Govt. to prepare inventory of land use adjacent to Kolleru wildlife sanctuary

Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is a significant wetland sanctuary located in the West Godavari and Krishna districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
• It was established in November 1999, under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wetland, which gained Ramsar Convention for International importance in 2002.
• It is a crucial wetland ecosystem and serves as a stopover point for migratory birds.
• Flora: The sanctuary''s flora includes various aquatic plants, submerged macrophytes, and wetland vegetation that provide essential food and shelter for the diverse bird species.
• Fauna: Commonly found birds in the sanctuary are: little egret, cattle egret, pied kingfisher, small blue kingfisher, blackcapped kingfisher, pond heron, reef heron, grey heron, night heron, etc.

Kolleru Lake

• It is the largest freshwater lake in India.
• It is located in Andhra Pradesh between the Krishna and Godavari deltas and covers an area of 308 km².
• The lake serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers.
• The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels.
• It serves as a habitat for migratory birds.
• The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India''s Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention.

Putin Claims Russia Successfully Tested a Nuclear-Powered Missile.

Burevestnik Missile

• The Burevestnik, whose name translates as "storm petrel", is a ground-launched, low-flying cruise missile that is not only capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but is also nuclear-powered.
• The Burevestnik is one of six strategic weapons that the Russian President introduced in a 2018 speech.
• It is code-named ‘SSC-X-9 Skyfall’ by NATO.
• In theory, the nuclear energy could let it fly around the world several times before hitting its target.
• Features:
  • It is powered by a small nuclear reactor, which heats up air to propel the missile forward.
  • Its nuclear propulsion gives the missile much longer range than traditional turbojet or turbofan engines that are limited by how much fuel they can carry.
  • It has a range of up to 14,000 miles (22000 km).
  • The missile is also designed to fly at low altitudes, much lower than a conventionally powered cruise missile, which would make it harder for air-defence radar to detect.

Karnataka distributes title deeds to 114 Hakki Pikki, Iruliga tribal people

Hakki Pikki Tribe

• Hakki Pikkis (Hakki in Kannada means ‘bird’ and Pikki means ‘catchers’) are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters.
• It is one of the major tribal communities in Karnataka. They also reside in the Western and Southern states of India, mostly near forest areas.
• The community migrated from Northern India, mainly Gujarat and Rajasthan, and is now mainly concentrated in Shivamogga, Davanagere, and Mysuru district of Karnataka.
• They are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in India.
• Occupation:
  • After the implementation of stricter wildlife laws, the tribe changed its occupation from hunting to selling spices, flowers, Ayurveda formulations, and herbal oils.
  • They now travel globally to sell these products, especially in the African continent, where there is a demand for cheaper alternatives to Western medicine.
• Language:
  • Despite being surrounded by Dravidian languages and living in southern India, the community speaks an Indo-Aryan language.
  • Their mother tongue was designated as ''Vaagri'' by scholars.
  • UNESCO has listed ''Vaagri'' as one of the endangered languages.
• Rituals and customs:
  • The tribe follows Hindu traditions and celebrates Hindu festivals.
  • The tribe prefers cross-cousin marriages. The society is matriarchal, where the groom gives dowry to the bride’s family.
  • The eldest son in a family is not supposed to cut his hair so that he can be identified easily.
  • They are non-vegetarians.

Chungthang dam washed away in Sikkim

Chungthang Dam

• Chungthang Dam, also known as the Chungthang Hydroelectric Project, is a dam and hydroelectric power station located in Chungthang, a town in Sikkim.
• It is an integral part of the 1200 MW mega Teesta Stage III Hydro Electric Project, a major source of electricity for Sikkim and West Bengal.
• It is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project, which was commissioned in 2017.
• The dam had a gross height of 817 metres and a net head of 778 metres, which was used for power generation.

Teesta Stage III Hydro Electric Project:

• It is a 1,200 MW hydro power project.
• It is located on the Teesta river/basin in Sikkim.
• It is a run-of-river project.
• The project’s construction commenced in 2008 and subsequently entered into commercial operation in 2017.

Teesta River

• It is a trans-Himalayan river flowing through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal and, Rangpur in Bangladesh.
• It is a tributary of Brahmaputra River.
• Origin: It originates in the Himalayas and flows through the Indian States of Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh, where it flows into the Brahmaputra.
• It has a total length of about 309 kilometers.
• Main Tributary: Rangeet River

Scientists develop enzyme mimetic with potential applications in wastewater treatment, healthcare

NanoPtA

• The research team synthesised a platinum-containing nanozyme called NanoPtA, which can be converted into powder form for industrial use.
• How it works?
  • When the NanoPtA comes in contact with wastewater, the benzene rings and long alkyl chains present in the molecule form multiple non-covalent interactions.
  • Individual NanoPtA molecules connect together to form tape-like structures that start emitting light, which is the origin of its oxidising capacity.
  • The nanozyme can then degrade pollutants present in wastewater by oxidising them in the presence of sunlight, thereby reducing the toxicity of wastewater.
• The team found that the nanozyme could degrade even small (micromolar) quantities of common effluents like phenols and dyes within ten minutes when placed under sunlight.
• The researchers also found that the NanoPtA complex was quite stable, lasting for up to 75 days at room temperature.
• Applications: The nanozyme can also have applications in healthcare and could be a potentially useful diagnostic tool for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Enzymes

