A new species of gecko (lizards) belonging to the genus Hemidactylus was recently discovered from Mahendragiri hills in Andhra-Odisha border.
It is the second gecko to be found endemic to the Eastern Ghats area.
The first one “House Lizard” was discovered from Kanger Ghati National Park in Chattisgarh.
Scientists discovered that Mahendragiri geckos were not a population of geckos found in Western Ghats in Maharashtra and it is the latest addition to the species list of the Eastern Ghats.
The lizard is the 32nd species of Hemidactylus gecko found in India.
The discovery highlights the biodiversity importance of the region.
For the last 70 years, it did not get its rightful place in the classification scheme.
Mamallapuram Stone Sculptures
The hand-crafted stone sculptures of Mamallapuram have been recently granted the Geographical Indications (GI) tag.
The exquisite rock-sculpting techniques exhibited in Mamallapuram date back to early 7th century CE.
The Pallava dynasty, which ruled the area between 6 and 9th centuries A.D., is responsible for the development of port town as a centre of art and architecture.
Mahendravarman (AD 580-630), his son Narasimhavarman I Mamalla (AD 630-668), Paramesvaravarman (A.D. 672-700) and Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha (A.D. 700-728) had contributed the most of sculptures.
Mamallapuram was named after the king Narasimhavarma Pallava, who was also known as Mamallan (great wrestler).
Sculptors use blue metal for stone sculptors instead of granite which has high density and very costly.
GI tags
Tamil Nadu is first among the states in India with regard to the number of GI tags for its products, while Uttar Pradesh comes second.
Darjeeling Tea was the first Indian product to get a Geographic Indication in the early 2000s.
Tamil Nadu has submitted 50 products of which 24 have been approved by the registry.
The most famous among these is the Kanchipuram silk.
Coimbatore wet grinder, artisans of Vadasery in Nagercoil who make dazzling jewellery of a unique kind for temples, Tanjavur Dancing Doll are some of the products that have obtained the GI certificate.
Neelakurinji Reserve
The reserve is located in Munnar in Idukki district of Kerala.
The government has decided to redraw the boundaries of the Neelakurinji reserve.
The government had issued a preliminary notification in 2006 reserving a 3,200-hectare area for Neelakurinji bloom.
It blooms once in 12 years and it is expected to bloom in July, 2018.
The notification had triggered an outcry from the local community citing the presence of habitations, institutions, and places of worship within the notified area.
UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) mobile app allow citizens to access government services on a single platform.
The services live on the app include Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) among others.
It is expected to provide access to over 1,200 services of various government organisations in states and at the Centre as well as utility payments.
Using the app, citizens will be able to access Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) services, apply for a new PAN, and can register under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
International Gita Mahotsava – 2017
The International Gita Mahotsava-2017 was recently organized in Kurukshetra, Haryana.
It was inaugurated by the President of India.
The mahotsav which will conclude on December 3 will have Mauritius as partner country and Uttar Pradesh as partner state.
