Current Affairs: Events, Rajasthan's Schemes, Awards, Sports and Yoga

What the official syllabus says

Main Examination, Paper III (General Studies III), Unit I - Indian Polity, Governance, India and International Affairs and Current Affairs, under the heading “Current Affairs & Issues”:

• Important contemporary events, issues and prominent personalities.
• Key public welfare schemes and government initiatives of Rajasthan.
• Awards, major literary contributions, and key advancements in science, technology, and ICT.
• Sports policies, key institutions, and significant sports events and achievements of India and Rajasthan.
• Role of Yoga in health, wellness and stress management.

Current affairs change every year. This page lists what to follow under each official line; the facts themselves come from your reading of the news and of government sources for the year before the examination.

Topics in detail

Contemporary events, issues and personalities

• National events: major laws passed, constitutional and judicial developments, elections, census and delimitation
• International events: summits, conflicts, treaties, India's bilateral visits and agreements
• Economic events: Union and Rajasthan budgets, Economic Survey, RBI policy, major reports and indices
• Rajasthan events: new policies, investment summits, infrastructure projects, district-level developments
• Prominent personalities in news: appointments to constitutional posts, award winners, obituaries
• Issues: water scarcity, climate events, health, education, women's safety, cyber crime

Rajasthan's welfare schemes and initiatives

• How to study a scheme: objective, target group, benefit, eligibility, implementing department, funding pattern, outcomes
• Health: free medicines and diagnostic tests in government hospitals, state health insurance cover
• Social security: pensions for the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities; Palanhar Yojana for the care of orphaned and vulnerable children
• Women and girls: schemes for the girl child, education and safety of women
• Farmers and rural areas: water conservation, irrigation, crop support, dairy and livestock
• Delivery platforms: Jan Aadhaar for families, e-Mitra, Rajasthan Sampark
• State policies: industrial, tourism, start-up, solar and other sectoral policies of Rajasthan

Awards and literary contributions

• National honours: Bharat Ratna, Padma awards, gallantry awards
• Literary awards: Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi (which recognises Rajasthani among its languages), Saraswati Samman; international awards such as the Nobel and Booker prizes
• Rajasthan's literary bodies: Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi (Udaipur), Rajasthani Bhasha, Sahitya evam Sanskriti Akademi (Bikaner)
• Other awards: Dadasaheb Phalke Award, National Sports Awards, awards given by the Government of Rajasthan
• Major books and authors in the news, including writers from Rajasthan

Science, technology and ICT

• Space: Chandrayaan-3's landing near the Moon's south pole (2023), Aditya-L1, the Gaganyaan programme, ISRO launches
• Digital public infrastructure: Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, the India Stack
• Emerging technologies: artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, 5G, green hydrogen
• Health and biotechnology: vaccines, genome sequencing, new medical devices
• Rajasthan's ICT initiatives (see Rajasthan: State Politics, Local Government and Public Policy)

Sports policies, institutions, events and achievements

• National sports policies and the National Sports Development Code; sports governance and anti-doping (NADA)
• Institutions: Sports Authority of India, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, National Sports University (Manipur), the Rajasthan State Sports Council
• Programmes: Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme, Fit India Movement
• Major events: Olympic and Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, world championships, cricket tournaments
• Achievements of Indian and Rajasthani sportspersons; traditional sports of Rajasthan
• National Sports Awards: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya

Yoga in health, wellness and stress management

• Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the eight limbs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi
• Physical benefits: flexibility, strength, posture, respiratory and cardiovascular health
• Mental benefits: relaxation, attention, emotional balance; meditation and pranayama for stress reduction
• Yoga in lifestyle disorders: diabetes, hypertension, obesity
• International Day of Yoga (21 June), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2014; the Ministry of AYUSH; the Common Yoga Protocol
• Yoga at the workplace: short breaks, desk exercises, wellness programmes (links with stress at work in Behaviour)