About New Plant Species: 

• Researchers discovered two new plant species namely Dendrophthoe longensis (from Andaman and Nicobar islands) and Petrocosmea arunachalense (from Arunachal Pradesh).
• Dendrophthoe longensis
  • It is an aerial stem-parasitic flowering plant species discovered from the Long Islands of middle Andamans.
  • It was found on the specific host plant - Mango, Mangifera indica in the edge of evergreen forests, low land areas of tropical forests.
  • The species is from the family Mistletoe - a group of hemi-parasitic flowering plants which exhibit a suite of remarkable adaptations associated with the hemi-parasitic habitat.
  • The species is sparsely scattered and confined to a few localities of Long Island.
  • Threats: Aerial stem-parasitic flowering mistletoe plants are under great pressure due to destruction of natural habitat and other anthropogenic activities especially timber harvesting of host tree species, developmental works which are causing population declines worldwide.
• Petrocosmea arunachalense
  • It is a very small herb and the researchers located it inside a cave indicating that the species requires less sunlight 
  • The species is completely white with purple blotch and the plant has a hairy texture.
  • It is only the second known species from the genus Petrocosmea in India. 

What are biodiversity hotspots?

• Biodiversity hotspots are geographic areas with an exceptionally high richness of species, including rare and endemic species.
• Around the world, 36 areas qualify as hotspots. Their intact habitats represent just 2.5% of Earth’s land surface, but they support more than half of the world’s plant species as endemics 
• To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria:
  • It must have at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable.
  • It must have 30% or less of its original natural vegetation and must be threatened.
• There are 4 biodiversity hotspots in India namely; Himalayas, Indo-Burma region, Western Ghats and Sundaland.

Q1: What is Parasitism?

It is a relationship between two species of plants or animals in which one benefits at the expense of the other, sometimes without killing the host organism.

Source: Two bio-geographic hotspots in India yield two new plant species

About Investment Holding Companies (IHCs):

• IHCs, commonly referred to as Holdcos, are entities which hold assets and securities of other listed companies, most commonly of their own group firms.
• IHCs own a controlling interest in one or more companies but don't provide other services (such as the production of goods or services) or engage in business directly.
• It only serves as an ownership vehicle of other companies or investments.
• Its primary purpose is to hold and manage investments in one or more subsidiary companies.
• The holding company may or may not provide direct operational support to the companies it owns.
• IHCs come in several forms, including private equity firms and publicly traded corporations.
• An IHC may provide a vehicle for multiple investors to pool their funds and collectively invest around a specific investment objective or strategy, e.g., real estate.
• They may be built around an industry vertical or broadly diversified across multiple industries.
• But they all have the same focus: to maximize investor returns through asset management and capital allocation.
• Holding companies often look for businesses with growth potential or companies in need of restructuring or operational improvements.

They provide strategic guidance, financial resources, and connections to help grow ‌businesses (i.e., their investments).

Q1: What is equity security?

An equity security is a financial instrument that represents an ownership share in a corporation. The instrument also gives its holder the right to a proportion of the earnings of the issuing organization. The typical equity security is common stock, which also gives its owner the right to a share of the residual value of the issuing entity, in the event of a liquidation.

Source: Market regulator Sebi's price discovery framework puts shade on holdcos

About Kolar Gold Fields (KGF):

• KGF (once known as ‘Little England’) is a mining area in the Kolar District of Karnataka, 100 km from Bengaluru.
• It is estimated that gold has been mined in KFG for over 2000 years.
• KGF’s modern success is generally attributed to the firm John Taylor & Sons, after John Taylor III took control of the mines in 1880andestablished what was at one time the deepest and most productive gold mine in the world.
• KGF was the first Indian city to be electrified in 1902.
• At its peak, KGF was home to 30000 mine workers and their families and was a multiethnic community with experienced miners recruited from around the world.
• The mines were run by the company up until 1956, when they were taken over by theGovernment of Mysore, who employed John Taylor & Sons as mining consultants.

