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PM-YASASVI Scheme

Government Scheme

News – 

• The Government of India reaffirmed its commitment to expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged students through the PM-YASASVI scheme.

About – 

• Full form – Prime Minister Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM-YASASVI)

• Implementation – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Objective: Provide financial assistance and residential infrastructure to students from disadvantaged communities, removing geographic and financial barriers to quality education.
• Beneficiaries: OBC, Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT) students with an annual family income below ₹2.50 lakh.
• Scholarship: Funds students at different stages of their academic lifecycle:

1. Pre-Matric Scholarship: ₹4,000 per annum for Class 9 and 10 students enrolled full-time in Government Schools.
2. Post-Matric Scholarship: ₹5,000 to ₹20,000 annual allowance for post-matriculation courses, varying by course group tier.
3. Top Class School Education: Up to ₹75,000 per annum for Class 9-10 and up to ₹1,25,000 for Class 11–12, covering tuition, hostel, and institutional charges.
4. Top Class College Education: Full tuition reimbursement up to ₹2 lakh per annum in private institutions, along with ₹3,000 monthly living expenses, ₹5,000 book allowance, and a one-time ₹45,000 laptop grant.
5. Hostel Construction: ₹3.00 lakh to ₹3.50 lakh per seat for residential hostels, prioritising rural pockets and areas with low literacy rates.
6. A minimum of 30% of total slots is reserved for girl students and 5% for Persons with Disabilities (PwD).

SMILE Scheme

Government Scheme

News – 

• The SMILE scheme rehabilitated over 10,200 individuals engaged in begging across 216 cities.

About – 

• Full form – Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise
• It is a Central Sector Scheme by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Objective – providing comprehensive rehabilitation and economic reintegration for transgenders and persons engaged in begging.

Key Sub-Schemes:

• • Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons: Provides scholarships from Class IX to post-graduation, Garima Grehs, PM-JAY-linked gender-reaffirmation healthcare, PM-DAKSH training and Transgender Protection Cells.
  • Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in Begging: Advances “Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat” through identification and rescue, shelter with medical care and counselling along with PM-DAKSH training and documentation assistance.
  • SMILE-Beggary National Portal registers beneficiaries and tracks rehabilitation centres and their outcomes.

• Note – Indore (Madhya Pradesh) became India’s first officially declared beggar-free city in 2025.

Additional Information – PM-DAKSH 

• Full form – Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi Yojana 
• Financing –  Central Sector Scheme 
• Launched in – 2020-21 
• Launched by – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 
• Objective – It aims to enhance the competency levels of marginalized communities to secure self-employment or wage employment, boosting their socio-economic status

Fast-Track Courts (FTCs) in India

Polity

News – 

• PM announced the operationalisation of fast-track courts to address NEET examination paper leaks under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

Constitutional Safeguards and Statutory Framework

• Article 14 & 21: Supreme Court affirms the right to a speedy, fair trial as part of the right to life and liberty (Article 21) and requires special courts to be based on objective classification (Article 14).
• Article 247: Empowers Parliament to establish additional courts for better administration of Union laws.
• Criminal Law Amendment, 2018: Establishes the legal basis for FTSCs and sets a two-month timeline for completing rape investigations and trials.
• POCSO Act, 2012: Sections 28 and 35 require State Governments to establish Special Courts and complete trials within one year.
• Public Examinations Act, 2024: Provides the legal basis for prosecuting organised examination fraud and for prosecuting syndicates involved in paper leaks.

Panama

International

News – 

• India and Panama held bilateral talks to deepen maritime cooperation.

Panama

• It is a country of Central America located on the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow bridge of land that connects North and South America. 
• Capital: Panama City
• Bordered by Costa Rica (west), and Colombia (east), Caribbean Sea (North) and Pacific Ocean (South).
• One of the few countries in the world that does not maintain a permanent standing army.
• Panama Canal: A 82-km artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea) and the Pacific Ocean, making it one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

Romania

International

News- 

• President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, visited Romania, marking the first State Visit by an Indian President to Romania in nearly three decades.
• India and Romania are set to celebrate the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2028, which will be commemorated as the “India–Romania Year of Innovation.”

Romania

• • Location: Southeastern Europe, in the Balkan region, along the western coast of the Black Sea.
  • Capital: Bucharest. 
  • Bordered by: Ukraine (north), Moldova (east), Hungary (west), Serbia (southwest), and Bulgaria (south).
  • Mountains: Carpathian Mountains (Eastern, Southern, and Western Carpathians). The highest peak in Romania is Moldoveanu Peak.
  • Major Rivers: Danube River (forms much of Romania’s southern border); Prut River (border with Moldova).

