About Stump-tailed macaque:

• The stump-tailed macaque, also called the bear macaque, is a species of Old World monkey found in South Asia.
• Scientific Name: Macaca arctoides
• Habitat: They are found in tropical and subtropical evergreen forests.
• Distribution:
  • They are native to Cambodia, southwest China, northeast India, Laos, Myanmar, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 
  • In India, it is found in the south of the Brahmaputra River, in the northeastern part of the country.
  • Its range in India extends from Assam and Meghalaya to eastern Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
• Features:
  • They have thick, long, dark brown fur covering their bodies and short tails which measure between 3.2 and 69 mm.
  • They have bright pink or red faces which darken to brown or nearly black as they age and are exposed to sunlight. 
  • Males are larger than females, measuring 51.7-65cm long and weighing 9.7-10.2kg, while females measure 48.5-58.5cm and weigh 7.5-9.1kg. 
  • Males have elongated canine teeth compared to females, which are important for establishing dominance within social groups.
  • They are known to eat fruits, leaves, seeds, insects and small animals like frogs.
  • Like all macaques, this species has cheek pouches to store food for short periods of time.
  • They travel quadrupedally, usually on the ground, as it is not very agile in trees.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II

Q1) What are Old World monkeys?

Old World monkeys are a group of primates belonging to the superfamily Cercopithecoidea. They are called "Old World" monkeys because they are native to Africa and Asia, and they are in contrast to the "New World" monkeys, which are found in the Americas. Old World monkeys are more closely related to apes and humans than they are to New World monkeys.

Source: Meet Delhi zoo’s new residents – eight stump-tailed macaques

About Gilbert Hill:

• It is a 200-foot monolith column of black basalt rock located at Andheri in Mumbai.
• The rock has a sheer vertical face and was formed when molten lava was squeezed out of the Earth's clefts during the Mesozoic Era about 66 million years ago.
• It was declared a National Park in 1952, while the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation categorised it as a Grade II heritage structure in 2007.
• The 'hill' is only one of three outcrops of volcanic rock worldwide.
• Arguably the oldest heritage site in the country in its original form, Gilbert Hill has a few temples and a small garden atop. These are accessed by a steep staircase carved into the rock.

Key Facts about Mesozoic Era:

• It is one of the major geologic eras in Earth's history, lasting approximately from 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago.
• It is also known as the "Age of Dinosaurs" because dinosaurs were the dominant land animals during this time.
• The Mesozoic Era was divided into three periods:
• Triassic Period (252 to 201 million years ago):
  • The first dinosaurs appeared during this period, along with other reptiles, such as crocodiles and pterosaurs.
  • The climate was warm and humid.
  • Pangea, the supercontinent, began to break apart.
• Jurassic Period (201 to 145 million years ago):
  • This was the golden age of dinosaurs, with many of the familiar dinosaur species, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops, appearing during this time.
  • The first birds, like Archaeopteryx, emerged.
  • The climate was still warm and humid.
• Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago):
  • The dinosaurs reached their peak diversity during this period.
  • The climate became cooler and drier, and the continents continued to break apart. 
  • The period ended with the mass extinction event known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction, likely caused by a combination of factors. This event led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other species.

Q1) What is Basalt rock?

Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock that forms from the rapid cooling of lava at or near the Earth's surface. It is one of the most abundant types of rock on the Earth's crust and is known for its dark color, fine-grained texture, and durability.

Source: Gilbert Hill to be developed on the lines of Burj Khalifa: Mangal Lodha

PM-DAKSH Yojana:

• The Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It was launched during 2020-21.
• The main objective of the Scheme is to enhance competency level of the target groups to make them employable both in self- employment and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
• It is a National Action Plan for skilling marginalized persons covering SCs, OBCs, EBCs, DNTs, Sanitation workers including waste pickers.
• Target Group:
  • Artisans- who may be able to improve their revenue generation capacities within their practicing vocations;
  • Women- who may be able to enter into self-employment and financially empower themselves without neglecting their domestic activities; and
  • Youth- who may acquire long-term training and specialization in employable vocations and gain a better standing in the job market.
• The age criterion of scheme between 18-45 years and income criteria is no income limit for SCs, SafaiKaramcharis Including waste picker and DNT.
• The annual family income should be below Rs.3 lakh for OBCs and the EBCs (Economically Backward Classes) annual family income below Rs.1 lakh.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice  & Empowerment (MoSJ&E).

Q1) What is the Central Sector Scheme?

It is a type of government scheme or program that is fully funded and implemented by the central government of a country, typically without any financial contribution from state governments or other entities. These schemes are often aimed at addressing national-level priorities, goals, or objectives.

