SNIPPETS 06 FEBRUARY 2026

Turtle Trails: The Union Budget 2026–27 proposed developing ‘turtle trails’ along key Olive Ridley nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala to promote eco-tourism+ ‘Turtle trails’ refer to regulated eco-tourism pathways and guided experiences near sea turtle nesting beaches+ Key features:  Guided and regulated access to turtle nesting areas, usually during breeding season+ Public awareness and education on marine biodiversity and conservation+ Community participation, involving local fishers, volunteers and NGOs aimed at promoting conservation awareness, community livelihoods and nature-based tourism

Gravitational Lensing: Astronomers have identified rare “time-warped” supernovas whose light, split by gravitational lensing, has partially reached Earth while the rest is delayed by decades due to space-time distortion+ A supernova is when a star has reached the end of its life and explodes in a brilliant burst of light+ Gravitational Lensing: It occurs when a massive object such as a galaxy cluster behaves like a lens and warps space and time causing light to bend, distort, and magnify as it passes around the massive object.

Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology: Advanced missile propulsion concept that merges the benefits of solid fuel rocket with air-breathing ramjet engines+ A ramjet is a type of air-breathing jet engine that uses the missile’s forward speed to compress incoming air, rather than relying on complex rotating parts like conventional jet engines+ Enables longer engagement range and sustained high-speed cruise+ DRDO has carried out successful demonstration of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha

Project Vault: A public–private stockpiling programme designed to purchase, store, and manage critical minerals and rare earth elements required for strategic civilian and defence industries in the United States+ Launched by: US Government, announced by Donald Trump+ Aim: To secure uninterrupted access to critical minerals during global supply shocks+ To reduce strategic dependence on China, which dominates mineral processing