KPSC sUTRAS

Key Observations Total Forest Area and Percentage Highest Forest Cover: Chikmagaluru (55.06%) and Uttara Kannada (79.12%) districts have the highest percentage of their geographical area covered by forest. Lowest Forest Cover: Raichur (0.52%) and Koppal (0.65%) have the lowest forest cover as a percentage of their geographical area. Dense Forests Very Dense Forests: Districts like Chikmagaluru (7202 ha) and Kodagu (794.32 ha) have significant areas under very dense forests. Moderately Dense Forests: Again, Chikmagaluru (901.63 ha) and Kodagu (1886.30 ha) lead in moderately dense forests. Open Forests High Open Forest Area: Chikmagaluru (478.92 ha) and Uttara Kannada (585.60 ha) have large areas under open forests, indicating transitional or degraded forest zones. Change in Forest Area Positive Change: Shivamogga (+34.20 ha) and Chamarajanagar (+7.01 ha) have seen significant positive changes in their forest cover. Negative Change: Kodagu (-54.47 ha) and Chikmagaluru (-13.72 ha) have experienced considerable decreases in forest area. Scrub Area High Scrub Area: Ballari (485.08 ha) and Raichur (184.91 ha) have extensive scrub areas, indicating possible deforestation or land degradation.

Key Observations Total Forest Area and Percentage Highest Forest Cover: Chikmagaluru (55.06%) and Uttara Kannada (79.12%) districts have the highest percentage of their geographical area covered by forest. Lowest Forest Cover: Raichur (0.52%) and Koppal (0.65%) have the lowest forest cover as a percentage of their geographical area. Dense Forests Very Dense Forests: Districts like Chikmagaluru (7202 ha) and Kodagu (794.32 ha) have significant areas under very dense forests. Moderately Dense Forests: Again, Chikmagaluru (901.63 ha) and Kodagu (1886.30 ha) lead in moderately dense forests. Open Forests High Open Forest Area: Chikmagaluru (478.92 ha) and Uttara Kannada (585.60 ha) have large areas under open forests, indicating transitional or degraded forest zones. Change in Forest Area Positive Change: Shivamogga (+34.20 ha) and Chamarajanagar (+7.01 ha) have seen significant positive changes in their forest cover. Negative Change: Kodagu (-54.47 ha) and Chikmagaluru (-13.72 ha) have experienced considerable decreases in forest area. Scrub Area High Scrub Area: Ballari (485.08 ha) and Raichur (184.91 ha) have extensive scrub areas, indicating possible deforestation or land degradation.

#dates

• eSwasthya Dham portal is now integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). ABDM, a “Central Sector Scheme” launched in September 2021 aims to create an integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. The Uttarakhand Government’s Department of Health and Family Welfare has launched a portal called eSwasthya Dham. eSwasthya Dham portal, available at https://eswasthyadham.uk.gov.in/ is a portal which helps in monitoring the Char Dham Yatra pilgrim's health parameters. The eSwasthya Dham portal provides a range of benefits to the pilgrims and one of them is the generation of ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account). Pilgrims can easily create their ABHA 14-digit number at the eSwasthya Dham portal in just 1-2 minutes. • The Expert Committee Report on Government-Run Engineering Colleges in Karnataka, constituted by Higher Education Minister Dr. M C Sudhakar, highlights the key challenges and opportunities facing these institutions. The report identifies major issues such as inadequate infrastructure, low placements, staff shortages, and non-accreditation, which have led to increased competition from private institutions. To address these, the committee recommends short-term goals like staff skill enhancement, additional courses, and student training, and long-term goals including academic and financial autonomy, centers of excellence, and revenue generation initiatives. Despite these challenges, government-run colleges have strengths like assured admissions, strategic locations, budgetary support, scholarships, and low tuition fees, and opportunities for improvement through accreditation, increasing student intake, new courses, and internal revenue generation • The draft of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, introduces a proportional representation system in ward committees, empowering all civic poll contestants to nominate one member for every 10% vote share they secure. This reform aims to make ward committees more representative and democratic. Each ward committee will consist of 20 members, including nominees through proportional representation and from local civil society organizations. Members will have voting rights, and ward committees will receive up to 50% of the increase in property tax collection compared to the previous year. Approval from ward committees is mandatory for changes in the land use plan within the ward. • The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has sanctioned seven new projects to private sector industries under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme to foster self-reliance (Aatmanirbharta) in defence and aerospace sectors. The initiative targets MSMEs and start-ups to strengthen the military industrial ecosystem. Projects include the development of simulation toolkits, unmanned aerial vehicles, remote-operated vehicles, ice detection sensors, radar signal processors, satellite-based timing systems, and smart e-textiles. The TDF scheme promotes indigenous defence technology development, with funding support and collaboration opportunities for eligible Indian entities.

