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.
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).
