Mahabali Frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis)

A proposal to declare a species of purple frog as Kerala’s official amphibian has been kept in abeyance by the Kerala Wildlife Advisory Board.

• Mahabali Frog is also known as Purple Frog/Pignose frog, which is endemic to Western Ghats.
• These frogs prefer loose, damp and well-aerated soil close to ponds and ditches or streams.
• Unlike other frogs, it has very short hind legs, which does not allow it to leap from one spot to another.
• It is considered to be common, but it is hard to find due to its fossorial behaviour.
• Fossorial animals are organisms that have adapted successfully to the lifestyle of living underground by digging burrows and tunnels.
• It buries itself all through the year and surfaces only one day to breed.
• The frog was named after the mythical King Mahabali, who visits his people once a year from the underneath world.
• IUCN status - Near Threatened

Virovore

Researchers claimed to have found the 1st known Virovore.

• Virovore is an organism that eats and survive on viruses.

• They found that a species of Halteria can eat huge numbers of infectious chloroviruses.
• Halteria is a microscopic ciliate that lives in freshwater worldwide.
• Ciliates are single-celled organisms with minuscule hairs.
• Chloroviruses are made up of nucleic acids, a lot of nitrogen, and phosphorous.

Pink Tide

• Pink tide or “the turn to the left” is a political wave and turn towards left-wing governments in Latin America.
• This political wave was against the right-wing and neo-liberalism that had concentrated power and wealth in the hands of the elite.

Sagol Kangjei

• An indigenous sport of Manipur, which is a predecessor to Modern polo.
• Players ride horses, specifically the Manipur Ponies.
• It is believed that the Manipur King Kanba invented the game in the 14th century BC.
• In the 1850s, the British observed Manipuri’s sport and they later formed a polo club in Silchar.
• In Meitei culture, polo is a sport of the gods where the deity carries a bamboo stick in his hands just like a polo player.
• The Manipur Pony is one of 5 recognised equine breeds of India.
• Sagol Kangjei is not listed under the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity list

Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU)

India takes over the leadership of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) for a tenure of 4 years.

• Dr. Vinaya Prakash Singh takes over the charge of Secretary General of the APPU.
• This is the 1st time an Indian is leading an international organization in the postal sector.
• APPU – It is an intergovernmental organization with 32-member countries of the Asian-Pacific region.
• Headquarters - Bangkok, Thailand.
• Aim - To extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between member countries.
• It is a restricted union of Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nation (UN).
• Restricted unions promote further cooperation among Posts from a specific region and are governed by Article 9 of the UPU Constitution.
• There are currently 19 restricted unions, covering most of the world's regions.

Yellow Band Disease

• It affects Corals, and is named for the colour it turns corals before destroying them.
• It was first spotted decades ago and has caused widespread damage to reefs in the Caribbean.
• There is no known cure for yellow band disease.
• When the coral is infected with this disease, it just dies.
• Overfishing, pollution and rising water temperatures may be making the reefs more vulnerable to yellow-band disease.
• One of the main challenges in this disease is its impact cannot be reversed, unlike the effects of coral bleaching.

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)

• It is the world’s largest experimental fusion reactor facility in France.
• Aim – To prove the viability of nuclear fusion as an energy source.
• Members - China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States.
• It will not produce electricity, but it will resolve critical scientific and technical issues in order to take fusion to the point where industrial applications can be designed.

Joshimath Land Subsidence

• Joshimath is located in Zone V (high-risk area) of India’s seismic zone map.

• Joshimath sits on top of a glacial moraine, which is a mound of debris left by a glacier.
• According to Mishra Committee report, 1976 Joshimath is a deposit of sand and stone, it's not the main rock. It lies on an ancient landslide.
• The report added that undercutting by river currents of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga are also playing their part in bringing landslides.
• Land subsidence - It is the sinking of the ground because of underground material movement.

Charaideo Maidams

Assam’s Charaideo Maidam is India's nomination for UNESCO's world heritage site status in the cultural category for 2023.

• The Charaideo maidams, located in Assam, represents the late medieval (13th-19th century CE) mound burial tradition of the Tai Ahom community in Assam.

• They are actually burial grounds of Ahom Kings and Queens.
• Therefore, Charaideo Maidams are considered as the Ahom equivalent of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and famously called as the "Pyramids of Assam".
• Ahoms - Ahom dynasty was founded by Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1253.
• Charaideo was the first capital of the Ahom dynasty.
• The Ahom rule lasted for about 600 years until the British annexed Assam in 1826.
• Currently, there are 3 World Heritage Sites in the northeast, but none of them in the category of cultural heritage.

1. Kaziranga National Park, Assam - Natural heritage site
2. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam - Natural heritage site
3. Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim - Mixed heritage site

Art forms

• Ottanthullal (Thullal) – It is recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala.
• The costume and makeup of the performer are similar to that of a Kathakali artist.
• Margam Kali – It is a popular art form in Kerala and is believed to have evolved from Kalaripayattu.
• Oppana – It is a traditional song and dance performance popular among the Mappila community of Malabar in Kerala.
• Shumang Leela – It translates to “courtyard performance”, is a traditional form of theatre in Manipur.

