Bar-headed goose tagged in Mongolia spotted at Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary

• They are large pale grey birds which are considered one the world’s highest flying birds.
• They are known for their migration spanning distances of over 1,600 km in a day. They are also known for reaching extreme altitudes of 29,500 feet during their twice-yearly migrations across the Himalayas.
• Scientific name: Anser indicus
• Distribution: Native to central Asia, where the species breeds, they are found in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Japan and other nearby regions.
• Habitat: They breed around lakes and marshes on highland plateaus; winters in lowland wetlands and fields.
• Features:
  • This species is gray and white with two horseshoe-shaped, brownish-black bars on the back of its white head.
  • The bill and legs are pink, orange, or yellow.
• IUCN Status: ‘Least Concern’

16lb baby measuring 2ft long is born via C-section in Brazil

• The term used to describe giant babies is macrosomia (Greek for the large body). Any baby that weighs more than 4kg, regardless of its gestational age, is said to have macrosomia.

Factors that cause Macrosomia

• The mother''s body weight: Obese mothers are more likely to have children with Macrosomia.
• **Mothers with gestational diabetes:**High blood sugar that arises during pregnancy, this increases to between 15 per cent and 45 per cent of births.
• Being older when pregnant also increases the odds of having a baby with macrosomia.
• Overdue pregnancies: Those that run past the typical 40 weeks – also increase the risk of a baby being macrosomic, particularly at 42 weeks or more.
• Previous pregnancies increase the risk of macrosomia because, with each successive pregnancy, birth weight increases.

Impacts of Macrosomic

• Shoulder dystociawhich may cause permanent harm to shoulders of a baby. While the baby is stuck, it cannot breathe and the umbilical cord may be squeezed.
• Mothers are also at increased risk of vaginal tears during delivery, which then increases the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (bleeding)

Data embassies, EXIM Bank subsidiary to propel business

• It is the premier export finance institution of the country.
• It was established by the Government of India, under the Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981
• EXIM Bank wholly owned by the Government of India.
• Services:
  • EXIM Bank provides financial assistance to exporters and importers.
  • It extends Lines of Credit (LOCs) to overseas financial institutions, regional development banks, sovereign governments and other entities overseas, to enable buyers in those countries to import developmental and infrastructure projects, equipment, goods and services from India, on deferred credit terms.
  • It functions as the principal financial institution for coordinating the work of institutions engaged in financing export and import of goods and services with a view to promoting the country''s international trade.
• Structure:
  • The operations of the Bank are governed by a Board of Directors.
  • The Board of Directors consists of a chairman, a managing director, two deputy managing directors; one director each nominated by the Reserve Bank of India; IDBI Bank Ltd. and ECGC Ltd.; and not more than 12 directors nominated by the Central Government.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City):

• Location: It is located in the state of Gujarat, between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, on the bank of river Sabarmati.
• The GIFT city is built on 886 acres and has a multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
• It is home to India’s first International Financial Services Centre(IFSC) and also has Domestic Tariff Area (DTA)
• It aims to be a ‘smart city’ for India’s growing finance and technology sectors.
• It is being developed as a well-planned and technology-enabled smart city having world-class commercial, residential and social facilities of global standards.

Senior Citizen Savings Scheme''s investment limit increased to Rs 30 lakh: Budget 2023

• SCSS was launched with the main aim of providing senior citizens in India a regular income after they attain the age of 60 years old.
• Who is eligible?
  • Indian citizens above the age of 60 years.
  • Retirees in the age bracket of 55-60 years who have opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or Superannuation.
  • Retired defence personnel above 50 years and below 60 years of age.
• Maturity: It has a maturity period of five years. But, a depositor can extend one''s maturity period for another three years.
• Number of accounts: Individuals are allowed to operate more than one account by themselves or open a joint account with their spouse.
• Deposit Limits: Eligible investors can make a lump sum deposit
• Minimum Deposit– Rs. 1,000 (and in multiples thereof)
• Maximum Deposit– Rs. 15 Lakh or the amount received on retirement, whichever is lower(Increased to Rs 30 lakh in Budget 2023).
• Interest Payment: Under SCSS, the interest amount is paid to the accountholders quarterly.
• Premature withdrawal: After one year of opening the account, premature withdrawal is allowed.
• Deposits in SCSS qualify for deduction u/s 80-C of Income Tax Act.

10000 cr allocated for urban infrastructure development fund

• UIDF will be established through the use of priority sector lending shortfall.
• Purpose: The fund will be used by public agencies to create urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
• It will be managed by the National Housing Bank.
• It will be established on the lines of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
• States will be encouraged to leverage resources from the grants of the 15th Finance Commission, as well as existing schemes, to adopt appropriate user charges while accessing the UIDF.

Tier-2 and tier-3 cities

• Cities with a population in the range of 50,000 to 100,000 are classified as tier 2 cities, while those with a population of 20,000 to 50,000 are classified as tier 3 cities.

Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)

• The RIDF was set up by the Government in 1995-96 for financing ongoing rural Infrastructure projects.
• The Fund is maintained by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
• Contribution: Domestic commercial banks contribute to the Fund to the extent of their shortfall in stipulated priority sector lending to agriculture.
• Main Objective: To provide loans to State Governments and State-owned corporations to enable them to complete ongoing rural infrastructure projects.
• Repayment period: Loan to be repaid in equal annual instalments within seven years from the date of withdrawal, including a grace period of two years.

Budget 2023-24: New mission for welfare of PVTGs launched

• The mission will be launched as part of ‘Reaching The Last Mile’, one of the seven Saptarishi priorities enlisted in this year’s Budget.
• The mission will saturate the particularly vulnerable tribal groups with safe housing, clean drinking water, education, nutrition, road and telecom connection and livelihood.
• A Budget of Rs 15,000 crore will be dedicated to this mission in the next three years.
• The scheme will benefit 3.5 lakh tribals.

Saptarishi priorities (seven priorities) enlisted in the 2023-24 budget:

• Inclusive Development
• Reaching the Last Mile
• Infrastructure and Investment
• Unleashing the Potential
• Green Growth
• Youth Power
• Financial Sector

PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups)

• PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups who are in need of greater support and development.
• Out of the 705 Scheduled Tribes in India, 75 have been identified as PVTGs and are spread across 17 states and one Union Territory.
• Government of India follows the following criteria for identification of PVTGs
  • Pre-agricultural level of technology
  • Low level of literacy
  • Economic backwardness
  • A declining or stagnant population.
• In 1975, the Government of India initiated to identify the most vulnerable tribal groups as a separate category called PVTGs and declared 52 such groups.
• An additional 23 groups were added to the category in 1993.
• Some Examples: Cholanaikayan (Kerala), Kathodi (Gujarat), Jarawas (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Koraga (Karnataka)

Nasa''s Juno probe loses over 200 images of Jupiter after camera glitch

• JUNO is an acronym for Jupiter Near-polar Orbiter
• It was launched in 2011, the Juno spacecraft initially embarked on a 5-year journey to the largest planet in our solar system.
• Towards the end of its primary mission, the spacecraft’s objectives evolved, and it transitioned into a full Jupiter system explorer with flybys of Jovian moons.
• Goal: Understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter, look for a solid planetary core, map the magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe auroras.

Jupiter

• Jupiter, a gas giant planet covered in thick red, brown, yellow and white clouds, boasts a diameter of about 89,000 miles.
• Interior models based on Juno data indicated Jupiter has a large "diluted" core representing about 5 to 15 % of the planet''s mass comprised of rocky and icy material unexpectedly mixed with light elements like hydrogen and helium.
• It has three moons Ganymede, Europa and

Selena Gomez reveals why her hands were ''shaky'' in new video

• Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system starts attacking your own tissues and organs.
• The condition primarily affects the kidney, but it also has an impact on the skin, blood vessels, connective tissue, heart, brain, and nearly every other organ.
• It is treated by immunosuppression via drugs such as mycophenolate, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, rituximab
• The SLEDAI disease activity index is used for the prognosis of this disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI)

• It is a global index that was developed and introduced in 1985 as a clinical index for the assessment of lupus disease activity in the preceding 10 days.
• It consists of 24 weighted clinical and laboratory variables of nine organ systems.

Lupus

• When people talk about lupus, they’re usually talking about systemic lupus. But there are four kinds of lupus:
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): The most common form of lupus.
  • Cutaneous lupus: A form of lupus that is limited to the skin.
  • Drug-induced lupus: A lupus-like disease caused by certain prescription drugs.
  • Neonatal lupus: A rare condition that affects infants of women who have lupus.

UNEP-managed CITES database reveals red sanders smuggling

• It is a flora species that are endemic to a distinct tract of forests in the Eastern Ghats region of Andhra Pradesh.
• Geographical conditions required: It usually grows in rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red Soil and a hot and dry climate.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule IV

CITES

• It is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily.
• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). It entered into force in July 1975.
• It aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws.
• The CITES Secretariat is administered by UNEP and is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference of the Parties to CITES is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its parties.

Adani group companies continue to be under pressure, most stocks locked in lower circuit

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) implemented index-based market-wide circuit breakers in June 2001.
• Circuit breakers are triggered to prevent markets from crashing due to a panic-induced sale of stocks.
• This can occur for a variety of reasons, leading to stockholders in the market believing that their stocks are overvalued. As a result, they engage in a sell-off.
• Circuit breakers temporarily halt trading, thereby halting the sell-off.
• Circuit-breakers effectively limit how much a stock''s value can fall in a single day/trading session, resulting in a more stable market overall.
• This index-based market-wide circuit breaker system applies at three stages of the index movement, at 10, 15 and 20 per cent.
• When triggered, these circuit breakers bring about a coordinated trading halt in all equity and equity derivative markets nationwide.