Ram Potghan 
The 2024 World Air Quality Report has cast a stark spotlight on India’s escalating air pollution crisis, with PM2.5 levels soaring 10 times above WHO safety limits and Delhi retaining its title as the world’s most polluted capital. India’s Global Air Quality Ranking 2025: 5th Most Polluted Nation Key findings from the 2024 World Air … Read more
GDP vs Happiness: India, the world’s fifth-largest economy by GDP, faces a paradox: it ranks 118th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, trailing smaller neighbors Nepal and Bhutan. This disparity raises critical questions about GDP as a flawed indicator of well-being and underscores the need for holistic metrics like Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) or … Read more
Quick commerce is revolutionizing India’s retail sector, promising 10-minute deliveries and tech-driven convenience. However, this rapid growth of quick commerce in India has sparked a fierce debate about its impact on traditional retail, particularly the survival of neighbourhood kirana stores. While startups like Blinkit and Zepto cater to urban consumers’ demand for instant gratification, small … Read more
World Happiness Index 2025– Published annually since 2012, the World Happiness Report is a landmark annual survey of the state of global happiness that ranks more than 150 countries by their happiness levels. The World Happiness Report provides valuable, interdisciplinary insights into the well-being and happiness of people across the globe, reflecting a worldwide demand … Read more
Pink fire retardants are a critical tool in combating wildfires, especially in large-scale operations. Their distinctive pink color (achieved with fugitive dyes) helps pilots and ground crews track application areas. Context- Pink fire retardants are currently in the news due to several global and India-specific factors, like Wildfire incidents (California forestfire) UPSC Relevance GS III … Read more
In a quantum leap bridging physics and engineering, Italian scientists led by Dr. Daniele Sanvitto (CNR NANOTEC) have achieved the unprecedented: freezing light by merging photons with electron excitations in semiconductors. Published in Nature Physics, this experiment creates polaritons—hybrid light-matter particles—that temporarily trap light. Context- For UPSC aspirants, this breakthrough aligns with India’s National Quantum … Read more
Spice Production in India- India, often hailed as the “Spice Bowl of the World”, has been the epicenter of spice cultivation, trade, and culinary heritage for millennia. With a staggering 48% share in global spice trade by volume and a legacy of producing 75 out of 109 spices recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The sector sustains over 8 … Read more
Discover the fourth form of water (EZ water) –Water, the essence of life, is universally recognized in its three classical states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (vapor). However, groundbreaking research in the early 2000s unveiled a mysterious fourth form of water, challenging conventional scientific understanding. Termed “Exclusion Zone (EZ) water” or “fourth-phase water”. This … Read more
Buddhism vs Jainism vs Vedic culture are three powerful intellectual and spiritual traditions that shaped ancient India. While Vedic culture laid the foundation of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism emerged as reformist movements that challenged rigid rituals and social hierarchies. Question- Compare and contrast the fundamental philosophical and ethical principles of Buddhism, Jainism, and Vedic culture. … Read more
VBIED stands for Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device. It is a type of car bomb or vehicle-mounted explosive device used in terrorist attacks, assassinations, and military operations. VBIEDs can range from small, inconspicuous vehicles to large trucks packed with explosives. Context-On March 16, 2025, a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of buses carrying security forces … Read more
