Ecology and environment update's

1. POLAVARAM PROJECT- Polavaram project is a part of

national river linking plan, that was designed to over come the deficit
of water in the country. Polavaram project is a multipurpose project
on river Godavari for development of irrigation, hydro power and
drinking water facilities to E. godavari , W.godavari ,Krishna and
Vishakhapatnam districts of Andra pradesh. It has been accorded
national project status by the central government. The polavaram
project will enable the surplus water of Godavari river(which is water
surplus basin) to be transferred to Krishna river basin( which is water
deficit basin). Polavaram project is also called Indira sagar
project.
2. NEW TIGER RESERVE'S - The center has planned to
form three new tiger reserves, the approval has been accorded by the
National tiger conservation authority(NTCA) for creation of reserves
in :- 1. Ratapani in M.P.
2. Sunabeda in Orrisa.
3. Guru Ghasidas in chhattisgarh.
The Ratapani is one of the finest Teak forest located in Raisen
district of M.P.(just 50 km from bhopal). It was a wild life sanctuary
since 1976 now it will be upgraded to the status of tiger reserve.
Ratapani forests are dry deciduous forests with Teak as the main tree
covering 55% of forest area. Bhimbetka rock shelters are
located within the Ratapani reserves. Some of the rock
paintings in the Bhimbetka rock shelter,which belong to
stone age are more than 30000 yrs old. Bhimbetka is a
world heritage site. Sunabeda is located in Nuapad district of
orrisa along the border of chhattisgarh state. It was a sanctuary now it
will be upgraded to the status of tiger reserve. It is coversd by dry
deciduous forests.

Guru Ghasidas is located in koriya district of chhattisgarh.Previously,

the Ghasidas reserve was the part of Sanjay national park in M.P.,but

with the creation of Chhattisgarh, the large part of Sanjay national

park that came in Chhattisgarh was named as Guru Ghasidas national
park, now this national park is to be notified as tiger reserve. The
dominant vegetation is SAL tree.
In addition to the above three, the NTCA has
accorded final approval to the proposal to declare kudremukh national
park in Karnataka and Rajaji national park in uttarakhand as tiger
reserves.
There are 48 tiger reserves in India which are
governed by project tiger which is administered by NTCA. India is
home to 70% of tiger population in the world.The 48 tiger reserves
account for 2.08% of the geographical area of the country. The tiger
population in the country has consistently increased over the last
decade, in 2006 it was 1411, then in 2011 it rose to 1706 and in 2014
it rose to 2226 that is an increase of 30% since 2010. Tiger reserves
are constituted on core/buffer strategy, the core area has the legal
status of a national park/sanctuary, where as buffer areas are a mix of
forest and non forest land.
3.RAIGANJ WILD LIFE SANCTUARY-It is located in west
bengals Uttar Dinajpur district has the most Asian open bill
storks in the country. This sanctuary is one of the 466 important
birds and biodiversity sites recognised by the Bird life international.
This sanctuary is located on Kulik river and NH-34 passes close to
it. This sanctuary is second largest bird sanctuary in
asia.
4.SEPAHIJOLA WILD LIFE SANCTUARY - It is located
near Agartala and it is a major tourist attraction. It is famous for its
captive Clouded leopard enclosure. It was recently in news due to the
death of a Rhino(pradip), the only Rhino in the sanctuary,it died due
to Anthrax. Anthrax is a disease which is caused by Bacillus anthracis,
a germ that lives in in soil.It affects animals such as sheep,cattle and
goat more often than people.Anthrax does not spread directly from
one infected animal or person to another, it is spread by spores(a
reproductive particle i.e. cell that may germinate into another).

5.ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRACY -The new term

'environmental democracy', now taking hold, reflects increasing
recognition that environmental issues must be addressed by all those
affected by their outcome, not just by governments and industrial
sectors. It captures the principle of equal rights for all those in the
environment debate - including the public, community groups,
advocates, industrial leaders, workers, governments, academics and
health care professionals. For those whose daily lives reflect the
quality of their environment, participation in environmental decisionmaking is as important as in education, health care, finance and
government.
Access to environmental information for all who choose to participate
in such decision-making is integral to the concept of environmental
democracy. The policy of Right-to-Know, now nearly a decade old,
provides the foundation, and advocates providing basic information to
the public. Informed with basic facts about the quality of their
environment, citizens can become active participants in identifying
and resolving issues at both local and national levels.
Environmental democracy exists when the public is
able to freely access information around environmental
impacts, participate meaningfully in decision-making,
and demand enforcement of environmental laws or
compensation for damage. These rights often labeled
procedural rights are grouped into three areas: access
to information, public participation and access to
justice. They are widely cited as core principles of good
governance; the United Nations Independent Expert on
human rights and the environment adamantly has
stated that they are human rights and should be
protected as such. Environmental democracy has also
been recognized by international institutions such as
the United Nations Development Programme as
essential to sustainable development, because it can
improve information flow, lessen the likelihood of
inequitable outcomes from closed-door decisionmaking, and enable essential accountability
mechanisms if rules are not followed.

What is the Environmental Democracy Index?

Developed by The Access Initiative (TAI) and the World
Resources Institute(WRI), the Environmental
Democracy Index (EDI) will be the first comprehensive
index designed specifically to measure procedural
rights in an environmental context. The United Nations
Environment Programmes (UNEP) Bali Guidelines for
the Development of National Legislation on Access to
Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in
Environmental Matters (hereinafter called UNEP P10
Bali Guidelines) provide EDI with an international
standard against which national laws can be assessed.
EDI is an essential tool to help strengthen procedural rights given that
the recent surge in laws on access has not been accompanied by a
corresponding analysis of their quality, scope or implementation. In
addition, the three fundamental environmental democracy rights
have not received equal amounts of political attention. Dozens of laws
have been passedin particular on right to informationbut laws
and regulations protecting citizens rights to participate in decisions
that impact their environment are often weak, vague or absent. Public
participation opportunities are usually confined to commenting on
environmental impact assessments, and even then the public is seldom
consulted until after the decision has been made. When these laws are
not followed or are implemented ineffectively, citizens often struggle
to find redress through accountability or access to justice
mechanisms. Using the measurement EDI provides, citizens and
governments around the world will be able to identify and understand
the extent to which environmental democracy rights are being
strengthened or weakened.
EDI is designed to help address such global environmental problems
as air and water pollution, extractive industry impacts and
biodiversity loss by establishing a centralized hub of legal analysis
and implementation data on procedural rights. The results will help
establish both best practices and areas for improvement.
.
. WHAT ARE THE UNEP P10 BALI GUIDELINES?

The UNEP P10 Bali Guidelines enhance and supplement

Principle 10 of theRio Declaration that was signed by
178 governments in 1992. Principle 10 (also called the
environmental democracy principle) states that
environmental issues are best handled with public
participation, access to information and access to
justice. These three rights are referred to as the three
pillars of Principle 10.
EDI consists of indicators that compare national laws against 23 of
the 26 UNEP P10 Bali Guidelines.

INDIA RANKS 24TH IN THE FIRST ENVIRONMENTAL

DEMOCRACY INDEX OUT OF 70 COUNTRIES-India ranked 24th
out of 70 countries in the first ever EDI that is topped by Lithuania.
EDI evaluates nations progress in enacting laws to promote
transparency, accountability and citizens engagement in
environmental decision making.

Lituania,Latvia,Russia,U.S,S.Africa,U.K,Hungary,Bulgaria,Panama
and Coloumbia are the top 10 nations in the list launched by
washington based world resource institute (WRI) and Access
initiative.

The index evaluates environment democracy on the basis of 75 legal

and 24 practice indicators,based on recognised international
standards.
This index is a powerful lever that will help governments to become
more transparent and ordinary citizens to advocate for more
rights.This index will help in understanding the state of environmental
democracy incountries around the world, which is essential to
strengthen laws and public participation participation in
environmental issues. According to the report 93% of the assessed
countries have established the right to environmental information.
6.NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME-The union cabinet has
approved Rs 20000 cr budget for Namami Gange programme for the
next 5 yrs, which is a five fold increase over the money spent in the
last 3 decades towards the conservation of the river. The centre
incurred an overall expenditure of about Rs 4000cr for Ganga
rejuvination since 1985.
In order to push the efforts for the Ganga's clean up, the statement
said that the centre would now take up100% funding of various
activities under this programme. The programme also focusses on
involving the states and grass root level institutions i.e. urban local
bodies and panchayati raj institutions for its implementation.The
programme would be implemented by the National mission for clean
Ganga(NMCG) and its state counterpart organisations i.e.state
programme management groups(SPMGs).In order to improve
implementation, a three tier mechanism has been proposed for
monitoring projects i.e.a high level task force chaired by cabinet
secretary and assisted by NMCG at national level,state leve
committees chaired by chief secretary and assisted by SPMG and
district level committees chaired by DM.In view of the unsatisfactory
results of the earlier Ganga Action Plan,the centre has adopted
PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspot.In order to strengthen
enfocrement, the centre also plans to establish a 4 Battalion strong
Ganga Eco Task Force,a territorial army unit.
7.ASIATIC LION POPULATIONIN GIR SANCTUARY
INCREASES TO 523: CENSUS REPORT 2015
According to 2015 census report , the number of asiatic lions in Gir
Sanctuary of Gujrat and its surrounding areas has gone up to 523.

This 14th lion census has registered 27%increase in the number of

Asiatic lions compared to 2010 census which regestered 411 lions.The
lion census is carried out every 5 years by Gujrat forest department.
Asiatic lions found in the Gir Sanctuary are the only wild population
of Asiatic lions in the world.They are categorised as endangered
species in IUCN category.
8.IUCN LIST
India is at the 7th position with 988 threatened species to the'Red list'
of threatened species published by IUCN.Over the last 7 yrs the
number of such species have increased by 50%, this is partly due to
better research identifying more threatened species. Head quater of
IUCN is at Gland near Geneva in Switzerland.
9.SAMBHAR LAKE DEGRADING FOR LACK OF
PRESERVATION
Sambhar salt lake, largest among the 26 Ramsar sites in India,is fast
degrading and losing its birdlife and biodiversity due to drying up
conditions.
Ramsar sites :-These sites are declared as per the recommendation of
the environment ministry of the respective countries. U.K is the
country with maximum number of sites(170 sites) and Bolivia has the
largest area of listed wetlands.Presently there are 168 contracting
parties up from 21 initial signatory nations in 1971. The state parties
meet every three years as the conference of contracting parties.
Montreux record:-Montreaux record under the convention is a register
of wetland sites on the list of wetlands of international importance
wher changes in ecological character have occured,are occuring or
are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution
or other human interference.It is maintained as part of Ramsar list.
10. PROJECT GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD
Rajasthan forest department has allocated 12 cr rupees for project
Great Indian Bustard(GIB), a bird conservation programme.This
project will be financially supported by Japan bank.Under the GIB
project, closures will be made at many places in Jaisalmer district for
safe habitat of bird. The Great Indian Bustard is locally known as
godawan,it also happens to be the state bird of Rajasthan.THe Great
Indian Bustared is presently confined to only eight pockets in six
Indian statesi.e. Rajasthan,Gujrat,Maharastra,M.P,karnataka,Andra

pradesh. The largest population is found in Jaisalmer,Barmer and

Bikaner districts of Rajasthan.Although Indias single largest protected
area that happens to be a wild life sanctuary, is Great Indian Bustard
wild life sanctuary in Maharastra. It is listed as critically endangered
species by the IUCN red data list.
11.GREAT INDIAN ONE- HORNED RHINOCEROS:
CENSUS 2015
As per the recent census,the Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros
population in Assams Kaziranga national park has increased to over
2401.Rhino census is conducted every 3 years in Kaziranga national
park.The last one was carried out in 2012 which confirmed 2290
Rhino in the park. A special census of the Rhinos was conducted in
2013 that was in view of poaching incidents that had increased in the
park.The census of Rhinos in Kaziranga national park assumes
importance because this park houses 70% of Rhino population in the
world.Assam state account for 75% of Rhino population of the world
and India accounts for 85% of global Rhino population.Apart from
Kaziranga national park Rhinos are also found at Jaldapara National
park, Gorumara national park( both in West bengal),Pobitora wild life
sanctuary, Orang national park, Manas national park,(All in
Assam) ,Katarniaghat wild life sanctuary, Dudwa national park(U.P.).
Pobitora wild life sanctuary shelters the highest density of Rhinos in
the world.Poaching of Rhino is mainly done for its horn which has
uses in chinese traditional medicine.Rhino is listed as vulnerable on
IUCN Red data book.
12. UNION GOVERNMENT MERGES GREEN INDIA
MISSION WITH MGNREGA-Union government has merged
Green India mission with MGNREGA to increase 10 Mn hectares of
forest cover over the next decade.All lands including community
lands,village common land,wasteland,wetlands,shifting cultivation
area and private land will be eligible for afforestation.
13. EUROPEAN UNION ADOPTS CLIMATE CHANGE
TARGETS FOR DEC 2015 UNFCCC PARIS
CONFERENCE
E.U. has formally adopted climate change targets for dec 2015
UNFCCC paris conferrence. E.U has agreed to cut the GHG
emissions by atleast 40% compared to 1990 levels by 2030. These

targets were agreed by leaders of the 28 E.U member states at a

summit in oct 2014 but now have been officially forwarded to the
U.N.This announcement came prior to the deadline of march31,2015
as it is binding on countries to announce their commitment to cutting
GHG emmissions. E.U countries together form the worlds biggest
economy and accounts for 9% of global emmissions of GHG. U.S.A
also has formally announced its intention to reduce emissions by 2628% in 2025 compared to their level in 2005.U.S.A accounts for 12%
of global GHG emissions. While China has set a target date of 2030
for its global GHG emissions to peak.
14.India's first coral garden to be set up in
Gujarat
In an attempt to conserve several coral species at one place and to
boost tourism in the state, the country's first 'Coral garden' will be set
up at Mithapur coastal region of Devbhoomi-Dwarka district in
Gujarat. Country's first coral garden at Mithapur coast which will
conserve coral species. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Tata
Chemicals Limited (TCL) have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to set up the first of its kind coral garden.The project
will be funded by the Gujarat forest department . WTI got success in
the initial experiments for conservation of the coral species at the
proposed site which they think is fit to develop as coral garden.As per
the project plan of the Mithapur Coral garden, the reef will be
separated into various sections where almost all the coral species will
be made available at one place."The 'Mithapur Coral Garden' will be
one of its kind and it will house nearly all coral species found in Gulf
of Kutch.Just as in a terrestrial botanical park or garden, the reef will
be separated into various sections, based on accessibility."The tidal
pools are primarily targeted for the coral garden. Each pool will
contain a variety of corals, and will give a special emphasis to the
placement of different species.It would be useful not only for
education and tourism, but also for restoration of the reef," it
said.Tourists will be able to watch the beauty of corals as the
authorities plan to have wading, snorkeling, diving, representative
pool, jetty and boat anchoring areas in it, the report said.

15.HAJONG LAKE
This lake is located in Dima Hasao(North Cachar district) district of
Assam.The third tortoise festival was organised on the
banks of this Lake. The festival aims to create
awareness among the villagers surrounding the lake
about the safety of the endangered tortoise species
available in the area.Hajong lake is popularly known as
the tortoise lake.It is a natural habitat of the few unique
tortoise i.e. hill terrapins.This lake is the only natural
tortoise habitat in Assam, where some endangered
species of tide waters tortoise of N.E.India are still
living.
16. WORLDS TALLEST HYBRID WIND TURBINE
INSTALLED IN KUTCH
Wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon energy has installed the worlds
first and tallest hybrid wind generator turbine in Kutch, Gujrat. In
2008, the Suzlon energy had signed a MOU with the Gujrat
government to set up 2000MW of wind energy capacity in the state.
With this new turbine, the installed wind energy capacity at the Kutch
region of Gujrat has gone upto 1100MW. It makes it the Asia's biggest
wind energy park at one place.This tower is ideal for low wind areas
and the potential is huge. In the next three years, the region will have
2000Mw of wind energy capacity.
17. MANGROVES IN SUNDERBANS LOSING CAPACITY TO
ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE
As per a latest research financed by the Union government and
headed by noted marine scientist Abhijit Mitra, the Sunderbans huge
mangrove forest is rapidly losing its capacity to absorb carbon
dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere due
to increase in the salinity of water, unchecked deforestation and
pollution. As per the study, the mangrove forest, marsh grass,
phytoplanktons, molluscus and other coastal vegetation in the largest
delta on earth are the natural absorbers of carbon dioxide (CO2). The
locked carbon in the plants is known as Blue Carbons. The
absorption of CO2 is a process which plays a role in reduction of the
warming of the earth and other bad effects of climate change. The

study titled Blue Carbon Estimation in Coastal Zone of Eastern India

Sunderbans was submitted to the government in 2013. The
researchers who conducted the study expressed concerns, especially
towards the central Sunderbans, one of the three zones into which the
forest was divided for the study, the other two being western and
eastern. The situation, especially in the central part, is quite alarming.
The capacity of the mangrove forest, especially the Byne species, to
absorb carbon dioxide has declined significantly. This will affect the
whole ecosystem of the area. The study was focused mainly on the
Byne species of mangrove. There are 34 other species of mangroves
found in the forest including Keora and Genwa. The situation is
worrying because less absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere meant
higher proportion of CO2 in the atmosphere which traps heat. The
main causes of such an alarming situation in the Sunderbans, a
UNESCO world heritage site, are increased salinity in water and
human activities like shrimp farming, kiln industries and
deforestation.
Sharp increase in the salinity of water in Matla
River: The mangroves thrive on fresh water, but due to lack of fresh
water the height of mangroves has reduced significantly, bringing
down its capacity to absorb carbons. Due to deposition of silt at the
confluence of the Vidyadhari and Matla rivers, fresh water is unable
to enter the Matla river resulting into rise in its salinity. Human
incursion in these areas for activities like shrimp farming, setting
up of brick kiln industry and deforestation has added to the problem.
18. WHALES THE ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS
As per a new study, whales have a powerful and positive influence on
the function of oceans, global carbon storage, and the health of
commercial fisheries. Scientists tallied several decades of research on
whales from around the world, have discovered that whales, in fact,
make a huge impact on ocean ecosystem. As per scientists, the
population of whales has declined by at least 66% and perhaps as high
as 90% which has likely changed the structure and function of the
oceans, but recovery is possible and in many cases is already in
progress. Great whales which include Baleen and Sperm whales,
include the largest animals to have ever existed on Earth. They are the
oceans ecosystem engineers as they have huge metabolic demands

they consume many fish and invertebrates, are themselves prey to

other predators like killer whales, and circulate nutrients through the
water. Even their dead remains, excreta, provide habitat for many
species that only dwell on these whale falls. The biomass and
abundance of great whales has been dramatically reduced by
commercial whaling.
19. WHAT IS NET METERING
Net Metering is an eco-friendly idea that encourages the power
consumers to adopt the generation of solar power to manage their
demand and supply of electricity. In this process, the consumers not
only generate power for their own needs but also get paid for the
excess power generated by their solar Photovoltaic systems (PV
systems). The excess electricity is send to the central grid which pays
for the energy thus generated.
How Net Metering works? The electricity generated by the PV
systems serves the immediate energy needs of your home and slashes
your monthly electricity bill. Any extra power your home needsday
or nightis automatically supplied by PG&E. The excess electricity
generated by your system, but your home does not use, is exported
back to the electric grid.
Why is it called Net Metering? Net Metering system is a billing
mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity
they contribute to the grid. For example, if a residential customer
owns a PV system, it may generate more electricity than the home
uses during daylight hours. If the home is net-metered, the electricity
meter will run backwards to provide a credit against what electricity is
consumed at night or other periods where the homes electricity use
exceeds the systems output. Customers are only billed for their net
energy use. Generally, only 20-40% of a solar energy systems output
ever goes into the grid.
What are the benefits of Net Metering? Eco-friendly as it doesnt
generate harmful emissions Reduces dependence on conventional
energy sources Provides electricity to power deficient homes
Encourages generation of solar energy by power consumers through
incentives like negative bills and credits to surplus producers.
Over two years of its launch in Andhra Pradesh, Net Metering
system may soon be taken up by other states of India

20. Indias Largest Solar Power Plant launched in

Madhya Pradesh
Welspun Solar MP project, the largest Solar Power Plant of India
launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh. The 151megawatt photovoltaic plant. Worlds 2nd largest & Asias Largest
solar project (Single Plant). Constructed by: Welspun Energy Ltd
(WEL). Location: Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh. This Project will raise
Indian solar capacity by 7%.
About Welspun Energy Ltd (WEL)
Biggest developer of solar photovoltaic projects of India.
Headquarters:New Delhi. Objective: To develop 1,000 MW of wind
power projects by 2014. The energy arm of Welspun Group is an
independent power producer with plans to build grid connected
750MW of solar power & 1 GW of wind power plants across India.
21. JAITPUR PROJECT
Maharashtra Chief Minister recently said that the Jaitapur Nuclear
Power Park will roll through, come what may, sending a strong signal
to the Shiv Sena that opposes the project.
Jaitapur project- some facts:
It is a proposed 9900 MW power project of Nuclear Power
Corporation of India (NPCIL) at Madban village of
Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. If built, it would be
the largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net
electrical power rating.
Reactor type: European Pressurized Reactor/Evolutionary
Power Reactor.
Reactor supplier: Areva, French state-controlled nuclear
engineering firm.
In December 2010 an agreement was signed for the construction
of first set of two third-generation European Pressurized Reactors
and the supply of nuclear fuel for 25 years in the presence of
French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
Since Jaitapur being seismically sensitive area, the danger of an
earthquake has been foremost on the minds of people. According
to the Earthquake hazard zoning of India, Jaitapur comes under

Zone III. This zone is called the moderate Risk Zone. Hence,
citizens of the area are questioning about safety.
22. Patel statue on green tribunal radar
The National Green Tribunal has asked the Gujarat government to file
a reply before May 8 to allegations of irregularities in the Sardar Patel
Statue project made by activists.
Why?
Activists allege violation of environmental rules.
The activists say the project has not obtained the mandatory
permissions required under the Environment Impact Assessment
Notification. Moreover, the site was on an active tectonic plate in a
fault line area.
They say that the statue is just one part of a big tourism project
for which environmental and wetland laws and safety and disastermanagement norms had been given the go-by.
About the Project:
The plan is to erect a giant statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,
called the Statue of Unity, on the Sadhu Bet island on the
Narmada near Vadodara.
It is expected to be the tallest in the world at 182 metres when
completed. The Statue of Unity will be double the height of the
Statue of Liberty in the USA and five times taller than the Statue
of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It is a tribute to the Iron Man of India.
The project would require extensive construction work on the active
riverbed of the perennial Narmada and is likely to fall within a critical
wetlands area to be notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and
Management) Rules, 2010.
23. India fifth biggest generator of e-waste in
2014: U.N. report
The Global E-Waste Monitor 2014, compiled by U.N.s think tank
United Nations University (UNU), has warned that the volume of
global e-waste is likely to rise by 21% in next three years.
Important observations made by the Report:
At 32%, the U.S. and China produced the most e-waste overall
in 2014. India is behind the U.S., China, Japan and Germany. India
is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world.

 Most e-waste in the world in 2014 was generated in Asia at 16

Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant. The top three Asian nations with the
highest e-waste generation in absolute quantities are China (6.0
Mt), Japan (2.2 Mt) and India (1.7 Mt).
The top per capita producers by far are the wealthy nations of
northern and western Europe, the top five being Norway,
Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and the U.K.
The lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant was generated in
Africa (1.7 kg/inhabitant). The continent generated 1.9 Mt of ewaste in total.
In 2014, people worldwide discarded all but a small fraction of
an estimated 41.8 Mt of electrical and electronic equipment
mostly end-of-life kitchen, laundry and bathroom equipment like
microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers.
While only 7% of e-waste last year was made up of mobile
phones, calculators, personal computers, printers, and small
information technology equipment, almost 60% was a mix of large
and small equipment used in homes and businesses, such as
vacuum cleaners, toasters, electric shavers, video cameras,
washing machines, electric stoves, mobile phones, calculators,
personal computers, and lamps.
24. MANGROVES
More than half of worlds mangroves have been lost over the last
century.Mangroves are an imp protection against climate change as
they sequester up to five times more carbon than other forest.
Mangrove in India account for 3% of mangrove in the world.
Mangrove cover in India is 4662sqkm,which is 0.14% of the
geographical area of the country. Sundarbans in WestBengal
account for almost half of the total area under mangrove in the
country. The forest survey report 2013 shows that overall
mangrove cover in the country in 2013 has decreased compared to
2011.The sundarban is a natural region in W.B and bangladesh. It
the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the world. THe
sundarban cover about 10000sqkm of which 60% is in Bangladesh
with the remainder in India.
25 NELONG VALLEY

It is located in Uttarakhand(45km from china border), in Gangotri

national park, It was closed for civilians after 1962 war, has been
opened for tourists but foreigners are not allowed in the valley. It is
a cold desert .
26 .Govt. moves to clear the air
The government recently launched the National Air Quality Index
(AQI) that will put out real time data about the level of pollutants in
the air and inform people about the possible impacts on health.
Details:
The new index will initially cover 10 cities Delhi, Agra,
Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai,
Bangalore and Hyderabad each of which would have
monitoring stations with Air Quality Index display boards.
Background:
The government has been under immense pressure to take a
strong stand on air pollution after a World Health Organization
study of 1,600 cities released last year showed that Delhi was the
worlds most polluted capital.
Another study, conducted by economists and public policy
experts from the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, Yale and
Harvard University found that Indias poor air quality reduces the
lifespan of the average citizen by 3.2 years.
Last year, the environmental preference index ranked India 174
out of 178 countries for air quality. WHO study also found that 13
of the most polluted 20 cities in the world were in India.
About the Index:
The AQI is a global standard used to understand air quality.
It takes multiple data on pollution already available with the
countrys Central Pollution Control Board and presents it as a
color coded scale with six levels. Dark green, the first level,
indicates good quality air while maroon at the other end indicates
severe pollution.
For each category, the index identifies associated health
impacts. For example when the scale touches maroon, the advisory
reads: May cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and
serious health impacts on people with lung/heart disease. The

health impacts may be experienced even during light physical

activity.
It gives current as well as 24-hour average data on particulate
matter PM2.5 or very fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres
in diameter, and PM 10 which are less than 10 micrometers in
diameter as well as other pollutants including nitrogen dioxide,
ozone and carbon monoxide. PM 2.5 levels are commonly used as
the best indicator of severe air pollution, while PM 10 particles are
also a cause of public health concern, but less lethal.
In order to make it easy for the common man to judge
the air quality within his vicinity, the Ministry of
Environment and Forests has launched the National Air
Quality Index (AQI) by which an area will be assigned a
colour code based on the air quality. Speaking on the
occasion, Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment,
Forests & Climate Change, termed the AQI as one
number, one colour, one description measure which
will widely classify daily air quality and inform people in
a simple manner. He added that the formulation of the
index was a continuation of the initiatives
under Swachh Bharat Mission envisioned by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
The index is classified into six categories - good,
satisfactory, moderately polluted, poor, very poor, and
severe - with colour coding ranging from green to dark
red. This index transforms various air pollution levels
into a single number for a simple description of air
quality to citizens.
The AQI will prompt the local authorities to take quick
action to improve air quality and is aimed at people's
participation in the process. Citizens can avoid
unnecessary exposure to air pollutants, said Javadekar.
The proposed AQI will map eight pollutants (PM10,
PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3 and Pb) for which

short term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National

Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.
This index was developed by an expert group
comprising medical professionals, air quality experts,
academia, NGOs, and state pollution control boards.
27 BLOOD RAIN MYSTRY SOLVED
.A recent study by Indian and Austrian scientists has led to the
discovery of the cause of the Blood Rain phenomenon to be
dispersal of spores of micro algae. Since 1896, reports have been
coming in of sporadic instances of red coloured rain over parts of
Kerala and Sri Lanka. The latest one was in 2013 over Kerala.
Details of the new study:
The study confirmed that the red colour in the rain was caused
by the presence of spores of a European species of green
microalgae, Trentepohlia annulata that was reported previously
only from Austria a Central European country.
The study confirmed that the blood rain is nothing but a
mechanism employed by this alga to disperse its spores (similar to
plant seeds) to a very large area at once, so that algae can quickly
colonize a large area.
The study revealed that DNA sequence of this species from
Kerala and that from Austria had very little differences and they
evolve slowly, which suggests that the alga got introduced from
Europe not very long ago.
The research also confirmed the likelihood that the introduction
happened through clouds over ocean a phenomenon of
intercontinental species dispersal previously reported for bacteria
and fungi, but first time for alga.
Scientists have said that spores of this alga from Europe get
transported to India via clouds that drift across the Arabian Sea.
28. Rhino numbers rise in West Bengal
A West Bengal State Forest Department survey conducted in January
has revealed that the Jaldapara National Park in the State has nearly
200 of Rhinos and the Gorumara National Park, 50. Jaldapara now

has the second highest population of them after the Kaziranga

National Park in Assam, which has over 2,000. West Bengal is now
home to the second highest population of the one-horned rhinoceros
in the country after Assam, with the number growing to 250 in the
State.
One horned Rhino:
The greater one-horned rhino is the largest of the rhino species. Once
found across the entire northern part of the Indian sub-continent, rhino
populations were severely depleted as they were hunted for sport and
killed as agricultural pests. This pushed the species very close to
extinction in the early 20th century and by 1975 there were only 600
individuals surviving in the wild. By 2012, conservation efforts saw
the population grow to over 3,000 in the Terai Arc Landscape of India
and Nepal, and the grasslands of Assam and north Bengal in northeast
India.They are listed as a vulnerable species.
29.SINDHUDURG WITH PRISTINE CORAL'S
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has found three new records of
coral reef on the Sindhudurg coast near Malvan of Maharashtra during
a recent survey.
Efforts are on to protect the reef with the assistance of the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has sanctioned Rs.
80 lakh towards capacity building of the local people. The three new
records are Goniatsrea sp, Porites sp and Turbinaria sp.
Coral reefs: Coral reefs are diverse underwater
ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate
structures secreted by corals. Coral reefs are
second only to rainforests in biodiversity of
species.
30. Deforestation hits monsoon rains, says study
According to a new study conducted by the researchers
at the Indian Institute of Science in
Bangalore,Widespread deforestation, especially in the
northern high latitudes, has taken a toll on the
monsoon across the northern hemisphere, with rains
over India particularly badly affected.
Details of the Study:The study says that

Till 1750s, only about 7% of the global land area had

been cleared for agriculture and that proportion has
since risen to around one-third.

Such deforestation has reduced rains in the

monsoon regions of the northern hemisphere. India
was affected the most, with global deforestation
producing an 18% reduction in its summer monsoon
rains.

The deforestation led to moderately increased

rains over South Africa, South America and Australia
in the southern hemisphere.
Reasons for the decrease in Rainfall in Northern high
latitude regions: -When forests in the northern high
latitudes are removed, more sunlight is reflected back
into space and this region gets cooled sharply. And
hence, the rainfall is affected.
31.India home to 18% of worlds raptors
A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India says that India
is home to 106 species of raptors, popularly known as birds of prey.
Important revelations:

The publication reveals that more than 18 per cent of the 572
species of raptors spread all over the world can be found in India
alone.

The list also includes some of the interesting and lesser-known

species of raptors: Andaman Serpent Eagle and Great Nicobar
Serpent Eagle: which can only be found in the
Andaman and the Great Nicobar islands
respectively.

Among the raptors found, the Indian White-backed Vulture, the

Long Billed Vulture, the Slender Billed Vulture, the Red headed
Vulture and the Forest Owlet are in the critically
endangered category, and the Egyptian Vulture and the

Saker are in the endangered list of the International Union for

Conservation of Natures (IUCN) Red List.
32.Indias forest cover up by 5,871 sq km
The report of Forest Survey of India, released recently,
points out that West Bengals forest cover has
increased by 3,810 sq km, which is followed by Odisha
where increase in forest cover has been 1,444 km and
Kerala where the increase has been about 622 sq km.
Important observations made:

The report says that of the 5,871 sq km increase in

the forest cover of India, West Bengal accounts for
nearly 64 per cent of this rise. Increase in the forest
cover of the State is mainly due to coppice growth
(dense growth of small tress) and afforestation inside
the forests, growth of commercial plantations and
shade trees in tea gardens. West Bengal, a state
with high population density, has only 18.93% forest
cover.

The report says that States from northeast like

Nagaland, Arunanchal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur,
whose forest cover comprises over 75 percent of the
States area, have shown a decrease in forest cover.
The main reason for this is attributed to the biotic
pressure and shifting cultivation in the region.

In Andhra Pradesh, a State with 16.77 percent of

its area covered by forest, there has been a decrease
of 273 km of forest area.

The forest cover has decreased by 176 sq km in

Madhya Pradesh and 53 km in Chhattishgarh and it
has increased by 496 sq km in Jharkhand and 446 sq
km in Bihar.

The report says that there has been an increase of

31 sq km of very dense forest cover compared to
the last assessment carried two years ago. It has
also revealed that moderately dense forest has
decreased by 1,991 sq km while open forests have
increased by 7,891 sq km, putting the overall
increase at 5,871 sq km.

33. 8 m tonnes of plastic waste dumped in

oceans in 2010
Researchers in a study have quantified the amount
of plastic waste entering the ocean from land.
Details:
The details of the study are as follows:

In 2010, an estimated eight million tonnes of

plastic waste made its way to the ocean.

Most of the plastic waste that enters the ocean

is on account of plastic litter and mismanaged
plastic waste system in several countries.

Twenty countries accounted for 83% of

mismanaged plastic waste that entered the
ocean.

India, with 0.6 million tonnes a year of

mismanaged plastic waste, is ranked 12th. China
ranks number one with 8.82 million tonnes a year.

There are 11 Asian and Southeast Asian

countries on the list, including Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Burma.

The cumulative amount of plastic debris that

would enter the ocean in the next decade will be
more than double the 2010 figure in the absence
of any improvement to waste management
systems in the 192 coastal countries. In 2010, 275

million tonnes of plastic waste was generated in

the 192 coastal countries. It is very unlikely that a
global peak waste will be reached before 2100.
The countries that contributed the greatest amount
of waste that ultimately entered the ocean were
arrived at by taking into account the population and
quality of waste management systems in place.
The total amount that ended up in the ocean would
have been much higher as the study did not take
into account the contribution from other sources
such as fishing activities or seagoing vessels.
34. Beneficial algal species discovered
Two new bloom-forming algal species were discovered
recently off the west coast of India. These two species
have excellent carbon capture properties ability to
absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce
global warming and are also promising candidates
for use as bio fuels.
The two species are:
1. Ulva paschima Bast.
2. Cladophora goensis Bast.
Some facts:

Both of the newly discovered species are endemic

and bloom-forming.

As they are endemic, their cultivation is not going

to cause any environmental harm. i.e., they are not
bio invasive species.

Bloom forming indicates spontaneous growth.

There is no need for fertilizers/pesticides or any
expensive cultivation systems such as
photobioreactors for their cultivation.

These can grow sporadically at shorelines and can

sequester CO2.
These newly discovered algae have profound sequence
differences from previously discovered algae.
35.EU lifts ban on Indian mangoes
The seven-month ban on Indian mangoes, imposed last
year by the European Union, has been lifted well in
advance of the deadline set for the ban, which was
originally till December 2015.

