• Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, became the first Indian city to be part of the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), which is a global network of cities that share research and intelligence.
• Bengaluru became the 41^st city to join the forum and the network currently includes 40 cities across six continents.

• The offer-for-sale (OFS) of Rail Vikas Nigam was subscribed 1.7 times.
• The OFS saw bids for 18.91 crore shares as against a total of 11.18 crore shares on offer.
• An Offer for Sale is a simpler method wherein promoters in public companies can sell their shares and reduce their holdings in a transparent manner through the bidding platform for the Exchange.
• The OFS method was brought in by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2012 as a simpler one to aid promoters of listed forms to dilute their stake and comply with the minimum public shareholding norms by June 2013.
• Anyone can bid for these shares, be it foreign institutional investors, retail investors or companies.
• Any shareholder holding 10% stake in the company can participate in an offer for sale.

• The Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh is likely to have three lakes of different dimensions due to subglacial over-deepening — a characteristic of basins and valleys eroded by glaciers, shows a new study.
• Main reasons for rapid melting of glacier are global warming and increasing temperatures, and a lower altitude than other glaciers in Zanskar region.
• Parkachik Glacier is located in Suru sub-basin of Upper Indus River, Zanskar Himalaya.
  • Suru River valley is a part of southern Zanskar Ranges in western Himalayas.

• The border between India and Myanmar runs for 1,643 km in the four states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• The FMR is a mutually agreed arrangement between the two countries that allows tribes living along the border on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country without a visa.
• The FMR was implemented in 2018 as part of the Act East policy at a time when diplomatic relations between India and Myanmar were on the upswing.
• Background
  • The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region.
  • People in the region have strong ethnic and familial ties across the border. In Manipur’s Moreh region, there are villages where some homes are in Myanmar. In Nagaland’s Mon district, the border actually passes through the house of the chief of Longwa village, splitting his home into two.
• Concerns
  • Although beneficial to local people and helpful in improving Indo-Myanmar ties, the FMR has been criticised for unintentionally aiding illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and gun running.

• As per an order on June 23, 2023— Project Tiger and Project Elephant have been merged, meaning a common allocation will fund both beginning this year.
• The merger was announced in April 2023.
• A new division, ‘Project Tiger and Elephant Division,’ has been notified under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

• The staff and divisional heads of Project Elephant (PE) will now report to the additional director general of forests (ADGF), Project Tiger (PT), who has now been designated as ADGF (PT&E).

PROJECT TIGER

• Launched in 1973, Project Tiger is probably one of the most successful species conservation programmes in the world.
• Started with 9 tiger reserves, today the Project Tiger has 53 tiger reserves spread over 75,000 km and more than 70 per cent of the world’s wild tigers are thriving in Indian forests.
• Precursor for the launch of other species conservation projects such as Project Elephant and recently Project Lion and Project Cheetah.
• Implementing Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority, which is a statutory body.

PROJECT ELEPHANT

• It was launched in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by MoEFCC.
• Aims to provide financial and technical support to major elephant-bearing States in the country.

• The product basket of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana has increased to 1,800 medicines and 285 Surgical equipment.
• These products are available at 50 to 90 % lower prices compared to the market.
• Also the Government has decided to open 10,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras by 31st December 2023 in the country. A total 9512 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been opened across the country till 30th June 2023.

ABOUT PRADHAN MANTRI BHARTIYA JANAUSHADHI PARIYOJANA

• PMBJP was launched as “Jan Aushadhi Scheme” by Department of Pharmaceuticals in 2008 with objective of making quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to people.
• Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), erstwhile Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is implementing agency of PMBJP.
  • It regularly analyses various trends of the market and based on the analysis, includes medicines and other products to sell through these Kendras at affordable prices.
• Nodal Ministry: – Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• Objectives
  • To make available quality medicines, consumables and surgical itemsat affordable prices for all.
  • To popularise generic medicines among the masses.
  • To ensure easy availability of the menstrual health services(Janaushadhi ‘Suvidha’ sanitary napkins)

Generate employment by engaging individual entrepreneurs in the opening of PMBJP Kendras.

• A new study suggests rare Ureilite meteorite formed India’s Dhala impact crater, offering insights into early solar system and potential impact on Earth’s water and life development.

ABOUT DHALA CRATER

• Dhala crater is situated in the heart of India’s Madhya Pradesh region in Shivpuri.
• With an impressive diameter of 11 kilometres, the Dhala structure has been confirmed by scientists to be Asia’s largest and the world’s 7^th largest impact crater.

ABOUT UREILITES

• ‘Ureilites’ belong to a scarce class of primitive meteorites, making up only a small fraction of all meteorites found on Earth.
• This dark grey or brownish meteorite type is named after the village Novy Urey in Mordovia Republic of Russia, where a meteorite of this type fell on 4 September 1886.
• Comprising mostly olivine and pyroxene silicate rocks, Ureilites also contain less than 10% of carbon (either in the form of diamond or graphite), metal sulphides, and a few fine-grained silicates.

• India’s first online gaming academy in Madhya Pradesh gets 40,000 registrations for 200 seats.
• The academy has 200 places, and the selection process will distribute 80% of these to local youths.
• The academy will provide training for competition and also career paths in coding, tournament operations, content creation, game development and more.

• July 28^th is observed annually by the world as World Hepatitis Day to raise global awareness about hepatitis.
• Hepatitis virus has five commonly known strains: Type A, B, C, D and E.
• The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2023 is “One life, one liver” focusing on creating awareness about viral hepatitis.

• PM recently launched the “Urea Gold”.
• It is a new variety of urea that is coated with Sulphur.
• It is expected to address sulphur deficiencies in the soil.
• This “innovative fertiliser” is more economical and efficient than neem-coated urea, “ensuring improved nitrogen use efficiency, reduced consumption, and enhanced crop quality“.
• Urea coated with sulphur helps in slow release of nitrogen, therefore increasing its availability and uptake.
• Urea Gold has added humic acid to enhance longevity of the fertiliser.
• It will substitute urea consumption and also reduce fertiliser use.
• It is said that 15 kg of Urea Gold is comparable to 20 kg of conventional urea.