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• IREDA has indicated plans for establishing a subsidiary to cater to retail projects, e.g.  Rooftop Solar, PM-KUSUM, Electric Vehicles, and other Business-to-Consumer (B2C) segments.

• About IREDA
  • Mini Ratna (Category – I) Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987.
  • Under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
  • Engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable energy sources and energy efficiency/conservation.
  • Motto: “Energy for Ever.”
  • Registered and Corporate office: New Delhi

• India slipped to 85^th position in the recently released Henley Passport Index for 2024.

• About HPI
  • Released by Henley & Partners.
  • Ranks according to number of destinations holders of a passport can access without a prior visa.
  • Based on data from International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  • Compares visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
  • 6 countries – France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain – are ranked 1^st in 2024.

• India has contributed $ 1 Mn to the IBSA Fund.

• About the IBSA Fund
  • It was jointly established by India, Brazil and South Africa in 2004 and became operational in 2006.
  • Fund-supports projects in Global south to achieve their national priorities, as well as all other internationally agreed development goals.

• About IBSA
  • Forum comprises India, Brazil and South Africa.
  • Formalised and named the IBSA Dialogue Forum in 2003.

• State Government of Goa and Power Finance Corporation signed an MoU to support state’s climate ambitions through sub-national Blended Finance Facility (BFF).
  • BFF will be utilized to fund key climate projects such as green hydrogen, waste-to-wealth technology, nature-based solutions, etc.
• Blended finance is the strategic use of development finance for mobilisation of additional finance towards sustainable development.
  • It uses concessional finance (i.e. a subsidy) to reduce perceived risk of an investment.
  • Seen as a tool to leverage additional private investment.

• Researchers found that green anacondas are actually two genetically distinct species.

• About Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
  • A member of the boa family (Non-venomous snake).
  • It is the heaviest snake in the world, weighing more than 550 pounds.
  • Females are significantly larger than males.
  • IUCN status: Least Concern.
  • Habitat: live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
  • Lifespan: in the wild is about 10 years.

• Kerala has allocated Rs.13 Crore to address the issue of man-animal conflict in the Wayanad District.

• Man-Animal Conflict in India
  • Earlier the Ministry of Environment had released 14 specific guidelines for mitigating the conflict.
  • The conflict is normally dealt through coordinated interdepartmental action, identification of conflict hot spots,  establishment of rapid response teams etc.
  • An ex-gratia payment in case of Human-Wildlife conflict is offered to the tune of Rs. 10 Lakhs in case of deaths and Rs. 2 Lakhs in case of grievous injury.

• An international team of scientists studied a transient X-ray binary system named MAXI J1820+070, using AstroSat’s full multi-wavelength capabilities.

• About X-ray Binary Stars
  • Special class of binary stars which emit X-rays.
    • Binary star systems contain two stars that orbit around their common centre of mass.
  • Made up of a normal star and a collapsed star (a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole).
• AstroSat is first dedicated Indian astronomy mission to study celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously.

• Maharashtra Chief Minister paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary at Shivneri Fort.

• About Shivneri Fort
  • In 1595, King Bahadur Nizam II conferred the fort to Maloji Bhonsale.
  • 17th-century military fortification located in Pune (Maharashtra).
  • Birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
  • One of the 12 component parts of “Maratha Military Landscapes of India” nominations for recognition as UNESCO World Heritage List for 2024-25.

• Other important Maratha forts: Raigad, Rajgad, Lohagad, Sindhudurg, Torna, Devgad, etc.

Zambia (Capital: Lusaka)

• India has sent medical assistance to Cholera hit Zambia.

• Political Features
  • Land-locked country in South Central Africa.
  • Bordered by Tanzania (North), Malawi (East), Mozambique (South-East), Zimbabwe (South), Botswana and Namibia (South-West), Angola (West) and Democratic Republic of Congo (North-West). 

• Geographical Features
  • Topography is mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains.
  • Vegetation is mostly savannah, with areas of tropical grassland and woodland.
  • Major Rivers: Zambezi, Kafue, Luangwa, etc.
  • Lakes: Lake Tanganyika, etc.
  • Highest Point: Mafinga Hills.