Why in news?

• The Diamond City of India, Surat in Gujarat became India’s first city to get a road that is made out of steel waste (1st ever ‘steel slag ‘road) at Hazira, Surat .
• The road was constructed by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India with CSIR India (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) & CRRI (Central Road Research Institute) New Delhi along with the support of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
• The project will be constructed under the initiative of the Waste to Wealth and Clean India Campaign.
• Laid in the Hazira Industrial Area, the road consists of 100% processed steel slag.
• The 6-lane 1-kilometer long road is an experimental project, which is constructed to solve the waste material issue. The thickness of the road has been reduced by 30%.
• The processed steel slag has the great potential for sustainable products and works as a replacement for natural construction material.
• Steel slag is a type of waste from the Iron & Steel Industry but it has shown potential for use as a raw mix component up to 5-10% in the construction products.
• The Ministry of Steel has also constituted a Task Force for promotion and utilization of Iron and Steel Slag.

Why in news?

• The researchers have developed a method that can transform plastic into hydrogen when exposed to light.
• The researchers said that the generation of hydrogen from plastics is particularly useful because the gas is considered the most practical non-polluting fuel of the future.
• Plastics, most of which are derived from petroleum, are not bio-degradable, which cannot be easily broken down into harmless products.
• It is said that most of the 4.9 billion tonnes of plastics ever produced would end up in landfills, threatening human health and the environment.”

IIT MANDI

• Indian Institute of Technology Mandi is a public technical and research university located in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

Why in news?

• The state’s first ethno-botanical park to conserve the endangered and vulnerable species of plants and trees of the lower Shivalik hills in Kangra, Una, Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts will be set up in Una.
• The park will come up on a 26-hectare land in the Androli unprotected forest area at Bangana in Una district
• The park, being jointly developed by the Forest Department, Rural Development Department and Tourism Department at a cost of Rs 8 crore, will be located adjacent to the Govind Sagar lake.
• The park will have a laser area, night garden and butterfly park to attract tourists while the greenhouse and Ayurveda garden will be the venue for botanical knowledge sharing. The park will house about 150 rare varieties of plants and trees.
• “One block will promote seasonal visits of migratory birds to the wetlands and facilitate photographers and bird watchers to boost tourism,”

What is Ethno – botanical garden?

• Ethnobotanical gardens, defined here as landscapes featuring culturally-relevant native trees and understory plants, are sources for the revitalization of traditional knowledge as well as sources for cultural and ecological restoration projects.

Why in news?

• In the Conference of Parties (COP-4) Minamata Convention on Mercury, the participating parties have agreed to expand the mercury-added products list that has been planned to be phased out.

Outcomes of COP 4

• The COP-4 Minamata Convention on Mercury, took place in Bali, Indonesia from 21^stto 25^th March 2022.
• This convention resumed after the conclusion of the first online segment which was held in November 2021.
• The COP-4 convention covered several crucial topics, like the framework to evaluate the Convention’s effectiveness.
• Annex A and B that contain information related to all mercury-added products, and their manufacturing processes were also reviewed.
• Nine decisions were adopted at this convention.
• The implementation of national reporting, international cooperation, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), technical assistance, capacity building, mercury waste thresholds, and releases of mercury are also on schedule.
• Efforts to mainstream gender under all projects, activities, and programs were also focused upon.
• The development of a gender action plan was also discussed.
• Also, during this meeting multilateralism and international cooperation were also reinforced.
• It was also decided to tackle the challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and waste and pollution.

Aim of the Minamata Convention

• This convention aims to protect the environment and human health from the release of mercury, and anthropogenic emissions.
• Phasing out of mercury-added products-In this convention, the phasing out of eight mercury-added products like cold cathode fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, paper, photograph film, and propellant for satellites was listed. The dental amalgam phase-down has also benefitted substantially after two additional measures were added to protect the vulnerable populations against mercury use by dental practitioners in bulk form.
• Bali Declaration-The “Bali Declaration on Combatting Global Illegal Trade of Mercury” was also presented by the host nation. This political declaration of non-binding nature aims to develop practical tools and enhance international cooperation to share and monitor information, practices, and experiences to combat the illegal mercury trade.

Why in news?

