Prime Minister extends greetings to the people of India on Parakram Diwas.

• Parakram Diwas is celebrated on January 23 to commemorate the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
• This year marks the 127th birth anniversary of Bose, fondly known as ‘Netaji’.
• Parakram Diwas aims to instil fearlessness and patriotism, especially among the youth, inspiring them to stand strong in the face of challenges.

Key points about Subhas Chandra Bose

• He was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa.
• In 1920, he passed the civil service examination, but in April 1921, after hearing of the nationalist turmoil in India, he resigned from his position.
• He was an Indian nationalist leader who was a key figure in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule.
• Bose then joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the Indian independence movement.
• President of Indian National Congress: Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi.
• In 1939, he formed the Forward Bloc, an organization aimed at unifying all the anti-British forces in India.
• At the outset of the Second World War, he fled from India and traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India.
• With Japanese assistance, he reorganized and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces.
• Also with Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic, and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, and regrouped, and led the Indian National Army in battle against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

INDIAN – KYRGYZSTAN JOINT SPECIAL FORCES EXERCISE KHANJAR COMMENCES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH.

• Exercise Khanjar was first initiated in December 2011, in Nahan, India.
• It is the 11th edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise.
• It is an annual event conducted alternately in both the countries.
• The Indian Army contingent comprising 20 personnel is being represented by troops from The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and the Kyrgyzstan contingent comprising 20 personnel is represented by Scorpion Brigade.
• Aim of the exercise is to exchange experiences and best practices in Counter Terrorism and Special Forces Operations in Built-up Area and Mountainous Terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter.
• The exercise will emphasise on developing Special Forces skills, advanced techniques of insertion and extraction.
• The exercise will provide an opportunity for both the sides of fortify defence ties while addressing common concerns of international terrorism and extremism.
• The exercise will also accord opportunity to showcase capabilities of cutting edge indigenous defence equipment besides achieving shared security objectives and foster bilateral relations.

With just two speakers, a language in Kannur is on the brink.

• In the remote colony of Kookanam, near Karivellur grama panchayat in Kerala, the Chakaliya community is grappling with the imminent loss of its unique language Madhika.
• Madhika language is a language spoken by the Chakaliya community.
• It does not have script.
• Despite sounding similar to Kannada it can still bewilder listeners due to its diverse influences.
• It is a blend of Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
• It is largely influenced by Havyaka Kannada, an old form of Kannada.
• It is fast becoming extinct with the younger generation opting for Malayalam.

Key facts about Chakaliya community

• The community was nomadic and worshippers of Thiruvenkatramana and Mariamma.
• They migrated to northern Malabar from the hilly regions of Karnataka centuries ago.
• Initially they were recognised as Scheduled Tribe, it was later included in the Scheduled Caste category in Kerala.
• The mention of the community can be found in the book Caste and Tribes of Southern India.

Government of India’s Initiative to preserve languages

• The Government of India has initiated a Scheme known as “Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India” (SPPEL).
• Under this Scheme, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore works on protection, preservation and documentation of all the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by less than 10,000 people which are called endangered languages.

FiloBot, a plant-inspired robot that shoots up like a vine plant.

• A new innovative plant-inspired robot which is named FiloBot has been developed that climbs up structures just like climbing vines.
• FiloBot is different from conventional climbing robots as it doesn’t depend on pre-programmed movements.
• It instead absorbs 3D printing filament through its head and extends its length over time, just like a creeper.
• The team utilised a combination of plant behaviours like phototropism, negative phototropism and gravitropism and utilises these naturally occurring behaviours in high-tech robots.
• The tests for FiloBot have been successful and displayed remarkable adaptability that adjusts its growth trajectory dynamically in response to moving light intensity.

Significance

• By equipping autonomous systems with transportable additive manufacturing techniques merged with bioinspired behavioural strategies, future robots can navigate unstructured and dynamic environments and even be capable of self-building infrastructure.
• This new innovation has opened new potential impact of technology that can be applied in robotics, where adaptability and responsiveness redefine the capabilities of climbing robots.

Other similar innovations

• A similar snake-like robot was unveiled by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which was specifically crafted to work on rough terrains of our solar system’s planets and moons.
• The robot named Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS 1.0) is engineered to navigate diverse landscapes, including ice, sand, cliff walls, deep craters and lava tubes.

Climate impact: Tamil Nadu study links vector-borne scrub typhus cases with high rainfall, humidity.

• According to a new study conducted in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, every millimetre increase in rainfall could lead to a 0.5 to 0.7 per cent rise in monthly scrub typhus cases.
• Scrub Typhus is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
• It is transmitted through infected mites.

Symptoms

• The symptoms typically include fever, headache, body ache and sometimes a rash.
• In severe cases, the infection can lead to respiratory distress, brain and lung inflammation, kidney failure and multi-organ failure, ultimately resulting in death.
• Several factors like vector abundance, climatic factors, exposures like farming and owning domestic animals, outdoor activities and sanitation, affect its prevalence.
• This disease is more prevalent in cooler months.
• In Northeast India, cases of scrub typhus occur from July to November in Manipur, July to October in Sikkim and September to November in Darjeeling.
• It will not spread from person to person.
• Treatment: Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
• There is no vaccine available for this disease.

Key facts about Typhus fever

• Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
• Epidemic typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia prowazeki and it is spread to people through contact with infected body lice.
• Scrub typhusis: It caused due to Orientia tsutsugamushi and spread by chiggers.
• Murine typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas. It occurs in tropical and subtropical climates around the world

Kaziranga’s fauna enhanced as two new mammalian species enlisted.

• The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam has received the addition of two new mammalian species, the elusive binturong (Arctictis binturong) and the small-clawed otter.
• Binturong is the largest civet in India colloquially known as the bearcat.
• Common names: Asian Bearcat and the Asian Civet.
• Scientific name: Arctictis binturong
• It is a generally solitary and nocturnal animal that spends the majority of its time moving about slowly and cautiously amongst the trees.
• It has scent glands which are located just under its tail. These glands are used to mark trees and foliage to outline an individual’s territory.
• It belongs to the same family as other small carnivores including Civets, Genets, Mongooses, and Fossa.
• The binturong is one of only two carnivores that has a prehensile tail. (The other is the kinkajou).
• The prehensile tail acts almost like another leg helping both with climbing, and gripping onto branches to give the Binturong more stability.
• Habitat: It is a medium sized carnivore that is found inhabiting the dense forests of South-East Asia.
• Distribution: China, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and on the island of Borneo.

Conservation status

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix III

Key facts about Small-clawed otter

• It exhibit partially webbed feet and short claws, enhancing their adeptness as hunters in aquatic environments.
• Distribution:
• This mammal boasts a broad distribution range spanning from India eastwards to Southeast Asia and southern China.
• In India, it predominantly inhabits protected areas in West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and certain regions of Kerala within the Western Ghats.
• Habitat: They are primarily found in freshwater habitats, sustaining themselves with a diet comprising fish and crustaceans.
• Threats: Habitat destruction, deforestation, reduction in prey biomass etc.

Conservation status

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix I