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📝 Revision Notes
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Environment & Wildlife
Similipal — India’s 107th National Park; Home of Black Tigers
Similipal Tiger Reserve (Mayurbhanj district, Odisha) was declared India’s 107th National Park — Odisha’s 2nd NP after Bhitarkanika (1998). NP area: 845.70 sq. km; total reserve: 2,750 sq. km. Home to 40 wild tigers including the world’s only wild melanistic (black) tigers, 360+ bird species, 55 mammal species, and 25% of Odisha’s elephants. Part of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Network since 2009. Name from ‘Simul’ (Silk Cotton) tree. Notified under Section 35(4), Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Transport & Infrastructure
IWAI — 145.5 MMT Record Cargo; 111 National Waterways
IWAI (Noida; Chairman: Vijay Kumar; est. 1986) reported record cargo of 145.5 MMT in FY25 (up from 18.1 MMT in FY2013–14; CAGR: 20.86%). Top commodities (68%+ of cargo): coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand, fly ash. Passenger movement: 1.61 crore (2023–24). India expanded National Waterways from 5 to 111 under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
Arts & Culture
Payal Kapadia — France’s Arts Honour; Cannes Grand Prix 2024
Payal Kapadia (FTII, Mumbai) received France’s ‘Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ on April 24, 2025 (from French Consul General Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet). Her debut fiction film ‘All We Imagine as Light’ (2024; Indo-French co-production) won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival — the first Indian film in 30 years to win a major CFF main competition award. Also France’s Oscar entry (Best International Feature Film). Earlier: Golden Eye, 74th CFF (2021) for ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’.
Sports — Chess
Koneru Humpy — Record 8th FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Title
Koneru Humpy won the 5th leg of FIDE Women’s GP 2024–25 (Pune, April 13–24, 2025), defeating Chinese GM Zhu Jiner on tiebreaks (7/9 pts each). This is her 8th Grand Prix title — a new world record, surpassing her joint record with Hou Yifan (China). Indian IM Divya Deshmukh secured 3rd. Cumulative WGP leader: Goryachkina (308.34 pts); Humpy (279.17 pts). Final leg: Großlobming, Austria (May 5–16, 2025). FIDE President: Arkady Dvorkovich; est. 1924.
Defence
INS Surat — MR-SAM (Barak 8) Test-Fired
INS Surat (4th and final ship, Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class stealth guided missile destroyer; 164 m, ~7,400 tonnes, 75% indigenous, >30 knots) test-fired MR-SAM (Barak 8) in the Arabian Sea on April 24, 2025. MR-SAM developed jointly by DRDO (India) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Specs: range up to 70 km, length 4.5 m, weight ~275 kg, 60 kg warhead; counters sea-skimming threats. First test: 2016. Indian Navy CNS: Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
Space
Shenzhou-20 — China’s 9th Crewed Tiangong Mission
China launched Shenzhou-20 on April 24, 2025 via Long March-2F from Jiuquan — China’s 9th crewed Tiangong mission. Commander: Chen Dong (46; longest cumulative Chinese stay in space: 200+ days). Crew: Chen Zhongrui, Wang Jie. Mission: planarian experiments, space debris protection, replacing Shenzhou-19 crew. Tiangong: operational since Oct 2022; T-shaped; 3 modules (Tianhe, Wentian, Mengtian); ~100 MT; 340–450 km LEO.
Space & Obituary
Dr. K. Kasturirangan — Father of Modern ISRO (1940–2025)
Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (b. Oct 24, 1940, Ernakulam, Kerala; d. April 26, 2025, Bengaluru, age 84). As ISRO Chairman (1994–2003), he led development of PSLV and GSLV and initiated India’s planetary exploration programme leading to Chandrayaan-1. Began career at PRL, Ahmedabad (1969). Awards: Padma Shri (1982), Padma Bhushan (1992), Padma Vibhushan (2000). Also chaired the NEP 2020 drafting committee.
Agriculture & Finance
NABARD Invests in eKisanCredit (eKCC) — Digital KCC Platform
NABARD (Mumbai) acquired a 10% stake in 24×7 Moneyworks Consulting (Chennai) — its first investment in a bootstrapped startup. Flagship product: eKisanCredit (eKCC) — a fully digital loan origination system for Cooperative Banks, PACS, and RRBs, integrating land records, Aadhaar + eKYC, and core banking. India has 7.71 crore operational KCC holders (March 2025), including 1.24 lakh in fisheries and 44.4 lakh in animal husbandry.
Finance & Markets
Edelweiss BSE Internet Economy Index Fund — India’s First
Edelweiss MF (MD & CEO: Radhika Gupta; Mumbai) launched India’s first BSE Internet Economy Index Fund on April 24, 2025. The BSE Internet Economy Index = top 20 companies from BSE 500 by 6-month average market cap, spanning 11 sub-industries (e-retail, fintech, e-learning, digital entertainment, etc.). NFO: April 25–May 9, 2025; Min investment: Rs 100. Exit load: 0.10% within 30 days.
Environment & Biodiversity
Two New Fish Species — Western Ghats (Labeo uru & Labeo chekida)
ICAR-NBFGR (HQ: Lucknow; est. 1983) discovered two new freshwater fish species from Western Ghats rivers. Labeo uru (Chandragiri River, Karnataka) — named after the traditional wooden dhow (‘uru’) due to its sail-like elongated dorsal fin. Labeo chekida (Chalakudy River, Kerala) — locally known as ‘kaka chekida’. Both are endemic. The discovery resolved a 150-year-old taxonomic confusion around Labeo nigrescens (Rohu), first described in 1870.
