14 Aug 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

Hanle Wetland

Indian Geography | High-altitude wetland | Ladakh

WHY IN NEWS: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has sterilised over 2,950 dogs to protect Black-necked Cranes and other wildlife in Hanle Wetland and Tso Kar in Ladakh.

IN ONE LINE: Hanle is a high-altitude wetland in eastern Ladakh's cold desert, within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and developed along the Hanle River.

Where is Hanle Wetland?

• It is a high-altitude wetland ecosystem in the cold desert region of Ladakh.

• It is situated near Hanle village in eastern Ladakh, close to the India-China border.

• Hanle Valley falls within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.

• The wetland developed along the Hanle River.

What does the wetland look like?

• It includes fast-flowing streams, stagnant pools, saline marshes, seasonally flooded marshes and bogs.

• The wetlands remain frozen from November to April.

• During summer, they are primarily fed by snowmelt.

Vegetation

• The landscape is dominated by marshes, grasslands and alpine steppes.

• Important plants include Krascheninnikovia ceratoides (Gyab-shen) and other hardy grasses and forbs.

• Freshwater pools support aquatic plants such as Hydrilla, Myriophyllum and Potamogeton, along with edible aquatic lichens.

Why is Hanle important for wildlife?

• It is an important habitat for the Black-necked Crane, listed in the source as Endangered.

• Other fauna include Pallas's Cat and Tibetan Gazelle.

• The wetland also supports small burrowing mammals such as marmots and pikas.

MEMORY LOCK: Hanle = eastern Ladakh | cold desert | Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary | Hanle River | frozen Nov-Apr | snowmelt-fed | Black-necked Crane | Pallas's Cat | Tibetan Gazelle

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Hanle Wetland lies within which protected area?

2. Which river is associated with Hanle Wetland?

3. Name three notable fauna associated with the wetland.

Prakriti Gyan Dham

Science outreach | Environmental education | CSIR-NBRI

WHY IN NEWS: The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology dedicated Prakriti Gyan Dham, described in the source as India's first-of-its-kind eco-educational hub.

IN ONE LINE: Prakriti Gyan Dham is an eco-educational hub developed by CSIR-NBRI to connect scientific knowledge with public engagement through experiential and interactive learning.

What is the purpose?

• It has been developed by the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI).

• It aims to create a direct connection between scientific knowledge and public engagement.

• The hub uses experiential and interactive learning.

• Its purpose is to make environmental education, biodiversity awareness and scientific understanding more accessible to students, researchers and the general public.

PAaVan Path

• PAaVan stands for Plants and Associated Vegetations for Appreciating Nature.

• It is an interpretive heritage trail inside the eco-educational hub.

• The trail guides visitors through curated plant collections representing different ecological regions and vegetation types.

• It helps visitors understand plant diversity and ecological relationships across habitats.

Vibhav Enclave

• Vibhav Enclave is the Threatened Plants of India Garden.

• It provides a dedicated space for conservation and display of rare, endangered and threatened plant species found in India.

• It promotes awareness about biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, climate change and the need to conserve plant genetic resources.

Bhairav Enclave

• Bhairav Enclave is the State Plants of India Garden.

• It brings together officially designated State Plants of various States and Union Territories.

• The garden highlights their ecological, cultural and symbolic significance.

• It also helps visitors understand India's regional floral diversity and botanical heritage.

MEMORY LOCK: Prakriti Gyan Dham = CSIR-NBRI | eco-education | PAaVan Path = ecological plant trail | Vibhav = Threatened Plants of India | Bhairav = State Plants of India

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Which institution developed Prakriti Gyan Dham?

2. Expand PAaVan and state its purpose.

3. Differentiate Vibhav Enclave from Bhairav Enclave.

Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme

Foreign Trade | Export promotion | DGFT

WHY IN NEWS: The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) removed the requirement of submitting physical duty-payment challans while applying for Export Obligation Discharge Certificates (EODC) under the Advance Authorisation and EPCG Schemes.

IN ONE LINE: The EPCG Scheme allows duty-free import of capital goods used to produce export goods and services, subject to fulfilment of a prescribed export obligation.

What is the EPCG Scheme?

• It is a trade-promotion scheme implemented by the Government of India.

• It allows the duty-free import of capital goods for the production of goods and services meant for export.

• The scheme was first operationalised on 1 April 2015.

• It is administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

• It is governed by the provisions of India's Foreign Trade Policy (FTP).

What does it seek to achieve?

• Facilitate import of capital goods required for producing quality goods and services.

• Improve India's manufacturing competitiveness.

• Strengthen export performance.

Key features

• Capital goods may be imported at zero customs duty.

• Imported capital goods can be used in pre-production, production and post-production activities.

• The scheme covers manufacturer exporters, with or without supporting manufacturers.

• Merchant exporters tied to supporting manufacturers are also covered.

• Service providers engaged in export-oriented activities are eligible.

• Importers must fulfil a specified export obligation within a prescribed period.

• Second-hand capital goods are not permitted under the scheme.

MEMORY LOCK: EPCG = duty-free capital-goods import | exports | DGFT | Foreign Trade Policy | zero customs duty | pre/production/post-production | export obligation | no second-hand capital goods

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Who administers the EPCG Scheme?

2. What is the central benefit offered under EPCG?

3. Which major obligation must an importer fulfil under the scheme?

Pteris madhusoodananii

Biodiversity | New species | Eastern Ghats

WHY IN NEWS: Indian botanists discovered a rare new fern species, Pteris madhusoodananii, in the Kolli Hills of the Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu.

IN ONE LINE: Pteris madhusoodananii is a newly discovered fern known only from two small locations covering about 8 sq km in the Kolli Hills and is classified in the source as Critically Endangered.

Where was it found?

• The species was discovered in the Kolli Hills of the Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu.

• At present, it is known from only two small locations.

• Its known distribution covers an area of about 8 square kilometres.

• Because of its extremely restricted distribution and the threat of human encroachment, it has been classified as Critically Endangered.

How can it be identified?

• It has stiff, leathery leaves with a glossy deep-green appearance.

• A prominent lobe occurs at the base of the lower leaf segments, helping distinguish it from related species.

• It shows a distinctive pinna-pinnule arrangement, with smaller leaflets arranged along the stem in a unique pattern.

• Its spores contain a narrow, wavy-edged cingulum - a microscopic feature differentiating it from closely related fern species.

MEMORY LOCK: Pteris madhusoodananii | fern | Kolli Hills | Eastern Ghats | Tamil Nadu | only 2 locations | ~8 sq km | Critically Endangered | leathery glossy leaves | wavy-edged cingulu

CHECK YOUR RECALL

1. Where was Pteris madhusoodananii discovered?

2. Why has the species been classified as Critically Endangered?

3. Name two distinguishing morphological or microscopic features.