World Police and Fire Games – 2025
▪ Tamil Nadu Police shone at the World Police and Fire Games 2025, held in Alabama, United States, from June 27 to July 6.
▪ Police officers from Tamil Nadu V. Dinesh, S. Arjun, B. Harikrishnan, V. Saranya, and K. Elavarsi, representing the All India Police Team, bagged 11 medals (three gold, four silver, and four bronze).
▪ In the age-category events, a team led by Superintendent of Police A. Myilvaganan won a total of 39 medals — 19 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze.
India’s First Hornbill conservation centre at Anamalai
▪ India’s first Centre of Excellence for Hornbill Conservation will be established at Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.
▪ Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests has sanctioned ₹1 crore under the
Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund to establish the Centre.
▪ Ecological Importance of Hornbills
✓ Hornbills are called “farmers of the forest” due to their role as seed dispersers.
✓ They are keystone species, critical for forest regeneration.
✓ Face threats from deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change.
▪ The Centre will focus on four hornbill species found in the Western Ghats:
▪ Great Hornbill
✓ Malabar Grey Hornbill
✓ Malabar Pied Hornbill
✓ Indian Grey Hornbill
▪ Centre Activities: Habitat mapping, Nest monitoring, Scientific research, Climate impact assessment and Restoration by planting native trees (e.g., fig, canarium).
▪ Habitat Development: Native food trees for hornbills such as figs, nutmeg, and ebony will be cultivated in the conservation area.
▪ Educational Programs:
✓ Scholarships for local students involved in maintaining the center.
✓ Support for student research on hornbill species.
▪ Why Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR)?
✓ Rich ecological diversity
✓ Existing conservation infrastructure
✓ Proven record in endangered species protection (e.g., tigers, elephants).
▪ The initiative also places a strong emphasis on community participation (Nest adoption programmes, Scholarships for local students and Sustainable livelihoods (e.g., seed collection).
▪ The project will offer capacity-building programmes for forest staff and host awareness activities (field visits for school children and community outreach).
▪ Collaborating Organisations with Tamil Nadu Forest Department:
✓ Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON)
✓ Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF)
✓ Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
✓ IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group
▪ Ongoing Tamil Nadu Wildlife Projects:
✓ India’s first Dugong Conservation Sanctuary
✓ Nilgiri Tahr Projectp
✓ Gharial Conservation Center
54th Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
▪ Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava was sworn in as the 54th Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
▪ Article 217 – President of India appoints High Court judges after consulting with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), the Governor of the State.
▪ In the case of appointment of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court is consulted.
▪ Consultation Process: High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
Tamil Nadu’s Endangered Species Conservation Initiative
▪ First-of-its-kind initiative: Tamil Nadu is the first Indian state to focus exclusively on endangered and critically endangered species through a dedicated fund.
▪ Fund Transfer to AIWC: The Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund (initially ₹5 crore) will be formally transferred to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) to boost targeted recovery efforts.
▪ Unlike typical conservation efforts focusing on tigers and elephants, this initiative will include lesserknown endangered species.
▪ The endangered species fund is part of a larger ₹50 crore rolling pool for conservation.
▪ Target Species:
✓ Purple frog, Nilgiris wart frog, and Anamalai flying frog (all endemic and critically endangered).
✓ Pangolins, the most trafficked mammal globally, also on the priority list
