About Chincha Kingdom:

• The 'Chincha Kingdom,' which was established in the coastal region of modern-day Peru, was a powerful ancient state that flourished before the rise of the Inca Empire.
• It ruled the Chincha Valley.
• The Chincha Kingdom and its culture were very strong between 900 CE and 1450 CE. This time is known as the Late Intermediate Period in pre-Columbian Peru.
• It was organised into specialist communities such as fisherfolk, farmers, and merchants.
• The Chinchas did not build enormous cities but left important marks in their religious and administrative constructions.
• Their temples, palaces, and fortresses were built mainly with adobe, a technique they mastered skillfully.
• They applied stucco to decorate walls, shaping figures of fish heads, gannets, and seabirds.
• The dwellings of most of their inhabitants were built around these enclosures, made with mats and reeds.
• An important old ruin linked to the Chincha is La Centinela, found near the city of Chincha Alta.
• Decline:
  • Conquered by the Inca Empire around 1476 CE.
  • Later affected by Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
    The population drastically declined due to diseases and colonization.
• A new analysis suggests that the secret to the Chincha Kingdom's prosperity was seabird droppings (guano).
  • The analysis indicates that the nutrient-rich droppings, high in nitrogen, acted as a fertilizer, increasing corn yields and significantly contributing to the economic development of the time.

About White-Rumped Vulture:

• It is a small Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia.
• Scientific name: Gyps bengalensis
• It is also known as Indian White-backed Vulture or Oriental White-backed Vulture.
• Like other vultures, it feeds mostly on carcasses, which it finds by soaring high in thermals and spotting other scavengers.
• Distribution: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam.
• Habitat:
  • Found mostly in plains.
• Population:
  • The main reason for the big decline in its population is a medicine called diclofenac.
    • This medicine, used for farm animals, poisons the vultures when they eat dead animals.
    • It causes their kidneys to fail.
  • Conservation Status:
    • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered.

About Semaglutide:

• It belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs.
• It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating.
• One role of GLP-1 is to prompt the body to produce more insulin, which reduces blood sugar (glucose).
• For that reason, semaglutide is used for the following:
  • to control blood sugar levels in certain patients with type 2 diabetes (a condition in which blood sugar is too high because the body does not make or use insulin normally).
  • to reduce the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes, heart and blood vessel disease, also in adults who are obese or overweight.
  • to reduce the risk of worsening of kidney disease and death in certain adults with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease
  • to assist with weight loss in certain people who are obese or overweight and have weight-related medical problems.

About Papikonda National Park:

• Location: It is located in Andhra Pradesh.
• It lies along the banks of the Godavari River.
• It has been recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife International.
• Vegetation: The park is characterized by tropical, moist deciduous forests mixed with patches of semi-evergreen and dry deciduous forests.
• Flora: The park is home to several types of trees, including teak, rosewood, sandalwood, bamboo, eucalyptus, sal, mahua etc.
• Fauna:  Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, sloth bear, and Indian wild dog (dhole).
  • A unique dwarf breed of goat known locally as the “kanchu mekha” originates in this region.

About Army Ant Species:

• Army ants are defined as a nomadic species of ants that lack a permanent nest.
• They belong to one of the subfamilies of ants called the Dorylinae.
• Habitat: Army ants are highly aggressive predators found mainly in tropical ecosystems.
• Characteristics of Army Ant Species:
  • They do not build permanent nests.
  • They form temporary living structures known as ‘bivouacs’, made entirely from the bodies of worker ants.
  • They are social insects, form massive colonies that conduct coordinated raids, consuming insects and small animals in their path.
  • They are distinguished by their large, sharp mandibles, stinging ability and heavy reliance on chemical pheromones to navigate and communicate.
  • These ants are practically blind and rely on a pheromonal system with which they mark their paths and by which they follow paths taken by others. 
  • They have a single queen ant who lays all the eggs and female workers that tend the young and collect food for the colony.
  • Ecological Role: As keystone predators they play a critical role in regulating arthropod populations and shaping forest biodiversity by consuming large quantities of invertebrates on a daily basis.

About PM-DAKSH scheme:

• The Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana, is a Central Sector Scheme.
• Aim: To provide skills through good quality institutions so that candidates from its target group can find employment.
  • There are four types of skill development training programmes under this namely, Up-skilling/Re-skilling, Short Term Training Programmes, Long Term Training Programmes, and Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
• Target Group: Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Castes, Economically Weaker Sections, and the De-notified Tribes in India (DNTs), ‘Safai Karamcharis’ or waste pickers.
• Eligibility
  • Age: 18-45 years
  • OBC and EWS candidates must have a family income below Rs. 3 lakh, while there is no income limit for SC, DNT, or Safai Mitras/Waste Pickers.
• It has been merged with the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

About Cheer Pheasant:

• It is also known as Wallich's pheasant or chir pheasant and belongs to the pheasant family, Phasianidae.
• Habitat: It is found in steep, rocky hillsides studded with scrub, stunted trees and grassy slopes.
• Distribution: Western Himalayas from northern Pakistan through Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to central Nepal.
• Characteristics of Cheer Pheasant:
  • The cheer pheasant’s nest is a simple ground scrape, tucked beneath undergrowth or sheltered by rocks.
  • It exhibits high natal philopatry­—individuals often return to, or remain near, the area where they were born to breed.
  • It depends on early successional grasslands created by traditional grass cutting and burning practices.
  • Diet: It depends on items such as roots, tubers, bulbs, buried seeds and possibly insect larvae and earthworms.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

About PM RAHAT Scheme:

• It has prioritized life-saving intervention, financial certainty for hospitals, and a structured emergency response system for accident victims.
• Features of PM RAHAT Scheme:
  • It will be integrated with the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) enabling victims, Good Samaritans to locate the nearest designated hospital and request ambulance assistance.
  • 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.
  • It is implemented through amalgamating the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) platform of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways with the Transaction Management System (TMS 2.0) of the National Health Authority.
  • Reimbursement: 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 Government of India.
  • 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 Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0:

• It is launched under the Startup India initiative.
• It is designed to accelerate the next phase of India’s startup journey by mobilising long-term domestic capital, strengthening the venture capital ecosystem, and supporting innovation-led entrepreneurship across the country.
• Features of the Scheme: It will have a targeted, segmented funding approach to support:
  • Deep tech and tech-driven innovative manufacturing: Prioritizing breakthroughs in high-tech areas that require patient, long-term capital.
  • Empowering early-growth stage founders: Providing a safety net for new and innovative ideas, reducing early-stage failures caused by lack of funding.
  • National reach: Encouraging investment beyond major metros so that, the innovation thrives in every corner of the country.
  • Designed to address high‑risk capital gaps: Directing greater capital to priority areas which are important for self-reliance and boosting economic growth.
  • Strengthen India’s domestic venture capital base, particularly smaller funds to further boost the domestic investment landscape.