About Rapunzel Syndrome:

• Rapunzel syndrome is a very rare condition in which a large hair ball (trichobezoar) gets lodged in stomach and extends into small intestine.
• The condition was first described in 1968. It’s named after a fairy-tale character, Rapunzel, who was known for her long hair.
• This condition is much more common among women than men.
• What Causes Rapunzel Syndrome?
  • The condition is strongly linked to trichotillomania and trichophagia.
  • Trichotillomania is a disorder wherein a person repeatedly feels the urge to pull out their own hair, and trichophagia is a condition wherein the pulled or loose hair is swallowed.
• Treatment:
  • Endoscopy can sometimes be used to remove smaller hairballs, but very large masses or those causing obstruction generally require surgery.
  • Surgery involves removing the hair mass from the stomach and, when necessary, the intestine.

About Sewa-II Hydroelectric Project:

• It is a 120 MW run-of-the-river hydro power project located in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is located on the Sewa River, a tributary of the Ravi
• It is a concrete gravity-type dam.
• It is being operated and maintained by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC).

About NMESIS (Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System):

• It is a ground-based anti-ship missile system developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC) to support land-to-sea attacks performed by the US Navy.
• Country of Origin: United States.
• It entered service in 2021, providing the Marine Corps with a critical tool for anti-ship warfare in remote and distributed operational environments.
• It features the US Navy’s latest anti-ship missile, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), mounted atop the chassis of an unmanned variant of the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
• The ground vehicle platform, known as the Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle, is supplied by Oshkosh Defense, United States, while the NSM is jointly manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense (Raytheon), United States, and Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
• NMESIS is not considered an autonomous launcher, as its fire control system is not controlled by the self-driving system and autonomy technology.
• The system is operated by a marine who is responsible for mission planning and firing of the missile.
• Features of ROGUE Fires:
  • It incorporates advanced autonomous vehicle technologies, off-road mobility, and high payload carrying capacity.
  • The vehicle is remotely operated using the teleoperator or leader-follower modes.
  • The vehicle lacks a crew cab/body. It is integrated with sensors and cameras, with a launcher mounted atop the vehicle.
  • The vehicle has a range of 480-640 km depending on terrain and operational conditions, allowing it to cover large areas in a single mission.
  • The flexible design of the platform allows it to be configured to meet different mission requirements.
• Features of NSM:
  • It is a multi-mission cruise missile that can ably neutralise highly secure maritime and land targets.
  • It has a firing range of approximately 185 km (100 nautical miles), and flies at a subsonic speed of around 0.9 Mach.
  • Its multi-mode guidance system incorporates inertial navigation, GPS, and active radar homing.
  • The missile’s low radar cross-section makes it difficult to detect, and its sea-skimming flight profile allows it to avoid detection by enemy radar systems.
  • It carries a 226.79 kg-class warhead and programmable fuse.

About Coppersmith barbet:

• The coppersmith barbet, also called the crimson-breasted barbet, is a small, brightly coloured Asian bird belonging to the barbet family (Megalaimidae).
• It is known for its metronomic call that sounds similar to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer.
• Scientific Name: Psilopogon haemacephalus
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It is a resident bird in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia.
  • They inhabit gardens, groves, and sparse woodland.
  • In northern India, they occur in the valleys of the outer Himalayas and are rare in northwestern Indian states and in wet forests in Assam.
  • It carves out holes inside a tree to build its nest.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

About Jawahar Dweep:

• Jawahar Dweep, or the Butcher Island, is an island off the coast of Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• It is a restricted area, and most of the island is covered with thick vegetation.
• A hillock rises from the center of the Butcher Island.
• It is one of Mumbai Port’s key marine oil terminals and handles crude oil and petroleum The terminal currently has five jetties.
  • The terminal is also supported by automated systems for liquid bulk handling.
  • The crude oil is stored in oil containers on the island. From there they are piped to Wadala, in Mumbai, where they are refined.
  • It is the first oil terminal in India to eliminate single-use plastics.

About Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve:        

• Location: It is located in Chhattisgarh.
• It was established by joining the regions represented by Sitanadi and Udanti wildlife sanctuaries. 
• Geographically, the reserve forms a significant part of the Eastern Highlands of Central India. 
• Rivers: The drainage system of the reserve consists of the Mahanadi as the main river, along with the Udanti, Sitanadi, Indravan, and Pairi Rivers as tributaries.
• Vegetation: The forest type here is predominantly tropical dry and moist deciduous.
• Flora: The forest is dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta), which forms dense patches across the landscape. It also consists of Teak (Tectona grandis), Bamboo, Tendu, Mahua, Bija, and Harra contribute to the green diversity of the region.
• Fauna: It is home to Wild Buffalo, tiger, Indian Wolf, Leopard, Sloth Bear, and Mouse Deer

About Inter-Parliamentary Union:

• It is the international organization of Parliaments which was established in 1889 in Paris to promote representative democracy and world peace.
• The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people.
• It works for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action.
• The IPU moved its headquarters to Geneva in 1921.
• Funding: It is financed primarily by its members out of public funds.
• Governance Structure
  • IPU Assembly: It is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the IPU on political issues. It brings together parliamentarians to study international problems and make recommendations for action.
  • Governing Council: It is the plenary policymaking body of the IPU. It is composed of three representatives from each member parliament. The President of the IPU is ex-officio President of the Governing Council.
  • The Council establishes the annual programme and budget of the IPU.
  • Executive Committees:
    • It is made up of President, elected members from different geopolitical groups, the President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and the President of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
    • The members of the Executive Committee are elected by the Council for a four-year term.
    • The President of the IPU is an ex officio member and President of the Committee.
  • Standing Committees: There are three Standing Committees set up by the IPU Governing Council to assist the Assembly in its work.

About 3D Concrete Printing Technology:

• It is an innovative construction technique that enables the creation of complex and customized structures. 
• It is a construction-scale additive manufacturing—commonly called 3D Concrete Printing—replaces traditional masonry and sequential manual labour with a computer-controlled
• Working:
  • A robotic printer directly translates a digital Building Information Modelling (BIM) design into a physical structure by extruding specially formulated cementitious materials through a nozzle in successive horizontal layers.
  • It heavily relies on material science and automation to ensure that the wet mix maintains precise extrudability, buildability, and rapid setting times without collapsing under its own weight.
• Advantage:
  • The primary advantages of 3D printing lie in its unprecedented speed, reduced material waste, and elimination of traditional timber or steel formwork.
  • Low-carbon inks and materials reuse are being developed to mitigate the environmental impact associated with increased cement usage.
• Applications: In India, the technology is tailored for affordable housing missions, disaster-relief shelters, remote-area deployments, defense fortifications, and rapidly erected public facilities.

About Drawida Incomparabilis:      

• It is a new earthworm species.
• It was found deep within the evergreen and deciduous forests of the Western Ghats mountain chain across the southern states of Keralam and Tamil Nadu.
• The species belongs to the family Moniligastridae.
  • Moniligastridae is a diverse group of terrestrial megadrile earthworms that currently contains 194 valid species distributed across five genera.
• Among them, the genus Drawida is the most species-rich and a prominent component of Asian subterranean ecosystems.

About Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana:

• It is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Central Government launched in 2017.
• It provides free assisted-living devices to senior citizens belonging to BPL categories.
• Assisted living devices are provided to the senior citizens belonging to the BPL category and with monthly income not more than Rs. 15000/-.
• Under this scheme, senior citizens aged 80 years or older are eligible to receive free assisted-living devices directly at their doorstep.
• Assistive Devices: Eligible elders receive items like walking sticks, wheelchairs, hearing aids, spectacles, artificial dentures, and crutches based on their specific physical needs.
• Funding: The expenditure for implementation of the scheme is being met from the "Senior Citizens' Welfare Fund".
• Selection: Beneficiaries in each district will be identified by the State Governments/UT Administrations through a Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector.
• Implementation: The Scheme is being implemented by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment