Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is like an oasis in arid Kalyana Karnataka

Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located around the Chandrampalli Dam in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka.
• It was declared a sanctuary in 2011.
• It is the first dry land Wildlife Sanctuary in South India.
• This is the only area in the Hyderabad Karnataka Region with rich floristic diversity
• Vegetation: The Sanctuary has good dry deciduous and Moist deciduous forest in the core with Acacia and Teak plantations on the fringes.
• Flora: Apart from medicinal herbs and trees, species like Red Sanders and Sandalwood are found abundantly.
• Fauna: It is home Black Buck, Common Fox, Four-horned Antelope, Fruit bat, Hyena, Indian Wolf etc. Over 35 species of birds, including Black Drongo, Black-winged Kite, Blossom – headed Parakeet, Blue pigeon, Black-headed Oriole and Grey partridge are also found in this Sanctuary.
• Local Tribes: Chincholi is also home to Lambani Tandas, a protected tribal community that lives in the forests in harmony with nature.

New low-density exoplanet discovered with TESS

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)

• It is a NASA mission to discover exoplanets around nearby bright stars.
• Launch: It was launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket out of Cape Canaveral.
• Orbit: TESS circles Earth in a unique high Earth orbit of 12 to 15 days, which is inclined in a way that the telescope’s sky view is largely free from obstructions by our bright planet and the Moon.
• The prime mission ended on July 4, 2020, and TESS is now on an extended mission.
• TESS is finding planets ranging from small, rocky worlds to giant planets, showcasing the diversity of planets in the galaxy.
• How does TESS find exoplanets?
  • It uses the transit method to detect planets.
  • It looks for periodic dips in stars'' brightnessas planets cross in front of them along our sightline.
  • The larger the planet, the further the drop in brightness during the transit.
  • How long it takes a planet to pass in front of the star and come back tells us the shape of its orbit.
  • This method reveals the diameter of the planet and the size of its orbit. Orbits within a certain range lie in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earth-like world.

Govt extends export benefits under RoDTEP scheme by a year till June 2024

Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme

• It was introduced by the Government as a duty remission scheme on exports and is being implemented from 1st January 2021.
• It was enforced to repeal and reduce taxes for exported products, thereby encouraging the conditions of exported and increasing the amount of exports in the country.
• The scheme will be administered by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
• Tax reimbursement under RODTEP:
  • The Scheme provides a mechanism for reimbursement of taxes, duties and levies, which are currently not being refunded under any other mechanism at the central, state and local level but which are incurred by the export entities in the process of manufacture and distribution of exported products.
  • This does not only include the direct cost incurred by the exporter but also the prior stage cumulative indirect taxes on goods.
• It is a WTO-compliant scheme and follows the global principle that taxes/duties should not be exported.
• RoDTEP replaced the Merchandise Export Incentive Schemes (MIES), in response to the US challenging the Indian export subsidies under the MEIS at the WTO. When the WTO dispute panel ruled against India, RoDTEP was framed to ensure that India remains WTO-compliant, while also supporting low-volume exports of commodities from India.
• Eligibility:
  • It is applicable to all the sectors involved in the export of goods irrespective of their turnover, provided the country of manufacturing of the exported goods should be in India.
  • Such an exporter may either be the merchant or manufacturer exporter. However, such goods should have been directly exported by such a person.
  • Goods exported through e-commerce platforms are also eligible under this scheme.
• Process of Refund:
  • Rebate under the scheme is provided to eligible exporters as a percentage of the freight on board (FOB) value of exports.
  • Remission is issued in the form of transferrable e-scrips (type of certificates with some monetary value) maintained in an electronic credit ledger by the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs).
  • e-scrips can be used for paying basic customs duty on the import of goods or may be transferred electronically to another party.

Freight on Board (FOB)

• Freight on Board (FOB), also referred to as Free on Board, is an international commercial law term published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
• It indicates the point at which the costs and risks of shipped goods shift from the seller to the buyer.
• The buyer is responsible if the goods are damaged or lost while in transit.

