GK One-Liners

What: Surha Taal — officially known as the Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary — located in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, has been designated India’s 100th Ramsar Site, making it the 13th Ramsar Site in UP. The announcement was made on World Environment Day (5 June 2026) at a programme in Lucknow. Globally, Surha Taal is the 2,595th Ramsar Site, bringing the worldwide total to 2,595. India now holds the highest number of Ramsar Sites in Asia.

How: The Ramsar Convention — formally the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance — was adopted in Ramsar, Iran on 2 February 1971 and entered into force on 21 December 1975. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland, and World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2 February. India’s first two Ramsar Sites — Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) — were designated in 1981.

Why: The 100-site milestone, Ramsar Convention dates and HQ, India’s first Ramsar Sites, and the state-wise distribution of wetlands are extremely high-frequency topics in UPSC Prelims (Environment), State PSC exams, and SSC CGL. Surha Taal’s district (Ballia, UP) and its alternate official name are details that routinely appear in MCQs.

What: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa (20 years old) became the first Indian ever to win the Norway Chess tournament, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the final round to finish with 18 points. American Grandmaster Wesley So finished second with 17 points. The 14th edition of Norway Chess — established in 2013 — was held in Oslo. In the women’s category, Grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan won the title.

How: Norway Chess is one of the world’s most prestigious super-tournament chess events, typically featuring top-10 ranked players. Praggnanandhaa’s win follows his remarkable rise — he became the youngest International Master in history before going on to become a Grandmaster. The tournament uses a scoring system where wins in classical play earn 3 points and Armageddon tiebreak wins earn 1.5 points.

Why: Chess achievements by Indian players — especially firsts — are standard sports GK questions in competitive exams. Praggnanandhaa’s age, nationality, the tournament’s host city (Oslo), its founding year (2013), and the women’s winner are all MCQ-ready facts. India’s growing dominance in global chess (alongside Viswanathan Anand’s legacy) is a recurring Mains/interview theme.

What: The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released provisional estimates placing India’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for FY2025-26 at 7.7% — revised upward by 10 basis points from the earlier estimate of 7.6%. Q4 FY26 growth was recorded at 7.8%. Real GDP in absolute terms stood at ₹323.12 lakh crore, while Nominal GDP (at current prices) was ₹346.36 lakh crore, reflecting 8.9% nominal growth.

How: The estimates use the new base year of 2022-23, replacing the earlier 2011-12 base year, which recalibrates how GDP components are measured. Real GDP strips out inflation to show actual volume growth, while Nominal GDP includes price changes. The revision upward signals stronger-than-expected performance in manufacturing and services sectors in the final quarter.

Why: GDP growth figures, the NSO’s role, the difference between real and nominal GDP, and India’s base year revisions are core UPSC Prelims (Economy) and banking exam topics. The specific figure (7.7%), the issuing agency (NSO/MoSPI), the new base year (2022-23), and Q4 data (7.8%) are all exam-ready facts for near-term assessments.

What: World Ocean Day is observed annually on 8 June. The 2026 theme is “Our Ocean, Our Future: Act Now for Ocean Health.” It is organised by DOALOS — the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea — a division of the UN Secretariat that also administers UNCLOS (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). World Ocean Day was established by UNGA Resolution A/RES/63/111 in 2008 and first formally observed in 2009; it was originally proposed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

How: Oceans cover 71% of Earth’s surface, produce approximately 50% of the world’s oxygen, and are home to an estimated 80% of all life on Earth. The day calls for global action on issues including ocean acidification, plastic pollution, overfishing, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It is directly linked to SDG 14 (Sustainable Development Goal 14 — Life Below Water), one of the 17 SDGs adopted in 2015 under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Why: World Ocean Day themes, DOALOS’s role, UNCLOS, and SDG 14 are tested frequently in UPSC Prelims (Environment/International Relations) and State PSC exams. Key facts — oceans covering 71% of Earth, 50% oxygen production, the UNGA resolution number, and the first observation year (2009) — are classic MCQ anchors. The link between ocean governance and India’s Blue Economy policy is a Mains-relevant theme.

What: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, held its 2nd Bi-Monthly meeting for FY27 in June 2026. The MPC kept the repo rate — the rate at which RBI lends to commercial banks overnight under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) — unchanged at 5.25%, maintaining a Neutral monetary policy stance. The Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate was retained at 5.00%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and Bank Rate remained at 5.50%.

How: The MPC projected FY27 GDP growth at 6.6% and Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation at 5.1% for FY27. The Neutral stance signals that the MPC is neither biased towards rate cuts nor rate hikes, giving flexibility to respond to evolving macroeconomic conditions. The LAF corridor — with SDF as the floor (5.00%) and MSF as the ceiling (5.50%) — keeps the repo rate (5.25%) at the corridor’s midpoint.

Why: MPC decisions, the LAF corridor (SDF–Repo–MSF), RBI Governor’s name, and the monetary policy stance are among the most frequently tested Economy questions across UPSC Prelims, RBI Grade-B, SEBI, NABARD, and banking PO exams. The specific rates (5.00% SDF / 5.25% Repo / 5.50% MSF) and the FY27 GDP forecast (6.6%) are near-certain MCQ material for upcoming exams.

What: The Government of India (GoI) formed six sector-specific expert groups to identify a maximum of 100 products for boosting domestic manufacturing under an import-substitution drive. The groups are chaired by Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I). The six focus sectors are: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, capital goods, electric vehicles (EVs), defence/aerospace (civilian), and electronics.

How: Each group will analyse import data, domestic production capacity, and strategic importance to shortlist products where India can reduce import dependence and scale up local production. The groups were mandated to submit their product lists within three weeks of formation. The initiative aligns with the broader Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat policy frameworks.

Why: DPIIT’s mandate, import-substitution strategies, and the sectors covered under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat are recurring themes in UPSC GS-III (Economy/Industry) and UPSC Mains essays. The specific chair (Amardeep Singh Bhatia), ministry (MoC&I), number of focus sectors (six), and the 100-product mandate are MCQ-ready current-affairs facts for near-term exams.