Indian Navy frees the hijacked fishing vessel Azini off Somalia in a joint operation with the Air Force
defence · nda, cds, afcat, ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, police-constable
Why this mattersThe mother-ship risk is why a single hijacked fishing boat mattered at this scale: a captured trawler lets pirates reach merchant shipping far from the coast. The inter-service detail is the other testable part, since the commandos are the Navy's and the aircraft that dropped them is the Air Force's.
Linked static GK: MARCOS are the Indian Navy's marine commandos. The C-17 Globemaster III is the Indian Air Force's heavy-lift transport aircraft, and the Indian Navy describes itself as the First Responder and Preferred Security Partner in the Indian Ocean Region.
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Prime Minister inaugurates Pune Metro Line 3 and lays the foundation stone of Phase-II
infrastructure · ssc-cgl, mpsc-group-c, upsc-prelims, rrb-ntpc, talathi, police-constable
Phase-II of Pune Metro is to be developed at an estimated cost of around Rs 13,500 crore.
India's metro network has grown from 248 km in 2014 to nearly 1,200 km across 26 cities
infrastructure · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, rrb-ntpc, ibps-po, mpsc-group-c
Investments of more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore are being made in Maharashtra's metro infrastructure alone.
Sources:
Aditya-L1's VELC payload shows that a solar eruption expanded asymmetrically
science-and-technology · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ugc-net, rrb-ntpc, nda
India elected President of the International Solar Alliance for a third consecutive term
international · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ibps-po, ugc-net, rrb-ntpc
Why this mattersTwo facts about the same body are worth keeping apart: India co-founded it with France in 2015, and India now holds its Presidency for a third consecutive term. The membership figure of 130 Signatory and Member Countries is the third.
Linked static GK: The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France at the Paris climate conference in 2015 and is headquartered at Gurugram in Haryana. Its guiding slogan is One Sun, One World, One Grid.
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Zoological Survey of India co-authors the first global coral reef assessment on the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
environment · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ugc-net, rrb-ntpc
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India, under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, co-authored the first ever global coral reef ecosystem assessment conducted under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2332021
The assessment reports that 96 per cent of all assessed coral reef units globally, accounting for 99.8 per cent of total reef area, are classified as Critically Endangered when future ocean warming and marine heat stress are taken into account.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2332021
Why this mattersThe two global percentages are not the same measure and the gap between them is the point: 96 per cent of assessed reef units, but 99.8 per cent of reef area. The Red List of Ecosystems is also distinct from the better known IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, because it grades whole ecosystems rather than individual species.
Linked static GK: The Zoological Survey of India was founded in 1916 and is headquartered at Kolkata. India's four major coral reef areas are the Gulf of Mannar, the Gulf of Kachchh, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
India aims at Rs 3 lakh crore defence production and Rs 50,000 crore defence exports by 2029
defence · nda, cds, afcat, ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ibps-po
Why this mattersThe two targets are different quantities for the same year and are the obvious pair to swap: Rs 3 lakh crore is what India wants to PRODUCE by 2029, Rs 50,000 crore is what it wants to EXPORT. A Consultative Committee is also a parliamentary body attached to a ministry, not a departmental committee.
Linked static GK: Raksha Mantri is the Hindi designation of the Union Minister of Defence. Consultative Committees of Parliament are constituted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and are chaired by the minister concerned.
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TRAI releases the Telecommunication Interconnection Third Amendment Regulations, 2026
governance · ssc-cgl, ibps-po, upsc-prelims, rrb-je, ugc-net
Why this mattersInterconnection is the arrangement that lets a subscriber of one operator call a subscriber of another, so it is a different subject from consumer complaint handling even though both are TRAI regulations. Three years sit in this item and each belongs to something else: the parent Act is of 1997, the regulations being amended are of 2018, and the amendment takes effect in 2027.
Linked static GK: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was set up under the TRAI Act, 1997. Appeals against its orders lie to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
6,626 Office Superintendents appointed in the Income Tax Department in 2026-27, the cadre's first direct recruitment
governance · ssc-cgl, ssc-chsl, ibps-po, upsc-prelims, rrb-ntpc
Why this mattersThis is the first time the Office Superintendent cadre has been filled by direct recruitment, and the cadre itself only exists because two older grades were merged under rules of 2024. For a candidate the chain is the useful part: the Rules created the post, the Rozgar Mela delivered the letters, and the academy runs the induction.
Part-time members of the National Dental Commission selected by a draw of lots
health · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ugc-net, rrb-ntpc
The ten part-time members representing State and Union Territory Governments were selected from Sikkim, Jharkhand, Keralam, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2332176
Why this mattersA draw of lots as a statutory appointment method is unusual enough to be examinable in itself, and it is prescribed by the Act rather than chosen. The two counts are the other pair worth holding: ten members for State and Union Territory Governments, nine for State Dental Councils.
Linked static GK: The National Dental Commission replaced the Dental Council of India under the National Dental Commission Act, 2023, and it has three Autonomous Boards, mirroring the structure of the National Medical Commission.
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Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port records 5.10 per cent cargo growth in April to October 2026
economy · ssc-cgl, ibps-po, rrb-ntpc, upsc-prelims
During April to October 2026 Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port at Kolkata handled 40.527 million metric tonnes of cargo against 38.562 MMT in the corresponding period of the previous financial year, an overall growth of 5.10 per cent.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2332026
Why this mattersThis port has two dock systems and almost every figure comes in a pair, so the question is always which dock. By cargo tonnage Haldia is much the larger at 29.752 MMT against 10.775 MMT, but by container traffic the Kolkata Dock System is far ahead at 4,54,310 TEUs against 1,33,089 TEUs.
Heavy Water Board, BARC and MIDHANI sign a tripartite agreement to recover cobalt and nickel from plant reverts
science-and-technology · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ugc-net, rrb-je
Why this mattersThree bodies and two ministries sit in one agreement, which is what a question will test: the Heavy Water Board and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre are both under the Department of Atomic Energy, while Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited is under the Ministry of Defence.
Linked static GK: The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is at Trombay in Mumbai. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, at Hyderabad, is India's specialty metals and superalloys producer. Plant reverts are the process residues left over inside a plant.
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Health Ministry proposes more authorised import gateways for drugs under Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules, 1945
health · ssc-cgl, upsc-prelims, ibps-po, ugc-net
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed an amendment to Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules, 1945 to expand the network of authorised entry points for importing drugs, medical devices and cosmetics into the country.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2331879
The proposed locations include Inland Container Depots at Sonipat, Piyala and Harsaru in Haryana, Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhidham and Mundra in Gujarat, Sanath Nagar and Thimmapur in Hyderabad, and Whitefield in Bengaluru, along with the Bommasandra Special Economic Zone in Karnataka and Noida International Airport for the import of drugs by air.
Sources: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2331879
Why this mattersThe rule number and the year of the parent rules are the examinable pair here, Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules of 1945. Note also that this is a proposal and not yet a notified change, which is the distinction a carelessly worded question would lose.
Linked static GK: The Drugs Rules, 1945 are framed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and drug imports are regulated by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation headed by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Linked static GK: Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, renamed from Kolkata Port Trust in 2020, is India's only major riverine port and lies on the Hooghly. A TEU is a twenty foot equivalent unit, the standard measure of container traffic.