18 August 2026

UPSC GS 1

1. Madan Lal Dhingra 

News: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recently paid tributes to Madan Lal Dhingra on his martyrdom day, highlighting his courage, patriotism, and sacrifice.

About Madan Lal Dhingra:

o   Freedom Fighter: Madan Lal Dhingra was an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter who dedicated his life to India's struggle for independence.

o   Birth: He was born in 1883 in Amritsar, Punjab, into an affluent family.

o   Education: He received his early education in Amritsar and later studied in Lahore.

o   Higher Studies: In 1906, he moved to Britain and enrolled at University College London to study engineering.

o   Influence: He was deeply influenced by the revolutionary ideas and strategies of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma.

Assassination of Curzon Wyllie:

o   Incident: On 1 July 1909, Madan Lal Dhingra shot Sir Curzon Wyllie at a gathering in London’s Imperial Institute.

o   Objective: He carried out the assassination as a protest against British colonial rule and to avenge the oppression and execution of Indian freedom fighters.

o   Statement During Trial: During his trial, Dhingra described the act as a patriotic duty and stated that it was retaliation for the killings of Indians by the British Government.

Martyrdom:

o   Execution: Madan Lal Dhingra was found guilty and was hanged on 17 August 1909.

o   Age at Death: He attained martyrdom at the young age of 24 years.

Repatriation of Remains:

o   Family Response: His family had disowned him because of his anti-British revolutionary activities and refused to claim his body after his execution.

o   Return to India: His mortal remains were finally repatriated to India on 13 December 1976.

Key Associations:

o   India House: He became associated with India House in London, a prominent centre for Indian nationalist and revolutionary activities founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma.

o   Abhinav Bharat Mandal: He was a member of Abhinav Bharat Mandal, a secret revolutionary organisation founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Ganesh Savarkar.

UPSC GS 2

1. Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme (FAST-DS)

News: The Government has recently notified the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers – Disclosure Scheme (FAST-DS) as a one-time voluntary disclosure mechanism for eligible taxpayers.

About FAST-DS:

o   One-Time Disclosure Scheme: FAST-DS is a one-time voluntary disclosure scheme contained in Chapter IV of the Finance Act, 2026.

o   Purpose: The scheme enables eligible taxpayers to voluntarily declare certain undisclosed foreign assets, undisclosed foreign income, or undeclared foreign assets by paying the prescribed tax or fee.

o   Coverage of Assets: The term "asset" includes immovable property, jewellery, artistic works, shares, securities, and any other asset or income held abroad.

Categories Covered Under the Scheme:

Category 1: Undisclosed Foreign Assets or Foreign Income: 

o   Scope: This category covers foreign assets or foreign income that were not previously disclosed or offered to tax.

o   Threshold Limit: The aggregate value of such assets or income must not exceed ₹1 crore.

o   Tax Payment: Taxpayers are required to pay 30% of the fair market value of the asset or 30% of the undisclosed income as tax.

o   Additional Tax: An additional 30% income tax must be paid in lieu of penalty.

o   Benefit: Upon payment, taxpayers receive immunity from prosecution and penalties relating to such disclosures.

Category 2: Previously Taxed but Undeclared Foreign Assets:

o   Scope: This category covers foreign assets that were already offered to tax or acquired when the taxpayer was a non-resident but were not reported in the relevant income-tax return schedule.

o   Threshold Limit: The value of such assets must not exceed ₹5 crore.

o   Fee Requirement: Taxpayers are required to pay a fixed fee of ₹1 lakh for making the declaration.

o   Benefit: Valid declarations under this category provide immunity from both penalties and prosecution.

Immunity Provided Under FAST-DS:

o   Protection from Penalties: Taxpayers making valid declarations under the scheme will not face further penalties relating to the disclosed assets or income.

o   Protection from Prosecution: The scheme provides immunity from prosecution under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

o   Final Settlement: Eligible disclosures made under FAST-DS will be treated as a final settlement for the declared foreign assets or income.

2. RSVC-AMRIT Platform

News: Recently, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India launched the RSVC-AMRIT Platform.

