• Meeting Chaired by: Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Total Houses Approved: Following this latest approval, the total number of houses sanctioned under PMAY-U 2.0 has now crossed 16.13 lakh.
• State Participation: These houses will be constructed across 16 states in India (such as Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, etc.).
• Vertical-wise Distribution: Out of the newly approved 2.13 lakh houses, 1.89 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the 'Beneficiary-Led Construction' (BLC) vertical, and 23,602 houses under the 'Affordable Housing in Partnership' (AHP) vertical.
• Out of the 2.13 lakh approved houses, approximately 2.05 lakh houses have been allocated to women (including widows, single women, or unmarried women).

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U):

• Launch: 2015
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• Launch of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0: August 2024
• Duration of PMAY-U 2.0: The scheme runs from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2029.

• Capital: Mumbai (Financial capital of India)
• Sub-capital: Nagpur (for the winter session)
• Boundaries: Maharashtra shares its borders with a total of 6 states and 1 Union Territory:
• Boundaries: Madhya Pradesh to the north; Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Union Territory) to the northwest; Chhattisgarh to the east; Telangana to the southeast; Karnataka and Goa to the south; and the Arabian Sea to the west, with a coastline spanning approximately 720 km.
• Major Rivers: The Godavari (often called the 'Ganga of South India') and the Krishna are the primary rivers originating in Maharashtra (from Trimbakeshwar and Mahabaleshwar, respectively). Other major rivers include the Tapi, Narmada, and Bhima.
• Mountain Range: The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) run parallel to the western part of the state.
• Highest Peak: Kalsubai (1,646 meters), located in the Ahmednagar district.
• Foundation Day: May 1, 1960 (Under the Bombay Reorganization Act, 1960, the bilingual Bombay State was bifurcated into Gujarat and Maharashtra on a linguistic basis). Therefore, May 1 is celebrated as 'Maharashtra Day'. State Animal: Indian Giant Squirrel (Shekru)
• State Bird: Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (Hariyal)
• State Tree: Mango
• State Flower: Jarul (Tamhini / Pride of India)
• State Butterfly: Blue Mormon (Maharashtra was the first state in the country to declare this)
• State Sport: Kabaddi / Kho-Kho
• Major Folk Dances: Lavani, Koli, Powada, and Dindi.
• Festivals: Ganesh Chaturthi (public celebration initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak), Gudi Padwa (Marathi New Year), and Pola (festival of bullocks).
• Traditional Art: Warli Painting – a famous tribal art form from the Thane and Nashik regions.
• Theatre: Sangeet Natak and Tamasha (traditional folk theatre).

Major Tourism and UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• Ajanta Caves: Buddhist murals (Aurangabad/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar).
• Ellora Caves: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves. The Kailasa Temple here is the world's largest monolithic structure (carved from a single rock).
• Elephanta Caves: Shiva caves located on Gharapuri Island near Mumbai.
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): A historic railway station in Mumbai built in the Victorian Gothic style.
• Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai: Historic buildings of Mumbai.
• Western Ghats: Areas falling under the Sahyadri sub-cluster.

• Proposing Body: The proposal was prepared by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the nodal agency for the 'Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor' (UPDIC).
• Existing Infrastructure: A 'Centre of Excellence' (CoE) for drone technology is already operational at IIT Kanpur; this will now be upgraded into this larger national hub.
• Single Point of Contact (SPOC): The 'Army Design Bureau' (ADB) has been designated as the single point of contact for coordination to ensure rapid implementation and civil-military fusion.

• Value Creation: These agreements are expected to collectively generate value worth approximately US$ 100 million.
• Key Objectives: To provide Indian deep-tech startups with access to international markets and to accelerate global innovation and investment.

