Environment Current Affairs- Quick Revision Module(Important Topics)

Palau

• Palau (located in the western Pacific Ocean) has become first country to ban sunscreen cream that is harmful to corals and sea life.
• An ingredient in sunscreen products – oxybenzone –  harms corals.

Ramsar Sites in India

– 10 more wetlands in India have been declared Ramsar sites- check our article on Quick revision of all wetlands.

Gogabeel

• Bihar’s first community reserve
• 0x-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district formed from the flow of the rivers Mahananda and Kankhar .

Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve

• It is a community reserve launched by Bugun community of Singchung Village, Arunachal Pradesh.
• to conserve the critically endangered bird called Bugun liocichla.

Blue Flag,Locust attack – have been dealt in Pro articles.

International Seed Treaty

• ITPGRFA (International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) also known as Seed Treaty, is a comprehensive international agreement for ensuring food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and  agriculture (PGRFA). 
• Supports farmer’ rights and  fair and equitable benefit sharing of genetic resources.

Asia’s Oldest Bamboo

• The fossils were found in the Tirap mine of
  Makum Coalfield in Assam proving that India is the birthplace of Asian bamboo .

Parthenogenesis

• It is a reproductive strategy that involves development of a female (rarely a male) gamete (sex cell) without fertilisation or development of an embryo from an unfertilised egg cell.
• Recently a female anaconda gave birth by this method.

Emissions Gap Report

• UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched its 10th Emissions Gap Report 2019.

Key Findings

• GHG emissions have risen at a rate of 1.5%  per year in the last decade- 78 percent emissions by G20 countries Top 4 emitters (China, USA, EU and India) contribute to over 55% of the total emissions over last decade, excluding emissions from land-use change such as deforestation.
• India, Russia and Turkey are projected to be ‘over  perform’ their targets by around 15%.
• World has to cut its emissions by 7.6% each year between 2020 and 2030 to get on track towards the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.
• Despite all current measures,temperatures are  expected to rise by 3.2 degree Celsius.
• NDC targets must rise 5 fold to cut the emissions rise to 1.5 degrees.

UNEP

• established in 1972 to guide and coordinate environmental activities within the United Nations (UN) system. UNEP promotes international cooperation on environmental issues, provides guidance to UN organizations, and, through its scientific advisory groups, encourages the international scientific community to participate in formulating policy for many of the UN’s environmental projects.
• Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya
• Earthwatch, an international monitoring system designed to facilitate the exchange of environmental information among governments initiative of UNEP.

India’s NDC Target

• Reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level.
• Achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030
• Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

IPCC Reports

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released 2 special reports:
  Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) and Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL).
• Cryosphere refers to frozen components of the Earth system that are at or below the land and ocean  surface- snow,glacier,ice sheets,icebergs,ice shelves etc
• Permafrost – “ground (soil or rock containing ice and  frozenorganic material) that remains at or below Zero degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive years”. The northern hemisphere has an area of permafrost thrice larger than Antarctica’s. There is  approximately twice as much carbon in permafrost than is currently in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Stimulated plant growth in permafrost areas could help in Carbon Sequestration.

Ocean Deoxygenation

• ‘Ocean deoxygenation: Everyone’s problem’ report released by the International Union for Conservation  of Nature (IUCN). 
• Ocean de-oxygenation refers to the loss of oxygen from the oceans due to climate change and eutrophication- important term-has been asked in prelims earlier.

CLIMATE CHANGE PERFORMANCE INDEX -2020

• published by Germanwatch, Climate Action Network International and the NewClimate Institute, annually  to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries .
• The Index covers 57 countries and the EU.
• Based on 14 indicators within 4 categories-GHG Emissions,Renewable energy,Energy Use,Climate policy
• India’s ranking improved two places, from 11th (CCPI 2019) to 9th (CCPI 2020) entering into top ten  rankings for the first time.