• Danube Delta, shared with Ukraine, is one of Europe’s largest wetlands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Member of the European Union (EU) since 2007 and member of NATO since 2004.

Batukeshwar Dutt

History

News- 

• The nation paid tributes to Batukeshwar Dutt on his death anniversary (July 20).

About- 

• He was born in 1910 in West Bengal and raised in Kanpur

• He was a socialist revolutionary and a core member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

• He and Bhagat Singh threw smoke bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly on 8 April 1929, distributed leaflets and raised “Inquilab Zindabad”.
• During the 1929 Lahore Jail hunger strike, Dutt demanded better conditions for political prisoners.
• Released because of tuberculosis, he joined the Quit India Movement (1942) and was imprisoned again.
• He died in 1965 and was cremated at Hussainiwala, Punjab, beside Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru.

INS Malvan

Defense

News – 

• The Indian Navy inducted INS Malvan, the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) of the Mahe-class.

About

• It is designed for anti-submarine warfare, sub-surface surveillance, search and rescue, and low-intensity maritime operations in coastal waters.
• It was built by Cochin Shipyard under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat mission. 
• It features over 80% indigenous equipment and technology.
• Armed with RBU 6000 rockets and DRDO torpedoes and a German-Indian sonar suite, it can play a dominant role in guarding our undersea defence.
• The first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) of the Mahe-class is the INS Mahe (P80)

Methane Gas Explosion in Sikkim

Environment

News – 

• A suspected methane gas explosion inside an under-construction tunnel of the Teesta Hydroelectric Project in Sikkim, resulted in the death of at least 20 people.

Methane

• Methane (CH₄) is a colorless, odorless, and highly flammable gas, and it is the primary component of natural gas.
• It has a relatively short atmospheric lifetime of about 12 years, compared to carbon dioxide.
• Methane as a Greenhouse Gas: Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas with a strong short-term warming impact.
• It is over 80 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat over a 20-year period.
• It is responsible for around 30% of the current global warming since the pre-industrial era.
• Major Sources: Human-driven emissions arise mainly from oil and gas production, coal mining, livestock enteric fermentation (burps), and decomposing waste in landfills.
• Natural sources include Wetlands, marine sediments and hydrates and geological Sources like volcanoes.

Mission Golden Spice

Economy

Context – 

• The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region launched Mission Golden Spice to develop Meghalaya’s GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric as a global premium spice.
• Significance – It advances the ‘Ashtalakshmi initiative’, which identifies a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for each of the northeastern states.

Lakadong Turmeric

• It is a premium variety of turmeric cultivated in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills and is renowned for its high curcumin content of 7–12%, compared with 2–3% in conventional varieties.
• Traditionally cultivated by indigenous farmers without synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, using heirloom seed rhizomes (100% organic). 
• It was formally granted a GI tag in 2024.
• India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric, accounting for over 70% of global production.
• Major producing states – Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Gems of India Challenge

Polity

News-  

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) launched the pilot phase of Gems of India Challenge.

About

• Objective – It is a nationwide initiative to identify, nurture and promote grassroots digital creators.
• The challenge, built on MyWAVES platform under WAVES OTT, invites citizens to create short videos showcasing unique stories and cultural heritage of their districts.
• The pilot phase will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, and Ladakh.
• It offers district-level awards of ₹50,000 each for up to 20 creators per district, state-level awards of two lakh rupees, and national awards of five lakh rupees during the nationwide rollout.
• WAVES – It is an Over-The-Top (OTT) platform by Prasar Bharati, was launched at 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), held in Panaji, Goa, on 20th November 2024. 
• MyWAVES is a new feature within WAVES OTT platform that enables citizens to create, upload and share content aimed at promoting the ‘Orange Economy’.

Connect with basics – Orange Economy

• • It is also known as the Creative Economy
  • It refers to knowledge-based economic activities where individual creativity, skill, talent, and cultural heritage are transformed into economic value through Intellectual Property (IP). 
  • Origin: Coined by Colombian economists Felipe Buitrago and Iván Duque (former President of Colombia) in their 2013 book, The Orange Economy: An Infinite Opportunity.
  • Symbolism: The color orange was chosen as it has historically been associated with culture, creativity, and identity.

• Core Sectors: Includes film, music, gaming, animation, visual effects (AVGC), fashion, publishing, software development, and cultural tourism.
• Recent developments – Karnataka’s AVGC-XR Policy 3.0 (2024–2029) is a strategic framework designed to establish the state as a global leader in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality

Naying Hydro Electric Project

Economy

News-  

• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) launched the pilot phase of Gems of India Challenge.

