CA-28/03/2026

• Flagship Programme (SVEEP): SVEEP is the primary vehicle for these campaigns, focusing on voter education, literacy, and encouraging all eligible citizens to make informed decisions.
• Innovative Outreach Methods:
  • Mascots & Characters: Popular animated characters like Chhota Bheem and state-specific mascots ('Motu' the elephant in Kerala) are used to engage younger and first-time voters.
  • Cultural Integration: Campaigns incorporate local heritage, such as Baul traditions and Pattachitra art in West Bengal, to make the message relatable.
  • Unique Events: Activities include scuba diving awareness at Kovalam Beach, boat processions along coastlines for fishing communities, and cyclothons.
• Target Groups: Special focus is placed on first-time voters, women, senior citizens, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) through specialized drives at Anganwadi centres and colleges.
• Institutional Efforts:
  • Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs): Established in schools and colleges to foster democratic values through quizzes, mock polls, and signature campaigns.
  • Mobile Vans: Demonstration vans travel across districts to provide hands-on experience with EVMs and VVPAT systems, ensuring transparency and clearing doubts.
• Technology & Transparency: The campaign highlights modern reforms like 100% webcasting at polling stations, the cVIGIL app for reporting violations, and the ECINET digital platform.
• Theme for 2026: Many activities align with the National Voters' Day theme, "My India, My Vote," with the tagline "Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy".

• Price Support Scheme (PSS):
  • Physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds, and copra by central agencies like NAFED and NCCF at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
• Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS):
  • Covers oilseeds where no physical procurement occurs; instead, farmers are compensated for the difference between MSP and the market price.
  • The coverage for state production has been enhanced to 40% to encourage wider adoption by state governments.
• Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF):
  • Maintains strategic buffer stocks (notably for pulses and onions) to regulate extreme price volatility for consumers.
• Market Intervention Scheme (MIS):
  • Extended to cover 25% of production for perishable horticultural crops.
  • Includes a new option for direct differential payments to farmers' accounts instead of physical procurement. 

• Reducing Import Dependency: By guaranteeing 100% procurement for key pulses, the government aims to significantly cut down on expensive imports.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Increasing use of direct payments to farmers' accounts under both MIS and PDPS to reduce middlemen and ensure transparency.
• Consumer Protection: Managing the price gap for TOP crops (Tomato, Onion, Potato) by bearing transportation and storage costs between producing and consuming states.

• Launched on April 1, 2010, by the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, as a central sector scheme.
• Covers subsidies on nutrients Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), and Sulphur (S) in P&K fertilizers, excluding urea (which has a fixed MRP of ₹242 per 45-kg bag).
• Fertilizer companies fix Maximum Retail Price (MRP) at reasonable levels under a decontrolled regime, with subsidies passed directly to farmers via bag labelling.​

• Fixed subsidy rates revised annually/bi-annually per kg of nutrient (Rabi 2025-26: P at ₹47.96/kg, up 10%; S at ₹2.87/kg, up 62%; N and K unchanged).​
• Now includes 28 grades (up from 25 pre-Kharif 2024), adding NPK (11:30:14) with micronutrients, Urea-SSP (5:15:0:10), and SSP (0:16:0:11) fortified variants.
• Ensures F.O.R. (Freight on Road) delivery to retail points; profit margins capped (8-12% based on importer/manufacturer type).

• Promotes balanced fertilizer use to enhance soil health, crop productivity, and sustainability, reducing nitrogen overuse.
• Ensures affordable, continuous supply; boosts domestic P&K production (up 50% to 168.55 LMT by late 2025); foodgrain yields rose from 1,930 kg/ha (2010-11) to 2,578 kg/ha (2024-25).
• Enhances transparency via iFMS for tracking production, movement, and DBT; over ₹2.04 lakh crore allocated in 2022-25.

• Companies submit audited costs; excess profits recovered; MRP/subsidy displayed on bags (violations punishable under Essential Commodities Act, 1955).
• Weekly state coordination and digital tracking via iFMS for supply plans and issue resolution.
• Focuses on fiscal discipline amid import dependence (90% phosphates, 100% potash).

• AMRIT Pharmacies Stand For: Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment.

• Implementing Agency: Operated by HLL Lifecare Limited, a Mini-Ratna Public Sector Enterprise under the MoHFW.
• Deep Discounts: Provides essential medicines, implants (cardiac, orthopaedic), and surgical disposables at discounts ranging from 50% to 90% of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
• Product Basket: Offers more than 6,500 products, focusing on high-cost treatments for non-communicable diseases like cancer, cardiovascular issues, and diabetes.
• Strategic Locations: Pharmacies are primarily located within AIIMS campuses, major government medical colleges, and district hospitals to ensure they are accessible to patients at the point of care.
• New Outreach Tools:
  • 24x7 National Contact Centre: Provides real-time assistance on medicine availability and pricing.
  • Mobile Pharmacy Vans: Recently introduced for rural outreach, specifically starting in the National Capital Region (NCR).
• Comparison with Jan Aushadhi: While Jan Aushadhi Kendras focus on generic medicines, AMRIT specifically targets branded drugs and reliable implants used in tertiary care, which often remain expensive even as generics.

