03 June 2022 – Current Affairs

India-Senegal Agreement

(Paper 2 International Relations, Issues)

Why in News?

Recently, India-Senegal signed three MoUs, let’s know about it.

Key Points –

• The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu arrived  in Senegal yesterday where he was received by the External Affairs Minister, Ms. Esata Tal Sal on behalf of Senegal at Dakar Airport.
• It is worth mentioning that the Vice President is on a three-nation visit (Gabon, Senegal and Qatar). This is Senegal’s first high-level visit to India and it comes at a time when the two countries  are celebrating 60  years of their diplomatic relations.
• In the capital Dakar, Shri Naidu led delegation level talks with His Excellency Mr. Mackie Sail, president of Senegal and assured Senegal  of India’s continued commitment to support the socio-economic development of Senegal through bilateral, regional and international frameworks.
• During these negotiations, three MoUs were signed by the two sides to further strengthen the bilateral partnership in various fields. Dr Bharti Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Ms Esata Tal Sal, Minister of External Affairs of Senegal, signed and exchanged mous in dakar in the presence of Vice President Naidu and the President of Senegal. The three agreements are as follows:
• Visa-free arrangement –
• The first MoU deals with visa-free arrangements for holders of diplomatic and  official passports, which will strengthen cooperation between the two countries through the smooth visit of officials/diplomats.

• Cultural Exchange Programme –
• The second agreement relates to the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the period 2022-26. Appreciating the richness of Indian and Senegalese culture, Shri Naidu expressed confidence that with the renewal of CEP, cultural exchanges will be more, thereby strengthening people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

• Bilateral cooperation in youth affairs –
• The third MoU deals with enhancing bilateral cooperation in youth affairs. Acknowledging that both India and Senegal are countries with relatively young populations, the Vice President expressed confidence that the MoU  would be mutually beneficial for both the countries through exchange of information, knowledge, good practices and youth.

About Senegal –

• Senegal officially the Republic of Senegal is a country in, West Africa.
• The country is surrounded by Mauritania in the north, Mali in the east, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau in the southwest.
• It is named after the Senegal River, which borders it to the east and north.
• Senegal was officially colonized by France in 1677 and was liberated on 4 April 1960. The official language here is French. The official currency here is the CFA franc.
• The African country of Gambia, is surrounded by Senegal almost. Senegal also shares a maritime border with Cape Verde.
• The major ethnic groups in Senegal are the Wolof and the Phula.
• Dakar is the capital and major port of Senegal. It is located at the western end of the Cape Vert Peninsula between the Senegal River and the Gabia River and is the westernmost city in the Old World. This city is of great importance. There are also air force and naval bases here.
• The majority of the population here lives in coastal areas and works in agriculture or other food industries. Other major industries include mining, tourism and services. Senegal is also one of the best developed tourist industries in Africa. Senegal relies heavily on foreign aid. It is a member of the WTO.
• The highest mountain in Senegal is Sambaya Kedaugou, which has a height of 395 metres, while the largest river in Senegal is the Senegal River, which has a length of 1,086 km.

Source – PIB

Greater Panna Landscape Plan

(Paper 3)

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti released the Integrated Landscape Management Plan for Greater Panna Landscape.

Key Points –

• Shri Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti released the final report of the Integrated Landscape Management Plan for Greater Panna Landscape in the presence of officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and other concerned organizations.
• It may be mentioned that this integrated landscape management plan has been prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in connection with the Ken-Betwa link project. The project team, led by Dr. K. Ramesh, Scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, carried out extensive field work using advanced scientific tools and techniques, analysed data and presented detailed information about location-specific for implementation of the proposed activities.
• The Integrated Landscape Management Plan has provisions for better habitat conservation and management of major species like tiger, vulture and gharial. It will help to consolidate the landscape holistically for biodiversity conservation and human welfare, especially forest dependent communities.
• This is expected to enhance the capacity to hold tigers in this landscape by strengthening connectivity with Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.
• It may be mentioned that this integrated landscap management plan has been prepared in the context of the Ken-Betwa link project which has been signed in the presence of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,  after signing a historic agreement between the Union Minister of Water and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on 22nd March, 2021, for its implementation in December,   It was approved by the Government of India in 2021.  
• Significantly, this project is a major project connecting the rivers run by the central government. The agreement marks the beginning of inter-state cooperation to address former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision to link rivers and bring water from its surplus areas to deficit or drought-hit areas.
• The project will help in tackling the problem of water scarcity in bundelkhand region spread over both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The project will greatly benefit Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur districts of Uttar Pradesh.

