DRDO Scramjet – 1,200-Second Combustor Test at Hyderabad

Why in News The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based lab of DRDO, on May 9, 2026 sustained an Actively Cooled Full-Scale Scramjet Combustor for over 1,200 seconds at its Scramjet Combustor Propulsion Test (SCPT) facility – among the longest scramjet ground runs publicly reported globally and a path-breaking milestone for India’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

Key Points

  • Run-time exceeds the earlier January 2026 test (>700 seconds) and is among the longest publicly disclosed worldwide
  • Uses an indigenous endothermic liquid hydrocarbon fuel and an advanced ceramic thermal barrier coating
  • Scramjets are air-breathing engines operating at Mach 5+, drawing atmospheric oxygen rather than carrying an oxidiser
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it a “path-breaking milestone”
  • Enables next-generation hypersonic cruise missiles and reusable hypersonic vehicles

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

Scramjet: Supersonic Combustion Ramjet – an air-breathing engine where combustion takes place in supersonic airflow; viable beyond ~Mach 5. DRDL: Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad; an Avadi/Hyderabad cluster lab of DRDO; specialises in propulsion, aerodynamics and missile systems. SCPT facility: Scramjet Combustor Propulsion Test facility, Hyderabad. Hypersonic regime: Mach 5 and above (~6,174 km/h at sea level). Earlier Indian milestone (historical): HSTDV (Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle) first tested in 2020 (specifically September 7, 2020) sustained scramjet propulsion for ~20 seconds in flight. Endothermic fuel: Absorbs heat during decomposition, doubling as engine coolant. India joins a small group – US, Russia, China – with sustained-burn scramjet capability.

PMGSY-IV Launched – Silver Jubilee of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

Why in News Union Minister for Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on May 10, 2026 launched Phase-IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV) at Bhairunda, Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, on the silver jubilee (25 years) of the scheme – originally launched on December 25, 2000 (Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday).

Key Points

  • PMGSY-IV covers FY 2024-25 to 2028-29 – focus on green, durable, technology-driven rural connectivity
  • FY 2026-27 allocation: Rs 18,907 crore nationally; MP share Rs 830 crore + Rs 1,763 crore in approvals for 973 roads totalling 2,117.52 km
  • PM-JANMAN projects: Rs 261.81 crore for 384.34 km of roads connecting 168 PVTG habitations
  • PMAY-Gramin sanctions for MP: Rs 2,055 crore
  • 100 per cent Centrally Sponsored Scheme since inception; administered by Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD)

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

PMGSY: Launched December 25, 2000; goal – all-weather road connectivity to unconnected habitations (population threshold revised over phases). Phase I (2000) connected habitations of 500+ in plains and 250+ in hill/tribal/desert areas. Phase II (2013) upgraded existing rural roads. PMGSY-III (2019) consolidated 1.25 lakh km of through-routes and major rural links. PMGSY-IV (2024-29) focus on new connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations + technology + green materials. PM-JANMAN: Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, 2023 – for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). PMAY-Gramin: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin; under MoRD; converged with PMGSY-IV.

PLFS Quarterly Bulletin (Jan-Mar 2026) – Urban Unemployment Eases to 6.6 Per Cent

Why in News The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin for January-March 2026, released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI on May 11, 2026, recorded urban unemployment (Current Weekly Status, 15 years and above) at 6.6 per cent – down from 6.7 per cent in the preceding quarter.

Key Points

  • Total LFPR (15+): 55.5 per cent; Female LFPR (15+): 34.7 per cent
  • Total employed: 57.4 crore (including 17.2 crore women)
  • Rural agriculture share of workforce fell from 58.5 per cent to 55.8 per cent
  • Rural regular wage/salaried workers rose from 14.8 per cent to 15.5 per cent
  • Rural secondary sector at 22.6 per cent; tertiary at 21.7 per cent

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

PLFS: Periodic Labour Force Survey, introduced in 2017 by NSO under MoSPI; replaced the quinquennial Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) of NSSO. Reference periods: Usual Status (US) – past 365 days; Current Weekly Status (CWS) – past 7 days. Quarterly bulletins cover urban areas under CWS only; annual reports cover both rural and urban under US and CWS. LFPR: Labour Force Participation Rate = labour force (employed + unemployed) / population. WPR: Worker-Population Ratio. Unemployment Rate (UR): unemployed / labour force. Sectoral shift: A declining agriculture share with rising regular wage/salaried share is consistent with structural transformation.

