The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEF).
It derives its legal structure from the prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
It is headquartered in Chennai, frames a range of rues on how animals ought to be humanely treated everywhere.
The term of the office of Members is 3 years and presently consists of 22 members from several government organizations along with animal rights activists and parliamentarians.
Recently, the Ministry of Environment issued a notification saying that the board will be permanently chaired by a senior MoEF official.
Some of the functions performed by AWBI
To advice the Central Government on the matters relating to the medical care provided in animal hospitals.
To advice the Government related to the design of slaughter houses and vehicles to lessen the burden on draught animals.
To give financial assistance to animal welfare organizations, rescue establishments and animal hospitals
Brown dwarfs
Brown dwarfs are objects which are too large to be called planets and too small to be stars.
The mass of brown dwarfs is too small for full nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium to take place i.e to become fully-fledged stars, but usually more massive than planets.
Recently scientists have identified a brown dwarf, located at 750 light years away in the constellation of Pisces.
It is made of gas that is around 250 times purer than the sun, hence consists of more than 99.9% hydrogen and helium.
It is about 90 times as massive as the planet Jupiter, making it the most massive brown dwarf found to date.
3 Criteria given by International Astronomical Union (IAU) to classify any celestial body as planet,
It needs to be in orbit around a any fully fledged star.
It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape.
It has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat
It is a programme organized by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
It aims to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different States and UTs, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding amongst them.
As per the programme, each year, every State/UT would be paired with another State/UT in India for reciprocal interaction between the people.
