About Rosewood Tree: 

• Rosewood is a commercial term encompassing a wide range of tropical hardwoods in the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family.
• Distribution: It is native to South-East Asia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Sabah, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

Indian Rosewood

• Dalbergia sissoo(North Indian rosewood)
  • It is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous crooked rosewood tree is native to the foothills of the Himalayas, ranging from Afghanistan in the west to Bihar, India, in the east.
  • It has long, leathery leaves and whitish or pink flowers.
  • It is primarily found growing along river banks above 200 m (700 ft) elevation, but can range naturally up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft). 
• Dalbergia latifolia (East Indian Rose wood)
  • Common names: East Indian Rosewood, Black Rosewood, Bombay Black wood, Indonesian Rosewood, Malabar rosewood.
  • Habitat: Tropical dry deciduous forests, Tropical moist deciduous forests, also in the plains.
  • Distribution: India, Nepal, Andama Islands (India), Malay peninsula, Indonesia, Himalayas, China, Malaysia
• It is commonly used for furniture, musical instruments, decorative items and veneers.
• Conservation status: Currently, these species are listed in Appendix II of the CITES list.

Key facts about CITES

• It is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• CITES was adopted in 1973 and entered into force in 1975.
• Member countries: There are 184 member parties, and trade is regulated in more than 38,000 species.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words, they have to implement the Convention–it does not take the place of national laws.
• Secretariat: It is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is located in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Q1: What is the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?

It is the leading environmental authority in the United Nations system. It uses its expertise to strengthen environmental standards and practices while helping implement environmental obligations at the country, regional, and global levels.

Source: CITES defines guidelines on trade of rosewood species

About e-office Platform: 

• It aims to streamline operations and enhance efficiency across 133 identified offices.
• This initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.
• Implementation by: The National Informatics Centre (NIC) to be the knowledge partner for implementation of e-Office.
• The key components of e-Office are as follows.
  • File Management System (e-File): It is a workflow-based system that extends the features of existing manual handling of files in addition to a more efficient electronic system.
  • Knowledge Management System (KMS): It brought the concept of a central repository of documents in an organization. It provides for users to create and manage electronic documents in the workflow, along with versions (tracking history) that can be easily viewed, searched.
  • Work from Anywhere (WAW) Portal: A gateway for virtual office from anywhere is a one stop-portal for office functions and connects the officials to securely access their office from anywhere.
  • Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW): It is a web-based application for processing of APAR. Employees can fill in their APAR, which is further reported and reviewed by the official hierarchy.

Q1: What is the National Informatics Centre?

It is the premier information technology organization of the Government of India. Established in 1976, it operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The NIC's primary focus is to provide e-Government solutions and support to various government departments.

Source: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions announces e-office rollout to 133 offices

About Chromium: 

• It is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, animals, plants, soil, and in volcanic dust and gases.
• It is a very hard gray solid with a metallic luster.
• There are two forms: trivalent chromium, which is safe for humans, and hexavalent chromium, which is a toxin.
• Properties
  • It does not tarnish in air, when heated it borns and forms the green chromic oxide.
  • Chromium is unstable in oxygen, it immediately produces a thin oxide layer that is impermeable to oxygen and protects the metal below.
• Applications
  • Chromium use in iron, steel, and nonferrous alloys enhances hardenability and resistance to corrosion and oxidation.
  • The use of chromium to produce stainless steel and nonferrous alloys are two of its more important applications.
  • Other applications are in alloy steel, plating of metals, pigments, leather processing, catalysts, surface treatments, and refractories.

Where is Sukinda Valley?

• It is in the State of Orissa.
• It contains 97% of India's chromite ore deposits and one of the largest open cast chromite ore mines in the world.
• Approximately 70% of the surface water and 60% of the drinking water contains hexavalent chromium.
• The Brahmani River is the only water source for the residents and treatment facilities are extremely limited.

Q1:What is an alloy?

A metal alloy is a substance that combines more than one metal or mixes a metal with other non-metallic elements. For example, brass is an alloy of two metals: copper and zinc.

Source: Get clean water for Sukinda Valley residents, NGT orders Odisha government

About Kharchi Puja: 

• It is one of the main festivals of Tripura.
• It is performed during the months of July-August on the eighth day of the new moon.
• The meaning of Kharchi can be understood by splitting the word into two Tripuri words “Khar” or Kharta meaning sin and “Chi” or si meaning cleaning. Hence it signifies the cleansing of our sins. 
• It occurs during the month of ‘Ashad’ on the ‘Shukla Ashtami’ day.
• The fourteen Gods are worshipped by the Royal priest Chantai.
• It lasts for seven days and it takes place at old Agartala in the Fourteen Gods temple known as the ‘Chaturdasha Devata’ temple premises.
• The Kharchi Puja deities do not have a full body; they have only heads which are worshipped.
• On the day of the puja, the fourteen Gods are taken from the temple to the river Saidra by the Chantai members and given bathe with the holy river water, then carried back to the temple. 
• This festival's customs are completely related to the authentic Tripuri traditions.

