1. PM-WANI Scheme

Overview:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently introduced a tariff cap for Public Data Offices (PDOs) under the PM-WANI scheme to ensure affordable public Wi-Fi services.

About the Scheme:
Launched in December 2020 by the Department of Telecommunications, the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) aims to boost the expansion of public Wi-Fi hotspots, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas. The goal is to improve digital infrastructure, create employment for small entrepreneurs, and offer low-cost internet access.

Key Features:

• Local shops and establishments can offer Wi-Fi services without requiring a license or registration fee.

• It supports last-mile internet delivery through decentralized networks.

Ecosystem Components:

• Public Data Office (PDO): Operates WANI-compliant Wi-Fi hotspots without needing DoT approval.

• Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): Manages and authorizes PDOs.

• App Provider: Develops apps to help users locate and connect to WANI-compliant Wi-Fi hotspots.

• Central Registry: Maintains records of App Providers, PDOAs, and PDOs, managed by C-DoT.

How to Access PM-WANI Internet:
Users download the relevant app, complete authentication, and connect to available Wi-Fi hotspots. Payments can be made online or via vouchers.

2. SMILE Scheme (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise)

Overview:
Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir is set to become the second district after Srinagar to implement the SMILE scheme, aimed at supporting marginalized communities.

About the Scheme:
Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment with a ₹365 crore budget (2021–2026), the scheme focuses on rehabilitating transgender individuals and persons engaged in begging through two sub-schemes.

Sub-schemes:

1. Rehabilitation for Transgender Persons:

   • Scholarships (Class IX to post-graduation)

   • Skill training under PM-DAKSH

   • Gender-reaffirmation surgery support via PM-JAY

   • ‘Garima Greh’ shelter homes for care and development

   • Protection Cells to safeguard legal rights

2. Rehabilitation for Persons Engaged in Begging:

   • Surveys for identification and national database creation

   • Mobilization through outreach programs

   • Shelter homes offering food, clothing, healthcare, and counselling

   • Vocational training and employment support

SMILE-75 Initiative:
Launched in FY 2023-24 with a ₹100 crore budget to extend the scheme to 75 cities, including metropolitan areas and regions with cultural or strategic importance.

3. Kanha Tiger Reserve

Overview:
According to a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) report, Kanha Tiger Reserve leads in ungulate population among India's tiger habitats.

About the Reserve:

• Located in the Maikal range of the Satpuras, within Mandla and Balaghat districts, Madhya Pradesh.

• Spread across 2,074 sq.km., including a core area (940 sq.km.) and buffer zone (1,009 sq.km.).

• Originally a reserve forest (1879), wildlife sanctuary (1933), and national park (1955).

Highlights:

• Corridor connectivity with Pench and Achanakmar Tiger Reserves.

• Diverse forested terrain with sal and deciduous trees.

• Home to tribal communities like the Gond and Baiga.

• Inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

• First to have an official mascot: Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.

Fauna:
Hosts Royal Bengal Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, and the world’s last population of Barasingha deer.

4. Global Nuclear Arsenal – SIPRI 2025 Report

Overview:
SIPRI’s 2025 yearbook states that nine countries hold approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads as of January 1, 2025.

Country-wise Warhead Inventory:

• Russia: 5,459

• USA: 5,177

• China: 600

• France: 290

• UK: 225

• India: 180

• Pakistan: 170

• Israel: 90

• North Korea: 50

Key Insights:

• 9,614 warheads are in military stockpiles; 3,912 are deployed.

• About 2,100 deployed warheads are on high operational alert.

• China is rapidly expanding, adding ~100 warheads annually.

• India is developing advanced delivery systems like canisterised missiles.

• US and Russia hold ~90% of all warheads; both are reducing retired stockpiles.

5. International Energy Agency (IEA)

Overview:
India is projected to drive global oil demand growth by adding 1 million barrels/day by 2030, according to the IEA.

About IEA:

• Established in 1974 within the OECD framework, headquartered in Paris.

• Originally formed to coordinate response to oil supply disruptions.

• Focus areas: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness, and global engagement.

Key Functions:

• Recommends energy policies across all fuel types and technologies.

• Monitors energy markets, supply chains, and clean energy technologies.

