Recently, Argentina, Burkina-Faso, Chad, France, India, and others have jointly supported commissioning of a study to define and structure a CRMM for solar power generation projects in solar rich countries.
This is a major step in the implementation of the Paris Declaration of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) adopted on 30 November 2015 and of the ISA Programme aimed at mobilising “Affordable finance at scale”.
This instrument will dramatically lower the cost of finance for renewable energy and the overall price of electricity.
The proposed CRMM will offer a simple and affordable tool that will create a secure environment for private institutional investment in solar assets.
The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutualized public resources and unlock significant investments.
The study has been entrusted to a task force chaired by Terrawatt Initiative (TWI), the World Bank Group, the Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and also the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
International Solar Alliance
The International Solar Alliance is an initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, in the presence of the Secretary General of the UN, on the side lines of COP21.
Under the ISA, solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics are invited to share and aggregate data regarding their needs and objectives; emulate successful practices; and set up common mechanisms and instruments, in order to address obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy.
Bergenin & Mangiferin
Indian researchers have been able to achieve 100-fold reduction in TB bacterial load in lungs of mice after 60 days of treatment using bergenin — a phytochemical isolated from tender leaves of sakhua or shala tree (Shorea robusta).
Unlike the regularly used antibiotic drugs that target the TB bacteria, the bergenin compound modulates the immune system to kill the bacteria found inside the macrophages (a type of white blood cells).
A group of doctors have shown the protective effects of mangiferin (a compound present in the bark of all mango trees) on reperfusion injury in diabetic rats.
Reperfusion injury happens in heart tissues when blood supply returns after a heart attack.
Mangiferin, found in the bark, leaves and fruit of mango trees, is also known to possess several beneficial properties — antioxidant, antitumour, anticancer, antidiabetic and antibacterial properties.
Common leopard
In India, the leopard is found in all forest types, from tropical rainforests to temperate deciduous and alpine coniferous forests.
It is also found in dry scrubs and grasslands, the only exception being desert and the mangroves of Sundarbans.
It is Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and included in Appendix I of CITES and also listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
The leopard is the smallest of the ‘big cats’ (a term commonly used to describe the four largest wild cats – Tiger, Lion, Jaguar and Leopard. These are the only wild cats that roar).
Melanism is a common occurrence in leopards. A melanistic leopard is often called black panther or jaguar, and mistakenly thought to be a different species.
The biggest threats facing the common leopard in India are increasing conflict with humans, poaching for illegal trade in body parts and loss of habitat.
