Rajya Sabha Chairman & Lok Sabha Speaker have rejected the notice of impeachment motion against CEC.

About CEC

• Article 324 of the Constitution provides that CEC shall not be removed from his/her office except in like manner and like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
  • A removal motion stating ground of removal can be introduced in either House of Parliament. 
  • Speaker/Chairman may admit or refuse the motion and if admitted, a three-member committee is formed to investigate charges. 
  • If committee finds the CEC guilty of proved misbehaviour or incapacity, then both the Houses must pass the resolution with a special majority. 
  • After passage of removal motion, the President issues the removal order. 

Delhi high Court held FSSAI has no authority to regulate animal feed as the definition of “food” under FSSAI 2006 Act does not include animal feed.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Statutory Body: Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
• Mandate: Lays down science-based standards and regulates food manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import ensuring safety.
• Key Initiative: Eat Right India.
• Governing Structure: Food Authority with Chairperson and 22 members (one-third being women).

Comptroller and Auditor General of India highlighted severe ecological decline in lakes of Jammu and Kashmir over past decade. 

• Out of total 697 lakes, 315 have disappeared, 203 lakes have shrunk, and total 518 lakes degraded.

Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir

• Dal Lake: Urban lake in Srinagar, having floating gardens called Raad. 
• Wular Lake: Second largest freshwater lake of Asia with Jhelum River as its main source. Situated on foothills of Haramuk Mountain. 
• Hokersar Lake: Known as Queen of Wetlands, it is a sanctuary for migratory birds. 
• Manasbal Lake: Mughal Garden called the Jaroka, built by Nur Jahan overlooks the lake. 

New study shows that Sundarbans is undergoing “critical slowing down” process due to cyclones, climate change and human pressures.

• Critical slowing down is a phenomenon where ecosystems take longer to recover and become more unstable over time.

About Sundarbans 

• It is world's largest area of mangrove forests. 
• Location: lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal spanning India (40%) and Bangladesh (60%).
• Protection: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere reserve under UNESCO man and biosphere program, and Ramsar site.
• Rivers: Muriganga, Raimangal, Harinbhanga, Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla etc. 
• Fauna: Supports single largest population of tigers globally (adapted to amphibious life).
• Flora: Salt-tolerant plants like Sundari.

Scientists find evidence for pair instability supernovas which leave nothing behind after exploding.  

• A supernova — the explosive death of a star — is always violent, blasting material into space while typically leaving behind a compact stellar remnant like a neutron star or black hole.
  • They are incredibly energetic and can outshine their entire host galaxies, making them visible across the universe.
• But some supernovas involving the largest stars may be so immensely powerful they leave absolutely nothing behind.

ICAR Constitutes Special Task Force to Strategize Agricultural Resilience Amid Global Geopolitical Shifts

About ICAR (HQ: New Delhi) 

• Origin: Established registered society under Societies Registration Act, 1860 as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research
  • based Royal Commission on Agriculture report ( under Lord Linlithgow ) 
• Ministry: under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  •  Ex-officio President : Union Minister of Agriculture
• Role: Apex body for coordinating and guiding agricultural research and education (including horticulture, fisheries, animal sciences).
  • Eg. research related to Green revolution technologies 
• Key initiatives 
  • Krishi Vigyan Kendras linking agricultural research and farmers at district level 
  • National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture(NICRA) to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change

Recently scientists discovered fossils in foothills of Shivalik himalayas, in saharanpur district, UP 

About the discovery

• Age: Dates back 5  million years (Pliocene Epoch.)
• Findings: discovered Otoliths (ear bone made of calcium carbonate) fossils of 3 freshwater fish types: Gourami, Snakeheads (Channa) , and Gobies.
• Significance 
  • It is the first fossil record of gourami in India and only the second known globally.(1st in Sumatra, Indonesia) 
  • Breaking the "Terrestrial" Myth: First discovery of aquatic fossils in a region earlier known only for terrestrial remains.
  • Proof of a "Lentic" freshwater Ecosystem: Gourami fish prefer calm, or stagnant freshwaters.
  • Complex Food Chain: eg. Finding predators (snakeheads) alongside prey (gobies)

Iran’s Qeshm Island desalination plant out of service since early March strike. 

Qeshm Island (Iran)

• Location: Lies near Bandar Abbas, separated by Khuran (Clarence) Strait.
  • Largest island in the Persian Gulf.
• Strategic Importance: Close to Strait of Hormuz , critical global oil shipping route, provides Iran strategic leverage over maritime traffic.
• Terrain: Rocky coastline with sandy bays & mudflats

Recently US and Iran announced a 2 week ceasefire.

• As part of the deal Iran agreed to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz
• Iran has finalised a 10 point plan for acceptance of war’s conclusion 
  • Eg. continued Iranian control on Strait of Hormuz, US withdrawal from middle east etc. 

About strait of Hormuz 

• Connects Persian Gulf with Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
• Energy transit hub: 20% of the world’s oil passes through it.
  • About 40% of India's crude oil imports, over 50% of its LNG imports, and 90% of its LPG imports transit through the strait