About Indian Coast Guard:

• It is a maritime armed force operating under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
• It is a multi-mission organization, conducting round-the-year real-life operations at sea. 
• It was formally established in 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 as an independent Armed force of India.
• Headquarters: The Headquarters of the ICG is located in New Delhi, and is under the command of the Director General Indian Coast Guard.
• Moto: “VAYAM RAKSHAMAH” – WE PROTECT
• Mission:
  • To protect our ocean and offshore wealth, including oil, fish, and minerals.
  • To assist mariners in distress and safeguard life and property at sea.
  • To enforce maritime laws with respect to the sea, poaching, smuggling, and narcotics.
  • To preserve the marine environment and ecology and protect rare species.
  • To collect scientific data and back up the Navy during war.

About Non-Methane Hydrocarbons:

• These are trace atmospheric constituents which includes ethane, ethene, propane, propene, and isoprene.
• These are a group of reactive gases emitted from fuel use, vehicles, and other human activities that play a key role in forming ozone and secondary aerosols.
• Production:
  • They are primarily produced from terrestrial sources, with some contribution from marine environments, and exhibit distinct production processes influenced by environmental factors.
• They play a significant role in controlling ozone concentrations and serving as a sink for hydroxyl radicals.
• They are vital precursors for the photochemical formation of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOA).
• Impact: It is important to trace them and evaluate their implications for regional air quality and potential impacts on human health.

About Bitumen:

• It is a dense, highly viscous, petroleum-based hydrocarbon.
• It is found in deposits such as oil sands and pitch lakes (natural bitumen) or is obtained as a residue of the distillation of crude oil.
• Bitumen is primarily used for paving roads and is known as black gold in the pavement industry.
• Properties:
  • It is known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties.
  • It has adhesive properties, and is soluble in carbon disulphide.
  • It is composed of complex hydrocarbons and contains elements like calcium, iron, sulfur, and oxygen.
  • The quality of material and ease of production depends on the source and type of crude oil from which it is derived. 
• Applications:
  • Bitumen is versatile and widely used.
  • It is commonly used in the construction industry, notably for roads and highways.

About Development Policy Financing:

• It provides rapidly disbursing financing to help a borrower address actual or anticipated development financing requirements.
• It supports borrowers in achieving poverty reduction and climate-friendly sustainable and inclusive growth through a program of policy and institutional actions.
  • For example: Strengthening public financial management, improving the investment climate, addressing bottlenecks to improve service delivery, and diversifying the economy. 
• It can be extended as loans, credits/grants, or guarantees.
• It is an initiative of the World Bank.
• Funds are made available to country based on
  • Maintenance of an adequate macroeconomic policy framework, as determined by the Bank with inputs from IMF assessments;    
  • Satisfactory implementation of the overall reform program;
  • Completion of a set of critical policy and institutional actions agreed between the Bank and the client
  • Alignment with the Goals of the Paris Agreement

About Sickle Cell Anaemia:

• It is a group of inherited blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells (RBCs) that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. 
• How Does it Affect Blood Flow?
  • Normally, RBCs are disc-shaped and flexible enough to move easily through the blood vessels.
  • People with SCD have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort RBCs into a sickle, or crescent, shape.
  • When RBCs sickle, they do not bend or move easily and can block blood flow to the rest of the body.
  • The sickle-shaped cells can also stick to vessel walls, causing a blockage that slows or stops the flow of blood.  
• What causes it?
  • The cause of SCD is a defective gene, called a sickle cell gene.
  • A person will be born with SCD only if two genes are inherited—one from the mother and one from the father.
  • If you are born with one sickle cell gene, it’s called sickle cell trait. People with sickle cell trait are generally healthy, but they can pass the defective gene on to their children. 
• Symptoms:
  • Signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease usually begin in early childhood.
  • Early stage: Extreme tiredness or fussiness from anemia (low number of RBCs), painfully swollen hands and feet, and jaundice.
  • Later stage: Severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections.
• Treatments:
  • A bone marrow transplant (stem cell transplant) can cure SCD.
  • However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life.
  • Gene therapy is also being explored as another potential cure.

