40 spotted deer translocated from Mysuru Zoo to Kali Tiger Reserve

About Spotted Deer:

• The spotted deer, or chital/ cheetal is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent.
• It is the most common deer species in Indian forests.
• Distribution: It is widely distributed in Asia, especially in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and a small group in Pakistan. 
• Habitat: Subtropical grasslands and forests
• Features:
• With a lifespan of about 20 to 30 years, it stands at about 35 inches tall and weighs about 187 pounds. 
• It is a slightly reddish brown with white spots on its body.
• Only males have antlers, and their bodies are larger than females.
• Spotted Deers are social animals. They commonly occur in herds of 10 to 50 individuals.
• They mainly feed on grasses throughout the year. Their diets include herbs, shrubs, foliage, and fruits.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Key Facts about Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR)

• Location: Kali Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve, is located in the central portion of the Uttara Kannada (North Canara) district of Karnataka state.
• It comprises two important protected areas of the region, viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park.
• Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq. km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq. km) are contiguous to each other and form a single tract of protected area located in the biologically sensitive Western Ghats.
• River: The Kali River, which forms the major source of water for Uttara Kannada, flows through the tiger reserve, hence the name.
• Vegetation: Forests are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys. 
• Flora: The complex floral tapestry comprises hardwood trees like teak, silver oak, Malabar tamarind, Jamba, lantana, bamboo, shrubbery, and dense vegetative undergrowth on the floor.
• Fauna: Prominent species are the Asiatic elephant, tiger, leopard, gaur, chevrotain, spotted deer, barking deer, sloth bear, dhole, jungle and leopard cat, Malabar civet, and giant civet.

Injunction Suit To Protect Possession Not Maintainable When Plaintiff''s Title Is Disputed: Supreme Court

About Injunction:

• In India, an injunction is a legal remedy available to parties who wish to prevent the other party from carrying out a certain action or behaviour. 
• Injunctions can be granted in a variety of situations, such as in cases of intellectual property infringement, breach of contract, or defamation.
• An injunction is a powerful legal tool that acts as a court order requiring a party to do or cease doing specific actions. 
• It plays a crucial role in many legal battles, serving as a preventive measure to stop legal wrongs or as a remedy to enforce rights. 
• Injunctions are a discretionary remedy, and the court will consider various factors before deciding whether to grant an injunction. These factors may include the urgency of the matter, the balance of convenience, and the likelihood of success in the underlying lawsuit.
• Types of Injunctions in India:
• Temporary Injunctions: They are granted to preserve the status quo until a final decision can be reached. These are usually granted at the start of a case and can last for the duration of the legal proceedings.
• Permanent Injunctions: They are granted after the court has made a final determination in the case. They prohibit the defendant from continuing a particular action or behaviour.
• Mandatory Injunctions: They require the defendant to carry out a particular action. They are often granted in cases of breach of contract, where the plaintiff requires the defendant to fulfil their contractual obligations.
• Prohibitory Injunctions: They prohibit the defendant from carrying out a particular action or behaviour. They are often granted in cases of intellectual property infringement or defamation.
• Provision of Injunction in Indian Law:
• Under Indian law, injunctions are governed by the Specific Relief Act, 1963. The act provides for two types of injunctions – temporary injunctions and perpetual injunctions.
• In addition to the Specific Relief Act, injunctions are also governed by the Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
• What happens if the party violates the injunction? If a party violates the injunction, they may be held in contempt of court and could face penalties such as fines or imprisonment.

