World Meteorological Organization launched the PCAPS project to improve weather forecasting in Arctic and Antarctic.

About PCAPS

• Objective: To increase and improve weather, water, ice, and climate information about the Arctic and Antarctic.
• It will help develop observation systems and Earth system models and advocate for improved forecasting services.
• PCAPS is part of WMO's World Weather Research Programme (WWRP).

WMO’s WWRP

• Key Objectives: 
  • Advance research of the earth system through the science-for-services value cycle approach
  • Improve the warning process to account for the evolving nature of extreme weather impacts.

A new flowering plant from Ceropegia genus called Ceropegia Shivrayiana has been discovered in Vishalgad area of Kolhapur.

• Plant has been named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

About Ceropegia Shivrayiana

• Rare plant endemic to India and has unique, tubular flowers that attract moths. 
• Habitat: rocky places & can survive in soil with few nutrients. 
• Family: Asclepiadaceae family, which includes many medicinal plants.
• Similarity: species is similar to Ceropegia lawii Hooker f., but differs in having a climbing habit, hairy peduncles etc.
• Threat: Habitat loss

Army is carrying out 'Parvat Prahaar' exercise in Ladakh, focusing on high-altitude warfare and operations.

• It involves various military units and equipment to maintain readiness near the India-China border.

Cabinet approved the CPP under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). 

• MIDH is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Ministry of Agriculture for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, etc. 

About CPP

• Purpose: Provide farmers access to virus-free, high-quality planting material, leading to increased crop yields.
• Components 
  • Nine world-class state-of-the-art Clean Plant Centers (CPCs)
  • Robust certification system under the Seeds Act 1966. 
  • Enhanced Infrastructure (support to large-scale nurseries)
• Implementing Agencies: National Horticulture Board in association with ICAR.

Russia declared emergency in Kursk region. 

About Kursk Region

• It is located in the central part of the Eastern European Plain and borders Ukraine. 
• The basins of the Dnieper (Seim, Psel) and Don rivers are located on its territory. 
• The main type of soil is chernozem.
• It has prospected deposits of iron ore, phosphorites, peat, and building materials. 

RBI announced measures for the Continuous Clearing of cheques under CTS.

• Once implemented cheques would be cleared within hours of submission instead of two days taken currently (T+1).

About CTS

• It is an online image-based cheque clearing system that eliminates the physical cheque movement. 
• In this, cheque images and MICR data are processed electronically.
  • Magnetic ink character recognition line (MICR) involves the use of magnetic ink and special characters to process and verify the legitimacy of cheques.
• NPCI acts as a Cheque Processing Centre (CPC) 
• Safety and security is ensured by end-to-end Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

RBI increased UPI limit from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh per transaction.

About UPI

• UPI is an instant real-time payment system (24*7 and 365 days). 
• It is developed by NPCI to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.
• It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collection request. 
• UPI user base has reached 42.4 crore (RBI).

Nagaland became 1st State to adopt the DRTPS after signing a MoU with SBI General Insurance.

About DRTPS

• Objective: To protect critical infrastructure and reduce economic losses resulting from extreme weather events.
• Tenure: Insurance premium paid by Nagaland Government will cover costs in case a disaster happens in 3 years (2024-27).
• Significance: Financial resilience & safe livelihood in (Amidst rising frequency of extreme weather events).
• Parametric Insurance: 
  • Type of insurance that covers probability of a loss-causing event  E.g. Natural Disaster
  • It provides a predefined payout upon occurrence of a covered event.