Although the annual production in some years was more than 95 percent of India’sgold output, the mines declined and finally closed in 2001.

Q1: What are Tailings?

Tailings are the waste materials left after the target mineral is extracted from ore. They consist of Crushed rock, Water, Trace quantities of metals such as copper, mercury, cadmium, zinc, etc., and additives used in processing, such as petroleum byproducts, sulfuric acid and cyanide.

Source: State clears Centre’s proposal on reviving gold mining at KGF

About Seine River:

• It is France’s second-longest river after the Loire, covering a distance of 775 kilometers. 
• This river has a drainage basin, known as the Paris Basin, of approximately 79,000 square kilometers and drains mainly northern France. 
• Course:
  • It rises 446 meters above sea level in the wine-making region of Burgundy, near the town of Dijon.
  • As the Seine approaches Paris, it is joined by the Marne, one of its largest tributaries, on the right bank.
  • It flows through Paris for about 13 kilometers from west to east.
  • It finally empties into the English Channel, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating northern France and southern England. 
• Most of the river basin is formed of permeable rocks, the absorptive capacity of which mitigates the risk of river floods.
• The basin receives modest annual precipitation ranging from 650 to 750 millimeters.
• It is one of Europe’s great historic rivers, and its drainage network carries most of the French inland waterway traffic.

Q1: What is permeability?

The ease with which fluid is transmitted through a rock's pore space is called permeability. Although a rock may be very porous, it is not necessarily very permeable. Permeability is a measure of how interconnected the individual pore spaces are in a rock or sediment. A sandstone is typically porous and permeable. Shales are porous but have a lower permeability because the finer grain size creates smaller pore spaces.

Source: Seine River in Paris still too polluted for Olympic events as opening ceremony looms

About Superhydrophobic Catalyst:

• The new catalyst is named as “spherical superhydrophobic activated carbon catalyst” which is developed to withstand water by-product during the production of biodiesel.
• This catalyst imitates the anti-wetting or water-repulsing properties of natural surfaces such as lotus leaves.
• Advantages
  • The catalyst is derived from biomass (cellulose), is ecologically benign, abundant, and highly affordable.
  • This breakthrough has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of biodiesel production, making sustainable energy more accessible.
  • It is highly effective and can be reused multiple times, making the catalytic process more efficient and cost-effective.
  • At present, the cost of biodiesel in India is about ₹100 or UD$1.2 per litre. Using the superhydrophobic activated carbon catalyst can bring down the cost to about 37 cents per litre. 
• Biodiesel: Itis a renewable, biodegradable fuel manufactured domestically from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. 

What is activated carbon?

• It is a class of amorphous carbonaceous material with large porosity and internal surface area.
• Coconut shells, coal, and wood are the basic sources of activated carbon.

Q1: What is Biomass?

It is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored chemical energy from the sun that is produced by plants through photosynthesis.

About e-Samridhi Portal: 

• It was launched through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF).
• It is for registration of farmers and government is committed to procure pulses at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for farmers registered on the portal.
• Portal registration of farmers can be done directly or through Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and FPO.
• The payment to the farmers will be made by NAFED directly into their mapped bank account and no agency will be involved in between.

Key facts about National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd

• It is an apex organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
• It was founded on 2 October 1958 to promote the trade of agricultural produce and forest resources across the nation.
• It is registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act.
• With its headquarters in New Delhi, NAFED has four regional offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, apart from 28 zonal offices in capitals of states and important cities.
• Functions
  • It is the nodal agency to implement price stabilization measures under "Operation Greens" which aims to double the farmers' income by 2022.
  • Along with FCI the NAFED is involved in the procurement of oilseeds, pulses and copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).

Q1: What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)?

It is a way of protecting the farmers in India from the uncertainties of the markets as well as those of the natural kind. There is currently no statutory backing for these prices, nor any law mandating their enforcement.

Source: Agri Minister asks states to encourage farmers to register on e-Samridhi portal to avail procurement benefits