9th July 2025

Explanation - It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government. To align with the ambitious goal of eliminating TB from India by 2025, the programme has been renamed from the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) to National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). 

Features 

• Addresses all co-morbidities and goes beyond medical interventions to tackle the social determinants of TB while minimising access barriers to diagnosis and treatment.
• Through the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, nutritional support is extended to all TB patients for the entire duration of their treatment.
• Rigorously working towards Airborne Infection Control in hospital wards and outpatient waiting areas.
• Has the provision of chemoprophylaxis against TB disease in paediatric contacts of TB patients and PLHIV patients.
• The process is ongoing for expanding TB preventive treatment for the adult contacts too.

Explanation - It is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for nutritional support to Tuberculosis (TB) patients rolled out in April 2018 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme under National Health Mission (NHM). Financial norms of NHM in terms of cost sharing are applicable to the scheme. The scheme is not related to Poshan Mission which is an initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development. This scheme is implemented across all States and UTs in India. All TB patients notified on or after 1st April 2018 including all existing TB patients under treatment are eligible to receive incentives. The patient must be registered\notified on the NIKSHAY portal. Financial incentive of Rs.500/- per month for each notified TB patient for duration during which the patient is on anti-TB treatment. As the scheme is registered under Direct Benefit Transfer, incentives can be distributed in cash (only via DBT preferably through Aadhaar enabled bank accounts) or in-kind. The States that have been distributing incentives in-kind are allowed to continue to do so, subject to the condition that the total value of the food basket being distributed must not be less than Rs. 500 per month. 

Explanation - BRICS initially included Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. BRICS aims to counterbalance the influence of Western-dominated institutions like the IMF and World Bank. In 2024, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Egypt joined BRICS, followed by Indonesia in 2025. The expanded BRICS bloc represents about 45% of the world's population and 28% of the global economy. With Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE as members, BRICS now accounts for nearly 44% of global crude oil production. 

Explanation - Defence Accounts Department (DAD) functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. It is headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). The mandate given to the department is broadly audit, financial advice, payment, and accounting of all charges pertaining to the Armed Forces. It includes bills for supplies and services rendered and for construction and repair work, pay and allowances, pension of defence personnel and civilians, and audit of cash and store accounts of all organisations under the Ministry of Defence. The DAD has a vast geographical spread with a network of 1110 offices to cater to the needs of all elements of the Indian Defence Services i.e., Army, Air Force, and Navy, as also all other organisations under Ministry of Defence viz Defence Ordnance Factories (41), DRDO Laboratories/Projects (50), Coast Guard, DGQA, DGBR, DGNCC, DG Defence Estates, Canteen Stores Department (CSD), etc. As the principal accounting officer for the Ministry of Defence, the CGDA furnishes necessary information for the Appropriation Accounts to the Ministry of Defence. CGDA also prepares the Annual Consolidated Accounts of Defence Services Receipts & Charges and acts as the Principal Accounts Officer for Civil Estimates of the Ministry of Defence. DAD is also responsible for rendering the annual accounts for the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Military Farms, Canteen Stores Department, and Works Expenditure. In addition, the Annual Audit Certificate for the Defence Services, rendered by the CGDA to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) through the Ministry of Defence, is tabled in the Parliament. Of late, Audit of offset claims has also been entrusted to the Department. History of DAD — It is one of the oldest departments under the Government of India. Its origin can be traced to the Military Pay Masters under the East India Company. In January 1750, the first Pay Master was appointed for paying the garrison at Fort Williams, Calcutta. Payments to the troops in the field were made by a Commissary. In 1776 a Commissary General was appointed for regulating the accounts. In 1788, the designation of the Commissary General was changed to Military Auditor General, who exercised his control over all military disbursements. When the British Crown started administering India in 1858, there were Military Accountants General in the Presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. The office of the Accountant General, Military Department, was created in April 1864. In 1865, the Government recognised this position as the Head of the Military Accounts Department. In 1922, the office of Military Accountant General (MAG) was reorganised. The Office of MAG then comprised 8 sections viz. Record, AN, Audit, Accounts, Estimate, Pay, Foreign Claims, and Inspection. The department was re-named the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) on October 1st, 1951, and the departmental head designated as Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). For more than three decades after independence, the DAD functioned under the administrative control of the Ministry of Finance. With the introduction of the Integrated Financial Advisor scheme in the Ministry of Defence from August 1983, the department came under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. 

Explanation - Ancient City of Penico is a 3,500-year-old lost city located in present-day Peru. Located some 200 km north of Lima (capital of Peru) in the Barranca province, the site lies about 600 metres (1,970 feet) above sea level and is thought to have been founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC-around the same time that early civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East and Asia. Penico is situated close to where Caral, recognised as the oldest known civilisation in the Americas, was established 5,000 years ago, at around 3,000 BC, in the Supe Valley of Peru. Peñico's importance lies in it being the continuation of the Caral society. The researchers have identified up to 18 structures in Penico, including ceremonial temples and residential complexes. The walls of a central plaza stand out for their sculptural reliefs and depictions of the pututu, a conch shell trumpet whose sound carries over long distances. In other buildings, researchers found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, ceremonial objects, and necklaces made from beads and seashells. The height at which the structures were found suggests the ancient city's settlers strategically chose the location, likely to enhance the monumentality of their buildings, protect themselves from floods and landslides, or to promote interaction and exchange. Peñico is believed to have served as a key trading hub connecting early Pacific coast communities with those living in the Andes mountains and Amazon basin.