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UK to Issue Coin in Honour of Mahatma Gandhi Britain is considering minting a coin to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi. The consideration is seen as part of efforts to celebrate the achievements of people from the Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. The British Finance Minister has written a letter to the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC), to consider recognising the contribution of BAME communities to Britain's coinage. The RMAC is an independen

Lakshadweep and environment

Lakshadweep and environment Recently, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted an interim stay on the felling of coconut trees on Agatti Island in Lakshadweep. Background: Recently, a petition was moved in the NGT over the indiscriminate cutting of coconut trees for a beach road. The tree-felling was violating the Union Territory’s (UT) Integrated Island Management Plan (IIMP). IIMP was f

04 August, 2020
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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources (MAPGRs)

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources (MAPGRs) National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) have entered into an MoU to conserve the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Genetic Resources (MAPGRs). The conservation will be done in the long-term storage module in the National Gene bank and/or at Regional Station for the medium-term storage module. The authorized institute NMPB and the ICAR-NBPGR on behalf of the ICAR would develop detail

Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever Yellow fever is caused by a virus that is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. These mosquitoes thrive in and near human habitations where they breed in even the cleanest water. It is endemic in 34 countries in the sub-Saharan African region, despite the existence of a vaccine for the disease. There are three transmission ‘cycles’ for the disease in Africa - Urban, zoonotic and intermediate. The urban cycle mediated by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is responsible fo

04 August, 2020
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Dhole

Dhole Dhole is also known as Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, and mountain wolf. Besides the tiger, the dhole is the only large carnivore in India that is under the IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category. They play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems. A research paper on conserving the endangered dhole was published in Mammal Review. Highlights Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conserv

04 August, 2020
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BeiDou

BeiDou China’s administration has officially commissioned the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation. It was initiated in 1994. It aims to integrate its application in different sectors, including fishery, agriculture, special care, mass-market applications, forestry and public security. It now offers services including accurate positioning, navigation and timing as well as short message communication. BeiDou uses a network of satellites and can provide positional accuracie