The Supreme Court Bench ordered the Jharkhand government to give an undertaking to notify a new wildlife sanctuary in Saranda.

About Saranda Forest 

• It is the largest Sal forest in Asia located in Jharkhand.
  • Sal Tree is a moist deciduous tree.
• Saranda means ‘the land of seven hundred hills’.
• Fauna: It is home to endangered species of flying lizards and elephants.
• Flora: Sal, Kusum, mushroom, Mahua etc.
• Nearly 80% of the human population belongs to Ho, Munda, Oraon and some primitive tribes.

Central government has issued a gazette notification listing gallantry award citations for defence personnel.

About Gallantry Awards

• Objective: Recognitions given for acts of bravery, valour or self-sacrifice both during wartime and peacetime.
• Background: First three gallantry awards namely Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted by the Government of India on 26th January, 1950
  • These were deemed to have effect from the 15th August, 1947.
• Ashok Chakra Class First, Ashok Chakra Class Second & Ashok Chakra Class Third were instituted in 1952.
  • Ashok Chakra Class First, Second, and Third were renamed as Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra, respectively in January 1967.
• These awards are announced twice in a year (Republic Day and Independence Day).

Tamil Nadu’s newly notified reserve forest in Gudalur hills is covered in violet kurinji flowers, blooming after 8 years.

About Kurinji Flowers

• Kurinji plants flowers only once in a lifetime. 
• The more famous Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) blooms once every 12 years at relatively higher altitudes (>1,300 m).
• Prominent Location: Shola Forest, Western Ghats.
• Significance:
  • Kurinji flowering indicates healthy grasslands; disturbances cause patchy blooms.
  • Acts as a barometer of biodiversity and climate change.

India facing specialty fertilizer price surge as China suspends exports

About Specialty Fertilizers

• These are tailored to the specific needs of different crops and soil types.
• Definition: Fertilizer formulations designed to supply nutrients efficiently, often in a controlled, targeted, or slow-release manner. 
  • They improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE), reduce losses, and minimize environmental impact..
• Types: Slow released fertilizers, Controlled-release fertilizer, stabilized fertilizer, customized fertilizer and fortified fertilizers.
• Status of India
• India consumes approximately 1.2 to 1.5 MT per year of specialty fertilizers.
• Majority of specialty fertilizer demand is met through imports with china accounting for more.

Rupee weakens to a record low, with the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) indicating continued undervaluation.

About REER

• Definition: REER measures a country’s currency value against a basket of major trading partners’ currencies, adjusted for relative inflation.
  • It is derived by adjusting the Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) for relative consumer prices.
• Trade Competitiveness:
  • A higher REER makes exports more expensive and imports cheaper, reducing trade competitiveness.
  • A lower REER indicates the currency is undervalued, potentially boosting exports.

Central Asian countries have come together under CAMI to protect 17 shared species like Saiga, Bukhara Deer etc.

Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI)

• It was launched in 2014 at the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
• Objective: to coordinate conservation efforts for 17 key migratory mammal species in Central Asia.

A study by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics shows that supermassive black holes and their relativistic jets suppress star formation in nearby galaxies. 

• Radiation and high-speed jets eject gas from molecular clouds, preventing new stars from forming and regulating galactic growth.

Star Formation:

• Stars form in cold, dense molecular clouds as gravity condenses gas and dust into protostars, igniting nuclear fusion. 
• Lifespan depends on mass: low-mass stars become white dwarfs, while high-mass stars explode as supernovae, leaving neutron stars or black holes.

Fiji has officially become the 26th country worldwide to eliminate trachoma as a public health concern.

About Trachoma Disease:

• Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
• Cause: By Chlamydia trachomatis Bacteria, 
• Spread: Via personal contact, contaminated surfaces, and flies exposed to eye or nasal discharge.
• Repeated infections cause eyelid scarring, inward-turning eyelids, and eventual blindness.
• Endemic in vulnerable communities with limited clean water and sanitation access.
• India has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.