President conferred Kirti Chakras and Shaurya Chakras to the personnel of the Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and State/UT Police.

• Awards were given for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty. 

Gallantry awards 

• Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted on 26th January 1950. 
• Later on 3 more awards were instituted. 
  • Param Vir Chakra, Ashoka Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra, Shaurya Chakra (in order of precedence)
• Awards are announced on Republic Day and Independence Day.

Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and TransUnion CIBIL has launched SEHER Program.

• WEP is a public-private partnership platform incubated at NITI Aayog aiming at empowering women entrepreneurs. 

About SEHER Program

• It is a credit education program which will help women entrepreneurs to access financial tools for business growth with financial literacy content and business skills.
• Program is part of WEP’s Financing Women Collaborative (FWC), a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at accelerating access to finance for women entrepreneurs. 
• Presently, only 7% of overall outstanding loans to MSMEs are to women-led businesses, signifying the need for improving credit access to women entrepreneurs. 

Thazhakara panchayat in Kerala recently published their updated PBR.

About PBR 

• Statutory recognition: The Biological Diversity Act (2002) mandates Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) to prepare PBR in consultation with local people
• Purpose: To document and safeguard bio-resources and associated knowledge.
• Information in PBR: 
  • Availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use. 
  • Any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
• Relevance: 
  • Supports claims of local ownership of biodiversity & traditional knowledge. 
  • Helps sustainable resource management. 

Government makes Indian Standards Institution (ISI) mark mandatory for stainless steel and aluminium kitchen utensils through a Quality Control Order.

• ISI Mark is developed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), assuring of product quality and safety. 

About BIS

• BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act, 2016. 
• It aims at harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods. 
• Other BIS Standards:
  • Hallmark: Official guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles. 
  • Eco Mark: Labelling of environment friendly products.

Residents of coastal Ernakulam (Kerala) protest the lack of effective measures towards mitigating coastal erosion, and incomplete erection of sea groynes to protect the coast.

Groynes:

• They are shore protection structures built perpendicular to the shoreline of coast or river.
• Groynes trap sediments from longshore drift so that the coast behind the sand layer is protected from erosion.
• Rock, wood, steel and sand-filled bags are often used for constructing groynes. 
• Functions: Reduced erosion, greater wave energy dissipation and long-term stabilization of coastlines.
• Other methods of coastal protection: Seawalls with tetrapods (Mumbai), Offshore Reefs, Breakwater, Beach Nourishments etc. 

Researchers from Zoological Survey of India has recorded a new species of forest-dwelling horned frog (Xenophrys Apatani) from Talle Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh.

• Discovery adds significantly to India’s herpetofaunal (group of organisms that includes both amphibians and reptiles) diversity.

About Xenophrys Apatani

• It has been named after the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Features:
  • Leaf-litter dwelling frog, known for living amongst tea leaves.
  • Have small horns and is dark brown in colour.
• Xenophrys species: Biogeographic distribution in India is concentrated along the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots. 

'Abhaya mudra' was referred to by the Leader of Opposition in his speech. 

About Abhaya Mudra

• Symbol of fearlessness
• It is displayed by the fifth Dhyani Buddha, Amoghasiddhi and the posture used by Buddha to tame a mad elephant

Other Mudras associated with Buddha and their meaning 

• Bhumisparsha: Calling the earth to witness. It is in this posture that Shakyamuni (or Buddha) overcame the obstructions of Mara while meditating on Truth.
• Dhyana Mudra: Mudra of meditation. It indicates the perfect balance of thought, rest of the senses, and tranquillity.
• Dharmachakrapravartana (turning the wheel): Represents preaching of the dhamma. 

Ministry of Science and Technology launched Indo-French Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN) in collaboration with Government of France. 

About InFLiMeN

• It is a joint research programme that aims to foster scientific exchanges and enhance joint research projects to tackle health challenges associated with liver and metabolic disorders. 
• It has been established at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi.
• Significance: Every third Indian has fatty liver, which predates Type 2 Diabetes and other metabolic disorders. InFLiMeN aims to address issues related to Fatty Liver Disease.