About National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC):

• It is a specialised organization set up by the Government of India to promote the growth and development of the Indian film industry.
• Founded in 1975, NFDC operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
• Headquarters: Mumbai,
• Its primary goal is to plan, promote, and organize an integrated and efficient development of the Indian film industry, fostering excellence in cinema.
• In 1980, Film Finance Corporation and Indian Motion Picture Export Corporation were merged with NFDC.
• In 2022, the Government merged four film media units with the NFDC:
  • Films Division
  • Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF)
  • National Film Archive of India (NFAI)
  • Children's Film Society, India (CFSI)
• NFDC’s contributions span various aspects of the film industry, including financing, production, and distribution.
• The corporation has funded and produced over 300 films in multiple Indian languages, many of which have received national and international acclaim.
  • These films often address socially relevant themes and showcase the artistic talents of Indian filmmakers.
• In addition to its production and financing activities, NFDC is committed to promoting skill development in the media and entertainment sector.
  • The corporation offers training programs for aspiring filmmakers, technicians, and other industry professionals, ensuring that the Indian film industry remains competitive on a global scale.
• Furthermore, NFDC is dedicated to preserving and promoting India’s cinematic heritage.
  • The corporation manages the National Museum of Indian Cinema, which showcases the history and evolution of Indian cinema through various exhibits and interactive displays.
• NFDC organizes Film Bazaar India, a co-production and distribution market for the South Asian region alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.

Key Facts about International Film Festival of India (IFFI):

• The IFFI, founded in 1952, is Asia’s oldest international film festival.
• Its goal is to provide a single platform for ambitious filmmakers, cineastes, and industry professionals to have access to excellent cinema from across the world.
• The first edition of the event was held in Mumbai, which in the subsequent years moved to Calcutta, Delhi, Madras, and Trivandrum.
• Since its third edition, the event has become competitive.
• Since 2004, IFFI has moved to its permanent venue in Goa.
• It is jointly organized each year by the NFDC, in collaboration with the State Government of Goa and the Indian Film Industry.
• It is the only film festival in South Asia that is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers and Associations (FIAPF) as a competitive feature film festival.

About Caridina sharmai:

• It is a new species of freshwater shrimp.
• It was discovered in the upper reaches of the River Gomti (tributary of the Ganges) in the Lucknow region of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is distinguished by several unique physical characteristics that set it apart from its closest relatives, such as Caridina jalihali and Caridina mathiassi.
  • Unlike many of its cousins, this new shrimp lacks a median spine on its tail (the telson) and possesses a deep, distinctive hollow or excavation on the joints of its front legs.
  • These legs are also equipped with long, brush-like hairs that the shrimp uses to scrape algae from aquatic plants and filter food from the water.
  • In the wild, these shrimps appear dark brown or black with yellowish-grey stripes, allowing them to blend into the shadows of the riverbed.
  • The researchers observed that when kept in aquariums, the shrimp’s colour gradually fades until the creature becomes almost entirely transparent.
  • They are described as calm, social animals that prefer to live in groups, clinging to underwater vegetation.

About Gobind Sagar Lake:

• It is a manmade reservoir located in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• The lake is named after Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Sikh guru, who spent some time in the region during his military campaigns.
• It was created by the construction of the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River in the 1950s and 1960s.
• It is one of the deepest man-made lakes in the world.
• It is surrounded by lush green hills and the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.
• It is also the third-largest in the country concerning the storage of water.
• To maintain the level of water, the flow of river Beas was channelized to Gobind Sagar by the Beas-Sutlej link, which was accomplished in 1976.
• It helps in supplying water for irrigation to the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, significantly benefiting agriculture in the region.
• Flora and Fauna:
  • In 1962, the lake was recognized as the ‘waterfowl refuge.’
  • Even today, the lake is home to many species of birds and animals like Panther, Wolf, Chausinga, Sambar, Hyena, Sloth bear, Nilgai, Chinkara, and wild boar.
  • It is home to fifty species and sub-species of fishes, namely Tor Putitora (Mahasheer), Labeo Dero (Gid), Mystus Seenghala (Singhara), and mirror carp.

About Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile:

• The Dark Eagle, also known as the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), is a non-nuclear, ground-launched hypersonic missile system of the United States Army.
• It is the United States Army’s first operational hypersonic missile
• The missile component of the LRHW is being developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
• The weapon is designed to strike heavily defended, time-sensitive targets, including command centres, air defence networks, missile launchers, naval facilities, and logistics hubs deep inside contested territory.
• Features:
  • It comprises a mobile ground-based battery equipped with four Transporter Erector Launchers (TEL), supported by command and control elements, with each TEL capable of launching two missiles for a total of eight.
  • At the core of the Dark Eagle system is the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)—a boost-glide vehicle capable of exceeding Mach 5 while performing high-G maneuvers to evade enemy missile defenses.
  • The missile is launched via a two-stage solid-fuel booster that propels the glide vehicle into the upper atmosphere before it descends toward its target on an unpredictable trajectory.
  • The glide body is equipped with a conventional high-explosive warhead, optimized for kinetic strike effects and capable of neutralizing hardened or deeply buried targets.
  • The guidance system incorporates a precision inertial navigation system (INS), likely augmented by GPS-based corrections during the boost and glide phases.