Source: The Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalata Sampanna Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana

About GRIHA norms: 

• GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment. GRIHA is a Sanskrit word meaning – ‘Abode’.
• It is a rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks.
• It evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’.
• The rating system, based on accepted energy and environmental principles, will seek to strike a balance between the established practices and emerging concepts, both national and international.
• It is developed by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute).
• This tool has been adopted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. 
• Criteria:
  • It assesses a building out of 34 criteria and awards points on a scale of 100.
  • In order to qualify for GRIHA certification, a project must achieve at least 50 points.
  • Certain criteria / sub-criteria are mandatory and have to be complied for the project to be at all eligible for rating.
• Project scoring
  • 50-60 points is certified as a 1 star GRIHA rated building,
  • 61-70 is a 2 star GRIHA rated building,
  • 71-80 is a 3 star GRIHA rating building,
  • 81-90 is a 4 star GRIHA rated building
  • 91-100 is a 5 star GRIHA rated building

Q1) What is TERI?

The Energy and Resources Institute  is a research institute based in India that specializes in the fields of energy, environment, and sustainable development. TERI was founded in 1974 and has since become a prominent global think tank dedicated to researching and addressing various environmental and sustainable development challenges.

Source: ndian Army’s new Thal Sena Bhawan will conform to GRIHA-IV green norms

About Tilapia fish: 

• It is a common name used for certain species of fishes belonging to the family Cichlidae (order Perciformes), represented by numerous, mostly freshwater species native to Africa.
• It has emerged to be one of the most productive and internationally traded   food   fish   in   the   world.
• The culture of tilapia has become commercially popular in many parts of the world  and  the  fishery experts have dubbed the tilapia as “aquatic chicken” due to its quick growth and low maintenance cultivation.

What is Water hyacinth?

• It (Pontederia crassipes, also referred to as Eichhornia crassipes) is one of the most invasive weed species in the world.
• It is causing significant adverse economic and ecological impacts, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
• This is not an indigenous species but was introduced to India during the British colonial rule as an ornamental aquatic plant from South America. 

Key facts about Lake Victoria

• It is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake.
• Location: It is located in East Africa, bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
• It is also called Victoria Nyanza in Kenya, Nalubaale in Uganda, and Ukerewe in Tanzania.
• It is a source of the White Nile River which flows northward and eventually joins the Blue Nile in Sudan to form the Nile River.

Q1) What is an invasive species?

These are non-native species (plants, animals, microbes, or other organisms) that are introduced into a new ecosystem or habitat and have the potential to cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. These species can outcompete native species, disrupt ecosystem functions, and lead to ecological imbalances.

Source: Invasive alien species lead to extinctions of plants & animals across Earth, IPBES report points out

About Tharosaurus indicus: 

• It belongs to the family Dicraeosauridae and from the superfamily Diplodocoidea.
• These fossils are the first dicraeosaurid sauropods to have been found in India.
• It is 167 million years old and oldest known diplodocoid fossils in the world.
• The scientists named the dinosaur Tharosaurus indicus, with Tharo deriving from the Thar desert; saurus from the Greek ‘sauros’, or lizard; and indicus from its Indian origin. 
• This family was unique: its members were smaller and had shorter necks and tails compared to the other long-necked sauropods.
• Sauropods first appeared on the earth during the Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago.
• They were one of the most dominant clades of dinosaurs, surviving until the late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs went extinct.
• According to the scientists, fossils of dicraeosaurid dinosaurs have been found previously in North and South Americas, Africa and China, but such fossils were not known from India.

Q1) What is Mesozoic Era?

It is one of the three major geological eras in Earth's history, spanning approximately 180 million years from about 251 million years ago to 66 million years ago. It is often referred to as the "Age of Dinosaurs" because it was during this era that dinosaurs became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates.

Source: Oldest yet fossils of a plant-eating dinosaur found in Rajasthan

About Gramodyog Vikas Yojana :

• It is one of the two components of Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana which aims to promote and develop the village industries through common facilities, technological modernization, training etc.
• It includes the activities carried out under different village industries.
• Components of the Yojana
  • Research & Development and Product Innovation: R&D support would be given to the institutions that intend to carry product development, new innovations, design development, product diversification processes etc.
  • Capacity Building: Under the Human Resource Development and Skill Training components, exclusive capacity building of staff as well as the artisans would be adequately addressed through the existing MDTCs and institutions of excellence.
  • Marketing & Publicity: The V.I. institutions will be provided market support by way of preparation of product catalogue, Industry directory, market research, new marketing techniques, buyer seller meet, arranging exhibitions etc.
• Target beneficiary: Artisans, Unemployed Youth and Self Help Groups (SHGs)
• Eligibility criteria: Any person Traditional Artisans, Knowledge of Skill experience in Art and craft.

Q1) What is Khadi and Village Industries Commission?

Khadi and Village Industries Commission is a statutory organization in India that was established in 1956 by the Government of India. KVIC's primary objective is to promote and develop khadi and village industries in rural areas of India.

Source: Tool-kits and machineries to artisans under 'Gramodyog Vikas Yojna' distributed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha