1) Rashtriya Rifles: The Idea of creating RR was conceived in 1990 when militancy in the valley skyrocketed and the local law enforcements were unable to contain the insurgency. The RR in its initial days deployed to the valley and the specific regions in Punjab during the (Khalistan insurgency).
- Soon it became the most decorated branch in the entire Indian army with more than 500 gallantry awards under its belt.
- After the normalcy in the Punjab region, the RRoperated solely in Jammu Kashmir and till date is only limited to operations in the valley.
- The Rashtriya Rifles exceeds the infantry (who also operate in the valley) in terms of manpower and has very specific task cut out for them whereas the infantry has more generalised roles.
2) Anubhuti Inclusive Park: It is the world’s first inclusive disabled park. Location: Nagpur, Maharashtra. The park will have adapted facilities for all 21 types of disabilities, including a touch and smell garden, hydrotherapy unit, water therapy, and independent room for differently abled children, mothers, etc.
3) ULTRASAT: NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope mission in 2026
- ULTRASAT is an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of view, that will investigate the secrets of short-duration events in the universe, such as supernova explosions and mergers of neutron stars. It is planned to launch into a geostationary orbit around Earth
- NASA will provide the launch opportunity, Flight Payload Adapter, and other launch-related responsibilities for ULTRASAT.
4) Survey of Vultures:
- The Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, is preparing to organise the first synchronised vulture survey in select regions of the Western Ghats.
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, contiguous to the tiger reserves of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu, is the lone region where vultures thrive in Kerala
- Vultures faced a catastrophic population decline during the 2000s when the species was exposed to the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac used as a painkiller for cattle.
5) Pangolin: A new report by TRAFFIC and WWF for Nature-India revealed that 1,203 pangolins were poached for illegal wildlife trade in India from 2018-2022.
- These were recovered across 24 states and one Union territory of India. The highest number of seizure incidents and pangolins seized were in Odisha.
- Pangolins are nocturnal mammals that dig burrows and feed on ants and termites, and play a vital role in ecosystem management, mostly in aerating and adding moisture to the soil.
- It is adaptable to a wide range of habitats including primary and secondary tropical forests, limestone and bamboo forests, grasslands and agricultural fields.
- The Indian Pangolin is found across the Indian subcontinent; Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam also have the presence of Chinese pangolin.