About Ken-Betwa Link Project –

• Ken-Betwa Link Project is a river linking project under which ken river of Madhya Pradesh and Betwa river of Uttar Pradesh will be connected.
• Under this, the Ken water will be stopped by constructing a dam at Dhodhan (Panna). By constructing a canal of about 221 km  from here, the water of Ken will be released into the Betwa river from Baruasagar (Jhansi, UP). 
• It may be recalled that on March 22, 2021, a historic agreement was signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement this first major central project of inter-linking of rivers in the country.
• It may be mentioned that the total cost of the Ken-Betwa link project has been estimated at Rs 44,605  crore,  based on the prices of 2020-21, 90% of its expenditure will be borne by the central government. The Union Cabinet has sanctioned  an amount of Rs 39,317 crore as central support, Rs 36,290  crore as grant-in-aid and Rs 3,027  crore as loan for the project.

Profit –

• In the first phase of the project, water will be stopped by constructing a dam near Dhodan village on the Ken river. This water will be transported to betwa river through the canal. At the same time, in the second phase, 4  dams will be built in Vidisha district on betwa river. Along with this, dams will also be constructed at Bina river district Sagar and Ur river district Shivpuri, a tributary of Betwa.
• The project  will provide annual irrigation of 10 lakh hectares of land, provide drinking water to a population of about 62  lakh and generate 103 MW of hydro power and 27 MW of solar energy. The project is proposed to be implemented in eight years with excellent technology.
• This project is very beneficial for the bundelkhand region which is facing water scarcity. The entire area is spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The project will greatly benefit Panna, Tikamgarh, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh.
• The project is likely to accelerate socio-economic prosperity in the backward region of Bundelkhand with the increase in agricultural activities and employment generation. This will also help in preventing displacement due to the crisis in the region.
• Environmental management and protection will be possible overall with this project. For this purpose, a holistic landscape management plan is being finalized by the Wildlife Institute of India.

Source – PIB

Incentive Scheme for MSMEs in North Eastern Region and Sikkim

(Paper 3 Economics)

Why in News?

Recently, the Central Government issued new guidelines for the Central Sector Scheme “Incentives to MSMEs in north-eastern region and Sikkim” to increase production and competitiveness.

Key Points –

• The central government has approved new guidelines for the central sector scheme “Incentives to MSMEs in  north-eastern region and Sikkim”.  It may be mentioned that this scheme  will be implemented during the 15thFinance Commission period (2021-22 to 2025-26).  
• The scheme is envisaged to provide financial assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the North Eastern Region and Sikkim keeping in view their capacity building as well as enhancing production and competitiveness. The plan has the following components;

Establishment of new mini-technology centres and modernization of existing centres:

• The Scheme envisages financial assistance to State Governments for setting up new and modernization of existing Mini Technology Centres.
• Projects for creation of common facilities to supplement manufacturing, testing, packaging, R&D, product and process innovations and training for natural resources such as fruits, spices, agriculture, forestry, sericulture and bamboo etc. available in NER and Sikkim would be given priority.
• The financial assistance of Central Government will be 90%. The projects with total project cost more than Rs. 15.00 crore, will also be considered but maximum assistance shall be limited to Rs. 13.50 crore.

Development of new and existing industrial estates:

• Financial assistance will be provided by the Central Government for development of new and existing industrial estates, flat factory complexes. The government’s financial assistance  will be 90%.
• The maximum project cost for calculating financial assistance in terms of development of new industrial estate will be Rs 15.00 crore, while the financial assistance for development of existing industrial estate  will be Rs 10.00 crore.
• Projects with total project costs of more than Rs 10.00/15.00 crore will also be considered, but the maximum assistance  will be limited to Rs 9.00/13.50 crore corresponding to the project  .

