Prelims Focus 4th September 2026

04/09/2026

50 3 minutes read

Rani Avantibai Lodhi

In News: Defence Minister of India unveiled the statue of Veerangana Rani Avantibai Lodhi and paid tribute to the legendary freedom fighter in Lucknow.

Rani Avantibai Lodhi was a prominent woman leader during the revolt of 1857 in the Ramgarh princely state of Madhya Pradesh today.
Early life: She was born in the present-day Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, in 1831. She married Vikramaditya Singh, the ruler of Ramgarh.
British annexation: The British wanted to annex Ramgarh under the Court of Wards, ignoring Avantibai’s rule.
Role in the Revolt of 1857: She convinced the local rulers, landlords and peasants to rise against British rule and is credited with raising a force of approximately 4,000 soldiers.
Martyrdom: Rani Avantibai Lodhi sacrificed her life with her sword and did not surrender when her life was in danger in March 1858, when surrounded by the British troops.

V-Dem’s Democracy Index

In News: The latest report by V-Dem Institute has revealed that the Electoral Democracy Index score for India has dropped to its lowest since 1975, raising concerns around democratic backsliding and institutional autonomy.

Lowest score since the Emergency: Electoral Democracy Index score is the lowest since 1975, when the Emergency was in place.
Sustained erosion: India’s democratic score has been observed to have steadily eroded since 2009.
Autocratisation: India is one of the countries that has been identified as undergoing a gradual autocratisation, which is defined as an “attempt to systematically subvert democratic institutions.”
India’s performance in other areas, including judicial accountability and corruption, the autonomy of the Election Management Body (EMB) and impartial administration by public officials, is at its worst in 50 years.
The report suggests that the loss of institutional autonomy has been marked by a general downward trend in freedom of academic, cultural and journalistic expression and harassment of journalists.
Other measures of academic freedom have also deteriorated, including freedom of academic expression, freedom to research and teach, and institutional autonomy.

Districts as Export Hubs

In News: The Government is rolling out the Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) Initiative to reinforce its district-led approach to exports as a driver of the economy.

It is based on the One District One Product (ODOP) program.
It is known to harness the strengths and resources of each district and to maximize the export potential of each district.
Districts are treated as a whole rather than singly for output only when it comes to export planning.
It also enables local companies to tap into the world markets, improve their competitiveness and propel local economic development. It also dovetails with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local, which India has.

Cold Allodynia

In News: The researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kolkata, have pinpointed the “brain circuit” responsible for “cold allodynia,” which is one of the side effects of chemotherapy.

Cold allodynia is a condition where someone can be cold-sensitive, meaning that they can experience pain or discomfort from normal levels of cold.
It’s one of the unwanted effects of “chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy”.
It contains numerous chemotherapy-related neuropathy symptoms, including sensitivity to heat, pins and needles, or pain, etc.
Cold allodynia specifically is known to be one of the side effects of oxaliplatin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug that contains platinum.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards

In News: The Government has declared the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2024.

The awards celebrate individual excellence in the adventure field and aim to encourage a sense of endurance, risk-taking, teamwork, and rapid and effective decision-making in an adventurous context.
The awards are given in four categories, which are Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Lifetime Achievement.
Every awardee will be awarded a statuette, a certificate and an award amount of 15 lakh rupees.
The list was put together based on the recommendations of the National Selection Committee.
The Committee reviewed the nominations and recommended the list of awardees for the national honour.

EOS-05

In News: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the EOS-05 (formerly GISAT-1A) Earth observation satellite on September 4, 2026, at 2:55 AM IST aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Weighing 2,367 kg, it is India’s first dedicated high-resolution imaging satellite to operate from a geosynchronous orbit.

Mission Overview & Orbit

Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F17 (GSLV Mk II)
Orbit: Placed into a high-altitude sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit (~35,786 km), matching Earth’s rotation.
Role: Acts as an operational successor/replacement providing continuous geo-imaging coverage over the Indian subcontinent.

Punjab Health Scheme Boosts Sepsis Care

In News: Punjab’s Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana has successfully covered 12,467 treatments for severe sepsis and septic shock, totaling an expenditure of Rs 51.58 crore up to September 1, 2026.

This data underscores the massive medical and financial commitment required to manage life-threatening infections across the state.

Understanding Sepsis and Septic Shock

Sepsis is a dysregulated body response to infections like lung, skin, or urinary tract issues, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
Septic shock involves a dangerous drop in blood pressure, and rapid disease progression can trigger multi-organ failure.