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Posted 04 May 2024

8 min read

World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2024

India ranked 159 among 180 countries in annual WPFI 2024.
- It is released by Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), one of the world’s leading NGOs in defense and promotion of freedom of information.
- It is published on World Press Freedom Day (3 May).
- Theme: “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis”.

About WPFI 2024
- Top 3 rankers are Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
- Based on 5 indicators- Political, Economic, Legislative, Social and Security.

Centre has appointed retired Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra as President of GSTAT.

About GSTAT
- It is a Second Appellate Authority established under Central GST (CGST) Act, 2017 for hearing appeals against orders passed by Appellate Authority under CGST Act, 2017 and State GST Acts.
- It ensures uniformity in redressal of disputes arising under GST.
- It consists of a Principal Bench (New Delhi) and various State Benches.
- Principal Bench shall be presided over by President and shall consist of two Technical Members (one each from Centre and State).

Registered Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) domiciled at the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) have been allowed to issue participatory notes (p-notes).
About P-notes: They are issued by registered foreign FPIs to overseas investors to invest in the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly.
- P-Notes act like a substitute for underlying Indian company shares.

Benefits:
- Avoids the hassle of registering with SEBI and offers anonymity.
- More choices for investors for investing in Indian stocks.
Challenge: lack of transparency, uncontrolled money in Indian stock, etc.

An NGO has embarked on an ambitious project to build 10,000 percolation wells across Bengaluru by 2026.

About Percolating Wells
- They are earthen dams padded with concrete rings inside and filled with gravel.
- Mechanism: Rain falls into percolation well, water leaks into soil in multiple layers and it goes down to the ground and natural aquifers get activated.
  - An aquifer is a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater.
- Significance: Improve groundwater levels and Prevents flooding.

Other Water Harvesting Structures
- Kund or Tanka (Rajasthan);
- Pat (Madhya Pradesh);
- Eri (Tamilnadu), etc.

A new species of marine tardigrade discovered from the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu is named Batillipes chandrayaani after Chandrayaan-3 moon mission.

About Batillipes chandrayaani
- Third marine tardigrade species to have been scientifically described from the Indian waters.
- It has a trapezoid-shaped head and four pairs of legs with sharp-tipped sensory spines.

About Tardigrade
- They are near-microscopic aquatic animals with plump, segmented bodies and flattened heads.
- Also known as ‘water bears’, they are among the hardiest animals.
- Marine Tardigrade account for 17% of all known tardigrade species.

Recently, China announced successfully launching of more than 8 metric ton Chang'e-6 lunar probe.

About Chang'e-6
- Aims to bring back 2 kilograms of samples from the far side of the moon, which humans have never done before.
  - China sampled from the near side of the moon in 2020 with the Chang'e-5 mission.
- It is expected to make a soft landing in the South Pole of the moon i.e Aitken Basin.
- It included the ICUBE-Q orbiter, a cubesat developed by Pakistan.
- CubeSats are miniature satellites typically characterized by their small size and standardized design.

Delhi High Court orders police action against oxytocin use on cattle in city dairies.

About Oxytocin
- It is a hormone secreted by the pituitary glands of mammals during sex, childbirth, lactation or social bonding.
- It helps new mothers from excessively bleeding after giving birth.
- It is misused on milch cattle to increase yield.
- It is regulated under Section 26 A of Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.
- Administering Oxytocin is considered animal cruelty and is punishable under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Inscriptions found at Sri Madhava Perumal Temple, which has largely remained submerged by Bhavanisagar dam, revealed a 1000 years old trade route.
- The route connected the Kongu region in western Tamil Nadu with southern Karnataka and Kerala by crossing the River Bhavani and River Moyar.
In 1338, Veera Siddha Keththaya Dhandanayaka constructed the Sri Madhava Perumal Temple.
Temple is dedicated to Thondreeshwaramudiayar (Lord Shiva).
- The area came under the Hoysala rulers.