KARNATAKA
Mapping of Myristica swamps crucial for conservation
Researchers have suggested a large-scale project to map and carry out further research on Myristica swamps across the Western Ghats, in order to consolidate conservation and restoration efforts. Comprehensive documentation of these remaining swamps, the species and their genetic diversity, and local threats, will allow better protection of these relic forests.
Swamps should be declared as community conservation areas, and conservation work must focus on the restoration of degraded swamps, and their biodiversity elements. Further, the encroached land that is currently under alternative land use must be restored to its original habitat, and watershed quality revived in these regions.
The swamps of the Western Ghats harbour several rare-relic floristic and faunal taxa, comprising many endemic and threatened species. One of the most unique and primeval ecosystems, they once formed a large hydrological network, but due to increased human pressure, these now exist as small isolated pockets, and are one of the most threatened ecosystems in India. The Western Ghats is one of 36 global biodiversity hotspots, occupying less than 6% of India’s land cover. Despite its high biodiversity, only 9% of the Western Ghats falls within the protected area network (PAs).
INTERNATIONAL
World Sanskrit Day – 22nd August
World Sanskrit Day, (also regarded as Sanskrit Diwas), is celebrated each and every year on Shravan Poornima, which is the Poornima day of the Shravan month in the Hindu calendar, which is also marked as Raksha Bandhan. In 2021, this day will be observed on August 22, 2021.
Key Points:
The day commemorates the historic Indian language of Sanskrit and objectives to promote its revival and maintenance. The Government of India decided to rejoice World Sanskrit Day in 1969, on the event of Raksha Bandhan that comes on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana.
Small Business Loans Initiative by Facebook
Facebook India has launched the “Small Business Loans Initiative” in India in partnership with the online lending platform Indifi. India is the first site where Facebook is rolling out this programme.
Highlights:
This initiative aims to help small and medium corporations (SMBs) that advertise on Facebook to quickly get the right of entry to credit/loans via impartial lending partners.
This will make business loans extraordinary without difficulty handy to small businesses and minimize the savings gap inside India’s MSME sector.
It is open to groups registered across 200 towns and cities of India.
Indifi is the first lending associate that Facebook has tied up with, and the programme is constructed with the concept of carrying more companions on board.
Through Facebook’s partnership with Indifi, small agencies promoting Facebook can get loans at a predefined interest fee of 17-20 per cent per annum.
The programme will additionally allow small groups to follow for loans besides collateral via a speedy online application.
NATIONAL
Participation of INS Shivalik
Indian Navy Ships Shivalik and Kadmatt arrived at Guam to participate in the Multilateral Maritime Ex Malabar.
INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt arrived at Guam, an Island Territory of the USA as part of their ongoing deployment to nations in SouthEast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
The 2 ships are scheduled to participate in the annual Exercise MALABAR-21, between the navies of Australia, India, Japan and the USA.
INS Shivalik is a multi-role Guided Missile Stealth Frigate.
INS Kadmatt is an Anti-Submarine Corvette.
Both are indigenously built and structure phase of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet primarily based at Visakhapatnam, Eastern Naval Command.
24×7 power supply to every village in India soon: Minister
Union minister for power and new and renewable energy R K Singh said all villages in the country will get 24×7 electricity supply soon.
Talking to reporters here during his party’s ‘ashirwad yatra’, Singh said the ministry of power has started working on the plan to ensure 24-hour electricity availability in all the villages. “For this, the central government has approved a scheme of Rs3,03,000 crore. Before this, a scheme of Rs2,02,000 crore was started in which Bihar got Rs22,000 crore,” he said.
Singh said there is a demand of 2 lakh MW power in the country while the total power generation capacity has reached 3,84,000 MW. “Altogether 1,42,000km of grid line has been expanded in the country. In a span of just 18 months, 2,82,00,000 households have been given electricity connections. In Bihar, 512 new power sub-stations were installed and 450 sub-stations were upgraded. We have replaced 7.5 lakh km of power lines and installed 6.65 lakh new transformers in the country. Solar grid of 1 lakh MW capacity has also been installed,” Singh said.
HAL Signed Deal for Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed a $716-man deal with GE Aviation of the U.S. for 99 F404 plane engines and help services to power the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A.
Highlights:
In February, the Defence Ministry had signed an Rs. 48,000 crore deal with HAL to provide 83 LCA-Mk1A to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is an indigenous supersonic fighter jet used with the aid of the Indian military.
LCA Tejas is a single-engine multirole light fighter aircraft.
The Light Combat Aircraft programme was started by the Government of India in 1984 when they installed the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to manage the LCA programme.
LCA Tejas was once designed and developed by India’s HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
It replaced the aging Mig 21 fighter planes.
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