🧵 Floods and Landslides in Northeast India

• What are landslides? | Causes | Classification
• How prone is India to landslides? | Landslide Atlas

🔖 Take notes for UPSC Mains 2025 WHY IN NEWS? Floods and Landslides in Northeast India

Over the past two days, at least 28 people have died due to heavy rains causing floods and landslides across multiple Northeastern states.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the heavy rainfall to a depression over Bangladesh.

States in the Northeast are on high alert, with significant damage reported in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur.

🧵 How did India neutralise and defend its border cities against Pakistan's missiles?

• S-400 System (Sudarshan Chakra)
• HARPY Drones

🔖 Let's understand | Save for later
1️⃣ S-400 Air Defence System
[Indian Name: Sudarshan Chakra]

1. Overview

• Name: S-400 Triumf (NATO: SA-21 Growler)
• Origin: Russia 🇷🇺, developed by Almaz-Antey
• Type: Mobile, long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system
• Purpose: Neutralize aerial threats including fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and stealth aircraft

2. Technical Specifications

• Range: 40–400 km (depending on missile type)
• Radar: Multi-AESA radar, tracks up to 300 targets simultaneously
• Speed: Intercepts targets up to Mach 14
• Missiles: Uses a mix of missiles (e.g., 40N6E for long-range, 48N6DM for ballistic threats)
• Deployment: Organized under 30K6E administration system, coordinates 8 battalions

3. India’s Acquisition

• Deal: Signed in 2018 with Russia for 5 squadrons (USD 5.43 billion)
• Delivery: 3 squadrons delivered by 2023; remaining 2 expected by 2026
• Deployment: Positioned along borders with China (LAC) and Pakistan (LoC).

🧵Anniversaries relevant for UPSC Prelims 2025

📑 We complied a list of significant events from India’s - History, Economy, Environment, Polity, Science, IR and more.

✅ 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th Anniversaries in 2024 and 2025

🔖 Save for later
MAJOR HISTORICAL FIGURES

1️⃣ 100th Birth Anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2024)

• Year: 1924 (December 25, Birth)
• Details: Former PM, Bharat Ratna recipient, known for Pokhran-II, Golden Quadrilateral, and Good Governance Day (observed on his birth anniversary).

2️⃣ 150th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (2025)

• Year: 1875 (October 31, Birth)
• Details: ‘Iron Man of India,’ unified 562 princely states, observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

3️⃣ 75th Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (2023, relevant in 2024-25)

• Year: 1948 (January 30, Death)
• Details: Assassinated by Nathuram Godse, observed as Martyrs’ Day to honor freedom fighters.

4️⃣ 100th Birth Anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri (2024)

• Year: 1904 (October 2, Birth)
• Details: Former PM, coined “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan,” led India during 1965 war.

5️⃣ 150th Birth Anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar (2024)

• Year: 1891 (April 14, Birth)
• Details: Architect of the Constitution, social reformer, observed as Ambedkar Jayanti.
• Mahaparinirvan Diwas (death anniversary).

6️⃣ 200th Birth Anniversary of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati (2024)

• Year: 1824 (February 12, Birth)
• Details: Founder of Arya Samaj, promoted Vedic education and social reforms. Commemorated by Ministry of Culture (2023-2024).

7️⃣ 100th Death Anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai (2028, but 150th Birth Anniversary relevant in 2024-25 context)

• Year: 1865 (January 28, Birth); 1928 (November 17, Death)
• Details: ‘Punjab Kesari,’ part of Lal-Bal-Pal trio, died after injuries from British lathi-charge.

8️⃣ 125th Birth Anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (2025)

• Year: 1883 (May 28, Birth)
• Details: Revolutionary, coined ‘Hindutva,’ led Cellular Jail resistance.

🧵Revenue Settlement Systems under colonial rule.

• Permanent Settlement
• Ryotwari System
• Mahalwari System

Features | Who Introduced? | Impact

🔖 Important for Prelims 2025 | Let's Revise
Permanent Settlement (Zamindari System):

Introduced By - Lord Cornwallis - 1793

🔹 Implemented: Primarily in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and parts of Varanasi and Northern Madras.

👉 Mechanism:
🔸Landlords (Zamindars) were recognized as owners and given hereditary rights over land.
🔸They were responsible for collecting revenue from cultivators and paying a fixed amount to the British.
🔸The revenue demand was fixed in perpetuity.

👉 Impact:
🔹Created a class of landlords loyal to the British.
🔹However, it often led to exploitation of cultivators as zamindars had no incentive to improve agricultural productivity.
🔹The fixed revenue amount also meant the British lost out on potential increases in revenue due to agricultural expansion or price rises.

🇮🇳 India is the World's top Banana Producer! So, does that make us a 'BANANA REPUBLIC'?🫣

🧵 What is a BANANA REPUBLIC?

Is the term still relevant?
Modern examples?

🔖 Save this. Let us find out 👇 What is a BANANA REPUBLIC?

• A "Banana Republic" originally refers to a politically unstable country, typically in Latin America or the Caribbean, whose economy is heavily dependent on exporting a single resource—historically bananas or other commodities like sugar or coffee.

