About Greater Tunb Island:

• It is a small island in the Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
• The island, under Iranian control since 1971, is regarded as a strategically important location in the strait.
• Iran has established military facilities, including naval installations and an airstrip, on the island.
• Along with Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, Greater Tunb overlooks the approach to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
• It plays an important role in monitoring and influencing traffic through one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes.

About Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
• It is located on the foothills of the Himalayas and in between the Teesta and the Mahananda rivers.
• It was started as a game sanctuary for children in 1955. In 1959 it got the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect the Indian Bison and Royal Bengal Tiger, which were facing the threat of extinction.
• Vegetation: It varies mainly from riverine forests to dense mixed-wet forests due to the difference in altitude.
• Flora:
  • It is the home to different kinds of plantations, but the prominent ones are Sal, Simul, Sisco, and Khair.
  • Some of the other trees include Lali, Jamur, Gamar, Bamboos, Fern, Orchids, Fern, Teak, Udal, and more.
• Fauna:
  • The important mammalian species include Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian elephants, Indian bison, spotted deer, barking deer, many species of lesser cat, Himalayan black bear, leopard including clouded leopard and many other smaller animals like rare mountain goat (Serow), porcupines, snakes, etc.
  • In the plain areas of the lower region, you will get to see several elephants migrated from Nepal, Assam, or other forests of West Bengal.
  • There are many avian species found here, including the Himalayan pied hornbill, peacock, peafowl, fouls, king fisher, drongo, robin, fly catchers, woodpeckers and others .
  • It is also a haven for the migratory birds, which arrive here from Central Asia.

About Thukkachi Abatsahayesvar Temple:

• The Thukkachi Abatsahayesvar Temple, also known as Abathsahayeswarar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• It is situated on the banks of the Arasalar River in Thukkachi village, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.
• The temple’s origins date back to the Chola dynasty period, around the 10th to 11th centuries AD.
• During this time, the Chola rulers played a key role in the promotion of Shaivism across southern India.
• The inscriptions portray that Kulothunga Cholan and Vikkirama Cholan maintained the temple in the past.
• Architecture:
  • The architecture of the Thukkachi Abatsahayesvar Temple reflects the typical features of Chola architecture.
  • The temple consists of a sanctum (garbhagriha) where the main deity, Shiva, is enshrined.
  • The main entrance features a gopuram, now conserved through recent restoration, marking the eastern orientation of the entire layout, which aligns with solar symbolism prevalent in South Indian temple design.
  • The outer walls are adorned with detailed carvings that depict various scenes from Hindu mythology.
  • The temple’s pillars are also known for their fine craftsmanship, and many of them bear inscriptions that provide insight into the cultural and religious practices of the period.
  • These inscriptions are valuable sources for historians studying the Chola period and the development of religious traditions in South India.
• After years of neglect leading to dilapidation, the temple underwent comprehensive restoration.
• In 2024, it received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction for Cultural Heritage Conservation for exemplary revival of a living Hindu temple while preserving its heritage integrity.

About Colobus congoensis:

• It is a new species of monkey.
• It was discovered in the rainforest between the Lomami and Congo (Lualaba) rivers in the east-central region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• Locally known as the Likweli, it is only the fifth new monkey species identified in Africa in the past 75 years.
• The monkey is immediately recognizable by its glossy black coat, long cape-like fur, sweeping tail, and striking orange-cream facial markings.
• It is smaller than its closest relatives and possesses distinctive cranial, dental, and skeletal characteristics that separate it from every other known African colobus monkey.
• It also has a distinctive "roaring" call. "
• Given their restricted range, small population size, and the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, the researchers recommend that Colobus congoensis be classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

About Gandak River:

• It is one of the major rivers of North India and a significant left-bank tributary of the Ganga River.
• It is mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.
• Course:
  • It originates to the north of Dhaulagiri Mountain in Tibet near the Nepal border.
  • It is formed by the union of the Kali and Trisuli Rivers, which rise in the Great Himalayas of Nepal.
  • From their meeting point till the Indian border, the river is known as the ‘Kali Gandaki’ and ‘Narayani’ in Nepal.
  • It enters India near Valmikinagar in Bihar and briefly touches Uttar Pradesh, forming a small stretch of boundary.
  • The entry point of the river is at the Indo–Nepal border and is known as Triveni.
  • After this, the river flows mainly through Bihar, covering districts like West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, and Saran.
  • The Gandak finally joins the Ganga River opposite Patna, near Hajipur in Vaishali district, Bihar.
• The basin is bounded by the Himalayas to the north and the Ganga River to the south.
• On the sides, it lies between the Kosi basin in the east and the Karnali (Ghaghara) basin in the west.
• The basin includes: Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna Massif.
• Due to the steep slope and loose soil in the upper catchment, Gandak carries a lot of silt and other deposits to the Indian side, resulting in a continuous shifting course of the river.
• While flowing through the Nepal Himalayas, it forms the Kali Gandaki Gorge, one of the deepest river gorges in the world.
• Two important protected areas, Chitwan National Park in Nepal and the adjacent Valmiki Tiger reserve in India, have been established in the basin.
• Major Tributaries: Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Marsyandi, and Budhi Gandaki.

