About PM-RAHAT Scheme:

• PM RAHAT (Road Accident Victim Hospitalization and Assured Treatment) is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• Under the Scheme, every eligible road accident victim on any category of road will be entitled to cashless treatment up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim for a period of seven days from the date of accident.
• This statutory scheme will take precedence over any other Central or State-level schemes.
• Salient Features of the Scheme:
  • Every road accident victim shall be provided with stabilization treatment for up to 24 hours in non-life-threatening cases and up to 48 hours in life-threatening cases at designated hospitals, subject to police response.
  • It has been successfully implemented through the amalgamation of two existing platforms.
    • eDAR (Electronic Detailed Accident Report) used by police officials for reporting accidents
    • TMS 2.0 (Transaction Management System) of the National Health Authority (NHA), used by hospitals for treatment, claim submissions, and processing of payments.
  • While initiating the treatment, police authentication of the victim will have to be initiated on the TMS platform.
  • The hospital would generate the treatment ID(s) on TMS and push them to the district police through eDAR.
  • The time available with police for responding on eDAR shall be up to 24 hours, or 48 hours in life-threatening situations, as decided by the hospital administrator.
  • It will be integrated with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) 112, enabling victims, Good Samaritans to dial 112 to locate the nearest designated hospital and request ambulance assistance.
  • Reimbursements to hospitals will be made through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF).
    • In cases where the offending vehicle is insured, payment will be drawn from contributions made by general insurance companies.
    • In uninsured and hit & run cases, payment will be made through budgetary allocation by the Government of India.
  • A complete digital trail for the Scheme will exist from the time of accident reporting through the 112 ERSS platform to victim admission, treatment, police authentication, claim processing, and final payment.
  • Grievance Redressal: Grievances will be addressed by a Grievance Redressal Officer nominated by the District Road Safety Committee chaired by the District Collector/District Magistrate.

About Corporate Mitra Scheme:

• It was announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
• It aims to empower India’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through trained and certified paraprofessionals called Corporate Mitras, who will serve the MSMEs.
• Corporate Mitras will provide affordable and accessible support in areas such as regulatory compliance, GST, accounting, financial guidance, cost accounting, and secretarial services.
• This ensures that MSMEs can focus on innovation and growth while meeting the regulatory compliance requirements with ease.
• To ensure reach beyond metropolitan hubs, Corporate Mitras will primarily operate in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
• The scheme shall be implemented in collaboration with following Professional Institutes (PIs):
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
  • The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). 
  • The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICoAI).
• Through this scheme, youth will undergo a 6-month Academic Course and 6 months of On-the-Job training providing exposure to real-life business environments and employment opportunities.
• Eligibility Criteria for Candidates:
  • Age Limit: Candidates must be up to 30 years.
  • Education Qualification:
    • Graduates from any recognized university or
    • Students currently in their final year of graduation (will be provided Corporate Mitra Certificate only after completing graduation successfully).
  • The PIs will recognize and award the best-performing candidates/recognized firms/LLP for engaging Corporate Mitra for On-Job training.
  • The candidates will be free to select any professional firm/ LLP recognized as “member in practice” by the PIs for On-job training.
  • A minimum prescribed stipend as per ICAI/ICSI/ICoAI norms will be paid by the professional firms/LLP offering on-job training.
  • The scheme will be implemented through the online Swayam Plus porta
    • The Portal will serve as a centralized platform for end-to-end implementation of the Corporate Mitra Scheme.

About Lonar Lake:

• Lonar Lake (also known as Lonar Crater) is situated in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra.
• It is less than 1.6 km in diameter, and sits in a nearly circular bowl.
• It sits inside the Deccan Plateau—a massive plain of volcanic basalt rock leftover from eruptions some 65 million years ago.
• Its location in this basalt field suggested to some geologists that it was a volcanic crater.
• Today, however, Lonar Crater is understood to result from a meteorite impact that occurred around 50,000 years ago.
• It is the only known impact crater lake in basaltic rock in the world.
• It is the only known saline crater lake in the world. Its water is seven times saltier than seawater due to the presence of basalt rock.
• The basin is surrounded by steep slopes and centuries-old temples.
• It has several springs around the lake that supply water to the lake.
• It has several vents around the lake that release gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, etc.
• One of the most striking aspects is its color, which changes from green to pink depending on the season and the water conditions.
  • This is caused by the presence of microorganisms that thrive in the saline and alkaline environment of the lake.
• It finds its inclusion in the Puranas and other ancient scriptures, including the Aaina-i-Akbari.

About Brachybacterium netajii:

• It is a new species of bacteria.
• It was discovered from the Hooghly (a distributary of the Ganges) region of West Bengal.
• It possesses a remarkable ability to break down toxic chemicals and survive heavy metal pollution.
• It can safely degrade p-nitrophenol (PNP), a toxic industrial chemical, and boasts extreme resilience, surviving high concentrations of toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
• It is also halotolerant, meaning it can withstand highly salty environments containing up to 9% salt.
• Its cellular makeup is unique. It features specific fatty acids in its cell structure, notably ones known as C11:0 and C10:0 2-OH, which are absent in its closest relatives.
• Its genome is packed with unique genomic islands, chunks of DNA likely absorbed from other organisms.
  • They contain instructions for producing industrial enzymes and natural protective shields, such as a compound called ectoine that helps it survive extreme environmental stress.

