Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary
▪ Recently, a research scholar has documented around 450 species of moths at the Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary.
▪ Moths act as pollinators.
▪ Moth Night Event conducted at Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary during National Moth Week 2025 (from July 19 to July 27), showcasing moth diversity.
About Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary
▪ Location: It is located in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
▪ It lies near India’s southernmost tip, where the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Indian Ocean meet.
▪ The sanctuary is bounded at North by KalakkadMundanthurai Tiger Reserve, South by Kodayar left bank channel and Thovalai channel and in West by Kerala State.
▪ Rivers: Seven rivers have their origin in this forest including the famous Pahrali and Thamirabarani rivers.
TN to host one of five carbon capture testbeds for cement industry
▪ Tamil Nadu selected as one of five locations in India to host a Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbed.
▪ It will be set up at Ultratech Cement’s Reddipalayam plant in Ariyalur district.
▪ Aim: To reduce CO₂ emissions from the cement industry, which contributes 7–8% of India’s
industrial carbon emissions.
▪ Supported by IIT Madras and BITS Pilani (Goa campus).
▪ Part of a national programme by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to validate and demonstrate CCU technologies.
▪ Marks progress towards India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070.
▪ Financial support for the projects is being processed by DST.
▪ CO₂ may be converted into value-added products like: Synthetic fuels, Urea, Soda ash, Concrete aggregates, Food-grade CO₂.
Chief Minister’s Trophy Sports Competitions
▪ The Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority, on behalf of Chennai district, has announced that various new sports have been added to the Chief Minister’s Trophy sports competitions for 2025- 2026.
▪ The competitions will be held from August 22 to September 12, 2025, with participation from both genders across five categories: school students, college students, differently-abled individuals, general public, and government employees.
Tamil Nadu Government Must Implement Forest Rights Act
▪ Political parties are urging the Tamil Nadu government to implement the Forest Rights Act of 2006. Despite a court order stating that people should not be evicted from mango groves until 2028, the government has reportedly evicted them.
Forest Rights Act, 2006
▪ The Forest Rights Act, 2006 (officially known as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act) is a crucial legislation aimed at recognizing and protecting the rights of communities living in forest areas in India.
Key Objectives:
▪ Rights Recognition: Acknowledging the historical rights of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Traditional
Forest Dwellers (OTFD) living in forest areas who depend on forests for their livelihood
▪ Livelihood Protection: Ensuring sustainable use of forest resources by local communities
▪ Community Empowerment: Granting legal rights over forest land and resources to these communities
Agaramuthali Iyakkagam
▪ The Agaramuthali Iyakkagam has announced that articles can be submitted for the Dictionary
Research Journal.
▪ November 8th is celebrated annually as Tamil Lexicography Day to honor Veera Mamuniver, who is revered as the father of Tamil lexicography.
▪ Research articles are typically published in a Dictionary Research Journal on this day.
▪ Applications are being accepted for awards including the Devaneyap Pavaanar and Veera Mamuniver awards given by the Classical Tamil Etymology Agaramuthali Iyakkagam .
Keeladi Excavation Report
▪ DMK Parliamentary Group leader and Thoothukudi constituency MP Kanimozhi emphasized in the Lok Sabha that the Keeladi excavation report should be released immediately.
▪ She brought this matter to the attention of the house under Rule 377 regarding delays in publishing the Keeladi excavation research report.
Rule 377 of the Indian Parliament
▪ It allows Lok Sabha members to raise questions on urgent matters of importance not covered in other parliamentary procedures.
About Keeladi
▪ Since 2018, the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department has undertaken this work and has discovered over 15,000 artifacts.
▪ Keeladi has been proven to be a prosperous urban civilization dating back to the 6th century BCE.
▪ A comprehensive report on the first two phases of excavations was submitted to the Archaeological Survey of India by archaeologist Amarnath in January 2023.
