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.
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- 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
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- 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.
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- 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:
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- 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.