🎴 Revision Flashcards
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Tap to Reveal
What makes Similipal’s tigers globally unique, and which was Odisha’s first National Park?
World’s only wild melanistic (black) tigers; Bhitarkanika NP (1998)
India’s 107th NP; 845.70 sq. km NP area; 2,750 sq. km total; UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2009; Mayurbhanj district
Tap to Reveal
How many National Waterways does India have after the 2016 Act, and what was IWAI’s FY25 cargo record?
111 National Waterways; 145.5 MMT in FY25
Up from 5 NWs before 2016; grew from 18.1 MMT in FY2013–14; CAGR 20.86%; top commodity: coal
Tap to Reveal
What award did Payal Kapadia receive from France, and what was historic about ‘All We Imagine as Light’ at Cannes?
Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; first Indian film in 30 years to win a CFF main competition award (Grand Prix)
FTII graduate; Indo-French co-production; 77th Cannes Grand Prix; also France’s Oscar entry; earlier: Golden Eye 74th CFF (2021)
Tap to Reveal
How many Grand Prix titles does Koneru Humpy hold now, and whose record did she break?
8 titles (world record); surpassed her joint record with Hou Yifan (China)
Won 5th leg WGP in Pune; beat Zhu Jiner on tiebreaks; Divya Deshmukh 3rd; final leg: Großlobming, Austria
Tap to Reveal
What is INS Surat’s project number, and who jointly developed the MR-SAM (Barak 8) it test-fired?
Project 15B (Visakhapatnam-class); DRDO (India) + IAI (Israel)
4th and final P15B ship; 164 m; ~7,400 T; 75% indigenous; MR-SAM range up to 70 km; first test 2016
Tap to Reveal
What record does Shenzhou-20 Commander Chen Dong hold, and what is Tiangong’s orbit range?
Longest cumulative stay in space by a Chinese national (200+ days); 340–450 km LEO
Launched April 24, 2025; Long March-2F; Jiuquan; China’s 9th crewed Tiangong mission; 3 modules: Tianhe, Wentian, Mengtian
Tap to Reveal
What is the significance of Dr. K. Kasturirangan’s tenure as ISRO Chairman, and what honours did he receive?
Led PSLV/GSLV development; initiated planetary exploration leading to Chandrayaan-1; Padma Shri, Bhushan, Vibhushan
ISRO Chairman 1994–2003; born Ernakulam 1940; died Bengaluru April 26, 2025 age 84; also chaired NEP 2020 drafting
Tap to Reveal
How was Labeo uru named, and in which river system was it discovered?
Named after the traditional wooden dhow (‘uru’) due to its sail-like elongated dorsal fin; Chandragiri River, Karnataka
Labeo chekida found in Chalakudy River, Kerala; ICAR-NBFGR discovery; resolved 150-year taxonomic confusion around Labeo nigrescens
Think & Discuss
Dr. K. Kasturirangan and the ISRO Legacy: What Made India a Space Power — and What Must It Do Next?
Context from today’s quiz: Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, one of the most consequential figures in Indian science, passed away on April 26, 2025. As ISRO Chairman from 1994 to 2003, he oversaw the operationalisation of PSLV, the development of GSLV, and initiated the planetary exploration programme that would lead to Chandrayaan-1 — cementing India’s status as a serious spacefaring nation. He also chaired the committee that drafted India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
Dr. Kasturirangan’s legacy reflects a particular model of Indian scientific leadership — patient, institutionally grounded, and willing to make multi-decade bets on technology development. PSLV, which he helped operationalise, became India’s workhouse rocket and the foundation of a viable commercial launch programme. Yet when he handed over ISRO in 2003, many of the ambitions he seeded — Moon missions, Mars missions, human spaceflight — were still decades away. The question his legacy poses is: what kind of institutional culture and leadership does India need to translate scientific ambition into sustained technological capability?
What does the Kasturirangan era of ISRO teach us about how India builds technological capability — and what must India do differently in the next phase of its space ambitions?
What does the Kasturirangan era of ISRO teach us about how India builds technological capability — and what must India do differently in the next phase of its space ambitions?
- ISRO has historically achieved extraordinary results on extraordinarily tight budgets — Mangalyaan cost less than the film Gravity. But budget frugality has also meant slower development timelines and a narrower talent pipeline. As India scales up its space ambitions (Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4, Venus mission), should it fundamentally increase ISRO’s budget, or is resource constraint actually a source of innovation discipline?
- Dr. Kasturirangan was also the architect of NEP 2020, bridging space science and education policy. His career embodied the idea that scientific leaders should also shape national policy beyond their domains. Is this model — the scientist-statesman — a strength of India’s governance culture, or does it risk diluting specialised expertise?
- India’s space programme was built almost entirely within the public sector. The Indian Space Policy 2023 now opens it to private players. But ISRO’s culture — hierarchical, cautious, consensus-driven — may be ill-suited to collaborate with or transfer knowledge to agile startups. What cultural and institutional reforms does ISRO need to thrive in a public-private partnership era?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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