Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary
Rare weather phenomenon destroyed thousands of trees.
- One of the oldest sanctuaries in Warangal, Telangana (established in 1953).
- Bounded by Laknavaram Lake.
- Perennial River Dayyam Vagu flows through, dividing the sanctuary into two parts.
- Hosts Sammakka Sarakka Jathra, one of Asia’s largest tribal jathras, occurring every two years.
Jitiya or Jivitputrika Festival
Disaster struck during the festival in Bihar.
- Hindu festival observed in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Nepal.
- Celebrated by mothers fasting for the well-being, long life, and prosperity of their children.
- Lasts for 3 days; the first day is known as Nahayekhaye.
- Rooted in Hindu mythology, commemorating King Jimutavahana’s sacrifice.
GlobE Network
India elected to the steering committee.
- Established in 2021 at UNGASS.
- Initiative under the G20 framework; Riyadh Initiative approved in 2020.
- Objective: Operational law enforcement authorities with an anti-corruption mandate join forces to counter transnational corruption.
- Governance: Governed by members, supported by UNODC.
- Members: 121 countries, 219 law enforcement authorities.
- Ministry of Home Affairs is the Central Authority for India; CBI and ED represent India.
National Career Service (NCS)
MoL&E signed MoU with Amazon for 2 years to leverage NCS portal.
- Genesis: Online portal launched in 2015 by MoL&E.
- Objectives: Bridge gap between job seekers and employment opportunities across sectors.
- Offers employment services including counseling, skill development.
- Crossed milestone of 2 million active vacancies listed in a single day.
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
Despite protests from India, Brazil, Indonesia, and US, EU will implement EUDR from December 30, 2024.
- Entered into force in 2023.
- Aims to curb global forest degradation, protect biodiversity, and reduce GHG emissions.
- New obligations on companies importing, exporting, or selling certain products in the EU.
- Commodities must not come from land deforested or degraded after December 31, 2020.
- Includes cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, timber, rubber, and derived products like beef, furniture, chocolate.