Ramsar Sites

Recently Longwood Shola Reserve Forest in the Nilgiris and Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur, both in Tamil Nadu was placed in the Ramsar Site network.

• A Ramsar site is a wetland that has been designated as being of international importance.
• The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
• It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on February 2, 1971.
• The total number of Ramsar sites in Tamil Nadu is 16, highest in India.
• The United Kingdom has most number of Ramsar sites in the earth.
• The world’s first Ramsar Site was the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia, designated in 1974.
• The largest Site is Rio Negro in Brazil (120,000 square kilometres), which id followed by Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada.
• These Sites each cover over 60,000 square km.
• To know more about Ramsar site click here.

Geotagging

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has recently the extended the deadline for geotagging properties.

• Geotagging is the process of allotting geographic coordinates to media based on the location of a mobile device.
• It involves digitally mapping properties using the geographic information system (GIS), assigning unique latitude and longitude coordinates to each property.
• Geotags can be applied to photos, videos, websites, text messages and QR codes.
• Geotagging properties means digitally mapping a property with the geographic information system (GIS).
• It allows a property to be identified on a map with its unique and permanent latitude and longitude coordinates.
• Advantages – According to an MCD official, geo-tagging properties will prove instrumental in boosting tax collection potential.
• By distinguishing between tax-paying and non-tax-paying entities, it will reduce tax evasion and help enhance revenue collection.
• Geotagging has the ability to pinpoint illegal and unauthorised properties and colonies.
• This will help in urban planning, as it will allow the civic body to take corrective actions as required.
• It will streamline essential services such as sanitation and road repairs in colonies, and help recognise area-based residential needs.

Deputy Chief Minister

Recently two deputy CMs was sworn in alongside the Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar.

• The post of Deputy CM is understood as being equivalent in rank to that of Cabinet Minister (in the state).
• The Deputy CM enjoys the same pay and perks as a Cabinet Minister.
• The post is second-in-command after the chief minister in the State Government.
• The post is not mentioned in the Constitution of India.
• Article 163(1) of the Constitution state that there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions.
• Neither Article 163 nor Article 164 or sub clauses of the Articles mentions a deputy Chief minister.
• At least 13 other states in the country apart from Bihar currently have Deputy CMs.
• The highest of these is in Andhra Pradesh, with Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy having 5 Deputy CMs.
• The first Deputy CM in India was Anugrah Narayan Sinha.

Subika Painting

• Subika paintings are an early visual art form from Manipur.
• The paintings are based on stories and events from the Hindu epic and Puranas.
• The style is intricately linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history through its 6 surviving manuscripts that include:
  1. Subika
  2. Subika Achouba
  3. Subika Laishaba
  4. Subika Choudit
  5. Subika Cheithil
  6. Thengrakhel Subika
• The awareness about this unique art form has dwindled over the years, leading to its near extinction.
• Basohli painting – Is a traditional art form that originated in the Basohli town of Jammu and Kashmir, known for its rich cultural heritage.
• It is a distinct style of miniature painting that has a unique blend of Hindu mythology, folk art, and Persian influences.
• Pichwai paintings – Are a traditional Indian art form that originated in the town of Nathdwara in Rajasthan, India over 400 years ago.
• Thangka paintings – Of Arunachal Pradesh are famous in the Tawang, West Kameng, and Upper Siang districts.
• The process involves a picture panel of paint which is put on a silk border or cover. The dyes of the painting are vibrant.

Diamond Rain

The recent study published by the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have unveiled new insights into the formation of diamonds within the icy giants of our solar system, Neptune and Uranus.

• There is a high possibility of diamonds raining on hundreds of exoplanets in space.
• Diamond rain may become a common phenomenon inside ice-giant planets like Uranus and Neptune.
• Diamonds are gradually forming from the polystyrene at temperatures around 2200 degrees Celsius and pressures around 19 gigapascals, conditions which are similar to those in the interiors of Uranus and Neptune.
• Diamond rain is a possibility on several of the smaller planets such as mini-Neptunes, which are abundant outside our solar system.
• These diamonds is result of extremely compressed carbon compounds present deep inside the core of exoplanets at extremely low temperatures.