Umngot River

Umngot River Why in news: A 210 MW hydroelectric project has been proposed on Umngot, considered India’s clearest river. The dam is proposed on the upstream of the river Umngot in the West Jaintia Hills district . The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) which had scheduled a public hearing for the proposed project has been obstructed from conducting the public hearing by the villagers of East Khasi Hills district. Umngot River: Umngot flows through Dawki, a small but busy town in the East Jaintia Hills district near the Indo-Bangladesh border. The town itself is a mere 95 km from Shillong. Dawki serves as a busy trade route between India and Bangladesh where hundreds of trucks pass every day. The Umngot itself is a prime fishing spot for fishermen from nearby areas. The river is the natural boundary between Ri Pnar (of Jaintia Hills) with Hima Khyrim (of Khasi Hills) over which hangs a single span suspension bridge It is the gateway to Bangladesh Issues: The villages are near the border with Bangladesh in East Khasi Hills district but the dam is proposed upstream in the adjoining West Jaintia Hills district. The locals fear that the project, if executed, would cause irreparable losses by wiping out their areas from the tourism map, besides affecting many villages in the downstream areas dependent on the Umngot. The project documents say people of 13 villages along the Umngot are likely to lose 296 hectares of land due to submergence if the dam comes up. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Humpback dolphins

Humpback dolphin Humpback dolphins are found in relatively shallow nearshore waters throughout their range which includes most of the coastlines in Australia, Africa and Asia. Their dependence on nearshore habitats brings them into contact with many types of human activities, putting them at risk from fisheries entanglement, boat traffic, pollution, and habitat loss.  However, this habitat selection also makes them easy to observe from shore. There are four recognized species of humpback dolphins with very little overlap between their ranges: the, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin ( plumbea) the Atlantic humpback dolphin (S. teuszi) and the Australian humpback dolphin(S. sahulensis). Because they tend to be relatively shy, and less active than the bottlenose dolphins with which they often share territory, this species is not often the primary target of dolphin watching tours. However, they can be encountered in nearshore waters, and in some areas, like Hong Kong, and the Musandam Peninsula of Oman, they are the stars of the show. Why in news:  Dolphin census data released by wildlife wing of the Odisha State Forest and Environment Department Distribution: Humpback dolphins are limited in their range from the West coast of Africa in the West to the coast of China and the east coast of Australia in the East and are always found in shallow nearshore waters.  The four different species have distinct geographic ranges as follows: Atlantic humpback  dolphins are native to: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo (Republic); Congo (Democratic Republic); Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea ; Gabon;  The Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Liberia; Mauritania; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone, Togo; Western Sahara Indian Ocean humpback dolphins are native to: Bahrain; Bangladesh; Comoros; Djibouti; Egypt, Eritrea; India; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Kenya; Kuwait; Madagascar; Mayotte; Mozambique; Myanmar; Oman; Pakistan; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; South Africa;Sri Lanka; Sudan; Tanzania; UAE; Yemen. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are native to: Bangladesh; Brunei Darrusalam; Cambodia; India;Indonesia; Malaysia; Myanmar( Burma); People’s Republic of China; Philippines; Singapore; Taiwan (Republic of China); Thailand; Vietnam Australian humpback dolphins are native to: Australia and Papua New Guinea Biology and Ecology: Feeding: Humpback dolphins seem to be fairly adaptable in their diet, with studies from South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and Oman revealing a variety of fish species, and sometimes crustaceans, squids, octopus and cuttlefish in the stomachs of by-caught or stranded animals. Humpback dolphins use a variety of feeding techniques, including partially stranding themselves on shore while chasing fish. In some locations, humpback dolphins are also known to follow fishing trawlers in order to opportunistically feed on discarded and escaped fish. Social structure, Reproduction and growth: Humpback dolphins usually occur in small groups of 2-6 individuals, but larger aggregations of up to 30 or 50 individuals have been recorded from Oman, and Malaysia, and over 100 individuals from Bangladesh. Males often show scarring consistent with aggression within their own species – such as tooth rakes on their dorsal fins. The species also appears to interact with other dolphin species in its range, with a number of documented cases of both benign and aggressive interactions between bottlenose dolphins and humpback dolphins, and the apparent incorporation of an Irrawaddy dolphin into humpback dolphin groups in two different sites in Malaysian Borneo. Females of all four species are thought to reach sexual maturity at 9-10 years. In Hong Kong and South Africa, calves are predominantly born in the spring and summer, but little is known about the seasonality of reproduction or other life history characteristics of Australian or Atlantic humpback dolphins. Threats and conservation: As with many other species of whales and dolphins, individual humpback dolphins can be recognised from the unique patterns of scarring and pigmentation on their dorsal fins. Researchers build up catalogues of known individuals and track them over time. Because almost all humpback dolphin populations have fairly stable nearshore home ranges, they provide excellent subjects for long-term monitoring, including studies of social structure, reproductive parameters, residency and range. Because their nearshore habitat also brings them into contact with human activity, they are also the focus of studies that try to assess the potential impact of coastal development and other threats on dolphin populations. Read Also Ganges River Dolphin Natural Predators: Humpback dolphins’ main natural predators are sharks, with one photo-identification study in Australia revealing that 46% of sampled humpback dolphins had scarring associated with shark attacks. Great white, tiger, and bull sharks are thought to be the species most likely to pose a risk to (young) dolphins. Human induced threats Humpback dolphins throughout Africa, Australia and Asia often live in close proximity to densely populated urban areas. In developed areas, like Hong Kong, their habitat is continually affected by coastal construction and high volumes of vessel traffic. In developing countries, their distribution often overlaps with areas where fishing effort is exponentially increasing. As with almost all species of whales and dolphins, accidental entanglement in fishing gear – or bycatch- is the leading source of human-induced mortality for humpback dolphins, but coastal development, pollution, and in some areas, such as West Africa, direct hunting also pose serious threats. Conservation status: The IUCN Red List status of all four species of humpback dolphins has recently been re-assessed, resulting in the current designations: (1) Atlantic humpback dolphin- critically endangered,; (2) Indian ocean humpback dolphin -endangered,; (3) Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin- vulnerable; and (4) Australian humpback dolphin – vulnerable. Of all four species, Atlantic humpback dolphins are considered the most severely at risk of extinction, and are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The IWC also considers this species of the utmost priority for conservation action. 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Nature Index 2020

