About Mahadev Koli Tribe:

• Mahadev Koli or Mahadeo Koli are a subcaste of the Koli community of the Maharashtra and Goa states of India.
• They derive their name from their god, Mahadev, and live in the Mahadev hills of Maharashtra, mostly in the Pune, Ahmednagar, and Nasik districts.
• They are classified as a Schedule Tribe.
• They speak Marathi and use the Devanagari script.
• There are twenty-four exogamous clans among the Mahadev Koli, and they use their clan’s names as their surnames.
• They resemble the Kunbi and the Maratha communities in matters of dress and appearance. They live in nuclear families.
• Occupation:
  • Traditionally hunter-gatherers and warriors, the community today is largely engaged in agriculture.
  • Families cultivate rice, finger millet, barnyard millet, and wheat while also rearing livestock and producing dairy products.
• Beliefs:
  • Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism.
  • Members of each clan have their own deity.
• They possess extensive knowledge of local flora.
• Tanaji Malusare, a revered general in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army, hailed from this community. His valor in the Battle of Sinhagad is legendary.

About Chital:

• Chital, also known as spotted deer or axis deer, is a medium-sized deer species native to the Indian subcontinent.
• Scientific Name: Axis axis
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • The Chital is found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
  • It lives in grasslands and forests in
• Features:
  • The males tend to be darker and to have black facial markings.
  • Both the genders have small white spots on the body, hence named Spotted or Chital.
  • Spotted deer are sexually dimorphic. Males are significantly larger than females, and only male deers possess antlers.
  • They are social animals. They occur in herds of 10 to 50 individuals, with one or two males and a number of females and young.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

About Berijam Lake:

• It is an artificial lake situated in Kodaikanal in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.
• It is situated in the upper Palani Hills, overlooking the surrounding landscape.
• It was formed in 1867 as the result of the construction of a dam with sluice outlets and is part of a micro-watershed development project.
• Close to the old site of Fort Hamilton, this lake was earlier used as the site for military cantonment by the Britishers.
• The crystal-clear waters of the lake reflect the surrounding landscape, creating picturesque views.
• It serves as a significant source of drinking water for nearby towns.
• The lake is also an important conservation center for local flora and fauna.
  • Birds such as serpent eagles, rosefinch, leaf-warblers, and pale-rumped swallows can be spotted here.
  • The lake also facilitates the habitat of many animals such as Bison, Indian elephants, Nilgiri Langur and Deer.

About Doctrine of Constructive Res Judicata:

• The concept of res judicata has evolved from the English Common Law System.
  • Res judicata literally means ‘the thing has been judged”. It is also known as claim preclusion.
  • The principle of res judicata applies when a litigant attempts to file a subsequent lawsuit on the same matter after having received a judgment in a previous case involving the same parties.
  • It means that the issue before the court has already been decided by another court, between the same parties, and the courts do not allow a petition to be filed in the same court or in another court.
  • Therefore, the court will dismiss the case before it.
  • Res Judicata as a concept is applicable both in Civil as well as Criminal legal system.
  • Res judicata under Indian law has been embodied under Section 11 of the CPC (Code of Civil Procedure), 1908.
• Constructive Res Judicata is an extension of the principle of Res Judicata.
  • It applies to matters that could have been raised in a previous suit but were not.
  • This doctrine prevents a party from bringing a second suit on issues arising from the same set of facts, provided the party had a fair opportunity to raise the new issue in the first suit.
  • The principle finds its origin in Order II Rule 2 read with Section 11 of the CPC, specifically Explanation IV of Section 11.
  • Explanation IV provides that "any matter which might or ought to have been made ground of defence or attack in a former suit shall be deemed to have been a matter directly and substantially in issue in such suit".
  • Certain conditions must be met to invoke the principle of constructive res judicata:
    • Firstly, the parties involved in both proceedings must be the same.
    • Secondly, the subject matter of the subsequent proceeding should be identical to that of the earlier proceeding.
    • Thirdly, the issue raised in the subsequent proceeding should have been directly and substantially in issue in the earlier proceeding.
    • Lastly, the earlier proceeding must have resulted in a final decision on the merits.
  • This doctrine aims to promote judicial efficiency and fairness by ensuring that all relevant issues are addressed at the appropriate time, thereby avoiding repetitive litigation over the same matters.

About Sistan sand boa:

• It is a species of sand boa snake.
• Scientific Name: Eryx sistanensis
• It can be distinguished from the red sand boa by its persistent dark bands and a tail that gradually tapers towards the tip.
• While red sand boas lose their body bands as they mature, the Sistan sand boa retains its sooty bands throughout life.
• Juveniles are buff-coloured, while subadults and adults are tan to tan-brown.
• The species has not yet been evaluated by the IUCN.

Key Facts about Sand Boas:

• Sand Boas are a group of non-venomous snakes belonging to the genus Eryx.
• Unlike most snakes, the tail of a sand boa snake is almost as thick as the body and gives the reptile the appearance of being “double-headed”.
• These snakes prefer dry, sandy, and loose soil environments that support their fossorial lifestyle.
• Body coloration is pale yellow to reddish to brownish, depending on the type of soil in the region.
• Most species display a mottled or blotched pattern that blends perfectly with their sandy and pebbly surroundings, an adaptation known as protective coloration.
• Sand boas spend most of their time buried just below the surface in sand or loose soil, exposing only the eyes and nostrils.
• They seize passing prey, consisting of mostly mice and lizards, which they kill by constriction.

