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🔆  The Central Information Commission (CIC) :
 
✅ Constituted - Under the Right to Information Act, 2005
✅ Members - Chief Information Commissioner, not more than ten Information Commissioners.
✅ Appointment - By President
✅ Status - Statutory Body (Non-Constitutional body)
✅ Headquarters -  New Delhi.
✅ Appointment -  On The Recommendation of a Committee Consisting of :
🔸The Prime Minister as the Chairperson,
🔸The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and
🔸A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
✅ Not Eligible for Reappointment .
✅ Powers - To Investigate RTI complaints, pass orders for the supply of information, and impose penalties for defaults.
✅ Functions - The Commission is required to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person [Under RTI ACT] :

#polity #prelims_facts

UPSC PIB NEWS:
Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan

9 Years of Driving Inclusivity and Accessibility

🔸 The Accessible India Campaign has achieved significant milestones in creating an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities over the past nine years, with improvements spanning built infrastructure, transportation, digital platforms, education, and media accessibility

🔆Red-breasted Flycatcher:

✅Scientific name: Ficedula parva
It is a small (11-12 cm) passerine bird of the Old World Flycatcher family.
It can be found occasionally feeding on figs (banyan, peepal) in our urban gardens.
✅Appearance: Males have a reddish-orange throat that extends till the upper breast, whereas the females are overall brown.
✅They can be distinguished from other orders by the arrangement of their toes — three pointing forward and one backward, a design that helps them to cling onto branches efficiently.
✅It generally migrates from Eastern Europe to escape the harsh winter there and enjoy the moderate temperatures with abundance of food in South Asia.
migrates to forests, woodlands, orchards, parks, and roadside trees of the Indian Subcontinent.
✅It can be found in peninsular India during the winter season from October to March.
✅Conservation status
IUCN: Least Concern

#species
#prelims

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#ancient
📍 Buddhist councils -
Total 4 councils
✅first -483 BC- rajgrah -mhakashyap (president )-ajatsatru( ruler )
✅ second -383 BC- vaishali -sabakami- kalashok
✅third- 255 BC- patliputra -moglipuutt tiss- Ashok
✅fourth- 1st A.D - kundalvan (kashmir )- vasumitra/asvghosh -kanishk

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🔆Operation Dronagiri:

✅Launched by: Department of Science and Technology (DST).

✅Objective: Demonstrate the applications of geospatial technologies to improve citizens’ quality of life and ease of doing business.
✅First Phase States: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra.
✅Focus Sectors: Agriculture, livelihoods, logistics, and transport.
✅Implementation Model: Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with involvement of startups, private companies, and government agencies.
📍Key Features:
✅Pilot projects in designated sectors to showcase practical use cases.
✅Support from Integrated Geospatial Data Sharing Interface (GDI) for seamless data sharing and decision-making.

📍National Geospatial Policy 2022 : The Policy emphasizes on Atmanirbhar Bharat by empowering local companies to
✅ generate and utilize their own Geospatial data;
✅ focuses on easy accessibility of Geospatial data through National Geospatial Data Registry and Unified Geospatial Interface;
✅

This article important from GS3 and GS 1 perspective

🔆 "In our fight against climate change, could the seas turn the tide?"

Context: The article discusses the potential of ocean-based solutions to mitigate climate change.
Key Points:
✅Ocean's Role in Climate Change: The ocean has absorbed significant amounts of CO2 and heat from the atmosphere.
🔸This has led to ocean acidification, warming, and disruption of marine ecosystems.
✅Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR):
.
Natural Solutions:
✅Coastal ecosystems: Mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows can sequester carbon.
✅Ocean fertilization: Adding nutrients to stimulate phytoplankton growth, which can absorb CO2.
Engineered Solutions:
✅Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE): Adding alkaline substances to seawater to increase its capacity to absorb CO2.

#National_Park

Balpakram National Park

▪️ Balpakram National Park is a national park in the south of Garo Hills in Meghalaya, India, located close to the international border with Bangladesh.

▪️ It was inaugurated in December 1987 and provides habitat for barking deer, Asian golden cat, Bengal tiger, marbled cat, wild water buffalo, red panda and Indian elephant.

▪️ Balpakram means 'land of the eternal wind' according to the myth of the Garo people.

▪️ Altitude (200-800m), south of Garo Hills

▪️ Also called "Abode of perpetual wind" and "Land of spirit"

▪️ Hotspot of Biodiversity

▪️ Famous for the pitcher plant

▪️ A variety of very rare medicinal herbs locally called"dikes".

Good Morning 🌅🌄

International Court of Justice ♎

Terminologies used in Questions .
Please take a glance of this mindmap

🔆Narsapur lace Craft:

✅Narsapur is situated on the bank of Godavari River in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
✅It is believed that the women of the farming community of this region started creating highly attractive artefacts from colourful lace, about 150 years ago.
✅The craft has survived the Indian famine (1899) and the Great Depression (1929). By the early 1900s, above 2,000 women were involved in the craft in the Godavari region.
✅The lace work is done using thin threads and these are again woven with thin crochet needles of varying sizes.
✅Narsapur's famed hand-made crochet industry produces doilies, pillow covers, cushion covers, bed spreads, table-runners and tablecloths etc.
✅Many of these products are exported to markets in the USA, UK and France.


#gs1
#art_and_culture

Recent controversy surrounding US President Joe Biden's pardon to his son Hunter Biden has brought the practice of pardoning power under scrutiny.
Key Points:
✅Pardoning Power:
🔸Historical practice originating from monarchical times.
🔸Used to grant relief from punishment and associated disqualifications.
🔸Does not erase the conviction record.
✅Constitutional Provisions:
🔸US Constitution grants the President the power to pardon federal crimes, except in cases of impeachment.
🔸Indian Constitution grants pardoning power to the President and Governors.
✅Controversies:
🔸Use of pardoning power for political purposes or personal benefit.
🔸Lack of transparency and accountability in the exercise of this power.
✅Potential for abuse and misuse.

Judicial Review:
✅Pardoning power is subject to judicial review on grounds of arbitrariness, mala fides, or extraneous considerations.
Courts can intervene to ensure the power is exercised fairly and justly.

🔆Committees on Western Ghats:

📍Sanjay Kumar Committee:
✅Formed to review state objections on ESA demarcations and validate proposed exclusions.
✅Will conduct field visits to verify if demands for village exclusions from ESA listings are justified.
✅Seeks to finalize the ESA status for villages, restricting activities harmful to biodiversity.

📍Madhav Gadgil Committee (2011):
✅Established by UPA government to propose protection measures for the Western Ghats.
✅Recommended designating the entire Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
✅Proposed the creation of a dedicated ecological authority to regulate development.
✅Report suggested rigorous conservation, but its recommendations were not fully adopted.

📍Kasturirangan Committee (2012):
✅Formed as a follow-up to the Gadgil Committee to provide a more moderate approach.
✅Based ESA demarcations on 37% of the Western Ghats, focusing on forested areas.
✅Emphasized a balance between conservation and developmental needs, allowing limited activity in specific areas.

#prelims_facts
#mains