Current Affairs Question - 23 December 2019

Explanation :

• The Sahitya Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954. It was registered as a society on 7^th January 1956, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It gives 24 awards annually to literary works in the languages it has recognized and an equal number of awards to literary translations from and into the languages of India, both after a year long process of scrutiny, discussion and selection.
• Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is the central institution for literary dialogue, publication and promotion in the country and the only institution that undertakes literary activities in 24 Indian languages, including English.

Explanation :

• The houbara bustard, which lives in arid climates, comes in two distinct species as recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, one residing in North Africa (Chlamydotis undulata) and the other in Asia (Chlamydotis macqueenii).
• The population of the Asian houbara bustards extends from northeast Asia, across central Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula to reach the Sinai desert
• The species have been categorised as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• Population of Houbara is declining due to number of reasons, mainly habitat degradation, habitat loss, fragmentation and hunting.