• In a big blow to Navegon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) struggling to revive its tiger population, a young male died in a road hit near Murdoli village in the buffer zone of the reserve.
• As per the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE-2022), the 656sqkm NNTR has 11 tigers.

ABOUT NAVEGON-NAGZIRA TIGER RESERVE

• Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve is situated in Gondia and Shandara Districts of Maharashtra.
• It comprises of Nawegaon National Park, Nawegaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary, New Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary and Koka Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It has linkages with Kanha, Pench and Tadoba Tiger Reserves.
• ‘Zenda Pahad’ around 702 m above MSL is the highest point.
• Vegetation is Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest which includes dry mixed forests to moist forest type. There are 364 species of plants.
• The major wild animals include Tiger, Panther, Small Indian Civet, Palm Civet, Wolf, Jackal, Wild Dog, Sloth Bear, Ratel, Common Giant Flying Squirrel, Gaur, Sambar, Chital, Four Horned Antelope, Mouse Deer and Pangolin.

• Railways Ministry will establish Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras at railway stations across the country.
• It aims to make available quality medicines to all at an affordable price.
• The Ministry has identified the list of fifty stations for the pilot project.
• These Kendra’s will be set up and operated by Licensees at locations identified by Railway Divisions.

ABOUT PRADHAN MANTRI BHARTIYA JAN AUSHADHI PARIYOJANA

• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras are set up under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana.
• It was launched by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizer
• Objective – To provide quality medicines at affordable prices to all through dedicated outlets called PMBJAK.
• Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) is implementing agency.

• Union Home Minister congratulated the team of National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) for winning the Gold Award under the Excellence in Government Process Reengineering for Digital Transformation Category-1 of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

ABOUT NAFIS

• The NAFIS project is a country-wide searchable database of crime- and criminal-related fingerprints.
• It was conceptualized and managed by the NCRB at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB), New Delhi.

• The web-based application functions as a central information repository by consolidating fingerprint data from all states and Union Territories.
• It assigns a unique 10-digit National Fingerprint Number (NFN) to each person arrested for a crime.
• This unique ID will be used for the person’s lifetime, and different crimes registered under different FIRs will be linked to the same NFN.
• It enables law enforcement agencies to upload, trace and retrieve information from the database 24×7 in real-time.
• The NAFIS maintains-
  • Ten Print data: Images of a person’s palm and fingerprints, as well as the accompanying basic biographical data, are gathered from them by the police and immigration officials.
  • Latent data: Impressions of fingers and palms found at crime scenes that have not yet been solved, which police can check.

• India’s largest species of bats, named after a canine fabled to be sly, spends 7% of its day-roosting time being environmentally vigilant, a new study has said.

ABOUT FLYING FOX BAT (PTEROPUS GIGANTEUS)

• The nectar and fruit-eating flying fox is generally considered vermin as they raid orchards.
• It had a similar official status under the Schedule V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 until it was put on the Schedule II list, entailing a higher degree of protection.
• It is a keystone species which helps in seed dispersals of many plants in tropical systems.
• The community’s diversity and abundance of other species are influenced by the flying fox’s contribution to seed dispersal, which also affects different aspects of the environment.
• They can be found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Tibet, Maldives, and Pakistan.
• It is a highly social creature, living in large roosts of several hundred animals.
• Threats-
  • The biggest threat to the flying fox is from humans.
  • Hunting for meat and medicine and probable threats like the felling of roost trees have contributed to the dramatic decrease in the population of the species.
• IUCN Red List – Least Concern

• Britain is removing a group of asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm barge because Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply.

ABOUT LEGIONELLA BACTERIA

• Legionella bacteria are found naturally in freshwater like rivers and lakes and can grow inside water tanks and plumbing systems.
• It can cause a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) called Legionnaires’ disease.
  • Symptoms include a cough, shortness of breath, a high temperature, flu-like symptoms and chest pain or discomfort.
  • Generally, it doesn’t spread from person to person.
• The disease typically spreads via inhalation of contaminated aerosols from contaminated water.
• They grow and spread in human-made building water systems like:
  • Showerheads and sink faucets
  • Cooling towers
  • Hot tubs etc.
• Legionella bacteria can also cause Pontiac fever, a mild flu-like illness.
• Treatments exist, but there is no vaccine currently available for Legionnaires’ disease.

• A project of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for gender sensitivity in Rajasthan has received support from the experts working for the elimination of customs promoting patriarchy.

ABOUT UNFPA

• UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
• It is a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly and its mandate is established by The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• Mission– to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
• Motto– “Ensuring rights and choices for all.”
• Headquarters: New York, USA
• The agency began operating in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
• In 1987, it was officially renamed the United Nations Population Fund but the original abbreviation, ‘UNFPA’ for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities was retained.
• UNFPA is entirely supported by voluntary contributions of donor governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector and foundations and individuals, not by the United Nations regular budget.
• Major Publication– State of World Population Report
• In 2018, UNFPA launched efforts to achieve three transformative results, also known as the three zeros, by 2030. These include-
  • Zero unmet need for family planning.
  • Zero preventable maternal death.
  • Zero gender-based violence and harmful practices.

• 4 out of 35 guest rooms of around 600-year-old collapsed at Nalagarh in Solan following heavy rain.
• Constructed in 1421 during the reign of Raja Bikram Chand, who represented the Chand dynasty of Himachal Pradesh, the resort is located on a hilltop.
• A luxury resort is being run in the fort since 1995.

• Ecuador declared a state of emergency after the assassination of a popular presidential candidate.
• It is situated in Western South America.
• It has borders with Colombia and Peru and is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west.
• The Galápagos Islands, the first natural site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, come under its jurisdiction.

• AU Small Finance Bank has become India’s first bank to provide 24×7 Video Banking Service.
  • It is also the largest small finance bank in India.
• The service enables customers to engage in face-to-face video interactions with expert bankers, akin to video calls.

• Recently, Mushkbudji Rice received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Kashmir.
• It is a short grain rice variety with distinctive aroma.
• It is grown in higher reaches of Kashmir valley majorly Anantnag district.