About RSVC-AMRIT Platform:

o   Development: The RSVC-AMRIT Platform has been developed by NABARD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India.

o   Digital Backbone: It serves as the digital backbone of the RuTAGe Smart Village Centre (RSVC) ecosystem.

o   Focus Area: The platform supports rural innovation and technology transfer and promotes the wider adoption of appropriate technologies in rural areas.

o   Comprehensive Ecosystem: It has been designed as a comprehensive digital ecosystem that supports the entire RSVC lifecycle, from technology discovery and validation to deployment tracking, collaboration, monitoring, and knowledge management.

o   Stakeholder Integration: The platform will progressively bring together innovators, technology providers, startups, validators, accelerators, implementation partners, funding agencies, academic institutions, and rural communities on a common platform.

Key Features:

o   Technology Discovery: The platform facilitates the identification and discovery of suitable technologies for rural applications.

o   Validation Support: It enables the validation and assessment of technologies before large-scale deployment.

o   Deployment Tracking: The platform provides mechanisms to monitor and track the implementation of technologies in rural areas.

o   Knowledge Management: It creates a centralized repository for sharing information, experiences, and best practices.

o   Collaboration Framework: It promotes collaboration among multiple stakeholders involved in rural technology development and deployment.

Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG):

About RuTAG:

o   Initiative: RuTAG is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India.

o   Launch Year: It was launched in 2004.

o   Concept: It was conceptualized as a mechanism to provide a higher level of Science and Technology intervention for rural areas.

Objectives of RuTAG:

o   Connecting Stakeholders: RuTAG collaborates with NGOs, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), community organizations, and startups to identify sector-specific technology needs in rural areas.

o   Demand-Driven Technologies: It promotes the development of technologies based on socio-economic requirements and aligned with national and regional priorities.

Prototype Validation: It supports the validation of developed prototypes and explores their scalability and commercialization potential.

Commercialization: It facilitates the commercialization of validated technologies for wider adoption in national and international markets.

UPSC GS 3

1. Leucas Droupadiae

News: Botanists have recently discovered a previously unknown plant species named Leucas droupadiae along the sandy shores of the Coromandel Coast.

About Leucas Droupadiae:

o   New Plant Species: Leucas droupadiae is a newly discovered species of plant belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae).

o   Discovery Location: The species was discovered during a survey of coastal dunes in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu along the Coromandel Coast.

o   Habitat: It thrives in nutrient-poor, sandy coastal habitats.

Key Features:

Growth Habit:

o   Unique Structure: Unlike its close relatives, which generally grow as creeping vines or branched shrubs, Leucas droupadiae grows as a single upright and unbranched stem.

o   Plant Height: The plant typically grows up to about 15 centimetres in height.

Root System:

o   Fibrous Roots: The species anchors itself in sandy soil through a shallow network of fibrous roots.

o   No Deep Taproot: Unlike many related species, it does not possess a single deep taproot.

Distinctive Fruits:

o   Golden-Yellow Nutlets: The plant produces oblong fruits known as nutlets that are bright golden yellow in colour.

o   Spotted Appearance: These nutlets are covered with irregular dark-brown spots, a feature that distinguishes it from related species.

Nomenclature:

o   Named in Honour: The species has been named after Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the 15th President of India, in recognition of her contributions and leadership.

Conservation Status:

o   Preliminary Assessment: Due to its limited known distribution and insufficient ecological information, the species has been provisionally classified as “Data Deficient.”

o   Need for Further Research: Additional surveys and studies are required to determine its population size, distribution range, and conservation requirements. 

2. SraVaani

News: Researchers at IISc’s SPIRE Lab, in collaboration with ARTPARK and Google, have recently released SraVaani.

About SraVaani:

o   Speech Recognition Model: SraVaani is the first multilingual Indian speech recognition model.

o   Purpose: It extends automatic speech recognition capabilities to several regional and non-scheduled Indian languages that have remained underserved by existing speech technologies.

o   Language Coverage: The model covers 20 scheduled languages and 45 regional languages and dialects.

o   Script Support: It can convert spoken words into text across 10 different scripts.

o   Automatic Language Identification: The model can automatically identify the language being spoken without requiring users to select the language beforehand.

o   Supported Languages: It supports languages and dialects such as Garo, Angika, Chakma, Kokborok, Tulu, Bundeli, and Bajjika.

o   Foundation: SraVaani is based on Project Vaani, one of IISc’s flagship initiatives aimed at understanding and documenting India’s linguistic diversity.

