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PARIVESH Portal provides a “single window” solution for an expeditious, transparent and effective decision making without compromising on  environmental safeguards PARIVESH is a web based, role-based workflow application which has been developed for online submission and monitoring of the proposals submitted by the proponents seeking for Environmental (EC), Forest (FC), Wildlife (WL) and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances. It automates the entire tracking of proposals at each stage …

Lebanon was thrown into mass confusion after its government at the last minute delayed the start of daylight saving time by a month. Meanwhile, Greenland has chosen to stay with daylight saving time forever. What is daylight saving time? Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks forward …

Shri Bhupender Yadav launches Aravalli Green Wall Project, a major initiative to green 5 km buffer area around the Aravalli Hill Range in four states The Aravalli Green Wall Project is part of the Union Environment Ministry’s vision to create green corridors across the country to combat land degradation and desertification. The project covers states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Delhi – where …

A U.K.-based startup claims to have developed biotransformation technology that can alter the state of plastics and make them biodegradable without leaving behind any microplastics. What is biotransformation technology? Biotransformation technology is a novel approach to ensure plastics that escape refuse streams are processed efficiently and broken down. Plastics made using this technology are given …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed a $3 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy. What is a bailout? Bailout is a general term for extending financial support to a company or a country facing a potential bankruptcy threat. It can take the form of loans, cash, bonds, or stock purchases. A bailout may or may not …

India’s first cable-stayed bridge and the first-of-its-kind in the country, is currently under construction and will soon be completed. The Anji Khad bridge is being constructed in the Reasi district of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a 80 km long bridge. The idea was first conceived in 2002 and was declared a …

Recently, the Indian Patent Office rejected an application by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to extend its patent on the drug bedaquiline.  What is Bedaquiline? Bedaquiline is a drug in tablet form used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). What is drug-resistant TB? As of 2017, India accounted for around one-fourth of the world’s burden of multi-drug-resistant …

India is considering translocating some tigers to Cambodia. India signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia to assist it with all technical details and knowledge regarding the reintroduction of the tiger in the country. How did tigers go extinct in Cambodia? Due to habitat destruction and poaching. The last tiger spotted on a camera trap in Cambodia was in 2007. …

This quote is part of a passage/essay written by Bhagat Singh. In this passage, Bhagat Singh outlines why reason, rather than blind faith, should drive anyone who believes in progress. Usage of the term faith: first, as a synonym for religious beliefs (‘old faiths’) and second, simply as faith (complete trust or confidence in someone or something) itself. Meaning …

Lights at public places and some temples in different cities including Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi were turned off between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. as part of the global ‘Earth Hour’ event. Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and its partners in Sydney, Australia. Earth Hour is described …