Ambubachi Mela
Syllabus: GS1/Culture
Context
- Thousands of devotees have arrived in Assam for the Kamakhya Temple’s annual Ambubachi Mela.
About the Ambubachi Mela
- The festival is held during the monsoon season, typically in June, at the Kamakhya Temple — a revered shrine dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati.
- The festival is associated with fertility, the onset of the monsoon, and the widespread historical belief across cultures that portrays the Earth as a fertile woman. The name ‘Ambubachi’ itself translates to water flowing.
| Kamakhya Temple – Located atop the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati, Assam, it is one of the oldest and most revered among the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. – The main shrine is surrounded by individual temples dedicated to the Ten Mahavidyas: Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. – The present structure of the temple was rebuilt in 1565 CE by utilizing the ruins of an earlier 11th–12th century stone temple. – Architecturally, the temple had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles, namely, the traditional nagara or North Indian and saracenic or Mughal. 1. Thus, being an unusual combination which came into its existence on this famous sakti shrine of India, it has been named as the Nilachala Style of Architecture. |
Source: IE
Subarnarekha River
Syllabus: GS1/ Geography
Context
- Over 50,000 people were affected after a flash flood in the Subarnarekha River, which led to water entering several villages in Balasore district of Odisha.
About Subarnarekha River
- Origin: Near Nagri village, Ranchi district, Jharkhand, on the Chotanagpur Plateau.
- Course: It is an east flowing river that flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
- It drains into the Bay of Bengal near Talsari in Odisha.
- Major tributaries: Kharkai, Roro, Kanchi, Harmu Nadi, Damra, Karru, Chinguru, Karakari, Gurma, Garra, Singaduba, Kodia, Dulunga and Khaijori.
- Important Towns on the River: Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Ghatshila (Jharkhand), and Baleshwar (Odisha).
- Hundru Falls: A major waterfall where the river drops from a height of 98 metres near Ranchi.
Source: TH
Qatar
Syllabus: GS1/Places
In News
- Iran launched missile attacks on the al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
- Qatar condemned Iran’s attack as a violation of its sovereignty and warned it may respond.
Qatar (Doha (Al-Dawḥah))
- It is an independent emirate on the west coast of the Persian Gulf.
- It shares a border with eastern Saudi Arabia where the peninsula connects to the mainland and is north and west of the United Arab Emirates.
- The island country of Bahrain lies some 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Qatar.
- The economy of Qatar is based largely on the production and export of petroleum and natural gas.
- Qatar’s official religion is Islam and Sharia forms the foundation of all State legislation.
- However, Qatar is home to a diverse population practicing various faiths.
- Arabic is the official language but English is widely used as a second language across the country.
Source: TH
‘NAVYA’ Initiative
Syllabus :GS2/Governance
In News
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the NAVYA initiative.
NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls)
- It is a pilot initiative aimed at skilling girls aged 16–18 years (with at least a Class 10 education) in non-traditional job roles.
- It aims to empower adolescent girls with skills, confidence, and opportunities, contributing to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and a self-reliant, inclusive future.
- It is being Implemented in 27 districts across 19 States, including Aspirational districts and North-Eastern States, reflecting an inclusive, targeted approach.
- It will leverage existing schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and PM Vishwakarma.
Source :PIB
e-Rakt Kosh
Syllabus: GS2/Health
Context
- The Health Ministry is integrating the Rare Donor Registry with the national online platform for blood bank management e-Rakt Kosh.
- The integration will allow those with rare blood groups to access a centralized system developed under the National Health Mission (NHS), providing details on blood banks, blood availability, and blood donation camps across the country.
e-RaktKosh
- It is a national platform for information about Blood Banks and Blood availability across India and has been developed by C-DAC under the initiative of Blood Cell, National Health Mission.
- It is the official portal for all blood-related services in India.
Rare Blood Group
- A rare blood group is defined as one that occurs in fewer than 1 in 1,000 people in a given population.
- Rarity depends on ethnicity, region, and the presence or absence of specific antigens on red blood cells.
- Blood group rarity increases when a person lacks common antigens or has unusual antigen combinations.
- Examples of rare blood types that are negative for antigens of high prevalence include Rhnull, Bombay (Oh), Jr(a-) among others.
Source: TH
Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control
Syllabus:GS2/ Health
In News
- WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases announced the winners of the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control during the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin.
More About the News
- The awards honor governments and NGOs from India, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, the Philippines, and Ukraine for significant achievements in implementing proven tobacco control measures.
- Bloomberg also announced a new $20 million Accelerator Fund to boost tobacco control efforts in low- and middle-income countries where progress has stalled.
Bloomberg Philanthropies
- It invests globally in 700 cities and 150 countries to improve lives by focusing on five key areas: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health.
- The Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control were first held in 2009 at the World Health Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai, with the most recent event before 2025 taking place in 2018 in Cape Town.
Source: TH
Gwada Negative
Syllabus: GS2/Health
Context
- France’s national blood agency, the Établissement Français du Sang or French Blood Establishment (EFS), has identified a completely new blood group system, now officially recognised by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).
About
- It is named EMM-negative and colloquially dubbed “Gwada negative” in reference to the Guadeloupean origin of the woman who carries it.
- As of June 2025, only one person in the world is known to possess this blood type, making it the rarest ever recorded.
- Gwada negative is the informal name given to the newly classified EMM-negative blood group system, officially registered by ISBT as ISBT042.
- It is defined by the absence of the EMM antigen, which is normally found on red blood cells and is considered a high-incidence antigen.
- High-incidence antigens are present in nearly all humans, so the lack of one, as in this case, is extremely rare and medically significant.
New System
- For a blood group to be considered a new system, it must fulfill several criteria:
- it should be genetically determined, inherited, identifiable via serological or molecular techniques, and have an associated antibody — criteria that EMM-negative meets.
- The identification of the EMM-negative blood type adds to the previously known 47 blood group systems, making it the 48th globally recognised system in transfusion science.
| International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) – ISBT was founded in 1935, making it one of the oldest organisations in transfusion medicine. – Headquarters of ISBT: Amsterdam, Netherlands. – Functions: It is a global scientific society that works to promote the sharing of knowledge and best practices in the field of blood transfusion medicine. 1. ISBT is internationally recognized for developing and maintaining the standardised blood group terminology system. |
Source: TH
India Slams Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
Syllabus: GS2/ International relations
Context
- India has categorically rejected references to the country at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and termed them as unwarranted and factually incorrect.
- India condemned the OIC’s silence on terrorism emanating from Pakistan, calling it a disregard for global anti-terror consensus.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
- Objective: The organisation claims to be “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
- Members:57 member states (primarily Muslim-majority countries)
- India is not a member despite having the third-largest Muslim population globally.
- Official Languages: Arabic, English, and French
- Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- OIC is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969.
Source: AIR
IFFCO to set up First Overseas Nano Fertiliser Plant in Brazil
Syllabus: GS3/Agriculture
Context
- Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) is setting up its first overseas nano fertiliser Plant in Brazil.
- It will be producing 4.5 million litres of nano-fertilisers annually.
Nano Fertilizer
- A nano fertilizer is a type of fertilizer that contains nutrient particles in nanometer size (typically less than 100 nanometers).
- These fertilizers are designed to deliver nutrients to plants more efficiently, due to their small size, high surface area, and better absorption.
- Nano fertilizers are part of precision agriculture, aiming to reduce nutrient loss and improve productivity.
- India became the first country to approve and commercialize Nano Urea, developed by IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) in 2021.
- Nano urea is being promoted to reduce the use of conventional urea, which is heavily subsidized and overused.
Source: TH