Nihang Sikh Warriors Join Farmers Protest, Spotted Practising With Spears and Shields

About Nihang Sikhs:

• Nihangs, originally known as Akalis or Akali Nihangs, are a distinct warrior order within the Sikh community, known for their martial traditions, unique attire, and adherence to a specific code of conduct.
• They have a rich history dating back to the times of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru.
• They are easily recognizable by their distinctive blue attire, which includes blue robes, and high turbans adorned with steel quoits (chakrams), and they often carry traditional weapons like swords, spears, and daggers.
• They are highly skilled in Gatka martial arts and have historically served as a dedicated and elite force to protect Sikh shrines and communities.
• Nihangs had a major role in defending the Sikh Panth after the fall of the first Sikh rule (1710-15) when Mughal governors were killing Sikhs and during the onslaught of Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Durrani (1748-65).
• Current Status:
• Nihangs are today divided into several groups, each with its own “chhaoni” (cantonment), but are loosely organised into two “dals” (forces)—Buddha Dal and Taruna Dal, names initially given to the two sections into which the ‘Khalsa’ army was divided in 1733.
• The Buddha Dal has its headquarters at Talvandi Sabo, in Bathinda district, while the principal cantonment of the Taruna Dal Nihangs is at Baba Bakala in Amritsar district.
• Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of the Khalsa, remains the main centre of Nihang gatherings.
• They assemble there in the thousands in March every year to celebrate Hola Mahalla, a Sikh festival introduced by Guru Gobind Singh. 
• On that occasion, they hold tournaments of military skills, including mock battles.

38 exotic birds, animals died at the zoological park in the Statue of Unity complex in 2 years

About the Statue of Unity:

• It was created as a tribute to the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Location: It is located in Gujarat, by the banks of the River Narmada on the River Island of Sadhu Bet, overlooking the Narmada Dam.
• Height: The statue, 182-metre tall, is described as the world’s tallest as it exceeds the height of China’s Spring Temple Buddha by 177 feet.
• The height of 182 metres is kept as the Gujarat state has 182 seats in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
• The statue was built by Indian construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar.
• The state government fully funded the INR 3,050-crore project, covering an area of 20,000 square metres and is surrounded by a 12 square kilometre artificial lake.

By adopting the messages of Guru Ravidas, India moving rapidly on the path of development: PM Modi

About Guru Ravidas:

• Guru Ravidas (1377-1528E.) was a renowned saint known for his contributions to the Bhakti movement.
• His devotional songs and verses made a lasting impact upon the Bhakti Movement.
• Guru Ravidas is also known as Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas.
• He was born in a small village called Seer Govardhanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
• His birthplace is now known as Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan, and it is a major place of pilgrimage for the followers of Guru Ravidas.
• Even though he was born into a poor family, Ravidas became well-known for his teachings about human rights and equality.
• He was the disciple of the revered Brahmin bhakti poet Ramananda.
• He abandoned the saguna (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings and focussed on the nirguna(without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.
• Guru Ravidas was a social reformer, and his teachings were based on gender equality, the abolition of the caste system, social justice, and equality.
• He also became a symbol of opposition to untouchability in society by the higher caste people for the lower caste people.
• He emphasised the philosophy of spiritual freedom.
• He was a well-known poet. 41 of his devotional songs and poems are included in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib.
• Meera Bai, a revered figure in Hindu spiritualism, is said to have considered Guru Ravidas as her spiritual Guru. 
• The Guru''s teachings now form the basis of the Ravidassia sect. Ravidassis believe that Guru Ravidas should be treated as a saint just like the other gurus, as he lived before the first Sikh Guru and his teachings were studied by the Sikh Gurus.
• Guru Ravidas Jayanti is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda visits the country’s largest Tribal festival, the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara at Medaram in Telangana

About Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara:

• It is also known as Medaram Jatara.
• It is a tribal festival honouring the goddesses celebrated in the state of Telangana.
• The festival is a demonstration of tribal devotion, and people from all walks of life join together to commemorate the revolt led by Sammakka and Saralamma, a mother-daughter duo, against imposing taxes on the tribal populace during a period of drought by the Kakatiya rulers in the 12th century.
• Location: Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in Mulugu.
• It is held every two years (biannually). It is celebrated during the time the goddesses of the tribals are believed to visit them.
• Ritual: People offer bangaram/gold (jaggery) of a quantity equal to their weight to the goddesses and take a holy bath in Jampanna Vagu, a tributary to River Godavari.
• Significance: It serves as a platform for understanding and fostering harmony between the people and tribal communities, promoting the preservation of their unique traditions, culture, and heritage on a global scale.

