About Asset Management Companies (AMCs):

• An AMC is a financial institution that pools funds from multiple investors and invests in various financial instruments, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate, to generate returns for the investors in exchange for a fee.
• AMCs are commonly referred to as money managers or money management firms. 
• AMCs come in many different forms and structures, such as:
  • Hedge funds
  • Mutual funds
  • Index funds
  • Exchange-traded funds
  • Private equity funds
  • Other funds
• Those that offer public mutual funds, or ETFs, are also known as investment companies or mutual fund companies. 
• In addition, they invest on behalf of various types of clients, such as:
  • Retail investors
  • Institutional investors
  • Public sector (government organizations)
  • Private sector
  • High-net-worth clients
• The role of an AMC is to make investment decisions on its investors' behalf andmanage the assets in their portfolios. This involves choosing a suitable mix of investments and helping investors grow their money.
• To achieve this, an asset management company appoints professionally qualified fund managers with investment expertise and experience to manage the assets.
• Fund managers employ investment strategies and use financial tools, such as risk management techniques, to help manage the portfolio and protect investors' assets.
• Additionally, AMCs have a support system in place in the form of research analysts who assist the fund managers.
• The distinguishing factor for AMCs is their assets under management (AUM). It indicates the total value of investmentsthat the AMC manages on investors' behalf. 
• When the AUM of an AMC grows, it represents the faith and confidence that investors have in the AMC to manage their money.
• SEBI is the Indian Capital Market Regulator which governs and controls every AMC in India.

Q1: What are Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)?

An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a collection of marketable securities that track an underlying index. ETFs combine features of mutual funds and stocks, allowing investors to gain exposure to a basket of assets while providing the flexibility to be traded on stock exchanges like individual stocks.ETFs provide diversification by allowing investors to gain exposure to a basket of assets with a single investment. ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the trading day on stock exchanges at market prices, unlike mutual funds which are priced only at the end of the trading day.

Source: AMC heads to be pulled up for abusive market practices: SEBI

About Miombo forest: 

• The Miombo is a biome that includes tropical and subtropical grasslands, bushlands, and savannahs.
• It is a vast African dryland forest ecosystem covering close to 2.7 million square kilometres across southern Africa, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• The woodlands are characterized by the dominance of Brachystegia species, either alone or in association with Julbernardia and Isoberlinia species.
• It also encompasses four bio-regions and is responsible for maintaining the Greater Zambezi, one of the most important transnational river basins.
• It is facilitating trade in the border region between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
• Significance of this forest: This forest is vital for millions of people in rural areas, providing essential resources such as firewood, food, and water.

Key facts about the Food and Agriculture Organization

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
• Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• Member countries: With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
• Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• Headquarter: Rome (Italy).

Q1: What is a Biome?

A biome is an area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it.

Source: New projects to safeguard Miombo forest, boost food security in Mozambique & Zimbabwe

About C-130J Super Hercules:

• It is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft.
• It is the US Air Force’s principal tactical cargo and personnel transport aircraft.
• It was developed by Lockheed Martin, a US security and aerospace company.
• The C-130J is the newest generation of the C-130 Hercules, which primarily performs the tactical portion of the airlift mission. 
• The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. 
• The largest operators are the US Air Force, US Marine Corps, Australia, Canada, India,Italy, and the United Kingdom.
• Features:
  • It has reduced crew requirements. A minimal crew of three men is required to operate this aircraft, including two pilots and one loadmaster.
  • It has a payload capacity of 19 tons.
  • It is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines.
  • It has digital avionics, including Head-Up Display (HUD) for each pilot. 
  • Range: 6,852 km (no payload)
  • Speed: 644 km/hr
  • Endurance: 20+ hours
  • It is capable of short takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways.

Q1: What is a turboprop aircraft?

A turboprop aircraft uses a turbo-prop engine rather than a piston-powered engine or a jet engine. They have one or more gas-turbine engines connected to a gearbox that turns the propeller(s) to move the aircraft on the ground and through the air. Turboprop aircraft have lower operating costs than jets because they burn less fuel, but they are also slower than jets.

Source: All about flight AJAX1431 that flew Sheikh Hasina to India after escape from Dhaka

About Methylocucumis oryzae: 

• It is a bacterium which exists in nature in abundance in wetlands and rice fields.
• It had a characteristic oval and elongated shape, similar to that of a cucumber, and hence the name ‘methane eating cucumbers’ was given to this novel genus.
• Features
  • It is found to be important methanotroph components.
  • It has a remarkably large size compared to other bacteria and is equal to the size of a small yeast (3-6 µm).
  • Another unique feature of this bacterium is that it has a strict mesophilic nature and cannot grow above 37ºC while most of the other methanotrophs can tolerate or grow at 37ºC or even at 40ºC.
  • The bacterium forms light pale pink colored colonies, and the genome is indicative of a carotenoid pathway.
  • In recent years, this methanotroph was also found to promote the growth of rice plants by inducing early flowering and increased grain yield.
• The current constraints with Methylocucumis are slow growth which limits growing this culture on a larger scale, needed for mitigation and biotechnological applications.

