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Scientists discover a new ‘archaea’ organism in Sambhar lake

January 26, 2020

Scientists at the NCMR-NCCS in Pune have reported a new kind of microorganism – ‘archaeon‘, which they discovered in Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan. Archaea are a primitive group of microorganisms that thrive in extreme habitats such as hot springs, cold deserts and hypersaline lakes. They are known for producing antimicrobial molecules, and for anti-oxidant activity with applications in eco-friendly waste-water treatment.

The new archaeon has been named Natrialba swarupiae. They named the species after Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in recognition of her invaluable role in simplifying some of the provisions of the Biodiversity Act 2002 to ease the deposition of microorganisms in repositories for microbes (culture collections) located outside India.

Arunachal Pradesh: CM dedicates Padi Yubbe outdoor stadium to people

January 26, 2020

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Padi Yubbe outdoor stadium to the people of Lower Subansiri district. The stadium is named after the first cabinet minister from Apatani community and it has a seating capacity of 4000. The memorial statue of Padi Yubbe was also unveiled by the Chief Minister.

The Padi Yubbe Outdoor Stadium is the third after Pasighat and Daporijo to be completed and ready for use. Other big stadiums, in various stages of completion, are also coming up at Chimpu near Itanagar, and Aalo (West Siang) and Tezu (Lohit).

National Tourism Day is being celebrated in India

January 25, 2020

India’s National Tourism Day is celebrated on January 25 to raise awareness of the importance of tourism for the country’s economy. National Tourism Day was established to promote the tourism industry and recognize its contribution to the growth and sustainability of tourist destinations and local communities. According to statistics, over 7.7% of Indian employees work in the tourism industry and every year, the country is visited by millions of foreign tourists.

India’s rich history and cultural and geographical diversity make the country one of the most popular tourist destinations among foreign travelers. It offers various forms of tourism, including cultural, heritage, cruise, nature, educational, business, sports, rural, medical, and eco-tourism. National policies for the promotion and development of tourism are designed and carried out by the Ministry of Tourism.

Christchurch’s Hagley Oval to host 2021 Women’s World Cup final

January 25, 2020

Christchurch’s Hagley Oval will host the summit clash of next year’s Women’s Cricket ODI World Cup, as announced on Thursday. The 50-over tournament which featuring 31 matches will run from February 6 to March 7 will be played across six cities.

Auckland will host a bumper opening weekend at Eden Park, before the focus shifts to matches in Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Dunedin and Christchurch. Hamilton and Tauranga will host the semifinals.

11th Indoor Cricket World Cup to be hosted by Australia in October

January 25, 2020

Australia is set to host the 11th edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup from October 10 to 17. The tournament will be held at the state-of-the-art indoor cricket venues in Melbourne – Casey Stadium and CitiPower Centre, the World Indoor Cricket Federation announced.

Last held in Dubai in 2017, Australia is the reigning men’s and women’s champions and the host will be seeking to continue the run of never losing a World Cup in either division in the 25-year history of the tournament. Cricketers from up to 10 countries will compete in the tournament in four divisions: under-21 men and women and open men and women.

Corruption Perception Index released: India ranks 80th

January 25, 2020

Transparency International has launched Corruption Perception Index on January 23, 2020, based on data collected in 2019. The was released during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Denmark and New Zealand topped the index as they are the most honest countries.

Other countries in the top level are Norway (7th), the Netherlands (8th), Germany and Luxembourg (9th). India slipped two positions to 80th in the index along with Benin, China, Morocco, and Ghana. India’s neighboring country Pakistan ranked 120 on the list. A total of 180 countries have been placed in public sector corruption cases in this index.

Ex-IOB Executive Director appointed as CVC panel member

January 25, 2020

The Central Vigilance Commission has appointed A.D.M. Chavali, retired Executive Director of the Indian Overseas Bank, as a member in the Advisory Board for Banking & Financial Frauds. The tenure of Chavali would be up to August 20, 2021. The board is headed by T.M. Bhasin, former Vigilance Commissioner and former Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Indian Bank.

The board, which was constituted last year and renamed earlier this month, is empowered to conduct the first level of examination of the allegations against officials in the rank of general managers and above in public sector banks and other financial institutions, in fraud cases involving more than ₹50 crore.

Its other members of the board are former Urban Development Secretary Madhusudan Prasad, former Director General of the Border Security Force D. K. Pathak and former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Andhra Bank Suresh N. Patel.

Indian Olympic Association appoints Prem Chand Verma as the Deputy Chef de Mission

January 25, 2020

Dr. Prem Chand Verma has been appointed as Chef de Mission by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Dr. Verma, is currently appointed as Commissioner, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Union Ministry of Finance.

Dr. Verma who also happens to be the Working President of Table Tennis Federation of India has replaced Rakesh Sharma for this coveted post and would be accompanying the Indian contingent to Japan by the end of July.

Kerala’s Barrier-Free Tourism Project receives global recognition

January 25, 2020

Kerala Tourism’s Barrier-Free Tourism Project has won global recognition with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) making a special mention of the south Indian state as an “Emerging Global Destination” in the Accessible Destination Awards 2019. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran received the conferment from UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili at the awards ceremony in Madrid.

In an effort at making 120 destinations across the state disabled-friendly, Kerala Tourism had launched the barrier-free project in March 2019. The disabled friendly project work has already been completed in the beaches of Azhikode & Snehatheeram, the hill destination of Vilangankunnu and the dams in Poomala and Vazhani in Thrissur district of Kerala. Under the ongoing major development projects the work is also being implemented in Chavakkad Beach, Peechi and Thumboormoozhi in Kerala.

Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2020

January 25, 2020

Government of India has instituted an annual award known as ‘Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar’ in order to recognise the excellent work done by individuals and institutions in India in the field of disaster management. The award is announced every year on 23rd January, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

For the year 2020, Disaster Mitigation & Management Centre, Uttarakhand (in the institution category) and Kumar Munnan Singh (Individual category) have been selected for the award for their commendable work in Disaster Management.

The winner shall receive a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs, in case of individual and receive a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 51 lakhs, in case of an institution. The cash prize shall be utilized by the winning institution for Disaster Management related activities only.