What is the News ?

The Indian Army has initiated 'Project Naman,' which involves setting up centers to provide support and address concerns for veterans and the families of personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Facts About:

• Project Naman aims to create centers for veterans and the families of fallen personnel to provide assistance and address their concerns.
• The first center will be located in Delhi Cantonment.
• Named 'Naman,' these centers will include a Common Service Centre, offering various government-to-customer services.
• Additionally, they will assist in updating pensioners' accounts on the SPARSH portal for veterans, next of kin, and dependents.

What is the News ?

Recently, the Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a part of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, provided artisans with tool-kits and machinery as part of the 'Gramodyog Vikas Yojna' program.

Facts About:

• Gramodyog Vikas Yojana is a vital part of the Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana and has a mission to advance and enhance village industries through various means such as shared facilities, technological upgrades, training, and more.
  • It encompasses a range of activities associated with different village industries.

Components of the Yojana:

• Research & Development and Product Innovation: This component supports institutions engaged in product development, innovations, design improvements, and diversification processes.
• Capacity Building: It focuses on enhancing the skills and knowledge of staff and artisans through the existing MDTCs (Management Development and Training Centers) and excellence institutions.
• Marketing & Publicity: The Yojana assists village industry institutions in various ways, including preparing product catalogs, industry directories, conducting market research, introducing new marketing techniques, organizing buyer-seller meetings, and arranging exhibitions.
• Target beneficiaries of this program are artisans, unemployed youth, and self-help groups (SHGs).
  • To be eligible, individuals must be traditional artisans with skill and experience in art and craft.

What is the News ?

The report about invasive alien species highlighted that the proliferation of water hyacinth (scientifically known as Pontederia crassipes) in Lake Victoria has had a negative impact on the tilapia fish population.

Facts About:

• It is a common name for some fish species in the family Cichlidae (order Perciformes), which includes a large number of predominantly freshwater species endemic to Africa.
• These fish are primarily found in freshwater environments, such as shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes. They are less commonly found in brackish water.
• In some cases, Tilapia can become problematic invasive species in warm-water habitats like Australia, whether introduced intentionally or accidentally.
  • However, they generally can't survive in cold temperate climates.
• It has emerged as one of the world's most productive and internationally traded food fish.
• Tilapia culture has become economically successful in many parts of the world, and fishery experts have termed tilapia "aquatic chicken" because to its rapid growth and minimal maintenance cultivation.

What is the News ?

A 10-year-old boy was recently killed by a tiger in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve's Metikuppe wildlife region.

Facts About:

Nagarahole Tiger Reserve is located in the Mysore and Kodagu districts of Karnataka.

• Its name, "Nagarahole," means "snake stream" in Kannada, and it's named after a small river that flows through the area, eventually joining the Kabini River.

The reserve is bordered by the Bandipur Tiger Reserve to the southeast and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala to the southwest.

• It's also a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Its history dates back to the time of the Wodeyar dynasty, the former rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore, who used it as an exclusive hunting ground.

• It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 by Coorg State, later becoming a national park in 1988.
• In 1999, it was designated as a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger.

Nagarahole's forests consist mainly of deciduous trees.

The eastern part of the reserve has dry deciduous forests, while the western areas, with higher rainfall, feature tropical moist and semi-evergreen forests.

Throughout the reserve, you'll find swampy areas called 'hadlu,' rich in grasses and sedges, which are favored by herbivores.

The region is known for commercially valuable trees like rosewood, teak, sandalwood, and silver oak.

In terms of wildlife, Nagarahole is home to a diverse range of species, including tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, Asiatic elephants, gaurs, sambar deer, chital deer, muntjacs, and four-horned antelopes, among others.

What is the News ?

Recently, scientists from IIT Roorkee studied dinosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic period. These fossils were discovered in the Thar desert near the Jaisalmer Basin by the Geological Survey of India.

Facts About:

• It is a member of the Dicraeosauridae family and the Diplodocoidea superfamily.
• These are the earliest dicraeosaurid sauropod fossils discovered in India.
• It is the world's oldest known diplodocoid fossil, dating back 167 million years.
• The dinosaur was named Tharosaurus indicus, with Tharo originating from the Thar desert, Saurus from the Greek'sauros', meaning lizard, and indicus from its Indian provenance.
• This family was distinct in that its members were smaller and had shorter necks and tails than other long-necked sauropods.
• Sauropods originally arrived on Earth some 200 million years ago, during the Jurassic period.
• They were one of the most dominating dinosaur clades, surviving until the late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs became extinct.
• According to the experts, dicraeosaurid dinosaur fossils have previously been discovered in North and South America, Africa, and China, but such fossils were unknown from India.