About CoWIN Portal:

• The COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) portal was launched on January 16, 2021, as a digital platform for the administration of COVID-19 vaccination in India.
• Citizens can locate nearby vaccination centers, check slot availability, and book appointments
• It also provides access to vaccination certificates and updates on vaccination drives.
• The CoWIN platform is owned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and was earlier the platform used for conducting Pulse Polio and other crucial immunisation programmes across the country.
  • The same platform has been expanded for doling out Covid-19 vaccines and the Ministry of Electronics and IT, along with the National Informatics Center are handling the backend and the tech infrastructure for it.
• This platform assists the program managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification, and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule.
• The system allows for creation of users (admins, supervisors, vaccinators), registration of beneficiaries (bulk upload and individual registration), facilities/planning unit and session sites followed by planning and scheduling sessions, and implementation of the vaccination process.
• The CoWIN system on a real-time basis will track not only the beneficiaries but also the vaccines at the national, state and the district levels.
• This will allow the system to monitor the utilization, wastage, and coverage of COVID-19 vaccination at National, State, District and Sub-District level.
• The key features of the CoWIN platform are
  • Blended registration- Beneficiaries can register online or on-site (walk-in) at the Vaccination Centre
  • Beneficiaries can book online appointments based on convenience of time and choice of location
  • Track Vaccination Schedule
  • Instant Digital vaccination Certificate with certificate correction utility
  • Multilingual portal with 12 languages.
  • Mobile application for their ease of use for vaccinator
  • Vaccine Stock Management
  • Publishing of Vaccine Schedules in advance
  • Real-Time Dashboards (x) tracking of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI).
  • Digital Covid-19 vaccination Certificate tracking
  • Facility-wise coverage.

About Taiwan Strait:

• Taiwan Strait, also called Formosa Strait, separates continental Asia and the island of Taiwan.
• It extends from the South China Sea in the southwest to the East China Sea in the northeast.
• It runs between the coast of the Fujian (Fukien) Province and the island of Taiwan.
• It has an average width of 180 km, while its narrowest part is 130 km wide.
• It sits on Asia’s continental shelf that runs along the entire stretch of the strait.
• It is relatively shallow. It has an average depth of about 490 ft and a minimum depth of 82 ft.
• Ports: The chief ports are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung in Taiwan.
• Rivers: Several rivers, including the Jiulong and Min rivers from China’s Fujian Province, drain into the Taiwan Strait.
• Islands:
  • Kinmen and Matsu are two of the largest and most significant islands in the strait located off the Fujian coast of China.
  • The biggest islands along the Taiwan side include Penghu (or Pescadores), Xiamen, and Pingtan.
  • The Xiamen and Pingtan Islands are administered by the People’s Republic of China, while the other three islands: Penghu (or Pescadores), Kinmen, and Matsu are under the administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
  • Penghu (or Pescadores) Island is the largest and most populous island in the Taiwan Strait.
• It serves as a busy navigational waterway, on which millions of tons of cargo are ferried annually.
• The strait is also one of the most important fishing grounds in China, and more than a hundred economically important fish species are found here.

About Flamingo Missile:

• The FP-5 “Flamingo” missile is a long-range cruise missile.
• It was developed by Ukraine's Fire Point defense company.
• Features:
  • With a claimed range of 3,000 kilometres, a 1,150-kilogram warhead, and a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 kg, the Flamingo is among the world’s largest and longest-range ground-launched cruise-missile
  • It has a wingspan of about six meters.
  • This makes the Flamingo the first indigenously produced “heavy” missile system in Ukraine’s arsenal.
  • It employs a turbofan engine.
  • It has a speed of up to 900 km/h and navigation based on an inertial system and GPS.
  • The missile’s high terminal velocity, in combination with its heavy weight, means that the warhead penetrates deeper into the target before exploding, which significantly increases the destructive power.
  • The missile is also designed to be resistant to electronic warfare systems, likely using a secure GPS module with CRPA antennas.

About Vishwamitri River:

• It is a small non-perennial river, about 200 km in length, located in Gujarat.
• Course:
  • It originates from the western and southern slopes of the Pavagadh hills in eastern Gujarat.
  • The river flows westward, through Gujarat’s third-largest city, Vadodara, after which it meets the two tributaries of Dhadar and Jambuva before draining into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat.
• The highly meandering, sinuous river has a unique ecosystem bearing a plethora of beautiful ravines right from its beginning till its end.
• Porcupines, the common Indian civet, the jungle cat, cobras, pythons, the checkered keelback, and the Bengal monitor are some of the species found in the ravines on the banks of this river.
• Vishwamitri is also where the protected and vulnerable species of the Indian crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), also known as the mugger, resides.
  • A survey by the Gujarat Forest Department in 2020 found that there were an estimated 300 muggers in the river within Vadodara’s limits.
• Historically, the river has been central to Vadodara's development, with human settlements along its banks dating back to 1000 B.C.

Key Facts about Mugger Crocodiles:

• It is one of the 24 extant species of crocodilians found globally.
• The crocodile’s common name comes from magar, which translates loosely to “water monster” in the Hindi and Urdu languages.
• Distribution:
  • The mugger’s geographic range extends from extreme southeastern Iran eastward to Bangladesh and from Nepal and northern India south to Sri Lanka.
  • In India it is found in 15 Indian states, with the largest populations in the middle Ganges (Bihar-Jharkhand) and Chambal (Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan) basins.
• Habitat: It is native to freshwater and inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers and artificial ponds.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I.

