Important Facts for Prelims (13th December 2018) | 13 Dec 2018

The two species of amphibious snakes, yellow-lipped and the blue-lipped Andaman sea krait, have been spotted on tree roots (especially of uprooted Manilkara littoralis, a mangrove tree) on the beaches in Andaman.
Andaman sea Kraits are colourful and banded sea snakes endemic to Andaman islands.
Andaman sea kraits which are mostly nocturnal, hunt for their prey in coral reefs. Though they spend a lot of time underwater, they get back to land to digest their prey, lay eggs and even shed their skin.
Removal of uprooted trees to clear the beach for tourism has negatively impacted the sea kraits.
Giving legal protection to sandy beaches and implementing the regulation on activities like sand mining and tourism can help conserve neglected Andaman sea Kraits.

Northern Egypt’s Nile Delta is shrinking due to the warming climate. The shrinking is compounded by rising seas and soil salinization.
Deltas with triangular or fan shape are called arcuate (arc-like) deltas. The Nile River forms an arcuate delta as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea (examples of arcuate delta in India are Ganga delta and Indus delta).
The fertile basin is home to nearly half the country’s population.
The Nile is the longest river in the world. It originates near the equator and flows nearly 7000 km northward. It provides Egypt with 90% of its water needs.

Rythu Bandhu scheme also known as Agriculture Investment Support Scheme, is a welfare program to support farmer’s investment for two crops a year by the Government of Telangana.
The scheme seeks to provide a grant of Rs. 4,000 per acre per farmer each season for the purchase of inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticide etc.
The scheme is aimed at relieving the farmers from debt burden and not allowing them to fall into the debt trap.