About Anoxic Marine Basins

• An anoxic basin is a body of water without oxygen.
• Permanent anoxic basins form when there is a strong layering of the water column created in a cup-like formation on the ocean floor.
  • The layering is caused by density differences due to salt concentration or temperature.
  • Once stratification occurs, circulation with the rest of the ocean is minimized, and microorganisms consume the oxygen in the water. 
• In most anoxic basins, the water is extremely stagnant and can have mixing times of many thousand years.
• They range from a few hundred meters to several kilometers across and from 10 meters to 500 meters deeper than the surrounding seafloor.
• They can’t support animal life, and are populated primarily by microbes and some very specialized fungi with different metabolisms than creatures in oxygen-rich environments.
  • Some of them rely on molecules such as nitrate for respiration, and some get their carbon from gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) instead of eating other organisms or particles of organic matter.
• Many anoxic basins also contain toxic chemicals, which are produced by geothermal activity or by microbes living in the basins.
• Some also contain salt domes, big mounds of hardened salt. 
• In some anoxic basins, methane and other gases collect in reservoirs beneath the seafloor.
  • The gases can percolate upward, pushing up domes of sediment on the seafloor that are called mud volcanoes.
  • The gases can burst through the soft sediments, creating "mini-eruptions" of wispy columns of sediment-filled water.

Q1) What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is the capturing, removal and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the earth’s atmosphere. It’s recognised as a key method for removing carbon from the earth’s atmosphere and is one of the many approaches being taken to tackle climate change.

Source:Anoxic marine basins are among the best candidates for deep-sea carbon sequestration, say scientists

About Morodharo

• It is a fortified settlement dating back to the Harappan-era.
• Location: Kutch District, Gujarat
• Features:
  • The settlement looks mature (2,600-1,900BCE) to late (1,900-1,300 BCE) Harappan.
  • The fortification measures 102 m east to the west and 58 m north to the south.
  • The thickness of the wall is an average of 3.3 m.
  • It has a 10x10 m platform on the south-west side and a well on the north-east.
  • Burial cairns, which are mounds of stones to demarcate a boundary, are also found here.
  • Harappan pottery with perforated jar sherds, reserved slipware, and terracotta cakes were unearthed. All these items have a striking resemblance to those found in Dholavira.

Key Facts about Harappan Civilization

• The Indus Valley/Harappan civilisation was the first urban civilisation in South Asia, coexisting with Mesopotamia and Egypt.
• The Harappan civilisation occupied the largest area (approximately 8,00,000 sq km) among the three civilisations.
• Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan), Mohenjo-Daro (Sindh, Pakistan), Dholavira, Lothal, and Surkotada (Gujarat, India), Kalibangan and Banawali (Rajasthan, India), and Rakhigarhi (Haryana, India) are the major cities in the Harappan period. 
• The features of town planning of Harappan civilisation included: 
  • Rectangular grid pattern: The Harappan cities were designed on a grid pattern, with streets running in a north-south and east-west direction, forming a well-organized layout. Streets and lanes were cutting across one another almost at right angles, thus dividing the city into several rectangular blocks.
  • Planned streets and alleyways: The streets and alleyways of Harappan cities were planned and constructed with precision. They were wide enough to allow the movement of carts and pedestrians, and some streets had covered drains running alongside them.
  • Fortification: The cities were surrounded by fortified walls made of mud bricks, providing protection against robbers, cattle raiders, and floods. 
  • Division of cities: The city was divided into two parts: an upraised citadel and the lower part of the city. 
  • Upper part: An upraised citadel in the western part was used for constructing buildings of large dimensions, such as granaries, administrative buildings, pillared halls, and courtyards.
  • Lower part: Below the citadel in each city lay a lower town containing brick houses, which were inhabited by the common people.
  • Material used: They used burnt bricks on a large scale in almost all kinds of constructions, and there was the absence of stone buildings during Harappan culture.
  • Residential areas: The cities were divided into distinct residential areas. Houses were made of baked bricks, often with multiple stories, indicating a well-developed urban society. The houses were generally built around courtyards, and some had private wells and properly ventilated bathrooms. No window faced the streets, and the houses had tiled bathrooms.
  • Sophisticated drainage systems: The drainage system of the Harappans was elaborate and well laid out. Every house had drains, which opened into the street drains. Drains were made of mortar, lime, and gypsum.
  • Granaries and storage facilities: The cities had well-planned granaries and storage facilities to store surplus agricultural produce. 