This has come after an audit by the EU which

showed significant improvements in the
phytosanitary export certification system.
Why were they banned?
Shipments of mangoes from India had been stopped
last year after inspections found some consignments
infested with fruit flies.
Other details:

The ban has been lifted only on mangoes. Ban on

taro, bitter gourd, snake gourd and eggplant remains
in force.

The EU accounts for more than 50 per cent of total

exports of fruits and vegetables from India. The U.K.
is the main destination, followed by the Netherlands,
Germany and Belgium.

Small traders and importers of the fruit in the

United Kingdom were hit last year due to the ban.

36. The forest owlet ( Athene blewitti )

It has been sighted in Madhya Pradeshs Betul

district. It was most recently seen for the first time in
the Western Ghats in October last year.
Forest owlet:

The forest owlet is a very small member of the

owl family, measuring only 23 centimetres in
length.

It has been classified as critically

endangered species.

This owlet is extremely rare, and the

populations are isolated and fragmented from one
another.

The owlet, endemic to central Indian forests

was said to be extinct in the wild but was
rediscovered in 1997.

The species faces a number of threats which in

combination are suspected to be causing a
decline at a rate of 10-19% over ten years.
Threats:

Habitat destruction and deforestation are the

main threats to the existence of the forest owlet.

Illegal wood cutting and expansion of

agriculture has greatly reduced, and continues to
reduce, the forest this owlet requires.

Superstitious beliefs among the local human

populations also take a toll of the owlet. The eggs
of the owlet are thought to boost ones chances of
winning when gambling, and killing a baby owlet
is supposed to make the person more fertile.

The forest owlet is also simply killed because it

is thought to harm the soul.

37. Pact for mega solar project

SunEdison Inc, the U.S.-headquartered solar energy
services firm, and Indias Adani Group have come
together to invest $4 billion or Rs. 25,000 crore in
setting up one of the worlds largest solar
photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Gujarat.
Impacts:

The project is expected to create not only

thousands of jobs, but also provide a much-need
impetus to the countrys electrification
programmes through solar energy.

Project will boost countrys electrification

programmes through solar energy.
India has an ambitious vision of building 100 GW of
solar power by 2020 and that vision is exactly the

same China has for its solar industry by 2020. So, a

strong local solar manufacturing base is of strategic
importance to the growth of this sector.
Indian scenario:

Indian domestic PV manufacturing industry

essentially comprises of two segments of players
manufacturers of cells & complete modules and
producers who import cells and only make
modules. The total capacity of these two put
together is less than 2,000 MW.

Also, the domestic solar manufacturing

industry does not have the scale nor have the
access to a fully developed domestic supply
chain.

Domestic PV manufacturing industry was

essentially set up to cater to highly subsidised
solar tariff markets in the EU. In this context,
establishment of an integrated manufacturing
unit by a worlds leading firm like SunEdison will
be a significant chapter in the Indian solar map.

38. Govt. urged to reject Kasturirangan

report
People from Udupi, Karnataka have urged the
Union and State governments to reject the
recommendations of the K. Kasturirangan Panels
report on conservation of the Western Ghats.

35 villages in Udupi district in the Western

Ghats come under the ambit of the report and
the report also proposed a buffer zone of 10
km from the boundary of Western Ghats, which
would include another 38 villages. The people

are against the report as it would hamper

development in the villages.
Kasturirangan Report:
The Kasturirangan panel was set up to study the
Gadgil committee report on the Western Ghats.
The Gadgil panel report had faced unanimous
opposition from state governments for
recommending that almost three-fourth of the
hills, including plantations, cultivated lands and
large habitations, be turned into a restricted
development zone with an over-arching authority
to regulate the region superseding the elected
authorities role.
Recommendations made:

Around 60,000 sq km of Western

Ghats, spread across six states, should be
turned into a no-go area for commercial
activities like mining, thermal power plants,
polluting industries and large housing plans.

It has suggested that 90% of the natural

forests left in the Western Ghats complex
adding upto 60,000 sq km and constituting
37% of the entire hilly belt be conserved
under the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA)
provisions of the green law. The forest area
falling within the ESA would also cover 4,156
villages across the six states. The panel has
said, The villages falling under ESA will be
involved in decision making on the future
projects. All projects will require prior-informed
consent and no-objection from the gram sabha
(village council) of the village.

The panel has recommended that there

should be a complete ban on mining activity in
this zone and current mining activities should
be phased out within five years, or at the time
of expiry of the mining lease. It has banned
development of any township or construction
over the size of 20,000 sq m in the ESA zone. It
has not recommended a ban on hydroelectric
projects in the zone, but put a regime of
stricter clearances for dams and other projects.

The report suggests doing away with the

complete moratorium on industrial and mining
activity in the two Maharashtra districts of
Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri. It has suggested
persisting with the ban only on the area of the
two districts falling within the ESA and a strict
regulation in the rest.

The report has steered clear from

demanding a strict ecological control over the
Western Ghat complex requiring changes and
regulations on agricultural practices the way
Gadgil committee report had suggested.
39. Plant Protection Code rolls out to make
tea a safer beverage
Plant Protection Code (PPC), a set of guidelines for regulating
the chemical inputs in tea cultivation, was rolled out recently.

The aim is to make Indian tea a safe and healthy

drink.
PPC:

The PPC is a comprehensive document, which deals

with safe usage of crop protection products and

methodologies that would be followed to reduce pesticide

residues in tea.

The code encourages tea growers to critically review

their plant protection formulations (PPF), which are a list
of chemicals that are used in tea.

The code is based on the Codex Alimentarius, which

is a set of international food standards and guidelines.
Plant protection formulations (PPF):

The PPF, evolved by Tea Board, has detailed the

chemicals that can be used in tea plantations making some
exceptions for South India. It said that chemical use should
be restricted not only in tea estates, but also near water
bodies, wildlife habitats and human dwelling to check
contamination.

PPF covers insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and

bio pesticides. Tea Board noted that in spite of using PPFs,
the tea industry loses nearly 30 per cent of its crop due to
pests, weeds and diseases. The tea research institutes,
which were engaged in the PPF exercise, have ensured that
their recommendations comply with food safety standards
as stipulated by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of
India.

40. Huge population at fluorosis risk

With drinking water in 14,132 habitations in 19 States still
containing fluoride above the permissible levels, the Union
Health and Family Welfare Ministry fears that a huge
population is at risk of serious health conditions such as
skeletal fluorosis. The Ministry has now urged the Drinking
Water and Sanitation Ministry to ensure the supply of safe
drinking water in these habitations.

According to the Data collected by the Drinking

water and Sanitation Ministry:

Rajasthan has the highest number of such

habitations (7,670), affecting 48,84,613 people.

Telangana has 1,174 such districts with

19,22,783 affected people.

Karnataka has 1,122 such districts and Madhya

Pradesh 1,055.

Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh,

Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh
too face the problem.
What the WHO says?

The World Health Organization guideline value

for fluoride is 5 mg per litre, with a target of
between 0.8 and 1.2 mg per litre to maximise benefits
and minimise harmful effects. Fluoride levels in the
body depend on climate and intake of the chemical from
drinking water and other sources.

Fluoride contamination affects the teeth and

bones and long-term excessive exposure causes
abdominal pain, excessive saliva, nausea, vomiting,
seizures and muscle spasms.

Fluoride levels above 1.5 mg per litre causes

pitting of tooth enamel and deposits in bones. Levels
above 10 mg per litre cause the crippling skeletal
fluorosis.
Governments initiative:

The government has started the National

Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis in
2008-09. In 2013-14, the programme was brought under
the National Rural Health Mission, which
has so far covered 111 districts.

The programme includes surveillance of

fluorosis in the community, training and manpower
support, establishment of diagnostic facilities, treatment
and health education.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has

formed a task force on fluorosis to address issues
related to prevention and control.
Fluorosis:
Fluorosis is a crippling and painful disease caused by
intake of fluoride. Fluoride can enter the body through
drinking water, food, toothpaste, mouth rinses and other
dental products; drugs, and fluoride dust and fumes from
industries using fluoride containing salt and or hydrofluoric
acid.
Fluorosis occurs as:

Dental Fluorosis

Skeletal Fluorosis and

Non-skeletal Fluorosis
Drinking water is typically the most significant source of
fluoride. The control of drinking-water quality is therefore
critical in preventing fluorosis.
How to remove fluoride from water?

Fluoride in water is mostly of geological origin.

Waters with high levels of fluoride content are mostly
found at the foot of high mountains and in areas where
the sea has made geological deposits.

Removal of excessive fluoride from drinkingwater is difficult and expensive. The preferred option is
to find a supply of safe drinking-water with safe
fluoride levels.

Where access to safe water is already limited,

de-fluoridation may be the only solution. Methods

include: use of bone charcoal, contact precipitation, use

of Nalgonda or activated alumina.

41.Clean Energy Tax

Clean Energy Cess is levied as a duty of Excise under
section 83 (3) of the Finance Act, 2010 at the rate of
Rs.100 per tonne on Coal, Lignite and Peat (goods
specified in the Tenth Schedule to the Finance Act,
2010) in order to finance and promote clean initiatives,
funding research in the area of clean energy or for any
other purpose.
The fund created through clean energy cess accruals is
meant for the purposes for financing and promoting
clean energy initiatives, funding research in the area of
clean energy or for any other purpose relating thereto.
Thus, projects aiming at reduction of emissions with
innovative technologies from different sectors get
considered under this funding mechanism.

42. CO2 emissions at all time high

A new report, titled Trends in global CO2 emissions,
says that Global Carbon Dioxide emissions from
burning of fossil fuels and production of Cement have
reached a new high of 35.3 billion tonnes in 2013. The
report was released by Netherlands Environmental
Assessment Agency and European Commissions Joint
Research Centre.
Why? The increase is mainly due to continuing steady
increase in energy use in emerging economies.
Other important observations made by the Report:

Brazil, India, China and Indonesia

reported a sharp rise in emissions of the greenhouse
gas.

The global emissions, however, increased

at a notably slower rate of 2% than the average
yearly 3.8% since 2003.

China, US and European Union remained

the top 3 emitters of CO2, accounting for 29%, 15%
and 11% respectively, of the worlds total.

After years of steady decrease in gas

emissions by the US, it grew by 2.5% in 2013
mainly due to a shift in power production from gas
back to coal and an increase in gas consumption for
space heating.

The emissions by the EU continued to fall

by 1.4% in 2013.

The lower emissions by China is mainly

due to a decline in electricity and fuel demand by
the basic materials industry, and aided by an
increase in renewable energy and improvements in
energy efficiency. With this China has returned to
lower annual growth rates that it experience before
its economic growth started to accelerate in 2003,
when its annual CO2 emissions increased on
average by 12% a year.
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere
that absorbs and emits radiation within the
thermal infrared range. This process is the
fundamental cause of the greenhouse
effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the
Earths atmosphere are water vapour,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
ozone. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the
temperature of the Earth; without them,
Earths surface would average about 33 C

colder, which is about 59 F below the

present average of 14 C.

43 BLENDING ETHANOL WITH

PETROL
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister, has
approved a mechanism for procurement of
Ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing
Companies (OMCs) to carry out the Ethanol
Blended Petrol (EBP) Program.
The CCEA approved replacing the current
procedure on ethanol with the following:

The delivered price of Ethanol

may be fixed in the range of Rs.48.50 per
litre to Rs.49.50 per litre, depending upon
the distance of sugar mill from the
depot/installation of the OMCs.

The rates proposed would be

delivered price at depot location and
inclusive of all Central and State taxes,
transportation costs, etc which would be
borne by the Ethanol suppliers.

The OMCs will incorporate

Supply or Pay clause duly backed up
with bank guarantee in their supply
agreement with Ethanol suppliers.

OMCs will sign MOU with the

State Governments for a comprehensive
system for uninterrupted inter-depot
transfer of Ethanol within a State. This
may include annual excise permits to

OMCs for movement of Ethanol and other

relevant measures.
Ethanol Blending Petrol Program:
It was launched in 2003, which was
extended to the entire country except NE
States, J&K, A&N Islands and Lakshadweep
in 2006.
OMCs were directed to sell 5% ethanol
blended petrol subject to commercial
viability.
A National Policy on Bio-fuels was also
notified by the Government in 2009 with the
objective to ensure that minimum level of
bio-fuels is readily available to meet the
demand at any given time.
There are certain advantages of blending
Ethanol with Petrol:
Incentivizing the sugar industry
and benefiting sugar-cane growers.

