About Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve:        

• Location: It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• It is nestled at the junction of the Eastern and the Western Ghats in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
• It is contiguous with the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka), and BR Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).
• Terrain: The terrain is hilly and undulating with altitude ranging between 750 m and 1649 m.
• Climate: It mainly has subtropical and dry type of climate.
• Rivers: Some of the prominent rivers in the region include the Bhavani and Moyar rivers.
• Tribal Communities: It is home to several indigenous tribal communities, including the Irula and Kurumba tribes.
• Vegetation: It consists of southern tropical dry thorn forests, mixed deciduous forests, semi-evergreen forests, and riparian forests.
• Flora: It includes teak, sandalwood, bamboo, Terminalia, and Albizia, alongside medicinal plants and shrubs that support both wildlife and local communities.
• Fauna: The major species are Elephant, Tiger, Panther, Sloth bear, Gaur, Black Buck, Spotted deer, Wild boar, Black napped hare, Common langur Nilgiri langur, Striped neck mongoose, and Bonnet macaque.

About Eka-1:

• It is a new AI model developed by Soket Labs Technology and Research.
• Features of Eka-1:
• It is a powerful Foundation Model featuring 26.3 billion parameters and trained on approximately 7.5 trillion tokens.
• It demonstrates advanced capabilities, spanning all 22 scheduled Indian languages alongside English.
• It is built as an open, sparse hybrid language model and is designed for math, code, reasoning, and agentic use.

About Dhir 2B and Dhir 5B:

• These two are open-source models developed by ZenteiQ AiTech Innovations.
• Features:
• These models can be deployed as secure, on-premise, multilingual assistants supporting English and 10 Indian languages.
• The models can run on different computing platforms, including GPUs and TPUs.
• Their lightweight architecture also allows on-device deployment on mobile phones without depending on cloud connectivity,
• It enable offline-capable, document-grounded automation, knowledge retrieval, and citizen or enterprise services across defence, government, industrial, and educational sectors particularly in low-connectivity or sensitive environments.

About Colletes Inaequalis:    

• It is a solitary, ground-nesting bee belongs to Colletidae family.
• They pollinate red maple, willow, and apple trees.
• Unique Nesting Capacity:
• These bees line the inner walls of its nest with a transparent, cellophane-like film, earning it the nickname “cellophane bee.”
• The nest lining of the ground-nesting bee is translucent, flexible, resilient and degrades within a year.
• This cellophane like film is a flexible, translucent material made from polyester and silk.
• The material is produced in a specialized gland, called the Dufour's gland, that is connected to the bee's stinger.
• The polyester produced by cellophane bees resembles polyethylene in its molecular packing.

Highlights of the Study

• The analysis showed that the polyester produced by the cellophane bee has a “semicrystalline” structure, in which amorphous and crystalline regions coexist within a single material.
• The polyester nest material showed impressive degradation in a short amount of time.
• In natural soil, the amount of polyester lining fell from 73% to 40% of the nest by weight within four months.
• By seven months, the linings developed visible cracks, and by 11 months, they became brittle and prone to crumbling. 

About Siri Cattle:

• It is a dual-purpose cattle breed.
• Distribution: It is a vital indigenous zebu-derived livestock breed native to the Eastern Himalayan region, primarily found in Sikkim, the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal, and Bhutan.
• It is a medium-sized draught-purpose breed of the hilly region of West Bengal and Sikkim.
• The breed is also known as “Trahbum”. 
• Appearance:
• The breed is either black or brown with white patches, though totally black or brown animals are also available.
• The hump is cervico-thoracic type with a tuft of hair on it.
• Horns are medium-sized and curved outward, forward and slightly upward with sharp and pointed tips.
• The males are mainly reared for draught purposes in the hilly area, and sometimes they are the only source of draught power.
• The breed produces a very less amount of milk, averaging around 425.8 kg per lactation, with fat percentage varying from 2.8 to 5.5%.

About India Science and Technology Scoreboard:

• It is an interactive data platform aimed at mapping the country’s science and innovation ecosystem across states and Union Territories (UTs).
• It enables policymakers to assess performance, identify gaps and compare their progress with other states.
• It is developed by NITI Aayog’s Science and Technology Division.
• Features
• Information: It will bring together information on research institutions, publications, patents, start-ups, research funding and state-level policies in one place.
• National Overview: The platform will provide a national overview of India’s science and technology ecosystem, alongside state-wise profiles and benchmarking.
• Users will be able to compare any two states or UTs, examine their research output and assess their performance across sectors.
• Priority Areas: It will also cover 11 priority research areas of national importance, including clean energy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals and agriculture, allowing users to assess research output and compare progress across these sectors.
• Comprehensive Data: The scoreboard will capture data on central, state and private higher education institutions, R&D laboratories, deep-tech startups, Atal Tinkering Labs, and research funding from central, state and private sources.
• For patents, the platform will provide information on applications filed, patent strength, research areas and collaboration between states.
• It will also document state science and technology, startup and innovation policies, along with notable practices that other states can study and adopt.