About Youth Co:Lab:

• It is co-led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India and Citi Foundation, in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• Genesis of Youth Co:Lab:
  • It was co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation.
  • In India, Youth Co: Lab was launched in 2019 in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission.
• It aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• It is implemented by T-Hub Foundation.
• It has emerged as a key platform for promoting youth-led innovation and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Key facts about Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):

• It is a flagship initiative set up by the NITI Aayog in 2016.
• Objective: To create and encourage an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship across schools, educational organisations, research institutes, and industries, including MSMEs.
• Functions:
  • Promote entrepreneurship by encouraging innovators to become entrepreneurs through financial support as well as mentorship.
  • Promote innovation by creating a platform where ideas are generated through like-minded individuals.
• AIM has created four programs to support these functions: Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centres, Atal New India Challenges and Atal Grand Challenges.

About Index of Services Production:

• It is a short-term indicator designed to measure changes over time in the volume of output produced by the services sector relative to a specified base period.
• It measures changes in the real output of service-producing industries over time.
• It is being developed with 2024-25 as the proposed base year and will primarily use Goods and Services Tax (GST) data to track activity. 
• Principal Data Sources:
  • Administrative data for sectors such as air transport, railways, banking, and insurance
  • GST data for wholesale and retail trade, hospitality, road and water transport, warehousing, telecommunications, real estate, information technology services, professional services, and entertainment
  • Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) data for health and education services, which are expected to be incorporated into the framework at a later stage.
• It will primarily reflect the formal sector as it is compiled using outward supply of enterprises registered under GST.
• Weights assigned in ISP: Weights are based on sectoral contributions to Gross Value Added (GVA) available from National Account Statistics.

About Hemiscyllium dudgeonae:

• It belongs to a small group of walking sharks.
• It was spotted in the waters of Milne Bay, off the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea.
• It is locally known as “kadedekedewa,” or “lazy shark”.
• It uses its fins to stroll across the seafloor and even drag itself between shallow tide pools when the tide goes out.

What are Walking Sharks?

• Walking sharks belong to the genus Hemiscyllium,
• Distribution: It is found in the tropical waters around Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
• Features:
  • Habitat: They inhabit shallow coastal habitats.
  • Their limited mobility is one of their defining characteristics, and individual sharks may spend their entire lives within an area measuring only a few hundred square meters.
  • They lay egg cases directly on the seafloor, so their offspring hatch close to where their parents lived.

About Thewa Art:

• It is a unique form of jewelry making that is completely handcrafted.
• It is an intricate form of jewelry-making that involves fusing gold onto colored glass to create intricate designs and patterns.
• It was evolved in Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan.
• It is a 400- year-old art work that was first crafted by Nathu Lal Sonewal in the 18th century.
• The word Thewa is derived from the local dialect of the region and means ‘setting’.
• The Thewa Art work received its Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2014.
• Process of Thewa Art Work:
  • The core uniqueness of Thewa lies in its secret thermal bonding process; hand-carved 23-carat gold foilis permanently fused onto a base of multi colored glass without using any glue, solder, or synthetic pasting materials.
  • This gold sheet, called as “Thewa Ki Patti” is fixed to a lac-resin compound spread on a board by slightly warming the lac and then pressing the gold sheet onto it.
  • An open work pattern is pierced thru these gold sheets placed on the lac-resin covered board by knocking off the portions which ultimately creates the intricate design
  • Themes: Major themes used in creation of designs may include scenes from royal life, hunting scenes with elephants, deer and lions, images from mythology, peacocks, flowers or scenes from royal weddings.

About BHARATI Programme:

• BHARATI (Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Innovation) is a flagship initiative of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
• It is aimed at fostering innovation-led growth in India's agri-food export sector.
• It has been designed to empower 100 agri-food startups, drive innovation and boost exports worth USD 50 billion in APEDA-scheduled products by 2030.
• It is structured to complement and enhance industry and government-led incubation programmes in the agriculture, food and food processing sectors.
• It is aligned with the Government of India’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, Vocal for Local, Digital India and Start-Up India.
• Key Features:
  • Focus categories: It seeks to drive innovation in high-value categories such as GI-tagged agri-products, organic foods, superfoods, novel processed Indian agri-foods, livestock products and AYUSH products.
  • Tech Focus: It focuses on advanced technologies such as AI-based quality control, blockchain-enabled traceability, IoT-enabled cold chains and agri-fintech, while addressing critical areas like innovative packaging, sustainability and sea protocols.
  • Targeted Challenges: It seeks to resolve export challenges related to product development, value addition, quality assurance, perishability, wastage and logistics.
  • Collaborative Ecosystem: It will connect agri-food innovators, tech-driven solution providers and SPS-TBT-focused startups to deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions that enhance India’s global competitiveness.
  • Process of the Programme: Selected startups will undergo a three-month acceleration programme focusing on product development, export readiness, regulatory compliance, market access and collaborative solutions to address export challenges.