Nature Index 2020 Nature Index table 2020 has released, India is placed twelth globally in science research output. The top five positions have gone to the United States of America, China, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan.  The Nature Index Annual Tables 2020 is based on the research published in the 82 scientific journals covered by the Nature Indexand selected by a panel of 58 researchers in the natural sciences. What is the Nature Index? The database is compiled by Nature Research, a division of the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature that publishes academic journals. Nature Research’s flagship publication is Nature, a weekly multidisciplinary journal first published in 1869. The Nature Index provides a close to real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national and regional level. The Nature Index is updated monthly and also releases annual tables of country. Key findings : Three of the autonomous institutions of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India have found their place among top 30 Indian Institutions including universities, IITs, IISERs, and Research Institutions and Labs as per Nature Index 2020 ratings. NCASR Banglore ranks 4thamong academic institutions in life sciences, 10th in Chemistry and Physical Sciences, 10th among Indian academic institutions, and 469th in the global ranking. India Ranks Global Ranks Institutions 1 160 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) 2 184 Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore 3 260 Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

The National Pension System (NPS)

The National Pension System – NPS The National Pension System (NPS) will no longer compel investors to convert 40% of their accumulated retirement corpus into an annuity, as poor yields and high inflation are translating into negative returns, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. The regulator will soon allow those saving up to ₹5 lakh to take the whole amount at retirement, up from ₹2 lakh at present. What is National Pension System NPS ? The National Pension Scheme is a social security initiative by the Central Government. This pension programme is open to employees from the public, private and even the unorganised sectors except those from the armed forces. The scheme encourages people to invest in a pension account at regular intervals during the course of their employment. After retirement, the subscribers can take out a certain percentage of the corpus. As an NPS account holder, you will receive the remaining amount as a monthly pension post your retirement. Earlier, the NPS scheme covered only the Central Government employees. Now, however, the PFRDA has made it open to all Indian citizens on a voluntary basis. NPS scheme holds immense value for anyone who works in the private sector and requires a regular pension after retirement. The scheme is portable across jobs and locations, with tax benefits under Section 80C and Section 80CCD. Who should invest in National Pension System (NPS) ? The NPS is a good scheme for anyone who wants to plan for their retirement early on and has a low-risk appetite. A regular pension (income) in your retirement years will no doubt be a boon, especially for those individuals who retire from private-sector jobs. A systematic investment like this can make a massive difference to your life post-retirement. In fact, Salaried people who want to make the most of the 80C deductions can also consider this scheme. Read Also Saubhagya Scheme Features & Benefits of NPS a. Returns/Interest A portion of the NPS goes to equities (this may not offer guaranteed returns). However, it offers returns that are much higher than other traditional tax-saving investments like the PPF. This scheme has been in effect for over a decade, and so far has delivered 8% to 10% annualised returns. In NPS, you are also allowed the option to change your fund manager if you are not happy with the performance of the fund. b. Risk Assessment Currently, there is a cap in the range of 75% to 50% on equity exposure for the National Pension Scheme. For government employees, this cap is 50%. In the range prescribed, the equity portion will reduce by 2.5% each year beginning from the year in which the investor turns 50 years of age. However, for an investor of the age 60 years and above, the cap is fixed at 50%. This stabilizes the risk-return equation in the interest of investors, which means the corpus is somewhat safe from the equity market volatility. The earning potential of NPS is higher as compared to other fixed-income schemes. c. Tax efficiency – NPS tax benefit There is a deduction of up to Rs.1.5 lakh to be claimed for NPS – for your contribution as well as for the contribution of the employer. – 80CCD(1) covers the self-contribution, which is a part of Section 80C. The maximum deduction one can claim under 80CCD(1) is 10% of the salary, but no more than the said limit. For the self-employed taxpayer, this limit is 20% of the gross income. – 80CCD(2) covers the employer’s NPS contribution, which will not form a part of Section 80C. This benefit is not available for self-employed taxpayers. The maximum amount eligible for deduction will be the lowest of the below: a. Actual NPS contribution by employer b. 10% of Basic + DA c. Gross total income – You can claim any additional self contribution (up to Rs 50,000) under section 80CCD(1B) as NPS tax benefit. The scheme, therefore, allows a tax deduction of up to Rs 2 lakh in total. d. Withdrawal Rules After 60 Contrary to common belief, you cannot withdraw the entire corpus of the NPS scheme after your retirement. You are compulsorily required to keep aside at least 40% of the corpus to receive a regular pension from a PFRDA-registered insurance firm. The remaining 60% is tax-free now.  e. Early Withdrawal and Exit rules As a pension scheme, it is important for you to continue investing until the age of 60. However, if you have been investing for at least three years, you may withdraw up to 25% for certain purposes. These include children’s wedding or higher studies, building/buying a house or medical treatment of self/family, among others. You can make a withdrawal for up to three times (with a gap of five years) in the entire tenure. These restrictions are only imposed on tier I accounts and not on tier II accounts. f. Equity Allocation Rules The NPS invests in different schemes, and the Scheme E of the NPS invests in equity. You can allocate a maximum of 50% of your investment to equities.  There are two options to invest in – auto choice or active choice. The auto choice decides the risk profile of your investments as per your age. For instance, the older you are, the more stable and less risky your investments. The active choice allows you to decide the scheme and to split your investments. g. Option to change the Scheme or Fund Manager With NPS, you have the provision to change the pension scheme or the fund manager if you are not happy with their performance. This option is available for both tiers I and II accounts. The two primary account types under the NPS are tier I and tier II. The former is the default account while the latter is a voluntary addition. The table below explains the two account types in detail.     Particulars NPS Tier-I Account NPS Tier-II Account   Status Default Voluntary   Withdrawals Not permitted Permitted   Tax exemption Up to Rs 2 lakh p.a.(Under 80C and 80CCD) 1.5