About Ravidassias:

• The Ravidassias are a Dalit community which follows spiritual path based on the teachings of Shri Guru Ravidas.
• They live in the Doab region of Punjab, which includes districts such as Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshar and Jalandhar.
• Key Features of Ravidassias Community
  • Holy Book: The Ravidassia community adopted the Amrit Bani of Guru Ravidas as its holy book which contains 200 hymns of Guru Ravidas.
  • Concept of Begampura: It is an ideal concept given by Guru Ravidas which explains a city without sorrow, fear, or inequality.
  • Sacred Site: Seer Goverdhanpur in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) is one of the most important pilgrimage locations of the Ravidassia tradition.

Who was Guru Ravidas?

• Guru Ravidas (1377-1527 C.E.) was a renowned saint known for his contributions to the Bhakti movement.
• Guru Ravidas is also known as Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas.
• Ravidas is traditionally seen as a student of the bhakti-poet Ramananda.
• He is also thought to have lived around the same time as poet Kabir
• Philosophy and Teachings:
  • The core of Guru Ravidas’s philosophy was the rejection of the caste system and the promotion of human rights and dignity. 
  • He envisioned a society called ‘Beghumpura’ (a city without sorrow), where there is no suffering, no fear, and no discrimination.
  • He emphasised the philosophy of spiritual freedom.
  • He abandoned the saguna (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings and focussed on the nirguna (without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.

About Greenland:

• It is the world’s largest (non-continent) island located between the continents of North America and Europe in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• It is geographically considered a part of the North American continent.
• It was once a Danish colony and is now an autonomous province of Denmark.
• Borders of Greenland: It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north; by the Greenland Sea to the east; by the North Atlantic Ocean to the southeast; Davis Strait to the southwest and Baffin Bay to the west.
• Capital City: Nuuk
• Geographical Features of Greenland:
  • Climate: Greenland is in the polar zone, where winter temperatures reach as low as -50°C and summer temperatures rarely exceed 10–15°C.
  • Highest Point: Gunnbjorn’s Fjeld
  • Natural Resources: It mainly consists of Coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium.

About CapaCITIES Programme:

• It was launched in 2016.
• The Capacity Building Project on Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India (CapaCITIES) programme strengthens the capacities of Indian cities to promote low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development.
• Funding: It is funded by the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan.
• Implemented By: The initiative was implemented through a collaborative partnership involving ICLEI South Asia, South Pole and econcept.
• Knowledge Partner: the National Institute of Urban Affairs
• Phases:  First phase (2016-19) AND second phase (2019-23)
• Key Features:
  • It has equipped Indian cities with the knowledge, tools, and institutional capacities to mainstream low-carbon, climate-resilient development into urban governance.
  • City Support: It has supported cities like Coimbatore, Thiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Udaipur and Siliguri and the state governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu.
  • Institutional Governance: Established permanent Net-Zero and Climate Action Cells in six project cities to enable long-term implementation, monitoring, and climate budgeting.

About Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme:

• It has been launched by the government of India to further scale up the production, deepen domestic value addition, strengthen supply chain resilience, enhance global competitiveness.
• Aim: It aims at building Indian brands to achieve technological sovereignty, capture large economic value and create Indian patents in design and R&D.
• Time Period: The scheme tenure shall be 5 Years i.e. from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
• Features:
  • The scheme provides incentive support on eligible sales for manufacturing of mobile phones in India at differentiated rates ranging from 2.25% to 5%.
  • Scheme also provides additional incentive of up to 1.5% linked to domestic sourcing of key components/ sub-assemblies.
  • For building Indian brands, an additional incentive of 3% on Eligible Sales for design and R&D of the product.

About Korku Tribe:

• The Korkus belong to the Munda or Kolarian group.
• They are mostly found in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and adjoining Melghat region of Maharashtra.
• Language: A few groups have been more successful in preserving their language, especially the Potharia Korku (from the Vindhya mountains).
  • Korku is one of the languages termed endangered by UNESCO.
• Culture and Society:
  • The traditional healing methods are still widely practiced by this tribe and they regard their dead as Gods.
  • To commemorate the dead, they install a memorial pillar, which is called Munda.
  • Dance: They perform traditional Korku dance called Gadli.
    • In this dance Men wear white costumes and pagdis, while womenfolk wear red, yellow, green and blue kinari sarees with minimal jewellery.
    • The women also have an instrument called Chitkola that they use while performing.
  • Economy: The Korku are primarily cultivators.
• Self-Governance: The Korku tribe has a long-standing system of self-governance.
  • This traditional form of self-governance in the community solves problems. 'Chavadi Swashasan' is the term for Korku's traditional form of self-governance.