder seed production will be supervised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
  • Capacity building: Structured training programmes for farmers and seed growers to promote sustainable techniques and modern technologies.
  • Post-harvest infrastructure: To strengthen markets and value chains, the Mission will help develop processing units, thereby reducing crop losses, improving value addition.
  • Cluster-Based Approach: Tailoring interventions to the specific needs of each cluster to enhance productivity, and promote geographic diversification of pulse production.
  • Procurement: Assured maximum procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor under Price Support Scheme (PSS) of PM-AASHA.
  • NAFED and NCCF will undertake 100% procurement in participating states for the next four years from farmers who register with these agencies and enter into agreements. 

About Chocolate Mahseer:

• Chocolate Mahseer or copper mahseer (Neolissochilus hexagonolepis) is a freshwater fish species.
• The fish species belonging to the genus Tor and Neolissocheilus under the family Cyprinidae are popularly known as ‘Mahseer’.
• It is known by the local name kha saw in Meghalaya.
• It was officially designated as state fish of Meghalaya and Sikkim.
• Distribution: It thrives in nearly all the major rivers and hill-streams of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Tripura.
• Habitat: The species inhabits clear, fast flowing streams and rivers with stony, pebbly or rocky bottoms. It is considered an indicator of healthy river ecosystems.
• Threats: Its populations are in decline due to habitat degradation, overfishing and environmental changes
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened