PM
hails launch of commercial coal mining
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India has
taken the big decision to fully open the coal and mining sector for
competition, capital, participation, and technology.
Addressing the launching of auction of 41 coal mines
for commercial mining via video conference, Mr Modi said a major step has been
taken today to make India self-reliant in the energy sector. He said government
is not only launching an auction for commercial coal mining, but also taking
the coal sector out of decades of lockdown.
The Prime Minister said allowing private sector in
commercial coal mining is unlocking resources of a nation with the world's
fourth largest reserves. Criticising last policies of keeping the sector
closed, the Prime Minister said India should be world's biggest coal exporter
considering size of reserves.
He pointed out the irony that India has the fourth largest coal reserve in the
world, is the second largest producer in the world, but is also the second
largest coal importer.
He said the reforms in coal sector are a great way to make Eastern and Central
India, and the tribal belt the pillars of development. He said reforms and
investment in this sector will play a huge role in making lives easy for the
poor and tribal people.
Mr Modi said the commercial coal block auction is a
win win for industry users. He said new resources will open up and states will
get more revenue and employment.
Several states seek extension of PM GaribKalyanYojana.
Ten Chief Ministers, from both the BJP and the
Opposition, have demanded an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana, which was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as
part of the first rescue package to deal with the economic crisis created by
the COVID-19 pandemic
The scheme covers the 80 crore ration cardholders
provided 5 kg of rice or wheat each month and one kg of pulses, for each of the
households.
The States that are demanding an extension include
Assam, Karnataka, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Mizoram,
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. They have demanded an extension of three
months.
“The demands made by these States have been
forwarded to Prime Minister NarendraModi. I have written to him too. We are all
aware of the situation and a decision will be taken at an appropriate time,”
Union Food Minister RamvilasPaswan said after a meeting with Food Ministers and
Secretaries of 14 States and Union Territories who are yet to enrol under the
One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
India to participate in RIC grouping’s virtual conference
India will participate in the virtual meeting of the
Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping on June 23, the Ministry of External Affairs
confirmed on Thursday.
The Indian decision to go ahead with the ministerial level exchange has created
an opening for de-escalation of tension along the Line of Actual Control with
the Russian diplomatic sources indicating that they support “constructive
dialogue” over the tension in eastern Ladakh.
The confirmation from the Indian side came a day after External Affairs
Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi spoke over phone
regarding the killing of at least 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley on
June 15.
It is understood that RIC is likely to throw up a
moment of frank exchange between the Indian and the Chinese sides if the
Ministers decide to bring up the Ladakh scenario during their exchanges.
The official said RIC is a “useful platform to support a unified agenda” and
several regional and global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic may also come
up during the discussion. The Russian reiteration of support for dialogue
between China and India came even though Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
had said bilateral issues were usually not taken up at RIC.
U.S to table bill for sanctions against China over Uighur rights
U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on
Wednesday calling for sanctions over the repression of China’s Uighurs, as excerpts
from a book by his former National security adviser John Bolton alleged he had
approved of their mass detention.
The Bill was intended to send China a strong message
on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression
of Muslim minority.
China, which denies mistreatment and says the camps
provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism, responded to the
Bill with anger, saying it “vilified” the human rights situation in Xinjiang
and was a malicious attack against China.
China and the United States are already at
loggerheads over everything from China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic
to U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
Mr. Trump issued a signing statement that some of
the Bill’s requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct
diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory, not mandatory.
New
fish species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh
A new species of fish has been discovered in the
Northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
This new species was discovered by Dr.Keshav Kumar Jha, who has named it as
Schizothoraxsikusirumensis, after the rivers — Siku and Sirum in East Siang
District at the junction, from where it was found.
Jha also serves as an associate professor and
current head of the Department of Zoology at Jawaharlal Nehru College in
Pasighat.
It may be reminded that last year, Fisheries and
Aquatic ecology research team led by prof. DN Das from Rajiv Gandhi University
(RGU) discovered five species of fish from the state.
These species include the Mystusprabini (discovered
in Sinkin and the Dibang rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district); the
Exostomakottelati (discovered in the Ranga river in Lower Subansiri district);
the Creteuchiloglanistawangensis (discovered in the Tawangchu river in Tawang
district); the Garraranganensis (discovered in the Ranga river); and the
Physoschisturaharkishorei (discovered in the Dibang and the Lohit rivers in
Lower Dibang Valley district).
Arctic
Sea Ice
·
Recently, the
National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has observed the
largest decline in the Arctic Sea ice in the last 41 years.
Increased Rate of decline in Sea Ice:
·
Sea ice arises
as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats on the
ocean's surface.
·
It covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and
about 12% of the world's oceans.
·
The decline in the Arctic Sea ice is due to
global warming — leading to localised increase in evaporation, air humidity,
cloud cover and rainfall.
·
In the last 40 years (1979-2018), the sea ice
has been declining at 4.7% per decade, while
the current declining rate was found to be 13% in July 2019.
·
It has been noted that the volume of ice
formation during winters is unable to keep pace
with the volume of ice loss during summers.
·
It has been
predicted that if this trend continues, there would be no ice left in the
Arctic Sea by 2050.
Impacts
of decline in Sea Ice:
·
The decrease of
the Arctic Sea ice area and the increase in the duration of summer and
autumn seasons affected the local weather and climate over the Arctic Ocean and
its
marginal seas.
·
Being a sensitive indicator of climate change,
the loss of ice cover in the Arctic Sea may affect other components of the
climate system such as reduction of heat, water vapor. And other material
exchange between the atmosphere and the sea.
·
The northern
hemisphere experienced record high-temperature rise, especially during the spring
and summer months.
About National
Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR):
·
It is
established as an autonomous Research and Development Institution of the
Ministry of Earth Sciences in 1998. It is located in Goa.
·
It is the nodal
agency for planning, promotion, coordination and execution of the entire gamut
of polar and Southern Ocean scientific research in the country as well as for
the
associated Logistics Activities.
Olms
of Slovenia.
·
There are three
Olms which have recently been put on display inSlovenia’s Postojna Cave,
where they hatched in 2016 in a rare successful breeding.
About
Olms:
·
They are eyeless
(skin covered eyes) pink salamanders also known as the "baby dragon"
and "human fish" for its pale skin-like colour.
·
They feed on
detritus and endemic cave vertebrates and hide in crevices or bottom sediment
when disturbed. They can survive without food for up to 10 years.
·
A long-lived species that only matures to a
sexual stage after the age of 12-15 years and reproduces very slowly.
·
It can live a century and breeds only once a
decade usually in laboratories throughout Europe or deep in caves away from
people.
·
They have a powerful sensory system of smell,
taste, hearing and electrosensitivity.
·
They require clean water, and is therefore
vulnerable to water pollution.
·
The major threats to the olm are pollution and
habitat disturbance from land use changes occurring above the cave systems.
·
They are found in large subterranean aquatic
karst systems formed in limestone and
dolomite rocks, and may be found in cave entrances.
·
They are an entirely aquatic species and
prefer waters ranging from 5-15°C. Found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Italy, Slovenia and France.
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