City Gas Distribution (CGD) Project

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister laid the foundation of the City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar, West Bengal.

• Alipurduar shares its border with Bhutan and  it is also connected to Assam. It is surrounded by Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.

About City Gas Distribution (CGD) Project

• Total investment: Over ₹1,010 crore.
• Objective: Develop City Gas Distribution infrastructure for households, commercial units, industries, and vehicles.
• Authority: Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the authority to grant authorization to the entities for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Geographical Areas (GAs) as per PNGRB Act, 2006.
• Key Components
  • Piped Natural Gas (PNG):
    • To be provided to over 2.5 lakh households, more than 100 commercial establishments and industrial units.
  • Compressed Natural Gas (CNG):
    • Establishment of around 19 CNG stations.
    • Aimed at catering to vehicular fuel requirements.
• Alignment with Government Norms: Fulfills the Minimum Work Program (MWP) targets stipulated by the Government of India.
  • MWP targets are yearly commitments set for City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities, requiring them to lay a specific length of pipelines, set up a fixed number of CNG stations, and provide a defined number of domestic gas connections in a given Geographical Area (GA).
• Growth of CGD Project: In 2014, CGD services were in 66 districts; now expanded to over 550 districts.
• Benefits: It will provide convenient, reliable, environment-friendly and cost-effective fuel supply and create employment opportunities in the region.

BRICS Parliamentary Forum

Context: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be leading an Indian parliamentary delegation to the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Brazil.

About BRICS Parliamentary Forum

• The BRICS Parliamentary Forum is a platform for legislative cooperation among the member countries of BRICS.
• It aims to strengthen dialogue, share best practices, and enhance parliamentary diplomacy among the member states.
• The first formal BRICS Parliamentary Forum meeting was held in Moscow, Russia, in 2015, under Russia’s BRICS Chairship.
• Theme: ‘The Role of BRICS Parliaments in Building a More Inclusive and Sustainable, Global Governance’.  
• Sub-themes of the Forum:
  • Towards Stronger and More Durable BRICS Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation.
  • BRICS Parliaments United for the Reform of the multilateral peace and security architecture.
  • Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation for responsible and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence.
  • BRICS Parliamentary Action in Search of New Paths for Economic Development.
  • BRICS Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for Global Health.
  • BRICS Inter-Parliamentary Dialogue on Climate and Sustainability.

Tejas LCA

Context: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has established a fourth production line  of the indigenous fighter aircraft Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A  in Hyderabad.

About the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

• Developed by: Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).  
• Role: Single-engine, multirole, lightweight fighter jet.  
• Type: It is a 4.5-generation combat aircraft.  
• First Flight: 2001.  
• Operational Induction: 2016 (IAF).  
• Variants  
  • Tejas Mk1: Initial operational version, inducted in Indian Air Force.  
  • Tejas Mk1A: Upgraded with AESA radar, improved avionics, and better maintenance.  
  • Tejas Mk2 (Under Development): Larger, more powerful, with longer range and payload.  
  • Tejas Naval Version: Designed for aircraft carriers (under testing).  
• Key Features : 
  • Engine: General Electric F404 (Mk1/Mk1A), planned indigenous Kaveri engine (future).  
  • Radar: Equipped with advanced AESA Radars, Israeli EL/M-2052 or India’s indigenous Uttam AESA Radar.
  • Enhanced Flight Control: Upgraded Digital Fly-by-Wire Flight Control System.
  • Electronic Warfare (EW): Features Unified Electronic Warfare Suite (UEWS) and Advanced Self Protection Jammer pod.
  • Increased Weapon Capacity: Has capacity to carry Beyond Visual Range missiles, Air-to-Air/Ground missiles, and ASRAAM.

Goa Achieves Full Functional Literacy

On the 39th Statehood Day, Goa becomes fully functionally literate under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram. 

• This makes Goa the second state in India (after Mizoram) to surpass the 95% literacy benchmark set by the central government.
• Official Literacy Rate (PLFS 2023-24): 93.60%
• This is aligned with  the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and India’s vision of achieving 100% literacy by 2030 under the Viksit Bharat initiative

About ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram

• Launched: 2022; operational till 2027
• Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• Target Group: Adults aged 15 years and above who could not attend formal schooling
• Vision: “Jan-Jan Sakshar” – Every Citizen Literate
• Guiding Principles: Volunteerism and Kartavya Bodh (sense of duty)
• Five Key Components of the ULLAS Scheme:
  1. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
  2. Critical Life Skills (e.g. health, financial literacy, digital literacy)
  3. Basic Education (equivalent to Grades 3 to 8)
  4. Vocational Skills Development
  5. Continuing Education

National Florence Nightingale Awards 2025

Context: The President of India, recently conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards to 15 distinguished nursing professionals at a ceremonial event held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

About Award

• Instituted by: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in 1973.
• Objective: To recognize meritorious services rendered by nursing professionals in public health and patient care
• Eligible Categories:
  • Registered Nurses
  • Midwives
  • Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs)
  • Lady Health Visitors (LHVs)
• Award Includes:
  • Certificate of Merit
  • ₹1,00,000 cash prize and Medal

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