1. First Sanctuary for 'Slender Loris' to be set up in Tamil Nadu
Tags: Science and Technology State News
India’s first sanctuary for the endangered species, Slender Loris was notified by the Tamil Nadu government on 12 October 2022. The first 'Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary' in will be set up in the Karur and Dindigul districts of the state, in about 11,806 hectares of land.
Slender Loris
Slender Loris are small nocturnal mammals that are arboreal in nature as they spend most of their life on trees. These look like monkeys and are about 25 cm long and have long, thin arms. They weigh around 275 grams. They are mainly found in India and Sri Lanka.
Apart from insects they are also known to eat leaves, flowers, slugs and sometimes eggs of birds. The species acts as a biological predator of pests in agricultural crops and benefits farmers. The nocturnal mammal is listed as an endangered species as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUNC).
Sanctuary for Slender Loris
A total of 11,806 hectares of forest areas in the Karur and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu have been identified as important habitats for Slender Loris. The Kadavur Slender Loris sanctuary will cover Vedasandur, Dindigul East, and Natham taluks in the Dindigul district and Kadavur taluk in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu.
2. NGT fines Delhi government Rs 900 crore for its failure in ‘solid waste management’
Tags: Science and Technology State News
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in an order passed on 12 October 2022 has ordered the Delhi government to pay Rs 900 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid municipal waste, stating that "citizens cannot be faced with an emergency situation due to lack of governance."
The NGT bench heard by Justice Adarsh Goel held the Delhi government responsible for not taking remedial steps to deal with the solid waste at the three landfills sites of Delhi- Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla .
The Bench said that there was continuous emission of methane and other harmful gasses along with groundwater contamination which posed a direct threat to the environment and people of Delhi.
The Bench directed the Delhi government to deposit the fine amount in a separate account which will be used by the Delhi Chief Secretary to for restoration of the environment by remediation of waste and other measures.
The NGT is monitoring compliance of Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and other environmental issues by states and Union territories.
National Green Tribunal
- It deals with cases relating to the environment protection and conservation of forest.
- It was set up in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
- The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but is guided by principles of natural justice.
- New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.
Chairperson : Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel
3. Indian Railways plans to replace fossil fuel fleet with electric fleet by 2025
Tags: National Economy/Finance Science and Technology
In a big boost to the Centre’s ambitious plan to make India a 100% electric vehicle nation by 2030, the Indian Railways has proposed to replace its entire fleet of vehicles that run on diesel, biofuels or even natural gas with electric vehicles by December 2025.
To achieve the ambitious target of 2030 the country needs to set up 46,000 EV charging stations by 2030 to match the global benchmark.
Phase wise target of Railways
According to the timeline proposed by the railways, it aims to achieve the target of installing EV-charging stations and phasing out 20% of its fleet by December 2023, 60% by 2024 and 100% by 2025.
The replacement of inspection vehicles in divisional offices and attached units would not be mandatory in the initial phase of three years since the vehicles would be required by officials for frequent visits to far-flung areas where adequate charging infrastructure may not be available.
The railways will also create an affordable and accessible charging infrastructure for users, including passengers, visitors and the general public, on its premises.
4. Nitin Gadkari launches Toyota’s pilot project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India
Tags: place in news National Science and Technology
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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India on 11 October 2022, which would run on 100% petrol as well as 20 to 100% blended ethanol and electric power.
The Toyota car which was unveiled by the minister has been imported from Toyota Brazil. Flex-fuel vehicles are at present available in Brazil, the USA and Canada.
Ethanol in India is mainly derived from molasses of the sugarcane.
An FFV SHEV has a flex-fuel engine and an electric powertrain, providing dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency. It can run for a significant time period on its Electric Vehicle mode, wherein the engine is shut off.
Flex-fuel compatible cars can run on more than one type of fuel and also a mixture of fuel. It typically runs on a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol is used.
FFVs provide an opportunity of greater substitution of petrol by ethanol as it is capable of using any of the higher blends of ethanol mix from 20 per cent up to 100 per cent.
Toyota was also the first company in India to launch India's first green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), Toyota Mirai.
Toyota Motor Company of Japan has a joint venture with Kirloskar in India and the company is called as Toyota Kirloskar Motor ltd.
5. Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress
Tags: Science and Technology
The Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) is organizing the 2nd United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) in Hyderabad, India from 10-14 October 2022.
Important facts
It is organized by the Government of India through the Ministry of Science and Technology.
It is a global event bringing all stakeholders together to address at the highest level and ensure that geospatial information has broad utility in sustainable social, economic and environmental development.
The theme of the congress is "Geo-Enabling the Global Village : No one should be left behind".
The second UNWGIC will reflect the importance of integrated geospatial information to support sustainable development and the well-being of society, address environmental and climate challenges, embrace digital transformation and technological development, and catalyze a vibrant economy.
About UNWGIC
It is organised by the United Nation Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).
Its objective is to enhance international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management and capacities.
It is conducted every four years.
The first UNWGIC was organized by China in October 2018.
About UN-GGIM
It aims to play a leading role in setting the agenda for the development of global geospatial information and promoting its use to address major global challenges.
What is Geospatial Technology?
It is an emerging field of study that includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS), and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
It enables us to obtain data that is in reference to the Earth and used for analysis, modelling, simulation and visualization.
This technology can be helpful in making decisions based on the importance and priority of scarce natural resources.
Geospatial technology was used optimally during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
6. Chandrayaan-2 spectrometer maps abundance of sodium on moon for first time
Tags: Science and Technology
The X-ray spectrometer ‘CLASS’ instrument on the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter has mapped an abundance of sodium on the moon for the first time, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Important facts
This is the first attempt to measure sodium on the lunar surface on a global scale using X-ray fluorescent spectra.
CLASS was built at the U R Rao Satellite Centre of ISRO in Bengaluru.
This report has recently been published in 'The Astrophysical Journal Letters'.
The new findings from Chandrayaan-2 provide an opportunity to study surface-exosphere interactions on the Moon.
X-Ray Fluorescence
It is commonly used to study the structure of matter in a non-destructive way.
When the Sun generates a solar flare, a large amount of X-ray radiation falls on the Moon, triggering X-ray fluorescence.
CLASS measures the energy of incoming X-ray photons from the Moon and calculates the total number.
The energy of the photon indicates the atom (for example, sodium atoms emit X-ray photons of 1.04 keV) and the intensity indicates the number of the atom.
7. U S and India launch a joint task force on energy storage technologies
Tags: Science and Technology International News
India and the United States have launched a new task force under the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), which will focus on the accelerated deployment of energy storage technologies.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS), are devices that enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when customers need power most.
The task force was announced during the meeting of the Union minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri and the US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in Washington on 7 October 2022.
They also issued a US India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) joint statement which highlighted the importance of bilateral clean energy engagement to strengthen energy security and to accelerate clean, secure, and just energy transition.
8. Humanoid Vyommitra
Tags: Science and Technology
The pre-flight ground test of Vyommitra, the humanoid designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to fly on the Gaganyaan mission, began on 7 October.
Important facts
The humanoid 'Vyommitra' is currently undergoing pre-flight ground testing at ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).
IISU is responsible for the design and development of inertial systems for ISRO's launch vehicle and spacecraft programmes.
About Vyommitra
It is an AI-based robotic system developed at a robotics lab at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram.
It is a combination of two Sanskrit words Vyoma (space) and Mitra (friend), which will be sent on the first unmanned Gaganyaan flight.
Humanoid will simulate the human tasks required of space before real astronauts can take off.
It is designed in a human-like shape.
Vyomitra, designed to speak in Hindi and English, can act as a companion to the astronauts, interact with them and answer their questions.
It will accurately simulate human actions in space and check whether the systems are working properly.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
It was set up on 15 August 1969
It is India's national space agency.
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Chairman: S.Somanath
9. PM Modi to declare Gujarat’s ‘Modhera’ as India’s First Solar-Powered Village on 9 October
Tags: place in news Science and Technology State News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Gujarat’s village Modhera as India’s first solar-powered village on October 9, 2022. The village is supplied electricity during the daytime through the rooftop solar panels installed in the village and during night the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) provides power supply to the houses.
In 2019 the Central government and the state government started the joint project to power the Modhera village in Mehsana district with solar power.
The Gujarat government had allotted 12 hectares of land for development of this project and an amount of Rs 80.66 crore was spent on a 50:50 basis by Centre and state government in two phases,
More than 1,300 1 kW rooftop solar systems have been installed on houses which generate electricity. And electricity is supplied free of cost to the villagers .
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a solar-powered 3-D projection facility for the Modhera’s Sun Temple.The solar-powered 3-D projection will educate visitors about the history of Modhera.
Gujarat Chief Minister : Bhupendra Patel
10. AIIA signs Mou with NIAIST, Japan to promote collaboration in Research of Ayurveda and Traditional medicine
Tags: National Science and Technology
The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), under the Ministry of AYUSH, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 7 October 2022 in New Delhi to promote Institute’s research activities both at a national and international stage.
The MoU will enable both countries to promote research collaboration and building capacities in the field of the Indian Ayurvedic system of traditional medicines. All these activities will be executed in support of the Ministry of Ayush.
AIIA already has MoUs with the European Academy of Ayurveda, Bernstein, Germany; Western Sydney University, Australia; Graz Medical University, Austria; College of Medical, UK; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
All India Institute of Ayurveda is an apex institute for Ayurveda which is being set up in New Delhi. It has been set up to make Ayurveda an evidence based treatment and standardize the Ayurveda drugs.
Current Director of AIIA: Professor Tanuja Manoj Nessari.
AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy)
- The Ministry of AYUSH was set up on the 9th of November 2014 to revive the knowledge of traditional Indian systems of medicine.
- It focuses on education and research in the fields of Ayurveda, Yoga Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.
- Minister of AYUSH: Sarbananda Sonowal
