Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Ancient water tank found in Hampi

News

• In yet another chance discovery, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found a water tank within the precincts of the Virupaksha Temple at Hampi, the erstwhile seat of the Vijayanagar empire.

Why its important?

This makes Hampi & vijayanagar empire relevant to upsc preparations.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

China to cut tariffs on Indian cancer drugs: foreign ministry

News

• India and China have reached an agreement to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports of Indian medicines, particularly cancer drugs.

Beyond News

• It was days after a Chinese movie on a leukaemia patient, Dying to Survive,highlighted the need for paving the way for import of cheap Indian drugs.
• Indian drugs are in big demand in China as they are far cheaper than their western counterparts.

Govt. to allow spouses of Indian nationals to convert visa category even if married abroad

News

• Spouses of the Indian nationals getting married abroad will no longer have to face difficulties in converting their tourist visa to dependent visa as the government plans to change existing rules.

Beyond News

• The move came after the Philipino spouse of an Indian national, who married outside the country, faced difficulties in converting her tourist visa to X2 (dependent visa) as the existing visa rules did not permit to do so.
• The husband had complained to Home Minister.
• As per the visa manual, tourist visa can be converted to X2 visa only when the marriage takes place in India and gets registered within the validity of the present tourist visa.
• Contrary to that, if anyone wants to do so has to go back to his or her country and come back on an X2 visa.
• With the amendment of the visa rules and streamlining the process, the conversion of tourist visa to X2 would be allowed even if the marriage takes place on foreign soil.
• However, the facility will not be offered to the nationals of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan and Iraq, and citizens of Pakistani origin and stateless persons.
• Home Minister had said that, the government would facilitate safe and convenient entry inside the country to legitimate international travellers and provide all visa-related and consular services to foreigners staying in India in a faster and convenient mode.

Tamil Nadu finally set to get Lokayukta

News

• A day before the expiry of the Supreme Court-set deadline for establishing the Lokayukta in the State, the Tamil Nadu Assembly on adopted a legislation for constituting the anti-corruption panel.

Beyond News

• The proposed Lokayukta, comprising a chairperson and four members, would be empowered to inquire into complaints of corruption by public servants and recommend departmental action against them.
• According to the Bill, which was moved by Personnel and Administrative Reforms Minister, the Lokayukta would have all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and would have jurisdiction over all MLAs, former MLAs, Ministers, former Ministers and all public servants defined in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
• On receipt of a complaint, the Lokayukta would initially decide whether to proceed with the matter and eventually order a preliminary inquiry.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Action plan for protection of olive ridley turtles

News

• The concerns of the environmentalists over the deaths of the olive ridley turtles in the process of reproduction every year will soon come to an end with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) coming out with a plan of action that involves all the stakeholders to ensure protection to the endangered species.

Beyond News

• Since East Godavari is one of the major nesting destinations with two conservation sites on the Hope Island and the Sacremento Island under the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, some of them die every year crushed by the fishing boats during their journey to the breeding grounds.
• The toll of the carcasses washing ashore is anything between 150 and 200 but it’s humanly impossible to figure out the exact number, as the deaths take place in the sea.
• Falling under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the turtles commence their journey from the Indian Ocean during their mating season in October and November.
• When they reach the Bay of Bengal, the females start laying eggs on the beaches. Each female lays 100 to 150 eggs in a pit dug by it carefully and leaves the shore after covering the hollow with sand. Six weeks later, the hatched turtles start the journey to their Indian Ocean habitat.
• Though the Forest department, in association with the NGOs, is taking steps to protect the eggs and release the hatchlings into the Bay of Bengal every year, no concrete steps have been taken so far to prevent the mortality of the mothers.

Seven new wasp species discovered in the Amazon forests

News

• An international team of researchers have discovered seven new wasp species belonging to the genus Clistopyga from Peru, Venezuela and Colombia.

Beyond News

• A recent report describes their morphology, such as colouration, wing size and other distinct features.
• The most notable among them is Clistopyga crassicaudata, named after its distinctly thickened ovipositor. The ovipositor is a tube-like organ present in many insects that helps in laying eggs and also in injecting venom.
• These new species could be parasitoid wasps, which lay their eggs near a host, which the larvae then feeds on and, eventually, kills.
• The other new species include kalima, C. pancheiand C. taironae, named in honour of Kalimas, Panches and Toiranas, indigenous tribe groups of Colombo. Another species was named C. nigriventri, indicating its entirely black body, and another C. splendida because of its multicoloured body.
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