SNIPPETS 29 JANUARY 2026

Lonar lake: Lake of lagoon in Buldhana district of Maharashtra+ It is the only known hyper velocity impact crater in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth, has saline and alkaline water+ Formed by the impact of a meteorite about 52,000 years ago+ Ramsar Site (2020), notified National Geo-heritage Monument

ExoMiner++: NASA’s deep learning software designed to find exoplanets+ Scans “light curves” for signature brightness dips (transits) caused by a planet passing in front of its star+  standard “black-box” models, it is explainable AI, thus, providing astronomers with probability scores and specific reasoning to ensure scientific trust+ Analyzes data from both the Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) missions

Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary: Exclusively recognised as Kerala’s first butterfly sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation of butterfly species and their habitats+ Constituted in 1984 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972+ Originally notified as Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary+ Drained by the Cheenkanni River, a major tributary system of Kannur district +Located in: Kannur district, Kerala, on the western slopes of the Western Ghats, bordering Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka) and adjoining Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary

SVAMITVA Scheme: Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas+ It is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at establishing clear property ownership in rural inhabited (Abadi) areas using drone and GIS technology+ Launched on – National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2021+ Nodal Ministry – The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR)+ The Ministry of Panchayati Raj highlighted the SVAMITVA Scheme in its tableau for the 77th Republic Day parade in New Delhi.