About Saidongar-1 Pumped Storage Project:

• The Saidongar 1 (Karjat) Off-Stream Open Loop Pumped Storage project (PSP) is a major hydro-energy initiative located in Karjat taluka, Raigad district of
• The project is adjacent to the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary of Pune district in the Sahyadri-Western Ghats ranges.
• With a capacity of 3,000 MW, it will be India’s largest PSP.
• It is being developed by Torrent Energy Storage Solutions Private Limited, a subsidiary of Gujarat-based Torrent Power Ltd.
• Once operational, it is projected to avoid carbon dioxide emissions by 4.55 million tons per year, roughly equivalent to taking around 1 million cars off the road
• With an annual energy production of 6,241 GWh, the project is expected to contribute to grid reliability and energy security in the state and other regions.

About Oskar Klein Medal:

• It is a prestigious international award that recognises outstanding contributions to theoretical physics.
• Established in 1988, the medal honours the legacy of Swedish theoretical physicist Oskar Klein.
• The medal is awarded annually by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Past recipients of the medal have included some of the world’s top physicists, Alan Guth and Stephen Hawking, and Nobel laureates Peter Higgs, Kip Thorne, and Steven Weinberg, among others.

2026 Winner:

• Professor Ashoke Sen, a renowned Indian theoretical physicist, was awarded the Oskar Klein Medal 2026.
• He is the first Indian to receive the award.
• The award recognizes his pioneering contributions to string theory, which seeks to explain the fundamental nature of the universe, black hole entropy, and string field theory, which have significantly shaped modern theoretical physics.

What is String Theory?

• String theory is a scientific framework that attempts to explain how the universe works at its most fundamental level.
• According to this theory, the smallest building blocks of matter are not point-like particles but tiny, one-dimensional objects called strings.
• These strings can vibrate in different ways, with each pattern of vibration corresponding to a different particle.
• In this way, string theory offers a possible common framework for understanding the different particles and forces found in nature.
• One of its major goals is to bring gravity into the framework of quantum physics, which describes the behaviour of matter and energy at extremely small scales.
• Scientists have long struggled to reconcile the two, particularly in extreme environments such as black holes, where gravity and quantum effects become important.

About Osbeckia assamensis:

• It is a new species of flowering plant.
• It was discovered in the grasslands within Manas National Park of Assam. The area forms part of the foothills of the Himalayas.
• It belongs to one of the largest families of flowering plants.
• It is a perennial shrub.
• It was distinguished from the closely related Osbeckia nayarii by examining differences in its stem, leaves, flowers and seeds.
• It has pink flowers, large opposite leaves, and a largely unbranched stem.
• Its flowering and fruiting season extends from September to February.
• It also has distinctive hairs along its stem and longer seeds.
• Its conservation status has been classified as ‘Data Deficient’ under the IUCN criteria.

About INS Vikrant:

• It is India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured aircraft carrier.
• The ship has been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi.
• It is the largest warship ever constructed in the country.
• It takes its name from India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant (R11), bought from the UK, which was decommissioned in 1997.
• It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2022.
• With the induction of INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy now has two aircraft carriers in its fleet–INS Vikramaditya (a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier purchased from Russia) being the other one.
• With it, India also joins the elite group of nations–the US, Russia, France, the UK, and China – who are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers.
• Features:
  • 76 percent of the ship is indigenously built.
  • It is powered by four gas turbines that together generate about 88 megawatts of power.
  • It can achieve a maximum designed speed of 28 knots.
  • It is capable of functioning independently for up to 45 days at sea.
  • It is capable of operating an air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).
  • It operates on the Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system, which allows aircraft to take off using a ski jump and land with the help of arrester wires.

About International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD):

• It is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
• It was formally established and inaugurated on 5 December 1983.
• It is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• It works in and for its eight regional member countries (RMCs) of HKH: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• Mission: Build and share knowledge that drives regional policy and action and attracts investment that enables the diverse countries and communities of the HKH to transition to greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient development.
• Globalization and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people.
• ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues.
• It supports regional transboundary programmes through partnerships with regional partner institutions, facilitates the exchange of experience, and serves as a regional knowledge hub.
• It also strengthens networking among regional and global centres of excellence.

Key Facts about Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH):

• It is a vast mountain region that extends 3500 km over eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It is considered the Third Pole (after the North and South Poles) and has significant implications for climate.
• It forms the largest area of permanent ice cover outside of the North and South Poles and is home to 4 global biodiversity hotspots.
• It is the source of ten large Asian river systems: the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, and Tarim.
• The basins of these rivers provide water to 1.9 billion people, a fourth of the world’s population.

