NATIONAL NEWS

Women Representation in the 18th Lok Sabha

• In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 74 women were elected, a slight decrease from the 78 women elected in 2019.

• Among these elected women, 16 percent are under the age of 40, and 41 percent (30 MPs) have previously served in the Lok Sabha.

• A total of 797 women contested the elections.

• The BJP fielded the most women candidates with 69. The election results saw 30 women from the BJP, 14 from Congress, 11 from TMC, 4 from the Samajwadi Party, 3 from DMK, and 2 each from JDU and LJP(R) winning seats.

• This election marks the first since the passage of the women’s reservation bill in Parliament. The 17th Lok Sabha held the record for the highest number of women parliamentarians with 78.

• In comparison, the first and second Lok Sabha each had 24 women MPs.

President Droupadi Murmu has officially dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha

• The President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the advice of the Cabinet and signed the Order dissolving the 17th Lok Sabha in exercise of the powers conferred upon her by sub-clause (b) of Clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution.

• Following this, Prime Minister Modi submitted his resignation, which was accepted by President Murmu.

• In the 543-member Lok Sabha, the NDA enjoys a strong majority, with the BJP holding 240 seats.

• Other key parties include the Congress with 99 seats, the Samajwadi Party with 37 seats, and the Trinamool Congress with 29 seats.

Nagi and Nakti Bird Sanctuaries Designated as Ramsar Sites

• The Nagi and Nakti bird sanctuaries, both man-made reservoirs, are situated in the Jhajha forest range of Jamui district in Bihar.

• The Nakti Bird Sanctuary was initially developed for irrigation purposes but was later designated as a bird sanctuary in 1984.

• The Nagi Bird Sanctuary, on the other hand, was established following the damming of the Nagi River. This sanctuary supports over 75 species of birds, 33 species of fish, and 12 aquatic species.

• It hosts one of the largest congregations of bar-headed geese in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

• With the addition of these sanctuaries, the total number of Ramsar Sites in India has reached 82. Globally, the United Kingdom leads with 175 Ramsar Sites, followed by Mexico with 144. India and China share the third position.

• Over the past decade, India has significantly increased its number of Ramsar Sites from 26 to 82, with 40 of these added in the last three years alone.

• Ramsar Convention, adopted in 1971, aims to provide a framework for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Russian astronaut becomes first person to spend 1,000 days in space

• Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko became the first person to spend 1,000 cumulative days in space.

• Kononenko, who has made five trips to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2008, began his latest mission on September 15, 2023, alongside NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and fellow Russian Nikolai Chub.

• In February 2024, Kononenko broke the previous record for cumulative space time set by Gennady Padalka in 2015, which was 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, and 48 seconds.

• If his mission concludes as scheduled on September 23, 2024, Kononenko will have spent a total of 1,110 days in orbit.

• Despite geopolitical tensions, the ISS remains a rare area of cooperation between the United States and Russia.

• In December, Roscosmos announced the extension of its cross-flight program with NASA to transport astronauts to the ISS through 2025, highlighting ongoing collaboration even after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.