ASSAM
Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary – Assam
The World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF) discovered a few tigers in Assam’s Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary. It is one of Assam’s smallest WS (Wildlife Sanctuary).
About the Sanctuary:
♦ It is located in the northern Assam districts of Baksa and Udalguri, bordering Bhutan,
♦ It is bounded to the west and east by the Barnadi and Nalapara rivers, respectively.
♦ Barnadi was created specifically to protect the Pygmy Hog (Sus salvanius) and Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus).
♦ Approximately 60% of the BWS is reported to be grassland, with the majority of it now being grassy woodland.
♦ The main forest types are tropical moist deciduous (northern edge of the Sanctuary) and mixed scrub and grassland (southern part).
♦ Commercial plantations of Bombax ceiba, Tectona grandis, and Eucalyptus, as well as thatch grasses, have replaced the majority of the natural vegetation.
NORTH-EASTERN STATES
Kanchenjunga Biosphere – Botanical Survey of India
According to a recent publication by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Sikkim, India’s smallest state with less than 1% of the country’s landmass, is home to 27% of all flowering plants. Sikkim is a part of the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve.
About Kanchenjunga Biosphere:
♦ The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, with an altitude of 1,220 meters.
♦ The biosphere contains various altitudinal ecosystems ranging from subtropic to Arctic, as well as natural forests in various biomes that support an enormously rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
♦ The Park contains the world’s third highest peak, Mt. Khangchendzonga.
♦ The Biosphere reserve includes a number of lakes and glaciers, including the 26-kilometer-long Zemu Glacier.
♦ In 2016, Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) was designated a World Heritage Site in the ‘mixed’ category (Mixed heritage sites contain elements of both natural and cultural significance).
♦ The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim surrounds the Khangchendzonga , the third highest peak in the world, and has been included in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Network, making it India’s 11th biosphere reserve to be included in the network.
♦ Its geographical location – bordering Nepal, Tibet (China), and close to Bhutan – provides unique opportunities for joint collaboration and biodiversity conservation with neighbouring countries.
♦ Increasing unregulated tourism, a lack of awareness about the landscape, and a staff shortage are some of the major challenges in preserving the reserve’s sanctity.
INTERNATIONAL
Second Biggest Dam of the World – China
The Government of China formally became the first two producing units of the Baihetan Dam, the world’s second-biggest hydroelectric dam, to begin generating energy. The Baihetan Dam is set up in southwestern China on the Jinsha River.
About the dam:
♦ The dam is a 289-meter-tall (954-foot-tall) double-curvature arch dam, having sixteen generating units.
♦ Each unit will generate a potential of 1 million kilowatts, making it the second-largest in dimension after the “Three Gorges Dam” opened in 2003 on the Yangtze, with 22.5 million kilowatts of generating capacity.
♦ Through the Baihetan Dam, the Chinese authorities aim to curb surging fossil gasoline demand through constructing extra hydropower capacity.
♦ Both the dams have been built with the aid of the state-owned Three Gorges Group Corp., the world’s largest hydro, solar, and wind generation investor.
NATIONAL
National Doctors Day – 1st July
National Doctors’ Day is designated on 01 July yearly in India with the aid of the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The day is celebrated to honour the exceptional physicians and assist us to apprehend the significance of doctors in our lives and price them, to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their biggest representatives.
History of the day:
The day commemorates the beginning anniversary of the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy who was born on 1st July, 1882, and died on the same date in 1962.
Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India
A report on India’s non-profit hospital model was published by the NITI Aayog.
Highlights:
♦ The NITI Aayog released a report on the not-for-profit hospital model in an effort to close the information gap on such institutions and facilitate robust policymaking in this area.
♦ The study provides insights into the operating model of non-profit hospitals. It presents research-based findings on such hospitals—categorized by ownership and service premise—and then compares them to private hospitals and Union government health schemes.
♦ The not-for-profit hospital sector provides both curative and preventive care.
♦ It connects healthcare, social reform, community engagement, and education.
♦ It uses government resources and grants to provide low-cost healthcare to people without regard for profit.
♦ The study discussed in detail the cost control strategies implemented by non-profit hospitals.
Enforcing Contracts Portal – Justice Department
Enforcement Contract Portal” was unveild by the Department of Justice.
About the portal:
♦ The website (https://doj.gov.in/eodb/) is intended to be a comprehensive source of information about the legislative and policy reforms being undertaken on the “Enforcing Contracts” parameters.
♦ It contains the most recent information on the operation and disposition of commercial cases in the Dedicated Commercial Courts of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata
♦ The portal also hosts online reports from all high courts on the commercial court-affiliated mediation and arbitration center to supervise and promote institutional mediation and arbitration through the pre-institutional mediation and settlement (PIMS) of commercial cases.
The Ganga River Basin Glacial Lake Atlas has been Published
Due to growing concerns about the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has released an updated Atlas of Glacier Lakes, which are part of the Ganges River Basin.
Highlights:
♦ In the Ganga basin, approximately 4,707 glacial lakes have been mapped.
♦ A similar exercise was carried out for the Indus River basin in December 2020.
♦ The current study used Resourcesat-2 (RS-2) Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-IV (LISS-IV) satellite data to map glacial lakes with a water spread area greater than 0.25 ha.
♦ Glacial lakes are classified into nine types, which are further divided into four categories based on the process of lake formation, location, and type of damming material.
Area covered in the map:
♦ The mapped area extends from the Ganga River’s orgin to the Himalayan foothills, covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 square kilometres.
♦ The study of the Ganges River Basin partially covers India and a part of the transboundary area.