Friedreich’s ataxia

Friedreich’s ataxia Friedreich’s ataxia, a disease that causes damage to the nervous system as well as speech impairment and movement problems. Friedrich’s ataxia starts during childhood and manifests later as impaired muscular coordination that worsens with age. It is caused by an inherited aberrant gene. We all carry two copies of every gene, each inherited from a parent. Friedrich’s ataxia occurs when both copies of the FXN genehave the defect. The defective FXN gene causes a problem in producing a protein called frataxin, which is found in cells throughout the body, with the highest levels in the heart, spinal cord, liver, pancreas, and muscles used for voluntary movement. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) What is NCLAT? NCLAT is the Appellate Tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). It is also responsible for hearing appeals against the orders passed by NCLT(s) under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC), with effect from December 1, 2016.  NCLAT is also the Appellate Tribunal for hearing appeals against the orders passed by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC.  It also hears appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) – as per the amendment brought to Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 by Section 172 of the Finance Act, 2017, with effect from 26th May, 2017. When was it constituted? The tribunal was established under the Companies Act 2013 and was constituted on June 1 2016 by the government of India. Who are the members of NCLAT? As of December 2019, Justice S J Mukhopadhaya, former judge of the Supreme Court, is the current chairperson of NCLAT.  The other members of the tribunal include Balvinder Singh (Technical), Justice A I S Cheema (Judicial), Justice Bansi Lal Bhat (Judicial), Kanthi Narahari (Technical), Justice Venugopal M (Judicial), Justice Jarat Kumar Jain (Judicial), Vijai Pratap Singh (Technical), Dr Ashok Kumar Mishra (Technical). Are NCLAT decisions binding? NCLAT decisions can be challenged in the Supreme Court on a point of law. In some cases, NCLAT decisions have been overturned by the Supreme Court, like in the case of Arcelor Mittal when the top court set aside the tribunal’s order to pave way for the global steel giant to acquire Essar Steel. Read Hate Speech Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Vande Bharat Mission (VBM)

Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) The Vande Bharat Mission (VBM), which started repatriating Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns since May 7 last, has turned out to be one of the largest evacuations of civilians by a country. VBM Vande Bharat Mission was started to bring back stranded Indians from foreign destinations after suspension of regular international flights. India has already repatriated over 87 per cent of residents who had registered with Indian missions requesting to be evacuated after restrictions on routine international flights were imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. Air India and its subsidiary Air India express played a key role in the operations. Afterwards, other air carriers were allowed to take part in the programme. The entire cost of travelwill be borne by the passengers under the mission. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Bat with sticky disks

Bat with sticky disks Meghalayahas yielded India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat with sticky disks, taking the species count of the flying mammal in the country to 130. About disk – footed bat: The disk-footed bat (Eudiscopus denticulus) was recorded in the north-eastern State’s Lailad area near the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, about 1,000 km west of its nearest known habitat in Myanmar. Flattened skull and adhesive pads helped in identifying it as the disk-footed known from specific localities in southern China, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. Very high frequency echolocation calls of the disk-footed bat, which was suitable for orientation in a cluttered environment such as inside bamboo groves. The disk-footed bat has raised Meghalaya’s bat count to 66, the most for any State in India. It has also helped add a genus and species to the bat fauna of India. IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Micius Quantum Communication Satellite