Goa to be 1st state to get World Bank climate fund

About Sub-national Climate Fund:

• It is a global blended finance initiative to develop mid-size climate-resilient infrastructure & nature-based solutions.
• Mission: To invest in subnational climate-smart infrastructure and nature-based solutions delivering measurable and certified climate and sustainable development impact at the local level.
• The model is designed to attract public and private investment and to deliver certified climate and Sustainable Development impacts and Nature-based Solutions. 
• Structure:
• Fund Manager: It is managed by Pegasus Capital.
• Technical assistance: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is responsible for the Technical Assistance component of SCF. 
• Anchor Investor of Concessional Capital: The Green Climate Fund (GCF)
• Governance
• The governance of the Subnational Climate Fund (SCF) includes a High-level Advisory Committee.
• The role of the committee is to advise the SCF Consortium on the best opportunities to invest in regard to the SCF mission, and more widely on the theory of change encompassed by SCF.
• This Committee is composed of well-known experts in their field of expertise in climate science, finance/economies, sector/technical, biodiversity/nature-based solutions, and environmental/social management systems (ESMS).

Solving Crime: How a trial version VPN helped Mumbai cops trace student who sent 5 threat emails to Mukesh Ambani

About Virtual Private Network:

• VPN stands for virtual private network, which establishes a digital connection between your computer and a remote server owned by a VPN provider.
• It creates a point-to-point tunnel that encrypts personal data, masks your IP address, and lets you sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the internet.
• This ensures online experiences are private, protected, and more secure.
• It is
• Virtual because no physical cables are involved in the connection process.
• Private because through this connection, no one else can see your data or browsing activity.
• Networked because multiple devices—your computer and the VPN server—work together to maintain an established link.
• Advantages of VPN
• Secure your data: A VPN connection scrambles your data into code and renders it unreadable to anyone without an encryption key. It hides your browsing activity so that no one else can see it.
• Bypass censorship and surveillance: Some regions may not have access to certain sites or services due to government restrictions, censorship, or surveillance. Location spoofing gives these users the ability to circumvent firewalls, view blocked websites, and move freely online.
• Prevent ISP and third-party tracking: Internet service providers (ISPs) log and track your browsing history through your device''s unique IP address. By routing to a remote VPN server instead of your ISP''s servers, a VPN masks your IP address, prevents ISP tracking, and keeps your personal data private.

A special fund to save Purple Frog, a ‘living fossil’, in the Western Ghats

About Purple Frog:

• It is also known as the Maveli frog or Pignose Frog.
• It is believed to have coexisted with dinosaurs and has similarities to the Sooglossidae family of frogs in Seychelles.
• It is often called a ‘living fossil’ which belongs to the Nasikabatrachidae family.
• Appearance
• It has a bloated body with short stout limbs and is dark purple to greyish in colour.
• It has a small head in comparison to the body length, and an unusually pointed snout.
• Its short and muscular forelimbs with hard palms help it to burrow underground.
• Unlike other frogs, it has very short hind legs, which do not allow it to leap from one spot to another.
• Habitat: This burrow-dwelling frog prefers loose, damp and well-aerated soil close to ponds, ditches or streams.
• Distribution: It is the soil-dwelling frog endemic to selected habitats in the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• The Anamalai hill is one of its prime habitats in Tamil Nadu.
• Tamil Nadu is home to two types of Purple frogs: Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis and Nasikabatrachus bhupathi. 
• It remains underground most of the year except for 2-3 weeks during the monsoon when it comes out to mate.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Endangered
• Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022: Schedule I
• Threats: Habitat loss, road networks through their habitats, and climate change are some of the major threats to their survival.