Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Context: Under Project GIB, three Great Indian Bustard chicks have been successfully hatched, taking the captive breeding population to 94 birds. About the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) The Great Indian Bustard is a terrestrial bird that inhabits grasslands, scrublands, and semi-arid ecosystems. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and is presently found mainly in Rajasthan, with remnant populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The Desert National Park in Rajasthan, extending across the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts and containing several human settlements, constitutes one of the species' most important natural habitats. It is among the world's heaviest flying birds and has an omnivorous diet consisting of grass seeds, insects, small reptiles, and rodents. The species faces severe threats from loss and fragmentation of habitat, infrastructure expansion, and fatal collisions with overhead transmission lines. Conservation Status IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Listed under Schedule I CITES: Included in Appendix I Conservation Programme: Protected under the Species Recovery Programme of the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) Scheme. State Symbol: It is the State Bird of Rajasthan and is popularly known as "Godawan" in the region. 'Kavach' Context: The Ministry of Railways has approved the 'Kavach' scheme, valued at ₹341 crore, for the Northern and Western Railway zones. 'Kavach' is an automatic train protection system developed indigenously by Indian Railways. It prevents accidents by performing functions such as preventing head-on collisions between trains, automatically halting the train if a driver passes a signal due to inattention, and providing warnings during foggy conditions. The train's speed is continuously monitored, and it is regulated whenever it exceeds the prescribed limit. About Kavach System Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed to improve the safety of railway operations. It has been…
