Namibian experts warns that Cheetah project overestimated carrying capacity of Kuno Park. India declared Cheetah extinct in 1952. Project Cheeta aims to introduce Cheeta back to India and to establish a free-ranging population of cheetahs in India. The first batch of 8 Cheeta from Namibia were introduced to Kuno national park in Sept, 2022, and a second batch of twelve African cheetahs from South Africa were …
Read More »Monthly Archives: April 2023
GOLD INVESTMENT IN INDIA
India’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNIs) allocated 6% of their total investable wealth in the gold last year. In 2022, the average UHNI wealth allocation in gold was 3% globally and 4% in the Asia-Pacific region. Indian UHNIs have stepped up gold allocation from 4% in 2018. This is because gold has delivered returns of over 69 percent in the past …
Read More »TRILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN INDIA, ARMENIA, IRAN
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, Armenia and Iran held the first trilateral political consultations in Yerevan Key Details The three countries had a wide range of discussions on: Economic issues Regional communication Trilateral cooperation in various fields Armenia and India In 2022, both the countries celebrated 30 years …
Read More »INDIA’S FIRST UNDERWATER TRANSPORT TUNNEL
Trial runs are underway on India’s first underwater transport tunnel. The 16.55-km East-West corridor is the second line of the Kolkata Metro network. The East-West Corridor of the metro was approved in 2009. The line, called the Green Line, will link Howrah station to Sealdah station, which is the hub of Kolkata’s suburban railway network. …
Read More »AI AND ENVIRONMENT CRISIS SOLUTIONS
AI has been touted as a powerful tool to help tackle global crises, such as climate change. Saving trees with AI ‘guardians’ Deforestation and land use changes cause more than 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it for long periods of time, and when they’re cut down, much of …
Read More »EAT RIGHT MOVEMENT
Affairs, has asked States and Union Territories to develop 100 eat right food streets in 100 districts across the country. The aim of this project is to encourage safe and healthy practices to reduce food-borne illnesses and improve overall health outcomes. Safe food practices would not only boost the “eat right campaign” and food safety but also improve the …
Read More »PSLV-C55 MISSION
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is scheduled to launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C55 (PSLV-C55) mission, will carry out in-orbit scientific experiments by using the spent PS4 (fourth and final stage of PSLV) as an orbital platform. Key details: The PSLV-C55 will have Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 as primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite. The TeLEOS-2 …
Read More »THE ASSAM-ARUNACHAL PRADESH BORDER DISPUTE
Assam Chief Minister and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) over the long-standing border dispute between the two states. The dispute: The two states share a roughly 800-kilometre long border. The disputed areas the MoU deals with are 123 border villages, which span 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and 8 districts of Assam. Before North East Frontier Agency …
Read More »ABHILEKH PATAL
Prime Minister of India praises “Abhilekh patal” a portal with over 1 Crore Pages of Historical Records of the National Archives Abhilekh is a Sanskrit term used in India for records since ancient times and Patal is a Sanskrit word meaning a board, platform, or a surface. A combination of both these words has been adopted as an acronym for Portal for Access to Archives and Learning. It is …
Read More »HAKKI PIKKIS TRIBE
More than 181 members of the Hakki Pikki tribal community from Karnataka are stuck in violence-hit Sudan, even as the government is making efforts to bring them back. Who are the Hakki Pikki? The Hakki Pikki is a tribe that lives in several states in west and south India, especially near forest areas. …
Read More »CRITICAL MINERALS
A recent working paper from Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) extends the earlier minerals assessment for 23 minerals by assessing the criticality levels of 43 select minerals for India based on their economic importance (demand-side factors) and supply risks (supply-side factors) which are determined through the evaluation of …
Read More »SAME SEX MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNION IN INDIA
The CJI clarified that the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage scope would be limited to developing a notion of a “civil union” that finds legal recognition under the Special Marriage Act. A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred …
Read More »CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Union Minister says, India set to be major contributor to world’s “Circular Economy”. The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. The circular economy is based on three principles: Eliminate waste and pollution Circulate products and materials (at their highest value) Regenerate nature It …
Read More »WEB 3
A decentralised web that caters to the next generation of the Internet, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more open and transparent web called Web3 is in the talks. About Web3 Web3 is built on top of existing Internet infrastructure and not in competition with previous versions of the web platform. It allows for …
Read More »YZ CETI B
Context: Astronomers have detected a repeating radio signal from an exoplanet, YZ Ceti b, suggesting the presence of a magnetic field — one of the prerequisites for a habitable planet — around it. What is YZ Ceti B: YZ Ceti b is a terrestrial exoplanet that orbits an M-type star. Its mass is 0.7 Earths. It takes 2 …
Read More »UN POPULATION REPORT
India is now the most populous country in the world, having overtaken China in population, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in its State of World Population (SOWP) report, ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’, released recently. Highlights of the report Demographics: The population of the world is 8,045 million, of …
Read More »DEADNAMING
Twitter has removed a policy that prohibited misgendering or deadnaming of transgender people on the social media platform. What is deadnaming? A deadname is essentially the name that a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person was called before they adopted a more self-affirming name. The act of calling a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person by the deadname is known …
Read More »JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE
A group of researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel reported that they had been able to pick up distress noises made by plants which was already shown by Jagadish Chandra Bose more than a century ago. A physicist-turned-biologist who lived between 1858 and 1937, made pioneering contributions in both the fields. He was the first …
Read More »MT. ANNAPURNA
Two Indian climbers were rescued from Mt. Annapurna in Nepal. Annapurna is a mountain situated in the Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres. The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629-square-kilometre Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. For decades, Annapurna …
Read More »CARBON OFFSETTING
Offsets have come under fire as a way for companies to compensate for carbon emissions through eco projects elsewhere. How does offsetting work? Buying offsets is a way to compensate for environmental damage. Companies make a financial contribution to projects that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and in exchange can keep polluting …
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