INSPIRE Programme: It is a flagship scheme by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)+ Designed to – Attract young talent to science, build a national research base, and foster creative thinking without conducting competitive exams+ Components: INSPIRE Award (MANAK) , Scholarship for Higher Education , INSPIRE fellowship, Faculty fellowship

Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme: Initiative by –Ministry of Panchayati Raj+ Objectives – To shift Gram and Block Panchayats from grant-dependent models to fiscal autonomy via sustainable Own Sources of Revenue (OSR)+ Technical & Financial Support – Provided by NABARD and HUDCO+ Focus – To develop 350 total projects across a 4-year timeline—50 projects in Year 1 and 100 projects annually across Years 2, 3, and 4+ Implemented under – Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)

Polymer (plastic) Banknotes: The government has approved the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) proposal to introduce polymer banknotes in the denominations of 10 and 20 rupees recently+ Material - Made from a thin, flexible plastic substrate (like biaxially oriented polypropylene) instead of traditional cotton-based paper+ The life span of polymer banknotes is higher than that of paper banknotes+ Existing paper banknotes will not be withdrawn or replaced; both variants will circulate together during the initial phase.