Armed Forces Tribunal Chandigarh bar association goes on indefinite strike over transfer of judge

Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT)

• AFT is a military tribunal in India established in 2009 under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007.
• Functions:
  • To provide for the adjudication or trial of disputes and complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrolment and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957 and the Air Force Act, 1950.
  • To provide for appeals arising out of orders, findings or sentences of courts-martial held under the said Acts and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• The Tribunal can also dismiss the appeal if the court martial findings are found to be justified.
• Any appeal by a person against a decision given by the tribunal can only be taken up in the Supreme Court.
• Benches: It has its Principal Bench at New Delhi and eight Regional Benches at Jaipur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi and Mumbai.
• Composition:
  • Each Bench comprises of a Judicial Member and an Administrative Member.
  • The Judicial Members are retired High Court Judges, and Administrative Members are retired Members of the Armed Forces who have held the rank of Major General/ equivalent or above for a period of three years or more.
  • Judge Advocate General (JAG), who has held the appointment for at least one year, are also entitled to be appointed as the Administrative Member.
• Functioning:
  • The Tribunal shall transact their proceedings as per the Armed Forces Tribunal (Procedure) rules, 2008.
  • All proceedings in the Tribunal will be in English.
  • The Tribunal will normally follow the procedure as is practiced in the High Courts of India.

Modified FCRA rules: NGOs to give details of assets created from foreign funds

Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

• It is a law enacted by Parliament to regulate foreign contributions (especially monetary donations) provided by certain individuals or associations to NGOs and others within India.
• The Act, in its consolidating form, was originally passed in 1976 and majorly modified in 2010.
• The Act aims to prevent foreign organisations from influencing electoral politics, social, political, economic, or religious discussions in India for wrong purposes and activities detrimental to the public interest.
• The Act falls under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• ‘Foreign Contribution’ means the donation, delivery or transfer made by any foreign source of any:
  • article (not being an article given to a person as a gift for his/her personal use, the market value of which is not more than one lakh rupees);
  • currency (whether Indian or foreign);
  • security.
• Contributions made by a citizen of India living in another country (e.g. a Non-Resident Indian (NRI)) from his/her personal savings through the normal banking channels, will not be treated as foreign contributions.
• Who can Receive Foreign Contributions? Any person can receive foreign contribution provided:
  • The person has a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, or social programme;
  • The person must have obtained FCRA registration/prior permission from the Central Government and
  • Person includes
    • an individual;
    • a Hindu Undivided Family;
    • an association;
    • a company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013;
• The foreign contribution received has to be utilised only for the purpose for which it has been received, and not more than 20% of the foreign contribution received in a financial year can be utilised to defray administrative expenses.
• The FCRA requires every person or NGO seeking to receive foreign donations to open a bank account for the receipt of foreign funds in the State Bank of India, Delhi.
• Registration under FCRA:
  • It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA.
  • The applicant should not be fictitious or benami and should not have been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in activities aimed at conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another.
  • The registration is initially valid for five years, and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms.
  • Registration can be cancelled if an inquiry finds a false statement in the application. Once the registration of an NGO is cancelled, it is not eligible for re-registration for three years.
  • The ministry also has the power to suspend an NGO’s registration for 180 days pending inquiry and can freeze its funds.
  • All orders of the government can be challenged in the High Court.

How a small strand of RNA is key to fighting cancer

microRNA (miRNA)

• MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that play important roles in regulating gene expression.
• Gene expression refers to whether a particular gene is making too much, too little or the normal amount of its protein at a particular time.
• Molecules of miRNA are found in cells and in the bloodstream.
• They are typically composed of approximately 21 to 24 nucleotides, making them much smaller than messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which carry instructions for protein synthesis. Their small size allows them to bind to specific target mRNAs.
• How does miRNA control gene expression?
  • miRNA controls gene expression mainly by binding with messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cell cytoplasm.
  • Instead of being translated quickly into a protein, the marked mRNA will be either destroyed and its components recycled, or it will be preserved and translated later.
  • So, if the level of a particular microRNA is underexpressed (its level in the cell is abnormally low), the protein it normally regulates may be overexpressed (its level will be unusually high in the cell**); if the microRNA is overexpressed** (its level is unusually high), its protein will be underexpressed (its level will be unusually low).
• Biological Functions:
  • They play critical roles in various biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
  • They are involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis and responding to environmental cues.
• Disease Implications:
  • Alteration in miRNA expression results in changes in the profile of genes involving a range of biological processes, contributing to numerous human disorders.
  • With high stability in human fluids, miRNAs in the circulation are considered as promising biomarkers for diagnosis, as well as prognosis of disease.