EBP has higher octane number

than petrol resulting in reduced emissions
of pollutants.

It is a renewable fuel.

At 5% blending level, OMCs will

have surplus Petrol production of 115
crore litres which can be exported to earn
foreign exchange.
In order to give fillip to the EBP program, the
Government, inter alia, decided in
November 2012 that 5% Ethanol blending
with Petrol should be implemented across
the country; procurement price of Ethanol

will be decided between OMCs and the

suppliers of Ethanol.
Constraints in implementing the EBP
program:

OMCs are not getting enough

quantity of ethanol. Offers were received
for only 45% of the total requirement of
ethanol in 2013.

Transportation of Ethanol from

sugar mills to OMC depot and its interdepot transfer is regulated by the State
Excise departments. The procedure
adopted by States (particularly for interstate supplies) in issuance of licenses and
Import/ Export NOCs is complicated, time
consuming and acts as an impediment.

OMCs purchase ethanol at

benchmark price which is based on
average RTP of Petrol for the previous
financial year. The price of EBP at times
can become unviable if prices of petrol
come down. At the same time, in certain
cases, prices being quoted by Sugar mills
are higher than benchmark price,
resulting in actual procurement being less
than the offered quantity. This creates
uncertainty.
The present mechanism of procurement of
Ethanol based on a benchmark price
decided by OMCs may be replaced by a new
mechanism of uniform price of Ethanol
declared for each sugar year.

44.SCHEME FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR

PARKS AND ULTR MEGA POWER PROJECTS
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime
Minister, has approved the scheme for
setting up 25 solar parks each with a
capacity of 500 MW and above and Ultra
Mega Solar Power Projects in various parts of
the country where large chunks of land can
be spared for this purpose.

These parks will be able to

accommodate over 20,000 MW of solar
power projects.

The Solar Parks/ Ultra Mega Solar

Power Projects will be set up during five
years that is from 2014-15 to 2018-19
and will require Central Government
financial support of Rs.4050 crore.
Smaller parks in Himalayan and other
hilly States where contiguous land may
be difficult to acquire in view of the
difficult terrain, will also be considered.

The solar parks will be developed

in collaboration with State Governments
and their agencies. The choice of
implementing agency for developing and
maintaining the park is left to the State
Government. The States, applying under
the scheme, will have to designate an
agency for the development of the solar
park.

The State Government will first

nominate the implementing agency for
the solar park and also identify the land
for the proposed solar park. It will then
send a proposal to the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for
approval along with (or later) the name of
the implementing agency. The
implementing agency may be sanctioned
a grant of upto Rs.25 Lakh for preparing a
Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Solar
Park, conducting surveys, etc. The DPR
must be prepared in 60 days.

Thereafter, application may be

made by the implementing agency to
SECI for the grant of up to Rs. 20
lakhs/MW or 30% of the project cost
including Grid-connectivity cost,
whichever is lower. The approved grant
will be released by Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) as per
milestones prescribed in the scheme.

All the States and Union

Territories are eligible for benefitting
under the scheme. Solar parks will enable
development of solar power in remote
areas where land is inexpensive.

As the transmission system will

be developed for the entire park,
developers will not have to set up their
own transmission lines. This will not only
save money but will also avoid damaging

the landscape of the area as only limited

transmission lines would be laid.

Developers would be able to set

up projects very fast as they will not have
to get statutory and other clearances.
India will emerge as a major solar power
producing country as nowhere in the
world are solar parks being developed on
such a large scale.
The scheme for development of Solar Parks
and Ultra Mega Soiar Power Projects has
been conceived on the lines of the
Charanka Solar Park in Gujarat which is a
first-of-its-kind large scale Solar Park in India
with contiguous developed land and
transmission connectivity.
45. GREEN DIESEL
A Boeing aircraft has completed the worlds
first flight using green diesel, a
sustainable biofuel made from
vegetable oils, waste cooking oil and
animal fats.

Sustainable green diesel is

widely available and used in ground
transportation. Boeing previously found
that this fuel is chemically similar to HEFA
(hydro-processed esters and fatty acids)
aviation biofuel approved in 2011.

Green diesel is chemically

distinct and a different fuel product than
biodiesel, which also is used in ground
transportation.

what is green diesel or renewable

diesel
Renewable Diesel, often called green
diesel or second generation diesel, refers
to petrodiesel-like fuels derived from
biological sources that are chemically not
esters. Renewable diesel is chemically the
same as petrodiesel, but it is made of
recently living biomass.

Unlike biodiesel, which is an

ester and has different chemical
properties from petroleum diesel, green
diesel is composed of long-chain
hydrocarbons, and can be mixed with
petroleum diesel in any proportion for use
as transportation fuel.

Green diesel technology is

frequently referred to as secondgeneration renewable diesel technology.
Petrodiesel is a product produced through
the fractional distillation of crude oil. The
petrodiesel molecule is a pure hydrocarbon,
containing only hydrogen and carbon atoms
and no oxygen.
benefits of green diesel

Green diesel can be used in any

diesel engine without modification. Other
fractions can be used to run aircraft
engines.

Green diesel produced from BTL

(biomass to liquids) or WTL (waste to

liquids) doesnt smell like fossil diesel. In

fact it has a pleasant kind of soap smell.

In cold climates green diesel has

a great advantage over bio-diesel. It
doesnt cloud or gel until much lower
temperatures (-40C) making it ideal for
cool climates.

Because it has exactly the same

chemical properties as fossil based diesel,
it can be blended with regular diesel,
stored and distributed using the same
infrastructure.

Although chemically identical to

fossil diesel, it has a higher octane rating
and on a gallon for gallon basis contains
22% more energy.

On a lifecycle basis, sustainably

produced green diesel reduces carbon
emissions by 50 to 90 per cent compared
to fossil fuel.

Green diesel offers a tremendous

opportunity to make sustainable aviation
biofuel more available and more
affordable for customers.
With production capacity of 800 million
gallons (three billion litres) in the U.S.,
Europe and Asia, green diesel could
rapidly supply as much as one per cent of
global jet fuel .

46. SWACHH BHARAT KOSH

The Swachh Bharat Kosh (SBK) has been set up to
facilitate and channelize individual philanthropic

contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

funds to achieve the objective of Clean India (Swachh
Bharat) by the year 2019.

The Kosh will be used to achieve the objective of

improving cleanliness levels in rural and urban
areas, including in schools.

The allocation from the Kosh will be used to

supplement and complement departmental
resources for such activities.

To incentivise contributions from individuals and

corporate, modalities are being considered to
provide tax rebates where it is possible.
47. SUPREME COURT APPROVES NATIONAL WILD
LIFE BOARD
The Supreme Court has approved the Centres
reconstituted National Board for Wildlife.
Implication: it has paved the way for the clearance of
over 140 big infrastructure projects.
In August, the apex court had restrained the newlyconstituted standing committee under the National
Board for Wildlife from clearing any project falling in
and around national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and
tiger reserves.
National Board for Wildlife:
It is a statutory organization constituted under the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was constituted under
the provisions of amended Wildlife (Protection) Act
replacing the Indian Board for Wildlife.
Purpose: to review all wildlife related matters and
approve the projects in and around the National Parks
and Wildlife sanctuaries.

Members: It has 47 members including the Chairman.

Amongst these, 19 members are ex-officio members.
The members other than ex-officio members include
The term of office of members other than those who
are members ex-officio expires after three years from
the date of the constitution/re-constitution.
Functions:

Its recommendations are Advisory in nature.

It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

Minister of Environment and Forests is its Vice

chairman.

3 Members of Parliament (2 from Lok Sabha and 1

from Rajya Sabha)

5 NGOs and

10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and

Environmentalists.

The Board is responsible for promotion of

conservation and development of wildlife and
forests.

It helps the Central and State governments in

framing policies and advices on conservation and
promotion of wildlife.

It carries out impact assessment of projects in

areas inhabited by Wildlife.

It recommends the state governments on

alteration of boundaries of a sanctuary or National
Park.

No alteration of boundaries of a tiger reserve can

be made except on recommendation of the National
Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board
for Wildlife.

48. CO2 emissions must be nil by 2070 to

prevent disaster: U.N.
The UN has warned that the world must cut CO2
emissions to zero by 2070. The UNEP report says
that by 2100, all greenhouse gas emissions
including methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, as well
as CO2 must fall to zero.
WHY?
What Next?
What is the problem now?
About UNEP:
UNEP work encompasses:
The global carbon budget is the balance of the
exchanges (incomes and losses) of carbon between
the carbon reservoirs or between one specific loop
(e.g., atmosphere biosphere) of the carbon cycle.
49. Migratory birds, mammals and fish get new
UN protection
Polar bears, whales, sharks and gazelles were among
31 new species granted new protection status by the
UN conservation body.
A record 21 species of shark, ray and sawfish were
added to the list. The polar bear, which is found in
the Arctic, and the widely-distributed Cuviers
beaked whale made the list too. Also newly
protected are the red-fronted gazelle, common in
Africa, and the great bustard, found in Europe and
Asia.
More than 900 experts from 120 countries met for
the six-day meeting, approving all but one proposed
species to be included on the protected wildlife list.
The African lion did not make the final cut because

there was not enough information from the countries

on where it lives.
UN Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (CMS):
It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the
United Nations Environment Programme, CMS
provides a global platform for the conservation and
sustainable use of migratory animals and their
habitats. CMS brings together the States through
which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and
lays the legal foundation for internationally
coordinated conservation measures throughout a
migratory range. It aims to conserve terrestrial,
marine and avian migratory species throughout their
range.
As the only global convention specializing in the
conservation of migratory species, their habitats and
migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates
with a number of other international organizations,
NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the
corporate sector.
CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting
Migratory species threatened with extinction,
conserving or restoring the places where they live,
mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling
other factors that might endanger them. Besides
establishing obligations for each State joining the
Convention, CMS promotes concerted action among
the Range States of many of these species.
In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention.
The agreements may range from legally binding
treaties (called Agreements) to less formal

instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding,

and can be adapted to the requirements of particular
regions. The development of models tailored
according to the conservation needs throughout the
migratory range is a unique capacity to CMS.
There are, currently, 119 Parties to the Convention.
50. Green-rated buildings not keeping their
promise, says CSE report
Green-rated buildings are falling below the minimum
benchmarks of their official star rating by the Bureau
of Energy Efficiency (BEE), says a report Building
sense beyond the green faade of sustainable
habitat by the Centre for Science and
Environment released recently.
Data put out by the Indian Green Building Council
(IGBC) on energy consumption of large commercial
buildings that were rated and awarded silver, gold
and platinum ratings, under the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) greenrating programme, show they are grossly
underperforming.
India started to mirror the global trends in green
rating when the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC) began rating buildings in India.
In 2007, LEED India (Leadership in Energy and
environmental Design-India) was adapted from the
USGBC LEED programme. This is a private initiative
run by the IGBC.
India adopted the Green-rated Integrated Habitat
Assessment (GRIHA) as the national rating system
for buildings in 2007.
About GRIHA:

GRIHA is a rating tool that helps people assesses the

performance of their building against certain
nationally acceptable benchmarks. It evaluates the
environmental performance of a building holistically
over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a
definitive standard for what constitutes a green
building. The rating system, based on accepted
energy and environmental principles, will seek to
strike a balance between the established practices
and emerging concepts, both national and
international.
GRIHA attempts to minimize a buildings resource
consumption, waste generation, and overall
ecological impact to within certain nationally
acceptable limits / benchmarks. It attempts to
quantify aspects such as energy consumption, waste
generation, renewable energy adoption, etc. so as to
manage, control and reduce the same to the best
possible extent.
With over two decades of experience on green and
energy efficient buildings, TERI has developed GRIHA
(Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment),
which was adopted as the national rating system for
green buildings by the Government of India in 2007.
This tool has been adopted by the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy. This tool, by its qualitative
and quantitative assessment criteria, is able to rate
a building on the degree of its greenness.
The basic features of GRIHA:
The system has been developed to help design and
evaluate new buildings (buildings that are still at the
inception stages). A building is assessed based on its

predicted performance over its entire life cycle

inception through operation. The stages of the life
cycle that have been identified for evaluation are:
Pre-construction stage: (intra- and inter-site issues
like proximity to public transport, type of soil, kind of
land, where the property is located, the flora and
fauna on the land before construction activity starts,
the natural landscape and land features).

