11th September 2025

Explanation – The Central government has revised the target for reducing air pollution (particulate matter (PM) concentrations) in cities from 20-30% by 2024 to 40% by 2025-26. NCAP was launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. It originally aimed to achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in PM concentrations by 2024, but this target has now been revised to 40% by 2025-26, using 2017 as the baseline year for comparison. In accordance with the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will execute this nationwide program. Under NCAP, 131 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country for not meeting the national ambient air quality standards. 

Explanation – Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has approved the budgetary support of Rs 498.8 crore to Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) - Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) for the next five years. The creation of the iDEX framework and establishment of the DIO by the Department of Defence Production (DDP) is aimed at creating an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D development which has good potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs. 

Explanation – Bhil is the largest tribal group in India as per 2011 Census. They constitute approximately 38% of the total scheduled tribal population of India. Bhil tribes are found in the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, as well as in Tripura. The language spoken by this tribe is Bhil. They also speak other languages like Marathi and Gujarati. Bhil is the largest tribal group in India, with a population of 17,071,049. The Gond tribal group is the second largest tribal group by population (13,256,928). Similarly, Santhal (6,570,807) and Oraon (3,682,992) are the third and fifth largest tribal groups respectively. 

Explanation – The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874. It is the second oldest international organisation worldwide after International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which was established in 1865. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations. The UPU was never part of the League of Nations before becoming a UN specialised agency. India joined the UPU on July 1, 1876, making it an early member but not a founding member. 

Explanation – The Harappan Civilisation was renowned for its advanced urban planning. Cities like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa had a well-planned grid layout for streets, with roads running north-south and east-west, intersecting at right angles and dividing cities into rectangular blocks. The Harappan Civilisation existed during the Bronze Age and made extensive use of bronze for tools, weapons, and other artifacts, indicating their advanced metallurgical skills. The Harappan script remains undeciphered to this day, and while there are various hypotheses about its direction of writing (including right to left, left to right, and boustrophedon), there is no definitive evidence that it was primarily written from left to right. Lothal was a prominent port city of the Harappan Civilisation and is well-known for its dockyard, which is considered one of the earliest known docks in the world, facilitating maritime trade and commerce.