What is the News ?

The Malaviya Mission - Teachers Training Programme, initiated by the University Grants Commission, was recently unveiled at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi by the Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

Facts About:

• The primary objective is to offer customized training programs for educators.
• This initiative is focused on enhancing the capabilities of faculty members in higher education institutions (HEI).
• It is dedicated to achieving continuous professional development and strengthening the skills of 15 lakh HEI teachers across India through 111 Malaviya Mission centers within a specific timeframe.
• The program is designed to elevate the quality of teacher training, foster leadership qualities among educators, and align with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP).
• Capacity building activities under this Mission will be aligned with a credit framework to facilitate career advancement opportunities for teachers.
• Notably, the Indian Knowledge System has been incorporated into the program's modules.
• As part of this initiative, Human Resource Development Centers will undergo a transformation and be renamed as Madan Mohan Malaviya Teachers Training Centers.

What is the News ?

Recently, the Satkosia Tiger Reserve made a distressing discovery of two elephants' severely decomposed remains.

Facts About:

• Location: Situated in the heart of Odisha, this reserve spans across four districts: Angul, Cuttack, Boudh, and Nayagarh. The Mahanadi River flows through the valleys within the reserve.
• Size: Covering an area of 1136.70 sq km, with 523.61 sq km designated as the core area, Satkosia Tiger Reserve is also part of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve.
• Unique Geography: Satkosia serves as the convergence point of two distinctive bio-geographic regions in India: the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.
• Landscape: The terrain here is characterized by hills, featuring moderate to steep slopes and narrow valleys.
• Vegetation: The forest primarily consists of North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and moist peninsular low-level sal.
• Flora: The dominant tree species is sal, forming dense stands. Other associated species include Asan (Terminalia alata), Dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), and Simal (Bombax ceiba).
• Fauna: The reserve is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including tigers, leopards, elephants, spotted deer, sambar deer, chowsingha, barking deer, bison, wild dogs, sloth bears, jackals, giant squirrels, and porcupines. Additionally, it provides a natural habitat for two endangered species: the freshwater crocodile and the gharial.

What is the News ?

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which previously stated its intention to introduce real-time settlement of trades in July, is now considering implementing one-hour settlement of trades as the initial step.

Facts About:

In a one-hour settlement, when an investor sells a share, the money will be deposited into their account within an hour, and the buyer will have the shares in their demat account within an hour.

Trade settlement is a process that involves the transfer of funds and securities on the settlement date.

• It's considered complete when the purchased securities from a listed company are delivered to the buyer, and the seller receives the money.
• Previously, trade settlements followed the T+1 cycle, meaning they occurred within one day or 24 hours of the actual transactions.

This changed in January 2023 when India shifted to the T+1 settlement cycle, making it the second country globally, after China, to adopt this cycle for top-listed securities.

What is the News ?

The Union Minister for Fisheries, Livestock, and Dairying has just revealed plans to boost the population of the Uttar Pradesh state fish Chitala by introducing it into natural water sources like the Ganga through river ranching.

Facts About:

Chitala Fish is a type of predator fish that primarily hunts at night and preys on smaller fish.

Distribution:

• Although it's often reported to inhabit various parts of southern Asia, this species is mainly found in the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, India (particularly in states like Manipur, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar), Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Habitat:

• Chitala Fish is commonly found in major river channels and freshwater lakes but has also been observed in swamps.
• Its primary habitat includes the Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi river basins in India.

Conservation Status:

• According to the IUCN, Chitala Fish is classified as "Near Threatened."

Significance of Chitala’s River Ranching:

• The river ranching initiative has multiple aims, including restoring the aquatic ecosystem's balance, boosting the income of fish farmers, and providing the public with a protein-rich diet.

Additionally, Uttar Pradesh has ongoing projects worth over 1000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

What is the News ?

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) gave the highest Platinum rating to Vijayawada Railway Station, certifying it as a 'Green Railway Station.

Facts About:

• The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and started in 2001.
  • It's India's top certification organization.
• They offer various services like creating new green building rating systems, certification services, and green building training programs.
• IGBC also hosts the Green Building Congress, their main yearly event on green buildings.
• Additionally, it's one of the five countries on the board of the World Green Building Council, where global issues are discussed at events like COP.
• The rating is based on six environmental categories: sustainable station facility, health, hygiene, and sanitation, energy efficiency, water efficiency, smart and green initiatives, and innovation and development.
• Their headquarters is in Hyderabad.