Q1:Where is the Chaturdasha Temple?

 It is also known as the Temple Of Fourteen Deities and is located near the old part of Agartala where the royal palace is situated. The location of the temple is about 8 kilometers away from the main city of Agartala which is the capital of the state of Tripura in India.

Source: PM greets on Kharchi Puja

About Quantum Navigation:

• Where satellite navigation relies on the signal bouncing back from space, quantum navigation focuses on the movement of a single atom tracked under cryogenic conditions.
• Instead of a satellite floating in space, a quantum navigation system is within each individual vehicle, with measurements being made “at point of use”.
• This means the signal “doesn’t drift”, making interception much harder to achieve.
• Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) like GPS are susceptible to accidental and deliberate outages, whereas quantum navigation is ‘unjammable’.
• But quantum navigation systems are unlikely to replace GNSSs any time soon. 
  • This is because, ultra-cold atoms are needed to achieve quantum navigation, and the equipment is currently sizable.

What is GPS?

• The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based radio-navigation system consisting of a constellation of satellites broadcasting navigation signals and a network of ground stations and satellite control stations used for monitoring and control.
• Currently, 31 GPS satellites orbit the Earth at an altitude of approximately 11,000 miles, providing users with accurate information on position, velocity, and time anywhere in the world and in all weather conditions.
• It is operated and maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD).
• The USDOD originally put the satellites into orbit for military use, but they were made available for civilian use in the 1980s.
• GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, with no subscription fees or setup charges. 
• How GPS Works?
  • GPS satellites circle the Earth twice a day in a precise orbit.
  • Each satellite transmits a unique signal and orbital parameters that allow GPS devices to decode and compute the precise location of the satellite.
  • GPS receivers use this information and trilateration to calculate a user's exact location.
  • Essentially, the GPS receiver measures the distance to each satellite by the amount of time it takes to receive a transmitted signal.
  • With distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver can determine a user's position and display it electronically.

Q1: What is Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC)?

NaVIC or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) uses seven satellites to provide real-time positioning and timing services in India and an area extending up to 1,500 km from the country's borders. Of the seven satellites used by NaVIC at present, three are in the geostationary orbit and four in the geosynchronous orbit.

Source: What’s quantum navigation? It could even replace GPS

About Mahabodhi Temple Complex:

• It is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, marking the spot of the Buddha’s Enlightenment (Bodhi).
• It is located in Bodh Gaya, in central Bihar, on the banks of the Niranjana River.
• It is one of the few surviving examples of early brick structures in India.
• The first temple was built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C., and the present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. 
• It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing from the late Gupta period, and it is considered to have had a significant influence in the development of brick architecture over the centuries.
• The sculpted stone balustrades are an outstanding early example of sculptural reliefs in stone.
• It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
• Features:
  • The present Temple Complex comprises the 50-meter-high grand Temple, six sacred places within an enclosed area, and a seventh one, the Lotus Pond, just outside the enclosure to the south.
  • The most important of the sacred places is the giant Bodhi Tree. This tree is to the west of the main temple and is supposed to be a direct descendant of the original Bodhi Tree, under which the Buddha had his enlightenment.
  • Ashoka’s stone slab purporting to mark the exact position where the Buddha sat is traditionally called the Buddha’s vajrasana (literally “diamond throne” or “thunder seat”). 
  • The grand temple’s pyramidal shikhara (tower) comprises several layers of niches, arch motifs, and fine engravings.
  • Four towers, each identical to its central counterpart but smaller in size and topped with an umbrella-like dome, adorn the corners of the two-story structure. 
  • A shrine inside the temple holds a yellow sandstone statue of the Buddha encased in glass.
  • The 4.8-hectare (11.9-acre) complex also includes ancient shrines and modern structures built by Buddhist devotees.

Q1: What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

A World Heritage Site (WHS) is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. These sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.

Source: Satellite images suggest architectural wealth beneath Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya: officials

About Asur Community:

• The Asurs are a very small Austro-Asiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand, mostly in the Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu, and Latehar districts. 
• A small minority lives in the neighbouring states.
• They are included in the list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). 
• As per the 2011 census, the tribe has a population of around 23,000.
• They speak the Asur language, which belongs to the Munda family of Austro-asiatic languages.
• Occupations:
  • Asurs are traditionally iron-smelters.
  • They were once hunter-gatherers, having also involved in shifting agriculture. However, majority of them shifted into agriculture, with 91.19 percent enlisted as cultivators in the 2011 census.
  • Their indigenous technology of iron smelting gives them a distinct identity, as they claim to have descended from the ancient Asuras, who were associated with the art of metal craft.
  • When smelting, the Asur women sing a song relating the furnace to an expectant mother, encouraging the furnace to give a healthy baby, i.e., good quality and quantity of iron from the ore, and were thence, according to Bera, associated with the fertility cult.
  • But now a days, a major section of the population is also attached with mining work.
• Society:
  • The Asur society is divided into 12 clans. These Asur clans are named after different animals, birds, and food grains.
  • Family is second-most prominent institution after the clan.
  • They have their own community council (jati panch) where disputes are settled.
  • They maintain putative kinship ties with Kharwar, Munda, and other neighbouring tribes.
  • Except for the burial site, they share all other public spaces with their neighbours.
  • Traditional male clothing is dhoti, while females wear tattoo marks (depicting totemic objects) upon their bodies as ornaments.
  • The Asur follow the rule of monogamy, but in cases of barrenness, widower and widow hood, they follow the rule of bigamy or even Polygamy. At the time of marriage, they follow the rule of tribe endogamy.
• Religion: The Asur religion is a mixture of animism, animatism, naturalism, and ancestral worships. 

