About Civil Registration System (CRS) Mobile App:

• It is designed to facilitate the registration of births and deaths across India.
• It was developed by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
• It aims to simplify and expedite the registration process for citizens, making it more accessible and efficient.
• The new app will allow citizens to register births or deaths at any time from any place in their state's official language.

Key Facts about Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGCCI):

• It is an office under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, responsible for conducting the decennial Census of India, compiling demographic and population statistics, and overseeing the Civil Registration System (CRS) in the country.
• Established in 1961, the RGCCI is a crucial body for policy-making, providing data that informs social, economic, and political decisions at all levels of government.
• The Registrar General of India is the head of the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner.

Q1: Why was the Census originally delayed until 2025?

The Census was delayed from 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has now decided to begin the Census in 2025 to align it with planned constituency reorganization

News: Mobile app for birth and death registration launched

About North Atlantic right whale:

• These whales are migratory animals, spending the winter in warmer waters and migrating to the poles for cooler waters in late summer.
• These whales inhabit the temperate and subpolar waters of the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans.
• Habitat: Depending on the time of year and which hemisphere they're found, right whales will spend much of their time near bays and peninsulas and in shallow, coastal waters.
• Distribution: These are generally restricted to the coastal waters of the East coast of the United States and Canada.
• There are three recognized species of right whales that occur in different parts of the world. These are Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and North Pacific right whales.
• These whales often skim feed at or just below the water surface, slowly swimming through clouds of plankton with their mouths half open and then straining the plankton through their long baleen plates.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Critically endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I

Q1: What is the International Whaling Commission?

It was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) which was signed in Washington DC in 1946. It has the objective to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.

News: Right whale population grows 4% but extinction remains a threat

About Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture:

• A Central Sponsored Scheme (CSS) is being implemented w.e.f. 2014-15 for holistic growth of the horticulture sector.
• It promotes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
• MIDH also provides technical advice and administrative support to State Governments/ State Horticulture Missions (SHMs) for the Saffron Mission and other horticulture related activities Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)/NMSA.
• Funding:
  • Under MIDH, Government of India (GOI) contributes 60% of total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states except states in North East and Himalayas, 40% share is contributed by State Governments.
  • In the case of North Eastern States and Himalayan States, GOI contributes 90%.
  • In case of National Horticulture Board (NHB), Coconut Development Board (CDB), Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland and the National Level Agencies (NLA), GOI contributes 100%.
• Key Components
  • National Horticulture Mission (NHM) - Focuses on the development of horticulture in states and union territories.
  • Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) - Addresses the specific needs of the northeastern and Himalayan regions.
  • National Bamboo Mission (NBM) - Dedicated to promoting bamboo cultivation and its value chain.
  • Coconut Development Board (CDB) - Works on the development of the coconut sector.
  • Central Institute of Horticulture (CIH): It was established at Medizipehima, Nagaland in 2006-07 for providing technical backstopping through capacity building and training of farmers and Field functionaries in the North Eastern Region.

Q1: What is the National Bamboo Mission?

National Bamboo Mission is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme started in the year 2006-07 and was subsumed under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

News: Govt set to expand horticulture mission with hydroponics, aquaponics and more to boost modern farming techniques

About Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located in the Adilabad district of Telangana,
• It covers an area of around 136 sq.km.
• It is located in the scenic landscape of the Deccan plateau. It covers the thick deciduous teak forests.
• Pranahitha River flows adjoining the eastern boundary of the sanctuary while Godavari River runs towards the southern boundary of this sanctuary, which is also renowned for the presence of prehistoric rock formations. 
• The topography is hilly with dense forests and plateaus. 
• Flora: Common plants and trees found in the sanctuary include Dalbergia sissoo, Ficus spp., Dalbergia latifolia, Dalbergia paniculata, Pterocarpus marsupium, and many more.
• Fauna:
  • The sanctuary is famously known for Blackbuck and is home to over 20 species of reptiles, 50 species of birds, and 40 species of mammals. 
  • It is home to various types of species, especially mammals that include tigers, leopards, rhesus, langurs, hyenas, wild dogs, sloth bear, forest cat and many more.

Q1: What is the Deccan Plateau?

The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau that occupies major parts of western and southern India. The plateau covers an area of 4,22,000 sq. km, which is about 43% of the Indian landmass. The plateau’s name is anglicized from the Prakrit word called ‘dakkhin’, which comes from the Sanskrit word ‘daksina’, which means ‘The South’. The Deccan Plateau is situated in the southern part of the Indo-Gangetic basin and extends over eight Indian States which are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

News: Natl wildlife board defers road widening in Pranhita sanctuary

About Greenhouse Gas Bulletin:

• It has been published annually since 2004 by the World Meteorological Organization.
• It shows globally averaged surface mole fractions for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and compares them with the mole fractions during the previous year and with ‌preindustrial levels.
• It also provides insights into the change in radiative forcing by long-lived GHGs (LLGHGs) and the contribution of individual gases to this increase.
• It is one of WMO’s flagship publications released to inform the UN Climate Change conference (COP).

