NILGAI
News – 4000+ Ghodparas culled in Bihar last year due to crop damage
- Habitat: Nilgai primarily inhabit grasslands
- Diet: Herbivorous, feeding on grasses, and crops.
- Found across – India, Nepal, and Pakistan
- IUCN Status – Least Concerned
- Protected under – Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Significance – Acts as prey for predators like tigers and leopards.
- Recent Development – Bihar, have implemented sterilization programs to control their population.
RULE-267 of Rajya Sabha
News – Parties protest after Deputy Chair rejects their demand to discuss voter ID irregularities
- Purpose: Allows suspension of the day’s listed business to discuss an urgent matter of national importance.
- Procedure:
- Any member can submit a written notice to the Chairman
- The Chairman has the discretion to accept or reject
- If accepted, the House votes
- If succeeded, the matters listed are suspended
PRIVILEGE MOTION
News – Union Minister, DMK MPs spar in Lok Sabha
- About – It is a motion raised by any Member of Parliament (MP) when they believe there has been a breach of parliamentary privileges.
- Issue raised by – any member
- Parliamentary Privileges – are special rights and immunities enjoyed by MPs
- Committee of Privileges Structure:
- Lok Sabha: 15 members.
- Rajya Sabha: 10 members.
- Examines – cases of privilege breach and recommends action.
ASHA
News – Congress MPs raise issue of Kerala’s ASHAs in Lok Sabha
- ASHA – “Accredited Social Health Activists”
- About – ASHAs are trained female community health workers
- Introduced under – National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005.
- Role –
- They act as a bridge between the community and the public health system
- Create awareness about nutrition, sanitation
- Provide basic first-contact healthcare
- India currently has – 9.83 lakh ASHA workers
TUBERCULOSIS
News – ‘Over six lakh cases identified as part of TB control campaign’
- TB is an infectious disease.
- It primarily affects the lungs but can also impact other parts of the body.
- Caused by – Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (Bacteria)
- Symptoms:
- Persistent cough with blood
- Fever and night sweats.
- Weight loss and fatigue
- Transmission-
- Spread through the air, coughs, sneezes.
- Vaccine – BCG vaccine
- India accounts for – about 28% of global TB cases
SHORT-SELLING
News – SEBI may rejig short-selling norms
- Short selling is a financial concept
- About– It is a trading strategy where:
- An investor borrows shares of a stock,
- Sells them at the current market price,
- Later buys them back at a lower price to return to the lender
- Thus, profiting from the price difference.
- Regulated by – Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
- Short selling is – allowed only through stock exchanges
MCQs
1. What is the nature of Nilgai?
A. Carnivorous
B. Herbivorous
C. Omnivorous
D. None of the Above
2. IUCN Status of Nilgai is?
A. Critically Endangered
B. Endangered
C. Vulnerable
D. Least Concern
3. Privilege motion can be moved by whom?
A. Any member of Parliament
B. Only Ministers
C. Only Speaker or Chairman
D. President
4. Name the Vaccine of Tuberculosis?
A. Covaxine
B. BCG Vaccine
C. Mosqurix Vaccine
D. HPV Vaccine
5. Tuberculosis is caused by?
A. Animals
B. Fungus
C. Bacteria
D. Virus