India is piloting the newly established BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Mental Health. The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) serves as the coordinating nodal centre responsible for framing the governance protocol.
#CA2026
#CA2026
❤1
IIT Delhi has designed India’s first demonstrable, indigenous programmable micro-Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) aimed at low-cost embedded systems.
Implemented on a Spartan-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) using Register Transfer Language (RTL) rather than a standalone dedicated silicon chip.
#CA2026
Implemented on a Spartan-7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) using Register Transfer Language (RTL) rather than a standalone dedicated silicon chip.
#CA2026
Bihar State CIC: DGP Vinay Kumar (1991-batch IPS) is under consideration for State Chief Information Commissioner; under RTI Act, 2005 (Sec. 15), the Governor appoints the State CIC on recommendation of a committee comprising CM + Leader of Opposition + a Cabinet Minister nominated by CM.
#BIHARspecial
#APPOINTMENT
#BIHARspecial
#APPOINTMENT
🔥2
Leopardus tilcayo - newly described wild cat species from Bolivia’s Yungas region; first living felid species named in over a century.
#CA2026
#DISCOVERY
#CA2026
#DISCOVERY
Bihar Police will establish Child Help Desks/Child Corners in every police station by 2 October 2026, in line with the Bihar Police Act, 2007 and NCPCR guidelines, for speedy grievance redressal and child protection.
#BIHARspecial
#BIHARspecial
Asteroid Mining
Why in News: Growing global race to exploit asteroids for water, rare/critical minerals and precious metals.
1. What is Asteroid Mining?
Extraction and processing of resources from asteroids, especially:
• Water/ice
• Iron, Nickel
• Rare-earth/critical minerals
• Platinum Group Metals (PGMs): Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium
• Gold, Silver
2. Why Important?
• Water —> H₂ + O₂ —> rocket fuel + life-support
• Can enable in-space refuelling
• May reduce dependence on Earth-based mining
• Supports future Moon/Mars/deep-space missions
3. Important Asteroid Locations
• Main Asteroid Belt: between Mars and Jupiter
• Near-Earth Objects (NEOs): objects whose orbits bring them close to Earth
• Trojan asteroids: share a planet’s orbit near Lagrange points
4. Mining Challenges
• Microgravity: excavation can push spacecraft away
• Difficult anchoring and drilling
• Huge transport/processing cost
• Unknown actual mineral concentration
• Risk of space debris
• Environmental and planetary-protection concerns
6. Proposed Mining Technologies
• Laser-based extraction
• Anchoring systems
• Enclosed processing
• In-space refining/manufacturing
7. Legal Position
Outer Space Treaty, 1967:-
• Outer space is the province of all mankind
• Celestial bodies cannot be subjected to national appropriation
• Treaty does not clearly settle ownership of extracted resources
—>Countries with domestic space-resource frameworks include:
USA, Luxembourg, UAE and Japan
—>2029 - UN International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence, declared to coincide with the close Earth flyby of asteroid 99942 Apophis on 13 April 2029.
#GS2mains
#CA2026
#SPACE
Why in News: Growing global race to exploit asteroids for water, rare/critical minerals and precious metals.
1. What is Asteroid Mining?
Extraction and processing of resources from asteroids, especially:
• Water/ice
• Iron, Nickel
• Rare-earth/critical minerals
• Platinum Group Metals (PGMs): Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium
• Gold, Silver
2. Why Important?
• Water —> H₂ + O₂ —> rocket fuel + life-support
• Can enable in-space refuelling
• May reduce dependence on Earth-based mining
• Supports future Moon/Mars/deep-space missions
3. Important Asteroid Locations
• Main Asteroid Belt: between Mars and Jupiter
• Near-Earth Objects (NEOs): objects whose orbits bring them close to Earth
• Trojan asteroids: share a planet’s orbit near Lagrange points
4. Mining Challenges
• Microgravity: excavation can push spacecraft away
• Difficult anchoring and drilling
• Huge transport/processing cost
• Unknown actual mineral concentration
• Risk of space debris
• Environmental and planetary-protection concerns
6. Proposed Mining Technologies
• Laser-based extraction
• Anchoring systems
• Enclosed processing
• In-space refining/manufacturing
7. Legal Position
Outer Space Treaty, 1967:-
• Outer space is the province of all mankind
• Celestial bodies cannot be subjected to national appropriation
• Treaty does not clearly settle ownership of extracted resources
—>Countries with domestic space-resource frameworks include:
USA, Luxembourg, UAE and Japan
—>2029 - UN International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence, declared to coincide with the close Earth flyby of asteroid 99942 Apophis on 13 April 2029.
#GS2mains
#CA2026
#SPACE
❤3
TMC Split (2026): ECI allotted:-
Mamata Banerjee faction —> “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” = Football Player symbol;
Ritabrata Banerjee faction —> “Democratic Trinamool Congress” = Envelope symbol.
#CA2026
Mamata Banerjee faction —> “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” = Football Player symbol;
Ritabrata Banerjee faction —> “Democratic Trinamool Congress” = Envelope symbol.
#CA2026
1. Brick Kiln OTS Scheme 2026: Bihar launched a One-Time Settlement scheme for about 6,000 brick-kiln operators to clear old mining-related dues.
2. Main relief: Operators paying the principal amount get a complete waiver of accumulated interest.
3. Scheme period: 21 September–20 December 2026.
4. DMF = District Mineral Foundation: A district-level fund used for the welfare and development of people and areas affected by mining.
5. Bihar DMF Rules 2026: Fund utilisation formula changed from 60:40 to 70:30.
6. New formula: 70% of DMF funds will be spent in the block where mining/quarrying takes place, while 30% will be used in other blocks of the same district.
7. Current mining update: Stone-mining zones have been auctioned in Nawada and Sheikhpura.
#BIHARspecial
2. Main relief: Operators paying the principal amount get a complete waiver of accumulated interest.
3. Scheme period: 21 September–20 December 2026.
4. DMF = District Mineral Foundation: A district-level fund used for the welfare and development of people and areas affected by mining.
5. Bihar DMF Rules 2026: Fund utilisation formula changed from 60:40 to 70:30.
6. New formula: 70% of DMF funds will be spent in the block where mining/quarrying takes place, while 30% will be used in other blocks of the same district.
7. Current mining update: Stone-mining zones have been auctioned in Nawada and Sheikhpura.
#BIHARspecial