ASSAM

Assam’s BJP government plans bill to protect cows

While addressing the newly-elected 15th Assam legislative assembly, governor Jagdish Mukhi said the state government was planning to introduce a bill on cow protection in the next assembly session to ban cattle transport outside the state.

Mukhi also underlined the BJP-led government’s commitment to recover the lands of the Vaishnavite satras and places of worship from illegal encroachments.

A task force will be constituted to recover the lands of the satras and places of worship from illegal encroachments.

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

New species of African violet found in Mizoram

Researchers of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, have discovered a new endangered species of plant belonging to the African Violets family in Mizoram and its adjacent areas in Myanmar.

The newly-described species Didymocarpus vickifunkiae (Gesneriaceae) is currently known to grow in three locations in the frontier state Mizoram. It is an epiphyte, plants that grow on trees, and produce light pink flowers during monsoon. The species is named in honour of Dr Vicki Ann Funk, a renowned botanist, who worked at the Smithsonian Institute, USA.

Along with other discoveries, this recent find shows that the rich biodiversity of the northeastern states remains unexplored and there are many species of plants waiting to be discovered. Researches have always been allured by the complex geology and climatic conditions of northeast India, which is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. However, much of it remains poorly documented, even as the IISER Bhopal team was studying the evolution and biogeography of Didymocarpus plants.

Northeast India is home to highly diverse flora because of its unique biogeographic placement as part of two biodiversity hotspots: the Indo-Burma hotspot and the Eastern Himalayas.

INTERNATIONAL

Common Wealth Day is on 24th May

Every year on the second Monday of March, the Commonwealth Day is observed. However, another Commonwealth Day is observed on May 24 in India.

Commonwealth Day is also known as Empire Day.

Commonwealth Memorial Day commemorates the establishment of the British Empire in India and other British colonies.

This year’s Commonwealth Day theme of 2021 is “Delivering a Common Future”.

The purpose of this theme is to highlight how the 54 Commonwealth countries are innovating, connecting, and transforming to help achieve important goals such as combating climate change, promoting good governance, and achieving gender equality.

BioHub Initiative by WHO

Switzerland and World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the BioHub facility, which will allow pathogens to be shared between laboratories and will facilitate “analysis and preparedness” against them.

This facility will aid in the safe receipt, storage, sequencing, and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, thereby enhancing global preparedness against these pathogens.

It will allow member states to share biological materials with and through the BioHub under pre-agreed-upon terms, such as biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations.

In the meantime, WHO will expand its BioHub System to allow qualified entities – such as manufacturers – to use biological materials in the development of medical by-products for equitable distribution to countries.

NATIONAL

Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna Passed Away

Sunderlal Bahuguna, a well-known environmentalist, died as a result of COVID-19. He was 94 years old.

Bahuguna was a founder of the Chipko Organization, a socio-ecological movement that used Gandhian tactics of nonviolent resistance and Satyagraha to fight rampant deforestation.

During his life, he participated in the freedom movement and later in the Sarvodaya movement of Vinoba Bhave.

He was most known for the Chipko Movement, which involved hugging trees to keep them from being cut down for commercial interests in the Gharwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.

Launched the Ayush Sanjivani App and the Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal

The Ministry of Ayush recently launched the Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal and the third version of the Ayush Sanjivani App.

Ayush Clinical Repository (ACCR) portal:

It will serve as a resource for both Ayush practitioners and the general public.

Aim: To collect data on clinical outcomes achieved by Ayurvedic practitioners on a large scale.

It is expected to document the capabilities of Ayush systems in the treatment of a variety of disease conditions.

It has a section dedicated to reporting and publishing information about Covid 19 cases treated by Ayush Systems.

Ayush Sanjivani App: It allows for a significant study/documentation of the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, such as Ayush 64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines, in the treatment of asymptomatic and mild to moderate Covid 19 patients.

Crop in news – Jackfruit

Jackfruit has recently been in the news. A shipment of fresh jackfruit from Tripura was shipped to London. It is a significant step toward maximising the export potential of agricultural and processed food products from the northeastern region.

Jackfruit is a tree species that belongs to the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit families (Moraceae).

It is a multi-fruit made up of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers and fleshy petals.

Artocarpus heterophyllus is the scientific name for this plant.

India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Nepal are the world’s major producers.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, and Assam are the major production states in India.

Kerala is the world’s largest producer of jackfruit.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have it as a state fruit.

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