CURRENT CONTEXT : A herd of 33 Kharai camels was rescued by marine police and villagers near Vadinar Jetty, Gujarat, after being caught in rising tides while grazing on mangroves of Kalubhar Tapu island.

 ABOUT KHARAI CAMELS:

• Breed: Unique dromedary camel adapted to swim and graze in saltwater mangrove ecosystems, chiefly in Kutch, Gujarat.
• Name Origin: ‘Khara’ = saline; also called ‘Dariyataru.’
• Habitat & Behavior: Swim up to 3 km offshore to feed on mangroves.
• Community Link: Domesticated and preserved by Rabari and Fakirani Jat tribes for ~400 years.
• Population Status: Estimated ~4,000 in Gujarat (2,000 in Kutch).
• Uses: Milk is nutrient-rich with therapeutic potential.

CURRENT CONTEXT : A CareEdge report highlights that India holds 8% of global Rare Earth Element (REE) reserves—the third-largest globally—but contributes less than 1% to REE mining and refining.

 ABOUT REE IN INDIA:

• Global share: India hold 8% of world reserves; China holds 49% of reserves, 69% of mining, 90% of refining.
• Key reserves: ~130 monazite sand deposits located in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha.
• Contributing factors:
  • REEs co-occur with radioactive thorium; complex extraction is expensive.
  • India lacks full value chain: while it mines and produces oxides, it cannot produce REE magnets or alloys—requires upgrades.
  • Predominantly Light REEs; Heavy REEs are scant.
  • Mining hampered by Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
  • IREL (Indian Rare Earths Limited) is the sole monazite processor.
• Policy push: 2025 National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) launched to promote domestic REE processing and reduce China dependence

Observed on 10 July each year, aligning with Nikola Tesla’s birthday.

• Aim : to raise awareness about achieving energy independence and transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
• Established: First observed in 2006 and trademarked in 2010 by Michael D. Antonovich, then LA County Supervisor, to promote green energy and energy autonomy.

Current Context: In July 2025, Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to adopt Aadhaar-based Face Authentication for PDS ration distribution.

ABOUT FACE AUTHENTICATION:

• Developed by UIDAI.
• Works on 1:1 matching of live face image with Aadhaar repository image.
• Alternative to fingerprint, iris scan, and OTP-based
• Expected to reduce errors in rural/aged population biometric failures.

CURRENT CONTEXT: The Haryana Government announced plans to build Asia’s largest jungle safari, spanning 10,000 acres across Gurugram and Nuh in the Aravalli Hills.

The project aims to protect wildlife, boost eco‑tourism, and create local jobs.

 About the Jungle Safari:

• Location & Area: Encompasses 6,000 acres in Gurugram + 4,000 in Nuh, totalling 10,000 acres in protected Aravalli forest land
• Planned Zones & Attractions:
  • Large herpetarium, aviary/bird park
  • Four big‑cat zones (including leopards)
  • Herbivore section, exotic fauna, underwater aquarium.
  • Botanical gardens, multiple biomes (equatorial, tropical, coastal, desert), and nature trails.
• Design & Governance:
  • Modeled after Sharjah Safari (~2,000 acres), five times larger
  • Operated by an Aravalli Foundation under Haryana Forest & Tourism departments.

Central Zoo Authority granted feasibility approval; top firms shortlisted via global EoI.

Current Context: Recently, Andhra Pradesh launched the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyarthi Mitra Kits, supplying free educational kits to 35.94 lakh students (Classes I–X), with a total budget of ₹953.71 crore.

 About the scheme

• Namesake: Honours Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s second President and philosopher, denoting education over politics.
• Coverage: Govt and aided schools; budget shares: ₹778.68 cr (state) + ₹03 cr (centre).
• Kit Components:
  • Uniforms (3 sets), shoes, socks, belt, school bag.
  • Textbooks, notebooks, workbooks; dictionaries: Oxford English-Telugu (Class 6), pictorial (Class 1); regional languages included .

Current Context : NITI Aayog released the second edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District SDG Index Report (2023–24).

ABOUT NER DISTRICT SDG INDEX

• Prepared by: NITI Aayog & Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MoDoNER) with UNDP support.
• Objective: Monitors SDG progress at district level across 8 NE states.
• Based on: NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index methodology.
• SDG Coverage: Tracks district-level performance on key development goals.
• Index Categories:
  • Achiever: Score = 100
  • Front Runner: 65–99
  • Performer: 50–64
  • Aspirant: <50

KEY FINDINGS (2023–24)

• Total districts covered: 121
• Highest scorer: Hnahthial (Mizoram) – 81.43
• Lowest scorer: Longding (Arunachal Pradesh) – 58.71
• Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura: All districts in Front Runner category.
• Sikkim: Most consistent performance; narrowest score range (5.5).
• Tripura: Highest scores with low intra-state variation (6.5).
• Nagaland, Mizoram: High scores but larger district variation.

Current Context : A recent report highlights a 198.91% increase in the leopard population in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) since 2022.

ABOUT DUDHWA TIGER RESERVE

• Location: Indo-Nepal border, Lakhimpur-Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh.
• Constituents: Includes Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, and adjoining forest divisions (North Kheri, South Kheri, Shahjahanpur).
• Topography: Part of Terai-Bhabar region, under Upper Gangetic Plains biogeographic zone.
• Rivers:
  • Sharda River: flows through Kishanpur WL Sanctuary.
  • Geruwa River: through Katerniaghat WL Sanctuary.
  • Suheli & Mohana: flow in Dudhwa NP.
  • All rivers are tributaries of
• Vegetation: North Indian Moist Deciduous type; dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta) forests.
• Notable Flora: Terminalia alata, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Adina cordifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Gmelina arborea.

Current Context: NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile recently discovered 3I/ATLAS, making it the third-known interstellar comet.

ABOUT 3I/ATLAS:

• “3I” indicates it’s the third interstellar object, after 1I/’Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).
• Moving at ~60 km/s on a hyperbolic trajectory.
• Expected to sublimate (release gases and dust) forming a tail as it nears the Sun.
• Not expected to come close to Earth.

Current Context: Paris officially opened the Seine River for public swimming after a century-long ban, following massive clean-up efforts ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.

ABOUT SEINE RIVER:

• Second-longest river in France after the Loire.
• Origin: Near Dijon
• Mouth: English Channel at Le Havre.
• Clean-up: €1.4 billion project to remove coli, improve sewage treatment, and ensure swimmable water quality.
• Part of Olympic legacy projects; new swim zones to boost tourism and public access.