What are methanotrophs?

• Methanotrophs or methane oxidizing bacteria oxidize this methane and build up their biomass, breathing oxygen and producing CO2 and H2O as we do.
• These are natural methane mitigating agents and are present in all the environments where methane and oxygen both are available.
• Habitat: Wetlands, rice fields, ponds and other water bodies are the habitats where these grow in abundance.

Q1: What is Methane?

It is a colorless odorless gas, flammable water insoluble gas. It is also known as marsh gas or methyl hydride.It is easily ignited. The vapors are lighter than air. Under prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket.

Source: India can bank on its own natural methane mitigator to tackle climate challenges

About Commemorative Stamps:

• Commemorative stamps are issued commemorating important events, prominent personalities in various fields, aspects of nature, beautiful or rare flora and fauna, environmental issues, agricultural activities, national/international issues, games etc.
• These stamps are only available at Philatelic Bureaux and counters or under the Philatelic Deposit Account Scheme.
• They are printed in limited quantities.
• Some of the rules for issuing Commemorative Postage Stamps
  • Proposals for issue of Commemorative Postage Stamps may be sent by any citizen of India.
  • Stamps shall be issued only on the apex institution/organization, on its 100th /125th /150th anniversary and not on the branches of any institution or organization.
  • The institution/organization should have national or international stature with significant and well recognised contribution in their respective fields.
  • No stamp will be issued on a living personality. The personalities on whom commemorative postage stamp may be issued should be of national or international importance.
  • The occasion to be commemorated must be the birth centenary or 10th /25th /50th /100th death anniversary. Stamps can be issued no sooner than ten years after an individual’s death.
  • Exceptions in this regard will however be considered to be made for personality from the field of Art, Culture and Music.
  • A stamp on the building, monument etc. may be issued on its centenary/125th anniversary/150th anniversary etc. The building, to be so honoured must be a Heritage site of national/international importance or a site recognized by ASI of national/international importance.

These are released by the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications.

Q1: What is philately?

Philately is the study of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postcards, and other materials relating to postal delivery.

Source: Union Ministers Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Dr Mansukh Mandaviya to release set of commemorative postage stamps to celebrate Paris Olympics

About Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN):

• It is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. 
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has offices in countries with high levels of malnutrition.
• Working with governments, businesses, and civil society, GAIN aims at making healthier food choices more affordable, more available, and more desirable.
• GAIN’s purpose is to improve nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable.
• It mobilizes public-private partnerships and provides financial and technical support to deliver nutritious foods to those people most at risk of malnutrition. 
• The organization also supports improved maternal and infant health by promoting breastfeeding and specialised products for infants over six months and young children.
• In addition, they partner with local businesses to improve the quality of food along agricultural value chains.
• GAIN-supported nutrition programs are reaching an estimated 667 million vulnerable people in more than 30 countries.

Q1: What is the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)?

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Source: Nutrition investments in agri-food sector can reduce gender inequalities: Report

About Indian Siris:

• Indian Siris, also known as Albizia lebbeck, is a tropical tree native to India and Southeast Asia.
• It belongs to the Fabaceae family and is a deciduous tree with a wide range of uses.
• They require a warm and humid climate and can be grown in a variety of soil types, including clay, loam, and sandy soil.
• Features:
  • It grows up to a maximum height of 15-20 meters and has a wide-spreading,umbrella-shaped canopy.
  • The tree trunk is typically straight, with a diameter of up to 1 meter.
  • Its leaves are green and fern-like and can grow up to 25 cm long.
  • It has a moderate to dense branching pattern, with branches that spread outwards and upwards from the trunk.
  • It produces small, white, and fragrant flowers in clusters. 
• Ecological Role:
  • The tree is capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere, which helps to enrich the soil and support other plant species.
  • The extensive, shallow root system makes it a good soil binder and suited to soil conservation and erosion control.

Q1: What is loamy soil?

Loam soil is a type of soil that is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Loam soil holds nutrients and has a texture that retains water long enough for plant roots to access it, yet it drains well—meaning that the water eventually seeps away so that plant roots do not sit in water and rot. With its ability to enhance soil fertility and structure, loam soil's physical and chemical properties make it suitable for a wide range of plant growth.

Source: Village mourns the death of century-old tree on the bank of Akhanda Godavari