CoMaD at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
- Marine Biological Association of India (MBAI) is to organize a national conference to draw an action plan to control marine debris (CoMaD – Conference on Marine Debris) at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
- There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean, of which 269,000 tones float on the surface.
- Further, four billion plastic microfibers per sq km litter the deep sea.
- In India, micro and macro plastics have been observed at all tropic levels from sardines to tunas and sea birds.
- The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute was established by Government of India on 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Later it joined the ICAR family in 1967.
- Kochi is the head quarter of the Institute.
Chindu Bhagavatham
- Chindu Bhagavatham is an art form dating back to second century BC.
- It is popular in the Nizamabad district,Telegana.
- Chindu is derived from the artistes’ caste - Chindu Madiga - a sub-caste of Madiga among the Scheduled Caste community.
- The Chindu Bhagavatam is also called Chindu Yakshaganam, as it is similar to Yakshaganam of Karnataka.
- The Chindu artistes lead a nomadic life.
- They camp in a particular place for about eight months where they stage plays and during rainy days they work as agriculture laborers.
e- Jagrata
- e-jagrata is a novel initiative to ensure safe, secured and effective Internet usage by schoolchildren.
- It was launched by the district administration of Ernakulum.
- The project is being implemented with the support of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and State Bank of India (SBI).
- Students of standards eight and nine from government schools and aided schools will be trained under the program.
- The current training phase will cover cloud computing, android development, ethical hacking, robotics, and Internet payment among other topics.
- The previous phases focused on basic IT and safe and responsible usage of Internet.
Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary
- The Forest Department and Mysore Bird Watchers’ group will soon conduct the first bird census at Ranganathittu Bird sanctuary.
- Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is situated in Srirangapatna of Mandya district, Karnataka.
- Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary located on the islands of river Cauvery.
- It is an example of riverine ecosystem.
- The flying fox, bonnet macaque, common otter, common mongoose, palm civet, marsh crocodile are found here.
- Rich avifauna includes the large cormorand, darter, spoonbill, open-billed stork, painted stork, egret, heron, and the lesser whistling teal.
- It is an Important Bird Area (IBA) that is identified by Birdlife International and Bombay Natural History Society.
SUVIDHA
- Government is set to launch ‘SUVIDHA’, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
- SUVIDHA is a 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin at a cost of Rs.2.50.
- Oxo-biodegradable product is made by blending a pro-degrading additive into it that causes breakdown by oxidation when exposed to heat or sunlight.
- The material will eventually be in a state where it can be digested by microorganisms.
- A similar special additive is added in the Suvidha napkin, which makes it biodegradable when it reacts with oxygen after it is used and discarded.
- It will be available at the Janaushadhi Kendaras.
- It would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged women of India.
- This affordable sanitary pad will promote hygiene, ease of disposal as well as keep the environment clean.
- According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, about 58% of women aged between 15 to 24 years use locally prepared napkins, sanitary napkins and tampons.
- Click here to know about PMBJP
IIDEM
- The India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) is conducting a training program on ‘Capacity Development for Election Management’.
- It is conducted under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
- IIDEM is an advanced resource centre of learning, research, training and extension for participatory democracy and election management.
- The Institute is being developed in collaboration with the Government of India, United Nations, the Commonwealth and inter-governmental organizations like International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
- IIDEM has four components which are
- Training and Capacity Development,
- Voter Education and Civic Participation,
- Research, Innovation and Documentation
- International Projects and Technical Collaboration
- IIDEM will work for promoting democratic values and practices, enhancing voter education and awareness and developing efficient human resources.
Map of the Day
South America
- Bolivia and Paraguay are the only landlocked countries.
- Galapagos is a part of Ecuador and is an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator.
- Chiloe Island is a part of Chile is a southern extension of the Chilean coastal mountain range.
- Easter Island is also a Chilean island and is of volcanic origin.
- Falkland Island is a part of a British overseas territory and lies on the on the Patagonian Shelf (continental shelf).
Source: PIB, The Hindu, Businessline
