News In Short-18-02-2025

Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme For MSMEs

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The Union government launched the ‘Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs’, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 to boost the micro, small, and medium enterprises.

About

• The scheme facilitates collateral-free loans to MSMEs by providing loans up to Rs 100 crore for the purchase of plant, machinery, or equipment.
• Under this scheme, the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) will provide 60% guarantee coverage to member lending institutions (MLIs) for loans sanctioned to eligible MSMEs.
• The borrower must be an MSME with a valid Udyam Registration Number. 
• The guaranteed loan amount will not exceed Rs 100 crore, although the total project cost can be higher.
  • Additionally, at least 75% of the project cost must be for purchasing equipment or machinery.

Source: AIR

Kerala’s Plan to Grant Industry Status to Tourism

Syllabus :GS 3/ Economy 

In News

• The Kerala government is planning to grant ‘industry status’ to tourism, a long-standing demand of the tourism and hospitality sector. 

Granting industry status 

• It provides benefits like reduced power tariffs, water tariffs, and property taxes, promoting investment and job creation.
• The Ministry of Tourism has launched a handbook which aims to serve as a guide to States/UTs to support efforts of States/UTs in granting and implementing ‘industry status’ for the tourism and hospitality sector.

Objectives and Need 

• The tourism sector, which employs 5 lakh people directly and 20 lakh indirectly, has struggled due to natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a major landslide in 2024.
• The recent  move aims to boost investment and development in the sector, which contributes around 10% to the State’s GDP.

Do you know ? – India’s tourism sector, rich in heritage, culture, and diversity, is emerging as a global favorite and a key driver of economic growth. – The tourism sector’s contribution to GDP regained the pre-pandemic level of 5 per cent in FY23. The tourism sector created 7.6 crore jobs in FY23. – The Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024 (TTDI) ranked India at 39th among 119 countries in the 2024 report published by the World Economic Forum. – The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated ₹2541.06 crore to enhance infrastructure, skill development, and travel facilitation. .

Source :TH

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context  

• A faunal survey by the Forest Department at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad has added 15 new species to the protected area’s checklist.

About

• Location: Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is nestled in the AnamalaiNelliyampathy landscape of the Western Ghats Mountains in Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala.
• Tribes: The Tiger Reserve is the home of four different tribes of indigenous peoples including the Kadar, Malasar tribe, Muduvar and Mala Malasar settled in six colonies.
• Flora: The reserve supports diverse habitat types viz., evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous and shola forests.
  • Other unique habitats like montane and marshy grasslands, locally known as ‘vayals’, are also found.
  • The sanctuary has a variety of trees mainly teak, neem, sandalwood and rosewood. The oldest ever teak tree, Kannimara Teak exists here.
• Fauna: It has a rich biodiversity of animal life including mammals, birds, fishes etc. Parambikulam is referred to as the “state capital for the massive gaur“.
  • Tomopterna parambikulamana (Parambikulam Frog) and one species of sucker fish, Garro surendranathanii, are endemic to the reserve. 

Key Findings of the Faunal Survey

• Avian Diversity: The survey recorded 206 bird species, adding 7 new species, i.e. the Painted spurfowl, Rufus-bellied hawk-eagle, Indian grey hornbill, Anamalai Sholakili, Taiga flycatcher, Plain prinia and Green leaf warbler.
• Butterfly Diversity: Five new butterfly species were added, including the Long-brand bushbrown, Shot silverline, Scarce shot silverline, White-disc hedge blue and Palni dart, increasing the total butterfly count to 273.
• Odonate Diversity: Three new species of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) were identified: Brown darner, Parakeet darner, and Vestalis submontana. 

Source: TH

Puducherry-Villupuram-Auroville-Cuddalore (PVAC) Bioregion

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• A database on the biodiversity of the Puducherry-Villupuram-Auroville- Cuddalore (PVAC) region is being developed, with significant contributions from citizens.

What is a Bioregion?

• A bioregion is a geographical area defined by ecological systems rather than political boundaries. 
• It represents a distinct environmental zone with unique biodiversity and natural resources.

