Vembanad Lake 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-1-Geography 

 Why in News?

Nehru Trophy Boat Race has held in the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha. 

 Vembanad Lake:

· It is the largest lake in the state of Kerala. 

 · It is also the longest lake in India.

· It is also known with the names Vembanad Kayal, Vembanad Kol, Punnamada Lake and Kochi Lake.

· Vembanad lake has its source in four rivers such as Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala. 

 · It is a popular backwater stretch in the state of Kerala. 

 · It is separated from the Arabian Sea by an island.

 · It is a Ramsar Site which was included in the list of wetlands importance. 

 · Indian Government has identified this lake under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme. 

 · The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is situated on the east coast of the lake. 

 Nehru Trophy Boat Race: 

 · It was started in the year 1952 to commemorate the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to this region. 

 · It is a popular boat race which is also known as Vallam Kali in the Malayalam. 

 · It is held in the Punnamada Lake every year in the month of August.

 · The most popular event of the race is Chunda Vallams which means snake boats. 

 · So, it is known as Snake Boat Race in English.

 · It is organized by the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Economy 

 Why in News? 

ONGC fell over 34% in the June quarter on the decline in oil prices. 

 Oil and Natural Gas: 

 · It was founded in the year 1955 with the name Oil and Gas Division. 

 · It was formed under the Geological Survey of India. 

 · It was renamed as the Oil and Natural Gas Commission in 1956.

· It was later converted into Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in the year 1994. 

 · It is a public sector petroleum company. 

 · It is the Indian oil and gas explorer and producer.

 · It was given the status of Maharatna in the year 2010. 

 · It works under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

· Its headquarters is located in New Delhi. 

 · It was ranked 25 among the Top 250 Global Energy Companies. 

 Maharatna Status:

· Maharatna Status is given to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE). 

 · CPSEs are the companies in which the direct holding of the Union Government or other CPSEs is either 51% or more.

 · The status of Maharatna is granted to accompany which has more than 5,000 crores of net profit for three consecutive years. 

 · The company should also have an average turnover of 25,000 crores for three years or it should have an average annual net worth of 15,000 crores for three years.

Wholesale Price Index 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Economy 

 Why in News? 

 · All India Wholesale Price Index for the month of July, 2023 has declined by 1.36%.

· The decline is due to the fall in the prices of mineral oils, basic metals, chemical & chemical products, textile and food products 

 Wholesale Price Index:

· WPI is an index that measures the average change in the prices of goods at the wholesale level in the economy.

 · It serves as an important indicator of inflation in the economy. 

 · Composition: 

The WPI captures the price movement of a basket of representative goods including primary articles, fuel and power and manufactured products. 

 · It covers a wide range of commodities that are traded in bulk by wholesalers.

 · Base Year: 

The WPI is calculated with particular year as the base year. 

 · The base year for WPI is 2011-2012. 

 · Calculation: 

The WPI is calculated using a weighted average formula, where the prices of different commodities are given weights based on their importance. 

 · It is measured by the economic advisor of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

 · It provides information on price movements in different economy such as agriculture, industry and manufacturing. 

 Consumer Price Index:

 · It is an index that measures the average change in the prices of a basket of goods and services consumed by households over time.

 · It is used as a measure of inflation from the perspective of consumers. 

 · Composition:

The CPI includes a representative basket of goods and services consumed by households such as food, housing, clothing, education etc. 

 · CPI is measured by the Central Statistics Office of the Ministry of Statistic and Program Implementation. 

 · The base year for CPI is also 2011-12.

Indian Flying Fox Bat 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology 

 Why in News? 

 A new study has found that, Indian Flying Fox Bat spends 7% of its day-roosting time being environmentally vigilant. 

 Indian Flying Fox Bat: 

 · It is the largest species of Bats.

 · It is a nectar and fruit eating flying fox.

 · It causes seed dispersals of many plants in tropical systems. 

 · It is a keystone species. 

 · A keystone species is one that has a large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance. 

 · The keystone species impact many other organisms in an ecosystem and they help to determine the types and numbers of other species in an ecological community. 

 · The status of Indian Flying Fox Bat under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 is Schedule II. 

 · IUCN status-Least Concern

 · It is called as Indian Flying Fox due to its fox-like appearance. 

 · It has reddish-brown coat and large eyes. 

 · These species are endemic to South Central Asia. 

 · It is native to India. 

 · They are considered as vermin as they raid orchards. 

 Habitat: 

 · They live in a male dominated hierarchy system. 

 · The higher-ranked individuals occupy high spots of the tree.

 · Whereas the lower-ranked bats lives on lower spots

Himalayan Wolf 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology 

 Why in News?

Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India has mentioned about wolves on the International Wolf Day on August 13^th. 

