Gamburtsev Mountains

• It is an ancient subglacial mountain buried beneath the highest point of the East Antarctica ice sheet.
• It began to rise around 650 million years ago, reached Himalayan heights by 580 million years ago, and experienced deep crustal melting and flow that ended around 500 million years ago.
• Because they’ve been preserved by a deep layer of ice, the they are one of the best-preserved ancient mountain belts on Earth.

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)

• NCLAT – It is a quasi-judicial body that act as an appellate authority over decisions made by National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• It serves as a specialized tribunal to resolve corporate disputes.
• It was established in 2016 under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Composition - It consists of a chairperson and other members with judiciary and law backgrounds.
• Jurisdiction – It has only appellate jurisdiction (hears appeals against NCLT decisions).
• Functions – It hears appeals against,
  • The orders of the NCLT (related to company law and insolvency),
  • The orders of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI),
  • The orders of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

Afrikaners

• They are white South African citizens who have descended from predominantly Dutch colonists who had first arrived in the mid-17th century.
• Demography - Afrikaners in South Africa amount to 7% of the country’s population, but own 70% of the country’s land.
• The vast majority of them are farmers and they speak a language called Afrikaans.
• Recognition - Recently United States of America recognised a group of Afrikaners, as the refugees.

Buddhavanam

• It is a Buddhist theme park, a prestigious project taken up on the northern bank of river Krishna in Nagarjunasagar by Telangana Government with a view to develop tourism in the State.
• Government of India has sanctioned the project as part of developing an integrated Buddhist Circuit.
• Its vision is to attract large number of domestic and international tourists particularly from South - East Asia.

UPSC

Recently, Ajay Kumar was appointed as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

• UPSC - A constitutional body established by Article 315 of the Constitution of India.
• Functions – It is responsible for conducting examinations for appointments to the All-India Services and Central Civil Services (Group A and B).
• UPSC Chairman - Appointed by the President of India, as per Article 316 of the Constitution.
• Tenure - The Chairman holds office for a term of six years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever occurs first.
• Eligibility - While the Constitution doesn't specify qualifications, it mandates that at least half of the UPSC members should have held a government office for a minimum of 10 years.