National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development
Syllabus: GS3/Economy
Context
- The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development held a non-deal investors meeting in Hong Kong.
About NaBFID
- It is a specialised Development Finance Institution (DFI), established in 2021 under the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Act, 2021.
- Ministry: Ministry of Finance.
- It is aimed at supporting the country’s infrastructure sector, which can significantly gain from an enabling credit flow by means of attractive instruments and channelized investment.
- The Bank was set up with the essential objectives of addressing the gaps in long-term non-recourse finance for infrastructure development, strengthening the development of bonds and derivatives markets in India, and sustainably boosting the country’s economy.
Source: ET
Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve
Syllabus: GS3/Environment and Conservation
Context
- Himachal Pradesh notified the Tsarap Chu Conservation Reserve under the Section 36A(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Tsarap Chu joins Darlaghat, Naina Devi, Potter Hill, and Shilli as Himachal Pradesh’s fifth conservation reserve.
| Conservation Reserve – A Conservation Reserve is a type of protected area designated under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (amended in 2002). – It is meant to protect landscapes, ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife that lie outside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries but still have ecological, biological, or cultural importance. |
About Tsarap Chu
- Location: Tsarap Chu is bounded by the Union Territory of Ladakh to the north, the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary extending up to Malang Nala and Lungar Lungpa to the east, Kabjima Nala to the south and Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary to the west.
- It is also the location for the confluence of the Unam River and Charap Nala.
- Biodiversity: It is one of the select areas in Himachal Pradesh with a high density of snow leopards.
- This area is also the catchment area of the Charap Nala, an important wildlife corridor connecting the Kibber and Chandratal sanctuaries, which is extremely important for biodiversity.
Source: DTE
Bhargavastra
Syllabus: GS3/ Defence
In News
- India has successfully tested an indigenous counter-drone system dubbed as ‘Bhargavastra’.
About
- Designed and developed by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), Bhargavastra uses minor rockets to detect and neutralise drones at a range of up to 2.5 km.
- The Bhargavastra system deploys unguided micro rockets to neutralise swarms of drones with a lethal radius of 20 metres.
- The system’s second layer of defence is the guided micro-missile, which ensures precise and effective targeting. It has the capability to fire 64 micro missiles simultaneously.
- Its radar has a range of 6 to 10 km for locating small aerial threats.
- The system can also be integrated with the existing network-centric warfare infrastructure. It allows integration of soft kill options like jamming and spoofing.
Source: TH
World Food Prize 2025
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
Context
- Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, has been named the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate.
About
- Hungria developed seed and soil treatments using beneficial bacteria like rhizobia and Azospirillum brasilense.
- Her innovations help soybeans fix nitrogen naturally and enhance root growth in crops like corn, improving nutrient and water uptake.
World Food Prize
- The World Food Prize is the foremost international award recognizing the accomplishments of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world.
- The award was established in 1986 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.
- It is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture.
- The $500,000 award is formally presented at the Laureate Award Ceremony in mid-October, on or around World Food Day.
Source: TH
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