• It is a bilateral carbon credit initiative launched by the Government of Japan.
• Technology and Investment: Japanese entities invest in low-carbon and eco-friendly advanced technologies in India.
• Generation of Carbon Credits: The reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from these projects is converted into carbon credits.
• Sharing: These credits are shared between the two countries to help them meet their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets.
• Partnership: India is the 31st country to partner with Japan under this mechanism.
• Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement:
• Article 6.2 allows countries to engage in voluntary and bilateral cooperation to achieve their climate goals (NDCs).
• Carbon credit transfers facilitated through this mechanism are known as Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs).
• It is a decentralized framework operated directly by the participating countries themselves, rather than by the UNFCCC.
• India and Japan signed the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for this JCM in August 2025, and the rules were adopted in June 2026.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is the lead agency for this in India.
• Other Sources of Funding: In addition to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, financial assistance for these projects is also provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) trust funds and Japan's NEDO.

• First American Monk: He was the first Westerner (and American) to be ordained as a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition by the 14th Dalai Lama.
• Close Friend of the Dalai Lama: He was not only a disciple of the Dalai Lama but also a long-time friend and a major advocate for Tibet's cultural interests on a global scale.
• Tibet House US: He co-founded Tibet House US in New York to preserve Tibetan culture and heritage and served as its president.
• Translation of the Vimalakirti Sutra: He is renowned worldwide for producing an authoritative English translation of the 'Vimalakirti Sutra' from the Tibetan 'Kangyur'.
• Padma Shri Award (2020): The Government of India honored him with the 'Padma Shri'—one of the country's prestigious civilian awards—in 2020, in recognition of his lifelong dedication to Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies and his efforts to popularize India's Buddhist heritage globally.

• Approximately 266 million people are already facing severe food insecurity.
• Areas of highest concern: Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine (Gaza) are the most severely affected.
• Among these, parts of Sudan and South Sudan face a grave risk of famine.
• Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and Palestine are included in the areas of highest concern.
• The report notes a decline in financial support for food assistance, making the situation even more challenging.

Revenue Surplus and Revenue Deficit:

• In 2024-25, 13 states—including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Manipur—recorded a revenue surplus, while 15 states faced a revenue deficit.
• 18 states had set a target for revenue surplus, but only 9 were able to achieve it.
• Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Mizoram, and Telangana remained in revenue deficit despite having set a surplus target.
• Among the 7 states that targeted a zero revenue deficit, Goa, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh achieved a revenue surplus, whereas Punjab, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu remained in deficit.

Revenue Deficit Grant:

• Among the states with a revenue deficit in 2024-25, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Punjab, and West Bengal received revenue deficit grants from the Finance Commission.
• Fiscal Deficit:
• 18 states exceeded the fiscal deficit target of 3% of GSDP set by the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
• All 28 states recorded a fiscal deficit in 2024-25.
• Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tripura, and Uttarakhand saw a significant increase in their fiscal deficit compared to 2023-24. Consolidated Financial Position:
• The total revenue deficit of the 15 states recording a deficit stood at ₹3.46 lakh crore (1.5% of the combined GSDP).
• After adjusting for the 13 states with a surplus, the net revenue deficit was ₹2.19 lakh crore (0.68% of the combined GSDP).
• The combined budgetary expenditure of all states stood at ₹51.20 lakh crore (15.78% of the combined GSDP).
• The total liabilities of the states were recorded at ₹90.51 lakh crore.

• Global Ranking: JNPA secured the 22nd position globally, reflecting an improvement in its performance compared to previous years.
• Top in Private Sector: Pipavav Port (Gujarat), owned by APM Terminals, ranked 28th globally. It has emerged as India's best-performing private container port.
• Other Major Ports: Adani Ports' Mundra Port has slipped to the 30th position, while Visakhapatnam Port has dropped significantly to the 104th position.
• Top Improvers: JNPA ranked 14th on the list of the top 20 ports globally that have shown the most improvement over the last six years (2020–2025).

Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2025:

• Edition: This is the sixth edition of the index (launched in 2020–2021).
• Basis of Evaluation: It primarily measures 'vessel turnaround time'—the total time a container ship spends at the port (arrival, berthing, and departure).

