Prelims Focus 23rd June 2025

23/06/2025

178 2 minutes read

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

In News: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a 100% government-owned entity under the Department of Posts, has been awarded the prestigious Digital Payments Award 2024-25 by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to expanding digital payments and financial inclusion across India.

The award, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary at a ceremony in New Delhi, acknowledges IPPB’s top ranking among all payments banks in the DFS Performance Index for FY 2024-25 and its previous ‘Special Mention’ for FY 2023-24.
Leveraging the vast postal network and a tech-driven doorstep banking model powered by over two lakh Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks, IPPB has played a pivotal role in delivering inclusive, technology-led, and citizen-centric banking solutions, especially in rural and underserved areas, thereby reinforcing its mission to bridge the urban-rural divide and support a digitally empowered economy.

Cluster bomb

In News: Iran’s reported use of a cluster bomb during a missile strike on Israel has heightened international concern over the dangers posed by these controversial weapons.

On June 19, 2025, the Israeli military stated that Iran launched at least one missile equipped with a cluster munition warhead, which dispersed approximately 20 explosive submunitions over central Israel, with one device damaging a residence in Azor but causing no injuries.
Cluster bombs are widely criticized because they scatter numerous smaller bomblets over a broad area, increasing the risk of civilian casualties both during and after attacks, as many submunitions often fail to detonate and can remain hazardous for years.
More than 100 countries have banned cluster munitions under a 2008 treaty, but neither Iran nor Israel are signatories.
The deployment of such weapons in populated areas underscores the potential for indiscriminate harm and long-term danger to civilians, prompting warnings from Israeli authorities about unexploded ordnance and fueling calls for restraint and adherence to international humanitarian norms.

Taiwan Strait

In News: Taiwan detected 50 Chinese military aircraft across the island, days after a British naval vessel sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Location: The Taiwan Strait also called the Formosa Strait or the Tai-hai (the Tai Sea) separates mainland China (Fujian Province) from the island of Taiwan.
It connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea and is an essential shipping lane.
It is about 180 kilometers extensive at its narrowest factor.
Geopolitical Tensions: China views Taiwan as a renegade province and asserts its claim over the island and the strait.

Gharial Species Conservation Programme

In News: Union Minister for Environmalet, Forest and Climate Change, launched the Gharial Species Conservation Programme by releasing Gharial hatchlings into the Gerua River at Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh.

- The name “Gharial” originates from the Hindi word ghara (pot), regarding the bulbous knob (narial excrescence) present at the tip of a mature male’s snout. Though, this feature is absent in girls.
- They show Sexual Dimorphism method female and male vary notably in size and look.
- Unlike other crocodiles, gharials feed solely on warm-blooded species and are not man-eaters.

Habitat Distribution:

- - Gharials are strictly riverine species, requiring deep, clean, rapid-flowing waters with steep, sandy riverbanks.
  - Mainly observed in Chambal River, Gerua River, Ken River, Yamuna River, Brahmaputra River, Ghaghara River, Bhagirathi-Hoogly River.