About Narcotics Control Bureau:      

• It is the nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
• It was constituted under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act).
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Functions of Narcotics Control Bureau:
  • Coordination among various Central and State Agencies engaged in drug law enforcement.
  • It assists states in enhancing their drug law enforcement effort.
  • Analysis of seizure data, study of trends and modus operandi.
  • It prepares National Drug Enforcement Statistics.
  • It liaison with International agencies such as UNDCP, INCB, INTERPOL, Customs Cooperation Council, RILO etc.
  • It works as national contact point for intelligence and investigations
  • It also functions as an enforcement agency through its zonal offices.
  • The zonal offices collect and analyse data related to seizures of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, study trends, modus operandi, collect and disseminate intelligence, and work in close cooperation with the Customs, State Police, and other law enforcement agencies.

About Democratic Republic of Congo:

• Location: It is located in Central Africa with the equator passing through the country.
• Bordering countries: It is bordered by Angola, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia.
• Maritime Border: It has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.
• Capital City:
• Geographical Features of Democratic Republic of Congo:
  • Climate: It has an equatorial climate.
  • Highest Point: Mount Stanley (Margherita Peak) in the Rwenzori Mountains, on the Uganda–DRC border.
  • Plateau region:
  • Major River: It is drained by the Congo River.
  • Lakes: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu
  • Volcanoes: Mount Nyiragongo which is an active volcano located in Virunga Mountains.
  • Natural Resources: The DRC is rich in natural resources such as industrial diamonds, cobalt, and copper etc

About Ranthambore Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in Rajasthan. 
• It derives its name from the Ranthambore Fort (a World Heritage Site) situated within its precincts. 
• It is located at the junction (great boundary fault) of the Aravalis and Vindhyan ranges.
• It is one of the largest tiger reserves in northern India.
• Vegetation: It has dry deciduous forests and open grassy meadow.
• Rivers: It is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. 
• Lakes: There are several lakes in the park known as Padam Talab, Raj Bagh Talab, and Malik Talab.
• Flora: Trees like Dhok, Acacia, Capparis, Zizyphus, Prosopis, etc are found here.
• Fauna: 
  • It hosts leopard, caracal, jungle cat, sambar, chital, chinkara, and wild boar.
  • Peacocks, partridges, green pigeons, parakeets, sparrows, prinias, warblers, etc. are also found here.

About Melioidosis:

• It is an infectious disease caused by the environmental Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.
  • Burkholderia pseudomallei is found in soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions.
• It is seasonal, with 75–85% of cases occurring during the rainy season.
• It is common in people living with: Diabetes, Alcohol use disorder, Chronic kidney disease, Chronic lung disease (like cystic fibrosis or COPD).
• Transmission:
  • Infection usually occurs when contaminated soil or water enters the body through cuts or wounds.
  • Inhalation of contaminated dust or water droplets and, less commonly, ingestion of contaminated water can also transmit the bacterium.
  • It is not typically transmitted from animals to humans, and human-to-human transmission is exceptionally rare.
• Melioidosis can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infection, skin and soft-tissue infections, abscesses in organs such as the liver and spleen, septic arthritis and bone infections.
• It is an infectious disease endemic in Southeast Asia, northern Australia, much of the Indian subcontinent, southern China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
• Treatment: Treatment has two phases: an initial intensive phase with intravenous antibiotics, followed by prolonged oral eradication therapy to reduce the risk of relapse.

About Rugda Mushroom:      

• It is a wild, edible subterranean fungus.
• It is scientifically known as Astraeus hygrometricus or Astraeus asiaticus.
• It is commonly foraged by tribal communities in eastern and central India.
• It is highly prized across the Chhotanagpur Plateau, particularly in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal
• It appears beneath the forest floor after the first monsoon showers and is hand-foraged for only a few weeks each year.
• It survives in a natural partnership with the roots of sal trees, exchanging nutrients through an underground fungal network. Scientists call this an ectomycorrhizal relationship.
• Ideal Condition for Growth:
  • It relies heavily on the monsoon for growth.
  • Ideal conditions include high rainfall (around 350 cm), ample sunlight, and temperatures near 30°C.
  • The fallen Sal leaves decompose over time to form a nutrient-rich humus layer.
  • This layer is a dark, organic part of the soil that is high in moisture and essential nutrients, creating an environment that supports the healthy growth of these mushrooms.