GK One-Liners

What: India has added seven new locations to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Tentative List, bringing the total to 69 sites. Notable additions include the Deccan Traps (massive volcanic province), Tirumala Hills (sacred pilgrimage site), and Meghalayan Age caves (marking a geological epoch). The Tentative List is the first step toward potential World Heritage Site inscription.

How: Countries submit sites to UNESCO’s Tentative List based on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) covering cultural, natural, or mixed criteria. These nominations undergo evaluation by the World Heritage Committee, which may eventually inscribe them as World Heritage Sites. India currently has 42 inscribed World Heritage Sites (34 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed), and the Tentative List expansion demonstrates continued efforts in heritage conservation and documentation.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Prelims (Art & Culture, Geography) and Mains GS1 (Indian Heritage, Culture). Questions on UNESCO conventions, World Heritage Sites, and India’s cultural diplomacy are frequent. The Deccan Traps connects to geology and plate tectonics, while Tirumala Hills relates to religious geography. Essays on cultural preservation and soft power can reference India’s heritage management framework.

What: Regional Provident Fund Commissioner Vivekanand Gupta has been selected as India’s sole participant for the World Bank-Milken Institute Pension Fund Asset Management (PFAM) programme 2025-26 in London. This marks the first time an Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) official has been chosen for this prestigious global training initiative focused on pension fund governance and investment management.

How: The PFAM programme is conducted by the World Bank and Milken Institute to build capacity of pension fund managers worldwide. It covers asset allocation strategies, risk management, fiduciary responsibilities, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) integration, and global best practices in retirement fund stewardship. EPFO manages India’s largest social security corpus covering over 60 million active subscribers with assets exceeding ₹18 lakh crore.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Mains GS2 (Governance – Social Security) and GS3 (Economy – Financial Markets). Questions on EPFO reforms, social security architecture, pension fund management, and India’s retirement savings system appear regularly. The selection highlights India’s integration with global financial governance standards and capacity-building initiatives for public sector institutions.

What: Albania has introduced ‘Diella’, an Artificial Intelligence-driven virtual minister to oversee public procurement through its digital services platform. This AI system is designed to speed up tender processing, improve transparency in government contracts, and reduce bureaucratic delays. However, the move has sparked international debate on AI governance risks, accountability gaps, and the role of algorithms in public decision-making.

How: Diella operates through Albania’s e-procurement platform, analyzing tender documents, vendor credentials, and bid evaluations using machine learning algorithms. The system can process applications faster than human officials, flag irregularities, and maintain digital audit trails. Critics raise concerns about algorithmic bias, lack of human oversight, and the delegation of sovereign functions to AI systems without adequate legal frameworks.

Why: This is highly relevant for UPSC Mains GS3 (Science & Tech – AI applications) and GS2 (Governance – E-governance). Questions on AI ethics, automated decision-making, digital governance, and India’s own AI strategy are increasingly common. Albania’s experiment provides comparative context for essays on technology’s role in administration, transparency mechanisms, and the balance between efficiency and accountability in government systems.

What: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a dedicated microsite on Indian currency that provides comprehensive public education on banknotes. The platform features interactive 360-degree views of currency notes, multimedia explainers on security features, and detailed guidance on exchanging soiled or mutilated notes. The initiative aims to help citizens identify genuine currency and prevent counterfeiting fraud.

How: The microsite uses digital technology to showcase each denomination’s security features including watermarks, security threads, latent images, and color-shifting ink. Users can rotate virtual currency notes to examine features from all angles, watch educational videos, and access FAQs on note identification and exchange procedures. The platform also explains RBI’s note refund rules under the Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009, which govern the exchange of damaged currency.

Why: This is relevant for UPSC Prelims (Economy – Currency Management) and Mains GS3 (Financial Literacy, Digital Public Goods). Questions on RBI’s functions, currency security features, and financial awareness initiatives are common. The microsite exemplifies Digital India’s approach to public education and connects to broader themes of counterfeit prevention, consumer protection, and central bank communication strategies.

What: The United States, South Korea, and Japan launched ‘Freedom Edge’, a comprehensive trilateral military exercise near Jeju Island. The drills focus on deepening interoperability among the three nations’ armed forces through coordinated missile defense operations, aerial combat scenarios, and cyber warfare elements. The exercise was organized amid growing concerns over North Korea’s advancing ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities.

How: Freedom Edge integrates air and naval assets from all three countries, practicing joint response protocols to potential regional threats. The exercise includes ballistic missile detection and tracking, air defense coordination, anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction operations, and cybersecurity cooperation. This trilateral framework represents a significant upgrade from previous bilateral exercises and reflects institutionalized security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Why: This is crucial for UPSC Mains GS2 (International Relations – Regional Security Architecture) covering Indo-Pacific dynamics, US alliances, and nuclear proliferation challenges. Questions on the Korean Peninsula, US forward presence in Asia, and regional security groupings are frequent. The exercise connects to India’s own strategic interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific, US-led alliance systems, and the broader geopolitical competition between democratic coalitions and revisionist powers.

What: INS Nistar, India’s indigenously built Diving Support Vessel, made its first port call at Singapore to participate in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, a multinational submarine rescue drill. The vessel is serving as the mothership for India’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) system, demonstrating India’s submarine rescue capabilities and commitment to maritime safety cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

How: Pacific Reach is a complex exercise involving submarine escape and rescue scenarios, where participating navies practice coordinated responses to submarine distress situations. INS Nistar, commissioned in 2021, carries sophisticated equipment including the DSRV that can rescue crew from disabled submarines at depths up to 650 meters. The exercise involves search and rescue coordination, medical support, and international cooperation protocols critical for time-sensitive submarine emergencies.

Why: This is important for UPSC Mains GS3 (Defence & Security – Maritime Capabilities) and GS2 (India’s Bilateral Relations). Questions on India’s naval modernization, indigenous defense production under Atmanirbhar Bharat, and submarine fleet expansion are common. The exercise demonstrates India’s growing role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region and connects to SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine emphasizing maritime cooperation and humanitarian assistance.