An invasive alien species, Senna spectabilis is spreading in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

About Senna spectabilis🌿🌿
- Introduced as an ornamental species and for use as firewood from South and Central America in the Nilgiris region.
- The species has quickly spread in both the core and buffer zones of the MTR.

What are Invasive alien species (IAS)?
They are any organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, & which may adversely affect the environment

How is it a threat? 🤔🤔
Conservationists say the invasive weed has a negative effect on local biodiversity, crowding out native species & limiting food availability for wildlife.

Other Invasive Species in MTR:
-Lantana camara
-Eucalyptus
-Pine
-Wattle or Acacia pycnantha

💡 Steps to control IAS
-Prevent introduction of alien species
-Strengthening domestic quarantine measures
-Developing early warning systems in response to new sightings of IAS
-Providing funding to research on managing invasive species

#Prelims
#environment
#Gs3

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Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has approved environmental release of indigenously developed Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)🔥🔥

About DMH-11
-It is a transgenic crop because it uses foreign genes from a different species.
-DMH-11 is a result of a cross between two varieties: Varuna & Early Heera-2
-The cross was done by introducing genes from two soil bacterium called barnase & barstar
-Barnase in Varuna induces a temporary sterility because of which it can’t naturally self-pollinate
-Barstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced

Mustard (Brassica juncea) 🌿
-It is a self-pollinating plant.
-Cultivated in 6-7 million hectares during the Rabi winter season predominantly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab & Madhya Pradesh

Why do we need GM Mustard?
India imports anywhere from 55-60% of its domestic edible-oil requirement. This is primarily due to low productivity & GM mustard will help to boost productivity.


#Prelims
#agriculture
#Gs3

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S. Jaishankar on PLI Scheme - This is another chance to board a bus that we had unfortunately missed a few times before.

On lighter note 😂

NRI voting

✅ ECI formed a Committee in 2014 on the direction of the Supreme court to explore the options for overseas electors, which narrowed it down to 2 remote voting options: e-postal ballot & proxy voting.

✅ What is Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System?
It involves NRI voter sending application to the returning officer(RO). RO will send the ballot electronically. Voter will register their mandate on the ballot printout, & then send ballot by ordinary post or drop it at Indian Embassy.

✅ Proxy voting, meanwhile, enables voters to appoint proxies to vote on their behalf.

✅ Both ETPBS and proxy voting are currently available to only service voters, like those in the armed forces or diplomatic missions.


✅ Efforts so far:
In 2017, gov. introduced a Bill to amend RPA to remove the condition of in-person voting for NRIs & enable them to vote through proxies but the Bill lapsed with the 16th Lok Sabha

#GS2
#RPA

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Apis karinjodian

✅ A new species of endemic honeybee common name Indian black honeybee has been discovered in the Western Ghats

✅ The last honeybee described from India was Apis indica in 1798 by Fabricius but it was not considered a valid species till now. The research team restored the status of Apis indica based on a new measure for species discrimination in honeybees termed ‘Radio-Medial Index (RMI).’

✅ Apis karinjodian has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes that got acclimatised to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.

✅ The distribution of Apis karinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats & Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu.

#species_in_news
#environment
#Prelims

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Why you should solve questions asked in other exams of UPSC ? 🤔

This question was asked UPSC NDA exam in 2018.

They repeated the same question in UPSC CSE 2020. 🔥🔥
check the comment section below 👇

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🔥 D.Y. Chandrachud takes oath as the 50th Chief Justice of India

🔆Constitution on appointment of CJI:
✅ The Constitution does not have any specific provision for criteria & procedure for appointing the CJI
✅ The closest mention is in Article 126. It deals with appointment of acting CJI

🔆Convention for appointment of CJI
✅ When incumbent CJI retires, the senior-most judge in the SC becomes the CJI
✅ Remember, Seniority is not defined by age but by number of years an individual has been serving as a judge of the apex court

🔆Procedure of appointment of CJI
✅ The procedure to appoint next CJI is laid out in Memorandum of Procedure between government & judiciary
✅ The procedure of appointment is initiated by Law Minister. He shall seek the recommendation of the outgoing CJI
✅ The CJI sends his recommendation to Law Ministry
✅ After receiving a recommendation from CJI law minister forwards it to the PM
✅ PM will then advise the same to President, who will administer the oath to new CJI

#gs2

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"There is nothing in the religious sphere which is private."
_D.Y. Chandrachud (CJI)_
on sabrimala judgement
At haward law school event.

#gs2
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PM Narendra Modi unveiled a 108 feet tall bronze statue of Sri Nadaprabhu Kempegowda in Bengaluru. The ‘Statue of Prosperity’ is made to commemorate the contribution of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda who is the founder of Bengaluru.
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Nadaprabhu Kempegowda

born in 1513 in village near Yelahanka.
chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire of the 16th century.
iconic figure among Vokkaligas, Karnataka’s second most dominant community after Lingayats.
Education:
He studied for nine years in a GuruKula near Aigondapura (present day Hessaraghatta) where he learnt statecraft and martial skills.
Achievements:
He is widely acknowledged as the founder of Bengaluru, Karnataka.
It is said that he conceived the idea of a new city while hunting with his minister, and later marked its territory by erecting towers in four corners of the proposed city.
He is also credited with having developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to its drinking and agricultural needs.
Kempegowda has been credited for abolishing the practice of cutting the fingers of the left hand of an unmarried woman during a custom known as ‘Bandi Devaru’, an important custom of Morasu Vokkaligas.

died in 1569, ruled for about 56 years.

State governments have dedicated important landmarks after him – the Kempegowda International Airport, the Kempegowda Bus Stand, and the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Metro Station

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