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- For over three years, a solitary female Gharial has been regularly sighted along a stretch of river within Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
- About Gharial:
- The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a freshwater crocodile belonging to the Crocodylia Order and Crocodylidae Family.
- Distribution:
- Historically, Gharials inhabited rivers across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Today, fragmented populations are found mainly in Nepal and northern India. They are most prevalent in the Chambal and Girwa Rivers in India and the Rapti-Naryani River in Nepal. India's Gharial reserves are located in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
- Features:
Among the largest crocodilian species, male Gharials can reach 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) in length, while females typically grow to 11.5 to 15 feet (3.5 to 4.5 meters).
- Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), a collaborative effort between India and Russia, has successfully supplied 35,000 AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Indian Army.
- About AK-203 Rifle:
- The AK-203 is a contemporary firearm originally conceived in Russia, designed by the renowned engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov between 2007 and 2010.
- Key Features:
- It operates on a gas-operated, magazine-fed, select-fire mechanism.
- Chambered for the 7.62x39mm cartridge, standard in the Indian Army.
- Built upon the reliability and low maintenance ethos typical of Kalashnikov rifles.
- Technical Specifications:
- Weighing 3.8 kg, the rifle measures between 880 and 940 mm with its stock extended, featuring a 415 mm long barrel.
- Operates on a gas-operated action with a rotating bolt, achieving a firing rate of approximately 700 rounds per minute.
- The water level at Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir, situated on the Cauvery River, recently surpassed the 100 feet mark, nearing its maximum capacity of 124.80 feet.
- About Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam:
- Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam is a gravity dam located on the river Kaveri and its tributaries, Hemavathi and Lakshmana Theertha, in Mandya district, Karnataka.
- Construction:
- Named after Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Mysore, who played a pivotal role in funding its construction.
- The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog has partnered with credit bure to introduce the SEHER program.
- SEHER Program:
- SEHER is a robust credit education initiative aimed at enhancing financial literacy and business acumen among women entrepreneurs.
- The program's primary objective is to equip women with the necessary financial tools essential for fostering business growth and creating employment opportunities.
- Collaboration Details:
- This collaborative effort involves NITI Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and TransUnion CIBIL.
- It aligns with WEP’s overarching mission to improve financial access for women in India's vast micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, which comprises 63 million units.
- Recently discovered in the deep waters of the South China Sea, scientists have identified a rare vampire squid, marking the second known living species of its kind.
- About Vampire Squid:
- This small cephalopod measures approximately 12 inches in length and is typically found in deep temperate and tropical seas.
- Unique in taxonomy, the vampire squid possesses characteristics that blend features of both squids and octopi, placing it in its own distinct order.
- Habitat:
- Vampire squids inhabit the deep ocean regions of tropical and subtropical waters, dwelling at depths ranging from 300 to 3000 meters.
They are most commonly found between depths of 1500 to 2500 meters, residing within the oxygen minimum layer where little to no sunlight penetrates.