About White Stork:

• It is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.
• Scientific Name: Ciconia ciconia
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • White storks are found across Europe, Asia Minor, the northern part of Africa, and the Middle East.
  • By the winter months, they migrate into tropical regions of Africa, some parts of the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
  • They prefer to feed in grassy meadows, agricultural fields, pastures, steppes, savannas, and shallow wetlands, avoiding areas overgrown with tall grass and shrubs.
  • They fly with their necks outstretched and legs trailing, utilizing soaring to conserve energy.
• Features:
  • When standing, it measures about 95 to 110 centimetres, and it has a wingspan of around 183 to 217 centimetres.
  • The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average.
  • The white stork is easily recognisable by its white plumage, its black wing and shoulder feathers, as well as its long red bill (measuring 14-19 centimetres), and its red legs.
  • Life span: Up to 40 years.
  • Their diet consists mainly of small animals found in shallow water and fields.
  • White storks are gregarious and non-territorial
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Key Facts about Okhla Bird Sanctuary:

• It is situated at the entrance of Noida in Gautam Budh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is situated at a point where the Yamuna River enters the state of Uttar Pradesh, leaving the territory of Delhi.
• It is roughly 4 sq.km. in size.
• The most prominent feature of the sanctuary is the large lake created by damming the river.
• It is recognised as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.

About Delhi Defence Dialogue (DDD):

• It is a flagship platform of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) for addressing the multifaceted challenges of defence and security in India.
• Organised annually, the DDD brings together government officials, military leaders, defence experts, industry representatives, and international delegates to engage in constructive dialogue and exchange ideas.
• The inaugural edition of the DDD was held in 2024.
• The platform is designed to discuss the evolving landscape of international security and defence strategies, with a focus on India’s defence.
• DDD serves as a critical forum for addressing the need for a robust defence strategy that not only addresses immediate threats but also anticipates future challenges.
• DDD 2026:
  • It is the third edition of the dialogue.
  • Location: New Delhi
  • Theme: “Defence Reforms, Aatmanirbharta, Collaborations and Exports”

Key Facts about Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA):

• It is a non-partisan, autonomous body dedicated to objective research and policy-relevant studies on all aspects of defence, security, and international relations.
• MP-IDSA was established as a registered society in New Delhi on November 11, 1965.
• Its mission is to promote national and international security through the generation and dissemination of knowledge on defence and security-related issues.
• It has a well-qualified multidisciplinary research faculty drawn from academia, defence forces, and the civil services, representing a diversity of views.
• The Institute conducts several national and international conferences every year and regularly holds round tables and workshops on important developments.
• MP-IDSA provides annual training programmes to civilian and military officers of the Government of India.
• Funding: MP-IDSA is funded by the Indian Ministry of Defence. It functions autonomously.

About Pralay Missile:

• It is an indigenously developed short-range, surface-to-surface quasi-ballistic missile.
• It has been developed by the Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, in collaboration with several DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners.
• Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are among the industrial partners involved in its production and system integration.
• The missile is optimised to destroy command centres, air defence sites, logistics hubs, and airbases.
• Features:
  • It is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor, allowing it to remain in a ready-to-launch state for extended periods.
  • It can also be launched from mobile platforms, offering greater operational flexibility.
  • It can carry multiple types of warheads against various targets. It has a payload capacity of 500-1,000 kg.
  • It has an operational range of up to 500 kilometres.
  • It reaches terminal speeds of Mach 6.1.
  • It is equipped with guidance systems that provide a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 10 meters.
  • Unlike conventional ballistic missiles, which generally follow a predictable trajectory, a quasi-ballistic missile can fly at a relatively lower altitude and manoeuvre during its flight.
  • These mid-course and terminal-phase manoeuvres make it more challenging for enemy radar and missile defence systems to track and intercept.

Key Facts about Research Centre Imarat (RCI):

• It is a premier laboratory of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, a military missile research center of DRDO located in Hyderabad.
• It is spearheading research and development (R&D) in a wide range of Avionics Systems for diversified defence and aerospace applications.
• RCI is entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out R&D in the technologies of Control Engineering, Inertial Navigation, Imaging Infrared seekers, RF Seekers & Systems, Onboard Computers and Mission Software.