Global Climate Risk Index 2020

•  By international environmental think tank Germanwatch
• India’s rank has worsened from 14th spot in 2017 to 5th most vulnerable country to climate change in 2018.
• India has also recorded the highest number of fatalities due to climate change and the second  highest monetary losses from its impact in 2018.
• It assessed 181 countries and quantified impacts of climate change through economic losses, losses to GDP and fatalities.
• Japan topped the list followed by Philippines and Germany.

Environmental Migrants

• According to International Organization for Migration (IOM), Environmental migrants are persons or  groups of persons who, predominantly for reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment that adversely affects their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad. 

Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition

• The Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) is a voluntary initiative that catalyzes action towards the successful implementation of carbon pricing around the world. The CPLC brings together leaders from government, business, civil society and academia to support carbon pricing, share experiences and enhance the global, regional, national and sub-national understanding of carbon pricing implementation. The CPLC Secretariat is administered by The World Bank  Group.

• CPLC is a voluntary partnership of 34 national and sub-national governments, over 164 businesses from a range of sectors and regions, and upwards of 85 strategic partners representing civil society organizations, NGOs, and academic institutions.

• DMRC and Indian Railways are govt level partners from India.

We have dicussed carbon pricing related terms in article on Green Economy in Pro section.

UNFCCC  Convention

The key deliverables from the 25th Conference of Parties (CoP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Madrid (originally scheduled in Santiago, Chile) were two-fold:

• • Rules under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which deals with carbon trading or carbon markets
  • The creation of a financial mechanism dedicated to loss and damage.
    
• The COP adopted the “Chile Madrid Time for Action” document.
• “Santiago Network of experts” as a part of the WIM to “catalyse the technical assistance of relevant organizations, bodies, networks and experts” was formed. This expertise is to be channeled toward the “implementation of relevant approaches at the local, national and regional level, in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change”.
• Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM) was set up in 2013 for vulnerable countries.
• Loss and damage has a specific meaning in climate policy. It deals with unavoidable and irreversible impacts of climate change, where mitigation has failed, and adaptation is not possible.Rich countries who have historical responsibility for climate change are asked to be iable to the developing countries who are already facing climate change impacts.

Montreal Protocol

• India achieved complete phase out of HCFC-141 b, one of the most potent ozone depleting chemical after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
• The complete phase out of HCFC-141 b is among the first at this scale in Article 5 parties (developing countries) under the Montreal Protocol.
• The Montreal Protocol is multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS).
• Adopted in 1987, the Protocol is to date the only UN treaty ever that has been ratified by all 197 UN  Member States.
• Equal but differentiating responsibilities
• Binding,time oriented measurable commitments under the protocol

Kigali agreement amended the Montreal Protocol in 2016.

o It aims to phase out Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of potent greenhouse gases by the late 2040s.
o Under it, India has to phase out HFC by 85% by 2047 over the 2024-2026 level (baseline).
o It is binding on countries from 2019.

Green Crackers

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) led by Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering  Research Institute (NEERI) developed green  firecrackers.
• Names – Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) and Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL) 
• 30% reduction in particulate matter on an average using Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) as oxidant.
• Release water vapour, air as a dust suppressant
• Some of the ‘green crackers’ have also replaced barium nitrate as an oxidiser for combustion

Taj Trapezium Zone

• An ‘eco-sensitive area’  around Taj Mahal having  three world heritage sites namely Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
• Supreme Court lifted the ban on construction, industrial activities and felling of trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).

SO2 Emissions

• Greenpeace report found that India is the largest emitter of sulphur dioxide in the world contributing more than 15 percent of the global anthropogenic emissions in the world.
• Largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and  other industrial facilities-expansion of coal based electricity generation in India is the reason behind high emissions.

Fly ash

• It is a fine powder, which is the by-product of burning coal in thermal power plants.
• Fly ash includes substantial amounts of oxides of silica, aluminum and calcium. Elements like Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, lead etc. are also found in trace  concentrations.
• Uses of fly ash– improves water holding capacity and soil aeration,increasing crop yields,can be used in construction works such as making bricks,cement etc,and manufacture of absorbents.

(Uses  of fly ash has been asked in past prelims,question was picked from NCERT Biology class 12th book,environment section.)

