13th June 2026

Explanation – SOLAR-1 is the first United States satellite designed exclusively for continuous operational space weather observation. It is operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Originally named Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), the satellite was renamed to Space Weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness – 1 (SOLAR-1).

Key Details:

• Primary Mission — Continuous monitoring of solar activity and space weather
• Launch Date — 24th September 2025
• Launch Vehicle — SpaceX Falcon 9
• Orbit — Positioned at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1, about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth towards the Sun, SOLAR-1 enjoys a constant, unobstructed view of solar activity.
• From this vantage point, it continuously measures solar wind and tracks coronal mass ejections (CMEs) before they reach Earth.
• The location's gravitational stability allows the spacecraft to maintain position with minimal fuel use.
• It uses a special telescope, called a compact coronagraph, to monitor the sun's activity in addition to a suite of instruments to make real-time measurements of the solar wind.
• It can transmit CME images to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre within 30 minutes, compared to up to eight hours for older systems.
• Its enhanced capabilities are expected to improve aurora forecasts and strengthen the protection of power grids, navigation, communications, and space missions from severe space weather.

Explanation – One Station One Product Initiative was launched in 2022. It is an initiative of Indian Railways. It aims to enhance livelihoods through skill development for local artisans, weavers, and craftsmen.

• Sale outlets are provided at stations nationwide, allotted through a tendering process.
• It leverages the extensive reach of Indian Railways to transform stations into accessible marketplaces for regional products.
• OSOP was scaled up through a structured rollout, with stalls allotted on a rotational basis at nominal fees to ensure wider participation.
• The OSOP initiative is helping artisans expand their market reach by improving visibility, creating better sales opportunities, and supporting sustainable livelihoods.

Implementation: Railway divisions implement the scheme in coordination with state agencies, SHGs, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Significance: It is playing a crucial role in reviving traditional crafts that were gradually losing prominence.

Explanation – It is a specialised infrastructure management tool comprising vehicles equipped with advanced sensors and data acquisition systems. These vehicles systematically collect data on road inventory and condition of National Highways.

Working of Network Survey Vehicle:

• It is usually a specialised van or SUV equipped with multiple sensors and instruments.
• It consists of Laser, Global Positioning System (GPS), Video image processing tools, High-resolution cameras, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and DMI (Distance Measuring Indicator).
• The survey will capture 13 types of defects, including crack measurement, ravelling, patch area, potholes, edge break, roughness, rutting, lane marking, etc.
• It will also cover details like carriageway type, road type, pavement and shoulder width, topography, median details, right of way, utilities, land use, etc.
• The data will be collected for all projects involving 2/4/6 and 8 lanes with NSV before the start of work and thereafter at regular intervals of six months.
• Data collected through NSV survey will be uploaded on NHAI's 'AI' based portal Data Lake, where it will be analysed to transform data into knowledge and subsequent actionable insights.

Significance:

• The collected data is useful to make decisions for pavement maintenance, asset management, and infrastructure planning.
• It will contribute to enhancing safety and efficiency of the National Highway Network across the country.

Explanation – Oilseeds Kisaan Mitra is a WhatsApp-based artificial intelligence-powered advisory service. It is developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad. It is aimed at strengthening oilseed (groundnut, mustard, sesame, sunflower, soybean, niger, and other oilseed crops) cultivation and improving farmers' access to scientific guidance.

Features:

• It provides round-the-clock, research-based support to oilseed farmers in multiple Indian languages.
• The AI-powered chatbot responds instantly with research-based guidance on variety selection, crop management, pest and disease control, irrigation, and post-harvest practices — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, free of cost.

How It Works:

• It uses advanced AI and a robust knowledge base developed from the collective scientific expertise of multiple ICAR institutes.
• It understands questions typed or sent in regional languages and provides precise, crop-specific answers.
• Farmers need no special app or internet browser; the familiar WhatsApp interface is all that is needed.
• The chatbot covers the entire crop cycle including variety selection, agronomic practices, pest and disease management, irrigation scheduling, post-harvest guidance and seed availability.

•            The knowledge base has been built collaboratively with ICAR National Soybean Research Institute, Indore (ICAR-NSRI); ICAR-Indian Institute of Groundnut Research, Junagadh (ICAR-IIGR); ICAR-Indian Institute of Rapeseed and Mustard Research, Bharatpur (ICAR-IIRMR); and PC-Unit (Sesame & Niger).

Explanation – Governing Council of the NITI Aayog comprises of the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.

• Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure.
• The Regional Councils will be convened by the Prime Minister and will comprise of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories in the region. These will be chaired by the Chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee.
• Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Recently, the eleventh meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.