President of India appointed former Supreme Court Judge V. Ramasubramanian as NHRC chairman.

About NHRC (HQ: New Delhi)

• Genesis: Statutory body established under Protection of Human Rights (PHR) Act, 1993 and later amended by PHR (Amendment) Act 2006, further amended in 2019.
• Composition: Chairperson (CJI or Judge of SC); 5 full time members and 7 deemed members.
• Tenure of Chairperson and members: 3 years or till age of seventy years, whichever is earlier and eligible for reappointment.
• Functions: Inquire into human rights violation on its own or on a petition by a victim; Review law and procedure for protection of human rights; etc.

24th BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting held in Thailand.

About BIMSTEC

• Genesis: It is a regional organization that was established in 1997 with signing of Bangkok Declaration.
• Aim: Promotion of economic cooperation between countries bordering Bay of Bengal.
• Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• 7 Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
• First Summit in Bangkok (Thailand) in 2004.

India and ADB signed $500 million loan to aid sustainable infrastructure projects.

About ADB (HQ: Manila, Philippines)

• Genesis: Multilateral development finance institution established in 1966.
• Aim: To achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.
• Function: Assists its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.
• Members: 69 members (49 from within Asia and Pacific and 20 outside).
  • India is founding member.
• Board of Governors: Highest policy-making body, which comprises one representative from each member.

Recent incidents in Telangana have brought attention to illegal smuggling of pangolins.

About Pangolin

• They are only mammals wholly-covered in scales and use those scales to protect themselves from predators in wild.
• They eat ants, termites and larvae and are often known as the scaly anteater.
• Characteristics: Solitary, primarily nocturnal animals; long, sticky tongues that are longer than their bodies, toothless.

Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)

• One of 8 such pangolin species available worldwide.
• Found throughout country, south of Himalayas, excluding north-eastern region.
  • Chinese Pangolin ranges through Assam and eastern Himalayas.
• Protection status: Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; Appendix 1 of CITES; Endangered (IUCN).

MoRTH has expedited use of AIMC system on National Highway projects across country.

About AIMC System

• It will give real-time data on state of each project, with a survey conducted alongside work at every stage of road-building process.
• Benefits: Time efficient and reduces wastage; Enhanced performance durability and longevity; Better transparency and minimum human interventions etc.
• Under AIMC system, 
  • GPS-aided motor grader (3D machine control technology): Used for earthworks, sub-base & base layers. 
    • It will process data from Global Navigation Satellite System.
  • Intelligent compaction roller (IC roller) and Single Drum/Tandem Vibratory Roller:  Used for soil, sub-base and base layer compaction.

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti inaugurated the Climate Smart Agro-Textile Demonstration Center at Navsari (Gujarat).

• The initiative aligns with the vision of promotion of technical textiles under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).

About Agro Textiles

• Agrotextiles refers to the application of technical textile materials in the agriculture field.
  • Technical textiles are materials made primarily for their technical and performance qualities, rather than for their appearance or decoration.
• Types of Agrotextiles: Includes woven, nonwoven, and knitted fabrics for agricultural and horticultural uses.
• Use:  For protection, collection and storage of agricultural products.

Google DeepMind Unveils GenCast AI Model for Advanced Weather Forecasting.

About GenCast AI

• It is a weather forecasting model that claims better accuracy and extended forecasting range compared to existing tools.
• It uses ensemble forecasting, similar to traditional numerical weather prediction (NWP), but is powered by AI rather than simulations.
• Ensemble forecasts use a NWP model with different starting conditions to predict a range of possible weather outcomes.

Government spent Rs 900 cr to resettle Bru inhabitants in different districts of Tripura

About Bru (or Reang) Tribe 

• Indigenous to Northeast India, primarily in Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam. 
• Recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Tripura. 
• Settlement: Live in hilly regions and narrow valleys, in bamboo houses.
• Occupation: Practice Jhum cultivation.
• Belief: Follow a blend of traditional Hinduism and Animism.