CAFE Regulation

• Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy (CAFE) Regulation to curb the vehicular pollution.
• It aims at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by lowering carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
• CAFE regulations come into force in 2017 in India.

Arsenic Contamination

•  Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) released report on Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in India.
• 21 states across the country have pockets with arsenic levels higher than the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) stipulated permissible limit of 0.01 miligram per litre (mg/l).
• Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river basin states – Uttar  Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West  Bengal and Assam are the worst affected
• Contamination has penetrated the food chain.
• Sources of arsenic contamination – Weathering
  of rocks and minerals,leaching and runoff, intense exploitation of groundwater, application of fertilizers, burning of coal and leaching of metals from coal-ash tailings.

(Read about terms- Biomaginifcation,Bioaccumulation,etc- covered in Pro section in articles on Terms starting with Bio-)

Jalsathi programme

• Odisha launched the ‘Jalsathi’ programme ensure the supply of clean drinking water to consumers  through piped water connections- implemented by women volunteers who serve as ‘Jalasathis’.

COMPOSITE WATER MANAGEMENT INDEX

• NITI Aayog released the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) 2.0
• The CWMI 2019 measures the performance of States on a comprehensive set of water indicators and reports relative performance.
• Gujarat ranks 1 among non Himalayan states.
• Himachal Pradesh ranks 1 among Himalayan and north eastern states
• Puducherry ranks 1 among UTs.

Atal Bhujal Yojana

• Central Sector Scheme, to improve ground water management through community participation in identified priority areas- launched by Ministry of Jal Shakti
• 7 States will be covered- Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• It is to be implemented over a period of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
• 50% of the total outlay sponsored by the World Bank.

National Water Mission Award

• National Water Mission and Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti have initiated the ‘National Water Mission Awards’ to recognize excellence in water conservation, efficient water use and sustainable water management practices.
• 10 categories of awards under 5 goals.

E-flow

• Minimum flow of water considered necessary for protecting the structure and function of an ecosystem and its dependent species.
• E-flow norms notified by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

Biomining and Bioremediation

• Both processes will be used by Delhi Municipal Corporation in landfills.
• Bioremediation is the treatment of pollutants or waste (as in an oil spill, contaminated groundwater, or an industrial process) by the use of  microorganisms (such as bacteria) that break down the undesirable substances.
• Biomining is the process of using microorganisms (microbes) to extract metals of economic interest from rock ores or mine waste. Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals.

(Bioremediation has been asked in UPSC prelims recently.We have covered both terms in Pro section article on ‘Words starting with Bio’)

Honolulu Strategy

• It is a framework for a comprehensive and global collaborative effort to reduce the ecological, human health, and economic impacts of marine debris  worldwide.

E-waste Clinic

• Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have signed an agreement to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Hazardous Materials in E-waste- LEAD,CADMIUM,MERCURY, POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS, BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANT.
• India ranks 5th in e waste production after US,China,Japan and Germany.

2019 Pollution and Health Metrics

• released by Global Alliance on Health and Pollution- GAHP
• Reports that pollution is the largest environmental threat to health.
• The report includes three lists on pollution induced  deaths. India is the only country that features in the top 10 in all three lists.

Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SLPAI)

• Released by the Union Environment ministry at the fourth steering committee meeting of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Program (GSLEP)
• Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Program (GSLEP) – It is an inter-governmental alliance of all the 12 Snow Leopard range countries– India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan,  Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• SLPAI has been prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, Nature Conservation Foundation, GSLEP committee, Global Tiger Initiative Council, World Wide Fund for Nature, World Bank, Global Tiger Forum and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
• Currently,national-level estimation processes are done  for Tigers, Rhinos and Elephants.
• Snow Leopards- Vulnerable by IUCN ,Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972,  Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in  Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
• Project Snow Leopard-Centrally sponsored programme.

Secure Himalaya

• Project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem, while enhancing the lives and livelihoods of local communities. It is funded by GEF and UNDP.

