The Chief Minister of Sikkim recently released Chocolate Mahseer fish into the Rangeet River, highlighting the importance of conserving indigenous fish species and protecting the state's aquatic biodiversity.
The Chocolate Mahseer, also known as the Copper Mahseer, is a freshwater fish species scientifically known as Neolissochilus hexagonolepis.
Fish species belonging to the genera Tor and Neolissochilus, under the family Cyprinidae, are popularly known as Mahseer.
The Chocolate Mahseer is locally known as ‘Kha Saw’ in Meghalaya. It has been designated as the state fish of Meghalaya and Sikkim.
The Chocolate Mahseer is found in major rivers and hill streams across the northeastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.
The species inhabits clear, fast-flowing streams and rivers with stony, pebbly or rocky riverbeds. These habitats provide suitable conditions for the species to survive and navigate strong water currents.
The Chocolate Mahseer possesses exceptional strength and agility, making it a prized catch among anglers.
Its powerful pectoral and dorsal fins enable it to navigate swiftly against strong river currents.
Females are larger than males of the same age group.
The species is also considered an indicator of healthy river ecosystems, as it is associated with clear, fast-flowing freshwater habitats.
The population of Chocolate Mahseer is declining due to habitat degradation, overfishing and environmental changes. Protecting its natural river habitats and controlling unsustainable fishing are important for its conservation.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Chocolate Mahseer as Near Threatened on its Red List.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) has released the key indicators and findings of India’s first-ever National Household Travel Survey (NHTS).
The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Objectives: The survey aims to generate robust, data-driven insights into domestic travel patterns to support regional transport planning, infrastructure development and evidence-based policymaking.
Purpose of Travel: The survey captures travel for employment, education, social engagements, cultural and leisure activities, tourism, domestic work, caregiving and other purposes.
Mode of Transport: It examines the modes of transportation used by different demographic groups for undertaking trips.
Travel Duration and Distance: It records the average time taken and distances travelled during trips.
Student Mobility: Students in the 15–29 age group recorded the highest participation in regular daily travel to educational institutions, at 79.1% in rural India and 73.3% in urban India.
Workforce Mobility: Nationwide, 61.9% of male workers reported daily work trips exceeding 1 km, compared with 41.9% of female workers. This highlights a gender gap in daily work-related mobility.
Monthly Commuting Expenditure: The average monthly expenditure on commuting to a fixed workplace was ₹785 per worker. Urban workers spent an average of ₹1,044 per month, compared with ₹612 per month for rural workers.
The Indian Navy’s guided-missile stealth frigate INS Trishul is scheduled to participate in Exercise KONKAN-2026, which will be conducted in Plymouth, United Kingdom (UK).
Exercise KONKAN is an annual bilateral maritime exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It aims to enhance interoperability and mutual understanding between the two navies in maritime operations.
Harbour Phase: This phase includes a broad range of professional interactions between personnel of the two navies. Activities include cross-deck visits, sports fixtures and cultural engagements, which help strengthen professional relationships and mutual understanding.
Sea Phase: This phase involves complex maritime operational drills across all three domains: air, surface and sub-surface. These activities aim to improve coordination and operational interoperability between the two navies.
Exercise KONKAN reaffirms India and the United Kingdom’s shared commitment to ensuring secure, open and free seas. It also reflects the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, as outlined in the India–UK Vision 2035.
The exercise further strengthens the longstanding relationship between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy and demonstrates their shared commitment to maritime peace and security.
The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, hosted the second meeting of the UN Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS).
The Global Innovation Index (GII) ranks countries and economies according to their innovation performance and capacity. It was first launched in 2007 and has become a leading global benchmark for measuring and comparing innovation across economies.
The index is published annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is recognised by the United Nations General Assembly as an authoritative reference for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies.
The GII tracks global innovation trends by examining investment patterns, technological progress, adoption rates and socioeconomic impacts.
The 19th edition of the GII assesses the innovation performance of 139 economies. It also identifies the world's top 100 innovation clusters and examines major global innovation trends.
Leading Innovative Economies: Switzerland retained the top position for the 16th consecutive year, followed by Sweden and the United States.
Other Leading Economies: The Republic of Korea ranked fourth, while Singapore secured fifth place. China ranked 10th, Japan ranked 12th, and Hong Kong, China, climbed to 14th place.
Overall Ranking: India ranked 38th out of 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index 2026.
Lower-Middle-Income Economies: India secured first place among 36 lower-middle-income economies.
Central and Southern Asia: India also ranked first among the 11 economies in the Central and Southern Asia region.
The Prime Minister of India recently inaugurated five redeveloped railway stations in Tamil Nadu, modernised under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS).
The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) was launched in 2022 to develop and upgrade railway stations across the Indian Railways network. The scheme aims to make railway stations cleaner, more comfortable, accessible and passenger-friendly.
The scheme follows a long-term development approach based on the preparation of master plans for individual stations. It focuses on improving passenger amenities, enhancing station accessibility and promoting multimodal connectivity.
Station Design and Architecture: The designs of redeveloped station buildings are inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture, helping stations reflect the identity of their respective regions.
Improved Passenger Amenities: Stations are being upgraded with better waiting halls, toilets, lifts, escalators, free Wi-Fi, executive lounges, access roads and landscaping. Some stations may also provide designated spaces for business meetings.
Station-Specific Development: Facilities are planned according to the individual needs and requirements of each railway station, rather than following an identical design for all stations.
Support for the Local Economy: The scheme promotes the sale of local products through kiosks under the One Station One Product (OSOP) initiative. It also aims to make railway stations greener and more attractive.
The Indian Navy’s INS Sahyadri is participating in Exercise INDRA-2026, which is being conducted in Vladivostok, Russia.
Exercise INDRA is a bilateral military exercise conducted between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy (RuFN). Since its inception in 2003, the exercise has symbolised the longstanding strategic relationship between the Indian and Russian navies.
Harbour Phase: This phase involves professional interactions between personnel of the participating navies to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation.
Sea Phase: This phase includes coordinated operational activities at sea to enhance operational coordination and interoperability between the two navies.
Exercise INDRA-2026 aims to strengthen mutual understanding, operational coordination and interoperability through professional interactions and maritime exercises.
The participation of INS Sahyadri also reflects India’s commitment to the MAHASAGAR vision, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
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Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
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