5 Indian Wetlands, 3 From Karnataka & 2 From Tamil Nadu Added to Ramsar list;Total Ramsar Sites Increased to 80
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) announced that 5 wetlands from India (3 from Karnataka and 2 from Tamil NaduTN) were designated as RAMSAR Sites – Wetlands of International importance.
With this addition, the total number of RAMSAR sites in India has increased from 75 to 80.
5 New RAMSAR sites
- Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve; Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve; and Aghanashini Estuary in Karnataka; and
- Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary; and Longwood Shola Reserve Forest in TN.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC):
Union Minister– Bhupender Yadav (Rajya SabhaRajasthan)Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)
NHAI & GSI Collaborated to Develop a Robust National Highways Network
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to enhance the quality of the National Highways (NH) network.
As per the MoU, GSI will provide site-specific geotechnical consultancy services related to the preparation of geological maps and assist in analysing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) from a geotechnical perspective.The MoU was signed in the presence of Santosh Kumar Yadav, NHAI Chairman and Saibal Ghosh, Deputy Director General of GSI.
Ministry of Defence Honoured Best Marching Contingents & Tableaux Awards for Republic Day Parade 2024
Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State (MoS), Ministry of Defence honoured the best marching contingents andtableaux awards for the Republic Day (R-Day) Parade 2024. The awards were announced based on 2 separate results, one by a panel of judges and the other through an online public vote conducted by the MyGov platform.
A total of 25 tableaux – 16 States and Union Territories (UTs) and 9 Ministries/Departments participated in the 75th R-Day Parade 2024 at Kartavya Path.
Note: A trophy representation ceremony was organised at RR Camp in Delhi Cantonment to honour the achievements.
About Ministry of Defence:
Union Minister- Rajnath Singh (Constituency: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State- Ajay Bhatt (Constituency: Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar, Uttarakhand)
Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Ruler of Johor, Sworn-In as 17th King of Malaysia
His Royal Highness (HRH) Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar (Sultan Ibrahim), the Ruler of the southern Malaysian state of Johor, was sworn in as the 17th King of Malaysia, also known as Yang diPertuan Agong (YDPA) XVII, on 31st January 2024. He will be serving as the king for a term of 5 years (till2029).
He succeeded Al-Sultan Abdullah ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah (16th King), Ruler of Pahang state, who served as the 16th King since 2019.
Background:
- In October 2023, Sultan Ibrahim was elected by the Conference of Rulers during its 263rd (Special) meeting held at the National Palace(Istana Negara) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail, Father of Sultan Ibrahim, was the last Ruler of Johor to be appointed as the YDPA.
He served as 8th King of Malaysia from 1984 to 1989.
About Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar:
- Sultan Ibrahim enlisted and trained as a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) officer for 3 months at the RMN base in Lumut (Malaysia), making him a fully trained army, navy, and air force officer.
- He served the State government in various offices among them the State Secretariat, the Treasury, Land Office, Town and Country Planning Department, etc.
- He ascended the throne of Johor in 2010 following his father’s death.
- He created history by gaining the Class 26 Train Driver’s License upon completing the 86-tonne locomotive round using a turn table device.
- He also received acknowledgement from the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) as the first Malay Ruler to officially drive a train.
Additional info:
- Under Malaysia’s rotational monarchy, the position of the king and his deputy are shifted among the rulers of nine of its 13 states.
- This system was adopted after the independence from British rule in 1957.
About Malaysia:
Prime Minister – Anwar Ibrahim
Capital – Kuala Lumpur
Currency – Malaysian Ringgit
DoT Secretary Dr Neeraj Mittal Launches Bharat 5G Portal at Bharat Telecom 2024
Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Chairman of the Digital Communications Commission and Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications (MoC), launched the “Bharat 5G Portal– an integrated portal” during the ‘Bharat Telecom 2024 – An Exclusive International Business Expo.’
The event, organized by the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) in collaboration with DoT, took place from January 29-30, 2024 in Delhi.
