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1. Locate the peak in the Western Ghat which is considered to be named after one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas?
Agasthya Hills (Kerala). Agasthya hill is a 1,868-metre tall peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. The peak lies on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This peak is a part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. The peak is named after Hindu sage Agastya, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. It is a pilgrimage centre for devotees. The Thamirabarani River is a perennial river which originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
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2. Identify the Indian State which has started the ‘Medicine from the sky’ initiative?
Telangana. Recently, the Telangana government has selected 16 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) for pilot testing the ambitious ‘Medicine from the sky’, the first-of- its-kind project. The project involves delivery of medicines through multiple drones. Telangana government, World Economic Forum and HealthNet Global.
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3. The ‘HakkiPikki’ tribe recently seen in the news is found in which Indian State?
Karnataka. The HakkiPikki tribes are semi nomadic tribal people, have four clans namely the Gujrathioa, Kaliwala, Mewara and Panwara. They speak many south Indian languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam along with Vagribooli which is similar to Guajarati. The HakkiPikki, meaning ‘bird catchers’ in Kannada. It is a Scheduled Tribe in Karnataka. The origin of HakkiPikki tribal communities has a rich history and is said to be an ancestral relation with the legendary Ranapratap Singh. The HakkiPikki tribal community are a Kshatriya or warrior tribal community who had to migrate to southern India after their defeat with Mughal kings.
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4. Locate the Nation Park in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain which is home of the world's most one-horned rhinos and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985?
Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga National Park is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha). It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain. It was declared as a National Park in 1974. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. It is the home of the world's most one-horned rhinos. National Highway 37 passes through the park area. The park also has more than 250 seasonal water bodies, besides the Diphlu River running through it.
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5. Identify the ‘fault zone’ where a powerful earthquake was recently reported in North-East India?
Kopili Fault Zone (Assam). Recently, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale jolted Assam and other parts of Northeast. According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) report, the tremors have been attributed to Kopili Fault zone closer to Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT). The Kopili fault zone is a 300 km long and 50 km wide lineament (linear feature) extending from the western part of Manipur up to the tri-junction of Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The area is seismically very active falling in the highest Seismic Hazard zone V associated with collisional tectonics where Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.
