Great Ruaha River
Syllabus: GS1/ Places In News
In News
- Tanzania’s Vision 2050 aims to tackle the climate crisis threatening the Great Ruaha River, a vital resource for agriculture and biodiversity.
About Great Ruaha River
- It is a major river in south-central Tanzania.
- It flows northeast through the Usangu wetlands, descends across the Usangu plains (important for agriculture and livestock), and passes through Ruaha National Park.
Source: TH
Mhadei river
Syllabus: GS1/ Geography
In News
- Goa is taking Karnataka to the Supreme Court, accusing it of illegally diverting water from the Mhadei river’s Kalasa tributary.
About Mhadei river
- Origin: Western Ghats (Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka)
- Basin: (Goa 78%, Karnataka 18%, Maharashtra 4%). Flows through Karnataka into Goa, where it is known as the Mandovi, and empties into the Arabian Sea.
Source: TH
National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR)
Syllabus: GS 2/Governance
In News
- Recently, the parliamentary panel has recommended immediate review of the current administration of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) citing mismanagement and lack of transparency.
About NIRD&PR
- It is an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
- It is located in the historic city of Hyderabad in Telangana state.
- It is a premier national centre of excellence in rural development and Panchayati Raj.
- It is recognized internationally as one of the UN-ESCAP Centres of Excellence.
- It builds capacities of rural development functionaries, elected representatives of PRIs, bankers, NGOs and other stakeholders through inter-related activities of training, research and consultancy.
- The NIRD&PR celebrated its Golden Jubilee Year of establishment in 2008. In addition to the main campus at Hyderabad, this Institute has North-Eastern Regional Centre at Guwahati, Assam to meet the NE-regional needs.
Source: IE
World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative
Syllabus :GS 2/Governance
In News
- The central government is moving swiftly to implement the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector.
World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan
- It is an ambitious initiative aimed at revolutionizing rural agri-infrastructure and empowering Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the country.
- It was approved in 2023 and is currently being rolled out as a pilot project.
- It focuses on the creation of infrastructure at the PACS level, including godowns, custom hiring centers, food processing units, and Fair Price Shops.
- These developments are being implemented through convergence of various government schemes such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), and the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme.
Importance
- It is set to transform grain storage and agricultural logistics at the grassroots level.
- It is enhancing agricultural operations by improving transparency, record-keeping, and credit delivery in the cooperative sector.
- States such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh are leading in onboarding and operationalizing PACS under the ERP system.
Source :Air
Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX)
Syllabus: GS3/ S&T
In News
- The Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), launched in 2015 has completed ten years of pioneering research into the dynamics of dense winter fog in North India.
About
- Core Aim: To generate high quality observational data and develop a reliable resolution fog prediction model.
- Lead Institutions: Conducted by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
- Coverage: Focused first on IGIA, Delhi; subsequently includes more major airports in North and Northeast India, such as Guwahati and the new Noida International Airport at Jewar under WiFEX-II.
Link with SAFAR
- SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) also led by IITM, offers comprehensive air quality and weather forecasts in major cities, supporting mitigation strategies for pollution and weather-related risks.
Source: IE
National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission
Syllabus: GS2/Government Initiatives; GS2/Health
Context
- India achieves a milestone of 6 crore screenings under the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission.
About the Mission
- The National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission was inaugurated on 1st July 2023 by PM Modi at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh.
- Executed in mission mode under the National Health Mission (NHM), the initiative aims to eliminate sickle cell anemia in India by 2047 through awareness generation, universal screening of 7 crore individuals aged 0–40 years in affected tribal areas by FY 2025–26, and counselling support via coordinated efforts of central ministries and state governments.
- Screening for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is being conducted using validated Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) kits, which ensure rapid, reliable, and confirmatory results.
- Furthermore, a dedicated dashboard and a sickle cell disease portal have been established to consolidate screening data from all participating states.
Source: PIB
Indian Air Force to Retire MIG-21 Jets
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
Context
- After serving the nation for over six decades, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will retire its last MiG-21 Bison jets in September 2025.
What is the MIG-21 aircraft?
- The MiG-21 or Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a single-engine, single-seater supersonic jet fighter and ground attack aircraft, originally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1963.
- It holds the distinction of being India’s first supersonic jet aircraft, and for several decades, served as the backbone of the IAF’s combat fleet.
- Over the years, more than 700 MiG-21s of various variants were procured, with many manufactured indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
- The aircraft also played a significant role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the 1999 Kargil War.
Source: TH
Beetle-Fungi Threat to Kerala’s Rubber Plantations
Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- Rubber plantations in Kerala are facing threat from mutualistic association between the ambrosia beetle (Euplatypus parallelus) and two fungi (Fusarium ambrosia and F. solani), causing extensive tree damage.
Beetle-Fungus Mutualism
- Ambrosia beetles primarily attack dead, infected, or stressed trees—often attracted by ethanol emitted from such trees.
- The beetles do not feed on wood directly; instead, they bore tunnels called galleries into the bark and introduce mutualistic fungi (e.g., Fusarium spp.).
- These fungi decompose wood tissue by secreting enzymes, creating a nutrient-rich environment.
- The beetles and their larvae then feed on the fungal mycelia, not the tree itself.
| Rubber Production in India – Natural rubber is derived from the latex of Hevea brasiliensis, a tree native to the Amazon Basin. – Kerala: The leading state in rubber production, contributing over 70% of India’s total output. 1. Other states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Tripura, and Assam. – India is the sixth-largest producer of rubber globally, and the second-highest in terms of productivity. |
Source: TH
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