What are Havelis?

• Havelis are old mansions or large townhouses constructed around an open courtyard.
• The name comes from the Arabic hawali, a "private space," since they were originally enclosed family dwellings.
• This type of building is found throughout India, but particularly in northwestern India (Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat), where large climatic variations pose challenges in terms of living comfort.
• These multi-story houses—frequently constructed by royalty or merchants—have central courtyards (generally with fountains) that bring in light and ventilation in the hot climate of India.
• Contrary to Western mansions, havelis focus on inwardly facing design with intricately ornamented balconies (jharokhas), latticework screens, and frescoed walls.
• Originally busy family residences, numerous havelis now are "living museums" of India's history, restored as heritage hotels or cultural centers.

About Shekhawati Havelis:

• Located in the northeastern Rajasthan, the Shekhawati region is often associated with its magnificent havelis covered in intricate wall paintings.
• Towns and villages across the region feature historic mansions whose façades, courtyards and interiors showcase detailed frescoes.
• These paintings depict a fascinating mix of themes, ranging from Hindu mythology and royal and local traditions to scenes influenced by everyday life and changing times.
• Some artworks also reflect the arrival of modern technology and foreign influences, creating a distinctive visual record of the region’s history.
• The havelis themselves are equally notable for their architectural details, including ornate gateways, balconies, courtyards, carved elements, and decorative façades.
• Together, the buildings and paintings create a unique urban landscape that sets Shekhawati apart from other heritage regions of Rajasthan.

About Hindon River:

• It is a tributary of the Yamuna River.
• Course:
  • It originates in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, in the Siwalik Hills.
  • It flows across the industrial belt of Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana before merging with the Yamuna River near Noida.
• The river is entirely fed by rain, with a significant increase in water flow during the monsoon
• Tributaries: The Kali (West) River and Krishni River are the main tributaries.
• It is on the banks of this river that archeologists found traces of the Harappan civilization with sites dating back to as long as 2500 BC.
• The Hindon River was a site for several skirmishes between Indian troops and British soldiers in the first revolt of independence 1857, including the battle of Badli-ki-serai, and the graves of British soldiers and officers can still be seen.
• Due to urban, agricultural, and industrial waste which is being released without sufficient treatment into its waters, the Hindon is now one of the most polluted stretches in the Ganga basin.
• In 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found the Hindon’s pollution levels were so severe that it was declared a ‘dead river’ and ‘unfit’ even for bathing in several sections of the river.

About Barakuru:

• Barakuru, also known as Barkur, is an ancient historical port town located in Udupi district, Karnataka.
• It is situated on the banks of the river Sita.
• The place was called by several names in ancient times as Varakula, Barakanur, and Barahkanyapura.
• History:
  • The port town was a busy commercial centre almost from the 2nd century B.C.
  • Evidence of Megalithic and Mesolithic ages has been discovered recently.
  • The maritime port enjoyed massive economic prosperity, trading extensively with foreign nations across the wide Arabian Sea.
  • The Alupa rulers converted this commercial centre into a political centre by making it their capital during the 10th-11th centuriesD.
  • It led to further development of socio-economic activities. With new vigour the city became the heart and hearth of the Tuluva culture.
  • In later times, the city became the provincial headquarters of the Hoysalas and then the Vijayanagara Empire. The city was expanded with a new fort during this period.
  • Further, Barakur witnessed the rule of Keladi Nayaks, Haider, and Tipu of Mysore and the British.
• The city had ten extensions called Keris–each being named after its professional residents. Each Keri had a tank and a number of temples.
• The town's main attractions are the temples with typical tiled roofs.
  • It once housed an incredible network of exactly 365 temples. The deeply pious Alupa kings strictly visited one unique temple each day of the entire calendar year.
  • The Panchalingeshwara Temple situated at the southern end of the town is the most famous among the temples here.
• Barkur was also a Jain settlement in the ancient days.
• The place abounds with history and has yielded a little over 100 stone and several copper plate inscriptions.
  • They belong to the Alupa, the Hoysala, the Vijayanagara, and the Keladi periods.

About MatsyaMetri:

• It is a smartphone application developed by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
• It can measure the length and width of fish without physically handling them.
• The application, which has been designed for fisheries scientists, researchers, and field survey teams, facilitates rapid and systematic collection of biological data to support fisheries assessment and management.
• The application simplified biological data collection by automatically recording measurements and generating length-frequency datasets.
• It allows multiple individuals of the same fish species or aquatic resource to be measured under a single sampling session.
• Once measurements are completed, the system automatically generates length-frequency distributions using appropriate class intervals.
• The recorded measurements and the corresponding photographs can be saved along with the sampling session and subsequently exported as a CSV file for further analysis.

