Government Website for UPSC Preparation [August 26, 2026]

Karni-Bharni Folios: Visual Ledgers of Jain Ethics & Karmic Cosmology

• Philosophical Nature: Karni-Bharni folios are rare illustrated Jain manuscripts serving as graphic visual ledger books depicting Jain ethical codes, karmic causation, and cosmological retribution.
• Artistic Architecture: Each painted narrative panel is framed above and below with descriptive textual commentary detailing specific transgressive earthly deeds (bad karma) and their corresponding retaliatory punishments in subterranean hellish realms (Narak).
• Chronology & Geography: 18th- and 19th-century didactic folk-art masterpieces originating in Western India, primarily across Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• Preservation: Curated and preserved at the National Museum, New Delhi.

Major Durga Malla: The First Indian Gorkha Martyr of the Azad Hind Fauj

Historical documentation accessible through the government website for UPSC preparation [August 26, 2026] commemorates the valor of INA officers who mounted armed resistance along the North-Eastern frontiers.

• Biographical Origins: Born on 1 July 1913 in Doiwala near Dehradun to a Khas Thakuri/Chetri Gorkha family; inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's 1930 Dandi March during his school years.
• Military Trajectory: Joined the 2/1 Gorkha Rifles in 1931 at age 18; later transitioned to the Indian National Army (INA) under Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1942, rising to the rank of Major.
• Espionage & Capture: Captured by British intelligence on 27 March 1944 while gathering covert reconnaissance data near Kohima on the Assam-Burma front.
• Martyrdom: Tried at the Red Fort, New Delhi, and executed on 25 August 1944 (commemorated annually as Balidan Diwas by the Gorkha community globally).

Bina Das: The Fearless Revolutionary of Bengal's Chhatri Sangha

• Convocation Attack (1932): In February 1932, young graduate Bina Das fired five shots point-blank at the Governor of Bengal, Sir Stanley Jackson, during the convocation ceremony of the University of Calcutta.
• Revolutionary Network: Active member of the semi-revolutionary women's student group Chhatri Sangha and associated with the Jugantar group in Bengal.
• Mainstream Transition: Following imprisonment, joined the Indian National Congress, actively mobilized underground actions during the Quit India Movement (1942), and later served in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
• Civilian Honor: Awarded the Padma Shri in 1960 for lifelong humanitarian and social service.

Ken-Betwa Link Project: River Interlinking Architecture & Irrigation Matrix

Hydrological project reports published on the government website for UPSC preparation [August 26, 2026] highlight the engineering layout and ecological balances governing the nation's premier river-linking initiative.

• Project Profile: A ₹44,605-crore flagship initiative under the National Perspective Plan, transferring surplus water from the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh to the water-deficit Betwa river in Uttar Pradesh.
• Key Infrastructure: Features a massive 96.7-metre-high Daudhan Dam on the Ken river (in Panna and Chhatarpur districts, MP) and a 216.5-km Ken–Betwa Link Canal terminating at Barua Sagar near Jhansi.
• Secondary Components: Integrates the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage, Bina Complex Multipurpose Project, and modern piped micro-irrigation networks.
• Socio-Economic Deliverables: Provides annual irrigation to 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water to ~62 lakh people across drought-prone Bundelkhand, 103 MW of hydropower, and 27 MW of solar power.

Unified Payments Interface: Exponential Scale & Cross-Border Integration

• Transaction Surge: Value of transactions expanded by 4500X from ₹0.07 lakh crore in FY 2016-17 to ₹314 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, logging over 2,360+ crore monthly transactions.
• Merchant Acceptance Network: QR-based merchant payment acceptance points grew 261X from 0.31 crore in 2018 to over 81+ crore endpoints in 2026.
• Cross-Border Linkages: UPI is actively operational across 11 international jurisdictions including UAE (Jaywan/NIPL), Singapore (PayNow-UPI link), France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Maldives.

e-Shram Portal at 5 Years: National Unorganized Worker Registry

Labour governance datasets hosted on the government website for UPSC preparation [August 26, 2026] track social security coverage for gig workers, platform aggregators, and migrant labourers.

• National Database Creation: Launched on 26 August 2021 by the Ministry of Labour & Employment as India's first comprehensive National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW), seeded with Aadhaar.
• e-Shram One-Stop Solution: Upgraded to unify 15 central and state social security schemes on a single interoperable platform, integrating PM-SYM pension, accidental life insurance, and National Career Service (NCS).
• Registration Demographics: Over 31.89 crore workers registered, with women comprising 54.28% and men 45.72%; prime working age demographic (18–40 years) represents 55.21% of the database.
• Inclusion Mandate: Formally registers domestic workers, agricultural labourers, construction workers, street vendors, and gig/platform economy workers.

Fixed-Dose Combinations: Safety Restrictions on Pediatric Cold Formulations

• Pediatric Ban: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) restricted the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of Chlorpheniramine Maleate + Phenylephrine for children under 4 years of age.
• Mandatory Packaging Warning: Manufacturers are directed to mandatorily print prominent black-box warnings stating "Do not use in children below four years of age" across package inserts, labels, and promotional brochures.
• Regulatory Rationale: Formulations pose clinical risks of cardiac arrhythmia, respiratory distress, and central nervous excitation in infants, especially given safer monotherapy alternatives.
• Statutory Body: The action follows technical assessments by an Expert Panel and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.