Goa announced its third district named Kushavati in January 2026. Which talukas are included in this new district?
Kushavati district comprises Sanguem, Dharbandora, Quepem, and Canacona talukas of southern Goa, with the district headquarters at Quepem. The district is named after the ancient Kushavati River flowing through the region.
💡 Concept Note
Goa became India’s 25th state in 1987. It previously had only two districts: North Goa (HQ Panaji) and South Goa (HQ Margao). The Usgalimal petroglyphs — prehistoric rock engravings — are located in the Kushavati River basin (Sanguem taluka), among the oldest known petroglyphs in India.
Who won the Gold Medal in Youth Girls (Under-17) at the 29th National Sport Climbing Championship (NSCC) 2025 held in Bengaluru?
14-year-old Amieyra Khoslla won gold in Youth Girls (Under-17) bouldering at the 29th NSCC 2025 in Bengaluru (December 26-29), achieving a perfect score of 100.0 by solving all four bouldering problems. The event was organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.
💡 Concept Note
Sport climbing became an Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020 (combined format: speed + bouldering + lead). Bouldering involves climbing short, powerful routes (problems) on low walls without ropes; judged on number of problems solved and attempts needed. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), New Delhi, is the national federation for mountaineering and climbing.
Amazonian stingless bees were recently granted legal rights — becoming the first insects in the world to receive such rights — by local municipalities of which country?
Local municipalities in Peru passed an ordinance granting Amazonian stingless bees the legal right to exist, survive, and flourish — making them the first insects in the world to receive formal legal rights. This builds on the broader Rights of Nature movement.
💡 Concept Note
The Rights of Nature movement recognises ecosystems and species as legal entities with enforceable rights. Precedents include Ecuador’s Pachamama (Mother Nature) constitutional rights (2008), the Whanganui River in New Zealand receiving legal personhood (2017), and India’s Ganges and Yamuna rivers being temporarily granted legal status (2017 Uttarakhand HC ruling, later stayed by Supreme Court). Stingless bees (Meliponini) are vital pollinators for tropical ecosystems and produce medicinal honey used by Amazonian Indigenous communities.
Winter Storm Ezra, which intensified into a bomb cyclone affecting over 58 million people in late December 2025 / early January 2026, struck which country?
Winter Storm Ezra intensified into a bomb cyclone across the United States, placing over 58 million people under winter storm warnings with blizzards and power outages. A bomb cyclone (explosive cyclogenesis) occurs when atmospheric pressure drops by 24+ millibars in 24 hours, causing rapid intensification of a storm.
💡 Concept Note
A bomb cyclone (explosive cyclogenesis) is defined by a rapid drop in central atmospheric pressure of at least 24 hPa in 24 hours. It causes sudden strengthening of storms. The polar vortex weakening is often associated with extreme winter cold outbreaks in North America and Europe — a topic relevant to UPSC Geography (atmospheric circulation) and climate change (jet stream disruption).
Which public sector telecom company launched VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) services across all telecom circles in India on January 1, 2026?
BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) launched VoWiFi (Wi-Fi Calling) nationwide across all telecom circles on January 1, 2026. The IMS-based service enables voice calls via Wi-Fi using the same mobile number, works in weak signal areas, and is free for BSNL subscribers.
💡 Concept Note
BSNL was incorporated in October 2000 under the Companies Act 1956, taking over telecom services from DoT. It received a Rs 1.64 lakh crore revival package in 2022 including 4G/5G rollout using indigenous TCS TataCom technology stack. VoWiFi uses IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) — the same core network that handles LTE (4G) voice; it provides seamless handover between Wi-Fi and mobile networks.
India announced it had become the world's fourth-largest economy in December 2025 with a GDP of approximately USD 4.18 trillion, overtaking which country?
India overtook Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy at USD 4.18 trillion. India now ranks behind only the USA, China, and Germany. Japan’s GDP in USD terms was eroded partly by the sustained depreciation of the Japanese Yen against the dollar.
💡 Concept Note
India’s per capita GDP is approximately USD 2,900, placing it in the World Bank’s Lower Middle Income category (USD 1,136-USD 4,465). The Viksit Bharat 2047 vision targets India becoming a High-Income country (per capita GNI > USD 13,845). On a PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) basis, India is already the world’s 3rd largest economy. The 4th rank is on nominal market exchange rate GDP.
What is the highest safety integrity standard at which the Kavach 4.0 Automatic Train Protection system operates?
Kavach operates at SIL-4 (Safety Integrity Level 4) — the highest international safety standard, where the probability of a dangerous failure is less than 10 to the power of negative 9 per hour. SIL-4 makes the system effectively fail-safe. Kavach 4.0 received RDSO formal approval in July 2024.
💡 Concept Note
Safety Integrity Level (SIL) is defined by IEC 61508 standard. SIL-4 (probability of dangerous failure: < 10^-9/hour) is used in aviation, nuclear safety, and now in railway ATP systems. RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organisation), Lucknow, is India’s statutory technical body for railway standards and certifications under the Ministry of Railways.
The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth Rs 1,896 crore for procurement of 48 Heavy Weight Torpedoes for submarines of which class?
The Rs 1,896 crore contract was for 48 Heavy Weight Torpedoes from WASS Submarine Systems S.R.L. (Italy) for the Indian Navy’s Kalvari-class submarines under Project-75. Six Kalvari-class submarines (French Scorpene design) are built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai.
💡 Concept Note
Project-75 submarines: Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir, and Vagsheer — all based on French DCNS (now Naval Group) Scorpene design. Diesel-electric propulsion; 67.5 m length; ~1,550 tonne submerged displacement. HWT (Heavy Weight Torpedo): 533 mm diameter; range ~50 km; targets both submarines and surface ships. Project-75I (successor) will procure 6 air-independent propulsion submarines.
Kaamya Karthikeyan became the youngest Indian to ski to the South Pole in December 2025. She had previously completed the Seven Summits challenge. What is the final summit in the Seven Summits list?
Mt. Vinson (4,892 m, Antarctica) is the highest peak on the Antarctic continent and is the final summit in the Seven Summits list. Kaamya Karthikeyan completed the Seven Summits challenge before skiing to the South Pole. The Explorers Grand Slam requires the Seven Summits plus skiing to both the North and South Poles.
💡 Concept Note
Seven Summits (Messner list): Everest (Asia, 8,849m), Aconcagua (South America, 6,962m), Mt. McKinley/Denali (North America, 6,194m), Mt. Elbrus (Europe, 5,642m), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa, 5,895m), Mt. Vinson (Antarctica, 4,892m), Mt. Kosciuszko (Australia/Oceania, 2,228m). South Pole altitude: 2,835 m (above sea level on the ice sheet; about 2,385 m on bedrock).
The ISRO static ground test of the enhanced third stage of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was conducted at which facility?
The SSLV 3rd stage static test was conducted at the Solid Motor Static Test Facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The motor fired for 108 seconds, monitored by 233 sensors. The enhanced stage adds approximately 90 kg to SSLV’s payload capacity.
💡 Concept Note
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh is ISRO’s primary launch facility. VSSC (Thiruvananthapuram) handles rocket design and development. SSLV has three all-solid stages and targets LEO payload of ~500 kg (enhanced). First development flight SSLV-D1 (2022) partially failed; SSLV-D2 (February 2023) succeeded. NSIL (New Space India Limited) is ISRO’s commercial arm for SSLV launches.