About Nalabana Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Nalabana Wildlife Sanctuary, or the Nalbana Bird Sanctuary, is the core area of the Ramsar-designated wetlands of Chilika Lake, located in the state of Odisha.
• The Island of Nalabana was declared a bird sanctuary in the year 1987 after observing the sheer number of diverse bird species found there.
• It supports a congregation of about 60% of the total migratory birds visiting Chilika Lagoon each year.
• Rare or threatened species such as the Asian dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus), the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea), and Pallas’ fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) are often recorded as part of this crowd.
• During monsoons, the entire sanctuary is submerged under water with only a few treetops and watchtower above water level.

Key Facts about Chilika Lake:

• It is a brackish water lake and a shallow lagoon with estuarine character located in the state of Odisha.
• It is Asia’s largest brackish water lake.
• It is the second-largest brackish water lagoon in the world, after the New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia.
• It is connected to the Bay of Bengal.
• The Daya and Bhargavi rivers feed the lake except during the dry months from December to June, when saline ocean water enters through a small passage.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar
• Chilika supports some of the largest congregation of migratory birds in the country, particularly during the winter.
• Flocks of migratory waterfowl arrive from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, the Aral Sea, remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and Southeast Asia, Ladakh, and the Himalayas.

About Panama:

• Location: It is a country of Central America located on the Isthmus of Panama.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia.
• Water Bodies: It is bounded by the Caribbean Sea to the north and by the Pacific Ocean to the south.
• Capital City: Panama City.
• Geographical Features of Panama:
  • Climate: Panama has a moist tropical and subtropical climate.
  • Lakes: Lake Gatun which also plays a vital role in the operation of the Panama Canal.
  • River: Tuira River is the longest river of Panama.
  • Mountain Range: The Cordillera Central, or Central Mountain Range, runs down the middle of Panama.
  • Natural Resources: It mainly consists of gold, copper, manganese, and iron.

About Asiatic Wild Dog:

• The Asiatic wild dog, also called Dhole, is a wild Asian carnivore of the dog family (Canidae).
• Other Names: Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf, red dog, and mountain wolf.
• Distribution:
  • They are found throughout Central, Eastern and Southeastern Asia.
  • In India, they are found in three clusters across India, namely the Western and Eastern Ghats, the central Indian landscape, and Northeast India. 
  • The Western and Eastern Ghats are stronghold regions for dholes.
• Habitat: They inhabit dense jungles, steppes, mountains, scrub forests, and pine forests.
• Features:
  • It is a sleek, reddish-brown, medium-sized dog.
  • Males are generally more muscular than females.
  • This species tends to live in groups with numbers ranging from 2-25 individuals. 
  • They are fast runners, excellent swimmers, and impressive jumpers.
  • They are great communicators and use an eerie whistle to communicate with each other. 
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered

About Central Reserve Police Force:

• It is a premier central police force of the Union of India, entrusted with the critical task of maintaining internal security.
• It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India.
• Historical Background:
  • It was initially established as the Crown Representative’s Police on July 27, 1939, in response to escalating political turmoil and unrest within the princely states.
  • Post-independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28th December 1949.
• The force is headed by a Director General and is further divided into four zones located in Jammu, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Guwahati, each under the command of Special Directors General (DGs). 
• Key Functions of Central Reserve Police Force:
  • Crowd Control and Riot Control: CRPF personnel are trained in crowd management techniques to handle large gatherings, protests, and demonstrations.
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection: CRPF personnel are dedicated to protecting critical Central and State Government facilities, especially in insurgency-affected regions.
  • UN Peacekeeping Missions: CRPF personnel have a commendable record of contributing to international peacekeeping efforts under the UN flag. 
  • Disaster Management: The force actively participates in rescue and relief operations during natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and cyclones. 
• Special Units of Central Reserve Police Force:
  • Rapid Action Force (RAF):The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialized unit of the CRPF established in October 1992 to handle riots and public disturbances. 
  • Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA): The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a specialized unit created to conduct guerrilla and jungle warfare operations.
  • Mahila Battalions: The CRPF is the only paramilitary force in India with six all-women battalions.

About South China Sea:

• It is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland. 
• Boundaries: It is bordered by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Vietnam.
• It is connected by the Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by the Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea (both marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean).
• The South China Sea and the East China Sea together form the China Sea.
• The two major archipelagos are known as the Paracel Islands, controlled by China, and the Spratly Islands.
• Climate: Weather in the sea is tropical and largely controlled by monsoons.
• Maritime Significance: It is a significant trade route for crude oil from the Persian Gulf and Africa through the Strait of Malacca to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. 
• Major Ports: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.