• Empowers the President to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court in two specific situations.
• Referring Authority: Only the President of India can send a reference to the Supreme Court.
• Nature of Opinion: The opinion of the Supreme Court is advisory in nature, not binding.

Obligation to Give Opinion:

• Under Article 143(1): The Court may give its opinion or may refuse to give it.
• Under Article 143(2): In matters related to disputes arising from pre-Constitution treaties or agreements, the Court is bound to provide its opinion.

• A key regional grouping aimed at enhancing maritime and security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• Establishment: Formed in 2011 by India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives as a trilateral maritime security group.

• Reorganization: Renamed as CSC in 2020 after Mauritius joined as the fourth member.
• Member Countries: India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius
• Observer Countries: Bangladesh, Seychelles

For the first time in India, a Student Franchise Model has also been launched at IIT Delhi, which will provide students with hands-on experience in postal operations and promote entrepreneurship.

• In December 2022, the number of ODF Plus villages was around 1 lakh, which increased to 5.67 lakh by 19 November 2025.
• This marks a 467% growth in just three years.
• Out of these, more than 4.85 lakh villages fall under the ODF Plus Model category.
• 4,692 cities have been declared ODF, 4,314 cities have achieved ODF+ status, and 1,973 cities have reached the ODF++ level.

• This facility is already available at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Cochin airports.
• Only those UAE citizens are eligible who have previously obtained an Indian e-Visa or a regular paper visa.

• Official Name: People’s Republic of Bangladesh
• Establishment: 1971 (Independence from Pakistan)
• Capital: Dhaka
• Official Language: Bengali
• Script: Bengali Script
• Parliament: Unicameral – Jatiya Sangsad

• Currency: Bangladeshi Taka (BDT)
• Independence Day: 26 March
• Victory Day: 16 December
• Largest City: Dhaka
• Largest Port: Chittagong Port
• World Famous For: Royal Bengal Tiger of the Sundarbans

• Total Assembly Seats: 243
• Majority Mark: 122 seats
• Polling Dates: Two phases – 6 November and 11 November 2025
• Counting Date: 14 November 2025
• Total Voter Turnout: 66.91%

• Highest Turnout: Katihar district – 79.10%
• For the first time, 16 delegates from six countries (South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Belgium, and Colombia) under the International Election Visitors Programme (IEVP) observed the election process.

• Launch: September 2022
• Cheetah Translocation:
• 8 cheetahs from Namibia (2022)
• 12 cheetahs from South Africa (2023)

• 8 cheetahs from Botswana (November 2025)
• First Indian Birth: Cheetah ‘Siaya’ gave birth to four cubs, marking the first-ever cheetah birth in Kuno.

• Reorganization: On August 5, 2019, the Parliament of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.
• Article 370: Article 370 was abolished.
• Capitals: Summer capital: Srinagar, Winter capital: Jammu.
• Major rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, and Indus. Famous lakes: Dal Lake, Wular Lake.

• What is Water Budgeting?: Water budgeting is a structured approach to estimating water demand in various sectors.
• Evaluation: The report covers 18 aspirational blocks in 11 states.
• A web-based water budgeting platform called 'Varuni' was used for the water budgeting exercise.
• NITI Aayog collaborated with GIZ India in preparing the report.

• Out of the world population of 8.2 billion, 45% now live in cities.
• India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia will together contribute more than half of the projected increase in urban residents.
• India and China alone have nearly 1.2 billion urban residents.
• In 1975, the number of megacities was 8, which increased to 33 in 2025, out of which 19 are in Asia, and the number is expected to reach 37 megacities by 2050.

• Michelle Bachelet is the former President of Chile and a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• She was awarded this award for her significant contributions to human rights, gender equality, and development.

• Chaired by Hirotaka Ishihara, Minister of Environment of Japan
• India Represented by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, described it as an important tool for achieving globally equitable and large-scale climate solutions

JCM:

• A bilateral initiative launched by Japan
• Objective: To encourage the flow of low-carbon technologies and investment to partner countries like India
• List of partners expanded to 31
• Over 280 projects are being implemented in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

• It is a genetic blood disorder.
• Impact: In this condition, red blood cells (RBCs) become sickle-shaped instead of the normal round shape. These cells block blood vessels, leading to severe pain, anemia, and organ damage.

• The defence budget has increased from ₹2,53,000 crore in 2013-14 to ₹6,81,000 crore in 2025-26.
• The government aims to achieve ₹3 lakh crore in defence manufacturing and ₹50,000 crore in defence exports by the year 2029.