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July – 12

TNPSC BITS
❖ The Tamil Nadu Government has announced that the statue of Nel Jayaraman
will be unveiled at Thiruthuraipoondi.
❖ The Ministry of Information &Broadcasting has launched the "Kalaa Setu - Real-
Time Language Tech for Bharat" Challenge to develop indigenous, scalable
solutions for automated generation of audio, video, and graphic content from
textual inputs, with support for multiple Indian languages.
❖ The Indian Navy has received its first indigenously designed and built Diving
Support Vessel (DSV), INS Nistar, from Hindustan Shipyard Limited.
❖ Nvidia becomes first US company to reach $4 trillion market cap by bypassing
Apple and Microsoft.
❖ The 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River has collapsed in the
Vadodara district, Gujarat.
o The Gambhira Bridge was built in 1985 and has a lifespan of 100 years.

TAMIL NADU NEWS

GI tag for Sivakasi-Kovilpatti matchboxes

❖ The Kovilpatti National Small Match Manufacturers Association has now filed an
application seeking a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Sivakasi-Kovilpatti
match boxes.
❖ Sivakasi/Kovilpatti matchboxes are referred to as Sivakasi Matchboxes.
❖ The term Sivakasi Matchbox has been used for more than 100 years.
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❖ It spreads to Sattur and Virudhunagar taluks (Virudhunagar district), Kovilpatti

and Ettayapuram taluks (Thoothukudi district), and Sankarankovil taluk
(Tenkasi district).
❖ Sivakasi matchstick splints are precisely cut from the locally-sourced softwoods,
including Indian Malabarica Poplar and Aspen.
❖ The match heads are formulated with a very scientifically calibrated blend of the
potassium chlorate (as an oxidiser), antimony trisulfide (for friction sensitivity),
sulfur (for flame stability), and high-quality binders like casein gum powder or
gum arabic, which ensure controlled ignition and minimal sparking.

NATIONAL NEWS
Boundaries Lock for Census

❖ The Registrar General of India (RGI) has informed the States that the first phase
of the Population Census 2027 - House Listing and Housing Schedule (HLO) -
will tentatively begin on April 1, 2026.
❖ The RGI informed the States that the administrative boundaries will be frozen by
December 31, 2025.
❖ If any changes are to be made to the limits of police stations, tehsils, and districts,
it should be done before the said date.
❖ Around 24 lakh enumeration blocks (EB) finalised for the 2021 Census are likely
to be used for the 2027 Census.
❖ Each EB usually comprises 150-180 houses or 650-800 people.
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❖ For the 2021 Census the Centre had notified some 31 questions for the first phase
related to household details.
❖ On April 30, 2025, the Union Cabinet decided to include caste enumeration as
part of the next Census exercise.
❖ The Population Census-2027 will, for the first time, enumerate caste.
❖ On June 4, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the commencement of
the Census, adding that it will have a reference date of midnight on March 1,
2027.
❖ On June 16, 2025, the RGI and the Census Commissioner of India, which
functions under the Ministry, notified the process in the Gazette of India.

India-Namibia relations 2025

❖ PM of India holds talks with Namibian President Nandi-Ndaitwah at the capital

of Namibia, Windhoek.
❖ It was part of his five-nation tour to Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina, Brazil
and Namibia.
❖ This is his first visit to Namibia and the third-ever by an Indian Prime Minister
to the country.
❖ Namibia conferred him with the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis,
Namibia’s highest civilian award.
❖ Namibia now also became the first African country to officially adopt India’s UPI
payment system.
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❖ It has also completed the formalities to join the India-led Coalition of Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuel Alliance.