Micius – Quantum Communication Satellite The Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) or Micius, the world’s first quantum communications satellite, was launched aboard Long March-2D rocket in August 2016. Micius – Key Points The satellite is fitted with Sagnac interferometer instrument. Toutedas the world’s first hack-proof satellite, Micius will provide quantum communications between space and Earth. The first Micius satellite was developed at an estimated cost of $100m, under China’s Strategic Priority Programme on Space Science. It will demonstrate transcontinental quantum communications between China and Austria, and will be followed by Micius 2 and Micius 3 satellites. Micius quantum satellite was launched a top Long March 2D rocket manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. The two-stage rocket has a length of 41m and diameter of 3.35m. The launch vehicle is powered by four YF-21C engines, which generate 2,961.6kN of thrust in the first stage, and a YF-24 propulsion module including a YF-22 main and four YF-23 vernier engines that generate a total thrust of 930kN in the second stage. The satellite was launched from the launch pad 603 located at LC43 complex at the Jiuquan space centre in Jiuquan, north-west China. Micius has successfully brought entanglement-based quantum cryptographyto its original ground stations 1,200 km apart by sending simultaneous streams of entangled photons to the ground stations to establish a direct link between the two of them. Scientists have started using quantum encryption forsecuring long-range communication and Micius has been at the forefront of quantum encryption for several years. The satellite is fitted with Sagnac interferometer instrument. Toutedas the world’s first hack-proof satellite, Micius will provide quantum communications between space and Earth. The first Micius satellite was developed at an estimated cost of $100m, under China’s Strategic Priority Programme on Space Science. It will demonstrate transcontinental quantum communications between China and Austria, and will be followed by Micius 2 and Micius 3 satellites. Micius quantum satellite was launched a top Long March 2D rocket manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology. The two-stage rocket has a length of 41m and diameter of 3.35m. The launch vehicle is powered by four YF-21C engines, which generate 2,961.6kN of thrust in the first stage, and a YF-24 propulsion module including a YF-22 main and four YF-23 vernier engines that generate a total thrust of 930kN in the second stage. The satellite was launched from the launch pad 603 located at LC43 complex at the Jiuquan space centre in Jiuquan, north-west China. Micius has successfully brought entanglement-based quantum cryptographyto its original ground stations 1,200 km apart by sending simultaneous streams of entangled photons to the ground stations to establish a direct link between the two of them. Scientists have started using quantum encryption forsecuring long-range communication and Micius has been at the forefront of quantum encryption for several years. Entangled Photons: Entangled photons are twinned light particles whose properties remain intertwined no matter how far apart they are. If one of the photons is manipulated, the other will be similarly affected at the very same moment. It is this property that lies in the heart of the most secure forms of quantum cryptography (the study of concepts like encryption and decryption). If one of the entangled particles is used to create a key for encoding messages, only the person with the other particle can decode them. Quantum race: Secure long-distance links such as this one will be the foundation of the quantum internet, the future global network with added security powered by laws of quantum mechanics, unmatched by classical cryptographic methods. The launch of Micius and the records set by the scientists and engineers building quantum communication systems with its help have been compared to the effect Sputnik had on the space race in the 20th century. In a similar way, the quantum race has political and military implications that are hard to ignore. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now

Chabahar Port

Chabahar Port Why in News? India wants Chabahar port to be included in the 13-nation International North South Transport Corridor that extends from India to Russia, and expand INSTC membership by including Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Key Point in News? Pitching for Chabahar in the INSTC which goes via Iran’s biggest port Bandar Abbas,  the land route via Kabul and Tashkent would form the INSTC’s “Eastern corridor”. “Establishing an eastern corridor through Afghanistan would maximise its potential. India has also proposed the inclusion of Chabahar in the INSTC “Chabahar Day” event organised as part of the 3-day “Maritime India” summit that was conducted virtually. The event saw participation from several regional officials including infrastructure Ministers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan. The Port has already handled 123 vessels and 18 lakh tons of cargo, said an official statement issued after the conference, which include trans-shipments from “Russia, Brazil, Thailand, Germany, Ukraine and the UAE”. Predicting that Chabahar will change the “geo-economy” of the region, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammed Eslami called for assistance from India in developing the project, both through the provision of cranes and other equipment at the port as well as rail tracks, signal and switching equipment for the Chabahar-Zahedan railway project. Iran had also asked India to activate the $150-million credit line it offered during Iranian President Rouhani’s visit to Delhi in 2018 for the project. “India has participated in the first phase of development of Shahid Beheshti port of Chabahar and we are now witnessing the supplying of equipment. It deems necessary for the Indian operator to facilitate the process of supplying the remaining equipment.   Chabahar Port Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran’s only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths. INSTC The INSTC project was originally decided between India, Iran and Russia in 2000 in St Petersburg, and subsequently included 10 other central Asian and west Asian countries: Azerbaijan Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, Syria and Bulgaria as an observer. It envisions a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail and road route for transporting freight, aimed at reducing the carriage cost between India and Russia by about 30%and bringing down the transit time from 40 days by more than half. Source Practice Free Prelims Mock Test Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. Join Now