Global Top-5 Ports:

• Fuzhou, China (1st place globally)
• Dalian, China
• Salalah, Oman
• Mawan, China
• Chiwan, China

The nine Indian companies included and their sectors:

• Dhruva Space: End-to-end space engineering solutions provider.
• Bellatrix Aerospace: Manufacturer of advanced propulsion systems for satellites.
• OrbitAID: Technology for satellite servicing and refueling in space.
• Sarla Aviation: Electric air taxi designer aimed at easing urban mobility.
• Airbound: Manufacturer of lightweight and highly efficient drone delivery networks.
• Varaha: Tech-based carbon removal solutions for agriculture and the environment.
• Autonomize AI: AI infrastructure developer for the healthcare sector.
• BorderPlus: Secure network infrastructure and digital security solutions.
• Sarvam AI: Deep-tech and generative AI model development.

Top countries in the global ranking:

• USA: 43 startups (1st place)
• China: 10 startups
• India: 9 startups (3rd place)
• United Kingdom (UK): 8 startups

• Establishment: It was formally known as the BRICS Development Bank. It was established through an agreement signed during the 6th BRICS Summit (Fortaleza, Brazil) in 2014 and began operations in 2015.
• Headquarters: Shanghai, China
• Objective: To mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS nations, other emerging market economies, and developing countries.
• Founding Members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
• Newly Joined Countries: Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Algeria, Colombia, and Uzbekistan
• Total Number of Members: Following the recent admission of Uzbekistan and Colombia, the total number of members has now reached 11.
• Special Note: Uruguay was also accepted as a prospective member (process underway).

• Establishment: 1 April 1935 (under the RBI Act, 1934)
• Recommendation: Hilton Young Commission (Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance, 1926)
• Nationalization: 1 January 1949 (currently wholly owned by the Government of India – Ministry of Finance)
• Headquarters: Initially Kolkata; permanently shifted to Mumbai in 1937
• First Governor: Sir Osborne Smith
• First Indian Governor: C. D. Deshmukh
• Symbol: Tiger and Palm tree
• (Previously the lion and tree derived from the East India Company's seal)

• Childhood Name: Rani Lakshmibai was born on November 19, 1828, in Varanasi; her childhood name was Manikarnika (Manu).
• Martyrdom: June 18, 1858, at Kota-ki-Sarai near Gwalior.
• Parents: Bhagirathi Bai and Moropant Tambe (who was a commander under Peshwa Bajirao II of Bithur).
• Marriage: In 1842, to King Gangadhar Rao Newalkar of Jhansi.
• Son: Damodar Rao (adopted son).

• Under which Act was it granted? This right was granted under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
• Three main symbols/words approved:
• Nilachakra: The sacred eight-spoked metal wheel situated at the top of the temple (designated as the official logo).
• Ananda Bazar: The area within the temple complex where *Mahaprasad* (holy food offering) is distributed.
• Patitapavana: A form of Lord Jagannath situated near the main Lion's Gate (*Singhadwara*).

Jagannath Temple:

• Location: The temple is situated in the city of Puri, Odisha.
• Century of Construction: The temple was built in the 12th century.
• Dynasty and Ruler: It was commissioned by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.
• Architectural Style: The temple is built in the Kalinga architectural style, which is a sub-style of the North Indian 'Nagara style'.
• White Pagoda: European sailo
• rs referred to this temple as the 'White Pagoda'. (Note: The Konark Sun Temple is known as the 'Black Pagoda'.)
• Sacred Char Dham: This temple is one of India's four sacred *Dhams* (Puri, Badrinath, Dwarka, and Rameswaram).
• Main Deities and Idols: Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and his sister Subhadra are worshipped here. Their idols are carved from sacred Neem wood (known as '*Daru*').
• World-Famous Festival: The famous 'Ratha Yatra' (Chariot Festival) is organized here annually. Administrative Control: This temple is managed by a committee under the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, with the Gajapati King of Puri serving as its chief chairperson.