About Eristalinus sapphirinus and Eristalinus brunettii:

• These are two new species of hoverflies.
• They were discovered from the Gangetic Plains of West Bengal.
• Eristalinus sapphirinus is named for its striking, sapphire-blue metallic coloration.
• Eristalinus brunettii is named in honour of entomologist Enrico Adelelmo Brunetti, acknowledging his immense historical contributions to the study of Indian Diptera (flies).
• The discovery expands the known diversity of the Eristalinus genus in India, with the last major contribution to the group's taxonomy dating back to 1923.
• Members of the Eristalinus genus support ecosystems in two distinct life stages.
  • As adults, they act as critical pollinators for wild and cultivated plants.
  • As larvae (commonly known as "rat-tailed maggots"), they develop in aquatic habitats where they decompose organic matter and recycle essential nutrients.

What are hoverflies?

• Hoverflies, often referred to as flower flies or drone flies, are beneficial insects that appear in large numbers during the spring and summer.
• They belong to the order Diptera and the family Syrphidae.
• They are often mistaken for bees or wasps and can cause undue fear over possible stings.
• However, they do not possess stingers.
• Hoverflies can be readily distinguished from wasps and bees by their single pair of wings. In comparison, bees and wasps have two pairs of wings.
• Hover flies also have a typical fly head with short antennae and bulbous eyes.
• Adult hover flies are 4-10 mm long and have dark flattened bodies with black and yellow markings.
• During flight, many hover flies move in a characteristic way. As their name suggests, they hover over objects but will also dart to and fro.
• Hoverflies are among the most important pollinators globally, providing pollination services to many crops and natural vegetation.

About Pennar River:

• The Pennar River, also known as Penna, Pinakini, or Penneru, is a river in southern India that flows through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• The name Penna is derived from the Telugu word “Pennu” which means “silt”.
• The river gets its name due to the high amount of silt it carries, which has been instrumental in shaping the land around it.
• The Penna River is also mentioned in ancient Indian literature, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Course:
  • It originates in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka and flows through the Deccan Plateau before entering Andhra Pradesh.
  • The river then flows through the Eastern Ghats, creating several waterfalls and rapids before reaching the flat plains of the coastal region.
  • The river finally meets the Bay of Bengal near the town of Nellore.
• It travels approximately 597 kilometers, forming a semi-arid yet agriculturally important river basin.
• The river basin lies in the rain shadow region of the Eastern Ghats.
• The river is seasonal, becoming a torrent after the rains and a thin stream during dry periods.
• Tributaries:
  • The Penna River has several tributaries, most of which are seasonal.
  • Major ones include the Chitravati, Papagni, Cheyyeru, and Kunderu rivers.
• The Penna River is crucial to agriculture in parts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly the drought-stricken Rayalaseema region.
• Several irrigation projects, such as the Somasila, Mylavaram, and Gandikota projects, have been constructed to use the river’s waters for farming and drinking purposes.

About Hellfire Missile:

• AGM-114 Hellfire is a short-range, air-to-ground, subsonic tactical missile.
• Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the Hellfire originates from the United States and entered service in 1984 as a potent anti-tank weapon.
• It can also be used as an air-to-air weapon against helicopters or slow-moving fixed-wing aircraft.
• The missile is compatible with a wide array of platforms, including attack helicopters (AH-64 Apache), drones (MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper), fighter jets, and ground launchers.
• It is currently used by the United States military as well as 30 US allies.
• The Hellfire missile is capable of defeating any known tank in the world today.
• The Hellfire family of missiles consists of 4 generations: the basic (AGM-114A, AGM-114B, AGM-114C) and the Anti-Ship-Missile (AShM) interim (AGM-114F), the Hellfire-2 (AGM-114K, AGM-114M, AGM-114N, AGM-114R), and the Longbow (AGM-114L).
• Features:
  • All Hellfire missiles are similar in shape in that they have a cylindrical body with a dome-shaped nose section that has four small clipped delta stabilising-fins in a cruciform configuration.
  • They have a range of 7-11 km while carrying a payload of 8-11 kg.
  • The missile flies at subsonic speeds to a maximum of Mach 1.3 (450 m/s).
  • It is propelled by a single-stage solid-propellant solid-fuel rocket motor.
  • Its guidance options include laser, radar, and imaging infrared (IIR) systems, allowing for both fire-and-forget and semi-active targeting.
  • Its warheads are modular, supporting high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), fragmentation, and thermobaric payloads, making it effective against armored vehicles, bunkers, radar installations, and small naval vessels.

