About Nabha Fort:

• It is located in Nabha city within the Patiala district of Punjab.
• It served as the royal residence and administrative center of the Nabha princely state under the Phulkian dynasty.
• Constructed and expanded over more than 150 years, notable rulers like Maharaja Hira Singh (1843-1911) contributed to its grandeur with decorative frescoes, intricate carvings, and spacious courtyards.
• The fort played a significant role during the Anglo-Sikh Wars, with Nabha aligned with the British, which secured its sovereignty under colonial rule.
• Architecture:
  • The fort features traditional Indian military architecture with thick walls, bastions, and large gates designed for defense, alongside palatial residences, gardens, and audience halls showcasing a blend of Mughal, Rajput, and Sikh architectural styles.
  • The fort also consists of painted chambers, gilding and mirror work, colored glass and decorative fanlights, wood carvings, decorative plasterwork, stone door frames, and stone jaalis.
  • Rediscovered artifacts include rare wall paintings depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army and a unique cooling system in the basement known as the Sard Khana.

About Dongfeng-17 (DF-17):

• It is a Chinese solid-fueled medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile.
• It was officially unveiled in 2019.
• Its NATO code name is CSS-22.
• Features:
  • It is said to have a range of 1800 km to 2500 km.
  • It is mounted on a mobile launcher.
  • It carries a hypersonic glide vehicle DF-ZF (HGV — Hypersonic Glide Vehicle).
  • Its operation is as follows:
    • The missile is launched outside the atmosphere like a classic ballistic missile.
    • At a certain altitude, the DF-ZF warhead separates.
    • The warhead reenters the atmosphere, but instead of descending in a straight line like ballistic missiles, it “glides” in the atmosphere with its fins.
    • While gliding, it changes direction and maneuvers. Its speed is approximately Mach 5-10.
    • This flight profile allows the vehicle to remain below radar detection for longer durations than a ballistic missile covering the same distance.

About Periyar River:

• It is the longest river in Kerala.
• It is known as the “lifeline of Kerala” because it is an important source of irrigation and power generation.
• Course:
  • It rises in the Sivagiri Hills of the Western Ghats range near the border with Tamil Nadu.
  • It flows north through Periyar National Park into Periyar Lake, an artificial reservoir created in 1895 by the construction of a dam across the river.
  • It further flows into the Vembanad Lake before emptying into the Arabian Sea, north of Kochi.
• It is one of the few perennial rivers of the region and is a crucial source of drinking water.
• Major Tributaries: Muthirapuzha River, Mullayar River, Cheruthoni River, Perinjankutti River and the Edamala River.
• It plays a major role in generating hydro-electricity.
  • The largest hydroelectric project is the Idukki Hydroelectric Project, which generates a significant portion of the electricity for Kerala
  • Other dams constructed across the river are Neriyamangalam, Pallivasal, Panniyar, Kundalam, Chenkulam, and
• The birthplace of Sankaracharya, the greatest Advaita philosopher, is at Kalady, which is situated on the bank of the Periyar.

About India's first 3D-Printed Artificial Reef Modules:

• It is to be deployed by Tamil Nadu in coastal waters off the Ramanathapuram coast.
• It is part of an ambitious marine habitat restoration initiative under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
• It will serve as a pilot to assess the performance of six newly developed reef designs created through advanced 3D-printing technology.
• The modules, each weighing about 1 tonne, were developed by Chennai-based startup Tvasta, an IIT Madras-incubated company, in collaboration with Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
• These modules will be deployed about two nautical miles offshore.
• Features:
  • Unlike conventional artificial reefs made from reinforced concrete structures, the new modules feature complex geometries with multiple crevices, folds and attachment surfaces designed to enhance biodiversity.
  • They are manufactured without iron reinforcement and incorporate material innovations aimed at increasing porosity and creating substrates more suitable for marine organisms, including corals, sponges and other reef-associated fauna.
  • They allow greater structural complexity, higher surface area, and species-specific habitat design.
  • The technology offers significant advantages over traditional reef modules, including faster fabrication, reduced labour requirements and flexibility to alter material composition according to site-specific ecological needs.

About Georissa meghalayaensis and Acmella bensoni:

• These are two new species of cave-dwelling micro-snails.
• They were discovered deep inside the damp limestone caves of Northeast India’s Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
• Georissa meghalayaensis was discovered at the edge of Meghalaya's Krem Puri cave entrance.
  • It stands out from its closest relatives due to its striking orangish-red colour and a highly detailed, mesh-like pattern of ridges covering its tiny shell.
  • In contrast, its closest known snail cousins typically sport yellowish shells with sharp, widely spaced spiral lines.
• Acmella bensoni was found clinging to walls deeper inside both the Krem Puri and Arwah caves of Meghalaya.
  • This species distinguishes itself from similar snails by having a smaller, slightly transparent, whitish shell.
  • It features deeply impressed grooves between the shell's spirals (whorls) and an incredibly fine, densely packed pattern of tiny ribs that make the shell appear almost smooth.
  • This shiny little snail was named in honour of William H. Benson, a legendary 19th-century scientist, celebrated as the pioneer of Indian Malacology, the study of molluscs. 

About Solanum Pandeyi:

• It is a species of wild brinjal recorded in the evergreen forest of Middle Andaman.
• It was found growing in the open along the forest edges and was locally known as wild orange eggplant.
• The new species is similar to Solanum lasiocarpum and belongs to the Leptostemonum clade of Solanum.
• Uses of Solanum Pandeyi:
  • It was used by an indigenous Negrito tribe, Great Andamanese, for food and medicinal purposes.
  • Most seeds and roots are used to treat tooth infection.
  • Ripe fruit with jaggery (a natural unrefined sugar), chilli, garlic, ginger, and salt are used to make sour-sweet sauce by the Ranchi and Bengali settler community of the island.

Key Facts of Botanical Survey of India:

• It is India’s apex taxonomic and floristic research institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• It was established on 13 February 1890.
• Function: It provides the scientific foundation for plant conservation, documentation, identification and sustainable use of the country’s plant wealth.

About Khurasani Imli:

• Khurasani Imli or Tamarind is a fruit of Mandu’s (Madhya Pradesh) iconic Baobab tree.
• It was brought to Mandav during the reign of Mahmud Khilji in the 14th century and its name was changed from ‘Baobab’ to “Khurasani Imli.
• It is known by one more name Mandav Imli.
• It has a light green fruit with a tangy sweet-sour flavour, grows across villages in the Mandu region.
• Benefits:
  • Tribal communities have traditionally used not only the pulp but also the tree’s juice and dried bark for treating ailments such as diabetes.
  • It is packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants, and essential minerals.
  • Tribal healers have long used it to treat digestive ailments, fever, and fatigue, while seeds and bark also hold medicinal value.

What is Geographical Indication Tag?

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.

About Switzerland:

• It is a landlocked mountainous country in Western and Central Europe.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by 5 Nations: by Germany in the north; Italy in the south; Austria and Liechtenstein in the east and France in the west.
• Capital City: Bern
• It is not a member state of the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• Geographical Features of Switzerland:
  • Mountain Range: The Alpine ranges lie to the south and the Jura Mountains to the north.
  • Highest Point: Its highest point is Monte Rosa in the Pennine Alps.
  • Lakes: Its two largest lakes are Lake Geneva (shared with France) and Lake Neuchatel.
  • Four major European climates affect Switzerland: It is influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, dry and cold air arrives from the North Arctic areas, continental air and Mediterranean Sea.