1 . GAGAN
- GAGAN stands for GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation. It is India’s regional Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) developed jointly by the ISRO and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to enhance the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals.
- It corrects GPS signal errors caused by ionospheric disturbances and satellite orbit deviations, achieving positioning accuracy of better than 3 meters over the Indian Flight Information Region.
- It relies on a network of ground reference stations (INRES), master control centers (INMCC), and geostationary satellites (GSAT-8, GSAT-10, and GSAT-15) to broadcast signal corrections.
- Designed primarily for Indian airspace, its signal footprint broadly stretches from Africa to Australia.
- Applications: Initially designed to provide Air Traffic Management (ATM) and precise civil aviation landings, its data is increasingly utilized for railway signaling, agriculture, and natural resource management.
- GAGAN has been fully operational since 2015 and places India among a select group with operational SBAS
- In June 2026, DGCA successfully conducted India’s first satellite-based landing system approach on a commercial jet aircraft using GAGAN.
- GAGAN is the first SBAS certified for the equatorial region.
- Foreign SBAS systems: WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS.
Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
- Researchers used Artificial Intelligence (U-Net) to analyse 100 years (1916–2007) of hand-drawn solar records from KoSO. The study reconstructed long-term changes in the Sun’s magnetic activity.
- Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) is one of the world’s oldest continuously operating solar observatories.
- Established in 1899 at Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu.
- Presently managed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
- It houses one of the world’s longest continuous records of solar observations.
- Important Solar Features
- Sunspots: Dark, relatively cooler regions on the Sun caused by intense magnetic fields that inhibit convection. The number of sunspots varies with the solar cycle.
- Plages: Bright magnetically active regions in the Sun’s chromosphere commonly observed in Calcium II K (Ca II K) wavelength. They usually surround or accompany sunspot regions and are good indicators of the Sun’s magnetic activity.
- Prominences: Large loops of glowing plasma extending outward from the Sun that are anchored to the Sun’s surface by magnetic fields and can remain stable for days or erupt into space.
- Filaments: Same structures as prominences, but viewed against the solar disc. They appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding surface.
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Purple Revolution (Lavender Revolution)
- Purple Revolution refers to the promotion of lavender cultivation for essential oil production and rural entrepreneurship.
- Implemented under the CSIR Aroma Mission.
- Originated from Bhaderwah, Jammu & Kashmir, popularly known as India’s Lavender Capital or Purple Revolution Valley.
- Nagaland adopted lavender cultivation in 2022, beginning with Zunheboto district.
- CSIR Aroma Mission
- Launched in 2016 by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
- Implemented mainly through CSIR–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu.
- Lavender is a high-value aromatic and medicinal crop cultivated primarily for essential oil.
- Used in: Perfumery + Cosmetics + Pharmaceuticals + Aromatherapy + Food flavouring
- Major Aromatic Crops under Aroma Mission: Lavender + Lemongrass + Citronella + Vetiver (Khus) + Palmarosa + Mint (Mentha) + Patchouli + Rosemary
High-level Committee On Demographic Changes Navlekar Committee
- High-level committee on demographic changes constituted under the chairmanship of Justice Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar by the Government of India to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons.
- Announced as part of the High-powered Demography Mission by the Prime Minister on 15 August 2025.
- Census of India
- Conducted under the Census Act, 1948.
- Conducted by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India (RGI).
- Functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Normally conducted every 10 years.
- Registrar General & Census Commissioner is responsible for:
- Population Census.
- Civil Registration System (CRS).
- Sample Registration System (SRS).
- National Population Register (NPR).
Viksit Bharat-Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025
- The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 has come into force from 1 July 2026, replacing the earlier wage employment framework and revised rates with no notified daily wage below RS 300.
- Act has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005
- It shifts approach from a “demand-driven framework” to a “supply-driven scheme”
- Allocations for the scheme capped within a fixed budget decided by the Union government based on “specified parameters”
- It has provided for employment only in those rural areas notified by the Centre
- It has increased guaranteed workdays from 100 to 125
- It has also raised States’ financial burden from current 10% share to 40% of total expenditure
- Under MGNREGA, Centre paid 100% labour wages and 75% material wages.
- Fund-sharing pattern fixed at 90:10 for north-eastern States and Himalayan States/UTs and 60:40 for other States and UTs with legislature
- Central government shall determine the State-wise normative allocation for each financial year based on objective parameters
- Act empowers the Union government to “notify rural areas in a State” where the scheme will be implemented
- Act allows State government to suspend the scheme for a period of up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons to “facilitate availability of labour”
- Technological interventions such as mobile app-based attendance, Aadhaar-based payment systems, and geotagging of worksites under the MGNREGA now codified into law.