• Launched on December 11, 2017, by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.​
• Full name: Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya), focusing on intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods.​
• Targets public facilities like Government Medical College Hospitals, District Hospitals, First Referral Units (FRUs), and high caseload Community Health Centres (CHCs).​
• Improves care in labour rooms, maternity Operation Theatres (OTs), Obstetrics ICUs, and High Dependency Units (HDUs).​

• Infrastructure upgrades, essential equipment provision, and human resource strengthening.​
• Skill-based training (Dakshta) for healthcare workers and process improvements in labour rooms.​
• Targets include ≤5% Surgical Site Infection Rate in Maternity OTs or 30% reduction from baseline, verified during NQAS assessment.​
• Operationalizes dedicated Obstetric HDUs/ICUs; 283 approved across high-caseload facilities as of recent updates.

• Reduce maternal and newborn morbidity/mortality from issues like haemorrhage, preeclampsia, obstructed labour, sepsis, and asphyxia.​
• Ensure quality care during delivery and postpartum, with stabilization of complications and timely referrals.​
• Promote respectful maternity care (RMC), beneficiary satisfaction, and positive birthing experiences.​
• Achieve certification via National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS): 70%+ score for certification; Platinum (90%+), Gold (80%+), Silver (70%+) badges.​

• Constitutional Status: Established by the 102nd Amendment Act (2018), the NCBC is a constitutional body under Article 338B.
• Composition: It consists of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and three members, appointed by the President for a three-year term.
• Core Functions: Investigates, monitors, and advises on safeguards for SEBCs, handles complaints regarding rights, and submits reports to the President.
• Powers: Possesses the powers of a civil court to summon witnesses and require evidence.
• OBC List Management: Recommends inclusions/exclusions from the Central list for Parliamentary approval (Article 342A).
• 105th Amendment (2021): Restored states' power to identify and maintain their own OBC lists. 

• Real-time tracking of AWCs, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs), and beneficiaries on indicators like stunting, wasting, underweight prevalence.
• Daily attendance, ECCE activities, growth measurement, and delivery of Take-Home Ration (THR)/Hot Cooked Meals (not raw rations).
• 360-degree view of AWC activities; auto-generated monthly growth reports replace physical records.
• Available in 24 languages (Hindi, English, regional); smartphones provided to all AWWs.​
• Centralized data architecture integrates with other ministries; analytics for last-mile service tracking.

• Launched March 1, 2021, by Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) under POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018).
• Covers 12.27 lakh+ AWCs; 10.4 crore+ eligible beneficiaries as of recent data.
• Aligns with Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 for improved child nutrition outcomes.​

• Facilitates dynamic identification of malnutrition; praised by UNICEF for easing AWW workload and WHO for data excellence.
• G20 Women Empowerment Conference (2023) highlighted as pioneering tech for nutrition/ECDE monitoring.

• Target Metric: The framework uses Headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the primary nominal anchor for inflation.
• Numerical Target: The target is set at 4%.
• Tolerance Band: A flexibility of ±2% is provided, creating an operational range of 2% to 6%.
• Review Cycle: The target is reviewed every five years by the Central Government in consultation with the RBI. 

• Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): A six-member statutory body (3 from RBI, 3 external experts) responsible for determining the Repo Rate to achieve the inflation target.
• Primary Objective: To maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth (enshrined in the amended RBI Act, 1934).
• Accountability: If inflation stays outside the 2–6% band for three consecutive quarters, it is considered a "failure." The RBI must then submit a formal report to the government explaining the reasons, remedial actions, and an estimated timeframe for recovery. 

• Inflation Reduction: Average inflation dropped significantly to 4.9% during the FIT period, compared to 6.8% in the four years prior to its adoption.
• Anchoring Expectations: FIT has helped stabilize long-term inflation expectations among businesses and households.
• Resilience: The framework successfully managed severe shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which briefly pushed inflation toward the 6% upper limit. 

• Headline vs. Core: There was a debate on whether to switch to Core Inflation (excluding volatile food/fuel), but the government retained Headline CPI because food accounts for nearly 46% of the Indian consumption basket.
• Base Year Revision: A new CPI series with 2024 as the base year was introduced in early 2026 to better reflect modern consumption patterns.
• Supply-Side Shocks: Experts continue to emphasize that while the RBI manages demand via interest rates, supply-side management by the government (for food and fuel) remains critical to meeting the 4% target. 

