16th Sep Prelims Sure Shot

 

Gooseberry

• Gooseberries (R. uva-crispa L.) are one of the four wild Ribes species growing in the Northern Hemisphere. As in currants, gooseberry grows best in regions where summers are humid, but winter is severe and chilling
• Indian gooseberries, also known as Amla in the subcontinent, belongs to a different family of Euphorbiaceae.
• Their scientific name is Phyllanthus emblica. Indian gooseberry features round to transversely spherical shape with light green colour. Amla berries are exceptionally high in anti-oxidants and vitamin C.
• For the same reason; they are excessively acidic and bitter (astringent) in taste.

 

 

INS Beas

• INS Beas (F37) is a Brahmaputra-class frigate of the Indian Navy. She was built at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
• The design and construction of the ship is entirely Indian, and is a modification of the Godavari-class frigate. She is fitted with an array of modern sensor suites and matching weapon systems. Beas is named for the River Beas.

 

 

Pampa River

• The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the third longest river in the South Indian state of Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha and the longest river in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple is located on the banks of the river Pamba.
• The River Pamba flows through Pathanamthitta District and the Kuttanad area of Alappuzha District and few areas of Kottayam.

 

 Keoladeo National Park

• Keoladeo National Park, located in the State of Rajasthan, is an important wintering ground of Palaearctic migratory waterfowl and is renowned for its large congregation of non-migratory resident breeding birds. It was declared as a Bird Sanctuary in 1976. The area declared a national park in 1982. It was declared a national park in 1982 and then later tagged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
• Two rivers flow through it – River Gambhir and Banganga. It is the Richest Bird Area in the World.
• This is the only park in India that is completely enclosed by a 2 m high boundary wall that minimises the possibilities of any encroachment and biotic disturbances, but there is no possibility of a buffer zone.

 

Herpes Virus

• The herpes simplex virus, or herpes, is categorized into 2 types: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).
• HSV-1 is mainly transmitted by oral-to-oral contact to cause oral herpes (which can include symptoms known as “cold sores”), but can also cause genital herpes.
• HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted infection that causes genital herpes. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections are lifelong.
• Most oral and genital herpes infections are asymptomatic. Symptoms of herpes include painful blisters or ulcers at the site of infection.
• Herpes infections are most contagious when symptoms are present but can still be transmitted to others in the absence of symptoms.

 

Train 18

• It is India’s first indigenously designed locomotive-less (engine less) train.
• It breached the 180 kmph speed limit during test run.
• It is called Vande Bharat Express. It will become the country’s fastest train.
• It will be replacing current 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It will be first long-distance train without separate locomotive (engine). It will ply between Delhi and Varanasi.

 

AUSINDEX

• AUSINDEX is an acronym for Australia India Exercise.
• Aim: To strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Indian Navy (IN). 
• The maiden edition of the exercise was held in 2015 at Visakhapatnam. Australia hosted the second edition of the exercise off Free mantle in 2017. 

 

Khasi Jaintia and Garo Hills

• The Pataki Mountain range also known as Purvanchal Range, one of the eight mountain range in India and the major of India’s North Eastern states. 
• Patkai Range consists of the three major hills, the Patkai-Bum, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Lushai Hills. 
• The hills of Khasi are the part of major Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya and also the part of the Patkai mountain ranges. Khasi Hills got its name by Khasi tribes of the region. 
• Cherrapunji-the wettest place in the world is situated in the East Khasi Hills and Lum Shyllong is the highest peak near to Shillong.
• The Garo Hills is located in Meghalaya state and part of Garo-Khasi range. The region is known as one of the wettest places on earth. 
• Garo Hills highest peak is known as Nokrek Peak and home too many places of interest such as cloud covered Tura peak, Imilchang Dar waterfall, Balpakram Wildlife Park, Naphak Lake and most famous limestone caves of Siju, one of the longest in Asia.
• The Jaintia Hills in the State of Meghalaya is bounded on the North and East by the State of Assam. On the South by Bangladesh and on the West by East Khasi Hills District. The total area is 3,819 sq. Kms.