30 March 2026

1. Lebanon

Ø News:    Israel has recently stated that its military may take control of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to establish a security zone.

Ø Location: Lebanon is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Western Asia.

Ø Boundaries:

o The country is bordered by Syria to the north and east.

o Israel lies to its south.

o The Mediterranean Sea forms its western boundary.

o It also shares maritime boundaries with Cyprus.

Ø Capital City: The capital of Lebanon is Beirut.

Ø Climate:

o Lebanon experiences a Mediterranean climate.

o Winters are generally mild and wet, while summers are hot and dry.

Ø Mountain Systems: The country is characterised by prominent mountain ranges such as the Lebanon Mountains, also known as Jabal Lubnan, and the Hermon Range.

Ø Highest Peak: The highest point in Lebanon is Qurnat as Sawda, which rises to about 10,128 feet or 3,087 metres in the Lebanon Mountains.

Ø Major Valley: The Bekaa Valley, also called Al-Biqa, is the principal valley in the country.

Ø River System:

o The Litani River is the most important river in Lebanon.

o It plays a crucial role in irrigating the fertile lands of the Bekaa Valley.

Ø Natural Resources:

o Lebanon possesses mineral resources such as limestone, gypsum, oil, natural gas, and salt.

o It also has deposits of semiprecious gemstones.

UPSC GS 2

2. PRISM-SG Portal (Portal for Rail-Road Inspection and Stages Management – Steel Girders)

Ø News:  The Minister for Road Transport and Highways has launched the PRISM-SG Portal in New Delhi to improve efficiency and coordination in infrastructure projects.

Ø About PRISM-SG Portal:

Ø Definition: It is designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, and coordination among agencies involved in infrastructure development.

Ø Features of the Portal:

Ø • Digitisation of Processes:

o The portal has been developed to digitise approval and inspection processes related to the construction of Road Over Bridges.

o  It also incorporates key components such as the Quality Assurance Plan, Welding Procedure Specification Sheet, and inspection of steel girder fabrication stages.

Ø • End-to-End Digital Workflow:

o  The platform enables complete online submission of documents along with their scrutiny.

o  It facilitates raising and resolving queries, granting approvals, scheduling inspections, and uploading inspection reports, photographs, and test results.

o  It maintains a comprehensive audit trail and provides real-time monitoring capabilities.

Ø • Integrated Stakeholder Platform:

o The portal brings together all major stakeholders on a single digital platform.

o  These include Road Owning Departments, Indian Railways, contractors, fabricators, and inspection agencies.

Ø Significance of the Portal:

o Reduced Timelines: The portal is expected to reduce approval and inspection timelines from nearly 12 months to approximately 3 to 4 months.

o Improved Infrastructure Delivery: It will contribute to the timely completion of Road Over Bridges and railway bridges.

o Enhanced Connectivity: By accelerating project execution, the portal will strengthen infrastructure development and improve connectivity across the country.

3. Gruha Sugam Portal

Ø News:    The National Housing Bank has recently launched the Gruha Sugam Portal.

Ø Objective of the Portal:

o The portal is designed to enable defence personnel and government employees to access home loans easily from their place of posting.

o It aims to promote digital lending practices and enhance financial inclusion.

o It also seeks to boost home ownership by improving access to housing finance, thereby supporting affordable and sustainable housing.

Ø Salient Features of the Portal:

o Target Beneficiaries:

§ Defence personnel, members of paramilitary forces, and central and state government employees can apply for housing loans digitally through their respective administrative units.

o Digital Convenience:

§ Applicants are not required to physically visit banks or financial institutions for loan approval and processing.

o Unified Digital Marketplace:

§ The platform functions as a unified marketplace, allowing users to compare and choose the most suitable loan offers with transparency.

o System Integration:

§ It provides seamless digital integration between NHB and lending institutions to ensure smooth operations.

o Efficiency in Processing:

§ The portal enhances the efficiency of loan processing through streamlined digital workflows.

o Consumer Support:

§ It includes grievance redressal mechanisms to protect consumers.

§ An online chat facility is available for quick resolution of user queries.

UPSC GS 3

4. CALM-Brain

Ø News:   Researchers at the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind, a collaboration between the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences and the National Centre for Biological Sciences, have developed CALM-Brain.

Ø  Nature of the Initiative: CALM-Brain is a unique digital repository in India that compiles data on brain structure and function across various psychiatric disorders.

Ø Origin and Background: The initiative began in 2016 under the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain Disorders using Stem Cells.

Ø Funding Support: It has been jointly funded by the Department of Biotechnology and the Pratiksha Trust.

Ø Research Goals:

o The initiative aims to improve understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders.

o It focuses on studying disease onset, progression, and the biological mechanisms underlying these conditions.

Ø Types of Data Collected: The repository includes clinical data, neuroimaging data, behavioural data, genetic information, and other relevant datasets.

Ø Disorders Covered: The database covers five major conditions, namely addiction, bipolar disorder, dementia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.

Ø Open Access:

o The platform will be made open source.

o This will allow clinicians and researchers to access and utilise the data for advanced studies.

Facts for Prelims

5. QS World University Rankings

Ø News:    The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode has entered the top 100 globally in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for the first time.

Ø Nature of the Rankings: The QS World University Rankings are published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global higher education consultancy.

Ø Evaluation Criteria:

o The rankings assess universities based on parameters such as academic reputation, overall score, employer reputation, and employment outcomes.

o A structured methodology is used to compare institutions worldwide.

Ø Methodology of QS Rankings:

o Lens Concept: A lens refers to a group of related indicators focused on a common theme such as research or employability.

o Five Lenses: The rankings are organised into five major lenses, namely research and discovery, employability and outcomes, global engagement, learning experience, and sustainability.

o Indicators: Indicators represent specific areas of evaluation such as citations per faculty or employer reputation. Each institution receives scores on these indicators, which contribute to its overall ranking.

o Metrics: Metrics are detailed calculations within each indicator that generate precise scores for comparison.

Ø Key Highlights of QS Rankings 2026:

Ø India’s Performance: India recorded 120 new entries, making it the fourth-highest contributor of new institutions after the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.

Ø Global Standing: India now holds the fourth-largest number of ranked institutions globally, following the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.

Ø Computer Science Rankings: Six Indian institutions are now included in the global top 100 for computer science, all showing improvement from the previous year.

Ø Top Indian Institutions: The Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad have achieved the highest global rank for India at 21.

Ø Subject Strengths:

o IIT-ISM Dhanbad continues to perform strongly in mineral and mining engineering.

o IIM Ahmedabad has entered the top 25 globally in business and management studies as well as marketing.