Building planning and construction stages:

(issues of resource conservation and reduction in
resource demand, resource utilization efficiency,
resource recovery and reuse, and provisions for
occupant health and well-being). The prime
resources that are considered in this section are
land, water, energy, air, and green cover.

Building operation and maintenance stage:

(issues of operation and maintenance of building
systems and processes, monitoring and recording
of energy consumption, and occupant health and
well-being, and also issues that affect the global
and local environment).
The benefits:
On a broader scale, this system, along with the
activities and processes that lead up to it, will
benefit the community at large with the
improvement in the environment by reducing GHG
(greenhouse gas) emissions, reducing energy
consumption and the stress on natural resources.
Some of the benefits of a green design to a building
owner, user, and the society as a whole are as
follows:

Reduced energy consumption without

sacrificing the comfort levels
Reduced destruction of natural areas, habitats,
and biodiversity, and reduced soil loss from
erosion etc.
Reduced air and water pollution (with direct
health benefits)
Reduced water consumption
Limited waste generation due to recycling and
reuse
Reduced pollution loads
Increased user productivity
Enhanced image and marketability

51. India bans import of animal-tested

cosmetics
Coming just a few months after implementation of
a national ban on cruel cosmetics testing in
Indias labs, the import ban now makes India the
first cruelty-free cosmetics zone in South Asia and
an example for other nations to follow.
The ban comes in the form of Rule 135-B that
states, No cosmetic that has been tested on
animals after the commencement of Drugs and
Cosmetics (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2014 shall be
imported into the country.
This is a huge achievement that could not have
been possible without the compassion of
government, consumers and industry. If this vision
is applied to other areas of product testing, this
can be a defining moment in the modernisation of

Indias safety science, with potentially hundreds

of thousands more animals spared of pain and
suffering.
After intensive efforts by People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare has made this
announcement that will save millions of animals
from being blinded, poisoned and killed in cruel
and useless tests for products sold to Indias
billion plus population.
Indias dual test and import ban mirrors that of
the European Union and is the latest victory in a
string of achievements for the BeCrueltyFree
campaign globally. Earlier this year
BeCrueltyFree campaigners in Australia, Brazil,
New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States have
all celebrated the introduction of bills proposing
national cosmetic animal test bans. Efforts by
BeCrueltyFree China also resulted in China
removing mandatory animal testing for many
domestically-produced cosmetics.
Be Cruelty-Free India is part of the largest
campaign in the world to end cosmetics animal
testing. Globally there are Be Cruelty-Free
campaigns in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan
and the U.S.where the campaign is led by The
Humane Society of the United States.
52. Global warming has doubled risk of
harsh winters in Eurasia: report
According to new research, the risk of severe
winters in Europe and northern Asia has been

doubled by global warming. The counter-intuitive

finding is the result of climate change melting the
Arctic ice cap and causing new wind patterns that
push freezing air and snow southwards. Severe
winters over the last decade have been
associated with those years in which the melting
of Arctic sea ice was greatest.
The new work is the most comprehensive
computer modelling study to date and indicates
the frozen winters are being caused by climate
change, not simply by natural variations in
weather.
Climate change is heating the Arctic much faster
than lower latitudes and the discovery that the
chances of severe winters has already doubled
shows that the impacts of global warming are not
only a future threat. Melting Arctic ice has also
been implicated in recent wet summers in the UK.
The research also shows that the increased risk of
icy winters will persist for the next few decades.
But beyond that continued global warming
overwhelms the colder winter weather.
The Arctic is expected to be ice-free in late
summer by the 2030s, halting the changes to
wind patterns, while climate change will continue
to increase average temperatures.
Climate scientists have warned for many years
that global warming is not simply leading to a
slow, gradual rise in temperature. Instead, it is
putting more energy into the climate system
which drives more frequent extreme events.

53 Ratification of the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur

supplementary protocol on liability and
redress to the Cartagena protocol on biosafety
by India
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister
gave its approval for ratifying the `NagoyaKualaLumpur supplementary protocol on liability and
redress to the Cartagena protocol on bio-safety` by
India.
The proposed approach provides for an international
regulatory framework in the field of liability and
redress related to living modified organisms that
reconciles trade and environment protection. The
Supplementary Protocol would promote sound
application of biotechnology making it possible to
accrue benefits arising from modern biotechnology
while minimizing the risk to the environment and
human health.
The proposal will protect the interests of all Indians
without distinction or differentiation.
The proposal is based on the principles of the
Convention on Biological Diversity and Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety, both internationally negotiated
and binding legal instruments. It will promote
innovation in agricultural and healthcare research
and development that is safe for the environment
and human beings.
About the Protocol:
The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol
on Liability and Redress is a supplementary protocol
to the Cartagena protocol on Biosafety. After several
years of negotiations, the Parties to the Cartagena

Protocol on Biosafety adopted the Supplementary

Protocol on 15 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan.
The Supplementary Protocol aims to contribute to
the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
by providing international rules and procedures for
liability and redress in the event of damage resulting
from living modified organisms (LMOs).
The Supplementary Protocol fulfils the commitment
set forth in Article 27 of the Cartagena Protocol to
elaborate international rules and procedures on
liability and redress for damage to biodiversity
resulting from transboundary movements of LMOs. It
is also inspired by Principle 13 of the 1992 Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development which
calls on States to cooperate in an expeditious and
more determined manner to develop further
international law regarding liability and
compensation for adverse effects of environmental
damage caused by activities within their jurisdiction
or control.
The Supplementary Protocol takes an administrative
approach whereby response measures are required
of the operator (person or entity in control of the
LMO) or the competent authority if the operator is
unable to take response measures. This would cover
situations where event of damage to biological
diversity has already occurred, or when there is a
sufficient likelihood that damage will result if timely
response measures are not taken.
However, countries can still provide for civil liability
in their domestic law and the first review of the
Supplementary Protocol (five years after its entry

into force) will assess the effectiveness of domestic

civil liability regimes. This could trigger further work
on an international civil liability regime.
The Supplementary Protocol is the second liability
and redress treaty to be concluded in the context of
multilateral environmental agreements next to the
1999 Protocol on Liability and Compensation to the
Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement
of Hazardous Wastes.

To keep global warming below dangerous

levels and prevent a global catastrophe. Or else
the world will face severe, widespread and
irreversible effects from climate change.

The UNEP report is based on the idea that the

planet has a finite carbon budget. Since
emissions surged in the late 19th century, some
1,900 Gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 and 1,000 Gt of
other greenhouse gases have already been
emitted, leaving less than 1,000 Gt of CO2 left to
emit before locking the planet in to dangerous
temperature rises of more than 2 degree C above
pre-industrial levels.

All scenarios in the UNEP report now require

some degree of negative CO2 emissions in the
second half of the century, through technologies
such as carbon capture and storage or, possibly,
controversial, planetary wide engineering of the
climate known as geo-engineering. UNEP is
extremely interested in the subject and is
planning a report in the months ahead.

Consideration should be given to

compensatory schemes for investors in fossil fuels
companies to address the stranded assets issue.

The big uncertainty is whether a country can

put enough policies in place from 2020-2030 in
the critical window to allow the least-cost
pathways [to lower emissions and temperatures]
to still stand a chance of being followed.

And it is a political game now as the

uncertainties have shifted from the science to the
politics.

It is an agency of the United Nations that

coordinates its environmental activities, assisting
developing countries in implementing
environmentally sound policies and practices.

It was founded in 1972.

UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator

and facilitator to promote the wise use and
sustainable development of the global
environment.

Assessing global, regional and national

environmental conditions and trends

Developing international and national

environmental instruments

Strengthening institutions for the wise

management of the environment

DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY,

HEALTH, SPACE TECH, AND DEFENCE

1. Pinaka mark-II rockets were successfully

tested on 30 May 2015 in Pokhran field firing
ranges in Rajasthan. They were test-fired

using a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL). In

the test six rounds were successfully tested
which had hit the target situated 53 kms from
the firing point. The MBRL version of Pinaka
has high operational mobility, flexibility and
accuracy which is capable of acting as a force
multiplier and has been developed to
supplement artillery guns. The Pinaka II
rocket is also known as the Weapon Area
System (WAS). Jointly and indigenously
developed by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) and the
Indian Army. It has battery of six launchers
which can fire rockets with a range of 40-65
kms. WAS can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44
seconds with 1.2 tonne of high explosives. Can
neutralise a target area of 3.9 square km and
supplement existing artillery system at a
range beyond 30 km. It should be noted that
Pinaka had undergone several tough tests
since 1995 and already has been introduced
into the Indian army.
2. NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY: Every year,
`National Technology Day is observed across
India on May 11. National Technology Day is
being commemorated to celebrate the
anniversary of first of the five tests of Operation
Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear test which was held
on 11 May 1998 in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Apart
from Pokhran nuclear test, on this day first
indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 was test flown at
Bangalore and India also conducted successful
test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.

Considering all these achievements 11 May was

chosen to be commemorated as National
Technology Day. To commemorate this day,
Technology Development Board (TDB) has
instituted a National Award. This award is
conferred on to various individuals and
industries for their successful achievement in
commercialization of Indigenous Technology.
3. ISRO successfully tests indigeneous cryogenic
engine with four tonne capacity : Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) on 28 April 2015
successfully tested an indigenous cryogenic
engine. The powerful version of the cryogenic
engine was tested successfully at ISROs
propulsion complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli
district of Tamil Nadu. A team headed by Director
D Karthikesan had led the testing. This engine
will allow launch vehicles to carry satellites of up
to capacity of four tonnes in geostationary orbit.
It will also give boost to Indias interplanetary
probes and manned space missions.
cryogenic engine A cryogenic engine is more
efficient as it provides more thrust for every
kilogram of propellant burnt. Cryogenic fuels are
extremely clean as they give out only water while
burning. The engine uses liquid oxygen at -2530C
and liquid hydrogen at -1830C It can develop the
thrust needed in the final state of the rocket to
put satellites, weighing two tonnes or more, into
a geosynchronous orbit. It is essential to master
this technology for any space power as launching
heavier satellites requires cryogenic engines
even in the lower stages of the rocket. It will also
make India self-reliant in sending heavier
satellites to the required orbits and eliminate
need of dependence on foreign launch vehicles.

