Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
- Context: The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam has 30 species of raptors and six species of storks, a rapid survey focused on these two categories of birds has revealed.
- The enumerators recorded 217 individual raptors buzzards, eagles, falcons, owls, and vultures across 30 species and 266 individual storks across six species.
About Kaziranga National Park
- Kaziranga National Park is located in the state of Assam, nestled between the Brahmaputra River and the Karbi Anglong (Mikir) Hills.
- It represents the largest intact and ecologically significant floodplain ecosystem in the Brahmaputra Valley.
- UNESCO Status: The park was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
Physical Features
- The landscape comprises dense forests, extensive elephant grasslands, marshy wetlands, reed beds, and numerous shallow water bodies.
- The Diffalu River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, flows through the park, while the Moradifalu River forms part of its southern boundary.
Flora
- Kaziranga is renowned for its vast stretches of tall elephant grass interspersed with wetlands and swampy areas.
- Aquatic vegetation such as water lilies, lotus, and water hyacinths is found in abundance.
Fauna
- The park supports a rich diversity of wildlife, including the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, wild buffalo, Eastern swamp deer, Hoolock gibbon, and capped langur.
- The Gangetic river dolphin is also frequently seen in the park’s riverine ecosystem.
- Kaziranga is particularly famous for harboring the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros, along with numerous other mammal species.
Act East Policy
- Context: Following talks between the Indonesian Foreign Minister and the Indian External Affairs Minister in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Indonesia serves as a key pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy.
About the Act East Policy
- India’s Act East Policy (2014) focuses on strengthening economic and strategic ties with Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Objectives
- Boosting trade and investment
- Enhancing cultural and people-to-people ties
- Building strong diplomatic partnerships
- Promoting regional cooperation
- Addressing security issues such as
- Terrorism and maritime security
Key Features
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- Focus on ASEAN Nations
- 4C Approach: Culture, Commerce, Connectivity, and Capacity Building
- Promoting economic integration
- Strengthening security ties
- Improving connectivity (e.g., India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway)
- Active participation in groups like ASEAN, BIMSTEC, and the East Asia Summit
e-Jagriti
- Context: The Department of Consumer Affairs’ e-Jagriti portal won the Silver Award under Category I ‘Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformation’ at the National e-Governance Awards ceremony.
- Since its inception, the portal has facilitated the filing of over 2.29 lakh consumer cases and the resolution of more than 2.07 lakh cases.
- It has achieved an overall resolution rate of 90.75% and enabled consumers—both within India and abroad—to access justice seamlessly.
About e-Jagriti
- e-Jagriti is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven web portal developed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, to handle consumer complaints through a unified platform.
Objective
- To deliver speedy, transparent, and paperless consumer justice.
- To assist Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), families, and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
Key Features:
- Unified Portal: E-filing, virtual hearings, and digital documents
- Access for NRIs: File and track cases from anywhere
- AI Support: Chatbot, multilingual assistance, and voice tools
- Faster Case Resolution: Reduces backlogs and delays
- Regular Updates: SMS and email alerts regarding case status
- Secure Payments: Online payments via PayGov and Bharat Kosh
Current FactsRegional Meteorological Centre
- Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences inaugurated the new Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) at Jammu and announced that a similar centre would soon be established in Lucknow, expanding India’s regional weather forecasting network.
- The Jammu facility becomes the country’s seventh Regional Meteorological Centre and will serve Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, providing specialised weather services, disaster warnings and climate support tailored to the Himalayan region.
E85 Fuel- Context: The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas launched E85 fuel.
About E85 Fuel
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- E85 is a fuel blend consisting of 80–85% ethanol and 15–20% petrol.
- It is specifically designed for ‘Flex-Fuel’ vehicles (FFVs).
- FFVs are vehicles equipped with engines capable of running on ethanol-petrol blends with varying ethanol ratios, ranging from E20 to E100 (100% ethanol).
Significance
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enhances energy security by reducing crude oil imports.
- Boosts farmers’ income by supporting ethanol production from agricultural feedstocks.
Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS)
- Context: The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ‘Learning Links Foundation’ (LLF) to implement the ‘Amazon Future Engineer’ (AFE) program in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) across the country.
About Eklavya Model Residential Schools
- This is a flagship scheme launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 1998.
- The objective of the scheme is to provide quality residential education to tribal students (Classes 6 to 12) living in remote areas, thereby offering them better educational opportunities and bringing them on par with the mainstream population.
- The scheme was restructured in 2018-19 to expand its geographical reach and improve the quality of facilities.
- EMRS schools are to be established in every block that has a tribal population of more than 50% and a minimum of 20,000 tribal people.
- Administration: An autonomous body named the ‘National Education Society for Tribal Students’ (NESTS) has been set up under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to establish and manage EMRS schools across the country.
All India Radio
- Context: Akashvani is celebrating its 90th anniversary today. On June 8, 1936, the ‘Indian State Broadcasting Service’ was renamed ‘All India Radio’.
About All India Radio
- Officially known as ‘Akashvani’ since 1957, All India Radio serves as India’s national public radio broadcaster and is a division of ‘Prasar Bharati’.
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- Launched in 1936, it is the sister service of ‘Doordarshan’, India’s television broadcasting service, which is also owned by Prasar Bharati.
- All India Radio (AIR) is the country’s most popular public service radio broadcaster.
- It is administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
- In terms of population coverage, All India Radio reaches approximately 99.19 percent of the country’s population.
- It produces programs in about 23 languages.
- The ‘Prasar Bharati Act’ (as amended in 1990) governs the content and objectives of All India Radio.
India’s Semiconductor Vision 2035
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- Context: NITI Aayog released a report on India’s semiconductor future.
- India plans to build a semiconductor industry valued at $120–150 billion by 2035.
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- Target: 35–50% self-reliance in chips and a 10–13% share of the global market.
- Based on the ‘5P’ strategy: Pioneering nature, Policy and Investment, Production, People, and Partnership.
- Focus areas: Artificial Intelligence chips, SiC, GaN, advanced packaging, and quantum technology.
Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS)
- Context: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is set to implement a Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) for highway street lighting.
- The initiative aims to improve highway safety, energy efficiency, and maintenance of lighting infrastructure.
Key Features
- Cloud-based, web-enabled monitoring platform.
- Provides real-time monitoring and control of street-lighting systems.
- Supports: Automatic switching of lights.
- Early fault detection.
- Energy-saving verification.
- Performance analytics.
Pilot Projects
- Pilot implementations have been successfully completed in: Varanasi and Hyderabad
- Demonstrated the effectiveness of technology-driven lighting management.
Significance
- CCMS will modernize highway lighting management through real-time monitoring, improved maintenance, enhanced road safety, and optimized energy usage across India’s national highway network.
Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD)
- Context: The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kathmandu University Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence.
- The partnership aims to promote:
- Language AI technologies.
- Multilingual Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- Inclusive digital ecosystems in India and Nepal.
About DIBD
- DIBD functions under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- It is India’s national initiative for AI-driven multilingual digital inclusion and language technology.
National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT)
- Operates through the National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT).
- Provides scalable AI-powered speech and text services in multiple languages.
- Supports governance, public service delivery, digital platforms, and institutions.
BHASHINI Platform Capabilities
- Powers more than 800 government websites.
- Processes over 15 million AI inferences daily.
- Supports: 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages, 35 international languages
Key Functions
- Development of multilingual AI solutions.
- Promotion of open-source innovation.
- Language technology research and development.
- Creation of language datasets.
- Support for startups and innovators.
- Collaboration with academic and research institutions.
