Important Facts for Prelims (25th July, 2018) | 25 Jul 2018

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail

• The Election Commission (EC) is struggling to meet the deadline to procure 16 lakh voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
• The Supreme Court of India  directed the EC in 2013 to introduce VVPAT in Lok Sabha Elections.
• VVPAT machines are used during election process to verify that the vote polled by a voter goes to the correct candidate.
• A VVPAT produces a printout of the vote cast using an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), which can be shown to the voter to dispel doubts.
• The printout is then deposited in a box and can be used to resolve any dispute regarding the poll results.
• VVPATs are a second line of verification and are particularly useful in the time when allegations around Electronic Voting Machines’ tampering crop up.

Strait of Hormuz 

• The Strait of Hormuz which is located between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
• Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates depend on this narrow passage to supply of its crude oil.
• About 30 percent of the world’s seaborne-traded crude oil passes through the strait of Hormuz.
• Across the Strait,there are a myriad of mountains and rocks forming several islands such as Salamah Wa Banatiha Island, Musandam Island and Birds Island .

Bandipur Tiger Reserve

• Bandipur Tiger Reserve formerly known as the Bandipur National Park came into being in the year 2007.  The name is derived from a village called Bandipur where the administrative unit of the Tiger Reserve is located.
• It is located in Karnataka.
• Together with Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and Nagarhole National Park in the North, it creates the India's biggest biosphere reserve popularly known as the ‘Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve’.
• Major Rivers : Moyar River, Noolpuza/Nugu hole, Kabini.