NEWS – 12 JULY 2024 • Due to the Ukraine conflict affecting Moscow's ability to supply military spare parts to India, Russia will establish more joint production facilities in India to prevent supply chain delays. Both countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030 and develop a settlement system using national currencies. Russia will enhance cargo turnover with India via new routes, and nine agreements were signed, including those for joint manufacturing of military spare parts and nuclear power cooperation. The joint ventures will meet Indian military needs and support exports to friendly countries. • The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) plans to launch its longest daily services from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad and Puri using European-style, air-conditioned sleeper buses, covering approximately 1,500 km each. This expansion, driven by strong demand and private sector competition, will introduce routes beyond the current longest services to Mumbai and Shirdi (1,000 km each). KSRTC needs approvals from state road transport corporations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, and is confident of the routes' profitability. Under the Ambaari Utsav brand, KSRTC is procuring 20 multi-axle AC sleeper buses, with new buses costing Rs 1.8 crore each, to augment the fleet and meet increasing demand. The remaining 16 new AC sleeper buses will serve other routes, including Mangaluru and Hyderabad, and 20 AC seater buses will be added for routes like Tirupati and Ernakulam. • The state government appointed senior journalist Ayesha Khanum as chairperson of the Karnataka Media Academy. • Karnataka Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil announced that a delegation's recent visit to Japan and South Korea secured investments worth Rs 6,450 crore from six major companies and identified potential future investments worth Rs 25,000 crore. Confirmed investments include Rs 5,000 crore by Osaka Gas, Rs 1,000 crore by DN Solutions, and Rs 210 crore by Aoyama Seisakusho. Daiki Axis, HyVISION, and EMNI Co Ltd will jointly invest Rs 240 crore. These investments are expected to create over 1,000 jobs. Additionally, meetings were held with Renesas Electronics Corp, Toyota Motors, Samsung Electronics, and LG Energy Solutions. From 2018-19 to 2023-24, 122 projects worth Rs 4.29 lakh crore were approved, potentially creating over 3 lakh jobs, with 38 projects already implemented. Projects typically take 3-5 years for investments over Rs 500 crore and more than 5 years for investments over Rs 1,000 crore. • The bifurcation of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru (UAS-B) is imminent as an experts’ committee has recommended establishing a new integrated university of agriculture and horticulture sciences at V.C. Farm in Mandya. This new university will include districts from UAS-B and UAHS-Shivamogga. The committee, led by former UAS-B Vice-chancellor Rajendraprasad, suggests converting UAS-B into an integrated university and similarly transforming other agricultural universities in a phased manner. The Mysuru division, lacking any agricultural university, and the high demand for agricultural education justify this move. The proposed Mandya university will need ₹285.89 crore and 797 staff, with 308 already available. The committee members include experts from UAS-Dharwad and other retired officials. • People who call the police helpline 112 in Bengaluru can now track the Hoysala vehicle in real time via their phones. Police Commissioner B. Dayananda announced this initiative to enhance transparency and make policing more user-friendly. The Command Centre sends an SMS with a tracking link to callers when a Hoysala vehicle is dispatched. Callers can track the vehicle and interact with the team for clarifications. This feature, available through the Safe Connect on Karnataka State Police app, aims to improve response times and facilitate easier access to police assistance. The average response time for a Hoysala vehicle is just over eight minutes

• Salazar Pit Viper, named after Salazar Slytherin from the popular 'Harry Potter' series, has been found in Assam's Kaziranga National Park • The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has upgraded its Regional Analysis of Indian Ocean (RAIN) system to improve the health monitoring of the Indian Ocean. The new version includes sea surface height data, in addition to salinity and sea surface temperature, and utilizes observations from depths of 3 to 2,000 meters for enhanced ocean current analysis. Established in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, INCOIS provides ocean information and advisory services, including tsunami warnings and daily advisories for fisherfolk, through initiatives like the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) • Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth launched the GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme (GAINS 2024) in Kolkata on July 10, 2024. This initiative by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited promotes technological development through MSMEs and Start-Ups, aligning with 'Make in India' and 'Start-up India' policies. It aims to address shipyard challenges and enhance defence capabilities by fostering innovative solutions from Indian start-ups, supporting national self-reliance goals • The Union government announced 10% reservation for Agniveers in the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles • The Karnataka government has fixed the maximum age limit for school enrolment as six years for LKG, seven years for UKG, and eight years for class 1. Following its earlier amended order, the State government has started preparations to implement the age limit for enrolling children who have compulsory completed six years for class 1 as on June 1 from the academic year 2025-26 • With an aim to introduce cutting-edge skill programmes, bridging the gap between academia and industry, and to revolutionise higher education and skill development in the country, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) • In a breakthrough in cybersecurity, scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) have developed a new, user-friendly method to generate truly unpredictable random numbers, crucial for stronger encryption in quantum communications. This advancement, based on temporal correlations and certified by the violation of the Leggett Garg Inequality, ensures loophole-free randomness, enhancing password protection and data security by resisting brute-force attacks and preventing forgery. The method, detailed in the Physical Review Letters, generated over 900,000 random bits at a rate of nearly 4,000 bits/second, offering significant potential for secure digital interactions. • India hosts the first BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' retreat in New Delhi, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar urging the seven-member group to address regional challenges internally, especially amidst the ongoing crisis in Myanmar where the military junta faces significant setbacks from ethnic armed organizations, impacting regional stability and connectivity projects. • According to a recent report the Israeli military reportedly employed the Hannibal Directive during the October 7 attack by Hamas. It is a purported operational doctrine of using maximum force to ensure no soldiers are captured, even if it means sacrificing military and civilian lives, a media investigation has found. • An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin, Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024. he name 'Pitch Black' was derived from the emphasis on night time flying over large un-populated areas.

