NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), will launch a new spacecraft to snap the first pictures of the Sun’s north and south poles. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft will be launched from Cape Canaveral in the U.S. on February 7, 2020. The spacecraft will use Venus’s and the Earth’s gravity will be used by the spacecraft to swing itself out of the ecliptic plane.
In a major recognition towards Government of India’s effort towards conservation, restoration and rejuvenation of its wetlands, Ramsar has declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance. Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines of the convention. Union Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar said that the Ramsar declaration is an acknowledgement of Government of India’s commitment in achieving the conservation and sustainable use of the important wetlands of the country.
The 10 new ones are Nandur Madhameshwar in Maharashtra; Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal in Punjab; and Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar in Uttar Pradesh. The other Ramsar sites are in Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. With this, a total of 37 sites in the country have been recognised under the international treaty.
In terms of best practices followed in budget formulation the list is topped by Assam followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, as stated in a survey by Transparency International. Goa, Maharashtra and Punjab were placed in the bottom of the ranking list. The survey was based on four parameters – public disclosure, budgetary process, post budget fiscal management and efforts to make budget more transparent and citizen friendly.
China has been ranked as the world’s second-largest weapons manufacturer, behind the US. according to a new research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The Asian superpower jumped ahead of Russia, from whom they used to buy many weapons. The new research shows that four Chinese arms groups generate sufficient sales to be ranked among the world’s top 20 weapons sellers.
The National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019 for amending the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 has been approved by The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the Bill is still pending in Rajya Sabha. The amendments will ensure necessary regulatory reforms in the field of Homoeopathy education, enabling transparency and accountability for protecting the interest of the general public. The National Commission will also promote the availability of affordable healthcare services across the country.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is organising a meeting of a Statutory Full Commission in New Delhi. The meeting to be chaired by NHRC Chairperson Justice H L Dattu, has been called for the discharge of functions towards promotion and protection of human rights as specified in the statutory clauses (b) to (j) of Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights (PHR) Act.
The meeting is being called for the first time since the recent amendment in the PHR Act adding Chairpersons of National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as the new deemed Members of the NHRC.
Government has released seven billion dollars to all the states for intensive afforestation activities to tackle Climate Change, as stated by Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar. Technology and innovation will be instrumental to tackle climate change. In the last four years India is the only country in the world which have grown its tree cover by 13 thousand square kilometre. With growing population, people need to focus on sustainable consumption and changing their lifestyle.
The nation on Thursday remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 72nd death anniversary with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the country in paying homage to the Father of the Nation. The day is also observed as Martyrs Day. President Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and former prime minister Manmohan Singh offered floral tributes at Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat in New Delhi, where an interfaith prayer meeting was held. A gun salute was given at the memorial where school students and people from different walks of life gathered to pay respects to Bapu.
Aunties, uncles and tube lights among the 26 new Indian English words, have been included in the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary, the world’s best selling dictionary. Words like Aadhaar, chawl, dabba hartal and shaadi were also included in the dictionary. The words were added to a total of 384 existing ones. The 384 words in the 10th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary come with an Indian English label, including 22 new additions in print and 26 in the online edition.
‘Samvidhaan‘ was named as the Oxford Hindi Word of 2019 by Oxford University Press. Is means ‘Constitution‘. 2019 saw the values of democracy, secularism, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity being tested on the touchstone of the Constitution or ‘Samvidhaan’, hence the word was chosen.