Four Labour Codes Fully Operationalised

Why in News The Government of India between May 9 and May 11, 2026 notified the residual Central Rules under the four Labour Codes, completing operationalisation that had begun with the codes themselves in force since 2025 (specifically November 21, 2025). The exercise consolidates 29 pre-existing labour statutes into four codes.

Key Points

  • The four codes: Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020
  • Universal minimum wage and statutory 48-hour workweek, with up to 12 hours per day permissible subject to overtime caps
  • Basic salary plus allowances must equal at least 50 per cent of total remuneration – affects PF, gratuity, leave encashment computation
  • Internal Grievance Committees mandatory for establishments with 20 or more workers
  • Platform aggregators must contribute 1-2 per cent of annual turnover (cap: 5 per cent of payments to gig workers) to a gig-worker social-security fund
  • Women permitted to work in night shifts with consent and prescribed safeguards

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

Code on Wages, 2019: Subsumes Payment of Wages Act 1936, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Payment of Bonus Act 1965, Equal Remuneration Act 1976. Industrial Relations Code, 2020: Subsumes Trade Unions Act 1926, Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, Industrial Disputes Act 1947 – introduces fixed-term employment and a higher threshold (300 workers) for layoff/retrenchment Government approval. Code on Social Security, 2020: Subsumes EPF Act 1952, ESI Act 1948, Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, Building & Other Construction Workers Act 1996; extends social security to gig and platform workers for the first time. OSH Code, 2020: Subsumes Factories Act 1948 (and 12 other Acts) – universal threshold of 10 workers for factory registration; mandatory annual health check-up for 40+ years. Constitutional basis: Labour is in the Concurrent List (Entries 22, 23, 24).

C. Joseph Vijay Sworn In as TN CM – Article 164(4) and Floor Test

Why in News C. Joseph Vijay – founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) – was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor R. V. Arlekar at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, on May 10, 2026, along with 9 ministers. The Governor directed a vote of confidence on or before May 13, 2026, invoking the constitutional safeguards under Article 164 and floor-test conventions.

Key Points

  • Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has 234 elected members; the TVK-led alliance (with Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, IUML) has a majority
  • Article 164(1): Chief Minister appointed by the Governor
  • Article 164(4): A minister not a member of the State Legislature must become a member within six consecutive months, failing which the office is vacated
  • Article 75(5) is the Union analogue
  • B. R. Kapur v. State of Tamil Nadu (2001): SC held a person disqualified under Article 173/191 cannot be appointed CM/Minister even via Article 164(4)
  • Oath of office: Third Schedule of the Constitution

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

Article 164: Other provisions as to Ministers; sub-clause (1) provides for the CM’s appointment by the Governor and other ministers on the CM’s advice; sub-clause (1A) caps the Council of Ministers at 15 per cent of Assembly strength (91st Amendment, 2003); sub-clause (4) allows a non-MLA minister up to 6 months. Floor test: Constitutional convention of confidence demonstration on the floor of the House, repeatedly endorsed by the SC in S. R. Bommai (1994), Rameshwar Prasad (2006), Nabam Rebia (2016), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (2020). Third Schedule: Forms of oaths and affirmations – Forms IV (CM/Minister) and V (CM/Minister secrecy). Sarkaria Commission (1988) laid down the precedence order for government formation. The floor test displaces the executive judgement of the Governor.

Royal Bengal Tiger Returns to D’Ering Sanctuary – Arunachal Pradesh

Why in News A Royal Bengal Tiger has been confirmed by camera-trap evidence in D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary (DEMWS), East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh – the first such confirmation in approximately 20 years, reported on May 8-9, 2026.

Key Points

  • DEMWS area: 190 sq km; established 1978; renamed after freedom fighter Daying Ering (earlier the Lali WLS)
  • Located ~13 km from Pasighat; bounded by Siang and Sibya rivers
  • Last confirmed tiger evidence: 2005; WWF 2014 survey found none (poaching cited)
  • Camera-trap survey conducted in partnership with Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
  • January 2026 pugmarks at Kobu Chapori (Assam-Arunachal border) are the suspected source
  • Other species: Chinese Pangolin (CR), Hispid Hare (EN), wild buffaloes, Bengal florican

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

Tiger – conservation status: IUCN Red List: Endangered; CITES: Appendix I; Schedule I, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Project Tiger: launched 1973; coordinated by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) since 2006 (Sec 38L, WLPA after 2006 amendment). All-India Tiger Estimation 2022: 3,682 tigers (released July 2023). ATREE: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment; Bengaluru-based research institute since 1996. D’Ering Memorial WLS: A floodplain sanctuary; key habitat for the Critically Endangered Bengal Florican and Chinese Pangolin.

