GK One-Liners

What: MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) announced the deployment of 34 supercomputers with a combined computing power of 35 Petaflops (equivalent to 10 lakh GB of memory) under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015. The systems have been installed at premier institutions including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and several Tier-II and Tier-III institutions across India.

How: The NSM is jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and MeitY, and implemented by C-DAC, Pune and IISc, Bengaluru. The mission builds indigenous supercomputing infrastructure to support research in areas such as climate modelling, drug discovery, genomics, and computational fluid dynamics. Petaflop-scale computing (one quadrillion floating-point operations per second) enables simulations and data processing that are otherwise impossible on conventional hardware.

Why: NSM is a recurring UPSC Prelims topic (Science & Tech / Governance). Key recall: launch year (2015), compute capacity (35 Petaflops), number of systems (34), implementing agencies (C-DAC Pune + IISc Bengaluru), and steering ministries (DST + MeitY). MeitY Minister: Ashwini Vaishnaw. The NSM also links to India’s broader digital infrastructure goals under the Digital India programme.

What: Amazon launched the first 27 operational satellites of Project Kuiper — its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband internet constellation — on April 28, 2025, aboard an Atlas V rocket operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellites were designated KA-01 and deployed at 450 km altitude before ascending to their operational orbit of 630 km using onboard propulsion. Amazon’s CEO is Andy Jassy; the company is headquartered in Washington, DC (est. 1994).

How: Project Kuiper is Amazon’s USD 10 billion satellite broadband initiative, targeting a full constellation of 3,236 satellites in orbits between 590–630 km. It will integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure to deliver low-latency internet globally, competing directly with SpaceX’s Starlink. Prior prototype satellites — KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 — were launched in October 2023 and subsequently deorbited after testing.

Why: Satellite internet constellations and the commercial space race are tested in UPSC Prelims (Science & Tech) and Banking GK. Key recall: KA-01 launch date (Apr 28, 2025), launch vehicle (Atlas V / ULA), launch site (Cape Canaveral), total constellation size (3,236 satellites), project cost (USD 10 bn), and deployment altitude (450 km → 630 km). Contrast with Starlink (SpaceX, Falcon 9) for comparative MCQs.

What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed that all regulated entities — including Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), Small Finance Banks (SFBs), Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs), Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Payment System Operators (PSOs), and Credit Information Companies (CICs) — must use the PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation, and Authorisation in a Holistic Manner) portal exclusively from May 1, 2025. Launched in May 2024, the portal has already facilitated approximately 4,000 applications. Separately, the RBI extended the Bank Information Security (BIS) Network Security Management (NSM) compliance deadline to November 1, 2025 (BIS standard IS 18663:2024), and directed banks and White Label ATM Operators (WLAOs) to ensure that 75% of ATMs dispense Rs 100 and Rs 200 notes from at least one cassette by September 30, 2025.

How: PRAVAAH centralises and digitises the regulatory application process for all RBI-regulated entities, reducing processing times and improving transparency. The ATM denomination directive addresses the shortage of lower-denomination notes in ATM networks, ensuring last-mile cash accessibility for small transactions. The BIS NSM standard mandates cybersecurity protocols for banking networks.

Why: RBI regulatory directives are direct Banking exam current affairs. Key recall: PRAVAAH mandatory date (May 1, 2025), launch date (May 2024), applications facilitated (~4,000), ATM target (75% by Sep 30, 2025), BIS NSM new deadline (Nov 1, 2025), and BIS standard number (IS 18663:2024). The PRAVAAH full form is itself a frequent MCQ trigger.

What: The Government of India constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee led by BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, to formulate the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM) — announced in the Union Budget 2025–26. Manufacturing currently contributes 16–17% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the NMM aims to scale this significantly. The mission has five focal areas: ease of doing business, building a future-ready workforce, nurturing vibrant Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), advancing technology and quality standards, and supporting large industries.

How: A key component of the NMM is Clean Tech Manufacturing, targeting domestic production of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, electrolyzers (for green hydrogen), wind turbines, and grid-scale batteries. This directly supports India’s energy transition goals. The Inter-Ministerial Committee structure ensures cross-ministry coordination across Commerce, Heavy Industries, New & Renewable Energy, and Skill Development ministries.

Why: Budget-announced missions and their implementing structures are tested in UPSC Prelims (Economy/Governance) and SSC GK. Key recall: committee head (BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO NITI Aayog), announcement vehicle (Union Budget 2025–26), manufacturing’s GDP share (16–17%), five focal areas, and the Clean Tech Manufacturing sub-component. The NMM also connects to the PLI scheme ecosystem and Make in India.

What: Shaji Neelakandan Karunakaran, known as Shaji N. Karun (born 1952, Kandanchira, Kollam, Kerala), passed away at 73 in Thiruvananthapuram after a five-decade career. He directed 6 films and worked as a cinematographer on approximately 30 others. His debut directorial film ‘Piravi’ (1988) won the National Award for Best Director and received the Camera d’Or Mention d’honneur at the Cannes Film Festival 1989. His second film ‘Swaham’ (1994) was the 2nd Indian film to compete at Cannes. ‘Vanaprastham’ (1999) won National Awards for Best Feature Film, Best Actor, and Best Editing.

How: Shaji N. Karun was the founding Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy — India’s first film and television academy. He received the Padma Shri in 2011, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France’s prestigious arts honour) in 2019, and the JC Daniel Award (Kerala’s highest film honour) in 2023. His work is noted for its lyrical visual style and humanist themes rooted in Kerala’s cultural landscape.

Why: Obituaries of Padma awardees and National Award-winning filmmakers are tested in UPSC Prelims (Arts & Culture) and Kerala PSC. Key recall: debut film (‘Piravi’, 1988), Cannes recognition (Camera d’Or mention, 1989), Padma Shri year (2011), founding role (Kerala State Chalachitra Academy — India’s 1st film+TV academy), and the French arts honour (Chevalier, 2019). The ‘Piravi’–Cannes link is the primary MCQ hook.

What: Amitesh Kumar Sinha (Indian Railway Accounts Service — IRAS, 1996 batch; Additional Secretary, MeitY) was appointed CEO of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), succeeding Sushil Pal. ISM was established in 2022 as the nodal agency under the Semicon India Programme (total outlay: Rs 76,000 crore). India’s semiconductor demand is projected to grow from USD 45–50 billion (2024) to USD 100–110 billion by 2030. Separately, Indian-origin Tejpaul Bhatia was appointed CEO of Axiom Space (Texas, USA), and the Axiom Space Ax-4 mission (May 2025) will feature Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Indian Air Force) as pilot — India’s first astronaut to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).

How: ISM Phase-II focuses on semiconductor fabrication, advanced packaging, and the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme to create an end-to-end domestic chip ecosystem. The Semicon India Programme provides incentives for fab units, display fabs, and compound semiconductors. Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla is India’s designated astronaut under the ISRO–NASA collaboration framework and will serve as mission pilot on the commercial Ax-4 mission to the ISS.

Why: Semiconductor policy and India’s human spaceflight milestones are high-priority UPSC Prelims topics. Key recall: ISM establishment year (2022), Semicon India outlay (Rs 76,000 cr), India’s semiconductor demand by 2030 (USD 100–110 bn), new CEO (Amitesh Kumar Sinha, IRAS 1996), Ax-4 pilot (Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla, IAF), and Axiom Space’s new CEO (Tejpaul Bhatia). The Shukla–Ax-4–ISS combination is a strong CDS/NDA and UPSC Prelims trigger.