About National War Memorial (NWM):

• The National War Memorial (Rashtriya Samar Smarak) was established in January
• It is a national monument built for giving honour to our brave soldiers.
• It is located in New Delhi.
• It is a commemoration of the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers since Independence.
• The main structure has been built in the form of four chakras, each signifying different values of the armed forces, with the eternal flame and obelisk located in the inner-most chakra (also called Amar Chakra).
• The obelisk is visible even from a distance as one enters the complex.
• Surrounding it is Veerta Chakra with six bronze murals depicting different battle actions.
• Tyag Chakra which surrounds it has been made entirely of granite bricks, each bearing the name of a fallen soldier since Independence.
• The final chakra, Rakshak Chakra, surrounds the other three and consists of over many trees that will act as a wall and represent the soldiers who protect the country.
• Adjacent to the main complex lies a tribute to the 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.
  • Each recipient is honoured by a bronze bust surrounded by a lush green patch, complete with pathways and informative plaques on the courage they displayed during battle.

About Euclid Space Telescope:

• It is a 1.2-metre telescope launched in 2023 by the European Space Agency.
• Objectives:
  • It is designed to map large spatial structures, like galaxies, in our universe and help reconstruct how the universe expanded and how galaxy structures are shaped the way they appear today.
  • It is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe.
  • The space telescope will create a great map of the large-scale structure of the Universe across space and time by observing billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years.
  • It explores how the Universe has expanded and how structure has formed over cosmic history, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.
• Payloads: It has two scientific payloads: Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) and Visible Imager (VIS).
  • Visible-Wavelength Camera (VISible Instrument – VIS):
    • It captures high-resolution images of galaxies.
    • Helps detect tiny distortions in galaxy shapes caused by gravitational lensing—a method used to study dark matter.
  • Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP):
    • It measures how fast galaxies are moving apart, providing insight into the influence of dark energy over time.
    • Developed with NASA’s contribution, including sensor-chip electronics and detectors.

About Seychelles:

• Location: It is an archipelagic island country located in the western Indian Ocean.
• It is located to the northeast of Madagascar and east of mainland Africa.
• Other major islands near Seychelles include Comoros and Mauritius to the south, and Maldives to the east.
• It consists of an archipelago of 115 islands (only 8 are permanently inhabited).
• Capital City: Victoria
• Geographical Features of Seychelles:
  • Climate: The climate is tropical oceanic, with little temperature variation during the year.
  • It is composed of two main island groups: the Mahe group which are mountainous granitic islands and a second group are coralline islands.
  • Mahe Group is volcanic with a narrow coastal strip and rocky, hilly interior; others are relatively flat coral atolls, or elevated reefs; sits atop the submarine Mascarene Plateau.
  • Highest Point: The highest point in Seychelles is Morne Seychellois.

About  Rewa Sundarja Mango:

• It is a highly esteemed variety of mango cultivated in Madhya Pradesh.
• It is known for ripening only after the first monsoon showers.
• It received Geographical Indication tag in 2023.
• Features of Rewa Sundarja Mango:
  • Its vibrant yellow flesh is fibreless and smooth, providing a rich, creamy texture.
  • The distinct vanilla-like aroma enhances its taste, making it ideal for both fresh consumption and culinary preparations.
  • It has a balanced sugar-acid ratio, contributing to its unique flavour profile.
  • It has thick peel and has excellent shelf life, ensuring suitability for transportation.
  • Its lower sugar content makes it suitable for diabetic patients while still retaining its natural sweetness.
  • It is known for its exceptional sweetness, rich aroma, fibreless pulp and distinctive flavour.

Key Facts about APEDA:

• It is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act in December, 1985.
• Nodal Ministry: It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Objective: To develop and promote the export of scheduled products.
• APEDA is headed by a Chairman appointed by the Central Government.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

About Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located in Meghalaya, within the Eastern Himalayan Global Biodiversity Hotspot.
• It was established in 1981as a protected sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Topography: Features undulating plains, low hills, and rugged terrain shaped by the Umtrew River and its tributaries (Umran, Umling, Umtasor).
• Vegetation: The major part of the habitat is Tropical Moist Deciduous forest with patches of Tropical Semi-evergreen forest.
• River: Umtrew River, forming the western boundary of the sanctuary.
• Flora: Dominant species include Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Terminalia myriocarpa, and Gmelina arborea.
• Fauna: It is home to bird species including the endangered Rufous-necked Hornbill, and mammals like the Clouded Leopard, Elephant, and Himalayan Black Bear.
  • Four species of hornbills occur in the area, including the Great Pied, Indian Pied, and Wreathed Hornbills.