Antarctic Krill
- The krill population in the Antarctic is under threat, due to a combination of factors including industrial-scale fishing and climate change.
- Antarctic krill are one of the most abundant and successful animal species on Earth.
- The loss of krill could endanger the entire Antarctic ecosystems, with predators, especially penguins, in potential danger.
- Krill are essential feed for whales, penguins and seals.
- Modern trawlers that suck in large quantities of water at a time are a primary cause of their demise.
- Krill oil is a scientifically proven to be a super source of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Krill numbers have declined by as much as 80% since the 1970s.
National Conference on e-Governance
- The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and in association with Government of Telangana is organizing the conference.
- The theme of the Conference this year is, ‘Technology for accelerating Development’.
- The awards are given for excellence in various fields such as Government Process Reengineering, Citizen- Centric Service Delivery.
- The Conference is a forum to showcase best practices, innovative technologies and ICT solutions.
New Plant species – West Bengal
- Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India have identified a new plant species from Buxa and Jaldapara National Parks in West Bengal.
- The plant is named after former President Abdul Kalam as Drypetes kalamii.
- It is a small shrub adding to the rich floral wealth of India.
- The newly described plant is unisexual in nature, which means they have separate male and female plants.
- The new species is found in wet, shaded areas of subtropical moist semi-evergreen forests, at a height ranging 50-100 meters.
- Being exclusive to these two parks ,the plant is classified as critically endangered.
Rustom-2
- DRDO successfully flew its Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) RUSTOM-2, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at its Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chitradurga.
- Rustom 2 is developed on the lines of predator drones of the US to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the armed forces.
- The significance of this flight is that this is the first flight in user configuration with higher power engine.
- Rustom 2 is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence systems and situational awareness payloads
- The UAV is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the DRDO, and aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd are its production partners.
International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels, ICSB 2018
- International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels is jointly being organized by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India on behalf of Mission Innovation and Biofuture Platform.
- Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Union to dramatically accelerate global clean energy innovation.
- The Sustainable Biofuel is one of the Seven Mission Innovation Challenges and India Co-leads this along with other countries Brazil, Canada and China.
- The event will bring together experts from Biofuels sector to take stock of current knowledge, share information and best practices, and build consensus on the actions most needed to move forward.
- A “New Delhi Declaration on Sustainable Biofuels” will be endorsed during this International Conference
Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard
