Concerns raised over decimation of green cover in Cauvery basin: NGT issues notice to southern states.

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has served notices to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments, based on a report by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) that has highlighted the massive reduction of green cover in the Cauvery basin over the past five decades.
• Cauvery basin extends over states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry.
• It is bounded by the Western Ghats on the west, by the Eastern Ghats on the east and the south, and by the ridges separating it from Krishna basin and Pennar basin on the north.
• The Cauvery River is one of the major rivers of the peninsula.
• Origin: It rises at an elevation of 1,341 m at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range near Cherangala village of Kodagu district of Karnataka.
• The river drains into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu.
• Major left bank tributaries: Harangi, the Hemavati, the Shimsha and the Arkavati.
• Major right bank tributaries: Lakshmantirtha, the Kabbani, the Suvarnavati, the Bhavani, the Noyil and the Amaravati.
• The basin can be divided into three parts – the Western Ghats, the Plateau of Mysore and the Delta.
• The delta area is the most fertile tract in the basin.
• The principal soil types found in the basin are black soils, red soils, laterites, alluvial soils, forest soils and mixed soils. Red soils occupy large areas in the basin. Alluvial soils are found in the delta areas.
• National Parks in this basin: Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park and Bannerghatta National Park.

How do flights land safely despite fog and low visibility? The wizardry tech that makes it possible!

• Thick mist which hampers flight operations, necessitating the reliance on instruments like the “Instrument Landing System” (ILS) to navigate through the obscured surroundings.
• Instrument Landing System is a ground-based radio navigation system that provides pilots with accurate information about their aircraft''s position and alignment with the runway.
• It comprises two main components, the localiser, and the glide slope.
• The localizer ensures lateral alignment, guiding the aircraft along the correct azimuth toward the runway centerline.
• Simultaneously, the glide slope provides vertical guidance, aiding pilots in maintaining the proper descent angle for a safe landing.
• It guides pilots along both horizontal and vertical axes, aiding them in maintaining the correct approach path during low-visibility conditions.
• With the help of ILS systems, pilots are able to understand how their aircraft is positioned with respect to an airport runway without needing to physically see it.
• This system warns pilots in case their jets are not flying to meet the runway''s centreline.
• It will also warn pilots in case their jets are too low or too high and thus, at the risk of undershooting or overshooting the runway.
• Both of these tasks performed by the Instrument Landing System are crucial in ensuring landing in cases where the pilots aren''t able to see the runway clearly.
• In addition to ILS, modern aircraft are equipped with advanced avionics and autopilot systems that enhance precision during foggy landings.
• These systems, often coupled with radar altimeters, help maintain a stable descent and ensure the aircraft follows the designated glide path with minimal reliance on external visibility.
• It is a standard International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) precision landing aid that is used to provide accurate azimuth (angular measurement in a spherical coordinate system) and descent guidance signals for guidance to flight for landing on the runway under adverse weather conditions.

MAIDEN INDIAN NAVY – ROYAL THAI NAVY BILATERAL EXERCISE AND 36TH EDITION OF INDO-THAI COORDINATED PATROL.

• The IndIa-Thailand Bilateral Exercise is being named as ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which literally translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or ‘Undefeatable’.
• It symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries.
• Indigenously built Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise.
• With the institution of a Bilateral Exercise, both navies have taken a step towards strengthening operational synergy and progressively increasing the exercise complexity.
• During the maiden edition of the exercise, participating units from both navies conducted surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firing, seamanship evolutions and tactical manoeuvres.
• The 36th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise.
• Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies participated in the Sea Phase of the exercise.
• As part of Government of India''s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security.
• The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have maintained a close and friendly relationship which has strengthened over the years.

Listen to your gut – it may be telling you something about your heart.

• Scientists are finding that the gut microbiota may be linked to heart health, some cancers, and even the colour of urine.
• The human gut microbiota refers to the trillions of microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, that live in the human gut.
• Previously, people referred to the gut microbiota as the microflora of the gut.
• The gut microbiome is the environment they live in.

Establishment of the human gut microbiota:

• Infants inherit their first gut microbes during vaginal delivery or breastfeeding (chestfeeding).
• Later, your diet and other environmental exposures introduce new microbes to your biome.

The gut microbiota assists in a range of bodily functions, including:

• harvesting energy from digested food
• protecting against pathogens
• regulating immune function
• strengthening the biochemical barriers of the gut and intestine
• Changes in microbiota composition can affect these functions.

Disease:

• While there are beneficial bacteria in the gut, there are also harmful bacteria that can enter the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cause infection.
• These infections include food poisoning and other GI diseases that result in diarrhoea and vomiting.
• Research suggests that bacterial populations in the GI system play a role in developing gut conditions, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Low microbial diversity in the gut also has links to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• The status of the gut microbiota also has links to metabolic syndrome.
• Disturbing the microbiota with antibiotics can also lead to disease, including infections that become resistant to antibiotics.

Govt cuts windfall tax on crude petroleum to Rs 1,700 a tonne.

• India cut its windfall tax on petroleum crude to 1,700 rupees ($20.53) a tonne from 2,300 rupees a tonne, according to a recent government notification.
• Windfall Tax is a tax levied by governments against certain industries when economic conditions allow those industries to experience significantly above-average profits.
• The term “windfall” refers to an unexpected rise in profits, and the tax on windfall gains is known as the windfall tax.

When is it imposed?

• When the government notices a sudden increase in an industry''s revenue, they impose this tax.
• However, these revenues cannot be linked to anything the company actively pursues, such as its business strategy or expansion.
• Rather, it is related to a one-off external event for which the business is not responsible.
• Consequently, a Windfall Tax is imposed on an industry''s profits when it experiences a sharp increase in revenue due to unrelated external events.
• A recent example is the sudden rise in the profits of the oil and gas industries due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• The unexpected windfalls are taxed by the government over and above the normal tax rates.
• The most common industries that fall target to windfall gains tax include oil, gas, and mining.

Purpose:

• Redistribution of unexpected gains when high prices benefit producers at the expense of consumers;
• To fund social welfare schemes;
• As a supplementary revenue stream for the government;
• As a way for the Government to narrow the country’s widening trade deficit.

Union Budget 2024: What is the difference between an Interim Budget and vote-on-account?

• The Finance Minister is all set to present her sixth Budget in a row and since it is a general elections year, the government will be allowed only to present an Interim Budget or Vote-on-account instead of a regular full Budget.
• An interim budget serves as a framework for managing provisional expenditures over a short duration, usually spanning a few months, until a new government takes office at the central level.
• An interim budget generally includes the current state of the economy, plan and non-plan expenditures and receipts, changes in tax rates, revised estimates of the current financial year, and estimates for the coming financial year.
• Despite being presented for the entire year, similar to a regular budget, the interim budget is subject to constraints imposed by the Election Commission. These constraints aim to prevent the government from implementing policies that could unduly influence the general public before the commencement of voting.
• The Parliament passes a Vote-on-account to meet essential expenditures such as salaries of central government staff, funding of ongoing projects, and other government expenditures. In other words, it accounts for only expenditures to be borne by the outgoing government for a period of two months, which may be extended to four months on special circumstances.
• The interim budget serves as a financial plan during a transitional period, typically when there are only a few months left in the current government''s tenure. The vote-on-account can be approved within the framework of the interim budget.
• Like a full budget, an interim budget will be discussed and passed in the Lok Sabha, and in the case of a vote-on-account, it will be passed without any formal discussion as such.
• An interim budget can propose changes in the tax regime, whereas a vote-on-account cannot change the tax regime under any circumstances.
• Vote-On-Account is a parliamentary approval for withdrawing money from the Consolidated Fund of India from April to June/July or until the new Government presents its full-fledged budget. It can be termed an advance grant, interim arrangement, and authorisation for the outgoing government to draw the money from the above-said fund and meet short-term expenditures.
• As far as validity is concerned, the interim budget is valid throughout the year whereas the vote-on-account is valid only for a period of two to four months.