About Norway:

• Location: It is located on the western half of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
• Bordering Countries: It shares land borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia in the east and an extensive coastline facing the North Atlantic Ocean on the west.
• Maritime Border: It is bounded by the Barents Sea in the north, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea in the west and the Skagerrak (Skager Strait) in the south.
• Capital City: Oslo 
• Geographical Features of Norway:
  • Terrain: About two-thirds of Norway is mountainous, and off its much-indented coastline lie, carved by deep glacial fjords.
  • Highest Point: The highest point in Norway is Galdhopiggen
  • Rivers: Glama, the country's longest, and the Dramselva, Lagen (two of them) and the Tana in the far north.
  • Lakes: Lake Mjosa is the largest Lake.
  • Natural Resources: It has deposits of iron ore, copper, titanium, coal, zinc, lead, nickel, and pyrite, and large offshore reserves of petroleum and natural gas.

About Abhigyan App:

• It is a centralised platform created to support law enforcement in making better use of crime-related data. 
• It is developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• Features of Abhigyan App:
  • It enables field police personnel to access a vast repository of criminal records directly on their smartphones.
  • It is secured with two-step authentication and allows real-time fingerprint identification within seconds, strengthening ground-level policing.
  • It is equipped with features such as fast identification, portability, and access to millions of records.
  • The app is linked to the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), which stores fingerprint scans of accused, convicts, and those in prisons on a centralised platform.
  • A demonstration of the app showed that prints can be matched with the NAFIS database in 35 seconds.

Key Facts about National Crime Records Bureau:

• It was established in 1986 to act as a repository of information on crime and criminals.
• It was set up based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the Task Force of the Home Ministry.
• Nodal Ministry: It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

About International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea:

• It is an independent judicial body established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• Composition
  • The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members.
  • Members elected by secret ballot by the States Parties to the Convention.
  • Each State Party may nominate up to two candidates.
  • Term: Members are elected for nine years and may be re-elected; the terms of one third of the members expire every three years.
  • Eligibility of members: Candidates from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognized competence in the field of the law of the sea.
• Jurisdiction:
  • It has jurisdiction over any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention, and over all matters specifically provided for in any other agreement which confers jurisdiction on the Tribunal.
  • Disputes relating to the Convention may concern the delimitation of maritime zones, navigation, conservation and management of the living resources of the sea, protection and preservation of the marine environment and marine scientific research.
  • The Tribunal is open to States Parties to the Convention (i.e. States and international organisations which are parties to the Convention).
  • It is also open to entities other than States Parties, i.e., States or intergovernmental organisations which are not parties to the Convention, and to state enterprises and private entities.
• Headquarter: Hamburg, Germany.

About Kalamkari Painting:

• It is a highly popular form of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile and paintings, practised in Andhra Pradesh.
• It came up as a textile tradition during the reign of Qutb Shahis at Golconda in the 16-17th century.
• “The word ‘Kalam’ meant pen, while ‘Kari’ meant craftsmanship.
• Kalamkari Painting Techniques:
  • The process of creating Kalamkari begins by soaking the fabric in a mixture of astringents and buffalo milk, followed by drying it in the sun.
  • The outlines of the design in red, black, brown, and violet are drawn using a mordant, after which the cloth is dipped in an alizarin bath.
  • Wax is then applied to the areas that remain undyed, and the fabric is immersed in indigo dye.
  • Once the wax is removed, the remaining areas are hand-painted.
  • Artists use a bamboo or date palm stick with fine hair attached to create design contours, applying natural dyes extracted from roots, leaves, seeds, and minerals like iron and copper.
• Kalamkari Painting Styles: It is broadly divided into two distinct styles based on the regions where the art form developed—Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam.
• Srikalahasti Kalamkari:
  • It is practised in Srikalahasti of Tirupati district and is done entirely by hand using the kalam (pen).
  • This form is characterized by freehand drawing and intricate detailing.
  • Theme: It portrays mythological figures and themes, religious iconography, temple architecture, and Hindu deities.
• Machilipatnam Kalamkari:
  • It is also known as Pedana Kalamkari, developed in Pedana near Machilipatnam.
  • It is deeply influenced by Persian art due to the patronage of the Mughals and the Golconda Sultanate.
  • Theme: It uses block-printing techniques, focusing on floral and geometric designs.