About Tele-MANAS:

• Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele MANAS) offers a wide range of mental health services.
• It was started by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2022.
• Aim: To provide universal access to equitable, affordable, and quality mental health care through a 24x7 tele-mental health service, forming a key digital component of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).
• This service is available across all Indian States and Union Territories, with assured linkages to ensure seamless care.
• Objectives
  • Expanding Access: Scaling up the reach of mental health services nationwide, ensuring that anyone across India can access support at any time through dedicated 24x7 tele-mental health facilities in every State and Union Territory.
  • Building a Comprehensive Mental Health Network: Establishing an integrated system that goes beyond counseling by offering medical and psychosocial interventions, video consultations with specialists, e-prescriptions, follow-up care, and connections to in-person services.
  • Reaching Vulnerable Populations: Prioritizing mental health services for vulnerable and difficult-to-reach groups, ensuring no one is left without essential care.
• The service is structured in a two-tier system to optimize care delivery and enhance support.
  • Tier 1: It comprises state Tele MANAS cells staffed with trained counsellors and mental health specialists. These professionals provide immediate support through: Tele-Counseling and Tele-Consultation.
  • Tier 2: It comprises specialists from District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) facilities and medical colleges, offering additional resources for physical consultations and audiovisual consultations via e-Sanjeevani.
• Tele MANAS launched its mobile app and video consultation services to enhance access to mental health support.
  • This app serves as a comprehensive platform offering mental health resources, including self-care tips, stress management strategies, and tools to recognize early distress signals.
  • It is enhanced with Multi-lingual user interface, Chatbot feature (Asmi), Accessibility, Emergency Module. 
  • It will now be available in 10 regional languages, in addition to the English and Hindi languages.
  • These languages include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Punjabi.

About Central Electricity Authority:

• It is a statutory body established under section 3(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1948.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Power.
• Functions of Central Electricity Authority:
  • Advisory Role: Advice the Central Government on matters relating to the national electricity policy, formulate short-term and perspective plans for the development of the electricity system.
  • Specify the technical standards for the construction of electrical plants, electric lines, and connectivity to the grid
  • Collect and record the data concerning the generation, transmission, trading, distribution and utilisation of electricity and carry out studies relating to cost, efficiency, competitiveness
  • Promote research in matters affecting the generation, transmission, distribution and trading of electricity;
• Organisation’s Structure:
  • It is headed by a Chairman, who is ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India, and comprises six full-time Members.

About Prosopis Juliflora:

• It is a shrub in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite.
• It is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.
• It is an invasive species in arid and semi-arid areas.
• It was brought to Delhi by the British in the 1920s, when the national capital was being built.
• Other names: In India it is known locally by many names such as Bellary jaali, seemai karuvelam, seemai jaali, gando baval, vilayati kikar.
• Characteristics of Prosopis Juliflora:
  • Adaptability: It has a very wide ecological adaptability which can grow on soils from sand dune to clay soil, and from saline to alkaline soil type.
  • It is characterized by vigorous growth which helps them to out compete indigenous plant species.
• Impacts of Prosopis Juliflora on Environment:
  • This shrub absorbs huge water to obtain one kilogram of biomass.
  • It can also turn the groundwater poisonous.
  • It causes land erosion due to the loss of the grasslands that are habitats for native plants and animals.

About Yenisei River:

• It is a river in central Russia.
• It is the largest river system draining into the Arctic Ocean and ranks as the fifth-largest river in the world.
• Formation: It is formed as a result of the confluence of the Great Yenisei and Little Yenisei rivers at Kyzyl in Russia.
  • The Great Yenisey rises on the Eastern Sayan Mountains of Tyva, and the Little Yenisey which rises in the Darhadïn Bowl of Mongolia.
• Drainage Basin: It runs from south to north across the great expanse of central Siberia.
• It ultimately empties into the Kara Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean.
• Tributaries: The Angara River, which drains the Lake Baikal, is one of the major headwater tributaries of the Yenisei.
• The river plays a crucial role in the ecosystem of the Siberian taiga, characterized by its vast boreal forests. 
• Fauna: The Yenisei River hosts around several native fish species in its waters. Siberian sturgeons, Arctic flounders, Common roaches, Northern pikes.

About Kanha Tiger Reserve:

• Location: It is located in the “Maikal” ranges of the Satpuras in Madhya Pradesh.
• Corridor: It has an active corridor between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves. Kanha is also connected with the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh.
• Terrain: It is characterized mainly by forested shallow undulations, hills with varying degrees of slopes, plateaus, and valleys.
• Tribal Communities: The region is known for some of the ancient tribal communities, like the Gond and Baiga still inhabit the region.
• It is also the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”. 
• Vegetation: It primarily consists of a moist Sal and moist mixed deciduous forest.
• Flora: Bamboo, Tendu, Sal, Jamun, Arjun, and Lendia flourish.
• Fauna: The Park has a significant population of Royal Bengal Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and Indian wild dogs.

