• A new species of salamander — the Tylototriton zaimeng — has been discovered in the Zaimeng Lake within the Koubru Forest Division in Kangpokpi district in Manipur.
• The Tylototriton zaimeng had earlier been mistaken for its close relatives — the T. himalayanus and the T. verrucosus.
• But phylogenetic analysis revealed that the new salamander is a sister species of the T. panwaensis and T. houi found in northern Myanmar and southern China, respectively.
• Characteristics
  • It is a medium-sized salamander unlike any other.
  • Its head is massive and wide, with a rounded snout and protruding supratemporal bony ridges.
  • The creature’s limbs are short and elegantly formed and do not overlap when adpressed along its body.
  • A wide and unsegmented vertebral ridge ran along its back, accompanied by 13-14 pairs of rib nodules.
  • zaimeng displayed a stunning brown colouration, embellished with dull orange to yellowish-brown markings on its head, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, palms, soles, vent, and ventral tail ridge.
  • Vomerine teeth, elegantly organized in two distinctly curved bell-shaped series, further differentiated this mysterious creature.
• The researchers advocated the inclusion of the new salamander species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as a vulnerable species, emphasising the need for conservation efforts to protect it and its fragile habitat.

ABOUT ZAIMENG LAKE

• Zaimeng in the Liangmai Naga dialect means “puzzle” or “mystery”.
• It is a fresh water lake.
• It is situated on top of Khongtheng mountain ranges at Thonglang village (Bena Tababang).
• The estimated height of this lake is 2176 metres above sea level.

• The Union Cabinet recently approved the Rs 13,000-crore Vishwakarma Yojana, an ambitious scheme to support those engaged in traditional skills.
• Under the scheme, craftsmen will be provided credit support of up to Rs 1 lakh (first tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5%.
• Vishwakarma Yojana will benefit 30 lakh craftsmen families over five years from FY24 to FY28.
• Under the scheme, artisans and craftsmen will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
• Artisans and craftsmen will also be provided skill upgradation, tool kit incentive, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support.
• Initially, 18 traditional trades will be covered including carpenter (Suthar); boat maker; armourer; blacksmith; hammer and tool kit maker; locksmith; goldsmith; potter (Kumhaar); sculptor, stone breaker; cobbler; mason; basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver; doll and toy maker (traditional); barber; garland maker; washerman; tailor ; and fishing net maker.
• The scheme also aims at improving the quality, as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftsmen and to ensure that Vishwakarmas are integrated with the domestic and global value chains.

• The “Graphene-Aurora Program” was launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Maker Village in Kochi, Kerala.
• This initiative, led by Digital University Kerala, aims to bridge the gap between graphene research and commercialization.
• It will be jointly funded by MeitY and Kerala government and industry partner.
• The establishment of the India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC) will play a pivotal role in this effort.

ABOUT GRAPHENE

• Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, forming a two-dimensional structure discovered in 2004.
• It has different properties- including exceptional strength and flexibility, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity.
• Application: can be used in touch screens, energy storage, light panels, solar cells, faster DNA sequencing, drug delivery and biosensors etc.

• Five heliports would be constructed in Hamirpur district at a cost of Rs 12 crore to promote tourism and provide a fast mode of travelling to tourists.

• Indian products accounts for 35% of total cargo handled by Russia’s Arctic Murmansk port in the first half of 2023.
• Murmansk is located about 2,000 km northwest of Moscow.
• It is located on the Kola peninsula at Barents Sea coast.
• It is the main northern gateway of Russia and a transshipment hub.

• To strengthen India’s energy security and realize the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by reducing the reliance on imported coal, the Ministry of Coal is actively working on development of the National Coal Logistic Plan, which includes First Mile Connectivity (FMC) through railway siding near coal mines.
• First Mile Connectivity eliminates road transportation of coal in mining areas by using conveyors or roads to the nearest railway siding.
• A comprehensive tally of 67 First Mile Connectivity (FMC) Projects with a combined capacity of 885 million metric tons, are being progressively pursued in three phases to achieve a mechanized coal handling capacity of approximately 1 billion metric tons.
• Benefits- By transporting coal through a conveyor belt or road to the nearest railway siding, FMC reduces the number of trucks on the road and the associated environmental impacts such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and road damage, leading to a cleaner and healthier environment.

• Odisha government has withdrawn controversial ‘deemed forest’ order in which district officials were told that ‘deemed forests’ as a category would cease to exist under the recently amended Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023.
• Deemed forest is land which appears to be a forest but is not notified as forest land by the Centre or the state government.
• The concept came into existence following a Supreme Court order in the TN Godavarman case in 1996, which directed the state government to record such land.

• The Pong dam on the Beas river in Himachal Pradesh has recorded the highest-ever inflow since it became operational in 1974.
• The water inflow into the dam reached 7,30,079 (7.30 lakh) cusecs on 14^th August,2023.
• The previous highest inflow of 7,15,400 (7.15 lakh) cusecs was recorded in 1978.
• The Pong dam is situated in Talwara, on the border of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
• The primary catchment area for the dam is in Himachal Pradesh.

• India’s first ever long-range revolver, “Prabal,” is poised for launch on August 18.
• The revolver is manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL), based in Kanpur.
  • AWEIL comprises of eight former factories of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), and the company’s primary focus lies in the manufacturing of small arms and artillery for the Indian armed forces, international militaries, and domestic civilian usage.
• Distinguished by its .32 bore, the Prabal revolver boasts an impressive firing range of up to 50 meters, more than twice the reach of other revolvers in India.
• A noteworthy feature of Prabal is its side swing cylinder, marking a significant advancement in revolver design.

• NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO-A) spacecraft made its first Earth flyby, nearly 17 years after its launch.
• Launched from Cape Canaveral on October 25, 2006, the twin STEREO spacecraft, STEREO-A (“Ahead”) and STEREO-B (“Behind”), embarked on their mission to chart Earth-like orbits around the Sun.
• Their primary objective was to provide the first stereoscopic, or multiple-perspective, view of our closest star.
• On February 6, 2011, the mission achieved a significant milestone when the two spacecraft reached a 180-degree separation in their orbits, allowing humanity to see the Sun as a complete sphere for the first time.