Jan Aushadhi Nutraceuticals
Context: The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) has expanded its product basket to include affordable nutraceuticals, promoting accessible nutrition and preventive healthcare.
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About Jan Aushadhi Nutraceuticals
- Introduction: The Jan Aushadhi Nutraceuticals basket provides affordable nutritional supplements through the Jan Aushadhi Kendra network.
- Nodal Ministry: The initiative is under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, with implementation through the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
- Objective
- Affordable Nutrition: To make quality nutritional supplements accessible to people across income groups and reduce the financial burden associated with nutrition and preventive healthcare.
- Inclusive Health: To support diverse nutritional needs, including those of children, women, senior citizens and individuals requiring specialised dietary support, thereby contributing to better nutrition and overall well-being.
- Key Features
- Diverse Product Basket: Products include protein supplements, immunity bars, nutrition bars, malt-based nutritional foods, Women Protein Boost, and specialised diabetes and kidney-care nutritional formulations.
- Quality and Accessibility: Products are manufactured according to prescribed quality standards and offered at affordable prices through the extensive Jan Aushadhi Kendra network, making nutritional support more accessible.
- Preventive Healthcare: By integrating affordable nutrition with the broader PMBJP healthcare ecosystem, the initiative supports efforts to address malnutrition, hidden hunger and lifestyle-related health concerns, while reducing out-of-pocket expenditure on nutritional products.
INS Nipun
Context: The Indian Navy recently took delivery of INS Nipun, strengthening India’s indigenous deep-sea diving, underwater salvage and submarine rescue capabilities.
About INS Nipun
- INS Nipun is the second indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV) inducted into the Indian Navy. It is designed to undertake specialised deep-sea diving, underwater salvage and maritime rescue operations.
- Built By : The vessel was built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) at Visakhapatnam with nearly 75% indigenous content, supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence shipbuilding. It has been designed and constructed according to the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
- Key Features
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- Deep-Sea Saturation Diving: The vessel is equipped with advanced diving systems that enable personnel to conduct saturation diving and undertake underwater operations at significant depths for extended periods.
- Submarine Rescue Support: INS Nipun serves as a mother ship for Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels (DSRVs), enabling rapid deployment of rescue assets to locate and evacuate personnel from submarines during emergencies.
- Remotely Operated Vehicles: The vessel is equipped with advanced Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) that support diver monitoring, underwater inspection and precision salvage operations.
- Underwater Salvage and Rescue: Its specialised capabilities significantly enhance the Navy’s ability to conduct deep-sea diving, underwater salvage and maritime search-and-rescue operations, while strengthening India’s self-reliance in specialised naval platforms.
Shaheed Udham Singh
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently paid tribute to Shaheed Udham Singh on his martyrdom day (31st July), remembering his courage, sacrifice and contribution to India’s freedom struggle.
About Udham Singh
- Shaheed Udham Singh was a revolutionary freedom fighter associated with the Ghadar Party and remembered for assassinating Michael O’Dwyer.
- Early Life
- Birth and Childhood: Born as Sher Singh on December 26, 1899, in Sunam, Punjab, he was orphaned at a young age and raised at the Central Khalsa Orphanage in Amritsar, where he was renamed Udham Singh.
- Jallianwala Bagh Connection: He witnessed the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an experience that deeply influenced his revolutionary path and strengthened his resolve against British colonial rule.
- Contributions to the Freedom Struggle
- Ghadar Movement: He joined the Ghadar Movement while abroad and helped mobilise Indians and spread anti-colonial ideas.
- Revolutionary Activities: He travelled across several countries using aliases, established contacts with revolutionary networks and was involved in efforts to support India’s armed struggle against British rule.
- Assassination of O’Dwyer: On March 13, 1940, he assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre , at Caxton Hall in London.
- Execution and Legacy: He was executed at Pentonville Prison, London, on July 31, 1940.
- He used the name Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, symbolising religious unity and the aspiration for a free India.
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About Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
- Background: The massacre occurred on April 13, 1919, amid widespread opposition to the Rowlatt Act, which enabled detention without trial and intensified anti-colonial protests.
- The Massacre: Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to open fire on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar without providing an effective warning or allowing the crowd to disperse.
- Casualties: British official figures recorded 379 deaths, while Indian estimates placed the toll considerably higher.
- Many victims were also injured while attempting to escape the enclosed ground.
- Official Inquiry: The British Government appointed the Hunter Committee to investigate the incident, while Dyer’s actions faced widespread condemnation in India and abroad.
- Historical Significance: The massacre became a major turning point in India’s freedom struggle. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood, while Mahatma Gandhi’s faith in British rule was severely undermined, contributing to the subsequent intensification of the national movement.
31 Jul 2026
