News In Short 10-06-2026

Rules Governing Election Symbols in India

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has sparked debate over whether a cockroach can be allotted as an election symbol if it registers as a political party.

Election Symbols in India

• Election symbols are governed by the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, administered by the Election Commission of India.
• Types of Symbols: 
  • Reserved Symbols: Exclusively allotted to recognised national and state parties (e.g., lotus, hand).
  • Free Symbols: Allotted to registered unrecognised parties and independent candidates from a notified list.

What Symbols Are Available?

• The EC’s latest free-symbol list (May 2025) contains 184 symbols.
• These include household items, fruits, vegetables, sports equipment, and tools such as air-conditioner, dustbin, frying pan, grapes, toothbrush, TV remote, etc.
• Some symbols are unavailable in certain states because they are already reserved for recognised state parties.

Can the Cockroach Be Allotted?

• Following concerns raised by animal welfare groups in the 1990s, the EC stopped allotting new animal-based symbols.
• Under the Symbols Order, a newly proposed symbol:
  • Must not resemble an existing symbol.
  • Must not have religious or communal connotations.
  • Must not depict any bird or animal.
• Since a cockroach is an insect belonging to the animal kingdom, it would ordinarily fall within this prohibition.
• A few recognised parties continue to use animal symbols because they were allotted before the restriction came into effect. Examples include:
  • Bahujan Samaj Party: Elephant
  • All India Forward Bloc: Lion

Source: IE

Prime Minister of India

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has overtaken Jawaharlal Nehru as the longest-serving Prime Minister in India to remain in office through consecutive electoral mandates.

About Prime Minister of India

• Constitutional Position (Article 75): The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and serves as the head of the Union government, exercising actual executive authority.
• Leader of the Council of Ministers (Article 74): The Prime Minister leads the Council of Ministers, which assists and advises the President in carrying out constitutional functions.
• Role: The Prime Minister acts as the chief link between the President and the Council of Ministers, conveying decisions of the Cabinet and advising the President on matters such as appointments, convening Parliament, and dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
• Head of Key Bodies: The Prime Minister presides over several major institutions and councils, including NITI Aayog, the National Integration Council, and the Inter-State Council.

Source: TH

Ayushman Bharat Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• West Bengal has formally joined the flagship health insurance programme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), becoming the last state in India to come under its ambit.

Ayushman Bharat Scheme

• It was launched in 2018, by the Government of India with the aim of achieving universal health coverage. It has two key components;

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) 
• Ayushman Arogya Mandir 

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)

• AB PM-JAY is the largest publicly funded health assurance scheme in the world which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• Coverage: It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post – hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines.
  • The beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment.
  • There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender.
• Eligibility:  The inclusion of households is based on the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for rural and urban areas, respectively.
  • This number also includes families that were covered in the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) but were not present in the SECC 2011 database.
• Funding: The funding for the scheme is shared by the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio.
  • However, for North-Eastern states, Himalayan states (such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh), and Union Territories, the ratio is 90:10.

Ayushman Arogya Mandir

• The component led to creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), renamed as Ayushman Arogya Mandir.
• They are created by upgrading the Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and rural and urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs), to bring health care closer to the community. 
• The aim is to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) along with the provision of follow-up care to the patients in the community. 
• The essential health services along with the provisioning of essential medicines and diagnostics are provided closer to the community through these centers.

Source: IE

₹95,962 crore set aside for VB-G RAM G

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• The government has proposed an interim budget allocation of 95,692 crore rupees to states and union territories to ensure a smooth transition from MNREGA to Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G).

About  VB-G RAM G

• It will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).
  • The move will mark a shift from a “demand-driven framework” to a “supply-driven scheme”.
• Enhanced Livelihood Guarantee: It will enhance the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 from 100 days per rural household in every financial year, for adults who volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme: The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a sharing pattern of 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States/UT and 60:40 for all other States.
• Normative Allocation to States based: States will ensure transparent and need-based intra-State distribution of funds across Districts and Gram Panchayats, taking into account the category of the Panchayats and local developmental needs.
• Unemployment allowance: If eligible applicants are not provided work within the stipulated period, State Governments will be obliged to pay unemployment allowance. 
• VGPP based planning: Planning will be undertaken through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, prepared by Gram Panchayats and integrated with national spatial planning systems. 
• Institutional Oversight: The Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council and the State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Councils shall be constituted for review, monitoring and effective implementation of the provisions of the legislation in their respective areas. 

