News In Short 05-10-2026

Ramappa Temple

Syllabus: GS1/Art and Culture 

In News

• Heritage conservationists in Telangana are apprehensive about an impending threat to Ramappa temple from the proposed deep opencast coal mining project.

Ramappa Temple

• The Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple is popularly known as Ramappa Temple.
• It is located in the village of Palampet, approximately 200km north-east of Hyderabad, in the State of Telangana.
  • It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• It was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.
  • The presiding deity here is RamalingeswaraSwamy.
  • It is also known as the Ramappa Temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
• It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.

Features 

• The temple stands on a 6-foot-high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars, and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.
• The temple is built of sandstone with decorated beams and pillars of carved granite and dolerite, with a distinctive and pyramidal Vimana made of lightweight porous bricks, also known as “floating bricks”.
• The sculptures of the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, especially its bracket figures, are unique artistic works carved out of the hard dolerite stone, giving it a metal-like finish with intact lustre. 

Source: TH

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity

In News

• An Indian Parliamentary Delegation, led by the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, has departed for Tanzania, to participate in the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

About Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (HQ: Geneva, Switzerland)

• The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments that promotes parliamentary diplomacy, democracy, human rights and international cooperation.
• It was established in 1889, Paris, by William Randal Cremer (UK) and Frédéric Passy (France).
• It has 183 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members.
• The forum provides a platform for lawmakers to discuss global issues, build consensus and strengthen dialogue.
• The IPU provides India with an important platform for parliamentary diplomacy, allowing legislators to engage with counterparts globally, build trust and contribute to discussions on issues such as peace, terrorism, climate change and democratic governance.

Source: AIR

PM-SETU: One Year of Transforming India’s ITIs

Syllabus: GS2/Government Initiatives

Context

• The PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme marks one year of implementation.

About PM-SETU

• Launched in 2025, PM-SETU is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at transforming 1,000 Government ITIs into modern, industry-aligned training institutions. 
• The scheme has a total outlay of ₹60,000 crore, comprising ₹30,000 crore from the Centre, ₹20,000 crore from States and ₹10,000 crore from industry. 
• It follows a Hub-and-Spoke model, with 200 Hub ITIs linked to 800 Spoke ITIs. 
• The scheme will:
  • Modernise ITI infrastructure with smart classrooms, modern laboratories and digital content. 
  • Introduce industry-aligned and new-age courses based on emerging skill requirements. 
  • Establish Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with Anchor Industry Partners for industry-led governance and cluster development. 
• Strengthen 5 National Skill Training Institutes in – Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Chennai (Tamilnadu), Hyderabad (Telangana), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Ludhiana (Punjab), as Centres of Excellence with global partnerships.

Source: PIB

AI Accord of the U.S

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Tech

In News

• U.S. President Donald Trump announced the “White House Accord on Super Intelligence: Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities,” 

AI Accord

• It is a voluntary agreement between major American AI companies to promote safe AI development and public trust.
• It was signed by leaders including Google’s Sundar Pichai, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, xAI’s Elon Musk and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
• It stresses the need for tech companies to build safe AI products and foster public trust. 
• It outlines four steps to make it happen, starting with
  • Robust internal controls to prevent unintended AI hacking,
  • Developing an internal team to manage safety operations and resolutions at the company
  • Partnering with an independent external auditor for assessments
  • Designating an independent committee of the board of directors to address reports.
• It is not legally binding and contains no penalties for violations.

Importance 

• Its importance comes amid growing concerns over AI systems “going rogue,” privacy and child-safety risks, and incidents involving AI agents attempting to hack secure platforms. 

Source :TH

Rabies

Syllabus: GS3/ S&T

In News

• An ICMR-led study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases estimated that India has about 5,726 human rabies deaths every year.

About Rabies

• Rabies is a serious public health problem in over 150 countries and territories, mainly in Asia and Africa. 
• It is a viral, zoonotic, neglected tropical disease affecting the central nervous system.
• It is caused by the rabies virus (genus Lyssavirus, family Rhabdoviridae).
• Rabies spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites, scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth, or open wounds). 
• Symptoms may include fever, headache, nausea, hallucinations and fear of water (hydrophobia).
  • Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal. 
• In India, the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) aims for zero human deaths by 2030.

Source: TH

Agnipath Scheme

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The defence forces have submitted their implementation feedback and recommendations to the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) as the first batch of Agnipath Scheme recruits approaches the end of their four-year tenure.

Agnipath Scheme

• It was introduced in 2022, and is also called the Tour of Duty scheme.
• It is a short-term recruitment scheme for the Indian Army. 
• Under the policy, soldiers called ‘Agniveers’ are recruited for four years, at the end of which only 25% of recruits from a batch are retained for regular service for 15 years.
• Age Limit: Candidates between the age of 17.5 years to 21 years are eligible for enrolling in the Agnipath scheme.
• The scheme provides an avenue to Indian youth, desirous of serving the country to get recruited in the Armed Forces for a short duration.
  • The scheme enhances the youth profile of the Armed Forces.

Source: TH

Tuvalu 

Syllabus: Miscellaneous / Place in News

Context

• Tuvalu is facing a combination of sea-level rise, marine heatwaves and declining fisheries, highlighting the disproportionate climate vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDS).

About Tuvalu

• Tuvalu is a group of nine tiny islands in the South Pacific which won independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.
• Formerly known as the Ellice Islands these are low-lying islands and atolls located between Hawaii and Australia.
• The country has an average elevation of just 1 to 3 metres above sea level, making it highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and storm surges.
• Capital: Funafuti

Source: TH