1) Gutti Koya Tribals : The Koya population is concentrated in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. it is the largest adivasi tribe of Telangana and listed as Scheduled Tribe
- Koyas speak the Koya language, which is a Dravidian language.
- Festival: Medaram Jatara is also known as Sammakka Saralamma Jatara. It is the second-largest fair of India, after the Kumbh Mela.
- Koyas perform a robust colourful dance called Permakok ata (Bison horn dance) during festivals and marriage ceremonies.
- Issue over Podu land: it is a form of shifting cultivation, as practiced by various tribal groups
2) Arittapatti and Meenakshipuram Villages : The Tamil Nadu government recently issued a notification declaring themi (Madurai district) the first biodiversity heritage site in the State.
- Arittapatti, known for its ecological and historical significance, houses around 250 species of birds, including three important raptors — Laggar Falcon, Shaheen Falcon, Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) along with wildlife such as the Indian Pangolin and Slender Loris.
- The area is surrounded by a chain of seven hillocks or inselbergs, that serve as a watershed, charging “72 lakes, 200 natural springs and three check-dams”.
- The Anaikondan tank, built during the reign of the Pandiyan kings in the 16th century, is one of them. The site also features various megalithic structures, Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions, Jain Beds and 2200-year-old rock-cut temples adding to its historical value.
3) Ronnagrams and Quettametres : International scientists gathered in France voted on Friday for new metric prefixes to express the world’s largest and smallest measurements, prompted by an ever-growing amount of data.
- Prefixes for Largest numbers: Ronna (10 to the power 27 zeros) and Quetta (10 to the power 30 zeros)
- Prefixes for smallest numbers: Ronto (10 to the negative 27th power) and Quecto (10 to the negative 30th power)
- The International System of Units (SI) is the agreed global standard for the metric system.
4) Project Unnati : started by Rural Development Ministry
- It is a skilling project intended to upgrade the skill base of the MGNREGA beneficiaries, so that they can move from the current partial employment to full-time employment.
- This project is meant for providing training for one adult member (of age 18-45 years old) of a household who has completed 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA
- The household from which candidates are selected for the training, continue to enjoy 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
- The candidates undergoing training are paid a stipend for a maximum period of 100 days
- Full expenditures towards a stipend, against wage loss compensation, are entirely borne by the Central Government.
5) Ethnoveterinary Medicine (EVM) : Ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) involves the use of traditional/herbal preparations in treating diseases of cattle. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been recognised as a ‘silent pandemic’ and is a global public health threat today. It is a One Health issue. It accelerates due to the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human health, animal health, food-animal production, aquaculture and crop production
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