Important Facts for Prelims (6th August 2018) | 06 Aug 2018

Andhra Pradesh has emerged the front-runner in the field of energy efficiency according to the States’ Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index (SEEPI) released by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and NITI Aayog.
The World Bank has already ranked A.P. No. 1 in Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness, followed by Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
Andhra Pradesh is ahead of other States in the race to the top by performing exceedingly well on the energy efficiency front in municipalities and agriculture in demand-side management and domestic/buildings sector.

1,125 endangered Indian Star Tortoises (Geochelone elegans), which were meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh, were seized on board a train at the city railway station.
Indian Star Tortoises are categorised as ‘Vulnerable’ in the red list of endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The species are also listed in the Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and are prohibited from export under the Foreign Trade Policy.
The species are liable for confiscation under the Customs Act, 1962.
Indian Star Tortoises are found in three broad areas of geographic occurrence: northwestern India (Gujarat, Rajasthan) and adjoining southeastern Pakistan; eastern and southern areas from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and eastern Karnataka to Odisha (Orissa); and throughout Sri Lanka.
The illegal wildlife trade of the species is done to meet the increasing international demand for use as ‘exotic pets’.