Development of tourism sector:

• Under the scheme, projects related to construction of common services like kitchen, bakery, laundry and dry cleaning, refrigeration and cold storage, IT infra, potable water, display centres for local products, centres for cultural activities etc. can be considered in a group of home stays.
• Projects should be associated with local MSEs. The central government’s financial assistance will be 90% and the maximum assistance amount for the projects will be  limited to Rs 4.50 crore.

Source – PIB

Residential Education Scheme “Shreshtha”

(Paper 2 Health, Education, Human Resources)

Why in News?

Today, on June 3, 2022, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar  launched the  Residential Education Scheme (Shreshtha) for students of high schools in the targeted areas, let’s know about it

Key Points –

• As per the Constitution, the Residential Education Scheme (Shreshtha) has been formulated for students in the targeted areas with the objective of providing quality education and opportunities to the poorest students of scheduled castes.
• It is worth mentioning that for a long time, students from the Scheduled Caste communities, who were victims of inequality, were kept away from quality education and a situation persisted in which the loss of lack of adequate education lasted for generations.
• Government efforts to spread educational facilities without any discrimination have done well in achieving almost universal access. However, the purpose of providing access to quality education that provides an equal opportunity is still far from reality. That is why the Housing Education Scheme (Shreshtha) has been launched by the Central Government.

The main features –

• The Residential Education Scheme (Shreshtha) for students in high schools in the targeted areas envisages providing free residential education from class 9th to class 12th to meritorious poor students from sc communities whose parents have an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh.
• Under this, each year a specified number of meritorious SC students (Approx 3000) in States / UTs are selected through a transparent mechanism of a National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS) , conducted by the National Testing Agency ( NTA ). Selected students are admitted in the Best Private Residential Schools, affiliated by CBSE, in classes 9th and 11th for completion of education till 12th standard.
• Thereafter, the students may be connected to Post Metric Scholarship Scheme or Top – Class Education Scheme of the Ministry to continue their further studies with adequate financial aid from the Government of India.
• For selection of Schools, the Ministry through a committee with the representative of Ministry of Education and CBSE and Finance Division of the Department , has selected the best performing private residential schools affiliated with the CBSE , based on certain parameters such as
• Schools is in existence for at least for last 5 years ,
• Boards results of the schools were more than 75 % in Class 10 and 12 for the last 3 years, and
• the Schools have adequate infrastructure for admitting additional at SC students in classes 9th and 11th .
• For ensuring the quality of students in the scheme , the Department has decided to seek the students based on All India Entrance Examination from the National Testing Agency ( NTA ), which conducts all major exams including JEE / NEET and selection of employee for the Government through SSC and others . Selected Students under the scheme are offered the best private residential schools across the country to pursue their academic further, as per their choice through e – Counseling process by NIC and NTA.
• Two rounds of e Counseling have been mandated for the students to get admission in the CBSE affiliated Private residential schools of their choice. Ministry has executed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NIC and NICSI for the scheme.
• To avoid any hardship to the selected students I the Scheme and to facilitate the Schools, provisions for payment of full year fee including hostel fee in one go have been incorporate in the scheme through the simplest method and without documentation that the selected schools will register themselves on Anudaan portal and will submit their fee claim in respect of the SHRESHTA Students . Required documents of the students shall be taken on e – Anudaan portal through integration of NTA portal with the e – Anudaan portal.
• The Ministry intends to provide level playing field to the poor and meritorious SC students, by providing facilities for providing High Quality Education in the CBSE based Private Schools having Residential Facility (Hostel) from class 9th to 12th . Entire cost of school fee and hostel fee including food charges shall be borne by the Government of India. The Students under the Scheme may select any school across the country for their academics.
• Provisions have also been incorporated in the scheme for a Bridge Course for a period of 3 months, for the students, joining the CBSE based schools from State Schools, Rural Areas or from Regional language Schools, to adapt in the new environment of the selected schools. The bridge course should be conducted outside – the – school – hours after identifying the individual academic requirements, to ensure that SC students of the Scheme, can catch up with the rest of the students in the class.
• The Ministry shall pay additional cost of 10 % of the annual charge for the Bridge Course. The scholarship for students   will be given school fee (including tuition fee) and hostel fee (including mess fee) which are as under: 9th-1,00,000, 10th-1,10,000, 11th-1,25,000, 12th-1,35,000,
• These scholarships of the students will be released in one instalment directly to the schools in the first quarter of each financial year. The progress of the students will be monitored by the Ministry from time to time. The scheme will be considered in DBT mode.