Project Vaani: Project Vaani aims to create large-scale speech datasets representing the linguistic diversity of India.

Technology Used:

o   Architecture: SraVaani is built using a FastConformer-based Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) architecture.

o   Functionality: The architecture enables efficient and accurate conversion of speech into text while handling multiple languages and scripts.

Applications:

o   Education: The model can improve access to digital learning resources in regional languages.

o   Digital Services: It can facilitate voice-based access to various online services.

o   Banking: SraVaani can enhance customer interactions in local languages.

o   Healthcare: It can support multilingual healthcare communication and documentation.

o   E-Governance: The model can improve accessibility of government services for speakers of regional languages.

o   Customer Support: It can enable more inclusive and effective customer service through speech-based interactions in native languages.

3. Exercise MAITREE-XV (2026)

News: The Indian Army contingent has departed for Thailand to participate in the 15th edition of the India–Thailand Joint Military Exercise MAITREE-XV (2026).

About Exercise MAITREE:

o   Nature of Exercise: Exercise MAITREE is a bilateral military exercise between India and Thailand.

o   Institutionalised In: The exercise was instituted in 2006.

o   Aim: The exercise aims to strengthen military cooperation, interoperability, and defence ties between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army.

MAITREE-XV (2026):

o   Host Country: The 2026 edition is being hosted by Thailand.

o   Previous Edition: The 2025 edition was held at the Foreign Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya, in September 2025.

4. Friedreich Ataxia

News: A recent study by researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center found that Friedreich ataxia is caused when the FXN gene becomes mutated.

About Friedreich Ataxia:

o   Rare Genetic Disorder: Friedreich ataxia (FA) is a rare, inherited disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system.

o   Affected Areas: The disease primarily affects the spinal cord and the nerves responsible for controlling muscle movement in the arms and legs.

o   Nature of Disease: It is a progressive condition that gradually impairs movement, coordination, and other bodily functions.

Causes of Friedreich Ataxia:

o   Genetic Cause: Friedreich ataxia is caused by mutations in the FXN gene.

o   Frataxin Protein: The FXN gene produces a protein called frataxin.

o   Role of Frataxin: Frataxin is essential for the proper functioning of mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells.

o   Energy Production: Mitochondria generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which serves as the primary energy source for cells.

o   High-Energy Cells Affected: Nerve cells, spinal cord cells, brain cells, and heart muscle cells require large amounts of energy and are therefore particularly vulnerable.

o   Impact of Mutation: Low levels of frataxin reduce ATP production and lead to the accumulation of toxic by-products within cells.

o   Cellular Dysfunction: The resulting cellular damage causes the neurological and cardiac symptoms associated with the disease.

o   Inheritance Pattern: A person develops Friedreich ataxia only if they inherit two defective copies of the FXN gene, one from each parent.

o   Carrier Status: Individuals with only one defective copy are considered carriers and generally do not develop the disease.

o   Consanguinity: The condition is more commonly observed in populations where consanguineous marriages (marriages between close relatives) occur.

Symptoms of Friedreich Ataxia:

o   Age of Onset: Symptoms typically begin between 5 and 15 years of age.

o   Ataxia: The hallmark symptom is ataxia, which refers to impaired coordination of voluntary movements.

o   Walking Difficulty: Patients often experience increasing difficulty in walking and maintaining balance.

o   Muscle Weakness: Progressive muscle weakness commonly develops.

o   Speech Problems: Many individuals experience difficulties with speech.

o   Eye Movement Abnormalities: Involuntary eye movements may occur.

o   Scoliosis: The condition may cause scoliosis, an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine.

o   Heart Problems: Some patients develop heart disease, which can lead to heart palpitations and other cardiac complications.

o   Loss of Mobility: Many affected individuals require a wheelchair within 15–20 years after the onset of symptoms.

Treatment of Friedreich Ataxia:  There is currently no cure for Friedreich ataxia.