1 . Rakhigarhi Human Skeletal Remains
Human skeletal remains excavated from the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana recently have been formally handed over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), both under Mo. Culture for further research.
- Located in Hisar district, Haryana.
- Largest known site of the Indus-Saraswati/Harappan Civilization spread over 550 hectares.
- Excavations show continuous habitation from: Early Harappan Phase to Mature Harappan Phase periods.
- Triangular and circular fire altar as well as animal sacrificial pits have been found.
- Cylindrical Harappan Seal with an alligator symbol and five characters.
- DNA studies of a 4600 year old female skeleton from Rakhigarhi confirmed that Harappan populations had deep indigenous roots challenging Aryan Invasion Theory.
- Not yet a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Excavations (2025-26) at Mound No. 7 uncovered:
- 8 burials
- 3 complete human skeletons
- Several skeletal fragments
- Ancient DNA (aDNA): Genetic material extracted from ancient human, animal or plant remains.
- Osteology: Scientific study of bones and skeletons.
- Palaeopathology: Study of diseases in ancient populations through skeletal remains.
IAS e-Civil List
- Prepared by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the cadre controlling authority for IAS.
- Functions as a digital database containing details of all IAS officers in the country.
- Part of the Digital India initiative aimed at improving administrative efficiency and transparency.
- Contains information on: batch, cadre, present posting, educational qualifications, etc.
- Equipped with: Advanced search facility, hyperlinking features, PDF-based digital access.
- Helps in: Talent Mapping + Cadre Management + Administrative Planning + Evidence-Based Decision Making
- DoPT: Functions under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
- Cadre Controlling Authority for: IAS + Central Secretariat Service (CSS) + Central Secretariat Stenographers Service (CSSS)
Index of Eight Core Industries for May 2026
- The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) growth slows to 0.5%.
- The production of Steel, Cement, and Electricity recorded positive growth, while coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products and fertilizers
- Released by Office of Economic Adviser (OEA), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under Ministry of Commerce & Industry
- Base Year: 2011-12 = 100. Acts as a lead indicator of industrial performance.
- Eight Core Industries account for 27% weight in Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
| Industry | Weight (%) |
| Petroleum Refinery Products | 28.04 |
| Electricity | 19.85 |
| Steel | 17.92 |
| Coal | 10.33 |
| Crude Oil | 8.98 |
| Natural Gas | 6.88 |
| Cement | 5.37 |
| Fertilizers | 2.63 |
Index of Industrial Production
- India’s industrial output, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew by 4.9% in April 2026 under the revised series with 2022-23 as the base year. (previously 2011-12)
- Published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
- A completely new sector has been included: Water Supply, Sewerage & Waste Management. Earlier IIP had only Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity.
- Also sectoral weights revised based on updated Gross Value Added (GVA) 2022-23.
- Uses, use based classification of goods with Captial goods being the top performer.
- Old Series: Only Electricity Generation ; New Series: Electricity + Gas Supply
- For the first time: Piped Natural Gas (PNG) incorporated in industrial measurement.
- Newly Included: Minor Minerals + Rare Earth Minerals
NAFEX.in: NAFED’s auction portal
- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah launched NAFED’s auction portal NAFEX.in along with several farmer-centric digital initiatives.
- in is a digital auction platform developed by NAFED.
- Objective: Enhance transparency in agricultural auctions & streamline auction-related activities through digital processes.
- Intended beneficiaries: Farmers + Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) + Cooperative institutions + Agricultural traders and stakeholders.
- Supports the vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”.
- NAFED-KALYAN Scholarship: Scholarship programme for children of farmers + Focus on educational support and farmer welfare.
- DRISHTI Portal: Inventory management portal + Used for monitoring: Pulses, oilseeds + Helps improve stock management and procurement operations.
- ERP Portal: Enterprise Resource Planning system designed to improve operational efficiency and internal management of NAFED.
