- Sea Slug
- The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has named a new marine species of head-shield sea slug with ruby red spot, after President of India Droupadi Murmu
- It was discovered from West Bengal and Odisha coast § From Digha of West Bengal coast and Udaipur of Odisha coast
- This species belonging to Melanochlamys genus
- Characterised morphologically by a short, blunt and cylindrical body and a smooth dorsal surface with two dorsal equal or unequal shields, named the anterior cephalic and posterior shield
- According to ZSI, species of this group are generally distributed in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Oceanic realm
- But three species are truly tropical distributed, Melanochlamys papillata from the Gulf of Thailand, Melanochlamys bengalensis from West Bengal and Odisha coast and the present species
- The new species of head-shield sea slug, which is found nowhere else in the world, has been named Melanochlamys droupadi
2. ON CROSS VOTING IN RAJYA SABHA ELECTIONS
- As per Article 80 of the Constitution, representatives of each State to the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the elected members of their Legislative Assembly
- In order to rein in MLAs from cross-voting, an amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 was carried out in 2003
- Section 59 of the Act was amended to provide that the voting in elections to Rajya Sabha shall be through an open ballot
- The Election Commission had clarified in July 2017 that the provisions of the Tenth Schedule, with respect to voting against the instruction of the party, will not be applicable for a Rajya Sabha election
- The Supreme Court in Kuldip Nayar versus Union of India (2006)
- Upheld the system of open ballot for Rajya Sabha elections
- It reasoned that if secrecy becomes a source for corruption, then transparency has the capacity to remove it
- However, in the same case the court held that an elected MLA of a political party would not face disqualification under the Tenth Schedule for voting against their party candidate
- He/she may at the most attract disciplinary action from their political party
- The Supreme Court has also held in Ravi S. Naik and Sanjay Bandekar versus Union of India (1994), that
- Voluntarily giving up membership under the Tenth Schedule is not synonymous with only formally resigning from the party to which the member belongs
- The conduct of a member both inside and outside the house can be looked into to infer if it qualifies as voluntarily giving up membership
- It may be noted that
- The six Congress MLAs, who cross-voted in Himachal Pradesh, have been disqualified under the Tenth Schedule for defying the party whip and being absent during the passage of the Budget in the Assembly
3. INDIA BEGINS SECOND PART OF CRITICAL MINERALS AUCTION WORTH $362 bn
- Critical minerals auction – A total of 18 blocks of critical and strategic minerals, including graphite, tungsten, vanadium, cobalt and nickel
- Will be auctioned in eight States,
- 17 mineral blocks have been put up for a composite license, while one block is for a mining lease
- A composite license includes a license to examine a block and mine it afterwards
4. INDIA’S LEOPARD POPULATION RISES TO 13,874
- India’s leopard population increased by 8% from 2018 to 2022, reaching an estimated 13,874 individuals.
- This is attributed to successful conservation efforts in tiger reserves, which also benefit leopards Distribution:
- Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of leopards (3,907), followed by Maharashtra (1,985), Karnataka (1,879), and Tamil Nadu (1,070)
- Unlike tigers, leopards are more adaptable and found in various areas, including villages and sometimes even cities.
- Challenges: While the overall population is stable, some regions face decline:
- Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains saw a 3.4% yearly decline, likely due to human-leopard conflict.
- Ramnagar forest division (Uttarakhand) has a declining leopard population despite rising tiger numbers, potentially due to competition for prey
- Northeastern States: The significant increase reported in these states is likely due to improved survey methods and increased camera usage compared to previous years. Survey Methods: The survey covered 20 states and 70% of the expected leopard habitat. Forest surveyors travelled vast distances and used over 32,000 camera traps to gather data.
- Overall: The report highlights the importance of habitat conservation and the need for continued monitoring and management of leopard populations across India
- While there are regional variations, the overall trend suggests a stable leopard population, thanks to conservation efforts
- Leopards are known to prey on cattle, sometimes leading to conflict with humans
- The report emphasises the need for managing human-leopard conflict to ensure the continued survival of these magnificent animals
5. INDIA AND MALDIVES
- The Indian military has been operating helicopters and other aircraft in the Maldives for several years
- This deployment has been a source of tension between the two countries, with the Maldivian government facing pressure from some citizens to remove the troops
- The arrival of the Indian technical team is seen as a compromise between the two governments
- The Indian team will be responsible for operating the helicopters, and the Maldivian military personnel will be gradually withdrawn
- Exercises and Dialogues – Dosti-16: A biennial trilateral maritime exercise involving India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (with Bangladesh as an observer) to enhance cooperation and strengthen maritime security in the Indian Ocean region
- Colombo Security Dialogue: A platform for regional security discussions including issues like piracy, terrorism, and disaster management
- Maldives skipped the 2024 edition due to tensions with India
- Indian Ocean Conference: A forum for discussions on maritime security and cooperation in the Indian Ocean region
- The Maldives downgraded its presence in 2024 while the troop issue remained unresolved.
6. GDP GROWTH
- Making a flurry of revisions in the economy’s growth estimates, the National Statistical Office (NSO) raised India’s real GDP growth estimate for this year to 7.6% from the 7.3% projected last month
- It also scaled down its 7.2% growth estimate for 2022-23 to 7%
- Gross Value Added (GVA) in the economy is projected to rise 6.9% this year
- With the NSO downgrading last year’s GVA growth to 6.7% from 7%
ONE LINER
The 12th edition of international intellectual property index has been released recently. It was released by US Chamber Of Commerce. United States of America held top position. India ranks 42nd Position out of 55 countries.
