PRELIMS CA 29 SEPT 2026

DAILY PRELIMS CA 29 SEPT 2026 ENG

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

Subject: IR

• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: India reaffirmed its commitment to cetacean conservation at the 70th meeting (IWC-70) held in Hobart, Australia.
• 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling signed in 1946 in Washington D.C.
• 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Located in Impington, near Cambridge, United Kingdom.
• 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Global management of whaling | Covers all cetaceans including whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
• 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: India joined the commission in 1981 | Consistently opposes commercial hunting quotas.
• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺: Adopted an indefinite commercial whaling moratorium in 1982, which became effective in 1986.
• 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Amendments to the legally binding Schedule require a three-fourths majority of voting member governments.
• 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Established the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean Sanctuaries to forbid commercial whaling.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Permits regulated aboriginal subsistence whaling quotas for recognized cultural and nutritional needs of indigenous communities.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗸𝗵𝗹𝗮 𝗢𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀

Subject: Geography

• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: Archaeologists discovered a 1,700-year-old Roman-era tomb at Bir Al-Shaghala in Egypt's Dakhla Oasis.
• 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Situated in the Libyan Desert (Western Desert), Egypt | 350 km west of the Nile River.
• 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: Fed by subterranean fossil water from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System | supports settlements via artesian springs.
• 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Lies between Farafra oasis to the northwest and Kharga oasis to the southeast.
• 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀: Includes the medieval fortified town of El-Qasr | Mut serves as the modern administrative centre.
• 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀: Ayn Asil in Balat yielded Sixth Dynasty hieratic clay tablets | Bir Al-Shaghala features Graeco-Roman tombs.

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗞𝗔𝗭𝗜𝗡𝗗

Subject: Misc

• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘁: Indian Armed Forces departed for Kazakhstan to participate in the joint military exercise.
• 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: Joint military exercise between India and Kazakhstan.
• 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 9th edition of the bilateral event.
• 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Hosted at Oskemen, Kazakhstan.
• 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Counter-terrorism operations in sub-conventional environments under United Nations mandate.
• 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Semi-urban and mountainous terrain operations + Tactical deployment of UAS and Counter-UAS systems.

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗚𝗜 𝗧𝗮𝗴

Subject: History

• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: Jharkhand's traditional clay drum, the Mandar, was officially granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Double-headed barrel-shaped percussion instrument | Crafted from red clay and animal hide.
• 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻: Chotanagpur plateau, Jharkhand | Center of production is Jarjatta village, Gumla district.
• 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀: Played by Oraon, Munda, Santhal, and Ho communities during Sarhul and Karma festivals.
• 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: Asymmetrical drumheads where narrower right side gives high pitch + broader left side gives deep bass.
• 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲: Black tuning paste applied to smaller head to regulate tonal frequency and resonance.
• 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: Documented in Sarat Chandra Roy's 1915 studies + W.G. Archer's 1940 work The Blue Grove.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 (𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗢)

Subject: Environment

• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: India showcased its forest restoration progress at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry in Rome.
• 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Highest statutory global intergovernmental body on forestry | Established within the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Convened biennially at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy | Reports to FAO Council and FAO Conference.
• 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀: Publishes biennial State of the World's Forests (SOFO) | Oversees five-yearly Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).
• 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗙𝗥𝗔 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Ranks 9th globally in total forest area | Ranks 3rd globally in net annual forest area gain.
• 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿: Total forest area spans 82.74 million hectares | Covers 25.17% of India's total landmass.
• 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁: Committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 | 21.76 million hectares already restored.
• 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗡𝗗𝗖: Upgraded target to achieve cumulative 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent sink by 2035.
• 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹: Covers degraded arid land across four states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
• 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀: India expanded its designated domestic Ramsar wetlands to 101 sites.
• 𝗨𝗡 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲: FAO collaborating to shape the proposed UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation (2027–2036).