About

• Objective – It is a nationwide initiative to identify, nurture and promote grassroots digital creators.
• The challenge, built on MyWAVES platform under WAVES OTT, invites citizens to create short videos showcasing unique stories and cultural heritage of their districts.
• The pilot phase will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, and Ladakh.
• It offers district-level awards of ₹50,000 each for up to 20 creators per district, state-level awards of two lakh rupees, and national awards of five lakh rupees during the nationwide rollout.
• WAVES – It is an Over-The-Top (OTT) platform by Prasar Bharati, was launched at 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), held in Panaji, Goa, on 20th November 2024. 
• MyWAVES is a new feature within WAVES OTT platform that enables citizens to create, upload and share content aimed at promoting the ‘Orange Economy’.

Connect with basics – Orange Economy

• • It is also known as the Creative Economy
  • It refers to knowledge-based economic activities where individual creativity, skill, talent, and cultural heritage are transformed into economic value through Intellectual Property (IP). 
  • Origin: Coined by Colombian economists Felipe Buitrago and Iván Duque (former President of Colombia) in their 2013 book, The Orange Economy: An Infinite Opportunity.
  • Symbolism: The color orange was chosen as it has historically been associated with culture, creativity, and identity.

• Core Sectors: Includes film, music, gaming, animation, visual effects (AVGC), fashion, publishing, software development, and cultural tourism.
• Recent developments – Karnataka’s AVGC-XR Policy 3.0 (2024–2029) is a strategic framework designed to establish the state as a global leader in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality

Odesa Port

International

News – 

• India condemned the attack on the vessel MV GOLDEN LEO, a commercial cargo vessel, claiming lives of four Indian Nationals while departing the port of Odesa in Ukraine.

Odesa Port

• Odesa port is one of the largest ports of Black Sea-Azov basin, located in the northwestern part of Black Sea.

Black Sea

• Located in – The Black Sea is located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
• Surrounded by – It is surrounded by the Pontic, Caucasus, and Crimean Mountains in the south, east and north respectively.
• Uniqueness – There is a significant absence of oxygen in the water (anoxic waters).
• Connectivity – The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.
• Turkish straits system – Dardanelles, Bosporus and Marmara Sea forms a transitional zone between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
• Bordering countries of Black Sea are – Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

Patent Mitra Initiative

Economy

News

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) licensed three indigenous biomedical technologies to domestic manufacturers under its Medical Innovations Patent Mitra initiative.

Patent Mitra Initiative

• It is a centralized digital platform acting as an Intellectual Property (IP) incubator for India’s healthcare sector. 

• The National Medical Commission (NMC) has mandated all Indian medical colleges to adopt it.

Institutional Structure

• Lead Agency: Developed and managed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• Key Partners: Guided by NITI Aayog alongside the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) and DPIIT.

Core Objectives

• Lowering Barriers: Eliminates high costs and bureaucratic hurdles of filing domestic and international patents.
• Commercialization: Translates lab research into real-world diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices.
• Self-Reliance: Boosts local biomedical manufacturing under the “Make in India” vision.

Connect with the basics – Intellectual Property rights

• Definition – It means providing property rights through patents, copyrights and trademarks. 
• Holders of intellectual property rights have monopoly on the usage of property or items for a specified time period. 

Types of intellectual property 

• Patents – It is used for protecting new inventions, ideas or processes. Patent holders need to pay periodic government renewal fees. An approved patent is for a limited time period.
• Copyrights – It protects the ideas, examples would be written works, music, art etc.
• Trademarks – It is something that protects the symbols, colors, phrases, sounds, design etc. 
• Trade Secrets – It may be strategies, systems, formulas or other confidential information of an organization that provides them competitive advantage in the market.

National IPR Policy

• Adopted in  – May 2016
• Objective –  To guide future development of IPRs in the country.
• Motto – Creative India; Innovative India
• Cell for IPR Promotion & Management (CIPAM) – It is set up under the aegis of DIPP; is to be the single point of reference for implementation of the objectives of the National IPR Policy.
• TRIPS – India’s IPR regime is in compliance with the WTO’s agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

KAPILA 

• Abbreviation – Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness campaign.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Education

Objectives of the campaign include

• To create awareness regarding Intellectual Property Rights(IPR) in Higher Education Institutions(HEIs).
• To develop a training program on IPR for faculty and students of Higher Education Institutions.

Additional Information – World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

• • It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, that serves the world’s innovators and creators, ensuring that their ideas travel safely to the market and improve lives everywhere.
  • History: WIPO was established in 1967 by the WIPO Convention. 
  • Members: The organization has 193 member states including both developing and developed nations like India, Italy, Israel, Austria, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan, the U.S. and the U.K.

• India joined WIPO in 1975. 

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.