About Virupaksha Temple:

• The Virupaksha, also known as the Pampapathi temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a form of Lord Shiva.
• It is located in Hampi, within the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka.
• Situated on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra River, it is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
• Considered the most renowned and significant temple in Hampi, Virupaksha Temple has been operational without interruption since its establishment in the 7th century AD, making it one of the oldest functioning temples in India.
• Development:
  • Initially a modest shrine, it was later expanded during the Chalukyas and Hoysala periods.
  • The temple experienced considerable growth and enhancement during the Vijayanagara Empire (14th-16th centuries), evolving into a prominent religious and cultural hub.
  • The rulers of Vijayanagara, especially King Deva Raya II and King Krishnadevaraya, played a crucial role in the temple's expansion, contributing structures such as the eastern gopuram and the central pillared hall.
• Architecture:
  • The temple is built in the Dravidian architectural style, featuring towering gopurams, detailed carvings, pillared halls, and expansive courtyards.
  • The design of the temple includes repeating patterns, showcasing the architectural and mathematical expertise of the era.
  • The triangular form of the temple and the manner in which patterns are divided and repeated are particularly remarkable.
  • The temple complex includes a sanctum sanctorum, multiple pillared halls (the most elaborate being a hall with 100 pillars), antechambers, and grand gopurams (gateway towers).
  • The temple has three prominent gopurams, with the eastern gopuram being the largest, reaching a height of 160 feet and consisting of nine tiers.
  • The gopurams are adorned with beautiful sculptures of various Hindu deities.
  • The temple’s design incorporates principles of physics, such as the Rectilinear Light Theory and the pinhole camera effect.
  • Notably, the temple features an inverted pinhole image of its tower on the inner wall, a remarkable example of ancient engineering. 

About Crotalaria phulei:

• It is a new species of flowering plant.
• It was discovered in the Khairi-Umred forest near Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• It was named in honour of Savitribai Phule, India's first woman teacher and one of India's most influential social reformers.
• Belonging to the Fabaceae family, Crotalaria phulei is an undershrub that grows up to 1.5 metres in height.
• It produces pods containing seeds of a distinctive mottled creamy-olive colour, which researchers identified as unique within the genus.
• The species most closely resembles Crotalaria juncea, commonly known as sunhemp, and Crotalaria shrirangiana from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
• The species has been assigned a preliminary conservation status of Data Deficient under the IUCN criteria.

About South Africa:

• It is the southernmost country on the African continent.
• Bordering Countries: Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe (North); Mozambique (Northeast) and Eswatini (East) and Lesotho (an enclave in East).
• Maritime Boundaries: It has coastline on both Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.
• Capital: Pretoria (Executive), Cape Town (Legislative), and Bloemfontein (Judicial)
• Geographical Features of South Africa:
  • Climate: South Africa experiences a generally subtropical and temperate climate.
  • Mountain Range: The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in southern Africa.
  • Highest Point: Mafadi peak is the highest point in South Africa
  • Major Rivers: Limpopo, Orange
  • Natural Resources: It mainly consists of manganese, chromium, gold and aluminum and Platinum-group metals etc.

