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📰 News : Thamirabharani Civilisation is 3200 years old. • A carbon dating analysis of rice with soil, found in a burial urn at Sivakalai in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, by the Miami-based Beta Analytic Testing Laboratory has yielded the date of 1155 BC, indicating that the Thamirabarani civilisation (Porunai civilization) dates back to 3,200 years. • The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Stalin said archaeological excavations would be carried out in other States and countries in search of Tamil roots. In the first phase, studies would be undertaken at the ancient port of Muziris, now known as Pattanam, in Kerala. • The Chief Minister said the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department would conduct research at Quseir al-Qadim and Pernica Anekke in Egypt, which were once part of the Roman empire, as well as in Khor Rori in Oman, to establish the Tamils’ trade relations with these countries. “Potsherds bearing Tamil scripts have been found in these countries.  • Mr. Stalin said studies would also be conducted in Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, where King Rajendra Chola had established supremacy. • Recalling his visit to Keezhadi, where excavations had thrown up new findings, the Chief Minister said the carbon dating of the objects unearthed there had proved that the Tamil society had achieved literacy even in the sixth century BCE. • The outcome of the excavations at Keeladi, Kodumanal and other sites in Tamil Nadu have corroborated the view that there might have been contacts between south India and north India as early as 600 BCE-700 BCE or even earlier. • A silver punch marked coin was recently excavated from Keezhadi. It bore the symbols of the sun, the moon, the taurine and other geometrical patterns. Studies on this found the coin to date back to the 4th century BC, which is before the time of the ancient Maurya empire.  • Further findings from Adichanallur and Korkai yielded timelines going back to the 9th and 8th centuries BC, proving that an ancient civilisation existed along the Porunai river.  • Adichanallur, Korkai and Sivakalai are all sites on the banks of the ancient Porunai (Thamirabarani river) presently in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. • Historians say that the graffiti found in the Indus Valley civilization and that encountered in south India are about 80% identical. This suggests that there may be some linguistic connection between Indus Valley Civilization, south India and Sri Lanka. □ Thamirabarani river : • The ancient name of Thamirabarani river is Porunai river. • The Thamirabarani River is a perennial river. • It originates in the Western Ghats (from the Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills) and empties into the sea at the Gulf of Mannar.

■ National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) : • The proposal for the National Hydrogen Mission was made in the Budget 2021 to launch NHM that would enable the generation of hydrogen from green power sources.  • The Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub. • The mission will focus deeply on the generation of green hydrogen which is extracted from clean and green power sources and enable its commercial viability as a transportation fuel. □ Advantages of Hydrogen fuel : • It is a renewable & clean source of energy. It does not produce any harmful by-products. It has a near-zero carbon footprint. • It is not a toxic source for human health unlike nuclear energy or energy from natural gas. • It is very dense in energy and hence highly efficient. It is 3 times more powerful than most fossil fuels. • For automobiles, hydrogen can be stored in tanks and used. It is lighter than lithium-ion batteries making it ideal for long-haul trucks and commercial vehicles. It also refuels very fast. • The usage of hydrogen will not only help India in achieving its emission goals under the Paris Agreement, but will also reduce import dependency on fossil fuels. □ Challenges in Hydrogen fuel : • Being a lighter substance, hydrogen is difficult to store and transport and it is less efficient than lithium-ion batteries. To store hydrogen, it has to be converted into liquid form and stored at a very low temperature or as a gas at high pressures. This makes its transport especially in large quantities a difficult proposition. • Hydrogen is volatile and is a highly flammable substance due to its high energy content. Also, hydrogen is an odourless gas which makes sensors necessary to detect leaks. This makes it a risky and dangerous fuel. □ Hydrogen : • It is the most abundant element in the universe. The sun and other stars are composed largely of hydrogen. • Hydrogen is the lightest and first element on the periodic table. Since the weight of hydrogen is less than air, it rises in the atmosphere and is therefore rarely found in its pure form, H2. • Hydrogen can be stored physically as either a gas or a liquid. • At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a nontoxic, nonmetallic, odorless, tasteless, colorless, and highly combustible diatomic gas. • It can be used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. It is also used as a fuel for spacecraft propulsion. • Molecular hydrogen is not available on Earth in convenient natural reservoirs. Most hydrogen on Earth is bonded to oxygen in water and to carbon in live or dead and/or fossilized biomass. It can be created by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. □ Types of Hydrogen : • There are several ways of extracting hydrogen and, depending on the method, the hydrogen produced is classified as : 1) Grey Hydrogen : • Hydrogen from hydrocarbons (natural gas, fossil fuels) is called grey hydrogen. • This is the most common method of production of hydrogen today. It produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. 2) Black/Brown Hydrogen : • This is the oldest method of producing hydrogen and involves transforming coal into gas. • The hydrogen produced is called brown if lignite coal is used and black if bituminous coal is used for the process. • It is a highly polluting process as both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are released into the atmosphere which cannot be reused. 3) Blue Hydrogen : • Hydrogen is produced from hydrocarbons where the emissions generated from the process are captured and stored. • Hence, it is considered a better alternative than grey hydrogen where the emissions are released. However, even in this process, about 10-20% of the carbon dioxide generated cannot be captured. 4) Green Hydrogen : • In this case, hydrogen is generated from renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. • In this process, electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. • This is the cleanest form of hydrogen generation since the by-products are just water and water vapour.