Rare Earth Element (REE) mining

❖ As per the CareEdge Report 2025, India holds 8 per cent of the world’s Rare Earth
Element (REE) Reserves.
❖ India has recognised 130 deposits as of the 2023 Indian Minerals Yearbook
❖ India has the third-largest REE reserves in the world, but it contributes less than
1 % of global REE mining.
❖ It has prompted the Government to launch the National Critical Mineral Mission
(NCMM) in 2025 to build India’s self-reliance in the mineral sector.
❖ As per the International Energy Agency, China holds 49% of the world's total
reserves, mining 69% of REEs, and has a 90% share of REE refining.
❖ India’s REE reserves are mostly found in the monazite sands (which contain
thorium).
❖ Coastal states have the rarest earth deposits, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh, and Odisha.
❖ Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL), a Mini Ratna Company, is the only entity
processing monazite to produce Rare-earth (RE) compounds.
❖ Mining is further restricted by Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
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❖ The REE contains Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) while the Heavy Rare Earth
Elements (HREE) are not available in extractable quantities.
❖ The importance of REEs extends across a range of sectors such as clean energy
technologies, the automotive sector, and defence systems.

700 MWe PHW Reactors

❖ The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) recently granted a 5-year operation
licence for two indigenously developed 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water
Reactors at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat.
❖ It marks a significant boost to NPCIL’s plan of building 10 more PHWRs of 700
MWe.
❖ NPCIL owns and operates all nuclear power plants in India, except PFBR variants.
❖ PFBR variants are owned by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
❖ India currently operates 15 PHWRs of 220 MWe, 2 PHWRs of 540 MWe.
❖ It already has a 700 MWe reactor at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan
❖ PHWRs are a type of nuclear reactor that uses heavy water (deuterium oxide,
D₂O) as both a coolant and moderator.
❖ Natural or slightly enriched uranium serves as fuel for this.
❖ AERB is India's national regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the safe
use of nuclear energy and radiation technologies in the country.
❖ AERB was established in 1983 under the Atomic Energy Act 1962.
❖ It functions as an independent body under the Department of Atomic Energy
(DAE).
❖ India’s nuclear power capacity is currently 8.18 GW.
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❖ Its targets are set at 22.48 GW by 2031–32 and 100 GW by 2047.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Catalonia wildfire

❖ A massive wildfire was occurred in Tarragona province, Catalonia (Spain).

❖ Tarragona is a coastal province in northeastern Spain.
❖ It includes protected areas like the Ports Natural Park.
❖ This region is prone to Mediterranean wildfires.
❖ Spain also experienced its hottest June on record which created dry, combustible
landscapes.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis - USA
❖ Scientists have discovered a new cable bacterium in Oregon's mud flats.
❖ It is named as Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis in honour of the Yaqona people.
❖ This species acts as biological wiring, conducting the electricity through unique
nickel-based fibres.
❖ Its cells are connected end to end, forming filaments that can extend several
centimetres.
❖ This structure is rare among bacteria.
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❖ Cable bacteria can live in both freshwater and saltwater environments, and also
thrive in diverse climatic conditions.

Extracellular respiration

❖ The Scientists discovered new bacteria that survive by releasing electricity, not
oxygen.
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❖ This process is called extracellular respiration.

❖ It allows the bacteria to send out electrons to nearby surfaces.
❖ This process enables them to generate energy in oxygen-free environments such
as deep-sea vents or the human gut.
❖ By doing this, they keep growing and making energy.
❖ The bacteria use a natural molecule called naphthoquinone.
❖ This acts like a tiny shuttle for electrons inside the cell.
❖ It picks them up and carries them out to conductive surfaces nearby.
❖ Once there, the electrons are released like power from a battery.
❖ This method helps them break down food and stay alive.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
Earthquake Swarms in Mt Rainier - USA

❖ More than 300 earthquakes have erupted at Washington's Mount Rainier.

❖ This is the most significant seismicity at the volcano since 2009.
❖ Mount Rainier is considered an active volcano and has not had a significant
eruption in the past 500 years.
❖ Mount Rainier is an active stratovolcano and national park in the state of
Washington.
❖ It rises more than 14,000 feet above sea level and sprawls over five major rivers.
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❖ An earthquake swarm is a cluster of small earthquakes occurring over a short

period in a confined area.

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