Source: AIR

Land Port Management System (LPMS): Vinimay

Syllabus: GS3/ Infrastructure

In News

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Land Port Management System (LPMS), named ‘Vinimay’, in New Delhi under the Smart Borders initiative.

About 

• It is a centralized digital platform designed to digitize and integrate cargo processing and passenger movement across India’s land borders through real-time data sharing and coordinated operations.
• A Land Port is a notified road or rail border point used for customs, immigration, and trade-related activities. 
• LPMS has been developed by the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Home Affairs established through the Land Ports Authority of India Act, 2010, for developing and managing Integrated Check Posts (ICPs).
• Key features of LPMS include a Single Electronic Window, integration with agencies such as CBIC and BSF, secure real-time exchange of logistics and regulatory data, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for automated gate management.

Source: TH

Chandrayaan-3 Reveals Deep Lunar Secrets from Shiv Shakti Point

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• Data from Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover has revealed that the soil at Shiv Shakti Point near the Moon’s South Pole is chemically very similar to a lunar meteorite (ALHA 81005) discovered in Antarctica.
  • The findings are based on observations made by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the rover.

Significance of the Chemical Similarity

• The composition differs from conventional lunar highland rocks dominated by ferroan anorthosite.
• The soil shows a mixture of:
  • Ferroan anorthosite materials.
  • Magnesium-rich (Mg-suite) rocks.
• This suggests that materials from deeper layers of the Moon have mixed with the surface regolith.

Validation of the Lunar Magma Ocean Theory

• The findings provide fresh evidence for the Lunar Magma Ocean Theory, which states that:
  • The early Moon was covered by a global ocean of molten rock.
  • As it cooled, lighter minerals floated upward to form the crust, while denser iron- and magnesium-rich minerals sank deeper.
  • Detection of deep-seated iron and magnesium-bearing materials at the surface supports this model of lunar evolution.

Source: IE

Scientists find a Blood Test that Predicts Lung Cancer Early

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• A new study has zeroed in on a set of 14 blood plasma proteins, called the ‘14-protein signature’, as a strong predictor of being diagnosed with lung cancer years in advance.

About

• Blood plasma is the liquid portion of the blood that flows in the human body. It contains thousands of proteins that come from every organ and tissue.
  • This entire set of proteins is called the plasma proteome. 
  • The large-scale systematic study of the proteome is called proteomics.
• The plasma proteomics profile provides a real-time snapshot of health and disease.
  • If scientists could compare the profiles of people before and after the onset of a disease, they can predict important clues about changes.
• Scientists are currently on the threshold of finding a new way to identify people who may be predisposed to developing lung cancer and protect them proactively. 
• Lung cancer is mainly due to smoking and, to a lesser extent, air pollution and occupational exposure.
  • According to the latest World Health Organization estimates, there are about 2.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths every year. 

Source: TH

Battery Energy Storage System

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

In News

• The Defence Ministry has approved the establishment of a 250 MW Solar Power Project with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Sitapur (Ex-Cantonment) in Uttar Pradesh.

About Battery Energy Storage System

• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) refers to a technology that stores electrical energy in rechargeable batteries for later use. 
• It helps balance electricity demand and supply by storing excess power generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. 
• BESS improves grid stability, reduces power fluctuations, and supports peak load management. It also enhances energy access in remote areas and strengthens energy security. 

Major Storage Technologies

• Electrochemical (Battery-Based):
  • Lithium-ion: Most widely deployed globally, energy density 150 to 300 Wh/kg, round-trip efficiency 90 to 95%, used in EVs and gridscale storage but dependent on imported lithium and cobalt.
  • Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP): Safer, cheaper, longer life cycle, increasingly preferred for utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and electric buses.
  • Sodium-ion: Abundant domestic sodium, lower cost and reduced geopolitical dependence. Strategically important for India given limited domestic lithium reserves.
  • Solid-state: Next-generation with solid electrolyte, higher density and improved safety. Still high cost and limited scalability.
  • Flow batteries (Vanadium Redox, ZincBromine): Long-duration storage, minimal degradation, suited for utility-scale renewable integration. 
• Mechanical and Thermal
  • Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH): Most mature large-scale technology globally, using height difference to store and release energy.
  • Molten salt and ice thermal storage are used in concentrated solar and industrial applications.

Source: TH