Highlights of the Bulletin

• The globally averaged surface concentration of carbon dioxide reached 420 parts per million (ppm), methane 1934 parts per billion and nitrous oxide 336.9 parts per billion (ppb) in 2023.
• Carbon dioxide is the single most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere related to human activities, accounting for approximately 64 per cent of the warming effect on the climate, mainly because of fossil fuel combustion and cement production,
• The long-term carbon dioxide increase is due to fossil fuel combustion, but there are year-to-year variations due to the El Nino–Southern Oscillation, which impacts photosynthetic carbon dioxide uptake, respiratory release, and fires.
• Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas which remains in the atmosphere for about a decade. Methane accounts for about 16 per cent of the warming effect of long-lived greenhouse gases.
• Nitrous oxide, an ozone depleting chemical, accounts for about 6 per cent of the radiative forcing – the warming effect on the climate -- by long-lived greenhouse gases.
• From 1990 to 2023, radiative forcing — the warming effect on our climate — by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 51.5%, with CO2 accounting for about 81 per cent of this increase.

Q1: What is the World Meteorological Organization?

It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). It was established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the UN for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.

News: With 11% increase over 2 decades, carbon dioxide accumulates faster in atmosphere

About Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD):

• It is a progressive and fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk, moose, and other cervids (members of the deer family).
• It's caused by abnormal proteins called prions that damage brain tissue, leading to severe neurological symptoms, weight loss, and eventually death.
• CWD is part of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which also include mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
• Transmission:
  • CWD spreads between animals through bodily fluids, like saliva, urine, and feces, as well as contaminated soil and plants.
  • There is currently no evidence that CWD can infect humans.
• The disease can persist in the environment for long periods, making it challenging to control.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms appear slowly and may include drastic weight loss, lack of coordination, drooling, excessive thirst, lack of fear of humans, and eventually death.
  • Symptoms might not be visible for up to 16 months after infection.
• Treatment: It is always fatal in infected animals. There is no vaccine or treatment.

Q1: What is a Protein?

Proteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. You need protein in your diet to help your body repair cells and make new ones. Protein is also important for growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women.

News: What is Chronic Wasting Disease detected in New York: and prevention tips

About Simhachalam Temple:

• Simhachalam Temple, originally known as Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, is a Hindu temple located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is dedicated to the incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu known as Narasimha
  (the man-lion).
• History:
  • It was constructed in the 11th century by the Gajapati rulers of Odisha.
  • Kulottunga Chola I of Tamilnadu, made endowments to this temple, as evidenced from inscriptions dating back to the year 1087.
  • The Vengi Chalukyas of Andhra Pradesh renovated the original shrine in the 11th century.
  • Much of the structure as it stands today is the result of renovation by Narasimha I, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the second quarter of the 13th century CE.
  • Krishna Deva Raya, the Vijayanagar monarch, visited this temple in the year 1516, as seen from inscriptions here. 
• Architecture:
  • The temple’s architecture is a blend of Kalinga and Dravidian styles, with its main sanctum adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures.
  • The presiding deity, Lord Narasimha, is depicted with a human torso and a lion’s face, exuding a sense of divine power and grace.
  • It boasts of a beautiful stone chariot drawn by horses.
  • The Kalyana Mandapa within the temple has 16 pillars with bas reliefs depicting the incarnations of Vishnu. 
  • The outer walls of the sanctum depict images of a royal personality (said to be King Narasimha) in various postures.

Q1: Who was Krishnadevaraya?

The greatest emperor in the Vijayanagar empire’s history was Krishnadevaraya(17 January 1471-17 October 1529). He presided over the Tuluva Dynasty as its third king. By overthrowing the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Gajapatis of Odisha, he rose to power.

News: Ancient Telugu inscription discovered at Simhachalam temple

About Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO):

• It is an international organization based in Vienna, Austria, established to implement the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which aims to ban all nuclear explosions worldwide.
• CTBT is a multilateral treaty opened for signature in 1996 by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. 
• The treaty envisages the mechanisms that control such prohibition, including distant monitoring and data collection.
• It was signed by 183 states and ratified by 164 but has not entered into force as eight specific states among 44 (so-called Annex-2 states whose signatures are required for the Treaty to enter into force, namely the US, China, Iran, Egypt, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea) have not ratified the treaty yet. 
• In order to verify compliance with its provisions, the treaty establishes a global network of monitoring facilities and allows for on-site inspections of suspicious events.

Q1: What is a Nuclear Weapon?

A nuclear weapon is a type of explosive device that derives its destructive power from nuclear reactions, either fission (splitting atomic nuclei) or a combination of fission and fusion (combining atomic nuclei). These reactions release massive amounts of energy in the form of an explosion, along with radiation and heat, making nuclear weapons the most powerful weapons known.

News: ‘Global N-monitoring system transparent’