11 August 2025
(Current Affairs Notes - Prelims)

Armenia–Azerbaijan Peace Agreement

• Armenia and Azerbaijan are two neighbouring countries in the Caucasus region with a history of conflict, particularly over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

  • • Caucasus region is a geopolitical area situated between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

• Armenia is a landlocked country bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.

• Azerbaijan borders Russia, Caspian Sea, Iran, Armenia, and Georgia. It also has the exclave of Nakhchivan, which borders Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.

  • • An exclave is a portion of a country or state geographically separated from the main part, by some surrounding alien territory.

• Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region inside Azerbaijan but predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians.

• Recently, a deal brokered by the United States sought to bring peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

• Under the deal, the US will develop a new transit route linking Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan through Armenian territory.

• This transit route is being called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

Compound 3b

• A new molecule/drug candidate to fight antibiotic resistance; developed by IIT-Roorkee researchers.

• Compound 3b neutralizes the resistance mechanism and shows strong therapeutic results in preclinical model.

• Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.

Asiatic Lion

• India witnessed a rise in the population of Asiatic lion over the last decade. Now, nearly 900 lions reside in India.

• Dry deciduous forest and open grassy scrublands in southwestern part of Saurashtra region of Gujarat is the well-known habitat of lions.

• At present, Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is their only abode. That is, lions in India are only found in Gir.

  • • Though Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts, Gujarat, is emerging as a second home for Asiatic Lions.

• Conservation Status of Asiatic Lions: Vulnerable (IUCN); Schedule I (Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972); Appendix I (CITES).

• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions and have no particular breeding season.

• Project Lion (2020) focusses on habitat improvement, monitoring through advanced technologies like radio-collaring and camera traps, and addressing human-wildlife conflict.

 SHINE Programme

• Science, Health and Innovation for Nextgen Explorers (SHINE)

• By Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of Health Research

• To introduce students to health and biomedical research, motivating young leaders toward science and public health careers.

CATCH Grant Program

• IndiaAI Mission announced the Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH).

• To fast-track the validation and deployment of AI solutions across the cancer care continuum in India.

• IndiaAI Mission is a flagship mission of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

PM E-DRIVE Scheme

• PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme

• A Central Sector Scheme

• By Ministry of Heavy Industries

• The purpose is to

  • • accelerate EV adoption through incentives

    • build charging infrastructure

    • enhance the EV manufacturing ecosystem

• Recently, the tenure of the PM E-DRIVE Scheme was extended by 2 years from 31 March 2026 to 31 March 2028.

MERITE Scheme

• Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education (MERITE) Scheme

• A Central Sector Scheme

• Under Ministry of Education

• To improve the quality, equity and governance in technical education covering all States/UTs.

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved Budgetary Support for MERITE Scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

• Launched in 2016

• Under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

• To make clean cooking fuel like LPG available to the rural and deprived households

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved continuation of subsidy of Rs. 300/14.2 kg LPG cylinder for up to 9 refills annually for PMUY consumers.

Animal Stem Cell Biobank

• India’s first state-of-the-art animal stem cell biobank and laboratory inaugurated at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad.

• It will focus on regenerative medicine and cellular therapies for livestock, advance research in disease modelling, tissue engineering, etc.