• These are proteins that catalyse a majority of biological reactions in living systems.
• The practical use of natural enzymes is hindered by inherent limitations such as sensitivity to denaturation (breakdown/damage), complex production procedures, high costs, and difficulties in recycling.
• Mass producing these enzymes is an expensive and time-consuming process.
• Another problem is storage – most of the natural enzymes are temperature-sensitive and require storage at cooler temperatures, often as low as -20°C.
• Nano-sized enzyme mimetics or “nanozymes” manufactured in the lab can mimic such natural enzymes and overcome these practical challenges.

How Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan with his ‘Wagh Nakh’

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘wagh nakh’ will be brought back to Maharashtra from a London museum. Literally ‘tiger claws’, the wagh nakh is a mediaeval claw-like dagger which was used across the Indian subcontinent. Designed to either fit over the knuckles or be concealed under the palm, the weapon consisted of four or five curved blades affixed to a glove or a bar of some kind. It was a weapon used for personal defence or stealth attack, and could easily slice through skin and flesh.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

• He was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India.
• He was **born on February 19, 1630,**to Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai in the fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar in the Pune district, Maharashtra.
• With his valor and great administrative skills, Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. It eventually became the genesis of the Maratha Empire.
• After establishing his rule, Shivaji implemented a competent and progressive administration with the help of a disciplined military and a well-established administrative set-up.
• He was known as the Father of the Indian Navy. Shivaji was the first to realise the importance of having a naval force, and therefore he strategically established a navy and forts at the coastline to defend the Konkan side of Maharashtra.
• He was called the ''Mountain Rat'' and was widely known for his guerrilla warfare He was called so because of his awareness of geography of his land and guerrilla tactics like raiding, ambushing, and surprise attacks on his enemies.
• He was a secular ruler who was very accommodating of all religions. He had numerous Muslim soldiers in his army.
• Shivaji was a dependable supporter of women and their honour. Anyone under his rule caught violating woman''s rights was severely punished.
• He had a council of ministers (Asht Pradhan) to advise him on the matters of the state, but he was not bound by it.

India kicking off Ichamati River dredging campaign

Ichamati River

• It is actually a trans-boundary river that flows through India and Bangladesh.
• It acts as a boundary between the two nations.
• It is now in three parts
  • The longer part flows from the Mathabhanga River, a distributary of the Padma, and after flowing for 208 km joins the Kalindi River near Hasnabad in North 24 Parganas and Debhata in Satkhira District.
• Ichhamati River and its tributaries form a large oxbow lake complexin North 24-Paraganas district near Bangaon.

National waterways in India

• To promote Inland Water Transport (IWT) in India, 111 waterways (including 5 existing and 106 new)** have been declared as National Waterways (NWs) under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grant received from Ministry of Shipping.
• The head office of the authority is at Noida.

First-Ever Yak Milk Product Receives Coveted GI Tag

Yak churpi

• It is a dairy product made from the milk of the indigenous Arunachali yak breed.
• It is reared by tribal yak pastoralists known as Brokpas who migrate along with their yaks to higher reaches (at an altitude of 10,000 ft and higher) during summers and descent to mid-altitude mountainous regions during winters.
• These remarkable yaks are primarily found in the West Kameng and Tawang districts of the state.
• Churpi is a naturally fermented dairy product and rich in protein content.
• It is an essential dietary staple for tribal communities inhabiting the cold and mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is often used as a vegetable substitute and is also incorporated into vegetable and meat curries and is commonly consumed with rice.
• This GI tag is going to serve the cause of yak conservation and yak pastoralists’ socio-economic upliftment.
• Yaks are reared in high altitude areas in the Himalayan region but the Arunachali yaks are a unique breed in respect to their body shape, size, strain and weight.
• Arunachali yaks are also the only registered yak breed in India

BlueWalker 3 satellite outshines most stars in the night sky

BlueWalker 3 satellite

• It is a prototype satellite, part of a satellite constellation planned by its owner AST SpaceMobile.
• It was one of the brightest objects in the night sky, outshining all the brightest stars.
• It was launched in September 2022.
• It is the largest-ever commercial communications array deployed in low-Earth orbit and is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies at 5G speeds.
• It uses wavelengths close to those that radio telescopes observe in, the satellite could also hamper radio astronomy.

Satellite constellation

• It is a group of artificial satellites working together as a system.
• Unlike a single satellite, a constellation can provide permanent global or near-global coverage, such that at any time everywhere on Earth at least one satellite is visible.
• Satellites are typically placed in sets of complementary orbital planes and connect to globally distributed ground stations. They may also use inter-satellite communication.