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Posted 30 Apr 2025

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Zojila Pass

Zojila pass is now open to tourists and does not require prior authorisation or a no-objection certificate (NOC).

About Zojila Pass

  • Elevation: Around 3528 m (11, 649 ft) above sea level.
  •  It  is an important link between Ladakh and Kashmir, separating the Kashmir Valley from Drass Valley.
  • Nestled on National Highway 1 between Srinagar and Leh, this pass is considered to be the second-highest pass after Fotu La.
  • In 2018, the Zojila tunnel project was launched. 
    • When completed, it will be the longest bi-directional in Asia.
  • Tags :
  • Zojila Pass
  • National Highway 1

Locust

Locust movement is based on a cognitive decision-making process based on their perception of nearby motion as per a new study.

About Locust

  • Locusts are the short-horned grasshoppers with highly migratory habits, marked polymorphism and voracious feeding behavior. 
  • They are capable of forming swarms (adult’s congregation) and hopper bands (nymphal congregation). 
  • They cause great devastation to natural and cultivated vegetation.
  • Only four species viz. Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), Bombay Locust ( Nomadacris succincta) and Tree locust (Anacridium sp.) are found in India. 
  • Tags :
  • Locust
  • Grasshoppers

Project Kuiper

Amazon launched the first 27 satellites under its Project Kuiper for deployment of an internet-from-space network.

About Project Kuiper

  • It is Amazon’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network.
    • LEO is an area of space that extends up to 2,000 kilometers above Earth.
  • Consists of: Ground infrastructure, a constellation of ~3232 satellites, and customer terminals.
  • Aim: To provide high-speed, low latency, affordable global broadband access to unserved and underserved areas.
  • It is named after the Kuiper belt, a region of the solar system beyond the 8 major planets.
  • Similar projects: SpaceX Starlink
  • Tags :
  • LEO
  • Project Kuiper

Risk Society

It is a concept given by sociologist Ulrich Beck in his book ‘Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity.’

About Risk Society

  • Definition: Risk Society describes a shift from an industrial society to one increasingly shaped by uncertainty and hazards created by technological and environmental developments. 
    • E.g. Nuclear technology and associated risks of disasters.
  • In such a society, the focus moves from the distribution of wealth to the prevention and management of risks.
  • Gender dimension: In a risk society, women, especially in developing countries, face greater risks due to unequal access to resources, decision-making power, and healthcare.
  • Tags :
  • Gender
  • Risk Society

Long-period average (LPA)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast ‘above normal’ rainfall — 105% of the long-period average (LPA) of 87 cm (1971-2020) — during the June-September southwest monsoon season.

About Long-period average (LPA)

  • Concept: It refers to the average rainfall recorded over a specific region during a defined time interval.
  • Period: It is calculated over a long historical period — usually 30 years.
  • Purpose: LPA serves as a benchmark to compare current or forecasted rainfall, helping to categorize it as normal, above normal, or deficient.
  • LPAs for various meteorological region ranges: Varies from around 61 cm for the drier Northwest India to more than 143 cm for the wetter East and Northeast India.
  • Tags :
  • India Meteorological Department
  • Long-period average

Drugs & Cosmetics (Compounding of Offences) Rules 2025

The Drugs & Cosmetics (Compounding of Offences) Rules 2025 have been notified.

About the rules

  • Purpose: To allow minor offences under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act to be compounded—i.e., settled through fines instead of legal proceedings.
  • Applicable to: 
    • Pharmaceutical companies and
    • Any person involved in manufacture, import, sale, distribution, or related activities under the Act.
  • Conditions for Compounding: Only first-time offenders are eligible.
  • Tags :
  • Drugs & Cosmetics Act
  • Drugs & Cosmetics (Compounding of Offences) Rules 2025

Golconda Blue diamond

The Golconda Blue, a 23.24-carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond, was scheduled for auction  in Geneva.

Golconda Blue diamond

  • Historically owned by Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore.
  • Origin: Likely from Golconda region, known for its diamond mines.
    • Golconda diamonds include the Koh-i-Noor, Darya-i-Nur, and Archduke Joseph diamond. 
  • Accounts by European Travellers
    • Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–89) recorded booming diamond trade and royal monopoly.
    • Others: Jean de Thévenot (1633–77) noted there was no uniformity in diamond prices; Marco Polo (1292): Praised India’s monopoly over high-quality diamonds.
  • Tags :
  • Koh-i-Noor
  • Golconda Blue
  • Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
  • Jean de Thévenot

Bees

Recent studies show that microplastic pollution can impair pollinators like bees and bumblebees, affecting their ability to forage and pollinate.

About Bees

  • Range: Wild bees species live on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Characteristics
    • Only female bees have stingers (which are modified ovipositors, organs originally used to lay eggs).
    • Feed exclusively on sugary nectar and protein-rich pollen from flowering plants.
  • Pollinate a staggering 80 percent of all flowering plants.
  • Tags :
  • Pollination
  • Bees
  • Microplastic pollution
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