SNIPPETS 01 FEBRUARY 2026

PM Ekta Malls: Developed under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model+ Aim to transform local crafts into national cultural hubs and global market destinations, supporting self-reliant and culturally confident India+ They are being developed with ₹5,000 crore interest-free support including at least ₹100 crore per State, with 29 Unity Malls approved across 27 States+ They will act as dedicated retail hubs to promote ODOP, Geographical Indication(GI)-tagged and handicraft products

Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): Solar eruptions that lack clear low-coronal signatures, such as solar flares, X-ray bursts, or strong radio emissions+ they appear optically weak or invisible in standard solar observations, yet can still travel to Earth and trigger severe geomagnetic storms+ generally originate from: Active regions on the Sun with weak or slowly evolving magnetic fields, areas close to coronal holes—regions where the Sun’s magnetic field is open+ Astronomers have linked an intense geomagnetic storm that struck Earth in March 2023 to a Stealth Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)—a faint solar eruption with no obvious warning signals.

Kavach 4.0: It is the latest and most advanced iteration of India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection system+ Features: Integrates microprocessors, Global Positioning System (GPS), and radio communication technologies, monitors and controls overspeeding, ensuring safe operations under low visibility/adverse weather conditions, automatic protection against Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) and prevents collisions+ Complies with SIL-4 safety standards, the highest level of safety integrity globally.

Arab League: The External Affairs Minister met Arab League ministers to strengthen ties+ It is an intergovernmental regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa+ Genesis: Formed in Cairo in 1945, following the adoption of Alexandria Protocol in 1944+ Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt+ Mandate: Strengthening relations between member states, coordination of policies and co-operation on political, security, economic and legal issues+ Membership: 22 countries including Palestine (recognized as a country)+ Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are founding members.