1. Operation Sindoor
- Context: The Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Key Highlights:
- Indian armed forces carried out 24 precision strikes on nine different targets within a span of just 25 minutes.
Targets:
Operation Sindoor:
- It was a coordinated precision strike operation launched by the Indian Armed Forces on 7th May 2025, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.
- It was executed through the coordinated efforts of the Army, Navy, and Air Force,conducted from Indian territory.
Weapons Involved in Operation Sindoor:
- SCALP Cruise Missiles
- HAMMER Precision-Guided Bombs
- Loitering Munitions
Prelims special:
Q. Operations undertaken by the Army towards upliftment of the local population in remote areas to include addressing of their basic needs is called: (UPSC 2024)
- Operation Sankalp
- Operation Maitri
- Operation Sadbhavana
- Operation Madad
Ans: (c)
2. Local bodies
- Context: The Local Self-Government department has issued an order fixing the number of local body chairperson positions reserved for women and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) members in Kerala.
73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment Act:
Prelims Special:
Q. Consider the following statements: [UPSC 2016]
- The minimum age prescribed for any person to be a member of Panchayat is 25 years.
- A Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder period.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (b)
3. Yellow alert
- Context: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in 14 districts of Telangana.
Colour- Coded Weather Warning:
- It is issued by the IMD whose objective is to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause damage, widespread disruption or danger to life.
- Warnings are updated daily.
- The IMD uses 4 colour codes are:
- Green (All is well): No advisory is issued.
- Yellow (Be Aware): Yellow indicates severely bad weather spanning across several days.
- It also suggests that the weather could change for the worse, causing disruption in day-to-day activities.
- Orange/Amber (Be prepared): The orange alert is issued as a warning of extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and rail closures, and interruption of power supply.
- Red (Take Action): When the extremely bad weather conditions are certainly going to disrupt travel and power and have significant risk to life, the red alert is issued.
Prelims special:
Q. What are the possible limitations of India in mitigating global warming at present and in the immediate future? (UPSC 2010)
- Appropriate alternate technologies are not sufficiently available.
- India cannot invest huge funds in research and development.
- Many developed countries have already set up their polluting industries in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Ans: (a)
4. Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)
- Context: The Supreme Court gave petitioners seeking liberty to propose issues in amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA) in consultation with the Centre’s top law officers.
- It gives extensive powers of arrest, summon and raid to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
PMLA Act:
- The PMLA was introduced in 2002, ostensibly to tackle the problem of money laundering.
- It has been subject to several amendments including 2005, 2009, 2012.
- There are mainly 3 objectives of PMLA:
- To prevent and control money laundering.
- To confiscate and seize the property obtained from the laundered money.
- To deal with any other issue connected with money laundering in India.
- It was enacted in response to India’s global commitment (including the Vienna Convention) to combat the menace of money laundering.
- Money laundering has become a matter of international concern and India has undertaken several international commitments in this regard.
Prelims special:
Q. Under which of the following Articles of the Constitution of India, has the Supreme Court of India placed the Right to Privacy?(UPSC 2024)
- Article 15
- Article 16
- Article 19
- Article 21
Ans: (d)
5. Critical minerals
- Context: The United States has pursued a potentially even more significant critical metals deal in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Critical minerals
- They are those minerals which are essential for economic development and national security of a country.
- The lack of availability of these minerals or even concentration of existence, extraction or processing of these minerals in few geographical locations may lead to supply chain vulnerability and disruption.
Key Classifications of Minerals:
- Rare Earth Elements (REEs): Consist of 17 elements, including 15 Lanthanides (atomic numbers 57–71), Scandium (21), and Yttrium (39).
- Critical Minerals: Defined by countries based on economic and security needs and their limited availability.
- India identified 30 critical minerals in 2023.
30 critical minerals are:
- Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
The Great Lakes Region of Africa:
- They are surrounded by ten riparian states that include Burundi, the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia
Prelims Special:
Q. Consider the following countries: [UPSC 2024]
1. Finland
2. Germany
3. Norway
4. Russia
How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea?
a) Only one
b) Only two
c) Only three
d) All four
Ans: (b)