 Indian Wolves: 

 · India is home to two types of wolves. They are: 

a) Himalayan or Woolly wolf b) Indian Wolf 

 Himalayan Wolf:

· It is also known as Tibetan wolf 

 · It is one of the world’s most ancient species.

 · It is distributed from trans-Himalaya into Tibet and China. 

 · It is found in Ladakh in India. 

 · IUCN Red list: Critically endangered 

 · Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I 

 · CITES: Appendix-I 

 Indian Wolf:

· Its scientific name is Canis Lupus Pallipes

· It is distributed from Indian Subcontinent to Israel.

 · They had disappeared from their habitat in north and northwest Bangladesh in 1040s. 

 · IUCN Red list: Least Concern 

 · Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I 

 · CITES: Appendix-I

Elephants 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology 

 Why in News?

· The number of elephants in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has increased. 

 · The number of elephants in Karnataka state has increased form 6,049 in 2017 to 6,395 in the year 2023. 

 · In the state of Tamil Nadu, the elephants have increased to 2,961 in 2023 

 · The state of Kerala has shown decline in the elephant population from 9,026 in 2017 to 4,306 in 2023 

 Elephants in India:

· The population of elephants have been reduced by 50% from the past 75 years. 

 · More than 60% of the population is located in India. 

 · Karnataka has the highest population of Elephants in India. 

 · It is followed by Assam and Kerala 

 Conservation: 

 · IUCN Red list:

 · African Forest Elephant: Critically Endangered 

 · African Savanna Elephant: Endangered 

 · Asian Elephant: Endangered 

 · Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I 

 · Convention on Migratory Species: Appendix I 

 Concern:

 · Human-Animal Conflict · Habitat Loss 

 Government Initiatives: 

· Project Elephant: Launched in 1991-92 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme 

 · Elephant Reserves 

 · Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE)

Tuberculosis

Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology 

 Why in News? 

 In TB detection, India far from meeting the 2025 goal. 

 Tuberculosis: 

 · It is a contagious disease which affects lungs. 

 Cause:

 · It is caused by a bacterium called as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. 

 Transmission:

 · It spreads from one person to other through the air. 

 · When people infected with TB cough, sneeze or spit then they propel TB germs into the air. 

 Symptoms:

· Cough with sputum and blood 

 · Chest Pain 

 · Weakness 

 · Fever

 · Night sweats 

 · Weight loss etc. 

 Government Initiatives: 

 · National Strategic Plan which is introduced in the year 2017 to eliminate the TB by the year 2025. 

 · The Nikshay Ecosystem (National TB information System).

 · At present, two vaccines known as VPM 1002 (Vaccine Project Management) and MIP (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii) have been developed for TB and are under Phase-3 clinical trails.

 · Nikshay Poshan Yojana was launched in the year 2018 to support every TB patient by providing 500 rupees per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) 

 Important Points:

· World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24^th March.

 · India wants to make India TB-free by the year 2025. 

 · Global Target for TB elimination is 2030.

Malaiyali Tribes 

 Syllabus: Prelims-Important Tribes

 Why in News? 

 · More than two centuries ago, about 200 Maliyali Tribes had built the traditional clay huts on the flat peak of Yelagiri Hill. 

 · This Yelagiri hill is located in the state of Tamil Nadu 

 Malaiyali Tribes: 

 · They are located in the state of Tamil Nadu 

 · Malai mean hill and yali means people. 

 · They are settled in the upper Nilavur region of Yelagiri.

 · Initially they lived in the makeshift huts.

 · They found a permanent solution in the red loam clay abundant in the hills.

 · They have constructed simple one room structure that measures 16 by 22 feet.

· They are generally farmers and cultivate different types of millet. 

 · They belong to the Vellala caste of cultivators. 

 · They had migrated from Kanchi to hills about ten generations ago. 

 Yelagiri Hills:

· It is located in the newly formed Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu 

 · It is a branch of Anamalai Hills 

 · It was once the property of the Yelagiri Zamindar Family.

Questions

1.Consider the following statements regarding Vembanad Lake:

 1. It is the largest lake in the state of Karnataka

 2. It is also the longest lake in India 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a. Only 1 

 b. Only 2 

 c. Both 1&2 

 d. Neither 1 nor 2

2.Consider the following statements regarding Himalayan Wolf 

 Statement-I: It is one of the world’s most ancient species 

 Statement-II: The IUCN status of Himalayan wolf is vulnerable 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

3.Consider the following statements regarding Elephants: 

 1. Kerala has the highest number of Elephants 

 2. The IUCN status of Asian Elephants is critically endangered 

 3. Project Elephant was launched in the year 1995 

 How many of the above statements are incorrect? 

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three 

 d) None