• 27 Nov 2025

Digital Habitation Mapping in Jharkhand

Why in News? 

Jharkhand has rolled out Digital Habitation Mapping (DHM) to improve school infrastructure, monitor educational access, and reduce student dropouts by identifying habitation-level gaps. 

Key Points 

• About: 
  • Digital Habitation Mapping (DHM) is a state-wide initiative aimed at systematically assessing each habitation’s access to schools, transport networks, and essential public utilities. 
  • DHM supports the objectives of New Education Policy 2020 by promoting universal foundational literacy, advancing inclusive schooling, and enabling equitable allocation of educational resources based on real-time evidence.
• Key Features: 
  • DHM uses GIS-based, real-time visualization tools to map habitation clusters and the distances students must travel to reach the nearest school. 
  • The platform is integrated with UDISE+, ensuring that planning and decision-making rely on accurate, authenticated, and regularly updated school-level information.
• Planning and Focus Areas: 
  • Insights from DHM help authorities make data-driven decisions on establishing new schools, expanding hostel facilities, improving transport support, and upgrading existing educational infrastructure. 
  • The system strengthens micro-planning by guiding teacher deployment and ensuring the provision of essential amenities such as toilets, safe drinking water, electricity, and digital infrastructure. 
  • The initiative pays special attention to remote rural and Scheduled Tribe–dominated habitations, where scattered settlements and difficult terrain often hinder consistent school attendance and contribute to higher dropout rates. 

Kreta Samvad in Bhopal

Why in News? 

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) will organise a ‘Kreta Samvad’ interaction programme on 28th November, 2025 in Bhopal, to enhance digital procurement capabilities of Madhya Pradesh’s government departments. 

Key Points 

• About Kreta Samvad: 
  • The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is organising the Kreta Samvad to help buyer organisations across Madhya Pradesh understand GeM’s digital tools, new reforms, and procurement best practices. 
  • The conclave will also showcase opportunities for sellers and service providers, offering them easier access to government buyers at both state and national levels. 
  • Recent reforms like simplified onboarding have boosted participation from Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs), women entrepreneurs, startups, artisans, and SC/ST enterprises. 
  • These measures promote transparent procurement, predictable business growth, and support the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
    
• About Government e-Marketplace (GeM): 
  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a 100% digital public procurement platform launched in 2016 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote transparent, efficient, and paperless procurement of goods and services by Government bodies. 
  • GeM is registered as a Section 8 Company (Non-Profit) under the Companies Act, 2013, functioning as an Special Purpose Vehicle which enables procurement by Central Ministries, State Governments, PSUs, autonomous bodies, and local agencies. 
  • It features digital bidding, reverse auctions, end-to-end transparency, real-time price comparison, cashless payments, and full audit trails. 
  • It strongly focus on MSME inclusion, with policies supporting Womaniya initiative, SC/ST entrepreneurs, startups, and Make in India products. 
  • Integrated with platforms like Aadhaar, GSTN, PAN, and Banks to ensure seamless verification and payments. 

Narora Atomic Power Station

Why in News? 

The Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) in Uttar Pradesh has adopted 7,970 tuberculosis (TB) patients under the Nikshay Mitra initiative, strengthening community support for TB-free India efforts. 

Key Points 

• Narora Atomic Power Station is located in Narora town, Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, situated on the banks of the Ganga River. 
• It is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which functions under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). 
• NAPS consists of two Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), each of 220 MW capacity, making its total installed capacity 440 MW. 
• It is India's first nuclear power station built using the standardized and indigenously developed PHWR technology, marking a milestone in India’s self-reliance in nuclear engineering. 
• The station plays a key role in supplying power to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and to the Northern Regional Grid, supporting grid stability. 
• NAPS is known for its strong safety culture, receiving multiple awards including the Golden Peacock Environment Management Award. 

Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA)

• Launched in 2022 as part of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), it focuses on providing nutritional, diagnostic, and vocational support to improve treatment outcomes and accelerate India's TB elimination goal. 
• Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA) is the world’s largest crowd-sourcing initiative for TB patient nutrition. 
• The Ni-Kshay Mitra initiative, part of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA), encourages individuals, NGOs, and corporations to support TB patients with nutritional, social, or economic aid. 
  • The Ni-Kshay Portal helps health workers manage TB cases, track treatment, and report real-time data for India's TB surveillance. 

Pedestrian Bridge on Gomti Riverfront

Why in News? 

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has approved the construction of a new pedestrian bridge on the Gomti Riverfront, aimed at tourism appeal. 

Key Points 

• About The Bridge: 
  • The bridge will be constructed between Gomti barrage and Kudiya Ghat, a stretch that is frequently visited by walkers, tourists, and recreational users of the riverfront. 
  • This will support non-motorised transport, providing a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists and reducing dependence on vehicular bridges in the zone. 
• About Gomti River: 
  • The Gomti River is a monsoon-fed, perennial left-bank tributary of the Ganga, flowing entirely within Uttar Pradesh. 
  • It originates from Gomat Taal (also called Fulhaar Jheel) in Pilibhit district at an elevation of ~200 metres. Important tributaries include Sai, Kukrail, Sarayan, Choha, Reth, and Behta. 
  • The river flows for ~940 km through major districts including Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Sultanpur, and Jaunpur, before joining the Ganga near Ghazipur. 
  • Conservation challenges include sand mining, eutrophication, solid-waste inflow, and reduced base flow due to loss of wetlands and catchment degradation.

India to Host Commonwealth Games 2030

Why in News? 

Prime Minister congratulated the nation as India has officially won the bid to host the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030, a historic sporting milestone marking 100 years of the Games. 

Key Points 

• About the Commonwealth Bid: 
  • India will host the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad. 
  • This achievement represents a major diplomatic and sporting milestone, significantly enhancing India’s visibility and credibility in global sports governance. 
  • Hosting the 2030 Games aligns with India’s long-term sporting vision, particularly its efforts to upgrade sports infrastructure, strengthen global event hosting capacity, and enhance athlete support through programmes such as Khelo India and the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme. 
  • India last hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010, when the event was held in New Delhi. 
• About Commonwealth Games: 
  • The Commonwealth Games (CWG) is an international multi-sport event held every four years, bringing together athletes from all 56 Commonwealth nations.  
  • It was first conducted in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada as the British Empire Games. India first participated in the 1934 London Games. 
  • The event is governed by the Commonwealth Sport (earlier known as Commonwealth Games Federation), headquartered in London (England), which ensures that the Games uphold the core values of humanity, equality, and destiny. 
  • The 2026 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland.

Uran Mangroves

Why in News? 

Large stretches of mangroves in Uran are showing natural regeneration after years of illegal destruction, debris dumping, and neglect. 

Key Points 

• Uran lies in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, forming a crucial part of the Navi Mumbai mangrove belt and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s (MMR) coastal ecosystem. 
• The region includes ecologically sensitive wetland clusters such as Panje Wetland, Karnala bird corridor link, Belpada, Bokadvira, and TS Chanakya marshes.  
• The mangroves mainly consist of Avicennia marina, a hardy species capable of surviving high salinity and pollution. 
• These mangroves act as natural flood barriers, carbon sinks, and buffers against cyclones and storm surges in the Mumbai harbour region.  
• Uran is a vital habitat along the Central Asian Flyway, attracting migratory birds like flamingos, sandpipers, godwits, herons, and raptors. 
• Key threats include port expansion (JNPT), CIDCO development projects, highways, industrial effluents, debris dumping, landfilling, and encroachments.