1. Railway to install hanging solar fence to save elephants
Tags: National News
Southern Railways has begun the installation of hanging solar fences at sensitive forest areas between Kanjikode and Walayar stations. While Kanjikode falls under Palakkad district of Kerala, Walayar falls under TN jurisdiction.
The Southern Railways was installing a hanging solar fence for the first time to prevent elephant movement across the tracks. The hanging solar fence was being set up for 600 meters on both sides of the B- line railway track.
The B-line, which has been laid through the Walayar Reserve forest, bisects an elephant corridor. Many elephants have been killed by speeding trains in the area.
Steel wires are hung in a row from a three-meter high overhead wire. The overhead wire is supported by posts at both ends. The hanging wires will touch the ground.
If an Elephant touches the wire it will get mild shock which will deter it from entering the railway tracks . The shocks will not be fatal to the elephants .
Important Information for Exams
Headquarter of the Southern Railway : Chennai
2. Health Minister releases reports of Institute for Competitiveness highlighting India’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
Tags: National News
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare released two reports of the Institute for Competitiveness in New Delhi on 23 February 2022.
The reports titled ‘COVID-19-India’s Vaccine Development Story’ and ‘India's COVID – 19 Vaccination Administration Journey’ praises India’s effort in developing covid -19 vaccine and safe administration of vaccinations to a huge and diverse population.
Institute of Competitiveness
The Institute for Competitiveness is part of the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, United States .
It is an research institution dedicated to understanding competition and strategy
Headquarters : Gurugram, Haryana
3. Vande Bharatam signature tune formally released by the Government of India
Tags: National News
Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs Smt. Meenakshi Lekhireleased the Vande Bharatam song signature tune composed by Grammy winner Ricky Kej and tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh.
The song was released at an event on International Mother Language Day named "Ekam Bharatam" along with a cultural evening hosted by the Ministry of Culture at Delhi on 22nd February, 2022.
The ‘Vande Bharatam’ song was produced for Vande Bharatam, Nritya Utsav of the Ministry of Culture, presented at Rajpath,New Delhi for the national Republic Day event in 2022.
4. India to be the Chairman of the International Rubber Study Group
Tags: National News
India has been elected as the chairman of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) for two years.
KN Raghavan, the head of the Indian delegation to IRSG and the Executive Director of the Indian Rubber Board, will serve as Chairman of IRSG for the next two years.
The previous chairman of the IRSG was Cote d'Ivoire's.
IRSG
It was founded in 1944, with Singapore as its headquarters.
It is an international body which discusses matters relating to the rubber industry and acts as an intermediary between the Governments and Industry.
Fact File
Rubber
Rubbers are of two types . Natural rubber and Synthetic rubber
Natural rubber is obtained from a plant called Hevea brasiliensis, whereas synthetic rubbers are man-made polymers under controlled conditions using petroleum by-products.
The Top producer of natural rubber in the world (2020)
Thailand
Indonesia
Vietnam
India
Cote d'Ivoire's
Source : Food and Agricultural Organisation
The largest exporter of natural rubber in the world
Thailand
Indonesia
Cote d'Ivoire's
Largest natural rubber producing state in India
Kerala
Tripura
Karnataka
Source Government of India , PIB
Fun facts
Natural Rubber comes from the sap of a plant called Hevea brasiliensis which is a native of the Amazon forest in South America .
John Joseph Murphy of India set up the country's first commercial rubber plantation at Thattekad near Kothamangalam ,Kerala in 1902.
Full form for exam
IRSG : International Rubber Study Group.
5. First batch of Indian wheat aid sent to Afghanistan
Tags: National News
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla flagged off the first truckload of wheat supplies from India to Afghanistan at the Attari-Wagah border on 22 February 2022. Afghan Trucks carrying 2500 tonnes of Indian wheat will carry it to Afghanistan’s Jalalabad via Pakistan's Torkham border.
This is the part of 50,000 tonnes of wheat promised by India to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid in October 2021.
India Pakistan Trade route
At present the only operational land trade route between India and Pakistan is through the Attari/Wagah border .
Wagah is an Indian army outpost on the Indo-Pak border ( between Amritsar and Lahore) and Atari is on the Pakistani side of the border .
Currently there is only one operational rail route along the Amritsar-Attari-Lahore railway line through Attari and Amritsar rail station for movement of cargo between the two countries.
The cargo moves either by the goods trains or by freight cars attached to the bi-weekly Samjhauta Express(Delhi to Lahore).
6. Germany halts Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline
Tags: International News
Germany on 22 February 2022 halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project in response to the Russian President Vladimir Putin decision to recognise the breakaway Ukrainian region of Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic, as an Independent country on 21 February 2022.
The Nord 2 gas pipeline is designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany. Europe's most ambitious and divisive energy project, worth $11 billion, was finished in September, but has stood idle pending certification by Germany and the European Union.
Nord 2 and Nord 1 pipelines could deliver 110bn cubic meters of gas to Europe every year. That is over a quarter of all the gas that European Union countries use annually.
Controversy over the pipeline
The pipeline was meant to ease the pressure on European consumers facing record energy prices amid a wider post-pandemic cost of living crisis.
The Nord 2 gas pipeline has been controversial from its inception . Germany, which meets half of its gas requirement from Russia, argued that the project was a commercial one not political.
But the pipeline had faced opposition within the European Union and from the United States. They feel that the pipeline will increase European energy dependence on Russia and the Russians can use it to blackmail Europe in future conflict .
It will also deny transit fees to Ukraine through which another Russian pipeline passes through and enable Russia to punish Ukraine and possibly invade it .
Russia planned the Nord gas pipeline after there was a dispute over transit fees with Ukraine on the gas pipeline passing through its territory and Ukraine was found to be using gas meant for Western Europe for itself without the permission of Russia in 2005.
Nord 2 Gas pipeline
It is a 1200 Km gas pipeline which will transport natural gas from Ust Luga gas field in Russia to Greifswald in Germany under the baltic sea.
The Nord 2 pipeline is owned by the Russian state owned gas company Gazprom. It paid half the cost but the rest of the cost was shared by Shell ,Austria's OMV ,France's Engie and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.
The Nord 1 pipeline which started transporting gas to Europe along the same route started its operation in 2011.
Fact File
Top Natural Gas Producing countries in the world (2020)
United States
Russia
Iran
Qatar
China
Country having biggest reserves of Natural Gas (2020)
Russia
Iran
Qatar
Turkmenistan
United States
Source : BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2021.
7. Australia reopens for International tourist
Tags: International News
Australia has reopened its border for international tourists after nearly two years .
The country imposed some of the world's strictest travel bans after shutting itself off in March 2020 due to Covid-19.
From 21 February 2022 all fully vaccinated international travellers, including those planning a holiday or visiting friends and relatives, or those intending to travel for business can enjoy quarantine free entry and won’t need to seek a travel exemption.
India was ranked seventh in the list of countries traveling to Australia before covid time.
Fact File
Australia
It is the smallest continent by area on Earth after Asia, Africa, North America , South America, Antarctica ,Europe and Australia.
It is the 6th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, United States, and Brazil.
Australia has been called “the Oldest Continent,” “the Last of Lands,” and “the Last Frontier.”
Its unique flora and fauna include the only egg-laying mammals on Earth, the Platypus and Echidna. It is also famous for its Kangaroos,Koala bears.
It is the second driest continent after Antarctica.
Its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, rises to only 7,310 feet (2,228 meters).
Its Capital : Canberra
Currency : Australian Dollar
Prime Minister : Scott Morrison
The United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the State of Australia.
8. Government of India has extended the “Border Infrastructure and Management” (BIM) scheme till 2026
Tags: National News
The Government of India has approved the continuation of the Central Sector Umbrella Scheme of “Border Infrastructure and Management” (BIM) from 2021-22 to 2025-26, at a cost of Rs.13,020 crore.
Points to Know
Border Infrastructure Management
The Border Infrastructure Management scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
It is a 100% centrally funded scheme. It means all the money is spent by the Government of India .
The main objective of the scheme is to create infrastructure such as construction of border fence, border flood lights, technological solutions, border roads and Border Outposts (BOPs)/Company Operating Bases (COBs) to secure the Indo-Pakistan, Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-China, Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Myanmar borders.
India shares a 3,323 km long border with Pakistan, including 775 km of the Line of Control. The length of the border with China is 3,488 km, 4,096 with Bangladesh, 1,751 km with Nepal, 1,643 km with Myanmar and 699 km with Bhutan.
For Exam
India shares the longest land boundary with Bangladesh, 4096 Km
Union Home Minister : Amit Shah
9. Russia recognises breakaway Ukrainian regions
Tags: International News
Russian President Valdimir Putin signed a Presidential decree to recognize two Ukrainian breakaway regions - the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic backed by Russian backed sepratist as an Independent countries .
These two regions situated in Eastern Ukraine are dominated by the Russian speaking population. The regions have been locked in armed conflict with the Ukrainian government army since a Russia backed armed uprising in the region following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Their independence, proclaimed following referendums, is not recognised by the international community.
In a televised address President Putin said that eastern Ukraine was part of ancient Russian land and demanded that Ukraine drop its long-term goal of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Putin said that Ukraine had no history of Independence and ordered the Russian troops to move into the Eastern Ukrainian territory for a peacekeeping operation . This action of Putin has sparked fear in the Western countries that Russian troops will soon cross into Ukraine, sparking a major war and conflict in the region .
Putin's announcement drew U.S. and European condemnation and vows of new sanctions. American President Joe Biden, who also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, signed an executive order to halt all U.S. business activity in the breakaway regions and ban import of all goods from those areas.
The United States says Russia has massed a force numbering 169,000-190,000 troops in the region, including the separatists in the breakaway regions, and has warned of invasion at any moment.
Russia denies any plan to attack its neighbour, but it has threatened unspecified "military-technical" action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.
For a detailed and comprehensive view of the crisis kindly Click Here
FactFile
Ukraine
It is the second largest country in Europe after Russia (area wise).
As an Independent country it emerged only after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine had experienced a brief period of independence in 1918–20, but portions of western Ukraine were ruled by Poland, Romania , and Czechoslovakia in the period between the two World Wars.
Capital : The capital is Kyiv (Kiev), located on the Dnieper river in north-central Ukraine.
President : Volodymyr Zelensky
Currency : Hryvnia
10. Vigyan Sarvatara Pujyate to showcase Indian achievement in science and Technology
Tags: National News
The Ministry of Culture ,Government of India is organising a commemorative exhibitions at 75 locations across the country portraying 75 years of India’s achievements in science and technology as part of ‘Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate’.
It was inaugurated by by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region of India Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; Minister of State PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh at New Delhi on 22 February 2022.
Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate is a week-long Festival of SCoPE (Science Communication Popularisation Extension) being celebrated from 22nd-28th February, 2022. ‘
The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous society under the Ministry of Culture, is an important partner in Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate.
NCSM forms the largest network of science centers and museums in the world under a single administrative umbrella.
The Ministry of Culture will also organise a series of lecture demonstrations under the ambit of Dhara – an Ode to Indian Knowledge System