NEWS – 12 JULY 2024 • Due to the Ukraine conflict affecting Moscow's ability to supply military spare parts to India, Russia will establish more joint production facilities in India to prevent supply chain delays. Both countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030 and develop a settlement system using national currencies. Russia will enhance cargo turnover with India via new routes, and nine agreements were signed, including those for joint manufacturing of military spare parts and nuclear power cooperation. The joint ventures will meet Indian military needs and support exports to friendly countries. • The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) plans to launch its longest daily services from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad and Puri using European-style, air-conditioned sleeper buses, covering approximately 1,500 km each. This expansion, driven by strong demand and private sector competition, will introduce routes beyond the current longest services to Mumbai and Shirdi (1,000 km each). KSRTC needs approvals from state road transport corporations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, and is confident of the routes' profitability. Under the Ambaari Utsav brand, KSRTC is procuring 20 multi-axle AC sleeper buses, with new buses costing Rs 1.8 crore each, to augment the fleet and meet increasing demand. The remaining 16 new AC sleeper buses will serve other routes, including Mangaluru and Hyderabad, and 20 AC seater buses will be added for routes like Tirupati and Ernakulam. • The state government appointed senior journalist Ayesha Khanum as chairperson of the Karnataka Media Academy. • Karnataka Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil announced that a delegation's recent visit to Japan and South Korea secured investments worth Rs 6,450 crore from six major companies and identified potential future investments worth Rs 25,000 crore. Confirmed investments include Rs 5,000 crore by Osaka Gas, Rs 1,000 crore by DN Solutions, and Rs 210 crore by Aoyama Seisakusho. Daiki Axis, HyVISION, and EMNI Co Ltd will jointly invest Rs 240 crore. These investments are expected to create over 1,000 jobs. Additionally, meetings were held with Renesas Electronics Corp, Toyota Motors, Samsung Electronics, and LG Energy Solutions. From 2018-19 to 2023-24, 122 projects worth Rs 4.29 lakh crore were approved, potentially creating over 3 lakh jobs, with 38 projects already implemented. Projects typically take 3-5 years for investments over Rs 500 crore and more than 5 years for investments over Rs 1,000 crore. • The bifurcation of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru (UAS-B) is imminent as an experts’ committee has recommended establishing a new integrated university of agriculture and horticulture sciences at V.C. Farm in Mandya. This new university will include districts from UAS-B and UAHS-Shivamogga. The committee, led by former UAS-B Vice-chancellor Rajendraprasad, suggests converting UAS-B into an integrated university and similarly transforming other agricultural universities in a phased manner. The Mysuru division, lacking any agricultural university, and the high demand for agricultural education justify this move. The proposed Mandya university will need ₹285.89 crore and 797 staff, with 308 already available. The committee members include experts from UAS-Dharwad and other retired officials. • People who call the police helpline 112 in Bengaluru can now track the Hoysala vehicle in real time via their phones. Police Commissioner B. Dayananda announced this initiative to enhance transparency and make policing more user-friendly. The Command Centre sends an SMS with a tracking link to callers when a Hoysala vehicle is dispatched. Callers can track the vehicle and interact with the team for clarifications. This feature, available through the Safe Connect on Karnataka State Police app, aims to improve response times and facilitate easier access to police assistance. The average response time for a Hoysala vehicle is just over eight minutes

• eSwasthya Dham portal is now integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). ABDM, a “Central Sector Scheme” launched in September 2021 aims to create an integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. The Uttarakhand Government’s Department of Health and Family Welfare has launched a portal called eSwasthya Dham. eSwasthya Dham portal, available at https://eswasthyadham.uk.gov.in/ is a portal which helps in monitoring the Char Dham Yatra pilgrim's health parameters. The eSwasthya Dham portal provides a range of benefits to the pilgrims and one of them is the generation of ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account). Pilgrims can easily create their ABHA 14-digit number at the eSwasthya Dham portal in just 1-2 minutes. •