About PVAC Bioregion

• The PVAC bioregion spans 2,500 sq km across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, covering key ecological zones such as wetlands, lagoons, and coastal habitats.
• It is part of the Know Your Bioregion initiative launched by Svarnim Puducherry, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo Society, to enhance ecological awareness and conservation efforts.  
• Major water bodies in the region include Thengaithittu Lagoon and Nallavadu Lagoon, which support rich biodiversity.

Ecological Significance

• The region harbors vulnerable species such as the smooth-coated otter, intertidal species like mudskippers, fish such as mangrove red snapper, and other aquatic life like mud crabs, Indian glassy fish, and grey mullets—all indicators of a healthy ecosystem.
• The Nallavadu Lagoon is a vital habitat for migratory birds, including redshank, common greenshank, gulls, and terns.

Source: TH

aravali safari park project

Syllabus: GS3/Environment and Ecology

Context

• The Haryana government’s 3,858 hectare Aravali safari park project spread across Gurugram and Nuh is envisaged to be the world’s largest safari park.

About

• It seeks to conserve endangered species and boost tourism in the region.
• Project Announcement: In 2022. 
• Phase 1 Development: Covering 2,500 acres and is focusing on creating large enclosures for big cats and other wildlife. 
• Conservation Efforts: The project includes a specialized unit dedicated to conserving and breeding endangered species such as blackbucks, vultures, and soft-shelled turtles. 
• Environmental Concerns: The project has faced opposition from environmentalists and retired Indian Forest Service officers, who have urged the government to reconsider the plan due to potential ecological impacts. 
• Current Status:
  • The Aravali Safari Park project is in the planning and development stages, with ongoing efforts to address environmental concerns and finalize the design and implementation plans. 
  • The Haryana government continues to engage with stakeholders to ensure the project’s success and sustainability.

Source: TH

Bacteria-made Band-Aid for Plants

Syllabus :GS 3/ Science and Tech 

In News 

• According to a recent study, Bacterial cellulose can be used as a bandage to improve healing and regeneration in plants.

Bacterial cellulose 

• It is a natural and renewable nanomaterial produced by certain bacteria.
• It is characterized by a unique three‐dimensional structure that endows it with excellent mechanical properties and high water‐holding capability.
•  It is a very pure, crystalline and biocompatible polymer.
•  It has  been widely used in human medicine, often for wound healing.

Potential Applications in Agriculture:

• Bacterial cellulose could be used in agriculture for Facilitating grafting, Preserving cut plant material, Serving as a growth medium in laboratories.

Importance of recent study 

• It opens up new possibilities for using bacterial cellulose to aid plant growth and agricultural practices.

Source :IE

DDoS Attack

Syllabus :GS 3/Science and Tech 

In News

• Recently, Karnataka’s Kaveri 2.0 portal, which handles land registration, faced severe server outages due to a DDoS attack.

About DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service)

• It is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack, which includes all cyberattacks that disrupt or stop services.
• It aims to disable or take down websites, web applications, cloud services, or other online resources.
• It overwhelms the target with fake packets, pointless connection requests, or malicious traffic.
  • It involves traffic from multiple sources, making them “distributed.”
• Effect:  DDoS attacks cause the target to slow down or crash, making it unavailable to legitimate users.
  • They can lead to service downtime, disrupting operations and potentially causing revenue loss.
  • DDoS attacks do not directly steal data, they can serve as distractions for other cyberattacks
• Mitigation Measures: Traffic filtering, bot detection, rate limiting, strong authentication, and collaboration with cybersecurity agencies can prevent such attacks.

Source :TH

SAKSHAM Campaign

Syllabus: GS3/Environment and Ecology

Context

• Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited launched a 14-day awareness campaign called SAKSHAM.

About

• The campaign was launched on green energy and fuel conservation.
• It aims to raise awareness about fuel conservation and the judicious use of petroleum products to ensure a safer environment and sustainable energy resources for future generations.
• The idea is to convince consumers to switch to cleaner fuels and bring in behavioural change to use fossil fuel intelligently.

Source: TH

Blair House

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by a large Indian crowd outside Blair House in Washington DC. 

About

• The PM stayed at the historic building during his two-day visit to the US.
• Blair House has been the premier accommodation for dignitaries visiting Washington DC since it was bought by the US government in 1942.
• It is also known as ‘The President’s Guest House’, and is maintained by the US Department of State and the General Services Administration.
• Blair House hosted Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi during their US visits.

Source: IE