■ Financial Stability and Development Council(FSDC) : • Financial Stability and Development Council is a non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010. • The Raghuram Rajan committee (2008) on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC. • No funds are separately allocated to the council for undertaking its activities.     □ Functions : • To strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development. • To monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It assesses the functioning of the large financial conglomerates □ Composition : • It is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and its members include the heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA & IRDA), Finance Secretary, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Financial Services (DFS), and Chief Economic Adviser. • In 2018, the government reconstituted FSDC to include the Minister of State responsible for the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Secretary of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Chairperson of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and the Revenue Secretary. • FSDC sub-committee is headed by the Governor of RBI. • The Council can invite experts to its meeting if required. □ Responsibilities of FSDC : • Bringing about stability in the financial sector. • Development of the Financial Sector. • Coordination of Inter-Regulatory bodies. • Promoting financial literacy. • Ensuring financial inclusion. • Macroprudential supervision of the economy including the functioning of large financial conglomerates. • Coordinating India’s international interface with financial sector bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Financial Stability Board (FSB) and any such body as may be decided by the Finance Minister from time to time.

■ Nipah virus (NiV) : • It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans). • Nipah virus (NiV) is classified as a “highly pathogenic paramyxovirus” and handling the virus requires the highest grade of facilities called BS-4. • The natural reservoir for the virus are large fruit bats of Pteropus genus. From here the virus may pass on to pigs who may be infected after eating fruits that are bitten on by infected bats. • The initial outbreaks were reported among pig breeders whereas in Bangladesh the virus was suspected to have jumped to humans who directly consumed fruits that may have been contaminated by bat saliva or urine. • The virus takes from 6-21 days to incubate and manifest as disease. • Drinking of raw date palm sap contaminated with NiV and close physical contact with Nipah-infected patients are believed to be the two main modes of spread. • The person-to person transmission may occur from close physical contact, especially by contact with body fluids. • The organism which causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA(Ribonucleic acid) virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus. [Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal disease in both infected horses and humans.] •It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999. • It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep. • In India, the first outbreak was in 2001 in Siliguri of West Bengal. Another outbreak happened in 2007 in Nadia of West Bengal. • The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. • The World Health Organization (WHO) says the infection has been found to be fatal in 40% to 75% of the infected patients. • There is no treatment, nor any vaccine is available as of now, either for humans or animals. □ Fruit bats : • Fruit bats belong to the Pteropodidae Family – Pteropus genus. • They’re also known as Flying foxes. • Found in South East Asia. • The Nipah Virus can survive in the bat’s body without causing disease, allowing it to jump to susceptible mammals like humans or pigs when bats come in contact with them. • Antibodies were found in the Indian Flying Fox during the Bangladesh outbreak. 

