DAILY PRELIMS CA — 23 SEPTEMBER

Context: Union Government approved national programme to monitor safety of biological products used in organ and tissue transplantation.
Nodal Agency: Coordinated nationwide by Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).
Scope: Monitors adverse events associated with transplant medicines and biological products | Covers both donors and recipients.
Integration: Complements PvPI for adverse drug reactions + Materiovigilance Programme (MvPI) for medical devices.

Context: Defence Ministry signed a contract to procure indigenous auxiliary power units for Indian Army's T-72 and T-90 tanks.
Nature: 3rd-generation Russian-origin main battle tank | Operates in India under name T-90S Bhishma.
Manufacture: Designed in Russia | Manufactured under licence at Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi.
Armament: Features 125 mm smoothbore gun | Capable of firing laser-guided anti-tank missiles.
Protection: Combines Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) + Shtora-1 soft-kill active protection system against guided weapons.

Context: Adopted by consensus during the first General Assembly of SAWEN in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nature: Regional consensus declaration | Adopted by environment ministers of South Asian nations.
Objective: Tackle illegal wildlife trade (IWT) + target cyber trafficking, biopiracy, and financial crimes.
Financial Crimes: Focuses on anti-money laundering and asset recovery to dismantle trafficking networks.
SAWEN Day: Formally designates 30 January as annual SAWEN Day.

Context: Held its first General Assembly in Kathmandu to reinforce regional anti-trafficking frameworks.
Nature: Regional intergovernmental wildlife law enforcement body | Formally launched in 2011.
Membership: Comprises 8 South Asian nations — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Secretariat: Permanent secretariat hosted in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Alignment: Harmonises regional laws with CITES | Partners with INTERPOL, WCO, UNODC, and TRAFFIC.

Context: Prime Minister highlighted India's rhino conservation leadership on World Rhino Day, noting Assam holds 80% of global population.
Taxonomy: Rhinoceros unicornis | Largest Asian rhino species + second-largest Asian terrestrial herbivore.
Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable | Population recovered beyond 4,000 individuals.
Distribution: Confined to northern India and southern Nepal | Assam harbors ~80% of global population.
Indian Habitats: Assam (Kaziranga, Manas, Pobitora, Orang) + West Bengal (Jaldapara, Gorumara) | UP (Dudhwa) + Bihar (Valmiki).
Ecosystem: Riverine alluvial floodplains + tall elephant-grasslands, swamps, and subtropical foothill forests.
Anatomy: Single nasal keratinous horn not attached to skull | Armor-plated skin with deep folds.
Defense: Uses elongated lower incisor tusks for fighting + not its horn.
Behaviour: Solitary semi-aquatic grazer | Demarcates territory using communal dung piles called middens.
Initiatives: Project Rhino + Indian Rhino Vision 2020 | 2026 World Rhino Day theme is Keep the Five Alive.

Context: India submitted four new cultural heritage sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Location: Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) | South Andaman District, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Component Sites: Chatham Island, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island (Ross Island), Viper Island, Cellular Jail.
Timeline: Traces British colonial imprisonment evolution from 1858 to World War II.
Cellular Jail: Built between 1896–1906 | 693 solitary cells in 7 radial wings around a central tower.
Viper Island: Completed in 1867 | Punitive center with chain-gang lock-ups and gallows.
Ross Island: Administrative capital | Known historically as "Paris of the East".
Chatham Island: Industrial hub | Housed steam sawmill built to extract local Pada uk timber.

Context: India submitted four new cultural heritage sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Location: Sivasagar District, Upper Assam | 18th-century urban core of Tai-Ahom dynasty.
Foundation: Founded as Rangpur by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in 1704.
Temple Architecture: Built on octagonal plinths with bulbous spires (Dol) | Includes 32-meter high Sivadol.
Key Structures: Rang Ghar (oval sports amphitheater) + Talatal Ghar (underground military citadel).
Namdang Stone Bridge: 300-year-old bridge carved from a single monolithic rock slab.
Hydraulic System: Earthen reservoirs (Borpukhuris) maintained via moat dykes and Sal-trunk pillars (Nagastambha).

Context: India submitted four new cultural heritage sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Location: Nancowrie subdivision (Chowra, Trinket, Bompoka, Kamorta islands), Nicobar District.
Architecture: Stilted beehive huts (el-panam) | Governed by joint family units (tuhet).
Crafts & Seafaring: Wheel-less coil pottery made on Chowra Island + Outrigger canoes (hodi or ap).
Artifacts: Wooden spirit-sculptures (Kareau) + Ancestral guardian paintings (Hentakoi).
Rites & Festivals: Takoi taboos, Ossuary Feast, and annual Pig Festival (Panuohonot).

PRELIMS CA 23 SEPT 2026