ASSAM

Burning bright: Assam tiger count touches 200

The tiger population has risen to 200 in Assam, the state forest department said on Global Tiger Day even as three of the four tiger reserves in the state got the global Conservation Assured |Tiger Standards (CA|TS) recognition for good tiger conservation.

As per the All India Tiger estimate, 2018, Assam has a total population of 159 tigers, 104 in Kaziranga, 31 in Manas, 21 in Orang and 3 in Nameri and the number increased to 200 in 2021, a forest official said. Kaziranga has 121 tigers as per phase IV tiger monitoring in 2020 while Manas has 48 tigers. Orang and Nameri have 21 and 3 tigers respectively.

Manas, Kaziranga and Orang are among the 14 Tiger Reserves in India which received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) which have been recognized for good Tiger Conservation. CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation. Global Tiger Day was observed in the tiger reserves with officials, NGOs, individuals, wildlife activists and local communities underscoring the need for the conservation of the big cat to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

The population of tigers has shown a promising trend in the Brahmaputra flood plains. However, the Nameri and Pakke blocks have shown a decreasing trend of tiger population.

However, connectivity of this population to Kaziranga in the south and Nameri-Pakke in the north is being disrupted due to increasing human settlements and ‘khutis’ (cattle farms), the report added. Suklabaidya said the increase in tiger count in Assam and other parts augurs well at a time when there has been a decline in the population of the big cats elsewhere.

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

IITG ties up with Mizoram University to strengthen collaboration in teaching, research

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) on Thursday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mizoram University for development of teaching programmes, R&D activities and promoting exchange of students. The MoU was signed recently by IITG Director TG Sitharam and Mizoram University Vice Chancellor KRS Sambasiva Rao.

IITG and Mizoram University will encourage cooperation among their faculty members, departments and research facilities, he said. Both the institutes will collaborate through visits of faculty members, lectures and seminars, he said. Students would be encouraged to attend courses offered by the partner institutes and collaborate in research projects, Sitharam said.

INTERNATIONAL

PDS 70 – Lunar Formation Around a Planet

For the first time, scientists have discovered a lunar formation around a planet outside the solar system-a Jupiter-like world surrounded by a disk of gas and dust large enough to produce three moons, the size of which is equivalent to one orbiting the earth.

Highlights:

The ALMA observatory in Chile’s Atacama desert was used to detect a disc of swirling material accumulating around one of two newborn planets seen orbiting PDS 70, a young star located 370 light years from Earth.

A light year is the distance that light travels in a year, which is approximately 9.5 trillion kilometres.

Exoplanets, which are planets found outside our solar system, number over 4,400. Until now, no orbiting planetary disks have been discovered, because all known exoplanets are located in the “mature”-fully developed-solar system, except for the two baby gas planets orbiting PDS 70.

NATIONAL

India will Explore Indigenous Phosphatic Rock Deposits

At present, we rely on other countries for raw materials to manufacture DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) and SSP (Single Superphosphate). India must reduce its reliance on imports.

To accomplish this goal, India must explore indigenous deposits of phosphoric rock and potash and make them available to indigenous industries.

Rock phosphate is an important raw material in the production of DAP and NPK fertilisers.

Currently, India relies on imports for 90% of its raw materials.

International price fluctuations affect domestic fertilizer prices.

Kandla becomes the First Green SEZ

Kandla, Gujarat, has become the country’s first Green Special Economic Zone.
It has been awarded the CII’s IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Green Cities Platinum Rating.

About Indian Green Building Council:

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is part of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and was established in 2001

Goal: “To provide a sustainable built environment for all, and promote India to become one of the global leaders in a sustainable built environment by 2025.”

The council provides a wide range of services, including the creation of new green building rating programmes, certification services, and green building training programmes.

The Green Building Congress, the council’s annual flagship event on green buildings, is also organised by the council.

The council is based on committees, driven by members and focused on consensus.

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management Bill

The National Food Technology, Entrepreneurship & Management Act of 2021, was passed by the Parliament

Highlights:

The Bill has been passed by both houses and will become act once the President gives his assent.

Through this bill, 2 educational institutions under the Food Processing and Industry Ministry became National Important Institutions.

Kundali’s National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM) (Haryana)

Thanjabur’s Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) (Tamil Nadu)

The bill will give these institutes more autonomy, allowing them to start new and innovative courses while also attracting excellent faculty and students. Global standards can also be used in academic and research work.

Ethanol From Sugarcane and Food Grains – EBP

Under the EBP Program, the government should encourage the use of ethanol produced from sugarcane and food grains.

Highlights:

The Government of India is implementing the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme through Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), in which ethanol is blended into petrol to achieve the goals of reducing import dependence, promoting clean fuel, and boosting agriculture.

The ethanol blended petrol program was launched in 2003 to promote the use of renewable and environmentally friendly fuels and reduce India’s import dependence on energy security.

The government has set a target of 10% ethanol blending by 2022 and 20% blending (E20) by 2030, starting with 5% blending.

The programme is being carried out in accordance with the National Biofuels Policy.

As part of this programme, oil marketing companies (OMCs) will purchase ethanol from domestic sources at government-set prices.

Until 2018, ethanol was produced solely from sugarcane. Now, the government has expanded the scope of the scheme to include maize, bajra, fruit and vegetable waste and other grains to produce ethanol.

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