26th August 2026

Explanation - The Union government issued Press Note 3 in April 2020, amending India's FDI policy. Previously, entities from Bangladesh and Pakistan required prior government approval to invest in India. Press Note 3 extended this requirement to all countries sharing a land border with India — thereby covering Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. While popular perception links this decision to the India-China border clashes at Galwan, the timeline contradicts this: Press Note 3 was issued in April 2020, a month before the Galwan clashes occurred in May 2020. The actual trigger was the COVID-19 pandemic — India and several other countries observed Chinese companies acquiring majority stakes in firms whose valuations had collapsed due to the pandemic. The rule aimed to prevent such opportunistic, hostile takeovers. The subsequent tightening and continuation of this restriction over the years was indeed shaped by the deteriorating India-China relationship.

Explanation - Ujjayini (modern Ujjain), located on the Sipra river (a tributary of the Chambal), was the capital of the Avanti kingdom and a major commercial centre. Historian Romila Thapar notes that Ujjain linked trade routes to western coastal ports like Broach and Sopara, as well as to Pataliputra — Ptolemy referred to it as "Ozene." Ashoka was sent to Avanti as viceroy by his father, Emperor Bindusara. Unlike his brief posting in Taxila, he is believed to have spent nearly a decade in Avanti, headquartered at Ujjain — reportedly in recognition of his earlier work at Taxila. Historians call Ujjain the "Greenwich of India," since Hindu astronomers calculated the prime meridian of longitude from the city. They suggest Ashoka arrived around 282 BCE, roughly a decade before Bindusara's death, by which time Ujjain was already an urban centre with 300 years of history along the Sipra. Mud fortifications first appeared around Ujjain in the 7th century BCE, and by the 6th century BCE, Avanti had emerged as a powerful independent kingdom.

Explanation - Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups Scheme is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub. It is designed to discover, support, grow and accelerate startups across India's Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Focus: Through its Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Pilot (EIR), Investment and DeepTech funding components, GENESIS supports startups and innovators from early ideation and experimentation through to validation, investment and scale. The EIR component specifically provides funding of up to Rs 10 lakh per startup to help innovators, students and entrepreneurs at the ideation and prototype stages develop their ideas into pilot-ready solutions. Financial Assistance: Total budget outlay of ₹490 crore, The scheme seeks to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of emerging regions and connect them more deeply with India’s growing innovation ecosystem.

Explanation - Information Technology Resilience Index is introduced to assess the functioning and resilience of information technology systems of market infrastructure institutions (MIIs), including stock exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations. It is an initiative of the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Aim: It is aimed at strengthening oversight of the resilience of IT systems and identifying emerging weaknesses at an early stage, so that timely corrective measures can be taken. Key Features of IT Resilience Index — Parameters: The ITRI will be computed using a uniform set of nine parameters, each carrying a specific weightage. These parameters are namely availability, security, integrity, governance, reliability and monitoring, business continuity, modularity and flexibility, scalability, and other relevant factors. Weightage: Availability and security will carry the highest weightage of 20 per cent each, followed by integrity, governance, reliability and monitoring, business continuity, and modularity and flexibility at 10 per cent each. MIIs would be required to calculate the index on a half-yearly basis within 60 days of the end of each half-year. They would also have to submit a comparative analysis of two consecutive half-years on a rolling basis, along with details of corrective actions taken or proposed, to their Standing Committee on Technology (SCOT) and governing boards. MIIs will also develop an Early Warning System (EWS) to detect any deterioration in ITRI parameters that could potentially lead to performance issues, system slowness or other disruptions, and take remedial measures.

Explanation - A waterspout is a large column of air and mist rotating over a water body. It is less intense and typically lasts for around five minutes — occasionally it can last up to 10 minutes. The average waterspout can be around 165 feet in diameter, with wind speeds of 100 kilometres per hour. They occur when there are high levels of humidity and relatively warm water temperatures compared to the overlying air. Types of waterspouts — Tornadic waterspouts: These are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning. Fair-weather waterspouts: These are usually formed under calmer conditions along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds. It is generally not associated with thunderstorms. It is develop from the water’s surface upward. (While tornadic waterspouts develop downward in a thunderstorm) Typically move very little due to light wind conditions.