About Ceropegia tamilnaduensis:

• It is a new plant species discovered from the hill slopes of the Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
• Features
  • It features solitary flowers growing directly from the leaf axils with drooping stems.
  • It possesses a glabrous (hairless) central corona and a pollinial corpusculum with lateral wings.
  • It produces unusually large seeds  
  • It shows close morphological similarity to Ceropegia annamacharyae (in flower structure) and Ceropegia swarupa (in narrow leaves/body structure).

Key Facts about Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• It earned the title of wildlife sanctuary in 2015.
• Geography: It features several mountain peaks, including Sivagiri Mala (highest peak at 1,748 m), Totti Malai, Kalli Malai, and Aruitalai Mottai.
• Rivers: It is sustained by the drainage network of the Cauvery, Moyar, Bhavani, Vaigai, and Tamirabarani River Systems. 
• Flora: It Santalum album (Sandalwood), Shorea, Tectona grandis, Shola tree species, Avicennia mangroves, Strobilanthes kunthiana.
• Fauna: It is home to Nilgiri Tahr, Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Lion-tailed Macaque, Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Gaur, Sloth Bear.

About Maritime State Development Council:

• It is an apex advisory body which was constituted in 1997 for the development of the Maritime sector.
• The Indian Ports Act, 2025 grants statutory status to the Maritime State Development Council.
• Aim: Its primary aim is to promote the integrated growth of Major and Non-Major ports in close coordination with State governments.
• Composition:
  • The Council, chaired by the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
  • It comprises Ministers responsible for ports from all Maritime States, Administrators of UTs, and key stakeholders, including representatives from the Navy, Coast Guard, and other agencies.
• Functions:
  • It monitors the development of minor ports, captive ports and private ports in the Maritime States with a view to ensure their integrated development with Major Ports and to assess the requirements of other infrastructure requirements like roads/rail/IWT and make suitable recommendations to the concerned Ministers.
  • The Council guide data collection and dissemination and transparency across ports, and advise the central government on national planning, legislative reforms, port efficiency, and connectivity.

About INS Samarthak:

• It is the first of four Multi-Purpose Vessels being inducted into the Indian Navy.
• It is built by M/s Larsen and Toubro Ltd under the Government of India's Make in India initiative.
• Motto: The ship's motto: Victory is Our Sole Aim.
• The ship’s crest features an Indian elephant emerging from the waves, symbolising strength, intelligence, and agility. 
• Armaments: The ship's integrated combat suite combines indigenous sensors, weapons and electronic systems optimised for operations in challenging maritime conditions.
• Functions:
  • It is designed primarily for maritime surveillance and patrol.
  • It is also capable of undertaking Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), Target Deployment & Trials Platform, Unmanned/ autonomous System Mothership, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), conversion to a limited hospital ship and fighting for salvage operations.
• Significance: It will add a new indigenous multi-purpose platform to the Navy’s fleet and underline the growing role of domestic shipbuilding in meeting India’s maritime security requirements.

About Czech Republic:

• Location: It is a landlocked country located in Central Europe.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by 4 nations: by Poland in the north and northeast; by Slovakia in the east; by Austria in the south and by Germany in the west and northwest.
• Capital City: Prague
• Geographical Features of Czech Republic:
  • Climate: The climate is temperate with warm summers, and cold, cloudy, and humid winters.
  • Mountains: These include the Carpathian, Ore, Sudetic and the Sumarva mountains.
  • Highest Point: The highest point is Snezka  
  • Rivers: It is drained by Elbe, Oder River (flows north to the Baltic Sea), Vltava Moravia and Morava Rivers.
  • Natural Resources: The country is blessed with different types of natural resources source such as arable land, Kaolin, graphite, clay, forests, and coal.

About National Culture Fund:

• It was set up as a Trust on 28th November, 1996 under the Charitable Endowment Act, 1890.
• Objectives of National Culture Fund:
  • To administer and apply the Fund for conservation, maintenance, promotion, protection, preservation and up-gradation of monuments protected or otherwise;
  • To impart training and facilitate development of a cadre of specialists and cultural administrators
  • To facilitate in providing additional space in existing museums & construct new museums to accommodate or create new & special galleries.
  • Documentation of cultural expressions and forms that have lost their relevance in contemporary scenario and are either fading out or facing extinction.
• Governance of National Culture Fund:
  • It is managed and administered through a Governing Council chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Culture and has a maximum strength of 25 members to decide the policies.
  • An Executive Committee headed by Secretary (Culture) and has a maximum strength of 11 Members, to execute those policies.
• Benefits to donor: Donations to the National Culture Fund are eligible for 100% tax benefit under Section 80G (ii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• NCF’s activities are covered under Schedule VII No. (v) of the Companies Act, 2013 as valid receptacle of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contribution under:
  • Protection of national heritage, art and culture including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art; setting up public libraries; promotion and development of traditional arts and handicrafts.”
• Contribution to NCF: It can receive donations from Corporates, PSUs, Trusts and Individuals for maintenance and preservation of Centrally Protected monuments/ cultural projects through NCF.