JCIS – Jute Crop Information System Expanded

Why in News The Jute Crop Information System (JCIS) – a joint platform of ISRO and the National Jute Board (Ministry of Textiles), operational since 2023 – was expanded around May 12-13, 2026 to cover additional jute-growing districts and introduce SMS-based farmer advisories.

Key Points

  • Two integrated tools: BHUVAN JUMP (mobile app for geo-tagged field data via the I-CARE extension network) and PATSAN (web-based analytics dashboard)
  • Integrates satellite imagery, vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI), weather analytics, and field data
  • Used by the Jute Corporation of India (JCI) for flood-impact assessment and procurement planning
  • India is the world’s largest raw jute producer; West Bengal accounts for ~70 per cent of national output
  • Future expansion: SMS-based advisories, more districts, integration with crop-insurance modules

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

National Jute Board (NJB): Statutory body under the National Jute Board Act, 2008, under the Ministry of Textiles. Jute Corporation of India (JCI): PSU under Ministry of Textiles; nodal Minimum Support Price (MSP) agency for raw jute. BHUVAN: ISRO’s national geo-portal launched in 2009. JUMP: Jute – Universal Mapping and Photographic survey (within BHUVAN). I-CARE: Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise – ICAR-CRIJAF extension programme. Jute (Corchorus capsularis, C. olitorius): Cultivated mainly in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya. Jute Packaging Materials Act, 1987 mandates jute for specified packaging.

ADNOC Habshan Recovery and India’s West Asia Energy Security

Why in News ADNOC Gas on May 12, 2026 reported that its Habshan gas-processing complex in the UAE – damaged in the April 3, 2026 incident (background context) during intercepted attacks in the US-Israel-Iran conflict – has reached ~60 per cent operational capacity, with full restoration targeted by 2027. The episode underscores India’s exposure to West Asia energy supply and the role of the Strait of Hormuz bypass.

Key Points

  • Habshan meets ~80 per cent of UAE’s domestic gas demand and exports to about 32 countries
  • The Habshan-Fujairah ADCOP pipeline (1.5-1.8 million barrels/day) is the principal Strait of Hormuz bypass route used by Indian refiners
  • Regional bypass capacity is ~2.6 mb/d versus the ~20 mb/d that normally transits Hormuz
  • India imports over 85 per cent of crude requirements; CPCL, IOCL, HPCL have material UAE/West Asia exposure
  • India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) – operational since 2018 – offer ~60 days of imports across Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru, Padur

Facts Corner – Knowledgepedia

ADNOC: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company; state-owned. Habshan: Gas-processing complex (Habshan-Bab field cluster) in Abu Dhabi. ADCOP pipeline: Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, capacity ~1.5-1.8 mb/d, Habshan to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman – bypasses Hormuz. Strait of Hormuz: Choke point between Iran and Oman/UAE; ~20-21 mb/d (about 20-25 per cent of global seaborne oil) transits daily. ISPRL: Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd – Phase I at Visakhapatnam (1.33 MMT), Mangaluru (1.5 MMT) and Padur (2.5 MMT); Phase II planned at Chandikhol (Odisha) and Padur expansion. CPCL: Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd; IOCL: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd; HPCL: Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

Combined Facts Corner

Topic Key Fact
DRDO Scramjet DRDL Hyderabad sustained scramjet combustor for >1,200 seconds on May 9, 2026
PMGSY-IV Launched May 10, 2026 at Sehore on PMGSY’s silver jubilee; FY 26-27 allocation Rs 18,907 cr
PLFS Jan-Mar 2026 Urban UR (CWS, 15+) 6.6 per cent; total LFPR 55.5 per cent; female LFPR 34.7 per cent
Labour Codes Four codes (29 statutes consolidated); Central Rules notified May 9-11, 2026
TN CM Oath Vijay sworn in; floor test on/before May 13; Article 164(4) – 6 months window
D’Ering Tiger Royal Bengal Tiger camera-trapped after ~20 years; sanctuary 190 sq km, est. 1978
JCIS Jute ISRO + NJB platform since 2023; BHUVAN JUMP + PATSAN; West Bengal ~70 per cent output
ADNOC Habshan ~60 per cent restored; Habshan-Fujairah ADCOP bypasses Hormuz; India SPR ~60 days