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1. Identify this State where researchers have found the Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) Maveli/Mahabali.
Kerala. Purple frog lives almost its entire life in underground tunnels, comes out to the surface for a single day in a year to breed and lays its eggs, and returns to the earth’s deepest layers. It is listed as endangered on the red list of the IUCN. It could soon be designated as Kerala’s state amphibian. The bloated frog is characterised by a protruding snout and powerful hind legs. Mahabali, or Maveli, was a mythological king who ruled over the region of Kerala. The frog is compared with the Maveli due to their similar characteristics.
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2. Identify this State where Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve is located.
Andhra Pradesh. Seshachalam hills, the first Biosphere Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, is located in southern Eastern Ghats of Chittoor and Kadapa districts. It was designated as Biosphere Reserves of India in 2010. It is the richest floristic hot spot harboring many endemic and rare plants.
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3. Identify this State where Mount Thinchinkhang is located.
Sikkim. Mount Thinchinkhang is situated in Western Sikkim and falls under Khangchendzonga National Park which is a window to natural beauty, bio-diversity, sacred lakes and snow-capped Mountains. It is a National Park and a Biosphere Reserve located in Sikkim, India. It was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first
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4. Identify this State which recently became the first Indian State to issue Masala Bond.
Kerala. Recently, the state-owned Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) debuted its ‘masala bond’ issue of Rs. 2,150 crore on the London Stock Exchange. After this, KIIFB became the first sub-sovereign entity in India to tap the offshore rupee international bond market. The bond issue builds on the Kerala government’s focus to get multinational corporations to invest in the state, which has traditionally been known for its unfriendly business policies, bureaucratic delays and recurrent industrial strikes.
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5. Identify this State where Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex is located.
Telangana. The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has given the go-ahead for the development of 54 row houses in the regulated zone of the 500-year-old Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex in Hyderabad (Telangana), with the caveat that colour scheme should match with that of the monuments. Department of Heritage, Telangana, raised multiple concerns citing Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act against the issue of no-objection certificate to the builder.
