Prelims Focus – 28th February 2024

1.Theyyam

In News: Theyyams is a religious ritual seen in Sree Kurumba Bhagavathi temple.

• It is a religious ritual in North Kerala and parts of Karnataka.
• Teyam, is believed to be derived from the word destiny, meaning god
• It is based on the belief that immortal souls enter mortal bodies to perform ritual dances that signify divine manifestations.

2.First Private Ammunition Manufacture Facility Opens

In News: In the private sector, two facilities for the manufacture of ammunition and missiles were opened by Adani Defence and Aerospace in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh recently.

• • The Kanpur complex is ready to grow to be one of the most important included ammunition manufacturing complexes in South Asia.
  • The facilities will produce tremendous small, medium and massive calibre ammunition for the armed forces, paramilitary forces and the police. 

• Need of personal ammunition manufacture facility

• • It will make India self-reliant in missiles and ammunition.
  • Recent geopolitical events had also re-emphasised the need for a reliable supply of ammunition from internal resources in preparedness for a protracted-drawn conflict.

3.Baleen Whales

In News: The Scientists discovered the anatomy behind the songs of Baleen Whales that use a larynx, or voice box, anatomically modified to enable underwater vocalisation.

• • They are marine mammals and a number of the biggest creatures on the Earth. They are recognised for his or her haunting songs.
  • They consist of species along with the blue whale, humpback, proper whales, bowhead whales, and others.
  • They are known for his or her particular feeding mechanism related to baleen plates, a huge rack of excellent, hair-like keratin used to clear out small krill from the water.
  • Different species of baleen whales vary in the form of the baleen and the fineness of the perimeter.
  • It displays specific feeding patterns and food sorts:
    • Short baleen plates with a rough fringe describes a fish-consuming whale;
    • Long plates with an excellent, silky fringe permit others to hunt smaller animals which includes zooplankton.

• Conservation Status:

• • Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN: Critically Endangered: North Atlantic Right Whale
  • Endangered: Blue Whale; North Pacific Right Whale
  • Least Concern: Humpback Whale; Bowhead Whale
  • Threats to those majestic creatures encompass deliver moves, entanglement in fishing equipment, habitat degradation, and noise pollutants.

4.Roen olmi

Recent News:

Scientists in Goa have created gold nanoparticles using a wild mushroom species that is commonly consumed as a delicacy in the region.

Details:

• The Termitomyces mushroom is an edible species that plays a crucial role in converting dead plant material into nutrient-rich soil in forest and grassland ecosystems. 
• It can only grow in association with termites and is not able to be cultivated artificially. 
• In Goa, these mushrooms grow on termite hills in the forested areas of the Western Ghats. 
• The harvesting of these mushrooms was initially banned in 1992, but the ban was later amended to only apply to wildlife sanctuaries and government-owned protected forests. 
• The overexploitation of these mushrooms could potentially lead to the outbreak of new forest diseases.

Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB)

Recent News:

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti has opened the UYRB building in Noida. The UYRB was created through a memorandum of understanding signed by the Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi in 1994.

Details:

• The Upper Yamuna refers to the section of the Yamuna River from its source to the Okhla Barrage in Delhi. 
• The Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) is a department under the Ministry of Jal Shakti responsible for regulating and supplying water from all storage facilities and barrages up to the Okhla Barrage. 
• The board also maintains a minimum flow in the Yamuna for ecological reasons and monitors water withdrawals for domestic use, silt exclusion, and hydel power generation. 
• The basin states of the Upper Yamuna include Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. 
• Key barrages and canal networks in the region include Tajewala/Hathnikund, Wazirabad, Western Yamuna Canal, Eastern Yamuna Canal, and Agra/Gurgaon Canal.

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