A U.S. warship sailed through a sensitive waterway, Taiwan Strait, separating Taiwan from China, as a way to demonstrate Washington’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation .
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has in recent years upped military pressures by sending in increasing numbers of fighter jets, drones, and naval vessels around the island.
About Taiwan Strait:
It is also called Formosa Strait.
It is 180 km. wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia.
It extends from southwest to northeast between the South and East China seas.
Its narrowest part is 130 km wide.
It contains the Pescadores Islands (which are controlled by the government of Taiwan).
The chief ports are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung in Taiwan.
Median line of the Taiwan Strait:
It is the informal dividing line in the Taiwan Strait between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
It came about during the Cold War as a way to try and delineate the two opposing sides and reduce the risk of clashes
No agreement or treaty ever solidified its status. But over the decades, it helped keep Taiwan and China's militaries apart.
East China Sea:
It is an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
It borders the East Asian mainland.
It extends northeastward from the South China Sea, to which it is connected by the shallow Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and mainland China.
The East China Sea and the South China Sea together form the China Sea.
2.Gumti River
Why in the news?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denied that floods in eastern districts of Bangladesh were caused due to the opening of the Dumbur dam in Tripura.
The Dumbur dam, a hydropower project, had been auto releasing water as a consequence of the rainfall.
The Dumbur dam is built on the Gumti river which flows through India and Bangladesh.
About Gumti River:
It is a transboundary river between India and Bangladesh.
It originates from a range connecting the Longtharai and Atharamura hills in the Indian state of Tripura.
It has a total length of 167.4 kilometers from its origin to the Indo-Bangladesh border.
After entering Bangladesh, the Gumti flows through the plains and eventually merges with the Meghna River system near Daudkandi.
Its right bank tributaries include Kanchi Gang, Pitra Gang, San Gang.
Its left bank tributaries include Ek Chhari and Maharani Chhara.
Dumbur Dam:
It is built upon the Gumti river which flows through India and Bangladesh.
There is a Hydel Project near the lake from where River Gumti originates and this is called Tirthamukh.
The lake is the confluence of rivers Raima and Sarma.
Every year on 14th January the famous ‘Pous Sankranti Mela’ takes place here.
The dam is 30 m. in height and generates power that feeds into a grid. India’s neighbour also draws 40 megawatt (MW) power from the grid.
Meghna River:
It is one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to the Bay of Bengal.
It meets its major tributary, Padma, in Chandpur District.
Its other major tributaries include Dhaleshwari, Gumti, and Feni.
It empties into the Bay of Bengal.
3.Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
Why in the news?
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and Department of Posts for physical verification of Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) units.
About Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):
It is a central sector scheme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Objectives:
To generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country through setting up of new self-employment ventures/projects/micro enterprises.
To bring together widely dispersed traditional artisans, rural and urban unemployed youth and give them self-employment opportunities to the extent possible, at their place.
To provide continuous and sustainable employment to a large segment of traditional and prospective artisans and rural and urban unemployed youth in the country, so as to help arrest migration of rural youth to urban areas.
To increase the wage-earning capacity of workers and artisans and contribute to increase in the growth rate of rural and urban employment.
Eligibility:
Individuals above 18 years of age.
There will be no income ceiling for assistance for setting up projects under PMEGP.
For setting up of projects costing above 10 lakh in the Manufacturing sector and above Rs. 5 lakh in the Business /Service sector, the beneficiaries should possess at least VIII standard pass educational qualification.
Its implementing agency is the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC):
It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India.
It is charged with the planning, promotion, organization and implementation of programmes for the development of Khadi and other village industries in rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
4.Anamalai Tiger Reserve
Why in the news?
A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court against sanction accorded by the Tiruppur Collector to Thalli Town Panchayat for laying a road from Tirumoorthy hills to Kurumalai within the core area of Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
About Anamalai Tiger Reserve:
It is a protected area located at an altitude of 1400 m in the Anamalai Hills of Pollachi and Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu.
It lies south of the Palakkad gap in the Southern Western Ghats.
It is surrounded by Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park on the South Western side.
It is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala.
It was declared a Tiger reserve in the year 2007.
Habitat:
It supports diverse habitat types viz. Wet evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry thorn and shola forests.
Other unique habitats like montane grasslands, savannah and marshy grasslands are also present.
Flora:
Around 2500 species of angiosperms are found in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, with several species of Balsam, Crotalaria, Orchids and Kurinchi.
The reserve is rich in wild relatives of cultivated species like mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cardamom etc.
Fauna:
The important wild animals of the reserve include Tiger, Asiatic elephant, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking deer, Jackal, Leopard, Jungle cat etc.
5.Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) project
Why in the news?
In a significant step towards sustainable river management, the Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) project was unveiled.
The initiative is a result of the strategic alliance between IIT-BHU, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and the govt of Denmark.
The SLCR project aims to rejuvenate the river Varuna using sustainable approaches, leveraging the expertise of both India and Denmark.
The project’s primary objective is to create a collaborative platform for govt bodies, knowledge institutions, and local communities to share insights and develop solutions for clean river water.
About Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) project:
It is a unique tripartite initiative between the Government of India (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation), the Indian Institute of Technology - Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), and Government of Denmark, to bring excellence in small river rejuvenation and management.
The SLCR seeks to restore the Varuna River using sustainable methods.
Its goals include establishing a collaborative platform for government agencies, academic institutions, and local communities to exchange knowledge and devise solutions for maintaining clean river water.
The initiative includes a hybrid lab model at IIT-BHU and a living lab on the Varuna River to test and scale solutions in real-world environments.
The Indo-Danish Joint Steering Committee (JSC) is the highest forum for SLCR which provides strategic guidance and reviews progress.
The Project Review Committee (PRC), with members from National Mission on Clean Ganga (NMCG), Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), IIT-BHU and Denmark's Urban Sector Counsellor will oversee quality control at project level.
Projects to be taken up under the collaboration are:
The First project involves creating a Decision Support System (DSS) for water management, designed to analyze basin water dynamics using hydrological models, scenario generation, forecasting, and data analytics.
The second project focuses on the characterization of emerging pollutants and fingerprint analysis. It will use advanced analytical techniques, such as chromatography and mass spectrometry, to identify and quantify contaminants.
The Hydrogeological Model of the Varuna Basin for Recharge Sites will be the fourth project. It aims to enhance base flow through Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR).
Varuna River:
It is a minor tributary of the Ganga River.
It rises from Phulpur town in the Prayagraj district.
It flows into the Ganges river near Sarai Mohana village in the Varanasi district.
The name 'Varanasi' is derived from the names of Two rivers, Varuna and Assi rivers.
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