• The term was coined in the early 20th century by American writer O. Henry in his 1904 book 'Cabbages and Kings', inspired by countries like Honduras and Guatemala.

• These nations were often exploited by foreign corporations (e.g., United Fruit Company) and influenced by external powers (notably the U.S.), leading to weak governance, corruption, and economic inequality.

So, no. India is NOT a Banana Republic. 😄

🧵What is an Avalanch?

▪️Definition | Types | Geographical Causes
▪️Detection | Warning | Mitigation Measures

Let us understand what happened in Uttarakhand.

🔖Save for later Definition of an Avalanche

▪️ A rapid, gravity‐driven flow of snow (often mixed with ice, rock, and debris) down a mountain slope.

It occurs when the stability of a snowpack is compromised due to internal weaknesses or external triggers.

🧵 What is an Einstein Ring?

What is Gravitational Lensing?

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims 2025 What is an Einstein Ring?

▪️An Einstein ring is a luminous ring formed when light from a distant galaxy is bent around a massive foreground galaxy due to gravitational lensing.

▪️This occurs when the source galaxy, lensing galaxy, and observer are aligned, causing the light to be deflected into a circular shape.

🧵 President's Rule in Manipur

What is Article 356?
Provisions | Limitations | Safeguards

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims 2025 What is President’s Rule?

• President’s Rule refers to the imposition of central government rule in a state under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.

• It is invoked when a state government is unable to function according to constitutional provisions.

🧵 AI Action Summit, Paris 2025

• Co-Hosted by India
• Paris Declaration on Inclusive and Sustainable AI

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims Overview

▪️Dates: 10–11 February 2025.

▪️Host: France (co-chaired with India)

▪️Venue: Grand Palais, Paris.

▪️Context: Followed the 2023 Bletchley Park (UK) and 2024 Seoul AI Summits, focusing on inclusive and sustainable AI.

▪️Participants: 100+ countries, including heads of state, tech CEOs (e.g., OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai), NGOs, academia, and civil society.

🧵 What is the Digital Agriculture Mission?

Solve practice MCQ in the thread 👇

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims 2025 The Digital Agriculture Mission is an initiative by the Government of India, approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024 with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore, including a central share of ₹1,940 crore.

• The mission aims to establish Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the agricultural sector to enhance service delivery, improve efficiency, and promote transparency.

• The Mission envisions these primary DPI components: AgriStack, the Krishi Decision Support System (DSS), and Soil Profile Maps.

🧵 Budget 2025-26 Highlights

What are the key announcements across sectors?

🔖 Save for later
Economic Growth & Fiscal Consolidation

▪️GDP Growth Projection: India's GDP expected to grow between 6.3% - 6.8% in FY26.
▪️Fiscal Deficit Target: 4.4% of GDP (down from 5.6% in FY24).
▪️Revenue Deficit: 1.5% of GDP (from 2.6% in FY24).
▪️Total Expenditure: ₹50.65 lakh crore.
▪️Total Capital Expenditure: ₹11.21 lakh crore.
▪️Borrowings & Liabilities: ₹15.69 lakh crore.

🧵 What is Enemy Property Act, 1968?

Why will Centre seize property worth ₹15,000 crore belonging to Saif Ali Khan's Pataudi dynasty?

🤔 What are enemy properties?

🔖 Save for later What is Enemy Property Act, 1968?

▪️The Enemy Property Act, 1968, is an Indian legislation enacted to manage properties left behind by individuals who acquired Pakistani or Chinese citizenship during conflicts with these nations.

▪️The Act designates such assets as "enemy properties" and vests their ownership in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, a government-appointed authority.

Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico to The Gulf of America?

🧵 Who hold the authority to rename Geographic Features?

🔖 Save for UPSC CSE (Prelims/Mains) 2025 Authority to Rename Geographic Features

🌐 INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT: IHO

▪️ Internationally, there is NO FORMAL BODY with absolute authority over maritime names.
▪️ The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) seeks to standardize nautical charting and resolve naming disputes, but its recommendations are not binding.
▪️Gazetteer Maintenance: The IHO, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, maintains a gazetteer of undersea feature names. This serves as a central repository of information and aids in standardization efforts.
▪️ Consequently, other countries are not obligated to adopt name changes made unilaterally by the U.S.

🇺🇸 DOMESTIC AUTHORITY:

▪️Within the United States, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) oversees the standardization of geographic names for federal use.
▪️ The BGN generally discourages name changes unless there is a compelling reason, emphasizing local use and acceptance.
▪️Therefore, while a presidential executive order can initiate a name change for federal documents and maps, it would require BGN approval and public consultation.

🧵 Why is the Los Angeles, California Wildfire the deadliest in US history?

What are Santa Ana Winds?

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims 2025


Understanding these causes is essential for developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies.

