Is the Great Indian Bustard on the verge of local extinction?

About Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• It lies between the Nallamala and Yerramalla hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats.
• It was declared a sanctuary in 1988 to protect the dwindling populations of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
• Uniqueness: It is the only GIB Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh.
• It owes its genesis to the discovery of the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
• Flora: About 32 species of grassed like Aristida funiculata, Chrysopogon fulvus, Heteropogon contortus, like Cassia fistula (Golden shower tree), Butea monosperma (Flame of the forest), Acacia spp, Ziziphus mauritiana, etc.
• Fauna:
• The grassland Sanctuary is rich in invertebrate fauna particularly the insects that form a major part of the diet of most of the birds.
• Land monitor lizards, Geckos, Skinks, Saw-scaled vipers; etc. So far about 6 species of amphibians have been recorded here.
• There are about 124 bird species like the Lesser florican, Demoiselle crane, Black stork, White stork, Harriers, etc;
• These plains are also home to endangered mammals like the Golden jackal, Indian wolf, Blackbuck, Chinkara, etc.

C-DOT and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) signed an agreement for ‘Developing Prototypes for 10-Gigabit-capable symmetric passive optical Network (i.e., XGS-PON) Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Unit (ONU)

About the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme:

• It has been notified for domestic companies and institutions involved in the technology design, development, and commercialization of telecommunication products and solutions to enable affordable broadband and mobile services in rural and remote areas.
• It was launched by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a body under the Department of Telecommunications.
• Aims
• To fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications and form synergies among academia, start-ups, research institutes, and the industry to build and develop the telecom ecosystem.
• To promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, boost export opportunities and creation of Intellectual Property.
• Under the scheme, USOF is also targeting to develop standards to meet countrywide requirements and create the ecosystem for research, design, prototyping, use cases, pilots, and proof of concept testing, among others.
• The scheme entails grants to Indian entities to encourage and induct indigenous technologies tailor-made to meet domestic needs.
• Project Period:
• Project timelines are generally up to two years.
• However, it may be decided project-wise in consultation with the applicant as per the terms and conditions of the agreement.
• Extension of six months each at a time may be granted at the sole discretion of USOF/DoT.

What is OLT?

• The Optical Line Terminal (OLT) is a key component in passive optical network (PON) architecture, serving as the central point that connects the optical network to the wider service provider network.
• In the context of XGS-PON, the OLT would be capable of handling symmetrical 10-gigabit speeds for both upstream and downstream data transmission.

What is ONU?

• The Optical Network Unit (ONU) is located at the customer premises, connecting the customer''s network equipment (such as routers or computers) to the wider optical network.

Sangeet Natak Akademi to have South India centre in Hyderabad

About Sangeet Natak Akademi:

• It is India’s national academy of music, dance and drama.
• It was created by a resolution of the Ministry of Education, with P.V. Rajamannar as its first Chairman.
• It was set up in 1953 for the preservation and promotion of the vast intangible heritage of India’s diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and drama.
• Presently, it is an Autonomous Body of the Ministry of Culture.
• The Chairman of the Akademi is appointed by the President of India for a term of five years.
• It is fully funded by the Government for the implementation of its schemes and programmes.
• Aims and objectives:
• To coordinate the activities of regional or State Academies of dance, drama and music;
• To promote research in the fields of Indian dance, drama and music and for this purpose, to establish a library and museum, etc.;
• To co-operate with such similar academies as there may be and other institutions and associations for the furtherance of its objectives and for the enrichment of Indian culture as a whole;
• To encourage the exchange of ideas and enrichment of techniques between the different regions in regard to the arts of dance, drama and music;
• To encourage, where necessary, the establishment of theatre centres, on the basis of regional languages, and cooperation among different theatre centres;
• The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards are the highest national recognition conferred on practising artists.
• The Akademi also confers Fellowships on eminent artists and scholars of music, dance and drama; and has in 2006 instituted annual awards to young artists – the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.

