News In Short 30-06-2026

Kisan Sarathi Platform

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• Kisan Sarathi, launched in 2021, is India’s largest integrated digital agro-advisory platform.

About

• Launched by: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• Implemented by: The Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute and the Digital India Corporation.
• The platform uses the Interactive Information Dissemination System (IIDS). IIDS enables two-way communication between farmers and experts. It supports lab-to-land transfer of agricultural knowledge.
• Kisan Sarathi app connects farmers with:
  • 730+ Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs);
  • 100+ ICAR institutes;
  • 65+ agricultural universities.
• Features:
  • Personalized advisory based on farm and farmer profile.
  • Live interaction in 13 regional languages with domain experts.
  • Call facilities and conferencing support as per the farmer’s needs.
  • Access to the farmer’s knowledge database.
• Significance: 
  • Farmers can get region-specific, real-time advisories on weather updates, market prices, and more.
  • Helps farmers discover government schemes suitable to their specific needs. 
  • Farmers can easily access the mandi prices and district-wise market rates for major crops.
  • It improves query resolution and strengthens the transfer of technology from lab to field.

Source: PIB

PM Modi Hails Revival of Ancient ‘Shastrarth’ Tradition at Nalanda University

Syllabus: GS1/History

Context

• PM Modi praised Nalanda University for reviving the ancient Indian tradition of Shastrarth (scholarly debate).

About

• The ancient Indian tradition of Śāstrārtha is the scholarly discourse and dialogue on scriptures and philosophical subjects.
  • Śāstrārtha served as a primary method of teaching, learning and testing knowledge through rigorous intellectual discourse at the ancient Nalanda and Vikramshila universities. 
• The tradition was recently revived through “Śāstrārtha 2026”, organised ahead of Nalanda university’s third convocation.

Nalanda 

• It is the first residential university of the world founded at Nalanda by the Emperor Kumaragupta in 427CE in Rajgir, Bihar.
• It flourished for over 800 years till the end in 12th century CE. 
• It is believed to possess 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students. 
• Nalanda had attracted scholars to its campus from places as distant as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and South East Asia. 
  • The most detailed accounts have come from Chinese scholars and the best known of these is Xuan Zang, who carried back many hundred scriptures which were later translated into Chinese.
• Revival: In 2006, the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam proposed the revival of the ancient Nalanda. 
  • The Parliament of India passed the Nalanda University Act, 2010.

Source: DD

Project BRAHMANK Marks its 16th Raising Day

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

Context

• Project BRAHMANK of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 16th Raising Day at Ranaghat, Arunachal Pradesh.

About

• The Project was raised on 29 June 2011 at Ranaghat, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, and became fully functional in December 2011.

• The Project is responsible for development and maintenance of strategic road infrastructure across the Siang, East Siang, West Siang, Upper Siang and Shi-Yomi districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as parts of Dhemaji district in Assam.
• The Project is entrusted with the maintenance and development of 811 km of roads and approximately 86 bridges, ranging from culverts to major steel and arch bridges. 

Source: PIB

PM Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT)

Syllabus: GS2/ Health/ Governance

Context

• Union Home Minister launched the pilot project of PM Family Care Tracker at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. 

About

• The integrated digital platform will track the health, nutrition and education of beneficiaries from pregnancy until the age of 18 using a unique ID linked to the Birth Registration Number or ABHA ID.
  • The system will integrate data from multiple government platforms, and monitor key indicators including vaccination, malnutrition, school enrolment and dropout rates.
• The platform also features digital Health Passports for individuals and families, dashboards to facilitate delivery of government welfare schemes, and automated alerts for missed vaccinations and other essential health services.
• Significance: The PM-FCT is designed as a family-centric digital platform, rather than maintaining separate records for different schemes, allowing authorities to track the health and welfare status of every family member through a single interface.

Source: AIR, TH

Baaz Battalions

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The Indian Army is set to establish specialised drone units called “Baaz Battalions”.

About

• The battalions will build on the Army’s existing Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Flights that will provide a dedicated organisational framework for drone operations across different theatres. 
• The specialised units will comprise trained personnel managing drone systems, strengthening intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities while improving target acquisition and real-time battlefield awareness.
• The decision to establish the Baaz Battalions has been driven by lessons from the LAC standoffs with China, the effective use of drones during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, and recent global conflicts, particularly the Russia–Ukraine war. 

Source: India Today