Q1) What is Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia (from the Greek, meaning 'between two rivers') was an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau, corresponding to modern-day Iraq and parts of Iran, Syria, Kuwait, and Turkey and known as the Fertile Crescent and the cradle of civilization.

Source: Kutch villagers' treasure hunt helps unearth Harappan site near Dholavira

About Mission Aspides

• It is a European Union (EU) naval mission to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea from attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
• It will send European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.
• So far, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium have said they plan to contribute ships.
• Aspides vessels, whose operational command centre will be in the Greek city of Larissa, will have orders to fire on the Houthis only if they attack first and will not be authorised to shoot pre-emptively.
• The mission is planned for one year but may be renewed.

Key Facts about Red Sea

• It is a semi-enclosed inlet (or extension) of the Indian Ocean between the continents of Africa and Asia. It is one of the world’s warmest seas.
• It is connected to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the south through the Gulf of Aden and the narrow strait of Bab El-Mandeb.
• The northern portion of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula into the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, where it is connected to the Mediterranean Seavia the famous Suez Canal.
• Bordering Countries:
  • Yemen and Saudi Arabia border the Red Sea to the east.
  • It is bordered by Egypt to the north and west and by Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti to the west.
• This sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km2 and is about 2,250 km in length. 
• The maximum width of the sea is 355 km, and the sea’s deepest point is 3,040 m at the central Suakin Trough, with the sea’s estimated average depth being 490 m.
• Islands: Some well-known islands include Tiran Island, which is located near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, and Shadwan Island, which is located at the entrance of the Gulf of Suez.

Q1) What is the European Union (EU)?

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. The EU was established by the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force on November 1, 1993. The main goal of the EU is to promote cooperation and integration among its member states in order to enhance economic and political stability in Europe. The EU has its own currency, the Euro, which is used by 19 of the member states. It has a single market where goods, services, and capital can move freely.

Source: EU launches Red Sea naval mission to protect shipping from Houthi attacks

About BharatNet Project

• It is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world.
• It is implemented in a phased manner to all Gram Panchayats in the country for providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers.
• Objective: To enable access providers like mobile operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, content providers to launch various services such as applications like e-health, e-education and e-governance in rural and remote India.
• The project has been approved in 2011.
• It is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle namely Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which has been incorporated in 2012 under Indian Companies Act 1956.
• The Telecom Commission approved to implement the project in three phases.
• BharatNet Phase-I:
  • It was approved in 2011 the project for the creation of the National Optical Fibre Network (now BharatNet) to provide broadband connectivity at the Gram Panchayat (GP) level by connecting block headquarters to GPs by using existing fibre of Central Public Sector Undertakings such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and RailTel Corporation of India Limited and laying incremental fibre to bridge the connectivity gap up to the GPs.
• BharatNet Phase-II
  • It was approved in 2017, which integrates the implementation experience of Phase-I of the project and aligns it with the vision of Digital India.
  • The modified strategy provides an optimal mix of media (OFC, Radio and satellite) to connect Gram Panchayats (GPs).
  • Under Phase II, GPs are to be connected through multiple implementing models like State-led Model, Private Sector Model and CPSU Model, along with last mile connectivity in GPs through Wi-Fi or any other suitable broadband technology.
• In the third phase from 2019 to 2023, state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fiber between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created.

Q1) What Is Broadband?

Broadband refers to various high-capacity transmission technologies that transmit data, voice, and video across long distances and at high speeds. Common mediums of transmission include coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, and radio waves.