Cheetah

• Supreme Court (SC) allowed the Centre to introduce the African cheetah from Namibia in Africa to a suitable habitat in India. 
• 3 sites recommended by panel for reintroduction- KunoPalpur (MP), Velavadar National Park (Gujarat) and Tal Chapar sanctuary (Rajasthan) 
• Kuno Palpur – preferred location for introduction of cheetah. It was also the place prepared by MP to house Asiatic lions.
• Iran refused to share sub species of Asiatic Cheetah.
• Cheetah- extinct in India in 1952.
• Keystone species of dry forests, scrub forests, and savannahs.

Special Rhino Protection Force(SRPF)

• trained to combat poachers and understand animal behaviour was deployed in the Kaziranga National Park. 
• Initiative of both the central and state governments- on the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Operation Oliva

• Coast Guard had launched the ‘Operation Oliva’ exercise as part of its annual mission to ensure the safe mid-sea sojourn of breeding Olive Ridley sea turtles.
• Operation Save Kurma: species specific operation on Turtles by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
• Gahiramatha, located in Odisha, is known as the world’s largest Olive Ridley rookery.

Draft “Visionary Perspective Plan (2020-2030) for the conservation of avian diversity, their ecosystems, habitats and landscapes in the country”

• Govt of India placed the draft plan.
• The MoEFCC had also come out with ‘India’s National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along the Central Asian Flyway (2018-2023)’.

Features of plan

• Bird surveys in select landscapes to identify new IBAs (Important Bird Areas)
• Species recovery programmes of critically endangered birds
• Conservation of migratory birds
• Implementation by- Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) will be the nodal institution for this purpose.
• Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) is the focal Ministry.

‘Not all animals migrate by choice’

• Campaign by UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to be displayed at airports for creating awareness and garnering public support for the protection and conservation of wildlife, prevention of smuggling and reduction in demand for wildlife products.
• Focus on Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay
  Gecko in first phase.

CMS COP-13

• 13^th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) – Gandhinagar ,India
• Theme–  ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’.
• Mascot –  ‘Gibi – The Great Indian Bustard’
• Logo- Kollam– a traditional art form from Southern India, which has been used to depict key migratory species in India.
• India has officially taken over its Presidency for the next three years, till 2023.
• Gandhinagar Declaration– which calls for migratory species and the concept of  ‘ecological connectivity’ to be integrated and prioritized in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
• CMS was signed in Bonn, Germany, in 1979 as an intergovernmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to protect terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their ranges.

World Energy Outlook

• released by International Energy Agency-IEA.
• It provides analysis and insights on  trends in energy demand and supply.
• IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of Organization for  Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1974 to help countries collectively respond to oil supply disruptions.
• Headquarters- Paris
• India– associate member.
• Global Energy & CO2 Status Report are also published by IEA.

Ocean Energy

• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has declared Ocean Energy as renewable energy.
• Ocean energy- tidal energy,waves energy,Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion etc.
• Stakeholders shall be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO)
• Under the RPO, distribution companies (DISCOMs) are required to have certain proportion of clean energy supplies. The proportion is fixed by state power regulators. The DISCOMs can also buy renewable energy certificates in lieu of mandated clean energy supplies, from the developers or renewable power generators.
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)  potential in India- 180,000 MW
• Tidal energy potential in India- 12,455 MW
• Wave energy potential – 40000 MW.

Biojet Fuel

• Russian-origin AN-32 transport plane was formally fleet certified by DRDO to fly with the 10 per cent bio-jet blended ATF (aviation turbine fuel) made from Jatropha oil.

Jatropha Plant

• Drought resistant perennial plant of Latin American origin ,now found all over the world in arid and semi arid tropical regions.
• Jatropha seeds contain about 35% non-edible oil.
• Can be used directly in diesel engines.
• Also used as excellent organic fertliser with high nitrogen content,as a livestock feed,and as an insecticide and fungicide.
• Biofuel is any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from organic matter in a short period of time – read about them in detail in PRO section article.

Coal Gasification

• India’s first coal gasification based fertiliser plant is being set up in Talcher, Odisha.
• It is one of the clean coal technologies and involves the process of converting coal into synthesis gas (also called syngas).
• Syngas is a mixture of hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2)-  covered in article on Unconventional sources of energies in PRO section.

State Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index- 2019

• released by Bureau of Energy Efficiency
• Index was developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).

UNNATEE

• Unlocking NATional Energy Efficiency potential was launched in 2019- Bureau of energy efficiency.
• It provides a roadmap for meeting India’s goals on climate change through energy efficiency.

India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)

• It aims to reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38 and cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% within the same period. 

PM KUSUM

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme.
• Scheme to provide energy , financial and water security to farmers.
• It targets to add decentralised solar power capacity of 25,750 megawatt by 2022 and replace their diesel water pumps by encouraging farmers to generate solar power in their farms.

The World of Organic Agriculture- Statistics and Emerging Trends- 2020

• released by Switzerland-based  Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and Germany-based International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – Organics International (IFOAM).

Important Points in the report

• 1.5 percent of world’s agricultural land is organic
• Largest areas of organic agricultural land are Oceania
  and then  Europe .
• Australia has maximum land under organic farming.
• All regions of the world witnessed increase in organic farming.
• India,Uganda and Ethiopia have the maximum number of producers.
• 80 per cent of the world’s organic producers are smallholders
• USA  is the largest market of organic produce.

Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC)

• Training  programme launched by National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) for SLACC.
• SLACC is funded by the Special Climate Change Fund, which was set up under the UNFCC for adaptation and capacity building projects.
• Objective – to create a cadre of over 200 certified ‘climate-smart’ Community Resource Persons (CRPs) including progressive farmers and over 100 young professionals in villages.

Deep Ocean Mission

• India plans to launch it to explore the depths of the ocean for deep sea-mining.
• Main aim of the mission is to  explore and extract  polymetallic nodules.
• 75000 sq km of area in the Central Indian Ocean has been allotted to India for deep sea mining by International Seabed Authority (ISA).

Polymetallic Nodules/Manganese nodules

• Rock concretions formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides around a core.
• They contain mainly – nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese.
• PMN also contain iron, lead, molybdenum, cadmium, vanadium, titanium.

Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction- GAR

It is published biennially by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Key points

• Asia Pacific region accounts for 40% of the global economic losses due to extreme climate changes, with the greatest impact in the largest economies of Japan, China, Korea and India.
• Economic losses to the extent of 4% of GDP annually are projected if countries don’t invest in DRR.

1st ‘National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) – 2020’

• Organised by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), in New Delhi
• Focused on enhancing human capacity in terms of better understanding about coastal disaster risks and effective collaborative actions, by implementing Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
• NIDM, under Ministry of Home Affairs was constituted under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

Sasakawa Award

• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) during 6th Session of Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Geneva, conferred Sasakawa Award to Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra.
• It is the most prestigious international award in the area of Disaster Risk Management.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030

• It was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR).
• It recognizes that the State has the primary role to
  reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
• The Sendai Framework is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005- 2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.

Room of the River Project

• Netherland govt’s flood mitigation iniative by  providing  more space for the water body so that it can manage extraordinary high-water levels during floods .
• To be replicated in Kerala’s Kuttanad.

Also read about Kuttanad Below Sea farming system in our article on GIAHS.

Indian Scientific Expedition to the Southern Ocean 2020

• 11th expedition of an Indian mission to the Southern Ocean, or Antarctic Ocean has been commenced.
• It is a part of the Indian Southern Ocean Research Program which was initiated in 2004 when the pilot expedition took place onboard ORV Sagar Kanya.
• Initiated by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) 
• Operated under National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).
• One of the key aims is to study changes in large scale weather phenomena such as Indian monsoons.
• India’s Permanent stations in Antarctica – Dakshin Ganga(abandoned) , Maitri and  Bharati.

Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Telangana

• Centre granted “in-principle” clearance for uranium exploration in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana.
• It lies in Nallamala hills.
• India’s second-largest tiger reserve, next only to the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh.
• Chenchu PVTGs live here.

Pakke or Pakhui Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh

• Arunachal Pradesh government is planning to build a highway named East-West Industrial Corridor which includes a 40-km elevated stretch through the core areas of Pakhui or Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR).

This article will be further updated.