Board of Directors of NSDC has terminated the services of its Chief Executive Officer.

About NSDC

• Established: In 2008, as a not-for-profit public limited company under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 (Now corresponding to section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013).
• Objective: To catalyze the skilling ecosystem for private sector participation and be knowledge partner to Skill India Mission to build efficient vocational training initiatives, empowering India’s youth.
• Ministry: It operates as a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) model under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
  • It has 49% of the share capital held by the government and 51% by the private sector.

Recently, the Zangezur Corridor was in the news as it can potentially challenge India’s strategic interests in West and Central Asia.

About Zangezur Corridor

• Location: It is a proposed 43-kilometer transport route through Armenia’s Syunik Province.
• Objective: Connecting Azerbaijan’s Baku Port in Caspian Sea to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Region, a western exclave of Azerbaijan separated by Armenian territory, and further to Turkey.
• India’s concerns: It can undermine India’s investments in Chabahar Port and International North South Corridor (INSTC) by offering a competing pathway, reducing India’s regional leverage.

Chief Minister of Sikkim has requested the Centre to ban climbing on Mt. Khangchendzonga.

• The peak is sacred to locals, who believe their guardian deity Dzonga lives there.

About Mt. Khangchendzonga

• Location: Sikkim, on the India-Nepal border, Eastern Himalaya.
• Height: 8,586 meters i.e. the  3rd highest peak in the world (after Everest and K2)
• Harbours Khangchendzonga National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Rivers: Tamur (West), Lhonak (North), Teesta (East).

Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea with respect to honoring legacy of a freedom fighter under Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.

About Emblems Act:

• It aims to safeguard national symbols like the Indian National Flag, the State Emblem, seal of President or Governor, names or pictorial representations of national figures (like Mahatma Gandhi), etc. from any misuse or commercial use.
• Defines Emblems: “emblem” means any emblem, seal, flag, insignia, coat-of-arms or pictorial representation specified in act;
• Application: It extends to the whole of India and also applies to citizens of India outside India.
• Penalty:  Violation is punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.

Once abundant in Indian waters, Dugong population has now reduced to about 200. 

About Dugong (Sea Cow)

• Features
  • Only marine herbivorous mammal that depends on seagrass.
  • slow growing and can live for a long time. 
• DIstrubition: Highest number is found in Australia.
  • India: Palk Bay (highest), Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• Threat: Habitat loss
• IUCN Redlist status: Vulnerable
• Conservation measures
  • Listed in Appendix II of the CMS Convention
    • India is a signatory to the UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU.
  • Listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Part of India’s Endangered Species Recovery Programme
  • First Dugong Conservation Reserve set up at Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu.

Government restored the RoDTEP scheme for exporters done by Advance Authorization (AA) holders, Export-Oriented Units (EOUs), and units in Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

About RoDTEP Scheme: 

• Introduced: In 2021.
• Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
  • It replaced the existing MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme). 
• Objective: To reimburse exporters for any embedded duties, taxes, or levies that are not otherwise reimbursed under any other existing scheme. 
  • So to make Indian exports more competitive.
• It is compliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) norms.
• The scheme ensures that the taxes, duties, and levies at the central, state and local levels on the exported products are refunded.

Two varieties of stingless bees (Etragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arcifera) native to Nagaland have been found to be beneficial to farmers.

About Stingless Bees

• Distribution: India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America etc.
• Physical characteristics
  • Size: Generally smaller while honeybees are larger.
  • Colour: Usually black, whereas honeybees are light brown with gold or yellow bands.
  • Can’t sting because their stinger is vestigial (non-functional).
  • Honey Production: It produces less honey overall, but more honey per individual bee compared to honeybees.
• Beaviour: Queens mate with a single drone from another colony. Colonies are formed by worker bees and a single mated queen.
• Hive structure: Individual hexagonal cells are arranged in a spiral or randomly
• Significance: Stingless bees not only enhance crop pollination but also produce high-quality medicinal honey.

Centre amended the FCRA and henceforth, NGOs engaged in publication-related activities and receiving foreign contributions will 

• not be able to publish any newsletter and 
• must get a certificate from the Registrar of Newspapers for India that it does not circulate any news content.

About FCRA

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs 
• About registration: a mandatory certification for organisations in India, enabling them to receive foreign contributions legally.
• Applicability: 
  • FCRA, 2010 regulates acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by person in India wearing person include
    •  an individual;
    • a Hindu undivided family;
    •  an association; and
    •  a company registered under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956
  • However, contributions made by Non-Resident Indian, from his personal savings, through the normal banking channels, is not treated as foreign contribution

Due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, the issue around the Green Line has come up again.

About Green Line

• The Green Line is the 1949 ceasefire boundary, marking the separation between Israel and the West Bank.
• It was delineated in the armistice agreements that formally ended the war between Israel and Arab armies
• The lines creating the boundaries of what became known as the Gaza Strip (occupied by Egypt) and East Jerusalem and the West Bank (occupied by Jordan
  • However, As the the surrounding Arab states refused to recognise Israel, meaning its borders remained unset.