GK One-Liners

What: President Droupadi Murmu released the Constitution of India in Santhali language using the Ol Chiki script, marking the centenary (100 years) of the Ol Chiki script’s creation. This makes Santhali one of the few tribal languages to have a complete constitutional translation, strengthening linguistic and cultural inclusion for Scheduled Tribes.

How: The translation was undertaken as part of constitutional outreach to tribal communities, particularly the Santhal tribe predominantly found in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam. Ol Chiki, created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925, is the official script for Santhali, which was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution through the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003.

Why: This topic is vital for UPSC Prelims and Mains (GS Paper II – Constitutional Provisions for Minorities and Tribes). Questions may cover the Eighth Schedule languages, constitutional safeguards for tribal communities, linguistic rights under Articles 29-30, the 92nd Constitutional Amendment, and government initiatives for tribal empowerment and cultural preservation.

What: India is set to introduce its first unified comprehensive anti-terrorism policy framework to address emerging threats including digital radicalization, porous borders, foreign-funded extremist networks, and challenges in inter-agency coordination. This policy aims to create a cohesive national strategy replacing fragmented approaches under various acts.

How: The policy will establish standardized protocols for intelligence sharing among agencies like Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and state police forces. It will address online radicalization through social media monitoring, strengthen border security mechanisms, regulate foreign funding to suspicious organizations, and create rapid response frameworks for counter-terrorism operations.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Mains (GS Paper III – Internal Security) and state PSC exams. Questions may explore existing anti-terror laws like UAPA, NIA Act, comparison with global counter-terrorism frameworks, challenges of digital terrorism, India’s federal structure in security coordination, and balancing national security with civil liberties—a frequently tested ethical dilemma.

What: The Central Government imposed a complete ban on new mining leases across the Aravalli mountain range, significantly expanding protected zones to combat illegal mining, prevent desertification, and arrest groundwater depletion. The Aravalli Range, spanning Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat, serves as a critical ecological barrier against desert expansion.

How: The ban prohibits fresh mining licenses in notified Aravalli areas and strengthens enforcement mechanisms against illegal quarrying operations that have caused severe environmental degradation. The policy mandates restoration of mined areas, promotes afforestation, and establishes monitoring systems to prevent encroachment. This builds on Supreme Court directives and National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders to protect the ecologically fragile region.

Why: This development is highly relevant for UPSC Mains (GS Paper III – Environment and Ecology) and essay topics on sustainable development. Questions may address Supreme Court’s role in environmental protection, conflict between development and conservation, illegal mining impacts, NGT jurisdiction, Aravalli’s ecological significance in preventing Thar Desert expansion, and government policies balancing mineral extraction with environmental sustainability.

What: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) restored Gujarat’s status as a tiger-bearing state after 33 years, following confirmed camera-trap evidence of tiger presence in Ratanmahal Sanctuary. Gujarat will now be included in the All-India Tiger Estimation 2026, conducted once every four years to assess tiger populations across the country.

How: Tigers had been locally extinct in Gujarat since the early 1990s due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Recent conservation efforts, habitat restoration in protected areas, and improved wildlife corridors facilitated natural tiger migration from neighboring Madhya Pradesh. Camera traps—motion-activated cameras that photograph wildlife—provided scientific evidence of breeding tiger populations, meeting NTCA’s criteria for reinstatement.

Why: This is critical for UPSC Environment & Ecology questions covering Project Tiger, tiger conservation success stories, NTCA’s statutory role under Wildlife Protection Act 1972, All-India Tiger Census methodology, and wildlife corridor importance. Questions may also explore Gujarat’s unique position as home to both Asiatic Lions (Gir) and now tigers, testing knowledge of India’s megafauna conservation strategies.

What: India will assume the chairmanship of the Kimberley Process (KP) from January 2026, an international certification scheme established in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds (rough diamonds used to finance conflicts and human rights abuses) from entering the legitimate diamond trade. India’s focus will be on ethical sourcing, digital certification, and supply chain traceability.

How: The Kimberley Process operates through a certification system requiring participating countries to certify that diamond shipments are conflict-free. India’s chairmanship priorities include modernizing certification through blockchain technology, strengthening monitoring of artisanal mining, improving transparency in diamond supply chains, and addressing new challenges like synthetic diamonds. India processes over 90% of the world’s diamonds, making its leadership strategically significant.

Why: This topic tests knowledge of international trade governance, India’s role in global commodity markets, and ethical trade practices—relevant for UPSC Mains (GS Paper II – International Relations) and Banking exams. Questions may cover conflict resource frameworks, India’s gem and jewelry export sector, comparison with other certification schemes like Fairtrade, and India’s chairmanship priorities reflecting its economic interests in the diamond industry.

What: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi developed AILA (Autonomous Intelligent Lab Assistant), an agentic artificial intelligence system capable of autonomously designing, conducting, and analyzing laboratory experiments without human intervention. This breakthrough dramatically reduces research time and boosts productivity in scientific discovery.

How: AILA integrates machine learning, robotics, and autonomous decision-making to plan experimental protocols, operate lab equipment, collect data, analyze results, and even formulate new hypotheses. Unlike traditional automation that follows preset instructions, AILA exhibits agency—it can adapt to unexpected results, optimize parameters in real-time, and make independent scientific decisions, representing a paradigm shift in AI-assisted research.

Why: This innovation is crucial for UPSC Science & Technology sections covering artificial intelligence applications, India’s research ecosystem, and technological self-reliance under National AI Mission and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Questions may explore AI ethics in scientific research, comparison with global AI research initiatives, IIT contributions to frontier technologies, implications for India’s research output, and the role of autonomous systems in achieving Viksit Bharat 2047 technological goals.