IAS VIKRANT

UPSC CSE 2026 Mains Time - Table 🔥

Explanation: 👉Statement 1 is incorrect because Arrow-3 is an exo-atmospheric (outside the Earth's atmosphere, at altitudes around 100 km) anti-ballistic missile defense system aimed at long-range ballistic threats, not endo-atmospheric cruise missiles. Statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding the Arrow-3 Missile Defence System: 1. ​It is an endo-atmospheric interceptor designed to neutralize short-range cruise missiles. 2. ​It was jointly developed by Israel and the United States. 3. ​It utilizes "hit-to-kill" technology instead of an explosive warhead to destroy incoming targets.

Explanation: 👉The Lipulekh Pass is a strategic mountain pass located in the high-altitude frontier region of the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India. 👉Bilateral border trade between India and China through this route resumed on June 26, 2026, marking a significant step for local economies and border diplomacy. 👉Trade via this corridor had been suspended since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising military standoffs along the Line of Actual Control. 👉Notably, for the first time, the local administration has enabled Indian border traders to travel in motor vehicles directly up to areas near the pass. 👉This development highlights India’s active development of its border transport infrastructure, simplifying logistical challenges and boosting trade volumes in Uttarakhand’s frontier zones.

Q) The Lipulekh Pass, which recently witnessed the resumption of bilateral border trade after a suspension of nearly seven years, is located in which of the following States/Union Territories of India?  (a) Himachal Pradesh  (b) Ladakh  (c) Sikkim  (d) Uttarakhand

What are Catsharks?

👉A catshark is any of more than 150 species of small mottled sharks (order Carcharhiniformes). 👉They have slender bodies and eyes that are elongated, giving them a catlike appearance. 👉Cat sharks prey on invertebrates and small fishes. 👉 They have been found in all major marine environments of the tropical and temperate regions, although many bottom-dwelling species are rare and poorly understood. 👉 No species is known to be aggressive toward humans.

Apristurus drona: 👉Apristurus Drona, or the Arabian slender catshark, is a new species of deep-sea catshark. 👉It was discovered in the Arabian Sea off the Sakthikulangara harbour on the Kollam coast of Kerala. 👉The species forms a distinct evolutionary lineage and is closely related to catshark species found in the Pacific Ocean and New Zealand. 👉It appears to be extremely rare, occurring along the continental slope off Kollam and around the Wadge Bank. 👉It has no commercial value and is only occasionally encountered in fishery bycatch.

Explanation: 👉Statement I is correct because the 42.8% cumulative monsoon deficit recorded up to June 22, 2026, occurred before the projected El Niño impact actually kicked in. Global agencies forecast El Niño to strengthen into a ‘strong’ or ‘very strong’ event later in the season, meaning the early deficit was primarily driven by general weak monsoon winds. 👉Statement II is correct as meteorological observations confirmed that strong, dry northwesterly winds actively suppressed incoming monsoon currents over peninsular India, causing a complete halt in monsoon progress between June 15 and June 21. 👉Statement III is correct because the absence of an active, eastward-moving Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) system deprived the region of the convective clouds and moisture required to sustain early rainfall. Since both Statement II (dry northwesterly wind suppression) and Statement III (lack of MJO waves) directly explain why the early monsoon winds were too weak to deliver normal rainfall, both statements explain Statement I.