Source – PIB

Damini App

(Paper 3 Science Technology)

Why in News?

Recently , Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level meeting to review the preparedness to deal with the flood situation in the country during the monsoon and Shah also directed to make the Damini App available in all the local languages of the country.

Key Points –

• Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level meeting to review the preparedness to deal with the flood situation in the country during monsoon. He also took stock of the preparedness made by the National Disaster Response Force( NDRF) and the National Disaster Management Authority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the flood affected areas.
• He also reviewed long-term measures to formulate a comprehensive policy to mitigate the country’s flood-related problems. The meeting took several decisions to reduce the loss of life and property during the floods.
• The Home Minister directed the officials to continuously strengthen coordination between the central and state level agencies by putting in place a permanent system to provide a local-level detailed prediction of floods and water level rise in major catchment areas of the country. He directed that in the current flood season, the existing and predicted level of the river should be monitored every hour and during floods all concerned stakeholders should take appropriate measures like embankments, evacuations and temporary shelter.
• Mr Shah directed ndrf to prepare SOPs with states for issuing early warning of rainfall at local, municipal and state level in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
• He advised specific institutions like the Indian Meteorological Department and central water commission to continue to upgrade their technologies for more accurate weather and flood forecasting. He instructed people to broadcast lightning warnings on time through SMS, TV, FM radio and other means.
• Mr Shah said, NDRF and SDRF have been asked to make arrangements to give electricity warning to district collectors and panchayats so that there is minimum loss of life and property.
• He also directed to give maximum publicity to various mobile apps like ‘Umang’, ‘Rain Alarm’ and ‘Damini’  related to the weather forecast developed by the Meteorological Department so that their benefits reach the target population. He  also directed to make the ‘Damini’ app available in all the local languages of the country. 
• It is worth noting that the ‘Damini’ app gives an electricity warning three hours in advance which can help in reducing the loss of life and property.
• Shri Shah directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to take timely action to further strengthen the institutional arrangements at the State level and at the dam level under the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 to further reduce the water level and floods.
• The Director General of the Meteorological Department and the Chairman of the Central Water Commission made a presentation in the meeting and apprised about the action taken on the directions given by the Home Minister in the flood review meeting held last year.
• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other officials were present in the meeting.

About ‘Damini App’ –

• Damini App is a mobile app developed by the Meteorological Department.
• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, has  developed the ‘Damini App’  to warn people against lightning.
• Damini app gives accurate information about the possibility of lightning, thunderbolt, thunderstorm, etc. ahead of time. For this, scientists of tropical meteorology have set up a lightning location network with about 48 sensors across the country. It is on the basis of this network that the Damini app has been developed, which gives information about the possible location of lightning within a radius of 40 kilometers. According to reports, this network gives an accurate forecast of lightning. Along with the thunder of electricity, it also tells the speed of thunderbolt.
• There is a lot of information given below in this app. How to protect when lightning strikes is explained. In addition to the safety measures, first aid information has also been provided. Lightning is fatal for humans and cattle. It can’t be stopped, but it can be avoided.
• Awareness about the state of lightning is very important. It is predicted through the Damini app and in such a situation, people have enough time to move to a safe place. That is, by being alert, the loss of life and property can be avoided in time.
• Through the Damini app,  a warning is given about lightning three hours in advance, so that there is minimum loss of life and property.

Source – All India Radio

World’s first liquid-mirror telescope

(Paper 3 Science Technology)

Why in News?

Recently, the world’s first liquid-mirror telescope was installed in Nainital, Uttarakhand, let’s know about it

Key Points –

• A new telescope facility atop a mountain in the Himalayan range will now keep a watch on the overhead sky to identify transient or variable objects such as supernovae, gravitational lenses, space debris, and asteroids.
• The telescope, commissioned at Devasthal, a hill in Uttarakhand, will help in surveying the sky making it possible to observe several galaxies and other astronomical sources just by staring at the strip of sky that passes overhead. It is the first liquid mirror telescope in the country and the largest in Asia.
• The ILMT collaboration includes researchers from ARIES in India, the University of Liège and the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Belgium, Poznan Observatory in Poland, the Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences and National University of Uzbekistan in Uzbekistan, the University of British Columbia, Laval University, the University of Montreal, the University of Toronto,  York University and the University of Victoria in Canada. The telescope was designed and built by the Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) Corporation and the Centre Spatial de Liège in Belgium.