RNA

• RNA, or Ribonucleic Acid, is a molecule that plays a central role in various biological processes, particularly in the transfer of genetic information and the synthesis of proteins.
• It is a macromolecule similar to DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) in many ways but differs in its structure and functions.
• RNA is composed of nucleotide units, just like DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA is most often single-stranded.
• Function:
  • The primary function of RNA is to convey genetic information from DNA and use that information to guide the synthesis of proteins.
  • This process involves transcription, where a complementary RNA strand is synthesized based on a DNA template, and translation, where the information encoded in the RNA is used to assemble a specific sequence of amino acids into a protein.

mRNA

• Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of single-stranded RNA involved in protein synthesis.
• mRNA is made from a DNA template during the process of transcription.
• The role of mRNA is to carry protein information from the DNA in a cell’s nucleus to the cell’s cytoplasm(watery interior), where the protein-making machinery reads the mRNA sequence and translates each three-base codon into its corresponding amino acid in a growing protein chain.
• So mRNA really is a form of nucleic acid which helps the human genome, which is coded in DNA, to be read by the cellular machinery.

Govt launches scheme for promoting R&D in Pharma-MedTech Sector

PRIP scheme

• The objective of the scheme is to transform Indian pharmaceuticals sector from cost based to innovation-based growth by strengthening the research infrastructure in the country.
• Aim: To promote industry-academia linkage for R&D in priority areas and to inculcate the culture of quality research and nurture our pool of scientists.
• This will lead to sustained global competitive advantage and contribute to quality employment generation in the country.
• Time period: Five years (2023-24 to 2027-28).
• The scheme has two components-
  • Component A:Strengthening the research infrastructure by establishment of 7 Centre of Excellence (CoEs) at National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs). -These CoEs would be set up in pre identified areas with a financial outlay of Rs 700 Crores.
  • Component B: Promoting research in pharmaceutical sector by encouraging research in six priority areas like New Chemical Entities, Complex generics including biosimilars, medical devices, stem cell therapy, orphan drugs, Anti-microbial resistance etc.,
  • Financial assistance will be provided for the Industries, MSME, SME, Startups working with government institutes and for both in- house and academic research.
  • The component has a financial outlay of Rs.4250 Crores.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award conferred on Waheeda Rehman

Dadasaheb Phalke Award

• It is India''s highest award in the field of cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• The recipients are recognized for their ‘outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema’.
• The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of 10 lakh rupees.
• The award was introduced by the Government of India to commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke''s contribution to Indian cinema, who is popularly known as and often regarded as "the father of Indian cinema".
• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”

5th World Coffee Conference in Bengaluru from Sept 25 to 28

International Coffee Organization

• It was established in 1963 under the aegis of the United Nations and following the approval of the first International Coffee Agreement in 1962.
• The ICO is the only intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing Governments.
• It currently represents 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.
• The mission of the Organization is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all actors in the Global Coffee Value Chain (G-CVC).
• Member countries: 49 (42 coffee exporting and 7 importing countries) 49 Members
• India is a member of this organisation.

Coffee cultivation

• The vast majority of the world’s coffee comprises two species — Coffea Arabica (Arabica) and Coffea Canephora (Robusta).
• Climatic conditions required for coffee production
  • Climate: Hot and humid climate for its growth.
  • Temperature: Ranging between 15°C and 28 °C.
  • **Rainfall:**150 to 250 cm.
  • Soil: Well-drained, loamy soil containing a good deal of humus and minerals like iron and calcium are ideal for coffee cultivation.
  • It is generally grown under shady trees.
  • Dry weather is necessary at the time of ripening of the berries.
  • It is grown on hill slopes at elevations from 600 to 1,600 metres above sea level.
• Coffee growing states in India: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, among which, Karnataka produces the most with over 70% of the total output.

Visual treat in Munnar, with balsams in bloom

Balsam

• It is locally called as Kasithumba and Onappovu.
• It is known as ‘touch-me-not’ because of the bursting of mature seeds and seed distribution.
• They are commonly known by different names including balsams, touch me not, jewel weed etc.
• Distribution
  • It is distributed in the tropical, sub-tropical and northern temperate regions of the world.
  • It is found mainly in India, China and Africa and some parts of Europe and North America.
  • India is home to 220 balsam species in which 135 are found in the southern Western Ghats.
• Anamudi, the highest mountain in the Western Ghats, and the surrounding high ranges are known for the diversity of wild balsams.
• The normal lifecycle of balsams is from June to December.
• The plant mainly grows inside pockets of forest areas.
• This fleshy orophytic herb usually prefers humid habitats and completes the lifecycle in the rainy season
• It is a major indicator species of climate change.