1) Rajaji Tiger Reserve: Uttarakhand government decided to establish Rajaji Tiger Reserve Conservation Foundation.
- Named after freedom fighter C. Rajgopalachari popularly known as “Rajaji”.
- Situated along the hills of Shiwalik ranges and in transition zone between temperate western Himalaya and central Himalaya.
- Forest type: Ranges from semi-evergreen to deciduous and from mixed broad-leaved to Terai grassland.
- River: Ganga and Song
- Flora: Red Morning Glory, Malabar Melastome, Sal trees etc.
- Fauna: Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Sloth Bear, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer etc
2) Curcuma Kakchingense: Researchers in Manipur have discovered a new flowering plant species named Curcuma kakchingense.
- It belongs to the angiospermic family Zingiberaceae which includes Curcuma, Gingers, and Cardamom.
- It is a robust plant, as tall as eight feet, having large terminal inflorescence.
- It has close resemblance to Curcuma phrayawan, a species reported from Thailand but is distinguished by having lemonyellow rhizomes with a very bitter taste.
- Conservation status: Data Deficient under (IUCN) Red List category.
- Until this discovery, there were 93 recorded Curcuma names as accepted species worldwide.
3) Blue Flag Certification: India has 12 Blue Flag Beaches.
- Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognised voluntary awards for beaches, marinas, and sustainable tourism boats.
- It is run by the international non-governmental organisation Foundation for Environmental Education, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- It was started in 1985 in France and has been implemented outside Europe since 2001.
- For the award, high standards in the four categories of water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety must be met.
4) Direct Listing: Companies (Amendment) Act 2020 (Section 5) has been notified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- It amended the Companies Act 2013 and allowed direct listing for certain class of unlisted Companies to directly issue a certain class of securities in foreign stock exchanges.
- Direct listing is a process by which a company can go public by selling existing shares instead of offering new ones.
- It facilitates access to global capital.
- Till now, Indian companies can access overseas equity markets only through depository receipts or by listing their debt securities on foreign markets
Places in News:
1) Thailand (Capital: Bangkok):
- Thailand has allowed Visa-free travel for Indians from November 10, 2023 to May 10, 2024.
- Political boundaries
- It is a country in Southeast Asia.
- Neighbors: Laos and Cambodia (East), Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia (South), Andaman Sea and Myanmar (West).
- Geographical features
- Drainage system: Two river systems – Chao Phraya and Mekong.
- Isthmus of Kra between Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea lies at the narrow neck of southern Myanmar and Thailand.
- Highest point: Mount Inthanon