About Wangchu Hydroelectric Project:

• It is a 570 MW hydro power project.
• It is a run-of-river project planned on Wangchu river/basin in Chukha District,
  • The Wangchu River (also called Raidāk River in India), is a significant tributary of the Brahmaputra River.
• It is the first hydroelectric project to be taken up under an MoU that was signed in May 2025 between the Adani Group and Druk Green Power Corp. Ltd. (DGPC), Bhutan's state-owned generation utility for jointly developing 5,000 MW of hydropower in Bhutan.
• This project will involve an investment of ₹6,000 crore. It is targeted to commence in 2026 and be completed within five years.
• The project is expected to generate 2,478.93 GWh of electricity.
• The hydro power project consists of 4 turbines, each with 142.5MW nameplate capacity.
• The project has 4 electric generators that will be installed at the project site.
• Wangchu Project will meet Bhutan's electricity demand during winters. Power generated in the summer season will be exported to India.

About Corbett Tiger Reserve:

• It is located on the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
• It was originally established as Hailey National Park in 1936.
• It is not only the first national park in India, but also the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
• Terrain: The terrain is undulating with several valleys. The rivers Ramganga, Pallaen, and Sonanadi flow through the valleys.
• It is spread over the Bhabar and lower Shivalik regions with a deep-water table.
• The tract is porous with boulders and sand deposits.
• Vegetation: North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and tropical dry deciduous forests:
• In general, the vegetation comprises sal and mixed forests, interspersed with grass lands and riparian vegetation.
• The grasslands are locally known as ‘Chaur’, which are an outcome of abandoned settlements or past clearings.
• Flora: Evergreen Sal and its combined trees, the Sheesham, and the Kanju are found extensively on the ridges.
• Fauna: Tigers and elephants, leopards, sambar, hog deer, spotted deer etc.

About Beas River:

• It was known as Vipas in the past, meaning the “Unfettered” river.
• It is a river in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab states, northwestern India.
• It is one of the five rivers that give Punjab (“Five Rivers”) its name.
• Origin: It rises 4,361 metres (14,308 ft.) above sea-level on the southern face of Rohtang Pass in Kullu at Beas Kund.
• Course: It traverses 470 kilometres before joining Sutlej at Harike, Punjab.
• Major Tributaries: The major tributaries of the Beas River are Bain, Banganga, Luni, and Uhal, along with Banner, Chakki, Gaj, Harla, Mamuni, Parvati, Patlikuhlal, Sainj, Suketi, and Tirthan.
• The Beas forms the world-famous valleys of Kullu and Kangra.
• The Beas catchment is under the influence of western disturbances that bring snowfall to the upper sub-catchment during winter and the monsoon provides around 70% of the annual rainfall during June - September.
• Dams: The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam,is an earth-fill embankment dam constructed on the river Beas in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

About Angikaar 2025 Campaign:

• It is a last-mile outreach campaign to create awareness about Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0).
• It will accelerate the implementation of PMAY-U 2.0 by creating widespread awareness about the scheme across the country.
• It is also designed to fast-track verification of applications under the scheme and expedite the completion of already sanctioned houses under PMAY-U.
• Duration: It will run for a period of two months across 5,000+ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the country.
• Focus: It mainly focuses on vulnerable sections of society to provide benefits of the housing scheme.
• It involves door-to-door awareness activity and other outreach mediums and community mobilisation. 

Key facts about Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban 2.0

• It is one of the major flagship programmes being implemented by Government of India to provide all-weather pucca houses to all Eligibility beneficiaries in the urban areas.
• The Government assistance under PMAY-U 2.0 will be upto 2.50 lakh per unit.

About Kapas Kisan App:

• It is developed by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), under the Ministry of Textiles,
• Features of Kapas Kisan App:
  • It facilitates seamless procurement of cotton from Farmers under the Minimum Support Price scheme.
  • It empowers farmers with self-registration, slot booking and payment tracking.
  • It provides facility of payment tracking by farmers - bringing greater transparency, convenience and speed to the cotton procurement process.
  • It allows farmers to securely register themselves for selling cotton under MSP
  • Digital scheduling at designated procurement centres to reduce waiting time and crowding,
  • Real-time status updates on quality assessment, accepted quantities, payment processing User-friendly interface with support for multiple Indian languages.
• Advantages of Kapas Kisan App
  • Protect cotton farmers against any distress sales through assured MSP procurement,
  • Reduce manual paperwork and save time at procurement centres.
  • Enhances transparency and improves planning by allowing farmers to choose convenient time slots.

About Blood Moon:

• A blood moon is the dramatic red glow of the moon during a total lunar eclipse.
• Occurrence of Blood Moon
  • A blood moon occurs when Earth comes directly between the Sun and the moon.
  • A process called Rayleigh scattering causes the moon to appear red instead of dark.
  • This happens because shorter-wavelength light (blue) is scattered, while longer-wavelength red light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, making the moon appear red.
  • During totality, “the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra.
  • When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange.” This colour shift is what earns the event its nickname, the “blood moon.
  • Depending on external factors such as atmospheric conditions and light pollution, the moon, during a blood moon phase, may appear red, orange, or copper-coloured.

What is Rayleigh scattering?

• It was explained by the British Nobel laureate John William Strutt (Lord Rayleigh) in the 19th century.
• When light interacts with particles smaller than its wavelength, the intensity of the scattered light is inversely proportional to its wavelength.
• This is the reason the earth sky appears blue: it has the shortest wavelength in visible light.