A new radiocarbon study using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating revised the age of farming settlement in Mehrgarh, from 8000 BCE to 5200 BCE.

About Mehrgarh Archeological Site

• It is a Neolithic site located at the mouth of Bolan Pass in present-day Balochistan, Pakistan.
• Evidence of continuous occupation for more than 3 millennia prior to the Harappan civilization.
• Key Features:
  • Early farming village: Domestication of wheat and barley, and cattle.
    • Earliest known example of cotton in the Old World.
  • Found well-preserved remains of mud brick structures, burials, Pottery (called Togau) etc.

Scientists have discovered a hidden continent beneath Greenland's ice, called the Davis Strait Proto-Microcontinent. 

• Proto-Microcontinents are “regions of relatively thick continental lithosphere separated from major continents by a zone of thinner continental lithosphere.” 

Davis Strait Proto-Microcontinent 

• It is a newly identified submerged microcontinental fragment located beneath the Davis Strait. 
  • Davis Strait connects Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay.
• Researchers believe this landmass was partially separated during ancient tectonic shifts but did not completely detach from the surrounding continents. 
• As a result, it became stranded beneath the seafloor, buried under layers of sediment and water.

The Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) marks three years since its introduction as Reserve Bank of India’s liquidity management framework.

About SDF

• It is a monetary tool that absorbs liquidity from commercial banks without collateral. The government does not need to give securities to banks for deposits.
• Features:
  • SDF replaced the Fixed Rate Reverse Repo as the LAF corridor’s floor.
  • SDF is an overnight liquidity absorption mechanism with the flexibility for the RBI to increase its duration.
  • Any entity that is eligible for LAF can use this facility.
  • SDF will be available every day, including holidays and weekends.

he Government has amended ‘Tobacco Board Rules, 1976’, extending the validity of registration for Virginia tobacco growers from 1 year to 3 years.

About Tobacco

• Tobacco is believed to have originated from South America. There are more than 60 species of tobacco.
• Ideal Growing Conditions:
  • Temperature: 20°–27°C
  • Rainfall: Minimum 500 mm; not suitable above 1200 mm
  • Soil: Prefers sandy or sandy loam
  • Frost-free period of 90 to 120 days.

Production in India 

• Status: India is 2nd largest producer of tobacco after China & the 2nd largest exporter of unmanufactured tobacco.
• Major States: Predominantly cultivated in Gujarat (30% of production), Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, UP & Bihar. 

India-Nepal inaugurated commencement of electromechanical works at the Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project to ensure its timely completion.

About Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project

• Location: Arun River (Tributary of Kosi) in Sankhuwasabha District of Eastern Nepal. 
• Features: 900 MW Run-of-River scheme. 
• Operation: SJVN Arun-III Power Development Company (SAPDC), is developing it on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis for a period of 30 years including five years construction period. 
  • SAPDC is a fully owned subsidiary of India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, showcasing significant collaboration between SJVN and the Government of Nepal.

Union Agriculture Ministry has made Aadhaar authentication mandatory for individuals and farmer groups to avail benefits under the e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) scheme.

• Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 provides for Aadhaar based authentication for availing any subsidy, benefit or service whose expenditure is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India. 

About Aadhaar

• Features: 12 digit individual identification number serving as proof of identity and address (Not a proof of citizenship or domicile); contains both biometric and demographic information. 
• Issued By: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• Eligibility: Resident of India (irrespective of age and gender). 

Supreme Court directed NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) to assess the impact of neighboring glass industry on Taj Mahal.

• SC had in the past issued orders from time to time for TTZ (E.g., ban of coal/coke in industries in TTZ, 1996). 

About TTZ

• Location: 10,400 sq km area (shaped like a trapezoid) around Taj Mahal to protect it from pollution.
• Coverage: Three World Heritage Sites- Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri.
• Taj Trapezium Zone Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority: Constituted  under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
• Categories of Industries: Red, Green, Orange, and White.

34 critically endangered vultures were transferred from the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) in Pinjore (Haryana), to Maharashtra. 

About VCBC, Pinjore

• Genesis: Established in 2001 with the UK Government’s ‘Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species’ fund. 
• Partners: Haryana Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). 
• Aim: To save three species of vultures, the White-backed, Long-billed and Slender-billed. 
• Location: Edge of the Bir Shikargaha Wildlife Sanctuary, Haryana. 
• Achievement: Confirmed that diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was the main cause of vulture mortality.