Prelims Focus 15th January 2026

15/01/2026

83 3 minutes read

Valley of Flowers

In News: There is a fire that has been going on near the Valley of Flowers which has prompted the Forest Department to request the assistance of the Air Force.

Valley of Flowers lies within the Valley of flowers national park of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve within the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
It is referred to as the Valley of Flowers since the whole valley gets busy with thousands of flowers at the time of monsoon.
It was named a National Park in 1982. It was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2005 due to its unparalleled beauty and distinct alpine ecosystem.
In 1931, the valley was actually discovered by a British mountain climber by the name Frank Smythe who accidentally stumbled upon the place.

NPS Vatsalya Scheme, 2025

In News: The NPS is an expanded framework of pension funds, whereby the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has issued guidelines of the NPS Vatsalya Scheme, 2025, that allows the inclusion of minors in the pension system early in life.

- NPS Vatsalya is a minor pension savings scheme on the National Pension System.
- It enables a legal guardian or a parent to open an NPS account and manage it on behalf of a child.

Key Features

- Eligibility Indian citizens under 18 years old.
- Account Type: Individual pension account of the minor in his name.
- Operation: Parent/guardian until the child turns of majority age.
- Conversion: The account is converted to a regular NPS account on attainment of 18.
- Minimum Contribution: There is no maximum limit on the amount of contributions, minimum initial and annual contribution of [?]250.
- Investment: Investment made by the Pension Fund Managers (PFMs) as per the NPS guidelines.

Zanskar River

In News: The Chadar trek on the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh has been deferred due to insufficient ice thickness, prioritizing trekkers’ safety amid unstable conditions. Originally set to start on January 10, 2026, the event awaits a final decision following route inspections.

Delay Reasons

District authorities, including Additional Deputy Commissioner Ghulam Mohammad, conducted assessments revealing inadequate ice formation on key stretches of the Zanskar River.
Climate change and warming trends in Ladakh, a cold desert region, have disrupted typical freezing patterns, as noted in studies on reduced precipitation.

Current Status

As of January 14, 2026, the trek remains on hold, with possibilities of starting around January 15 or later, pending the assessment report.
Some operators have suspended all 2026 departures, while others anticipate a restart later this week if conditions improve.

Artemis II Mission

In News: Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program, marking the second overall flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Mission Overview

The mission involves a 10-day lunar flyby on a free-return trajectory, sending four astronauts around the Moon without landing.
It tests Orion’s systems in deep space, including life support, navigation, and reentry capabilities, building on the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022.
Launch is planned no earlier than February 6, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B.

Crew Details

The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
This diverse team represents the first crewed deep space mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, with Hansen as the first non-U.S. astronaut on a lunar voyage. They will conduct experiments on radiation, health, and communications during the flight.

Key Objectives

Artemis II verifies spacecraft performance ahead of Artemis III’s planned lunar landing by 2028, which aims to land the first woman and person of color on the Moon.
The trajectory includes a high Earth orbit phase, trans-lunar injection, and a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego after high-speed reentry.
Payloads will gather data on space radiation and human factors in deep space.