Daily Current Affairs 2025  

02/03/2026

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CA-02/03/2026

• Date & Significance
  National Science Day is celebrated every year on February 28 in India to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by physicist Sir C.V. Raman in 1928. This discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, making him the first Indian scientist to receive the honor.
• Theme for 2026 was “Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science.”
  This reflects India’s focus on nurturing young innovators and positioning the country as a global leader in scientific research and technology.
• Celebrations & Events
  • Nationwide science exhibitions, lectures, and competitions in schools and universities.
  • Demonstrations of student-led projects and innovations.
  • Special programs by national institutions like ISRO, CSIR, and DST showcasing India’s progress in space exploration, AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology.

• Promote scientific temper among citizens.
• Highlight India’s achievements in cutting-edge fields.
• Inspire youth to pursue careers in science and technology.

• Launch Year: 2008, by the Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• Objective: Reduce healthcare expenditure by making essential medicines available at affordable rates.
• Outlets: Over 16,900 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across India (as of 2026).
• Price Advantage: Medicines are sold at 50%–90% cheaper rates compared to branded equivalents.
• Savings: Citizens have saved more than ₹20,000 crores in the last 8 years.
• Implementing Agency: Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
• Digital Access: "Jan Aushadhi Sugam" mobile app helps locate nearby Kendras and check medicine availability.

• Affordable Healthcare: Reduces the financial burden on households.
• Quality Assurance: Medicines are tested for quality and efficacy.
• Wide Reach: Kendras are spread across urban and rural areas.
• Inclusivity: Benefits both economically weaker sections and middle-class families.

• Location: Indonesia, part of the Greater Sunda Islands
• Area: ~174,416 km² (11th largest island in the world)
• Highest Point: Mount Latimojong (3,478 m)
• Population: ~20.5 million (2023 estimate)
• Largest City: Makassar (South Sulawesi, ~1.4 million people)
• Provinces: North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi

• Tana Toraja (South Sulawesi): Famous for elaborate funeral rituals, cliff-side burial sites, and traditional tongkonan houses. The Toraja culture blends ancient animistic traditions with Christianity.
• Ethnic Diversity: Home to groups like the Makassarese, Buginese, Minahasan, Torajan, Bajau (sea nomads), and many more. Each has distinct languages, traditions, and cuisines.

• Discovery: Found in a dug-out well in western Assam by an international team of scientists from Germany, India, and Switzerland.
• Taxonomy: A new genus and species of blind cobitid loach, published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio journal).
• Unique Adaptations:
  • Completely blind, adapted to life in total darkness.
  • Striking blood-red coloration when alive, referenced in its name.
  • Lacks a skull roof — the brain is covered dorsally only by skin, a highly unusual trait among fishes.
• Name Origin: From the Garo language — “Gitchak” means red, while “na-tok” and “kana” refer to a blind fish

• Unique Habitat: Phreatobitic species live in subterranean aquifers, meaning they thrive in complete darkness, with adaptations like reduced pigmentation and specialized sensory systems.
• Biodiversity Milestone: Assam, already rich in surface freshwater diversity, now adds subterranean biodiversity to its ecological profile.
• Scientific Importance: This discovery expands our understanding of groundwater ecosystems in India, which are often overlooked compared to rivers and wetlands.
• Conservation Implications: Aquifer ecosystems are fragile and vulnerable to groundwater extraction, pollution, and climate change. Finding such a species highlights the need to protect these hidden habitats.

• India has a few known subterranean fish species, mostly from Kerala and Gujarat. The discovery in Assam pushes the known range of such species into the Northeast for the first time.
• It also opens up possibilities of more undiscovered species in the Brahmaputra valley’s aquifers.

• Scale of the Image: The mosaic spans a region of the sky equivalent to three full Moons side by side — the largest image ALMA has ever produced.
• Central Molecular Zone (CMZ): This is the dense, turbulent region at the heart of our galaxy, near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. ALMA mapped the distribution of dozens of molecules here.
• Chemical Diversity: The survey highlights molecules such as sulphur monoxide, silicon monoxide, isocyanic acid, cyanoacetylene, and carbon monosulphide, each traced in different colors to reveal the hidden chemistry of the galactic core.
• Filamentary Structures: The image uncovers a complex network of cold gas filaments, offering clues about how gas condenses into stars in extreme environments.
• Scientific Project: This work is part of ACES (ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey), designed to study star formation under the extreme conditions of the Milky Way’s center.

• Star Formation Insights: By mapping the chemistry and structure of the CMZ, astronomers can better understand how stars form in dense, turbulent regions.
• Galactic Evolution: The findings shed light on how the Milky Way’s core influences the rest of the galaxy.
• Unseen Extremes: As one ESO astronomer put it, the galactic center is “a place of extremes, invisible to our eyes, but now revealed in extraordinary detail.”

• Deferred Customs Duty: Manufacturers can postpone payment of customs duties, freeing up working capital.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • Strong compliance record with Customs and GST.
  • Minimum turnover thresholds.
  • Sound financial standing.
• Validity Period: The scheme runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2028.
• Trust-Based Facilitation: Built on self-compliance and trust, reducing bureaucratic hurdles.

• Boost cash flow for manufacturers.
• Encourage investment and production within India.
• Support exports by improving liquidity.
• Enhance India’s ease of doing business ranking.

Benefits	Challenges
Improved liquidity for manufacturers	Risk of misuse if compliance checks are weak
Encourages domestic production	Limited to financially strong manufacturers
Reduces upfront costs of imports	Smaller firms may struggle to qualify
Supports export competitiveness	Requires robust monitoring by CBIC

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