UPSC Prelims Facts – 24 February 2024

UPSC Prelims Facts

Scientists discover anatomy behind songs of Baleen Whales.

  • Baleen Whales – Whalespecies having epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water.
  • Unique Feature – They use a larynx, or voice box, anatomically modified to enable underwater vocalization.
  • Listed under – CITES Appendix I, prohibiting commercial international trade.
  • Presence in India – 3 of the species occur in India (Blue, Bryde and Humpback whale)

According to report, India’s venture debt (VD) market raised $ 1.2 billion in 2023, a 50 % surge from 2022.

  • Venture Debt – It is a type of financing often used by early stage startups that do not yet have a proven track record of generating revenue.
  • Speciality – Unlike traditional debt financing, venture debt is usually provided by specialized lenders willing to take on more risk for potentially higher returns.

The scheme of RUVP launched recently.

  • RUVP – Tailored specifically for beneficiaries of PM SVANidhi (Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) scheme.
  • Objective –To offer individuals with comprehensive entrepreneurship training with a focus on 40% women participation.
  • Ministry – Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
  • Comes under – Skill India Mission

Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics announces World’s first Pigeon Pea speed breeding protocol.

  • Pigeon Pea – Crop of tropical areas mainly cultivated in semi-arid regions of India
  • Significance – High nutritional value (iron, calcium, phosphorous etc.)
  • Production in India – Largest producer in 2021.

The Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund is expected to boost efforts to conserve Purple Frog

  • Also known as – Maveli frog or Pignose Frog
  • Distribution – Western Ghats
  • Features –
    • Its body appears robust and bloated and is relatively rounded compared to other flattened frogs.
    • It lives almost its entire life in underground tunnels, comes out to the surface for a single day in a year to breed.
  • Significance – Called a ‘living fossil’ as its evolutionary roots suggest it could have shared space with dinosaurs going back almost 70 million years ago
  • Conservation Status – Endangered on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

To read about TN Endangered Species Conservation Fund


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