About Valley of Flowers National Park:

• Location: It is located in the Chamoli district of
• Discovery: The valley is believed to have been discovered in 1931, when three British mountaineers – led by Frank S. Smythe.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and forms one of the two core zones (the other being the Nanda Devi National Park) of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
• The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. 
• Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the Zanskar and Great Himalayan ranges.
• It is famous for its alpine meadows and rich biodiversity.
• It remains covered with a thick blanket of snow during the winter season.
• Flora: 
  • Exotic flowers (over 600 species) like orchids, poppies, primulas, marigolds, daisies, and anemones are an eye-catching spectacle. 
  • The valley also abounds in medicinal plants and herbs.
  • Sub-alpine forests birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park’s area.
• Fauna: It is home to such rare and amazing wildlife species like the gray langur, the flying squirrel, the Himalayan weasel, black bear, the red fox, the lime butterfly, and the snow leopard.

About Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) Initiative:

• It was launched in 2024.
• Aim: It aims to enhance water recharge through rainwater harvesting/aquifer recharge/borewell recharge/ recharge shafts etc.
• Objective: To ensure that every drop of water is conserved through collective efforts, following a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach.
• Support: It is supported with resource support from government and non-government resources like corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, industrial houses, civic bodies.
• Features:
  • It is guided by a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach, promotes participatory stewardship and sustainable water governance at the grassroots level.
  • It is driven by the 3Cs mantra—Community, CSR, and Cost for promoting long-term water security and resilience against water stress.
  • It is designed to foster active participation from all stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, industries, NGOs and resident welfare associations.
  • Under this initiative, States are divided into five zones, for implementation i.e., Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and North- Eastern Zone & Hilly States. 
  • Targets:
    • The districts are encouraged to construct a minimum of 10,000 artificial recharge and storage structures.
    • This number is 3,000 for the districts in North-Eastern and Hilly States, while it is 10,000 for Municipal Corporations nationwide.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti.

About Navachar Mantra Initiative:

• It is a national initiative focused on strengthening grassroots entrepreneurship and expanding opportunities for innovators across emerging India.
• It is aimed at identifying, nurturing, and amplifying India's most promising grassroots innovators and early-stage entrepreneurs.
• Nodal Ministry: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• It is being implemented by the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), with Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi serving as the Technical Knowledge Partner.
• Key Features of Navachar Mantra Initiative:
  • Structured ecosystem: It is designed to provide a structured ecosystem of support for innovators working across priority sectors such as Agritech, Health Tech, EdTech and Skilling, Climate and Sustainability, Rural Commerce, and MSME Enablement.
  • Access to Stakeholders: Under this, innovators will gain direct access to policymakers, industry leaders, investors, and domain experts, enabling them to refine their ideas, strengthen business models.
  • Focus on Inclusion: It seeks to create pathways for innovators from Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, aspirational districts, and underserved geographies to access mentorship, visibility, and growth opportunities.

About Viksit Vibrant Village Program:

• It is a youth-led initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots engagement, fostering national integration, and promoting sustainable development in India's border villages.
• Implementation: It is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• Key Features of Viksit Vibrant Village Program:
  • The programme will see 500 MY Bharat volunteers from across the country engage directly with communities in strategically important border regions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.
  • Selection: The volunteers were selected through a nationwide online quiz
  • The programme will be implemented in two phases.]
  • It is designed as a seven-day residential programme and offers young participants an opportunity to live in border villages and interact closely with local communities, Panchayati Raj Institutions, district administrations and security forces.
  • It seeks to provide firsthand understanding of the socio-economic conditions, cultural heritage, developmental needs and strategic importance of India’s frontier regions.
  • A significant component of the programme is the promotion of the Nation First Challenge, a nationwide campaign encouraging responsible citizenship and sustainable lifestyle practices.
    • MY Bharat volunteers will actively advocate five key themes of the campaign: adoption of Swadeshi products, healthy cooking practices, public transport usage and fuel conservation, promotion of natural farming, and vocal support for local tourism.