On October 19, the Tamil Nadu government formed a committee to set up an institutional framework for the effective conservation of vultures. Tamil Nadu boasts the largest population of vultures south of the Vindhiya Mountain Range. Vulture numbers are decreasing over the last few years, with experts attributing the cause …
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TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ON ‘ANCIENT SCIENCE’
The Indian Space Research Organisation, along with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), is set to organise a two-day conference themed ‘Akash Tatva’ (the element Akash) in Dehradun that, according to Science Minister Jitendra Singh, would expose “youth of India to the wisdoms of ancient science along with modern …
Read More »METAVERSE FOR GLOBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Interpol on Thursday unveiled the first-ever ‘metaverse’ specifically designed for law enforcement worldwide, at its ongoing 90th General Assembly in Delhi. The Interpol metaverse allows the registered users to take a virtual tour of its General Secretariat headquarters in France’s Lyon, interact with other officers via their avatars, and …
Read More »EMERGENCY DEFENCE PROCUREMENTS
The Army, which has made three tranches of Emergency Procurements (EP) in the last few years, is preparing for a fourth round of EP which will be entirely from the domestic industry, Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande said on Thursday. He also said that in the next seven to eight …
Read More »STUBBLE BURNING
The monsoon has receded, and North India is bracing for a smoggy winter. And with that the feverish focus on crop stubble burning has returned to India’s public discourse. Like each year, discussions have begun on how bad this year’s stubble burning season will likely be and what potential ad …
Read More »INDIA CHINA RELATIONS
China’s decision to block two proposals by India and the United States to list Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders on the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 terror list is part of a well-worn pattern now. Since June, New Delhi and Washington have made five such proposals, with China placing a hold on …
Read More »AFRICAN CHEETAHS TO INDIA
Eight wildlife scientists have raised concerns over the Central government’s move to introduce African cheetahs in India. The scientists, in an article titled “Introducing African cheetahs to India is an ill-advised conservation attempt”, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, said that there are unknown ecological, disease-related and genetic risks involved …
Read More »DRAVIDACRIS ANNAMALAICA
A new member of the grasshopper world, which has been identified from Tamil Nadu, is named after the Dravidian landscape. The newly described pygmy unicorn grasshopper Dravidacrisannamalaica is restricted to the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. A specimen collected by a team comprising Dhaneesh Bhaskar, H. Sankararaman and Niko Kasalo …
Read More »PALACE OF VENADU AND TRAVANCORE KINGS
Even a decade ago, there stood a dilapidated palace at Eraniel in Kanniyakumari district, which was once the abode of the Venadu and Travancore kings. Even in its ruins, one could sense its former glory and architectural excellence. There is evidence that the palace existed even in the 15th Century. …
Read More »NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AWARD
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has won the national intellectual property award for 2021 and 2022. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had instituted the award. The criteria was patent applications, grants and commercialisation. Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and …
Read More »COMPRESSED BIO GAS (CBG)
the CBG is the need of the hour, and Government is taking all steps to promote the ecosystem around it. The Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant inaugurated by Shri Hardeep S. Puri in Sangrur is a step in achieving objectives of the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme, which was …
Read More »NATIONAL CREDIT FRAMEWORK (NCRF) FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Union Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched the draft of National Credit Framework (NCrF) for public consultation here today. Taking the vision of the new National Education Policy (NEP) as envisioned under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India …
Read More »ISSUES OF CROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
The Union Inter-Ministerial Meeting with the States on the issues of Crop Residue Management was chaired by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The three ministers held intense discussions with the states to check the burning of stubble. Shri Tomar said that there is a need to fix …
Read More »UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL’S LIST OF TERRORISTS
China placed a “hold” on a joint India-U.S. proposal, to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Shahid Mehmood under the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 list of terrorists affiliated to Al Qaeda and ISIS. Since the Mumbai attacks in 2008, India has tried a number of different ways to build international consensus …
Read More »RUSTOM-2 UAV
The indigenous medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is expected to complete all user trials by August 2023, A separate project for the weaponisation of the Rustom UAV is also under way. “Four prototypes of Rustom-2 are currently flying. …
Read More »A NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR CLIMATE ACTION
Our world today is in turmoil, facing multiple, mutually reinforcing crises. Even as we mount a fragile recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, war fuels a devastating energy, food, and cost-of-living crisis. And for the first time since it began over 30 years ago, the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development …
Read More »VULTURES-CONSERVATION MISSION
India’s vulture population between 1993 and 2003, the Central government put into place two action plans to protect the species at the national level — the first in 2006 and the second, ongoing plan for 2020-2025. One of the important action points in this nationwide plan is the formation of …
Read More »SWADESH DARSHAN 2
Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, and Gwalior are among the cities identified in 15 States across the country to be promoted as part of India’s new domestic tourism policy which moves away from theme-based tourist circuits and focuses on revving up destination tourism. The initiative is being taken as part of the first …
Read More »INDUSTRIES, SERVICES SECTOR GROWTH DECLINED IN 2016-17 TO 2020-21
Agriculture sector’s contribution to Tamil Nadu’s overall growth had increased, while industries and services sector growth had come down during the five-year period from 2016-17 to 2020-21 According to the State Finance Audit Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year ending March 2021, which …
Read More »UN SECURITY COUNCIL’S 1267 LIST OF TERROR ENTITIES
China once again blocked proposals by India and the U.S. to designate Pakistan-based terrorists on the UN Security Council’s 1267 list of terror entities. The listings for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed and Shahid Mehmood, deputy chief of a front for the LeT named the Falah I …
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