Why in news?

• The Postal Department released a special cover on Chamba ‘rumal’ and ‘chappal’ at a function.
• Under a series, the Department of Posts had started releasing special covers on products bearing Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

Why in news?

• The Public Works Department is geared up to construct a 72-km-long bypass from Kafnu in Kinnaur district to Mud village in Lahaul and Spiti.
• The bypass will reduce the travel distance between Shimla and Kaza by 105 km. At present, the travel distance between Shimla and Kaza by road is 460 km via Sumdo, close to the China border in Lahaul and Spiti.
• The bypass road will connect NH-5 at Kafnu with NH-505 near Atargu Bridge in the Spiti region.
• The 44 km length of the road project falls under Kinnaur district, while 28 km length in Lahaul and Spiti

Why in news?

• The International Olympic Committee determines the sports to be held in the Olympics games. The committee has decided to conduct 28 Olympic sports and 24 paralympic sports at the Los Angeles Olympics.
• New sporting events to be included in 2028 Olympics- It includes surfing, climbing and skateboarding.
• Removal of sports- Weightlifting, boxing and modern pentathlon have been left off. The sports were removed over the issues between International Olympics Committee and the governing bodies of the sports. This includes AIBA (International Boxing Association), International Weightlifting Federation and Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne.

About the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

• This is the first summer Olympics to be held in the US since 1996. Before this, the winter Olympics was held in 2002.
• This is the third time Los Angeles is hosting the Olympics. The other cities that have hosted Olympics three times are London and Paris.
• It is the ninth Olympics to be held in US and fourth to be held in the state of California.

Why in news?

• Recently neighbours of a golden langur habitat in western Assam’s Bongaigaon district have opposed a move by the State government to upgrade it to a wildlife sanctuary.
• Kakoijana Reserve Forest is one of the better-known homes of the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) found only in Assam and Bhutan.
• The villagers demanded that the “conventional idea of wildlife sanctuary” be dropped and the reserve forest converted into a community forest resource “using Forest Rights Act, 2006, to ensure community co-managed system of participation for sustainable conservation.
• The villagers pointed out that the conservation efforts of the locals had helped the authorities concerned to restore the forest canopy from less than 5% to more than 70%, and the golden langur population from less than 100 to more than 600 over almost three decades.

About Golden Langur(Trachypithecus geei)

• Golden langurs can be most easily recognized by the color of their fur, after which they are named.
• It has been noted that their fur changes colors according to the seasons as well as geography (region they live in).
• The color of the young also differs from adults in that they are almost pure white.
• They are highly dependent on trees, living in the upper canopy of forests. They are also known as leaf monkeys.
• Habitat: It is endemic to western Assam, India, and southern Bhutan.
• Their habitat is restricted to the region surrounded by four geographical landmarks: the foothills of Bhutan (North), Manas river (East), Sankosh river (West), and Brahmaputra river(South).
• Threats:
• Restricted Habitat:As mentioned above, their habitat is restricted by natural boundaries further increasing the threat of extinction.
• Habitat Fragmentation: Their habitat in Assam has fragmented drastically especially after a thrust on rural electrification and massive deforestation.
• Inbreeding: Obstructions such as wires, and gaps in the forest due to felling, have increased the threat of inbreeding among golden langurs.
• Protection Status:
• IUCN List of Threatened Species: Endangered
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• It is listed as among the world’s 25 most endangered primates.

Why in news?

• A new study has reported the presence of dholes or Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) in the high mountains of Central Asia nearly 30 years after their presence was last recorded.
• The animals have been discovered in the Bek-Tosot Conservancy in the Osh region of southern Kyrgyzstan, a few kilometres from the Tajik border. It lies in the Pamir mountain range.

About Dhole

• Dhole(Cuon alpinus) is a wild carnivorous animal belonging to the canine family, found in Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
• They are also known as Asian wild dogs.
• Ecological role: Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.
• Conservation Status: It is under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘endangered’
• The species is protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and under Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• Threats:
• Ongoing habitat loss: Due to deforestation and fragmentation of forest corridors.
• Depletion of prey base: Ungulates are main prey of dholes whose population is rapidly decreasing due to excessive hunting and habitat loss.
• Persecution due to livestock predation and disease transfer from domestic and feral dogs.