CAUSES OF LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES

1️⃣ Climate Change
2️⃣ Santa Ana Winds
3️⃣ Vegetation Overgrowth
4️⃣ Urban Expansion

1. Climate Change:

• Prolonged Drought: Years of insufficient rainfall have left vegetation extremely dry, creating highly flammable conditions.

• Climate Change Effects: Rising temperatures and more intense heat waves, influenced by climate change, have exacerbated fire risks.

2. Santa Ana Winds:

• These strong, dry winds are characteristic of Southern California and can exceed 100 mph.

• They rapidly spread wildfires by carrying embers over large distances and hindering firefighting efforts.

3. Vegetation Overgrowth:

• Periods of heavy rainfall followed by droughts lead to the rapid growth of vegetation, which subsequently dries out and becomes highly flammable.

• This "weather whiplash" effect provides abundant fuel for wildfires.

4. Urban Expansion:

• Urban Encroachment: The growth of urban areas into wildland-urban interfaces increases the risk of wildfires impacting human settlements.

• Development in these zones introduces more ignition sources and places more structures in harm's way.

5. Accumulated Fuel Load:

• Poor forest management and lack of regular vegetation clearing have resulted in a significant build-up of flammable materials.

6. Limited Firefighting Resources:

• Simultaneous wildfires across the state stretched firefighting crews thin, delaying response times and reducing effectiveness.

Hence, the recent wildfires in Los Angeles ended up becoming the deadliest from the recent past.

🧵 Bhopal Gas Tragedy

337 MT Toxic Waste at Union Carbide Factory moved after 40 years

🔖 What are the rules for Toxic Waste Disposal in India?
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, is considered the world's worst industrial disaster.

• A catastrophic leak of approximately 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant exposed over 500,000 people to the toxic fumes.

• Immediate estimates reported around 3,000 deaths, but subsequent evaluations suggest that the death toll may have exceeded 15,000, with hundreds of thousands suffering from chronic health issues such as respiratory problems, eye irritations, and neurological disorders.

🧵 2024 Year End Review: PIB

10 Important Ministries

🔖 Save for UPSC Prelims 2025 1️⃣ Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY):

• Semiconductor Manufacturing: Approval of four semiconductor manufacturing units under the Semicon India Programme.

• Artificial Intelligence Leadership: Hosted the 6th meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Ministerial Council in New Delhi; set to be the outgoing chair in 2025.

• Skill Development: Trained 6.39 crore individuals under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA), exceeding the target of 6 crore.

• Language Accessibility: BHASHINI initiative bridged language barriers for accessible digital services, offering translation services in 22 scheduled Indian languages.

• Supercomputing Infrastructure: Launched three PARAM Rudra supercomputers to strengthen research and innovation in India.

U.S Presidential Elections, 2024

🧵How do Americans Elect their President?

🔖 Save for later 🇺🇸 Eligibility to run for President of the United States:

• Natural Born US Citizen
• At least 35 years old
• 14 years of US residency

Campaign Finance:

• Registration with the Federal Election Commission is required to spend over $5,000.

Kings, Reformers, Revolutionaries...

🧵 Which Tamil icons did Thalapathy Vijay pay tribute to at TVK's launch?

🔖 Save for UPSC CSE
1️⃣ Tamil Thai (தமிழன்னை):

Known as the “Mother of Tamil,” Tamil Thai is a symbolic representation of the Tamil language and culture.

She embodies the pride, unity, and heritage of the Tamil people, celebrating the linguistic and cultural uniqueness of Tamil Nadu.

INDIA🇮🇳-GERMANY🇩🇪 Relations

✨ "In this world we need friends and allies – just like India and Germany. "✨

Major Outcomes of the Visit:
• 7th IGC
• 18th APK
• Strategic Partnership
• Free Trade Agreement
• Skilled Workers - Visa Increase
• Dual Degree Program ... and more.

🔖Save for UPSC CSE I. Core Focus:

1️⃣ 7th Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC): Comprehensive discussions across ministries, culminating in reports to Modi and Scholz.

2️⃣ 25th Anniversary of Strategic Partnership (since 2000): Reaffirming and deepening ties.

3️⃣ 50 Years of Science & Technology Collaboration: Celebrating existing cooperation.

🧵BRICS Currency: Can It Replace the Dollar?

🔖Save for UPSC CSE NEWS

A mock-up of the upcoming BRICS currency has finally been unveiled at the alliance’s ongoing summit in Kazan, Russia.

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen with a mock-up up “BRICS bill” at the summit, the first time the new currency has been put on display.

Why did Putin pick Kazan for BRICS Summit 2024?

🔖Places in News (UPSC CSE) LOCATION:

• Kazan is located in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, at the confluence of the VOLGA and KAZANKA RIVERS. It has historically been crucial for trade and transportation.

• EASTERN EUROPEAN PLAIN: Kazan sits on the Eastern European Plain, a vast expanse of flat to gently rolling terrain.

• TEMPERATE CONTINENTAL CLIMATE: Kazan experiences a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters.

• VEGETATION: The natural vegetation around Kazan is primarily mixed forest, consisting of both deciduous and coniferous trees. The fertile soils of the region also support agriculture.