■ Nipah virus (NiV) : • It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans). • Nipah Virus is an airborne transmission infection and can affect those who come in direct contact with contaminated bodies such as pigs or bats carrying the virus. • The organism which causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA(Ribonucleic acid) virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus. [Hendra virus (HeV) infection is a rare emerging zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal disease in both infected horses and humans.] •It first broke out in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999. • It first appeared in domestic pigs and has been found among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, horses and sheep. • In India, the first outbreak was in 2001 in Siliguri of West Bengal. Another outbreak happened in 2007 in Nadia of West Bengal. • The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. • The World Health Organization (WHO) says the infection has been found to be fatal in 40% to 75% of the infected patients. • There is no treatment, nor any vaccine is available as of now, either for humans or animals. □ Fruit bats : • Fruit bats belong to the Pteropodidae Family – Pteropus genus. • They’re also known as Flying foxes. • Found in South East Asia. • The Nipah Virus can survive in the bat’s body without causing disease, allowing it to jump to susceptible mammals like humans or pigs when bats come in contact with them. • Antibodies were found in the Indian Flying Fox during the Bangladesh outbreak. 

■ Black-necked cranes : • Recently, Ladakh adopted snow leopard(Panther unica) as State animal and black-necked crane(Grus nigricollis) as State bird. • It was the State bird of Jammu and Kashmir before August 5, 2019. • The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis), also known as Tibetan crane. • Black necked cranes are considered loyal couples, are only found in Ladakh’s Changthang region. • It is categorised as "Near Threatened" in IUCN Red List. • It is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which makes trading of animal parts (fur, bones, etc..) illegal in signatory countries. • It comes under Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • The high altitude wetlands of the Tibetan plateau, Sichuan (China), and eastern Ladakh (India) are the main breeding ground of the species; the birds spend winter at lower altitudes. • A small wintering population is also found in Sangti and Zimithang valleys of Arunachal Pradesh in India. • In Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, it only comes during the winters. □ Threats : • Damage to the eggs and chicks, caused by feral dogs. • Loss of habitat due to human pressure (Development Projects) on the wetlands. • Increased grazing pressure on the limited pastures near the wetlands are the threats faced by Black necked cranes.

■ Snow leopard : • Recently, Ladakh adopted snow leopard(Panther unica) as State animal and black-necked crane(Grus nicricollis) as State bird. • Hemis National Park in Ladakh is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard. • Ladakh is the Snow Leopard capital of the world. • World Snow Leopard Day is observed globally on 23rd October. • India's first Snow Leopard Conservation Centre is being set up in Uttarkashi forest division of Uttarakhand. • The Indian government has launched community volunteer programme “HimalSanrakshak” to protect snow leopards. • Project Snow Leopard (PSL) was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat. • India is also part to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme since 2013. • Global Snow Leopard Forum was formed in 2013 by 12 countries encompassing the snow leopard's range. The countries are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. • Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program is a joint initiative of range country governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector. Its goal is to secure the long term survival of the snow leopard in its natural ecosystem. • In 2013, the Bishkek Declaration was endorsed by the governments of twelve snow leopard range countries, to ensure that snow leopards and the people who live among them thrive in healthy ecosystems. [Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan]. • The Bishkek Declaration set a goal of protecting at least 20 snow leopard landscapes with viable snow leopard populations by 2020, and led to the formation of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP). □ Habitat and Distribution : • Snow leopards live in the mountainous regions of central and southern Asia. • In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas. • Snow leopards prefer steep, rugged terrains with rocky outcrops and ravines. This type of habitat provides good cover and clear view to help them sneak up on their prey. They are found at elevations of 3,000-5,000 metres or higher in the Himalayas. □ Conservation Status : • Snow leopard, whose numbers are dwindling wordwide, has been categorised as “Vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List. • It comes under Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • It is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which makes trading of animal parts (fur, bones, etc..) illegal in signatory countries. • It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording the highest conservation status to the species, both globally and in India. □ Threats : • Loss of habitat and species. • Reduction in prey populations. • Illegal poaching and increased human population infiltration into the species habitat. • Hunting of snow leopards for their fur and skin.

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