The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the creation of five new districts in Union Territory of Ladakh.

• These districts are Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang.
  • Currently, Ladakh has only two districts: Leh and Kargil.

How Are Districts Created?

• State government has the power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing ones in states. 
  • Changes can be made by passing an executive order or a law in state assembly.

A surge in Leptospirosis cases has affected almost all districts in Kerala.

About Leptospirosis

• Infectious disease caused by pathogenic bacteria called Leptospires that are transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans. Thus, it is a Zoonotic Disease.
• Bacteria enter body through cuts or abrasions on skin.
• Human-to-human transmission occurs very rarely.
• Most common in tropical and subtropical areas with high rainfall.
• Initiative taken to control: Programme for Prevention and Control of leptospirosis by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Environmental scientists raised concern in a new study on high frequency of mass wasting events in Sedongpu Gully of Tibetan Plateau since 2017.

About Mass wasting

• A geological event, mass wasting is the gravity-influenced movement of rock and soil down a slope.
  • Rapid earth movements triggered by rain or seismic activity E.g., Rock falls, slumps, and debris flows.

About  Sedongpu Gully

• Located in Tibetan Plateau near Arunachal Pradesh Border.
• It’s found in catchment of the Sedongpu glacier and its valley. 
• It drains into Yarlung Zangbo or Tsangpo river.

Reserve Bank of India to launch ULI.

About ULI

• It is a technology platform which would enable frictionless credit. 
• It will facilitate a seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including land records of various states, from multiple data service providers to lenders. 
• It will have a common and standardised Application Programming Interface designed for a ‘plug and play’ approach.

Benefits of ULI

• Enables borrowers to get benefit of seamless delivery of credit, quicker turnaround time without requiring extensive documentation.
• Addresses credit demand gaps for agriculture and MSME sectors.

Assam allows for oil and gas exploration in Hollongapar Gibbon wildlife sanctuary.

About Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary (Jorhat, Assam)

• Contains India’s only gibbons (hoolock gibbons), and North-eastern India’s only nocturnal primate (Bengal slow loris).
• Only sanctuary in India to be named after gibbons as it contains largest density of gibbons.

About Hoolock Gibbon

• Only ape found in India (in northeast).
• Western hoolock gibbon: Found in all states of north-east, restricted between south of Brahmaputra river and east of Dibang river; Eastern Bangladesh and north-west Myanmar.
  • IUCN Status: Endangered.
  • Schedule 1 of WPA, 1972.
• Eastern hoolock gibbon: Specific pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India, and southern China and north-east Myanmar. 
  • IUCN Status: Vulnerable.

As per TRAI, there are 2,07,642 deployed PM-WANI Wi-Fi hotspots in country as on 22.07.2024, far short of 10 million public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2022 and 50 million by 2030.

About PM- WANI

• Launched by Department of Telecommunication in 2020.
• Aims to enhance the proliferation of public WiFi hotspots to create robust digital communications infrastructure in country, especially in rural areas.
• Encourages local shops and establishment to provide Wi-Fi for last-mile internet delivery which does not require a licence or charge a registration fee.
• Consists of four parts: Public Data Office, Public Data Office Aggregator, App Provider, and Central Registry.

Measures are being taken for cleaning siltation of critically silted Wular Lake.

About Wular Lake: 

• Largest freshwater lake in India and second largest freshwater lake in Asia situated on foothills of Haramuk Mountain (J&K).
  • Main source of water is River Jhelum. 
• Zain Lank: Small island in lake constructed by King Zainul-Abi-Din.
• Ramsar Site: It was designated as Wetland of International Importance under Ramsar Convention.
• Site for migratory waterfowl species:  Little Egzet , Cattle Egzet , Common Pochard etc.
• Major problems:
  • Pollution from fertilizers, animals & human wastes, conversion of vast catchment into agriculture land and hunting pressure on waterfowl and migratory birds.

As per the Ministry of Law and Justice, only 0.11% of cases were resolved through plea bargaining in 2022.

About Plea Bargaining:

• It is an agreement between defense and prosecution where accused pleads guilty for a lesser offense or a reduced sentence.
• Introduced in 2006 as part of a set of amendments to CrPC.
• In section 290 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, plea bargaining has been made time bound and application can be made within 30 days from date of framing of charge.
• Application: Applies only to offenses punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment, with further restrictions excluding cases involving crimes against women, children, or socio-economic offenses.