Vibrant Village Programme (VVP)

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims for the development of villages on the northern border, thus improving the quality of life of people living in identified border villages.
• The objective of the programme is to create sufficient incentives for people to stay on in the selected villages.
• It was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to 2025-26 and launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• It will cover the border areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh.
• Vibrant Village Action Plans will be created by the district administration with the help of Gram Panchayats.
• The VVP will not be overlap with Border Area Development Programme (BADP) of Ministry of Home Affairs.

Atmospheric River

• These are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere, like rivers in the sky, that transport most of the water vapor from the tropics to the northern latitudes.
• Atmospheric rivers are part of the Earth's ocean water cycle, and are tied closely to both water supply and flood risks.
• It produces intense rainfall or snowfall when it encounters mountains or local atmospheric dynamics.
• A well-known example of a strong atmospheric river is called the Pineapple Express.
• Pineapple express is a ribbon of water vapour that begins in Hawaii, where warm conditions help evaporate ocean waters into the atmosphere and can wallop the U.S. and Canada's West Coasts with heavy rainfall and snow.
• Upwelling - The rising of subsurface waters in the open ocean and along coastlines.
• Subsurface water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder, rich in nutrients, and biologically productive.
• Pyroclastic flow - It is a dense, fast-moving flow of solidified lava pieces, volcanic ash, and hot gases. It occurs as part of certain volcanic eruptions. 
• Thermohaline circulation - It is the movement of ocean currents due to differences in temperature and salinity in different regions of water.

BharOS

• It is an indigenous mobile operating system (OS), like Android or iOS.
• It is developed by JandK Operations Private Limited, a non-profit organization incubated at IIT Madras and funded by the Department of Science and Technology.

Features of BharOS

• BharOS is an AOSP (Android Open-Source Project) based operating system with no Google apps or services.
• BharOS would offer Native Over the Air (NOTA) updates and No Default Apps (NDA) setting.
• BharOS will use Private App Store Services (PASS) system, which will examine and curate the apps that are safe for the users.

Multilateral Export Control Regime (MECR)

• Currently, there are 4 Multilateral Export Control Regime (MECR) and India is member of 3 groups except NSG.
• Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) – It aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by controlling the export of nuclear materials and technologies.
• Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) – It aims to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks.
• Australia Group – It aims to prevent the spread of chemical and biological weapons by controlling the export of related materials and technologies.
• Wassenaar Arrangement – It aims to promote regional and international security and stability by controlling the export of conventional weapons and dual-use goods and technologies.

Mahadayi River

• River Mahadayi spreads across the districts of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• It rises in the Western Ghats, from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district of Karnataka.
• Flowing westward, it enters Goa. Over two-thirds of the river’s stretch lies in Goa (76km). It is known as River Mandovi in Goa.
• River Mahadayi joins the Arabian Sea at Panaji, Goa.
• Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, an estuarine mangrove habitat, is located on western tip of the Island of Chorao along the Mandovi River, Goa.

• Tributaries of Mahadayi include, Kalasa Nala, Surla Nala, Haltar Nala, Poti Nala, Mahadayi Nala, Pansheer Nala, Bail Nala, Andher Nala, etc.
• The variations in the terrain have led to formation of various water falls such as the Doodhsagar, Vajra poha, etc.
• The Kalasa-Banduri Nala project revolves around the construction of barrages on the Kalasa and Banduri streams of the Mahadayi River.
• It is a disputed project between Karnataka and Goa.

Defence Exercises of India

• Veer Guardian 2023 – It is bilateral Air exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF).
• Varuna – It is a Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France.
• Cyclone – I – It is the 1st joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army.
• Tarkash 2023 – It is the 6th edition of Counter Terrorism Exercise between India’s NSG (National Security Guard) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF).
• TROPEX – It is Indian Navy’s major maritime exercise that is conducted biennially.
• AMPHEX 2023 – It is a biennial Tri-Services Exercise.

Zardalu Mango

• It is a GI Tagged product from Bhagalpur of Bihar.
• Features – Unique fragrance, light yellow skin, and sweetness.
• Other GI products from Bihar – Katarni rice, Shahi litchi, Magahi paan, Makhana and Mircha Rice.

Article 176

• It says that at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the Legislative Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the Governor shall address the Legislative Assembly.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012

• It was enacted in consequence to India’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992.
• It is the first comprehensive law in the country dealing specifically with sexual abuse of children.
• Aim- To address offences of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children
• Gender neutral- The Act defines a child as “any person” under the age of 18.
• Non-reporting- If a person in charge of an institution who fails to report the commission of a sexual offence will face punishment excluding children.
• Time limit- A victim may report an offence at any time, even years after the abuse has occurred.
• Privacy- The Act forbids the disclosure of the victim’s identity in any form of media unless authorised by the special courts established by the Act.
• Procedure- It also defined the procedure for reporting of cases, including a provision for punishment for failure to report a case or false complaint.
• Child-friendly manner- The procedures for recording of the statement of a child by the police and court should be done in a child-friendly manner.

Constitution Literate District

Kollam in Kerala is India’s first Constitution literate district.

• The Citizen is a Constitution literacy campaign jointly launched by the Kollam district panchayat, District Planning Committee and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA).
• The ambitious campaign involved 2,200 trainers called senators.
• The senators visited schools, offices, auto stands and tribal councils to spread awareness.
• Kollam will be officially declared India’s first Constitution literate district by Chief Minister of Kerala.