About Virtual Private Network (VPN):

• It is a service that creates a secure, encrypted connection between a user's device and the internet.
• It works by creating an encrypted connection, often called a tunnel, between a device and a secure server operated by the VPN provider.
• By routing web traffic through the isolated digital tunnel, it hides the user's actual IP address and protects their data from unauthorized interception.
• This ensures privacy and data security when accessing corporate networks or utilizing public internet connections.
• VPNs protect data from hackers, mask IP addresses, and are commonly used for secure remote access and bypassing geographic restrictions.
• However, VPNs don't provide total anonymity, as ISPs can still see the size of incoming and outgoing traffic, but not the content.

What are VPNs used for?

• Regular internet users and organizations use VPNs for virtual privacy.
  • Organizations deploy VPNs to ensure authorized users can access their data center using encrypted channels.
  • VPNs also enable users to connect to a database from the same organization located in a different area.
• VPNs provide remote employees, gig economy freelance workers, and business travelers with access to software applications hosted on proprietary networks.
• When an internet user surfs the web, an attacker could access information, including browsing habits or IP addresses. VPN use banned for two months in Jammu-Kashmir's Doda.

About RVV BD Missile:

• The RVV-BD (Raketa Vozduh-Vozduh Bolshoy Dalnosti) is a Russian-developed beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
• The RVV BD is the export version of the R-37M missile, one of the world’s longest-range air-to-air missiles.
• It is specifically designed to engage strategic targets such as Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, airborne command platforms, and other critical aerial assets.
• Features:
  • It is known that the missile that has a maximum firing range in the forward hemisphere of up to 200 kilometres.
  • The missile travels at hypersonic speeds of around Mach 6.
  • It carries a 60 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead and uses a radioactive proximity fuse plus contact sensor for assured detonation.
  • It can be mounted under the Su-30MKI   
  • It is equipped with an active-passive radar homing head, an inertial guidance system, and a radio correction link. 

About Bhitarkanika National Park:

• Located: It is located in Odisha.
• It is surrounded by the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary lie to the east, and separates a swamp region covered with a canopy of mangroves from the Bay of Bengal. 
• It is India’s second largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sunderbans.
• It nestles in the estuary of Brahmani, Baitarani, and Dhamra rivers.
• Vegetation: The vegetation and species of the sanctuary are those that are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical intertidal regions.
• It is also designated as a Ramsar site.
• Flora: Mangrove species, casuarinas, and grasses like the indigo bush.
• Fauna:
  • It is home to the largest congregation of saltwater crocodile in the country.
  • The Gahirmatha Beach is the largest colony of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles.
  • It is also home to numerous animals like hyenas, wild boar, Chitals, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Jungle cat, Wild Pigs, etc.

About Cell Broadcast System:

• It is a telecom-enabled public warning system that enables authorities to broadcast simultaneous, geo-targeted alerts to mobile devices within a defined area.
• It is indigenous technology developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Features of Cell Broadcast System:
  • It uses common messaging protocols that have been incorporated by all the major handset makers around the world. 
  • Unlike SMS alerts, CB messages are broadcast to all mobile phones in a specific area, ensuring rapid delivery even in congested networks.
  • Messages are delivered in near real-time, reaching users within seconds without any queuing delays.
  • It offers precise geo-targeting capabilities, enabling alerts to be disseminated at the level of individual cell towers or clusters.
  • It provides universal reach by covering all mobile users within the targeted area, including those who are roaming.
  • Supported across 2G to 5G networks, it ensures wide reach in both urban and rural areas, including last-mile and roaming populations.
  • These alerts are delivered as priority notifications, appearing as pop-up messages accompanied by distinct loud tones, with text message with multilingual alerts read aloud on supported mobile handsets.

About e-FAST India Initiative:

• The e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport - India) is a NITI Aayog government–industry platform focused on moving medium- and heavy-duty freight towards zero-emission vehicles.
• It brings together government and industry stakeholders.
• It includes OEMs, logistics service providers, financiers, shippers and charge point operators - to accelerate the transition to zero-emission freight in India, particularly in the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle segments.

What is Platform for Aggregating Clean Transport (PACT)?

• It is a flagship initiative under the e-FAST India platform.
• It is designed to aggregate freight demand from shippers, Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) and other ecosystem stakeholders and translate it into deployment opportunities across identified freight corridors.
• It brings together shippers, LSPs, vehicle manufacturers, financiers, charge point operators (CPOs) to improve demand visibility, support charging infrastructure planning and strengthen the commercial case for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (e-MHDVs).

About Mindoro bleeding-heart Pigeon:

• It is a ground-dwelling pigeon endemic to Mindoro, Philippines.
• It is one of seven species of bleeding-hearts, or “bleeding-heart” doves, five of which are endemic to the Philippines.
• Behaviour: It is ground-dwelling and usually takes flight only when threatened.
• Males and females look almost identical.
• Conservation Status
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered (CR)
• Threats: It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
  • Its habitat is affected by slash-and-burn agriculture, agricultural use, rattan harvesting, marble quarrying.