Mining Licenses and Auctions

Mines and Minerals Bill 2023

• The Bill allows for auctioning of mining leases and composite licenses for critical minerals.
• The Central government can conduct auctions for composite licenses and mining leases specifically for critical and strategic minerals.
• Six atomic minerals are no longer reserved exclusively for government entities.
• The Bill overturns the Act's prohibition on certain exploration activities like pitting, trenching, drilling, and sub-surface excavation.
• The Bill introduces a new exploration license aimed at promoting reconnaissance-level and prospective-stage exploration by private players.
• The maximum exploration area is 1,000 square kilometers under a single exploration license.

ECOWAS

• ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) has been active in the crisis in Niger, where a military coup ousted the president.

Matti Banana

• There are different types of Matti Banana, including Nal Matti, Theyn Matti, Kal Matti, Nei Matti, and Sundari Matti.
• Nal Matti has a yellowish-orange color and fine aroma.
• Theyn Matti's pulp tastes like honey.
• Kal Matti gets its name from the calcium oxalate crystals forming in its pulp and black dots on the skin.
• Nei Matti exudes the aroma of ghee.

Maitri Setu

• Maitri Setu is a bridge built over the Feni River, which flows between the Indian boundary in Tripura and Bangladesh.
• The bridge spans 1.9 kilometers, joining Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in Bangladesh.
• The name 'Maitri Setu' symbolizes growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between India and Bangladesh.

Feni River

• The Feni River forms part of the India-Bangladesh border.
• It originates in the South Tripura district, passes through Sabroom town on the Indian side, and meets the Bay of Bengal after flowing into Bangladesh.

Sulina Channel

• The Sulina Channel is an alternative passage for Ukraine's grain trade after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal.
• The channel is a distributary of the Danube River, connecting major Ukrainian ports to the Black Sea within Romania's borders.

Danube River

• The Danube River is the second longest in Europe after the Volga.
• It originates in the Black Forest region of Germany and passes through several countries before emptying into the Black Sea.
• The Danube River passes through or forms the border of ten countries.

Elephant Habitat and Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation

• An initiative to plant 25,000 saplings of native trees aims to secure an elephant habitat and mitigate human-elephant conflicts in the Udalguri district bordering Bhutan.
• Several native species of trees are being planted, including Amla, Bel, Gamhari, Jamun, Bhumura, and Arjun, which are important for the elephants' diet.

Minor Irrigation (MI) Schemes

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has released the 6th census report on Minor Irrigation (MI) schemes.
• MI schemes are defined as those structures having a culturable command area of up to 2,000 hectares.
• There are 23.14 million MI schemes, with 94.8% being groundwater schemes.
• Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of MI schemes, followed by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Botanical Survey of India

• The Botanical Survey of India is the apex taxonomic research organization of India.
• It works under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India.
• The organization was established on 13th February 1890 under the direction of Sir George King.

Rubber Crisis

• Rubber is made from the latex of a tree called Hevea Brasiliensis.
• Rubber is a strategic industrial raw material and has special status globally for defense, national security, and industrial development.
• Commercial rubber plantations are grown in tropical and subtropical areas with a temperature above 25°C, high rainfall, and well-drained alluvial soil.

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso Mutual Defence Pact

• The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed a mutual defense pact.
• The Liptako-Gourma Charter establishes the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), aiming to establish an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance.
• The charter binds the signatories to assist one another, including militarily, in the event of an attack on any one of them.