• Altitude: Extends from about 50 km to 85–100 km above the Earth's surface.
• Temperature: It is the coldest place on Earth. Temperatures decrease with height, reaching as low as -90°C to -143°C at the "mesopause" (the upper boundary).
• Pressure: The air is extremely thin; pressure at the top is only 1/100,000th of the pressure at sea level. 

• Meteor Shield: This is the layer where most meteors burn up. The friction with gas molecules creates enough heat to incinerate space debris, appearing as "shooting stars".
• Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs): These are the highest clouds in the atmosphere, made of ice crystals that form around meteoric dust. They "glow" electric blue at twilight because they are high enough to reflect sunlight even after the sun has set on the ground.
• Transient Luminous Events (TLEs): The mesosphere hosts exotic electrical discharges like Red Sprites and ELVES, which occur above massive thunderstorms in the troposphere. 

• Meteoric Smoke: The disintegration of meteors leaves behind a layer of metal atoms like sodium, iron, and potassium.
• Atmospheric Waves: Strong winds and "gravity waves" transfer energy from the lower atmosphere to the mesosphere, influencing global circulation and weather patterns.
• Chemical Transition: It is a transition zone where the air stops being a uniform mixture and begins to separate into layers based on molecular mass.

• Infectious Dose: Extremely low; as few as 10 to 100 bacteria can cause illness.
• Route: Fecal-oral transmission is the primary route.
• Common Sources:
  • Contaminated Water: Drinking or swimming in water tainted with sewage.
  • Contaminated Food: Prepared by an infected person or grown in fields with sewage.
  • Person-to-Person: Touching contaminated surfaces or through direct sexual contact (specifically oral-anal). 

• Symptoms typically appear 1–4 days after exposure and last for about a week. 

• Diarrhea: Often watery initially, progressing to bloody and mucoid (dysentery).
• Physical Pain: Severe abdominal cramps and tenesmus (painful, constant urge to defecate even if the bowel is empty).
• Systemic: High fever (38–40°C), nausea, vomiting, and extreme fatigue. 

• Children under 5: Most susceptible due to developing immune systems and hygiene habits.
• Travelers: Specifically those visiting areas with poor sanitation.
• Vulnerable Populations: People experiencing homelessness or those with weakened immune systems (e.g., HIV/AIDS).
• MSM Community: Men who have sex with men are at higher risk for sexually transmitted clusters. 

• Severe Dehydration: Can lead to shock or kidney failure.
• Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS): A rare condition that destroys red blood cells and causes kidney failure.
• Seizures: Especially in young children with high fevers.
• Reactive Arthritis: Joint inflammation occurring weeks after the infection. 

• Treatment:
  • Rehydration: The "cornerstone" of treatment is maintaining fluid/electrolyte balance using ORS.
  • Antibiotics: Used for severe cases or high-risk groups (e.g., Ciprofloxacin, Azithromycin), though resistance is a growing hurdle.
  • Avoidance: Anti-diarrheal meds (like Loperamide) are contraindicated as they can worsen the infection.
• Prevention:
  • Hygiene: Rigorous handwashing with soap for 20 seconds, especially after using the toilet or changing diapers.
  • Food Safety: Washing fruits/vegetables and drinking only boiled or treated water.
  • Isolation: Staying home from work/school until 48 hours after symptoms cease.

• Scientific Classification: The butterfly belongs to the subgenus Limbusa within the genus Euthalia, a group widespread across South and Southeast Asia.
• Common Name: Researchers have proposed the name "Basar Duke" for the species, reflecting its discovery site.
• Discovery Location: It was identified in the Basar region of the Leparada district in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Physical Appearance:
  • Wings: Distinguished by olive-brown upper wings adorned with white markings or pale spots.
  • Underside: Features a vibrant turquoise-green underside, which is a key distinguishing feature from related species.
• Habitat & Behaviour:
  • Environment: It thrives in semi-evergreen forests at elevations between 600 and 750 metres.
  • Diet: Observed feeding on tree sap and gathering minerals from damp surfaces near streams.
  • Activity: Most active from late morning to early afternoon, typically making short, slow flights in shaded forest interiors.
• Conservation Status: Due to its highly localised presence and extremely low recorded numbers, experts have raised urgent concerns regarding its conservation and the protection of its humid forest habitat.
• Research Team: The discovery was led by Roshan Upadhaya (known as the 'Butterfly Man of Arunachal Pradesh') and Kalesh Sadasivan of the Travancore Natural History Society. 

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