·       Pulakesi I established the Chalukya dynasty in 550.

·       Pulakesi I took Vatapi (Badami in Bagalkot district, Karnataka) under his control and made it his capital.

·       Historians refer to Pulakesi I and his descendants as the Chalukyas of Badami.

·       They ruled over an empire that comprised the entire state of Karnataka and most of Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan.

·       He then defeated the Vishnukundins in the southeastern Deccan.

·       Pallava Narasimhavarman reversed that victory by attacking and occupying the Chalukya capital, Vatapi (Badami).

·       Hiuen-Tsiang, a Chinese traveller, had visited the court of Pulakesi II.

·       Later, Persian emperor Khosrau II exchanged ambassadors with Pulakesi II.

·       It saw the evolution and proliferation of a new style of architecture known as Vesara, a combination of the South Indian and the North Indian building styles.

·       The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami, and Aihole constitute their most celebrated monuments.

·       It is also known as “mirror” matter.

·       For instance, an electron, which has a negative charge, has an antimatter partner known as a positron. A positron is a particle with the same mass as an electron but a positive charge.

·       The antimatter particles corresponding to electrons, protons, and neutrons are called positrons, antiprotons, and antineutrons; collectively they are referred to as antiparticles.

·       These anti-particles can combine to form anti-atoms and, in principle, could even form anti-matter regions of our universe.

·       Antimatter was created along with matter after the Big Bang.

·       Humans have created antimatter particles using ultra-high-speed collisions at huge particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, which is located outside Geneva and operated by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research).

·       There are also naturally produced antiparticles made sporadically throughout the universe.

·       Positronium, on the other hand, is a short-lived hydrogen-like atom, which consists of an electron and its antimatter equivalent, a positron (rather than an electron and a proton).

·       Due to its very short life, it annihilates with a half-life of 142 nano-seconds.

·       This hydrogen-like system is a great contender for attempting laser cooling and thereby performing tests of fundamental theories in physics.

·       Positronium can generate huge amounts of energy. It can shed light on ‘antimatter’ which existed at the beginning of the Universe.

·       It empowers citizens by providing a single platform with an interactive user interface to search, stream, share, and download videos related to various Government schemes, initiatives, and campaigns, with filter-based advanced search option.

·       The portal eliminates the hassle of searching for official and reliable information from multiple sources, providing a one-stop platform for media and the general public.

·       However, originally enacted in 1972, did not provide for the NBWL and it is provided under the under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 replacing the Indian Board for Wildlife.

·       The Board is responsible for promotion of conservation and development of wildlife and forests.

·       Among 47 members, 19 members are ex-officio members.

·       Every new government constitutes a new board, based on the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, with the new PM as the chair.

·       The Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment & Forests in the Central Government is the Vice-Chairperson.

·       The Additional Director General of Forests (WL) & Director, Wildlife Preservation is the Member-Secretary to the Board.

·       The members of the board also include chief of army staff and defence secretary.

·       The Standing Committee’s function is to regulate land diversion within Protected Areas and Eco Sensitive Zones, making it a purely project clearance body.

·       It is a biennial exercise.

·       It was first conducted in 1991 between the Indian and Maldives Coast Guards.

·       Sri Lanka joined the exercise for the first time in 2012. Dosti was last conducted in 2021.

·       The exercises have focused on exercises and drills on providing assistance in sea accidents, eliminating sea pollution, and the coast guard’s procedures and conduct during situations such as oil spills.

·       The aim of the exercise is to further fortify the friendship, enhance mutual operational capability, exercise interoperability and build cooperation between the Coast Guards of India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

·       Dosti 16:

·       It is the 16th edition of the exercise.

·       The Coast Guards of the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, along with observers from Bangladesh, is participating in Dosti 16 to enhance collaboration between the forces.

·       India is sending ICGS Samarth (with integral helo), ICGS Abhinav, and ICG Dornier for the exercise.