Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or green energy certificates or tradable renewable certificates are proof that energy has been generated from renewable sources such as solar or wind power.
Each REC represents the environmental benefits of 1MWh of renewable energy generation.
When you purchase RECs, renewable energy is generated on your behalf.
It is a market-based mechanism which will help the states meet their regulatory requirements (such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)) by overcoming the geographical constraints on the existing renewable potential in different states.
In India, RECs are being charged GST, while bundled power (RECs plus electricity, irrespective of source) or even just electricity are devoid of the same.
Hydroponics
Plants grow through a process called photosynthesis, in which they use sunlight and a chemical inside their leaves called chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide (a gas in the air) and water into glucose (a type of sugar) and oxygen.
Thus technically plants don’t need soil to grow, this is the basic principle behind hydroponics.
Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, which uses mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent instead of soil.
The nutrients used in hydroponic systems can come from an array of different sources, these can include byproduct from fish waste, duck manure, or purchased chemical fertilizers.
Asian Tea Alliance
Asian Tea Alliance (ATA) is a union of five tea-growing and consuming countries.
The members of the alliance are the Indian Tea Association, China Tea Marketing Association, Indonesian Tea Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Tea Board and Japan Tea Association.
ATA plans to work towards enhancing tea trade, cultural exchanges, technology exchanges as well as globally promoting tea.
It will also work towards enhancing global consumption of tea while creating a sustainability agenda for the future of Asian tea.
World Press Freedom Index
World Press Freedom Index is published annually by the Reporters without Borders.
The World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries.
It is based on an evaluation of media freedom that measures pluralism, media independence, and the quality of the legal framework and the safety of journalists.
It also includes indicators of the level of media freedom violations in each region.
The 2019 index has been topped by Norway followed by Finland and Sweden at second and third positions, respectively.
India’s rank dropped down to 140th from 138th in 2018, two points below the previous year.
According to the index the Middle East and North Africa region continues to be the most difficult and dangerous for journalists.
Great Indian Bustard
The great Indian Bustard is bird found in the western part of India subcontinent, the bird has habitat in Rajasthan, Gujarat and few parts of Western Ghats.
It has a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds.
The bird is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 of India.
It is listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN red list.