SWATI (Science for Women-A Technology & Innovation) Portal launched in New Delhi to create a single online portal representing Indian Women and Girls in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine)

About SWATI Portal:

• It is aimed at creating a single online portal representing Indian Women and Girls in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine).
• The database of the SWATI Portal will serve in policy-making to address the challenges of Gender-gap.
• The Portal is a complete interactive database; and the first of its kind in India which is developed, hosted and maintained by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi. 
• Objectives:
• To scale up the effort exponentially to include each and every Indian woman in science (WiS), across all career stages and subjects, spanning both Academia and the Industry enabling reliable and statistically significant long-term research on the issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity in India;
• Inclusion of each and every Indian WiS, career stages, and subjects, spanning both Academia and the Industry; Enabling reliable and statistically significant long-term research on the issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity in India, developing active search engine and searchable database (Name, Affiliation, Area of Interest).
• The various Sections in the portal include Icons - Awardees (Padma / Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar / Stree Shakti Science Samman) & Directors, Secretaries Academy Presidents; Faculty- Indian Universities, Autonomous organisations including S&T Ministry/ CSIR/ DBT/ DST/ CSIR/ MHRD/ UGC/ GATI/ KIRAN

UPI services to be launched in Sri Lanka, Mauritius on Monday

About Unified Payments Interface (UPI):

• The UPI is a digital and real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• It was launched on April 11, 2016.
• It is designed to enable peer-to-peer inter-bank transfers through a single two-click factor authentication process. 
• Features:
• Unlike traditional methods, UPI simplifies transfers using the recipient''s UPI ID, be it a mobile number, QR code, or Virtual Payment Address, eliminating account numbers.
• It eliminates the need to enter bank details or other sensitive information each time a customer initiates a transaction.
• A consistent UPI transaction PIN across apps enhances cross-operability, enabling 24/7 transactions.
• UPI operates as a digital public infrastructure, allowing seamless interactions for all players, including merchants and customers, without transaction costs.
• UPI uses technologies like the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and the Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to ensure that payments between accounts go smoothly.
• It facilitates push (pay) and pull (receive) transactions and even works for over-the-counter or barcode payments, as well as for multiple recurring payments such as utility bills, school fees, and other subscriptions.
• It also works with "Peer-to-Peer" requests, which can be scheduled and paid for based on need and convenience.

PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi during his two-day visit starting Feb 13

About Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS):

• BAPS is a socio-spiritual Hindu faith with its roots in the Vedas.
• It is based on the Vedic teachings propagated by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830 CE).
• It was formally established in 1907 CE by Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj. 
• Founded on the pillars of practical spirituality, the BAPS reaches out far and wide to address spiritual, moral and social challenges and issues.
• No Alcohol, No Addictions, No Adultery, No Meat, No Impurity of body and mind are the five-lifetime vows of BAPS followers.
• Its global network of mandirs and centres hosts many moral, social, cultural, and spiritual activities.
• Education and women development are other focus areas, with many schools, hostels, and community development activities targeted at women being managed by BAPS. 
• It is also engaged in a variety of humanitarian activities that include services in times of natural calamities, primary schools, students’ hostels, hospitals, diagnostic camps, anti-addiction drives, environment-awareness programs, tribal uplift, and literacy campaigns.
• BAPS is an NGO with a Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. 

Six Forest Staff Suspended For Negligence

About Kawal Tiger Reserve:

• Location:
• It is located in the northeastern part of Telangana(Old Adilabad district), with the Godavari River on one side and the Maharashtra border on the other.
• It forms part of the Deccan peninsula-central highlands.
• The government of India declared Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary a Tiger Reserve in 2012.
• Rivers: The reserve is the catchment for the rivers Godavari and Kadam, which flow towards the south of the sanctuary.
• Geographically, the reserve is situated at the southernmost tip of the Central Indian Tiger Landscape, having linkages with the Tadoba-Andhari (Maharashtra) and Indravati (Chhattisgarh) tiger reserves.
• Habitat: It has diverse habitats comprising dense forests, grasslands, open areas, rivers, streams and water bodies.
• Vegetation: Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest.
• Flora:
• Teak is found extensively, along with Bamboo.
• As many as 673 plant species have been recorded, and the important ones are Anogeissus latifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Terminalia crenulata, Terminalia arjuna, Boswellia serrata, etc.
• Fauna:
• It has a faunal diversity which is typical of the Deccan Plateau.
• The major wild animals include nilgai, chousingha, chinkara, black buck, sambar, spotted deer, wild dog, wolf, jackal, fox, tiger, leopard, and jungle cat.