Source: BSNL rolls out Rs 65k-cr tender for BharatNet

About Vaitarna River

• It is one of the west flowing rivers in the region North of Mumbai and South of the Tapi River.
• It originates in the Trimbakeshwar Hills of Nasik district of Maharashtra.
• It receives most of the rainfall from the South West monsoon during June to October. Almost 98% of the annual rainfall of the basin is received during this period.
• Tributaries: The main tributaries are Pinjal, Ganjai, Surya, Daharji and Tansa.
• The catchment area of Vaitarna basin completely lies in Thane and Nasik districts of Maharashtra.
• It drains an area of 2019 sq km before it falls in Gulf of Khambhat. 

Key facts about Bull Shark

• They’re known to be aggressive towards humans and are thought to be one of the most dangerous shark species in the world.
• Habitat: These are frequently spotted in tropical coastal areas worldwide, including shallower waters along coastlines.
• Bull sharks have a unique ability to tolerate freshwater and saltwater habitats, meaning they can sometimes be found venturing into rivers and traveling great distances upstream. 
• It reproduces through viviparity, the process in which the embryo develops within the mother’s body, leading to live birth. 
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable

Q1) What is a gulf?

It is a portion of the ocean that penetrates land. Gulfs vary greatly in size, shape, and depth. They are generally larger and more deeply indented than bays. Like bays, they often make excellent harbors. Many important trading centers are located on gulfs.

Source: Bull shark that attacked fisherman was first sighting in Vaitarna river

About National Council for Transgender Persons

• It is a statutory body constituted under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 to safeguard the rights of transgender persons in India.
• It is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and making recommendations to the government on measures to promote and protect the rights of transgender persons. 
• Aims
  • To focus on livelihood issues as well as to raise awareness about the trans community for achieving the goal of social justice so that transpersons are accepted within families and in the larger society.
  • To ensure to set up of transgender welfare boards in all states and also ensure that essential needs of the transgender community, like housing, food, healthcare, and education are met.
• Composition
  • The Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment is the Chairperson (ex-officio).
  • The Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment is the Vice-Chairperson (ex-officio) of the council.
  • The other members of the Council include representatives of various Ministries/Departments
  • Five representatives of the transgender community.
  • Representatives of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW), representatives of State Governments and UTs, and experts representing NGOs.
• Functions:
  • It advises the Central Government on the formulation of policies, programmes, legislation and projects with respect to transgender persons.
  • It Monitors and evaluates the impact of policies and programmes designed for achieving equality and full participation of transgender persons.
  • It reviews and coordinates the activities of all the departments of Government and other Governmental and non-Governmental Organisations which are dealing with matters relating to transgender persons.
  • It redresses the grievances of transgender persons.
  • Performs such other functions as may be prescribed by the Central Government.

Q1) Who is a transgender?

A person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.

Source: Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment chairs meeting of National Council for Transgender Persons

About Rubber Board

• It is a statutory organization constituted under the Rubber Act, 1947.
• It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Functions:
  • It is responsible for the development of the rubber industry in the country by assisting and encouraging research, development, extension and training activities related to rubber.
  • It also maintains statistical data of rubber, takes steps to promote marketing of rubber and undertake labour welfare activities.
  • A crucial function of the Rubber Board is issuing licenses to rubber producers, manufacturers, and exporters/traders. This license, known as the "Rubber Board license/registration," is mandatory for anyone involved in rubber manufacturing and export
• Structure:
  • It is headed by a Chairman appointed by the Central Government.
  • It has 28 members representing various interests of the natural rubber industry.
• The activities of the Board are exercised through Five Departments viz. General Services, Extension & Advisory Services, Research Services (rubber Research Institute of India), Training (Rubber Training Institute) & Finance.
• Headquarters: Kottayam, Kerala.

Q1) What is latex?

It is nothing but natural elastic material, sustainably sourced from natural rubber trees. It is a long chain of hydrocarbon polymer of cis-1,4-polyisoproprene. This thick, white, milky emulsion is even known as the 'earth's most perfect sleep material.'

Source: Aid for rubber plantation hiked