Membership:

• 32 member countries and 13 association countries, including India and China.

• To qualify for membership, a country must:

  • Be an OECD member.

  • Hold oil reserves equivalent to 90 days of imports.

  • Have emergency response and reporting systems in place.

Notable Publications:

• World Energy Outlook

• World Energy Balances

• Net Zero by 2050

6. What are Hydraulics?

Hydraulics is a global industry valued at approximately $45–50 billion, and it's steadily expanding.

Overview:
Hydraulic systems operate on Pascal’s Law, proposed by 17th-century scientist Blaise Pascal. This principle states that pressure applied to an incompressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions.

How It Works:
A hydraulic system generates pressure by applying force to a fluid. Due to equal pressure distribution, a small force over a small area can produce a much larger force over a larger area—without changing the pressure. This principle enables tasks like lifting and much more.

Key Components:

• Pumps

• Pipes

• Valves

• Linear or rotary actuators

• Tank with filters

• Sensors and switches

Applications:
Hydraulics are used in both mobile (e.g., cranes, excavators) and static machinery (e.g., presses, molding machines, wind turbines). Sensors help monitor movement, pressure, flow, temperature, and oil purity.

Advantages:
Hydraulic systems offer smoother motion, high power-to-weight ratio, better heat dissipation, precise control, and greater accuracy compared to mechanical alternatives.

7. Quantum Communication

Recently, IIT-Delhi and DRDO demonstrated free-space quantum communication over a distance exceeding 1 km.

Overview:
Quantum communication utilizes particles like photons to transmit data securely. It relies on quantum physics—particularly quantum entanglement—to prevent eavesdropping. If someone tries to intercept the signal, the disturbance is immediately detectable.

Key Concept:
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a major method in this field. Through quantum entanglement, two particles remain connected such that changes in one instantly affect the other, regardless of distance.

Applications:

• Military & Government: Secure communication for sensitive data

• Banking: Protects financial transactions using QKD

• Power Grids: Shields infrastructure from cyber threats

• Consumer Privacy: Safeguards data in cloud storage and online transactions

• Scientific Collaboration: Enables secure data exchange among institutions

• Navigation: Strengthens GPS signal security

8. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia recently erupted, sending ash 11 km into the sky.

Overview:
Located in East Nusa Tenggara on Flores Island, this volcano lies on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. It's part of a twin volcanic complex—Lewotobi Laki-laki (male, 1584 m) and Lewotobi Perempuan (female, 1703 m).

Key Features:

• Laki-laki has a 400 m-wide summit crater.

• Perempuan’s crater is 700 m wide.

• Lewotobi Laki-laki is more frequently active.

• Small lava domes have formed in both craters during the 20th century.

9. Cyber Suraksha

‘Cyber Suraksha’ is a national cybersecurity exercise led by the Defence Cyber Agency under the Integrated Defence Staff.

Purpose:
This multi-phase initiative aims to enhance national cyber resilience through:

• Focused training

• Simulated cyber threats

• Hands-on, gamified challenge environments

It emphasizes real-time decision-making and secure digital practices.

About the Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA):

• A tri-service command of the Indian Armed Forces

• Formed in 2019 to counter cyber threats

• Draws personnel from all military branches

• Led by a two-star officer

• Reports to the Chief of Defence Staff

• Headquartered in New Delhi

10. Lac Insect

Researchers at IISc have discovered how lac insects produce laccaic acid, a pigment used in various industries.

Overview:

• The lac insect is hemimetabolous, undergoing gradual metamorphosis (egg → nymph → pupa → adult).

• It reproduces through ovoviviparity and completes its life cycle in ~6 months.

• The insect secretes a resin (shellac) and a red pigment (laccaic acid) while feeding on tree sap.

Types & Distribution:

• Two main strains in India: kusumi and rangeeni

• Commercial lac is mainly from Laccifer lacca

• Found across Southeast Asia, with India and Thailand as top producers

• In India, lac is mainly produced in Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Odisha

Key Discovery:

• Laccaic acid synthesis involves tyrosine, which the insect can’t produce or extract from sap.

• A symbiotic yeast-like fungus inside the insect supplies this amino acid.

• This fungus is passed on to the insect’s offspring via the egg cell.