How it works?

• Built by astronomers from India, Belgium and Canada, the novel instrument employs a 4-meter-diameter rotating mirror made up of a thin film of liquid mercury to collect and focus light.
• It is located at an altitude of 2450 metres at the Devasthal Observatory campus of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.
• The scientists from the three countries spun a pool of mercury which is a reflective liquid, so that the surface curved into a parabolic shape which is ideal for focusing light. A thin transparent film of mylar protects the mercury from wind.
• The reflected light passes through a sophisticated multi-lens optical corrector that produces sharp images over a wide field of view. A large-format electronic camera located at the focus records the images.
• Prof. Paul Hickson (University of British Columbia, Canada), an expert on liquid mirror technology, said that “the rotation of the earth causes the images to drift across the camera, but this motion is compensated electronically by the camera. This mode of operation increases observing efficiency and makes the telescope particularly sensitive to faint and diffuse objects.”

Importance –

• In the future, several young researchers will be working on different science programs utilizing the ILMT data.
• When regular science operations begin later this year, the ILMT will produce about 10 GB of data every night, which will be quickly analyzed to reveal variable and transient stellar sources.
• The 3.6 metre DOT, with the availability of sophisticated back-end instruments, will allow rapid follow-up observations of the newly-detected transient sources with the adjacent ILMT.
• The data collected from ILMT will be ideally suited to perform a deep photometric and astrometric variability survey over a period of typically 5 years.

Source -Indian Express

World Bicycle Day

(Paper 2 Health, Education, Human Resources)

Why in News?

World Bicycle Day 2022 is being celebrated all over the world today i.e. on June 3, let’s know about it

Key Points –

• Every year, on June 3, world bicycle day is celebrated with great enthusiasm to raise public awareness about cycling and its benefits all over the world.
• It is worth noting that the bicycle is not only a simple means of transport,  but it can also contribute a lot to the protection of the environment.
• If we look at the physical and mental health related to it, then it has been found in the research that cycling for half an hour daily can protect us from many diseases like obesity, heart disease, mental illness, diabetes and arthritis.

Background –

• The United Nations General Assembly had declared 3 June 2018 as World Bicycle Day and since then it has been celebrated on this day every year around the world.
• The proposal to celebrate the day was made by Professor Leszek Sibilaki of Montgomery College in the US as a petition. It was supported by Turkmenistan and 56 other countries.
• In fact, the cycle was very good until 1990, but gradually its importance decreased, and again to show its importance, world bicycle day was considered to be celebrated and the day was announced.

Importance of World Bicycle Day –

• With the development of technology, the use of cars increased. But it had a profound effect on people’s routines. People reduced cycling to save time and convenience. He made bikes, cars, etc., a means of transportation. But this day began with the aim of making children and others aware about the use and need of bicycles. The day began to encourage people to cycle in schools, colleges, educational institutions, offices, societies, etc.
• According to the United Nations, the reason behind celebrating this day is to encourage member states to focus on various development strategies and  incorporate bicycles into international, national, subnational, regional development policies and programmes.
• In addition,  it is also to promote pedestrian safety and cycling safety, promote the use of bicycles among all the people of the society and encourage bicycle riding at the national and local level to strengthen physical and mental health well-being.

Source – All India Radio

India – Israel defence ties

(Paper 2 International Relations)

Why in News?

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who recently visited India,  issued a ‘Vision Statement’  with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

Key Points –

• In the past countries, the relations between India and Israel have been very strong and the strategic partnership has grown. Cooperation in the field of defence has reached a new height. It has been 30  years since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.
• To commemorate this golden era of diplomatic relations, India and Israel have now issued a ‘Vision Statement’.  Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who recently visited India,  issued a ‘Vision Statement’  with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
• Before the release of the ‘  Vision Statement’, bilateral talks were held between the Defence Ministers of India and Israel in Delhi. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed defence cooperation and burning global issues and the regional scenario.
• They discussed partnerships within the government-to-government framework, military training, and technological cooperation with a focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and defensive capabilities.
• A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of futuristic defence technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.
• The Ministers also discussed a cooperation agreement signed between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel’s Directorate for Defence R&D.

