Recently, Union Government re-imposed PAP regime in 3 north-eastern states (Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland). 

• It was scrapped in 2011 to boost tourism in the states.

About PAP

• Legal Framework: Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958.
• Areas Covered: All areas falling between the ‘Inner line’ and the International Border of the State. 
  • Also covers whole of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, etc. 
• Regulation: Foreign national is to obtain a special permit from a competent authority to visit these areas. 
• Issuing Authority: Union Ministry of Home Affairs
• Validity: 10 days

Medical device sector is recognized as a sunrise sector in India.

• MedTech (or Medical Technology) is a segment of healthcare systems that focuses on designing and manufacturing a wide range of medical products/devices for diagnosis, prevention, treatment etc.
• Present status:  
  • India is the fourth largest medical devices market in Asia after Japan, China, and South Korea.
  • Estimated to be around $14 billion and is expected to grow to $30 Billion by 2030.
• Initiatives: 100% FDI under automatic route, National Medical Device Policy 2023, Centres of Excellence etc. 

Department of Financial services, under Ministry of Finance, has circulated the draft Banning of Unregulated Lending Activities (BULA) Bill for public consultation.

About draft BULA Bill

• Drafted in accordance with the RBI’s Working Group on Digital Lending (WGDL) report.
• Objective: To curb unregulated lending activities and to protect the interest of consumers.
• It envisages to ban all persons/ entities not authorised by RBI/ other regulators and not registered under any other law from undertaking public lending business activity.
• It provides for creation of a Central Database for information on lenders operating in India.

A recent study shows climate change is altering the tree line landscape of the central Himalayas. 

• Birch trees, that dominates the region, are being replaced by fir, a slow-growing evergreen conifer.

About Birch Tree

• It is a fast-growing deciduous broadleaved species found growing in the Himalayas. 
• It prefers moist or wet but well-drained rocky or sandy soil conditions.

About Fir Tree

• It is a conifer species and an important constituent of high-elevation forest ecosystems.
• These can be found across North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa. 

The Ministry of Culture has partnered with France Museums Développement (FMD) to develop the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum into a world-class cultural institution.

About Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum

• It is part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, it spans across New Delhi's North and South Blocks.
• Museum will showcase India’s heritage.
• It will be developed using Adaptive Reuse, ensuring preservation of architectural heritage of North and South Blocks.
  • This approach mirrors France's "Grands Projets" initiative, which saw the transformation of government buildings into iconic cultural spaces

Recently, Nepal and China launched the “Phewa Dialogue” series. 

About Phewa Dialogue

• It derives its name from the famous Phewa Lake there.
  • It is one of the largest lakes of Nepal situated in Pokhara Valley. 
  • Perennial spring - Harpan Khola and Seti Khola, provide inflows to the lake. 
• It seeks to address issues like South Asia’s global industrial shift and its needs.
• This will be Nepal’s first official think tank forum dedicated to South Asia Regional Economic Integration.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has implemented a Block chain-based Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) framework to trace all commercial SMS. 

• It requires all Principal Entities (PEs) like businesses, etc., along with their Telemarketers (TMs), to register their message transmission paths through DLT
• It would create a safer and spam-free Commercial messaging ecosystem. 

About DLT

•  It allows users to carry out digital transactions without a centralized authority. E.g., Blockchain. 
• It is “distributed” because multiple participants in a network share and synchronize copies of the ledger. 
• New transactions are cryptographically secured, permanent, and visible to all in real time.

Scientists at the World Health Organisation (WHO) have endorsed a new class of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

• Glucagon-Like Peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists are utilized in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.
• These interact with GLP-1, a key hormone that plays an integral role in regulating blood glucose levels, lipid metabolism, and several other crucial biological functions.
  • GLP-1 is produced in the intestine and released in response to food. 
  • It causes reduced appetite and release of insulin.