1) White Tufted Royal Butterfly: Recently, a team of butterfly observers have found the White Tufted Royal Butterfly, a rare butterfly species in Kannur, Kerala which was earlier spotted in Agasthyakoodam in 2017 and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018.
- The butterfly is protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
2) Indian Skimmers: Recently around 250 Indian Skimmers were sighted in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary during the Asian Waterbird Census-2023.
- It is found in the coastal estuaries of western and eastern India.
- Also called Indian scissors bill, they are more widespread in winter About 20% of the total population of fewer than 2,500 birds nest along river Chambal. IUCN: Endangered
- Asian Waterbird Census- This citizen-science programme supports the conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds worldwide.
- The AWC is an integral part of the global waterbird monitoring programme, the International Waterbird Census (IWC), coordinated by Wetlands International.
3) Curative Petition: The concept of was first evolved by the Supreme Court of India in Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and another case (2002) on the question whether an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgement/order of the Supreme Court, even after the dismissal of a review petition.
- It’s objectives are twofolds- avoid miscarriage of justice and to prevent abuse of process.
- It may be filed after a review plea against the final conviction is dismissed. It must be rare rather than regular.
- A curative petition must be first circulated to a Bench of the three senior-most judges, and the judges who passed the concerned judgment, if available. Only when a majority of the judges conclude that the matter needs hearing should it be listed before the same Bench.
- It is usually decided by judges in the chamber unless a specific request for an open-court hearing is allowed.
4) NOTAM: it is a notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other means.
- NOTAMs indicate the real-time and abnormal status of the National Airspace System (NAS) impacting every user. NOTAMs concern the establishment, condition, or change of any facility, service, procedure or hazard in the NAS.
- NOTAMs have a unique language using special contractions to make communication more efficient. Without NOTAMs, aeroplanes are at risk of running into flocks of birds or remaining unaware of slippery conditions on runways, for example.
- NOTAMs are listed location-wise with pilots needing to check “25 nautical miles to either side of your full route of flight” for relevant NOTAMs.
5) Very Short-Range Air Defence System or VSHORAD: Meant to kill low altitude aerial threats at short ranges, VSHORADS is a man portable Air Defence System (MANPAD).
- It is designed and developed indigenously by DRDO
- The missile is propelled by a dual thrust solid motor—incorporates many novel technologies including miniaturized Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics, which were successfully proven during the tests conducted last year.
