8th April 2026

Explanation - According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PFAs are man-made chemicals used to make nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics, cosmetics, firefighting foams and many other products that resist grease, water and oil. PFAs can migrate to the soil, water and air during their production and use. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists a variety of health risks that are attributed to PFA exposure, including decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, interference with body hormones, increased cholesterol levels and increased risk of some cancers. Recent research has also revealed that long-term low-level exposure to certain PFAs can make it difficult for humans to build antibodies after being vaccinated against various diseases.

Explanation - Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He was born as Tyaga Mal. He was the fifth and the youngest son of the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind. He came to be known by the name Teg Bahadur (Mighty of The Sword), given to him by Guru Hargobind after he showed his valour in a battle against the Mughals. In 1664, Guru Teg Bahadur succeeded Guru Har Krishan Ji as the ninth Sikh Guru. His son, Guru Gobind Singh, became the tenth Sikh guru. Life and Works — He built the city of Anandpur Sahib (in Rupnagar/Ropar district, on the edge of Shivalik Hills, near the Sutlej River, in Punjab). Here the last two Sikh Gurus lived and where Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. He contributed more than 100 poetic hymns to the Granth Sahib. He resisted the forced conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and non-Muslims to Islam. Martyrdom — He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam. Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk marks the place of his execution. Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib marks the place of cremation of his body. His martyrdom is remembered as the Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur every year on 24 November.

Explanation - Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a one stop portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments/Organisations/PSUs. GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement. It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money. All Central government and State Government Ministries/Departments including its attached/subordinate offices, Central and State autonomous bodies, Central and State Public Sector Units and local bodies etc. are authorised to make procurement through GeM portal. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for expanding the mandate of GeM to allow procurement by Cooperatives as buyers on GeM.

Explanation - It is launched by the National Statistics Office, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). It is aimed at developing a comprehensive database of the incorporated services sector of the country. The survey uses the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) database as a sampling frame. The survey covers corporate entities in the services sector — companies registered under the Companies Act, 1956/2013 or Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008. The ASISSE will survey over 1.21 lakh enterprises, making it one of the largest exercises of its kind. It will be conducted under the provisions of Collection of Statistics Act, 2008, as amended in 2017 and through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 and data will be collected through a secure web-based portal.

Explanation - The Indian nuclear power programme, launched in 1954, envisaged a three-stage development of nuclear power generation from the country's uranium and thorium resources. The first stage programme consists of setting up of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). PHWRs are natural uranium-fuelled, heavy water moderated and cooled. The uranium reserves in the country are adequate to support the first stage nuclear power programme of 10,000 MWe through PHWRs. In addition to generating power, PHWRs progressively make available plutonium as a by-product. The second stage of the nuclear power programme consists of effective utilisation of plutonium in Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) which will provide the key to full utilisation of the country's uranium resources and prepare the way for the long-term utilisation of the more abundant thorium reserves. FBRs enable generation of more fresh fissile material than is consumed for power production. With the deployment of FBRs, the depleted uranium and plutonium generated in the first stage will permit an additional power potential to the extent of 3,50,000 MWe. During the later part of the second stage programme, it is proposed to use thorium as blanket material in FBRs to generate U-233, another fissile material for use in the third stage programme based on U-233 fuelled reactor systems.