• The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is annually observed across the globe on 25th March to recognise the dangers encountered by the UN staff members in their line of work.
• 25th March marks the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former British journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in 1985.
• His remains were found in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon in 2009.
• Purpose of the day: To mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen our resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.
• In September 1993, the UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on Staff security.
• Subsequently, the negotiations took place in the 6th (Legal) Committee of the UN General Assembly(UNGA) on an international legal convention to protect UN personnel.
• Following the negotiations, the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted by the UNGA on 9th December 1994.

Why in news?

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, introduced a 19-seater aircraft ‘Hindustan 228’ in a first of its kind attempt to develop small civil transport aircraft under the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme.
• The Hindustan 228 aircraft can be operated even in semi-prepared and unpaved airstrips.
• Also the multi-utility aircraft can be used as an ambulance, cargo, and parajam or paradrop etc.
• The design of Hindustan 228 is based on the Germany based Dornier GmbH Aircraft. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) acquired a production licence for the Domier 228 and manufactured the aircraft for the Asian market.
• Dornier 228 is a twin-engine general-purpose aircraft, capable of transporting up to 19 passengers or various cargoes.

About UDE DESH KA AAM NAAGRIK (UDAN) scheme

• The Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016. in is a regional airport development programme of upgrading underserved air routes. Objectives: Facilitate regional air connectivity by making it affordable through
• Concessions by Central Government, State Governments and airport operators
• Financial (Viability Gap Funding or VGF) support
• To provide connectivity to un-served and under-served regions through revival of existing air strips and airports.
• The Airports Authority of India (AM) is designated as the implementing agency.
• lt is a key component of National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.

Why in news?

• Central government has told the Supreme Court (SC) that certain States, where Hindus or other communities are less in number, can declare them as minorities within their own territories, to enable them to set up and administer their own institutions.
• Centre’s response came in a plea seeking minority status for Hindus in states (Mizoram, Punjab etc.) in accordance with the principle laid down by the SC in its TMA Pai ruling (2002).
• In TMA Pai Case, SC said, for the purposes of Article 30, religious and linguistic minorities have to be considered state-wise.
• The centre has clarified that under the Constitution, both Parliament and state legislatures” have concurrent powers to enact law to provide for the protection of minorities and their interests”.
• Currently, only those communities notified under section 2(c) of the National Minorities Commission Act, 1992, by the central government are regarded as minorities.
• They are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains.

Constitutional provisions on minorities

• Though not defined in the constitution, expression “minorities” appears in Article 29, 30 and 350.
• Article 29, which deals with the “Protection of interests of minorities” while Article 30 deals with the “right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions’:
• Article 350B says there shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President whose duty is to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities.

Why in news?

• It is reported that GBR, which is the world’s largest coral reef system is suffering a “mass bleaching event, the fourth since 2016.
• GBR has suffered three mass bleaching events during heatwaves in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
• GBR stretches for more than 2,300 kilometres along the northeast coast of Australia.
• It was declared a World Heritage Area in 1981 because of its ‘outstanding universal value.
• This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.
• Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by spikes in ocean temperatures, causing them to expel algae living in their tissues, which drains them of their vibrant colours.
• This is despite the cooling effect of the La Nina weather phenomenon which is currently influencing Australia’s climate.

About Corals

• Coral reefs are large colonies of invertebrate, tiny soft-bodied animal called Coral polyps, that live in symbiotic relationship (mutually beneficial) with small algae like organism called zooxanthellae.
• Coral polyps provide protection to zooxanthellae in return of nutrient. Zooxanthellae also provide them the colourful hues.
• India has 4 coral reef areas: Gulf of Mannar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep islands and Gulf of Kutch.
• Coral reefs are some of the most bio diverse and productive ecosystems.
• They act as natural barriers to shorelines, protecting them from damage and flooding from storms, hurricanes, and cyclones.

Why in news?

• Bucharest Nine rejected the Russian claim about the eastward “expansion” of NATO.
• B9 is a group of 9 NATO countries in Eastern Europe that became part of the US-led military alliance after end of Cold War.
• It was founded in 2015, and takes its name from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
• All members of B9 are part of European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• B9 members are Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Why in news?

• It is an initiative by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and has been recently launched in Chandigarh.
• ICCC acts as the “nerve center” for operations management, day-to-day exception handing and disaster management.
• Smart Cities project provides for developing 100 citizen-friendly and self-sustainable urban settlements, includes setting up ICCCs for each city as a vital step.
• A unique feature is real time data visualisation which is then analysed by for the administration to take corrective steps. For eg. about spread of a particular disease in an area.