Context (DTE):Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has successfully traced the flow of the Sahibi River using satellite imagery.
About the Sahibi River
Also called the Sabi River is an ephemeral, rain-fed river flowing through Rajasthan, Haryana & Delhi.
The river course used to join the Yamuna via the Najafgarh. Indian Archaeological Society (IAS) article suggests that the Sahibi is an older geological formation than the Najafgarh jheel.
Origin: Eastern slopes of the Saiwar Protected Forest hills in Sikar (Rajasthan).
Rigveda and Manusmriti mention its existence as the Drishadvati River.
Important wetlands and sanctuaries along the current and paleochannels of the Sahibi River include Masani Barrage Wetland (Haryana), Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (Haryana), Sultanpur National Park (Haryana), Basai Wetland (Haryana).
Najafgarh jheel got its name from Mirza Najaf Khan, the commander-in-chief of the Mughal Army under Emperor Shah Alam II. He built a strong fort (Najafgarh fort) on its banks.
Ancient sites: Several Ganeshwar–Jodhpura culturesites are found on its banks. A red stone statue of Vamana Dev was unearthed on the Sahibi riverbed near Bawal.
Erythrism is characterised by a deficit of melaninbut an abundance of reddish pigmentation, resulting in a lighter and redder appearance compared to the normal phenotype.
A golden jackal is a medium-sized wild canid (member of the dog family).
Distribution: North and East Africa, Southeastern Europe and South Asia to Burma.
Habitat: Dry open country, arid short grasslands and steppe landscapes.
Its coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter.
Golden jackals are strictly nocturnal in areas inhabited by humans but may be partly diurnal elsewhere.
Diet: They are omnivores feeding on various animal species and fruits.
Threats: Diseases like rabies and distemper, hunted and persecuted as livestock predators and pests, etc.
Context (TH): The EU proposes an extension of the deadline to implement deforestation regulation.
The EUDR was adopted in 2023, and seeks to prevent the import of specified goods contributing to deforestation and forest degradation on the EU market.
Scheduled to apply to large and medium-sized businesses from December 2024 and to small and micro-enterprises (SMEs) from June 2025.
Objective: Minimise EU’s contribution to global deforestation & forest degradation & reduce the EU’s contribution to GHG emissions and biodiversity loss.
Products covered:Coffee, leather, oil cake, wood furniture, paper, and paperboard. It applies not only to raw materials but also to finished goods that may contain these materials.
As per the regulation, a company will only be authorised to place these products on the European market or export them provided they are:
deforestation-free,
produced in accordance with relevant local legislation,
covered by a due diligence statement.
{Prelims – IR} Tripartite Agreement between Nepal, India and Bangladesh
Context (IE):Nepal, India & Bangladesh signed a Tripartite Agreement to facilitate cross-border electricity trade, allowing Nepal to export hydroelectricity to Bangladesh via Indian transmission lines.
Electricity Export:Nepal will export 40 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectricity to Bangladesh annually.
Significance: This is the first timeNepal will sell electricity to a third country.
Loss of Taste or Smell: A distinctive symptom, though not present in all cases.
Sudden Onset: Symptoms often appear suddenly and are more intense.
Wheezing: Particularly common in young children.
Respiratory Symptoms: Can lead to severe respiratory distress, especially in older adults or those with underlying conditions.
Chills and Sweats: Commonly reported.
Cough: Often more pronounced in infants and young children.
Duration: Symptoms may last longer than with influenza or RSV.
Muscle Aches: Often more pronounced than in COVID-19 or RSV.
Congestion: More likely to cause nasal congestion and runny nose.
{Prelims – Schemes} PM Internship Scheme
Context (TH):PM’s Internship Scheme announced during the Budget speech was recently launched.
About Scheme
Objective: To provide internships to 1 crore youth in the top 500 companies over five years.
Managed by: Managed through an online portal by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
Stipend: Interns will receive a monthly stipend of ₹5,000, with ₹4,500 from the central government via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and ₹500 from the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund.
Additional Benefits: A one-time grant of ₹6,000 upon joining and insurance coverage under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
Eligibility Criteria
Age: Candidates aged between 21 and 24 years who are not engaged in full-time employment.
Education: Open to those who have passed class 10 or higher.
Exclusions:
Individuals from families with government jobs.
Post-graduates and graduates from premier institutes like IIT, IIM or with CA or CMA qualifications.
Households with an income of ₹8 lakh or more in 2023-24.
{Prelims – Space} Small Rocky Planet detected orbiting Barnard’s Star
Context (TH): The finding of the first verified planet circling Barnard’s star excites astronomers.
Instrumentused:ESPRESSO on European Southern Observatory’s Chile-based Very Large Telescope.
The confirmed planet, calledBarnard b, has a predicted diameter about three-quarters that of Earth.
The rocky planet’s mass is about 40% of the Earth’s total mass. While this planet, orbiting very close to Barnard’s star, has a surface temperature too high to be suitable for life.
Barnard b orbits Barnard’s star in three Earth days.
Barnard Star
Barnard’s star is a red dwarf, the smallest type of regular star. It is much smaller and less luminous than our sun and lies a mere six light-years from our solar system. It has a mass of about 16% of the sun’s, a diameter of 19%, and is far less hot. It also is estimated to be more than twice as old as the sun.
Being so cold and small, it is quite faint, making its habitable zone much closer to the star than in the case of the sun.
Only the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system, about 4 light-years away, are closer to our solar system than Barnard’s star.
