About Chatham Islands:

• It is an island group in the South Pacific Ocean.
• These islands are New Zealand's most easterly territory.
• Composed of 10 islands, they are primarily of volcanic formation, but areas of limestone indicate that they may once have been part of New Zealand.
• Only the two main islands are inhabited: Chatham Island and Pitt Island.
  • Chatham Island, the largest of the islands, has a high southern tableland flanked by towering cliffs and a gentle northern portion encompassing extensive waterways, low peatlands and long sandy beaches.
• The Chatham Islands is the first inhabited place in the world to see the rising sun each day.
• The islands were first inhabited by Moriori, who named the islands 'Rekohu' – translated as 'misty skies' or 'misty sun'.
• European sealers and whalers were next to arrive, followed by Māori from New Zealand, who named the islands 'Wharekauri'.
• Descendants of Moriori still reside on the Chatham Islands today.
• The main settlement is Waitangi. Other settlements are Te One, Port Hutt, Kāingaroa, and Ōwenga.
• The economy of the Chatham Islands is heavily dependent on fishing, farming, and tourism.

About Vitamin A:

• It is a fat-soluble vitamin primarily stored in the liver.
• There are two types of vitamin A that are found in the diet.
  • Preformed vitamin A is found in animal products such as meat, fish, poultry, and dairy foods.
  • Precursors to vitamin A, also known as provitamin A, are found in plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables.
    • These compounds are converted to the active form in your body.
    • The most common type of provitamin A is beta-carotene.
  • Foods with the highest levels of vitamin A include:
    • Beef liver and other organ meats
    • Some types of fish such as herring and salmon and cod fish oil
    • Eggs
    • Dairy products such as cheese and fortified milk
    • Fortified breakfast cereals
    • Orange and yellow vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, and cantaloupe
    • Broccoli, spinach, and most dark green, leafy vegetables
• Function:
  • Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin.
  • It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye.
  • Vitamin A promotes good eyesight, especially in low light.
  • It also has a role in healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• If you do not get enough vitamin A, you have more risk of eye problems such as:
  • Reversible night blindness
  • Non-reversible corneal damage known as xerophthalmia
  • It can also lead to hyperkeratosis or dry, scaly skin.
• Vitamin A deficiency can be treated with vitamin A supplements.

About Dardanelles Strait:

• It is a very important narrow waterway in northwestern Turkey.
• It connects the Aegean Sea (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea) to the Sea of Marmara.
• This strait acts like a natural border, separating the continent of Asia on its eastern side from Europe on its western side.
• It is entirely within Turkey. It forms a key part of the Turkish Straits, which also include the Bosphorus Strait and the Sea of Marmara.
• It is a vital shipping lane for countries around the Black Sea, like Russia and Ukraine.
• Their ships must pass through the Dardanelles to reach the Mediterranean Sea and the rest of the world's oceans.

About Gegeneophis valmiki:

• It is a rare, subterranean amphibian species, discovered in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
• The name Gegeneophis valmiki honors the historic Maharshi Valmiki Mandir located near the discovery site.
• It belongs to the genus Gegeneophis, commonly called blind caecilians.
  • Caecilians, often called “hidden amphibians”, are limbless, worm-like creatures that spend most of their lives underground.
  • Their burrowing improves soil aeration and structure, their feeding helps regulate soil invertebrates, and they form part of the food web for birds, reptiles and small mammals.
  • They also represent a key evolutionary link between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates.

About Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC):

• It brings together the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the national parliaments of the independent sovereign states of the Commonwealth.
• It was created in 1969 as an initiative of the then Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Lucien Lamoureux.
• Since its inception, Canada has provided CSPOC with a secretariat to support its activities.
• The Conference is an independent group and has no formal affiliation with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Secretariat, or the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
• CSPOC operates on a two-year cycle, holding a conference of the full membership every two years, usually early in January, and a meeting of the Standing Committee at the same time the intervening year.
• The Conference aims to:
  • Maintain, foster, and encourage impartiality and fairness on the part of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments;
  • Promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms; and
  • Develop parliamentary institutions

What is the Commonwealth?

