Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 08 July 2024 | Download PDF

• The vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, is on the brink of extinction.

About Vaquita:

• Scientific Name: Phocoena sinus
• Endangered Status: Vaquitas are the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with less than 20 individuals remaining in the wild.
• Distribution:
  • Smallest range among whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
  • Exclusively found in the northern part of the Gulf of California.
  • Typically sighted in shallow waters up to 50 meters deep.
• Unique dorsal fins: 
  • Taller and wider than other porpoises.
  • Distinctive dark ring around the eyes.
• Behavior:
  • Shy and elusive, tend to avoid boats and human activity.
  • Communicate using echolocation (sonar) by emitting high-frequency clicks.
• Threats: The primary threat is gillnets illegally set for totoaba, a large fish similar in size to vaquitas.
• Conservation Status: Critically Endangered.

• A high-level committee, chaired by an Orissa High Court judge, has expedited the process of opening the Ratna Bhandar treasury of Shree Jagannath Temple after 46 years.

About Shree Jagannath Temple:

• • Location: Puri, Odisha
  • Dedication: Lord Jagannath, a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu
  • Historical Significance: Built during the reign of King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the 12th century.
  • Architecture:
    • Exemplifies Kalinga architecture, distinct to the Odisha region
    • Complex includes shrines, gardens, and sacred tanks
    • Main structure (sanctum sanctorum/garbhagriha) houses idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra
    • 20-foot-high chakra at the pinnacle visible from any part of the city
  • Ratha Yatra:
    • Commemorates Jagannath’s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple
    • Begins on the second day of the bright half of the lunar month of Ashadha (June–July) and lasts nine days
    • Deities placed on three massive chariots during the festival
  • Religious Significance: One of the four sacred pilgrimage sites, known as the Chaar Dhaams
• Recognition: UNESCO World Heritage Site

• The Union Minister for Coal and Mines recently launched the NIRMAN portal.

About NIRMAN Scheme:

• Scheme Name: Noble Initiative for Rewarding Mains Aspirants of the National Civil Services Examination (NIRMAN)
• Organizer: Coal India Limited (CIL)
• Type: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme
• Objective: Support meritorious candidates from CIL’s operational districts
• Financial Assistance: ₹1,00,000 to candidates who cleared the preliminary round of UPSC Civil Services and Forest Service Examinations in 2024
• Eligibility:
  • Annual family income less than ₹8 lakhs
  • Permanent residents of the 39 districts where CIL operates
  • Includes Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), female, and third-gender candidates

• NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform and Credit Bureau have collaborated to launch the SEHER programme.

About SEHER programme:

• A comprehensive credit education program aimed at enhancing financial literacy and business skills among women entrepreneurs.
• Expected to enable women to access financial tools necessary for business growth and job creation.
• An initiative of NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and TransUnion CIBIL.
• Supports WEP’s goal of improving financing access for women in India’s 63 million MSMEs.

• A devastating flood in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park has claimed the lives of 114 wild animals, while 95 others have recently been rescued.

About Kaziranga National Park:

• Location:
  • Situated in the north-eastern part of Assam, in the districts of Golaghat and Nagaon.
  • It is the largest undisturbed area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• National Park Status:
  • Declared a National Park in 1974.
  • First national park in Assam, covering 400 sq. km.
  • Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
• Flora:
  • Dominated by dense, tall elephant grass mixed with small swamplands.
  • Includes water lilies, water hyacinths, lotus, and Rattan Cane (climbing palm).
• Fauna:
  • Inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses.
  • Other mammals include tigers, elephants, panthers, bears, Eastern swamp deer, buffalo, Hoolock gibbon, capped langur, and Gangetic River dolphin.
• Rivers:
  • The river Diffalu (tributary of the Brahmaputra) flows through the core/critical tiger habitat.
  • Another tributary, Moradifalu, flows along its southern boundary.

• The pulling of chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Bhalabadra and Devi Subhadra was halted midway in Puri town.

Key Points:

• Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is held on the second day of Shukla Pakshya (fortnight after full moon) in Hindu month of Ashada. 
• It is a nine-day-long festival and it is one of the  world’s biggest religious processions.
• The three Raths include:

• The Bhatrajore Dam in Junagadh, Kalahandi district, which supports thousands of farmers and many species, got clogged.

Key Points:

• The construction of the dam began in 1958 and it was completed in June 1963. 
• It irrigates farmlands in both Kharif and Rabi seasons and is also a home to many rare butterfly and bird species.

Think

• What are kharif and rabi crops?

• The Sagarpali Van Suraksha Samiti (VSS) in Sundargarh district has been conferred with the prestigious Biju Patnaik Award for contributions to forest protection.

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