India’s first satellite, Aryabhata, completed 50 years.

About Aryabhata Satellite

• Built by ISRO to conduct experiments in X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics.
• Named after the ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer.
• Launched in 1975, by Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Volgograd Launch Station (present Russia) 
• Made India the 11th country in the world to send a satellite into orbit.

Government provided grants for EV startups under Project EVolutionS.

About Electric Vehicle Solutions led by Startups (EVolutionS) Programme

• Launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST),Ministry of Science & Technology.
  • Implemented in collaboration with Ministry of Heavy Industry (MHI) and Automotive Component Manufacturing Association of India (ACMA).
• Objective: To aid selected startups in pilot demonstration, testing, validation of components and establishing industry connects for speedy translation of EV solutions to market.
• It covers components for electric two-, three- and four-wheelers (including L5, e-rickshaw and e-cart), e-buses and EV public charging infrastructure.
• Startups that have demonstrated indigenous capability in developing materials/components will get a grant of ₹50 lakh, including ₹30 lakh in the form of equity-linked instruments.

The Arts College building of Osmania University (OU), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, has become the third structure in India to receive a trademark for its exterior design. 

• The first two were the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Benefits of Trademarking

• Gives OU exclusive rights to use the building’s image for commercial purposes and protection from unauthorised copying. 
• Helps preserve the unique architectural identity.

Architectural Significance of the Buidling

• Built in December 1939, the building reflects the Osman Shahi Architectural Style. 
  • The Architecture is a blend of Qutub Shahi and Mughal styles, with influences from Kakatiyan temples, Ajanta, and Ellora. 
• Uniquely, it lacks a dome, unlike other Nizam-era structures.

Kokborok Sahitya Parishad sought inclusion of Kokborok language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

About Kokborok Language:

• The word "Kokborok" comes from "Kok," meaning "verbal," and "Borok," meaning "people" or "human."
• It is the language of Borok people who are geographically known as Tripuris.
• It is the mother tongue of communities namely Debbarma (Tripuri) Reang, Jamatia, Noatia, Kalai, Rupini, Murasing, Uchoi etc.
• It is recognised as one of the State languages of Tripura.
• It is part of the Sino-Tibetan language family.
• It is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

Indian Air Force is participating in Exercise Desert Flag-10. 

• It is a premier multinational air combat exercise being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

China alleged intrusion by the Philippines in the contentious Scarborough Shoal waters of the South China Sea (SCS).

• SCS is a marginal sea in the western Pacific Ocean bordering Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and China. 

About Scarborough Shoals

• Scarborough is the largest atoll in the South China Sea, located about 220kms to west of Philippines. 
• It is located inside Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Philippines but has been claimed by China as its ancestral territory (demarcated by nine-dash line) since the 13th century.
• Other disputed islands in SCS: Paracel and Spratly island

India has dispatched a second batch of batteries of BrahMos Missile system to the Philippines.

About BrahMos 

• Jointly developed by India and Russia
• A long-range supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea and air.
• Two-stage system:
  • 1st stage (Solid propellant booster): Gives the initial supersonic speed. 
  • 2nd stage (Liquid ramjet):  takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in cruise phase.
• Range: Up to 290 km
• Special Capabilities
  • "Fire and Forget" technology
  • Shorter flight times lead to lower target dispersion and quicker engagement
  • Pin point accuracy

ISRO satellite CROP estimated wheat Crop Area and production in India.

• It has estimated that the total wheat production from 8 major wheat growing States of India would be 122.724 million tonnes as on March 31, 2025.

About CROP

• It is a semi-automated, scalable framework, developed by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)/ISRO.
• It enables the near real-time monitoring of crop sowing and harvesting during the Rabi season across India.
• It uses Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing datasets from EOS-04 (RISAT-1A), EOS-06 (Oceansat-3), and Resourcesat-2A, for the Rabi season, 2024-25.