Why in news?

• Ministry of Education has joined hands with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for SHRESTHA.

About the scheme

• It targets the meritorious students of Scheduled Caste. It will also help to control the drop out of students from courses 9 to 12.
• The scheme will provide high quality residential schooling.
• To implement the scheme, NITI Aayog has recognized reputed non – public residential facilities in aspirational districts.
• The government has estimated that the scheme implementation will require Rs 300 crores.
• The scheme is expected to help more than 24,800 students in next five years.

Why in news?

• In a major step forward towards satellite-based quantum communication, scientists from ISRO’s Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre and Physical Research Laboratory successfully demonstrated quantum entanglement. Using real-time Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), they conducted hack-proof communication between two places separated by 300 meters.

About Quantum Communication

• Quantum communication is one of the safest ways of connecting two places with high levels of code and quantum cryptography that cannot be decrypted or broken by an external entity.
• If a hacker tries to crack the message in quantum communication, it changes its form in such a manner that would alert the sender and would cause the message to be altered or deleted.
• The basic properties of quantum computing are superposition, entanglement, and interference.
• Superposition:
• It is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states simultaneously.
• The example of superposition is the flip of a coin, which consistently lands as heads or tails—a very binary concept. However, when that coin is in mid-air, it is both heads and tails and until it lands, heads and tails simultaneously. Before measurement, the electron exists in quantum superposition.
• Entanglement:
• It means the two members of a pair (Qubits) exist in a single quantum state. Changing the state of one of the qubits will instantaneously change the state of the other one in a predictable way. This happens even if they are separated by very long distances.
• Interference:
• Quantum interference states that elementary particles(Qubits) can not only be in more than one place at any given time (through superposition), but that an individual particle, such as a photon (light particles) can cross its own trajectory and interfere with the direction of its path.
• China already has a satellite dedicated to quantum information science, Micius, and demonstrated quantum communication in a laboratory over a coiled optical fibre up to 404 kilometres long.

Why in news?

• Chauri Chaura incident is said to have given a new direction to the country’s freedom struggle.
• Chauri Chaura is a town in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Chauri Chaura Incident:

• On 4^thFebruary, volunteers congregated in the town, and after the meeting, proceeded in a procession to the local police station, and to picket the nearby Mundera bazaar.
• The police fired into the crowd killing some people and injuring many volunteers.
• In retaliation, the crowd proceeded to set the police station on fire.
• Some of the policemen who tried to escape were caught and battered to death. A lot of police property, including weapons, was destroyed.
• Mahatma Gandhi condemned the crime of the policemen’s killing. The volunteer groups in nearby villages were disbanded, and a Chauri Chaura Support Fund was set up to demonstrate “genuine sympathy” and seek atonement.
• Gandhi decided to stop the Non-Cooperation Movement, which he saw as having been tainted by unforgivable violence.

Why in news?

• The Government of India has appointed Sonali Singhto hold the additional charge of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, with effect from February 01, 2022.
• She has been appointed in place of Dipak Dash,who superannuated on January 31, 2022.
• Sonali Singhis a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS).
• She is serving as the Additional Controller General of Accounts since October 2019.
• Prior to that, she had also served as Additional Secretary at Central Vigilance Commission. 

About Controller General of Accounts (CGA)

• The Controller General of Accounts (CGA), in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, is the Principal Accounting Adviser to Government of India and is responsible for establishing and maintaining a technically sound Management Accounting System. The Office of CGA prepares monthly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government.

Why in news?

• India defeated England by four wickets to clinch a record-extending fifth title at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.
• India added the fifth title to their collection, having previously won the trophy in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018.
• Yash Dhull becomes the fifth Indian captain to win the title after Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw.
• Earlier, England opted to bat after winning the toss but they were shot out by India for 189 in 44.5 overs. India chases down the target of 190 with 2.2 overs to spare.