About Israel –

• Israel,officially the State of Israel is a country in Western Asia.
• It is situated on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea, and shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest;
• It is also bordered by the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively.
• Tel Aviv is the economic and technological center of the country, while its seat of government is in its proclaimed capital of Jerusalem, although Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is unrecognized internationally.

Source -The Hindu

New Species of Leopard Gecko

(Paper 3 Biodiversity)

Why in News?

Recently a new species of gecko lizard was discovered in AndhraPradesh and Odisha , let’s know about it

Key Points –

• A gecko found in Visakhapatnam in 2017, then thought to belong to a known species, has now been identified as a member of a new species. The species, Eublepharis pictus, also known as the Painted Leopard Gecko, has been described in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
• Researchers Zeeshan A Mirza (National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru) and C Gnaneswar of (Madras Crocodile Bank Trust) had initially identified the specimen, which they had found dead in a water tank, as an East Indian Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis hardwickii).
• Now, a phylogenetic study and morphological comparisons have distinguished it as a new species, which appears to be common in the forests of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• The gecko genus Eublepharis now has 7 species. Before Eublepharis pictus, Mirza had also previously described Eublepharis satpuraensis. “The new species differs from all members of the genus Eublepharis except for E hardwickii… Geographically the two species appear to be separated by the Brahmani River,” Mirza and Gnaneswar wrote in their paper.
• E hardwickii has been recorded from several places in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. While noting that the new species is distributed across Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, the researchers wrote. “We here refrain from providing accurate locations of the species to ensure protection from illegal collection for the pet trade.”
• The species occurs outside protected areas. The authors pointed out that most leopard geckos are killed when encountered, and called for raising awareness about the fact that the species is actually harmless.
• Based on IUCN conservation prioritization criteria the researchers propose to list E pictus… and E hardwickii as Near Threatened (NT) pending further information on local population estimates, especially in protected areas.

Source – Indian Express

Pandit Bhajan Sopori

(Paper 1 Art & Culture)

Why in News?

On 2 June 2022 the famous Santoor legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori passes away.

Key Points –

• Pandit Bhajan Sopori was an Indian instrumentalist. He was a player of the santoor, an ancient stringed musical instrument.
• He died on 2 June 2022 after a long illness at a hospital in Gurugram, Haryana.
• Sopori hailed from Sopore in Kashmir Valley and traced his lineage to ancient Santoor experts. He belonged to the Sufiana gharana of Indian classical music.
• His family has played santoor for over six generations. His first public performance was at a conference organised by Prayag Sangeet Samiti & the University of Allahabad when he was 10 years old.
• Known as the Saint of Santoor, Pt. Sopori composed a collection of prayers and Tarana-e-Watan (patriotic songs), sung by large public choirs as a common prayer in the Valley.
• His vast repertoire has compositions derived from Naats (Islamic devotional songs) and Vedic chants. He drew his inspiration from the fountain of saints like Lalleshwari and Gani Kashmiri.
• Born in Srinagar, Pt. Sopori inherited the Sufiana tradition of santoor from his great grandfather Shankar Pandit and grandfather Samsar Chand Sopori. His father, Shambhu Nath Sopori, who was called the father of music in Jammu & Kashmir introduced Pt. Sopori to the family instrument at a young age.
• Pandit Sopori, considered as the cultural link between Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India, also ran a music academy called SaMaPa (Sopori Academy for Music and Performing Arts), which is actively involved in promoting Indian classical music.
• On the occasion of 67th Indian Republic Day 2016, Pandit Bhajan Sopori was accorded Jammu and Kashmir State lifetime achievement award.

Awards –

• Sopori was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992 and the Padma Shri in 2004.
• In 2009 he was honoured with the Baba Allaudin Khan Award.
• He was also awarded the M N Mathur award in 2011 for his contribution to Indian classical music and Jammu and Kashmir State lifetime achievement award.

Source – The Hindu