It should be noted that India sixth spacefarer

after US, Russia, the European Space Agency,
China and Japan to develop a cryogenic engine.
Earlier in January 2015, India had successfully
launched GSLV-D5, the first successful launch
vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine. But
it had capacity to launch satellites of up to two
tonnes.
4. Railway Ministry launches mobile app for
paperless unreserved tickets : The Railway
Ministry has launched utsonmobile, a mobile
application for paperless unreserved tickets. This
application will allow its passenger to buy a
ticket on the move and to board the train with
the ticket secured on his mobile phone in digital
format, without any need for printing the ticket.
Initially, it has been launched as a pilot project
and cover 15 stations in Southern Railway. Later
on it will be extended to entire country in
phases. The application has been developed by
Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). It
aims to eliminate the need for printing of
unreserved tickets. The application provides
necessary on-screen alerts to guide the
passenger during the booking process. Payment
for the ticket will be done through the Railway
Wallet, a feature inbuilt in the App. Passenger
will get ticket confirmation on their mobile
screen after booking the ticket which will contain
limited information of the ticket. This app can be
downloaded from Windows Store and Google Play
Store.
5. JAPAN'S MAGLEV TRAIN MAKES NEW WORLD
SPEED RECORD
Japans state-of-the-art Magnetic levitation
technology (Maglev) train has clocked a new

world speed record smashing through the 603

kilometre per hour mark in a test run near Mount
Fuji. The new record has surpassed its previous
record of 581 kilometre per hour which was set in
2003. Central Japan Railway Company owns this
fastest passenger train and is planning to have a
train in service in 2027 on the 286-km route
between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya.
Japan had launched its first bullet train named
Shinkansen in 1964. Currently, Japan has the
Worlds most sophisticated rail network. By
successfully testing these new train
technologies, Japan is seeking to sell its
Shinkansen Bullet and Maglev train systems to
other countries. How Maglev train works: Maglev
train hovers 10 centimetres above the tracks and
is propelled by electrically charged magnets
which lift and moves train carriages above the
rail tracks. This train travels along a guideway
using magnets to create both lift and propulsion.
This lift and propulsion reduces friction and allow
it to attain higher speeds compared to
conventional wheeled trains.
6. INDIA- U.S 10 YEAR DEFENCE FRAMEWORK
PACT
India and the US have signed a new strategically important 10-year
defence framework pact envisaging joint development and
manufacture of defence equipment and technology including jet
engines, aircraft carrier design and construction.

Both sides also finalised two project agreements for hi-tech

mobile power source and next generation protective suits for
chemical and biological warfare.
Details:

The framework agreement was decided during the visit of US

President Barack Obama to India in January and focuses on issues
ranging from maritime security and joint training.

The new Framework agreement provides avenues for high level

strategic discussions, continued exchanges between armed forces
of both countries, and strengthening of defence capabilities.

The two countries have also agreed to pursue co-development

and co-production projects that will offer tangible opportunities
for American defence industries to build partnership with the
Indian industries including in manufacturing under Make in
India.

Framework also recognises the transformative nature of the

Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). DTTI is an
important element of the Defence Agreement. The first framework
agreement, which expires this year, was signed in the US in 2005
by the then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his then US
counterpart Donald Rumsfield.

7.Large Hadron Collider restarts

The worlds biggest particle smasher, Large Hadron Collider has
restarted experiments with nearly doubled energy levels in a key
breakthrough.

The tests at the European Organisation for Nuclear

Research (CERN) came after a sweeping two-year revamp of
the collider and will help scientists to study fundamental
particles, the building blocks of all matter, and the forces that
control them.

During its next run, researchers will look for evidence of

new physics and probe supersymmetry a theoretical concept
informally dubbed Susy; seek explanations for enigmatic dark
matter and look for signs of extra dimensions.
Large Hadron Collider:

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the worlds largest and most
powerful particle accelerator.

Built by: European Organization for Nuclear Research

(CERN)

Aim: to allow physicists to test the predictions of different

theories of particle physics and high-energy physics, and
particularly prove or disprove the existence of the theorized
Higgs boson and of the large family of new particles predicted
by supersymmetric theories.

The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of

superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating
structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.
Details:

Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams

travel at close to the speed of light before they are made to
collide.

The beams travel in opposite directions in separate beam

pipes two tubes kept at ultrahigh vacuum. They are guided
around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field
maintained by superconducting electromagnets.

The electromagnets are built from coils of special electric

cable that operates in a superconducting state, efficiently
conducting electricity without resistance or loss of energy. This
requires chilling the magnets to -3C a temperature colder
than outer space. For this reason, much of the accelerator is
connected to a distribution system of liquid helium, which
cools the magnets, as well as to other supply services.

Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to

squeeze the particles closer together to increase the chances
of collisions. The particles are so tiny that the task of making
them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometres apart
with such precision that they meet halfway.

The LHC tunnel is located 100 metres underground,

in the region between the Geneva International
Airport and the nearby Jura mountains.
.
8. IAP HEALTH PHONE PROGRAMME
The government of India recently launched the IAP Health Phone
programme.
Details of the programme:
The IAP HealthPhone programme is the worlds largest digital mass
education programme for addressing the
malnutrition in women and children. It is a publicpartnership initiative that leverages the increasing penetration of
mobile phones in the country to educate over 6 million girls and
women between 13 and 35 years of age and their families on better
health and nutrition practices by 2018.

This programme is launched by the Indian Academy of

Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with the Ministry of Women and
Child Development, UNICEF and supported by Vodafone India.

This programme aims to tackle the challenge of malnutrition in

mothers and children across India.

The programme will achieve its objectives by widely promoting

and distributing four re-edited videos from the Poshan (nutritional
videos) series, jointly produced by Ministry of Women and Child
Development and UNICEF in 18 Indian languages. The Poshan
videos address issues of status of women, the care of pregnant
women and children under two, breastfeeding and the importance
of balanced diet, health and simple changes in nutritional care
practices that can notably enhance nutritiona levels.

The three-year campaign by IAP HealthPhone is expected to

benefit the health of 60 million children in India born by 2025 and
will be transformative for Indias fight against malnutritio

9. India successfully test-fired nuclearcapable Dhanush missile from ship

India on 9 April 2015 successfully test fired

nuclear weapons-capable Dhanush missile
from a ship, off the Odisha coast. The shipbased missile was launched from an Offshore
Patrolling Vessel (OPV), deep inside the Bay of
Bengal to test its full range. It successfully hit
the target point with high degree of accuracy.
Dhanush Missile is Indigenously developed by
Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). The surface-to-surface
missile is a naval variant of Prithvi missile.
Capable of carrying of 500 to 1000 kilogram
conventional as well as nuclear payload. It is a
single-stage, liquid-propelled missile and has
range of 350 km. Capable to target both landbased and sea-based targets. It gives Indian
Navy capability to strike enemy targets with
great precision. It should be noted that
Dhanush is one of the 5 missiles developed by
the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP). The
previous trial of the missile was successfully
conducted in November 2014.
10. Union Government gives nod to AWACS
project
Union Government on 27 Mach 2015 gave its
approval to build crore strategic project of nextgeneration Airborne Warning and Control
Systems (AWACS). Decision in this regard was
taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
headed by Union Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar. DAC gave its nod for two AWACS, which
includes buying two Airbus A330s, worth 5,113

crore rupees. Airbus was the lone bidder for the

programme. AWACS or eyes in the sky can detect
incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters,
drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away. It
has capability to penetrate longer distances
within enemy territory by way of radars and
electronic warfare systems without venturing
into the region physically. The project will involve
mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage active
electronically scanned array (AESA) radars on
Airbus A-330 wide-body jets. Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) will
develop the AWACS.
11. ISRO successfully launches fourth navigation
satellite IRNSS 1D
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28
March 2015 successfully launched fourth
navigation satellite Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System (IRNSS)-1D. It was launched by
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-27 into
the orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The satellite is
similar to, and follows the IRNSS 1A, 1B and 1C
which were launched in April 2013, July 2014 and
October 2014respectively. IRNSS-1D will be
launched into a sub Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit (sub GTO). It weighs 1,425 kg and carries a
navigation payload and CDMA ranging payload in
addition with a laser retro-reflector. IRNSS is a
navigation system that will cover India, and also
extend 1,500 kms from its boundaries. It will
provide accurate position information to users in
India. Basically it will provide two kinds of
services, Standard Positioning Services, which is

available to all users, and an encrypted service

that is provided only to authorized users. The
complete IRNSS system will include three
satellites in geostationary orbit and four
satellites in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude
of 36,000 km above the Earth. The deployment of
all the satellites was expected to be completed
by 2015 at a cost of Rs. 1,420 cr. IRNSS is similar
to other satellite navigation service providers
like USAs GPS (Global Positioning System),
Russias Glonass, Europes Galileo, Japans Quasi
Zenith and Chinas Beidou. Applications of
IRNSS: Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation.
Disaster Management. Vehicle tracking and fleet
management. Integration with mobile phones.
Precise Timing. Mapping and Geodetic data
capture. Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and
travellers. Visual and voice navigation for
drivers.
12. NASAs Curiosity rover discovers useful
Nitrogen on Mars
NASAs Curiosity rover for first time has found
evidence of nitrogen in the form of nitrate in
aeolian deposits and in two mudstone deposits
on Mars. It was detected by using the Sample
Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite mounted
on Curiosity rover by the team of Scientists.
Scientists believe that the detected nitrogen in
the form of nitric oxide could be released from
the breakdown of nitrates during heating of
sediments from Mars. These nitrates are a class
of molecules that contain nitrogen in a form used
by living organisms. Thus this discovery adds
evidence to the hypothesis that ancient Mars was
habitable for life. However, there is no evidence

suggesting that the discovered nitrogen

molecules found by the rover was created by life
on the red planet. Scientists also believe that the
discovered molecules are ancient and might have
been deposited from non-biological processes
like meteorite impacts and lightning on Mars in
past. It should be noted that Nitrogen is
essential part for all known forms of life as it
used in the building basic blocks of larger
molecules like DNA and RNA that encode the
genetic instructions for life. It is also essential in
proteins that is used to build structures like hair
and nails in living organisms.
13. PM Narendra Modi launches PRAGATI
platform for redressal of grievances
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015
launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely
Implementation (PRAGATI) platform. PRAGATI is a
multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at
addressing grievances of common man. It also
aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing
important Union government programmes and
projects as well as projects flagged by State
Governments. It is an innovative project in egovernance and good governance and
accountability with real-time presence and
information exchange among the key
stakeholders. Key features of PRAGATI Designed
in-house by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO)
team with the help of National Informatics Center
(NIC). Uniquely bundles three latest technologies
including Digital data management, geo-spatial
technology and video-conferencing. Three-tier
system that brings PMO, Union Government
Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States

at one stage. Thus, offers a unique combination

in the direction of cooperative federalism. Prime
Minister can directly discuss the issues with the
concerned Central and State officials with full
information and latest visuals of the ground level
situation. The system will work on strengthen
and re-engineer the data bases of Centralized
Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System
(CPGRAMS) along with Project Monitoring Group
(PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation. On a monthly basis,
Prime Minister will interact with bureaucrats i.e.
on fourth Wednesday of every month at 3.30 PMcalled as PRAGATI Day. Issues to be flagged
before the PM will be picked up from the
available database regarding Public Grievances,
pending Projects and on-going Programmes.
These issues will uploaded seven days prior to
the PRAGATI day.
14. Kolkata becomes Indias first Wi-Fi-enabled
metro city
Kolkata has become Indias first Wi-Fi-enabled
metro city as the service was launched from Park
Street in city. This 4th Generation (4G) free Wi-fi
service was launched by West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee. Free Wi-fi service will
be will be rolled out in phased manner in all the
wards under Kolkata Municipal Corporation
(KMC) as well as adjacent areas of Kolkata. The
whole city is expected to come under Wi-Fi
coverage by mid-April in 2015. Private telecom
operator, Reliance Jio is providing the 4G enabled
service Wi-fi s in the city.

15. India tops world hunger list with 194 million

people
According to United Nations annual hunger report, India
is home to the highest number of hungry people in the
world, at 194 million, surpassing China. The Report is
titled The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015.
The Report says:

At the global level, the corresponding figure dropped to 795

million in 2014-15, from 1 billion in 1990-92, with East Asia led
by China accounting for most of the reductions.

India too saw a reduction between 1990 and 2015. In 1990-92,

those who were starved of food in India numbered 210.1 million,
which came down to 194.6 million in 2014-15.

India has made great strides in reducing the proportion of food

insecure persons in the overall population, but according to FAO,
it still has over 194 million hungry persons. Indias numerous
social programmes are expected to continue to fight hunger and
poverty.

However, China stood out as the reduction in the number of

hungry people was much higher than in India, which came down
to 133.8 million in 2014-15 from 289 million in 1990-92.

