Wayanad becomes first district in country to provide basic documents to all tribal people

Wayanad becomes first district in country to provide basic documents to all tribal people

• Kerala’s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents and facilities such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, election ID cards, bank accounts and health insurance to all tribe’s people. 
• Apart from the basic documents, other services such as income certificates, ownership certificates, age certificates, and applications for new pensions are also provided at the camps.
• The Wayanad district administration has attained the meritorious achievement by providing 1,42,563 services to as many as 64,670 tribal beneficiaries as part of the Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD) campaign.

India extended USD 40 Million for bolstering Sports Infrastructure in Maldives

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has extended a concessional USD 40 million Line of Credit for developing sporting infrastructure in the Maldives. 
• It is a part of New Delhi’s efforts to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship projects such as fit India and Khelo India into the stretch of the Neighbourhood First Policy. 
• Sports infrastructure across islands will be developed through the dedicated concessional USD 40 million Line of Credit.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is on a visit to the Maldives to further expand bilateral engagement with the key maritime neighbour of India.

Kerala Higher Education Minister Allows 60 days Maternity Leave for Female Students

• Higher Education Minister in Kerala R Bindu announced that girls’ students above the age of 18 years will get maternity leave of 60 days. 
• The required attendance percentage for female students will be 73 percent including menstrual leave. The attendance percentage required earlier was 75 percent.
• The government is considering granting menstrual leaves in all state universities as recently announced by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).
• The CUSAT has announced the grant of menstrual leaves to female students.
• The Kerala government is planning to extend the leave policy to all the universities under the State Higher Education Department.

Rare ‘Orange Bat’ Spotted in Bastar’sKanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh

• A rare orange-colored bat was spotted in the Banana plantation in Parali Bodal village of Kanger Valley National Park in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. 
• The orange-colored bat is identified as a ‘Painted Bat’ and is characterized by bright orange and black wings.
• The orange-colored bat is generally found in Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• In India, the orange-colored bat was spotted in the Western Ghats, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Odisha, and now in Chhattisgarh.
• The orange-colored bat, scientifically known as ‘Kerivoula Picta’, has black wings, orange wings, and fingers.
• These are often found in unusual roosting sites such as suspended nests of weaver finches and sunbirds, banana leaves.