Note: India has the 2nd largest telecom network in the world.
About Ministry of Communications:
Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha Odisha)
Minister of State– Devusinh Chauhan (Constituency: Kheda, Gujarat)
Agasthyagama edge: A New Species of Tiny Lizards Discovered in Kerala
A group of scientists from various institutions in India and abroad discovered a new species of tiny lizards called ‘Agasthyagama edge’ or the northern kangaroo lizard in the southern Western Ghats at Kulamavu inIdukki, Kerala.
The findings have been reported in the Vertebrate Zoology, a scientific journal published by the Senckenberg Museum in Germany.
About Agasthyagama edge:
- Agasthyagama edge belongs to the Agamidae family and Agasthyagama genus.
- This is the 2nd species of Agasthyagama genus after A. beddomii or Indian kangaroo lizard(discovered in Sivagiri hills, Tamil Nadu)
- Agasthyagama Edge has been named after the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) programme of the Zoological Society of London which has supported various researchers including Dr. Das and co-author K.P. Rajkumar of Aranyakam Nature Foundation.
American Poet & Pulitzer Prize Winner, Navarre Scott Momaday Passed Away
Navarre Scott Momaday, a Pulitzer Prize-winning storyteller, poet, educator and folklorist, passed away in New Mexico, United States of America (USA). He was born on 27th February 1934, in Oklahoma, USA.
About Navarre Scott Momaday:
- Navarre Scott Momaday is a member of the Kiowa tribe in the USA.
- Scott Momaday was the first Native American author to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
His novel “House Made of Dawn,” published in 1968 by HarperCollins, won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for the year 1969. - He also made efforts to preserve Native American culture, including the oral tradition
- He founded Buffalo Trust, a non-profit foundation, aiming to preserve, protect and restitute Native American culture and heritage.
Key Works:
- He was a contributor to both the English and French editions of‘The Alphabet of hope: writers for literacy’.
It is a book published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2007. - In 1969, he compiled ‘The Way to Rainy Mountain’, a collection of Kiowa tales.
- He was the subject of a documentary film, ‘N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear’.
Indian Coast Guard Day 2024 – 1st February; ICG Celebrates 48th Raising Day
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Day is annualy observed across India on 1st February to mark the Raising Day of ICG, India’s maritime armed forceoperating under the Ministry of Defence.
1st February 2024 marks the observance of the 48th Raising Day of ICG.
- The interim ICG was established on February 1, 1977, by the Coast Guard Act of 1978 of the Parliament of India.
- On 18 August 1978, the Indian Parliament officially declared the ICG Day to be observed on 1 February every year.
- ICG was formally inaugurated by the then Prime Minister (PM) Morarji Desai on 19th August 1978.
About Indian Coast Guard (ICG):
Director General Indian Coast Guard (DGICG)- Rakesh Pal, PTM, TM
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established on– February 1, 1977
Motto– Vayam Rakshamah (We Protect)
World Interfaith Harmony Week 2024 – 1-7 February
The United Nations (UN)’s World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) is annually observed across the globe during the 1st week of February (1-7 February) to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence among people irrespective of their faith.
WIHW 2024 is observed from 1-7 February 2024.
Background:
- WIHW was first proposed at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 23, 2010, by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan.
- On 20 October 2010, UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/65/5, declaring the 1st week of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week.
- The first-ever WIHW was observed on 1-7 February 2011.
About United Nations (UN):
Secretary-General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, USA
Established in– 1945
NGEL Partners with Maharashtra Govt. to develop Green Hydrogen
NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, and the Government of Maharashtra have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives projects, including Green Ammonia & Green Methanol.
- The projects with a capacity of up to 1 million tons per annum will be developed at an investment of around Rs 80000 crores.
- The MoU also includes Pumped Storage Projects of 2 GigaWatt (GW) and the development of renewable energy projects with or without storage of up to 5 GW in Maharashtra.
Signatories: The MoU was signed by Mohit Bhargava, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NGEL in the presence of Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra.