WHY IN THE NEWS?

The government of Tamil Nadu recently announced its plan to set up India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay on the southeast coast.

About:

• Dugong or sea cow is an endangered marine mammal. It is facing extinction because of habitat loss, sea pollution, and loss of seagrass.
• Dugong is found in Gulf of Mannar and at Palk Bay in Tamil Nadu.
• Gulf of Mannar is a shallow bay area between south eastern end of Tamil Nadu and western Sri Lanka.
• With the help of community participation, Government will also construct a Dugong Marine Conservation Reserve in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay area to protect the species.
• Marine Conservation Reserve will be established over an area of 500km in Palk Bay.
• It is believed that, an estimated 200 individuals live in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar area which would largely benefit from Tamil Nadu government’s recent decision to establish conservation reserve.

About Dugong

Dugong is a sea mammal and is the only living species of the order Sirenia. The mammal is restricted to coastal habitat because of seagrass, which is a major part of its diet. They have a distinct dolphin-like tail, different skull form and teeth pattern. Its closest relative is Steller’s Sea cow, which got extinction in eighteenth century. The IUCN has listed dugong as a “vulnerable to extinction species”. On the other hand, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has limited or banned the trade of derived products.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Varanasi-Chunar Cruise service started on September 5, 2021 and added a new dimension to the tourism facilities in Varanasi.

About:

• This cruise service in Ganga River will run from Varanasi to historic Chunar fort in Mirzapur.
• Tourists travelling to Varanasi can now travel around 30 km long journey in River Ganga.
• Tourists can now enjoy the day-long luxury cruise ride which starts at 9 a.m. in the morning from Ravidas ghat.
• It returns back to Varanasi at around 5pm from the Chunar fort.
• State government is further planning to extend this journey till Sangam in Prayagraj.

The Chunar Fort

Chunar Fort is located in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. Chunar town is also situated below the fort. Both the places are historic places with common history and legends. It is located 23 kilometres south west of Varanasi. South-eastern part of the fort touches the rocky bank of the Ganges River. The history span of the fort is from 56 BC and between Afghan decedent Sher Shah Suri’s rule, the Mughal Empire rule, as well as the Maratha rule in 1782 to 1804. British Raj occupied this fort till 1947 when India gained independence.

Sant Ravidas Ghat

Ravidas ghat is the southernmost and largest ghat in Varanasi. It is known for an important religious place Ravidasis comprising of a 25 acres park known as Sant Ravidas Smarak Park. Its creation was announced in in February 2008 and was inaugurated in 2009.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) has won the formula one Dutch Grand Prix 2021. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) came second while Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-Finland) came third.
• The Red Bull driver’s leading seventh win of the season and 17th of his career moved him three points ahead of the defending champion, who finished second but softened the blow with a bonus point for fastest lap.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The 28th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) took place from September 02 to 04, 2021. The SIMBEX-2021 annual bilateral maritime exercise was hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) in the southern fringes of the South China Sea.
• The Indian Navy was represented by Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvijay with a shipborne helicopter, ASW Corvette INS Kiltan and Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora and one P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
• The exercise aimed to strengthen the bilateral defence ties between both countries. This year’s edition of SIMBEX is also a special occasion as it takes place during the ongoing celebrations of the 75th year of India’s independence.
• The success of SIMBEX-2021 is yet another demonstration of the mutual resolve on both sides to strengthen the bilateral partnership further in the years ahead.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• As a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration, the Ministry of AYUSH has launched a campaign titled ‘AYUSH AAPKE DWAR’, which aims to distribute medicinal plant saplings to 75 lakh households in one year.
• The campaign was inaugurated by the Union Minister of AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal from Mumbai, during which he distributed medicinal plant saplings to citizens. Subsequently, the campaign was launched from more than 45 locations across the country.

The medicinal plants being distributed include Tejpatta, Stevia, Ashoka, Giloy, Ashwagandha, Lemongrass, Tulsi, Sarpagandha and Amla. Under this campaign, it is proposed to undertake the cultivation of medicinal plants across 75,000 hectares in one year.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• India has become the first country in Asia to launch a Plastics Pact, a new platform to promote a circular system for plastics.
• The India Plastic Pact platform was launched on September 03, 2021, by the British High Commissioner to India, Alexander Ellis, at the 16th Sustainability Summit hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The new platform ‘India Plastic Pact’ is a joint effort of the World-Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF India) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and envisions to create a world where plastic is valued and does not pollute the environment.
• The Pact targets the businesses to transition towards a circular economy for plastics by 2030.
• The initiative is supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and WRAP, a global NGO based in the UK, and endorsed by the British High Commission in India.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Vartika Shukla took charge as the first woman Chairperson and Managing Director of public sector enterprise Engineers India Ltd. She spearheaded the company’s innovative energy programmes, including biofuels, coal gasification, waste to fuel and hydrogen energy, among others.
• A graduate in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Shukla joined EIL in 1988 and has extensive consulting experience comprising design, engineering, and implementation of complexes in refining, gas processing, petrochemicals and fertilisers.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made an allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 12.57 billion to India. (approx USD 17.86 billion). With this, the total SDR holding of India has gone upto SDR 13.66 billion (equivalent to around USD 19.41 billion).
• SDR is one of the components of the Foreign Exchange Reserves (FER) of India. Hence the Foreign Exchange Reserves (FER) has also increased now. IMF has allocated a total of SDR 456 billion to all its member countries out of which India has got SDR 12.57.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveiled a special commemorative coin of Rs 125 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of ISKCON founder Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
• In July 1966, Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)commonly known as the ‘Hare Krishna movement’.
• The spiritual leader was born as Abhay Charan De on September 1, 1896, in Calcutta and later came to be known by the honorific A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Former Rajya Sabha MP and senior journalist Chandan Mitra have passed away. He was the Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer newspaper in New Delhi. Mitra was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to 2009.
• In June 2010, Mitra was elected to another term in the Rajya Sabha by BJP from Madhya Pradesh. His term ended in 2016. In July 2018, he resigned from the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).