A majority 72 out of 129 of the countries monitored by

FAO have achieved the Millennium Development Goal target of
halving the prevalence of undernourishment by 2015, with
developing regions as a whole missing the target by a small
margin.
Talking of noticeable progress, the report made a specific mention of
Latin America and the Caribbean, southeast and central Asia as well
as some parts of Africa. The overall analysis suggested that inclusive
economic growth, agricultural investments and social protection,
along with political stability, can eradicate hunger.
16. ASTRA TEST-FIRED

Two indigenously-developed Astra missiles were successfully

launched from a Su-30 MKI fighter jet at Chandipur in Odisha
recently.
Astra:

It is the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range

(BVR) air-to-air

It is an all-weather, state-of-the-art missile developed

by DRDO and can engage and destroy enemy aircraft at
supersonic speed (1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km)
and tail-chase (up to 20 km) modes.

The 3.8 metre tall Astra is a radar homing missile and

the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and
can be launched from different altitudes.

It can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km,

44 km when launched from an altitude of eight km and 21 km
when fired from sea level.
17. Indias eye on universe ready for tests
Scheduled to be launched later this year, ASTROSAT, the first
dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying distant
celestial objects is now fully assembled.
Details:

Astrosat is Indias first dedicated astronomy satellite and is

scheduled to launch on board the PSLV in October 2015.

ASTROSAT would be Indias first multiwavelength astronomy

satellite. It will facilitate simultaneous observations of celestial
bodies and cosmic sources in X-ray and UV spectral bands.

It will be placed in a 650-km (400 miles) orbit with an 8

inclination for spectroscopic studies of X-ray binaries, supernova
remnants, quasars, pulsars, galaxy clusters and active galactic
nuclei at a number of different wavelengths simultaneously, from
the ultraviolet band to energetic x-rays.

Astrosat will be a proposal-driven general purpose

observatory, with main scientific focus on:

Simultaneous multi-wavelength monitoring of intensity

variations in a broad range of cosmic sources

Monitoring the X-ray sky for new transients

Sky surveys in the hard X-ray and UV bands

Broadband spectroscopic studies of X-ray binaries, AGN, SNRs,

clusters of galaxies and stellar coronae

Studies of periodic and non-periodic variability of X-ray sources

Other details:

It is significant to note that ASTROSAT is the first mission to be

operated as a space observatory by ISRO.

ASTROSAT carries four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and

a charge particle monitor.
The mission will put India in an elite orbit with the U.S., Europe,
Russia and Japan.
18. 68th World Health Assembly opens in Geneva
After a gap of 19 years, India has assumed presidency of the 68th
Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the top decisionmaking body of the World Health Organisation. Union Health
Minister J P Nadda presided over the WHA session.

India would contribute $2.1 million to the World Health

Organisation (WHO) as a reflection of its commitment to the
global health body and its mandate.

The presidency of World Health Assembly, the top decisionmaking body of the WHO, is based on a regional rotation practice
and saw India assuming the presidency after 18 years.
World Health Assembly (WHA):
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the
World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member
states. It is the worlds highest health policy setting body and is
composed of health ministers from member states.

The members of the World Health Assembly generally meet

every year in May in Geneva, the location of WHO Headquarters.

The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to

determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the DirectorGeneral, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the
proposed programme budget.

19. India way behind on WHO health targets

The WHOs annual World Health Statistics for 2015, which was
released recently in Geneva, says that India has met only
four targets under the Millenium Development
Goals (MDG), and has made next to no progress on another
four.
Important observations made by the Report:
In September, countries will decide on new goals for 2030. In
addition to finishing the MDG agenda, the post-2015 agenda
needs to tackle emerging challenges, including the growing impact
of non-communicable diseases, like diabetes and heart disease,
and the changing social and environmental determinants that
affect health.
MDGs: What are they?
These are eight international development goals that were
established following the Millennium Summit of the United
Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations
Millennium Declaration. They were set to be achieved by 2015.

The eight millennium development goals are:

Each goal has specific targets, and dates for achieving those
targets.
India and MDGs:
In India, considerable progress has been made in the field of basic
universal education, gender equality in education, and global
economic growth. However there is slow progress in the
improvement of health indicators related to mortality, morbidity,
and various environmental factors contributing to poor health

conditions. Even though the government has implemented a wide

array of programs, policies, and various schemes to combat these
health challenges, further intensification of efforts and redesigning
of outreach strategies is needed to give momentum to the progress
toward achievement of the MDGs.

Globally, life expectancy at birth has increased by six

years for both men and women since 1990.

By the end of this year if current trends continue, the

world will have met global targets for turning around the
epidemics of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and increasing
access to safe drinking water. It will also have made substantial
progress in reducing child undernutrition, maternal and child
deaths, and increasing access to basic sanitation.

Progress in child survival worldwide is one of the greatest

success stories of international development and pre-term birth
complications have replaced neo-natal complications and
disease as the biggest source of mortality for children under the
age of five.

Since 1990, child deaths have almost halved falling

from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births to 46 deaths
per 1000 live births in 2013. Yet the world will not achieve the
MDG target of reducing the death rate by two-thirds. Less than
one-third of all countries have achieved or are on track to meet
this target by the end of this year. The top killers of children
aged less than 5 years are now: pre-term birth complications,
pneumonia, birth asphyxia and diarrhoea.

In India, life expectancy grew by eight years between 1990

and 2013. While India has sharply reduced its infant mortality
between 2000 and 2013, it still contributes for the most infant
deaths globally. Non-communicable diseases are the top
killers, followed by communicable diseases and injuries.

These are time-bound and quantified targets for addressing

extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty,
hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while
promoting gender equality, education, and environmental
sustainability.

They are also basic human rights-the rights of each person

on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security.

Since the adoption, there has been significant progress in

many of the goals. But the progress has not been uniform. The
progress differs from country to country and even within the
country.
1.
Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
2.
Achieve Universal Primary Education
3.
Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
4.
Reduce Child Mortality
5.
Improve Maternal Health
6.
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
7.
Ensure Environmental Sustainability
8.
Develop a Global Partnership for Development

India is unlikely to achieve all the set targets by September

2015.

20 Science and Technology DRDO successfully

tests advance EW suite in Tejas-PV1 Aircraft
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) has successfully tested an advanced
electronic warfare (EW) suite. It was tested
onboard of the countrys Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) Tejas-PV1. Key facts about Electronic
Warfare (EW) suite It is developed by Defence
Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) of
DRDO. EW suite consists of Radar Warner and
Jammer. This suit gives pilot an additional
capability of nullifying the effect of detected

radar threat by appropriate mode of jamming. It

will replace existing EW systems, which are fitted
on various combat aircraft as they consist of
basic equipment Radar Warner Receiver. It only
has capability to provide warning to the aircraft
pilot in case of detection of a radar threat.
21. Government gives nod to Neutrino project in
Tamil Nadu
Union cabinet meeting has approved setting up
of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
project in Bodi West Hills, Tamil Nadu. This
cabinet meeting was headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. It is an underground project,
jointly supported by the Department of Atomic
Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and
Technology (DST). It will comprise a complex of
caverns the main cavern, which will house
detector which is 130 metres long, 26 metres
wide and 30 metre high. Along with main cavern,
there will be two smaller caverns that will be
used for setting up experiments for neutrino
double detector and dark matters. This
underground complex will be approached by a 2kms long tunnel. It will host experiments such as
the neutrino-less double beta decay and the
search for dark matter. It also involves InterInstitutional Centre for High Energy Physics
(IICHEP) and Iron Calorimeter Detector (ICAL).
Along with project, government has also
approved the construction of a 50,000 tonne
magnetised iron calorimeter detector (ICAL). It
will study the properties of the neutrino, in
particular the mass hierarchy among different
types of neutrino. Neutrino It is an electrically
neutral, weakly interacting elementary

subatomic particle with half-integer spin. It

belongs to the lepton family.
22. ISROs GSLV Mark III rocket launched successfully
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISROs) first suborbital flight and Indias latest generation launch vehicleGSLV Mark-III X was successfully lifted off from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV
Mk-III) was carrying payload Crew module Atmospheric
Reentry Experiment (CARE) weighing 3775 kg. Mission: It
was a suborbital experimental flight mission which aimed
to test the vehicles performance during the critical
atmospheric phase of its flight and thus carried a passive
(non-functional) cryogenic upper stage. Objective: To test
the rockets atmospheric flight stability with CARE payload
and to the intended height of 126 km. To study the re-entry
characteristics of the crew module- CARE and its aero
braking and validation of its end-to-end parachute system.
The flight mission began with the successful launch of
GSLV Mk-III from the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota.
After the launch, GSLV Mk-III carried its payload CARE to
the intended height of 126 km. Following this, CARE
separated from the upper stage of GSLV Mk-III and reentered the atmosphere and safely landed over Bay of
Bengal with the help of its parachutes after successful liftoff of launch vehicle. Thus, this successful launch will help
India in perfecting the cryogenic engine technology and
help to become self-reliant in launching communication
satellites. The GSLV-Mark III is a three stage/engine launch
vehicle. Its first stage comprises two identical S-200 large
solid boosters with 200 tonne solid propellant that are
strapped on to the second stage, the L110 re-startable
liquid stage. The third stage/engine is the cryogenic which
is more efficient as it provides more thrust for every
kilogram of propellant burnt.

23. India successfully launches communication satellite

GSAT-16
Indias multi-band communication satellite GSAT-16 was
successfully put on a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
(GTO) by the European launcher Ariane 5 VA221, from the
Kourou space port in French Guiana. Earlier, due to bad
weather, the launch of GSAT-16 was delayed by two days.
It is indigenously developed by Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) and has lift-off mass of 3,181 kg.
GSAT-16 is carrying C-band and Ku-band transponders in
order to further augment communication services across
VSAT (very small aperture terminal) services, TV services
and emergency communications in India. It is configured
to carry a total of 48 communication transponders, the
largest number of transponders carried by a
communication satellite developed by ISRO the so far.
GSAT-16 with a designated on orbit operational life of 12
years will be the 18th satellite to be launched by
Arianespace for ISRO. It will replace INSAT-3E, which was
decommissioned a little prematurely in April, 2014. After it
was successfully placed in GTO, ISROs Master Control
Facility (MCF) at Hassan, Karnataka has taken control of
GSAT-16 satellite. Now, MCF will performs the initial orbit
raising manoeuvres using the satellites on-board Liquid
Apogee Motor (LAM) and finally placing it in the vicinity of
circular Geostationary Orbit. After this, the deployment of
appendages such as the solar panels, antennas and three
axis stabilisation of the satellite will be performed. It will
be positioned at 55 degree East longitude in the
geostationary orbit and co-located with GSAT-8, IRNSS-1A
and IRNSS-1B satellites. Implications: GSAT-16 satellite
will help to boost public and private TV and radio services,
large-scale Internet and telephone operations. It will help
to reduce ISROs capacity crunch of transponders as it has
leased 95 transponders on foreign satellites mainly for the
use of private TV broadcasters.

24. Science and Technology DRDO develops herbal drug Lukosin for
Leucoderma
Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed herbal
drug Lukosin, for treatment of leucoderma (white patches on skin). This drug
is developed from medicinal plants. The scientists of Defence Bio-Energy
Research (DIBER), Haldwani in Uttarakhand, a laboratory of DRDO of the
Defence Ministry, have developed this drug. DIBER has transferred the
technology of the drug to AIMIL Pharmaceuticals India for its commercial
production and sale. Leucoderma is generally considered an incurable
disease, but Lukosin has been extremely effective against it. During the
clinical trials, it has been proved that there are no side-effects to persons
consuming Lukoskin with dietary advice like avoiding acidic foods, citrus
fruits, non-vegetarian and fast foods, beverages like cold drinks, detergents
and soaps etc. While success rate among women under the age of 40 years
during clinical trial was 81.25 per cent within 90 to 250 days of medication, it
was 60 per cent among women above 40 years of age. Maximum recovery was
found among women below 40 years. About Leucoderma Leukoderma is a
cutaneous condition. It is an acquired condition with localized loss of
pigmentation of the skin that may occur after any number of inflammatory skin
conditions, burns, intralesional steroid injections, postdermabrasion, etc. It is
largely a cosmetic problem, and is neither infectious nor contaguous.