• It is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule.
• It differs from other international bodies such as the United Nations or the World Trade Organization.
• It has no formal constitution or bylaw
• The members have no legal or formal obligation to one another; they are held together by shared traditions, institutions, and experiences as well as by economic self-interest.
• Commonwealth action is based upon consultation between members, which is conducted through correspondence and through conversations in meetings.
• The values and aspirations which unite the members of the Commonwealth are reflected in the Commonwealth Charter, adopted in December 2012.
  • The Charter expresses the commitment of Commonwealth members to the development of free and democratic societies, good governance, human rights, the rule of law, sustainable development, and the promotion of peace and prosperity.
• The work of the Commonwealth is administered by the Commonwealth Secretariat based in London.
• The last countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo.
• India is the largest member state of the Commonwealth, with nearly 60% of the total population of the association.

About Root Wilt Disease:

• It is caused by phytoplasma (bacteria) is one of the most devasting diseases of coconut palms.
• Origin: It is classified as a non-fatal disease of coconut palm and was first identified more than a century and a half ago in Erattupetta in Kerala.
• It is not lethal; but it debilitates the production potential of the palms.
• Transmission: The disease spreads through insect vectors, aided by the movement of wind and uninterrupted stretches of coconut plantations. 
• The root (wilt) disease occurs in all major soil types but the spread is faster in sandy, sandy loam and alluvial soil.
• Factors accelerating spread: Erratic temperatures, especially extremes, and the rise of new sucking pests, particularly whiteflies, have significantly accelerated its spread.
• Symptoms of Root Wilt Disease:
  • Tapering of terminal portion of the trunk
  • Reduction of leaf size
  • Abnormal bending or Ribbing of leaf lets termed as flaccidity.
  • Flowering is delayed and also yield is considerably reduced.
  • The characteristic symptom is the flaccidity of leaflets.
• Impact: The tree quickly becomes unproductive, sheds all its nuts, and assumes a distorted appearance.
• Management: Breeding resistant and tolerant varieties remains one of the most successful tools for managing phytoplasma.

About Kaziranga National Park:

• Location: It is situated between the Brahmaputra River and the Karbi (Mikir) Hills, in Assam.
• It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• In 1985, the park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• Terrain: It is of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes, and shallow pools.
• Rivers: The River Diffalu, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, flows through the National Park while another tributary, Moradifalu, flows along its southern boundary.
• Flora: It is primarily famous for its dense and tall elephant grasses intermixed with small swamplands. It also includes an abundant cover of water lilies, water hyacinths and lotus.
• Fauna: It is home to species like Rhino, Tiger, Eastern swamp deer, Elephant, Buffalo, Hoolock gibbon, Capped langur,
  • The Gangetic River dolphin is commonly found in the habitat.
  • It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals.

About CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative:

• It is a flagship national programme implemented by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• It is aimed at bridging the gap between scientific research and industry requirements, and employable skills.
• Objective: To seamlessly integrate skill development with science and technology by leveraging CSIR’s vast research infrastructure, widespread network domains.
• It provides inclusive accessibility, catering to a diverse spectrum of beneficiaries ranging from
  • Students, young researchers, technical staff, and working professionals to school dropouts, ITI diploma holders, farmers, and rural communities
• It emphasizes to align skill training with real-world industrial, societal, and entrepreneurial demands.
• Features of CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative:
  • It provides structured short-term and long-term skill development modules comprising training, internships, certification courses, and hands-on laboratory exposure.
  • It equips participants with comprehensive skill development in advanced and rapidly evolving technologies interconnected with industry requirements.

About Womaniya Initiative:

• It was launched in 2019.
• It is a flagship programme aimed at strengthening the participation of women-led Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in public procurement.
• Womaniya was conceived to address the limited access of women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to government markets.
• It spurs Women entrepreneurship by aligning them with opportunities to sell their products to various Government ministries, departments and institutions.
• By providing a direct, transparent and fully digital interface with government buyers, the initiative eliminated intermediaries and reduced entry barriers that had historically constrained participation.
• Impact: The initiative seeks to develop women entrepreneurship to achieve gender-inclusive economic growth. 

What is GeM Portal?

• Government e-Marketplace, shortly known as GeM, is a digital platform that enables buying and selling of goods and services.
• It is the Public Procurement Portal for procurement of goods and services for all Central Government and State Government Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Units (PSUs) and affiliated.
• It was launched in August 2016, by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• The sole purpose of GeM is to enhance efficiency; transparency and speed in public procurement.
• GeM Marks Seven Years of Womaniya Initiative to Strengthen Women-Led MSE Participation in Public Procurement.