GK One-Liners

What: Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) during a landmark 2-day visit to Israel. He was conferred the prestigious ‘Speaker of Knesset’ Medal, and several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on innovation and agriculture were signed between the two nations.

How: The visit builds on the India-Israel strategic partnership upgraded since 2017. The MoUs focus on cooperation in agricultural technology, water management, and innovation ecosystems. The Knesset address signifies the deepening of parliamentary-level diplomatic engagement between the two democracies.

Why: India-Israel relations are a recurring theme in UPSC GS Paper II (International Relations) and Prelims. Questions on bilateral visits, defence cooperation, and strategic partnerships are common. The ‘first Indian PM to address Knesset’ is a high-probability factual recall question for Prelims and banking exams.

What: The Union Cabinet has approved the renaming of the state of Kerala to ‘Keralam’, reflecting the name used in the Malayalam language. The state assembly had passed resolutions in August 2023 and June 2024 requesting the change. This requires an amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution under Article 3.

How: Under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution, Parliament has the power to alter the name of any state. While the state legislature’s recommendation is sought, it is not binding on Parliament. A Constitutional Amendment Bill amending the First Schedule (which lists all states and Union Territories) will need to be passed by a simple majority in Parliament.

Why: Article 3 and the procedure for renaming/reorganising states is a staple topic for UPSC Polity (GS Paper II) and state PSC exams. Previous renamings — Orissa to Odisha (2011), Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand (2007) — are frequently tested. The distinction between simple majority (Article 3) and special majority (constitutional amendments under Article 368) is a key exam concept.

What: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched PRAHAR CT Strategy, India’s first-ever national counter-terrorism policy. It adopts a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism and is structured around three core pillars: prevention, response, and capacity-building.

How: The strategy consolidates India’s counter-terrorism apparatus under a unified national framework. The prevention pillar focuses on intelligence sharing and de-radicalisation; the response pillar strengthens rapid-reaction capabilities of the National Security Guard (NSG) and state forces; and the capacity pillar invests in training, technology, and inter-agency coordination.

Why: Internal security is a dedicated section in UPSC GS Paper III. A national CT policy is significant as India previously lacked a single comprehensive document on counter-terrorism. Expect questions on the PRAHAR framework, its pillars, and comparison with CT strategies of other nations in Mains and interview rounds.

What: INS Anjadip, the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), has been commissioned into the Indian Navy at Chennai. Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), the 77-metre vessel is equipped with Sonar Abhay and has been nicknamed ‘Dolphin Hunter’. Admiral Tripathi presided over the commissioning ceremony.

How: The ASW-SWC programme is part of India’s push for indigenous naval construction under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. GRSE, a defence public sector undertaking based in Kolkata, designs and builds these craft to patrol shallow coastal waters and detect submarine threats using advanced hull-mounted and towed sonar arrays. The vessels enhance the Navy’s near-shore ASW capability.

Why: Defence commissionings are frequently tested in UPSC Prelims and banking exams — expect questions on the shipyard (GRSE), class designation (ASW-SWC), and key features (Sonar Abhay). The broader theme of indigenous defence manufacturing under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat is important for GS Paper III (Security).

What: India and France have amended their Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC), removing the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause. Under the revised agreement, capital gains will be taxed in the country of residence of the investor, and dividend taxation rates have been restructured at 5% and 15% slabs.

How: The MFN clause in tax treaties typically requires a country to extend the most favourable tax rate offered to any third country to the treaty partner as well. Its removal gives India greater flexibility in negotiating differentiated tax rates with individual countries. The capital gains and dividend provisions align with India’s broader strategy of rationalising its tax treaty network to prevent treaty shopping and base erosion.

Why: Tax treaties and international taxation are increasingly important topics for UPSC GS Paper III (Economy) and banking exams. The MFN issue gained prominence after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on its automatic applicability. Understanding DTAC, MFN, Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), and treaty shopping is essential for Mains answers on India’s economic diplomacy.

What: The Union Health Ministry has launched a nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme targeting 14-year-old girls across India. The initiative aims to prevent cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer among Indian women, by immunising adolescent girls before exposure to the virus.

How: HPV vaccination works by building immunity against high-risk HPV strains (particularly HPV-16 and HPV-18) that cause the majority of cervical cancer cases. The programme will be integrated into the existing Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and delivered through schools and health sub-centres. India’s indigenous HPV vaccine, developed by the Serum Institute of India, supports the programme’s scalability.

Why: Public health programmes and immunisation drives are high-yield topics for UPSC GS Paper II (Governance/Health) and GS Paper III (Science & Technology). Questions on India’s vaccination programmes (UIP, Mission Indradhanush), cervical cancer statistics, and the WHO’s global cervical cancer elimination strategy are frequently asked. The indigenous vaccine angle connects to Atmanirbhar Bharat in healthcare.