1.Sahara Desert

Location: Stretches from Red Sea (east), Mediterranean (north) to Atlantic Ocean (west) and bordered by Sahel (south).
Countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan, Chad, Tunisia.
Mountain Ranges: Ahaggar, Tibesti, Aïr.
Inhabitants: Nomadic groups like Tuareg and Berbers.
Flora: Date palms, tamarisk, acacia trees.
Fauna: Gazelles, Addax (antelope), Saharan silver ant.

2.EVM Battery Functionality

EVMs operate on alkaline batteries.
- Control Unit (CU): 7.5 or 8 volts.
- Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT): 22.5 volts.
Battery levels are monitored: High, Medium, Low, Change Battery.
New battery typically lasts entire election process.
Battery Change Procedure:
- Checked and installed before elections with party representatives present.
- Replaced during polling in presence of polling agents and sector officers if low battery.

Launched in Mumbai to improve youth employability.
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between Ministry of Skill Development and Tata Trusts.
Prepares workforce for Industry 4.0 with initial courses like:
- Advanced Industrial Automation
- Electric Vehicle Battery Specialist
Focuses on: Factory automation, digital manufacturing, mechatronics, AI, data analytics, additive manufacturing.
Importance: Creates skilled workforce for economic growth.
Vision: Positions India as the “Skill Capital of the World.”

Record high: India’s forex reserves reached $704.89 billion on September 27.
Components: Foreign currencies, SDRs, Reserve Position in the IMF, Gold Reserves.
Custodian: Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Purposes:
- Stabilizing currency.
- Supporting imports and debt.
- Providing confidence to foreign investors.
- Managing balance of payments deficits.

Cyber fraud: Scammers impersonate law enforcement officials, falsely accusing individuals of crimes or legal violations.
Victims confined to homes: Threatened with arrest unless a payment is made.
Legality: Arrests require physical detention by law enforcement officials under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 or the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS).
Government Measures:
- Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) blocked Skype IDs linked to fraud.
- National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) monitors cyber threats and facilitates information sharing.
- Chakshu Facility on Sanchar Saathi portal encourages citizens to report fraudulent communications.

CCS Approval: Cabinet Committee on Security approved the purchase of 31 MQ-9B drones and indigenous construction of two Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSN).
Nuclear Attack Submarines: India has already built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). SSNs will be built at Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam with private sector involvement.
MQ-9Bs: To be assembled in India, enhancing ISR capabilities of Indian armed forces.
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS):
- Chaired by Prime Minister.
- Members include Finance, Defence, Home Affairs, and External Affairs ministers.
- Responsible for debates, discussions, and appointments in national security bodies.
- Takes major decisions on national security, defense expenditure, law and order, internal security, foreign affairs, and atomic energy.

Maritime exercise: Began as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States in 1992.
Multilateral event: Aims to enhance interoperability, understanding, and address shared maritime challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Participants: India, United States, Japan, Australia.