Q1: Who are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)?

PVTGs are a more vulnerable group among tribal groups in India. These groups have primitive traits, geographical isolation, low literacy, zero to negative population growth rate and backwardness. Moreover, they are largely dependent on hunting for food and a pre-agriculture level of technology. Currently, there are 2.8 million PVTGs belonging to 75 tribes across 22,544 villages in 220 districts across 18 states and Union Territories in India. According to the 2011 Census, Odisha has the largest population of PVTGs at 866,000. It is followed by Madhya Pradesh at 609,000 and Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) at 539,000.

Source: Asur tribes in Netarhat to get forest land rights: Gumla admin

About NASA's CHAPEA Project:

• Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a series of analog missions conducted by NASA that will simulate year-long stays on the surface of Mars.
• It aims to assess and collect data regarding NASA’s food system and physical and behavioral health patterns in humans, which will help during future space missions.
• Each mission will consist of four crew members living in Mars Dune Alpha, an isolated 1,700-square-foot habitat. 
  • Mars Dune Alpha is a 3D-printed structure located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
  • It simulates a realistic Mars habitat to support long-duration, exploration-class space missions. 
  • Mars Dune Alpha features include:
    • Four private crew quarters
    • Dedicated workstations
    • Dedicated medical station
    • Common lounge areas
    • Galley and food-growing stations
• The analog mission will be as Mars-realistic as feasible, which may include environmental stressors such as resource limitations, isolation, equipment failure, and significant workloads.
• During the mission, the crew will conduct simulated spacewalks and provide data on a variety of factors, which may include physical and behavioral health and performance.
• After the successful completion of this mission recently, two more are scheduled for 2025 and 2026. 

Q1: What is Mars?

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. This dynamic planet has seasons, polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons and weather. Mars is one of the easiest planets to spot in the night sky – it looks like a bright red point of light. Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the only planet where we've sent rovers to explore the alien landscape.

Source: Wonderful to say hello': Nasa crew emerge after year-long mars simulation

About Upper Siang Hydropower Project:

• It is a proposed 11,000-megawatt hydropower project on the Siang River in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The Brahmaputra River, which in Arunachal Pradesh is known as the Siang River.
  • The area is predominantly inhabited by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) have jointly been assigned the task of construction of this project.
• On 30 December 2022, NHPC submitted a pre-feasibility report of the Project, according to which the installed capacity of the project would be 11,000 MW, the reservoir would have a storage capacity of 9 billion cubic metres (BCM), and the estimated cost of the project would be around Rs. 1,13,000 crores.
• It is seen as a strategic move to counter China’s hydel projects on the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) River, particularly a 60,000 MW ‘super dam’ in Tibet’s Medog county.

Q1: Which are the major tributaries of Brahmaputra River?

The tributaries namely Subansiri, Ronganadi, Dikrong, Buroi, Borgong, Jiabharali, Dhansiri (North) Puthimari, Manas, Beki, Aie, Sonkosh are the main tributaries on the North while the Noadehing, Buridehing, Desang, Dikhow, Bhogdoi, Dhansiri (South), Kopilli, Kulsi, Krishnai, Dhdhnoi, Jinjiran are the main tributaries on the south bank of the river Brahmaputra.

Source: Why locals are protesting against the Upper Siang hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh

About Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary: 

• It is located in the Ladakhi Changthang plateau in the Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It covers an area of almost 1,600 sq. km and is home to the highest altitude water lakes, namely, Tso Moriri (which also happens to be the highest lake on earth), Pangong Tso and Tso Kar.
• The Changthang region is inhabited by nomadic pastoral communities, primarily the Changpa tribe, who lead a traditional way of life herding yaks, goats, and sheep across the vast grasslands.
• This region is steeped in Tibetan Buddhist culture and heritage.
• It includes one of the world's highest villages, Korzok Village, which attracts tourists to the Korzok Monastery.
• Fauna: Tibetan wolf, wild yak, bharal, brown bear and the mormot that seems to be present everywhere.
• Flora: It is home to almost 200 species of wild plants that grow in the higher pastures and are food for the animals inside the sanctuary.

Q1:Who are Changpas?

They are semi-nomadic people found mainly in the Changtang plateau of southeastern Ladakh. A smaller number resides in the western regions of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. They share linguistic and cultural affinities with Tibetans.

Source: Ladakh | All is not well at Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary