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INDIAN AFFAIRS
3rd Edition of India Mobile Congress 2019 held in Aerocity, New Delhi
3rd Edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019 was held in Aerocity, New Delhi from October 14 -16, 2019 under the theme “Imagine: a new CONNECTED world; Intelligent. Immersive. Inventive”. It was organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
i. IMC is the largest digital technology forum in South Asia.
ii. COAI represents Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio……………………..Click here to Read more
Livestock population in India rises by 4.6% to nearly 535.78 million: 20th Livestock census for 2019
On October 16, 2019, The provisional data of the 20th Livestock Census for 2019 was released by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying which works under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. It showed that the livestock population increased by 4.6%, from 512.06 million in 2012 livestock census to 535.78 million in 2019.
i. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of livestock of 67.8 million, followed by Rajasthan 56.8 million, Madhya Pradesh: 40.6 million and West Bengal: 37.4 million .
ii. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of poultry population with 120.8 million, followed by Andhra Pradesh (107.9 million), Telangana (80 million) and West Bengal (77.3 million)………………………Click here to Read more
Indo-Japan joint Air Force exercise ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ 2019 began in West Bengal
On October 17, 2019 the Indian Air Force(IAF) of India and Japan’s Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) joint air force exercise named “Shinyuu Maitri” began at the Air Force Station, Arjan Singh of Panagarh town in West Bengal. It is a week-long exercise and will be conducted till October 23, 2019.
Key points
i. Focus: tactical interoperability and joint mobility between the two forces is the key focus of the exercise.
ii. Aircraft participation: From the Indian side, IAF’s C-130 J aircraft of the Special Operations Squadron will participate in the exercise while C-130 H of Tactical Airlift Squadron of JASDF will participate from the Japanese side.
iii. Dharma Guardian, joint military exercise between India and Japan, will also be held at the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Mizoram from October 19 to November 2, 2019.
About IAF:
♦ Founded- 8 October 1932.
♦ Headquarters- New Delhi.
♦ Commander-in-Chief- President Ram Nath Kovind.
♦ Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)- Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.
J&K’s Chenani Nashri tunnel to be named after Shyama prasad mukherjee: Nitin Gadkari
On October 16, 2019, as per the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari , India’s longest 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri tunnel located on National Highway-44 (NH 44) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will be named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who fought for Kashmir on One Nation One Flag issue & has contributed a lot to national integration.
Key points:
i. About the tunnel:
The 9.2 Km long tunnel (also known as Patnitop Tunnel ) has reduced the distance of the road between Jammu and Srinagar by 31 km. It was inaugurated in the year 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The construction of the tunnel cost about Rs 2500 crore & the estimated value of daily fuel savings was projected at Rs 27 lakh.
key features :
- It is a single-tube bi-directional tunnel, with a 9.35-metre carriageway, and a vertical clearance of 5 metres.
- There are cross passages between the main tunnel and the exit tunnel every 300 meters.It also has facilities such as an integrated traffic control system, surveillance, ventilation and broadcast systems, fire fighting system, and SOS (save our souls ) call-boxes at every 150 metres.
ii. This decision comes nearly two months after the removal of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee:
On July 6, 1901, Kolkata-born Shyama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in 1951.
He was one of the prominent leaders who opposed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
About J&K:
♦ Capitals: Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
♦ Governor: Satya Pal Malik
♦ National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park ,Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park ,Kishtwar National Park.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India ranked third in 1st Edition of Hurun Global Unicorn List for 2019; China tops
On October 17, 2019, 1st Edition of Hurun Global Unicorn List for 2019 was released by Hurun Research Institute. It is a ranking of the world’s billion-dollar tech ‘start-ups’ founded in the 2000s which are not yet listed on a public exchange. India was ranked third in the list with 21 unicorns while China topped with 206 and United States (US) stood at second position with 203.
Key Points:
i. There are 494 unicorns in the world in 25 countries and 118 cities worth $3.4 billion on average and $1.7 trillion in total (taking 7 years average).
ii. Unicorns from India were led by payments solutions platform One97 Communications ($10 billion); cab aggregator Ola Cabs ($6 billion); online educator Byju’s ($6 billion) and travel-stay finder OYO Rooms ($5 billion).
iii. By city, Beijing (China) is the world’s unicorn capital with 82, followed by San Francisco (55), Shanghai, New York and Hangzhou. By region, Silicon Valley (United States) led the world with 102 or 21% of the world’s unicorns…………………………..Click here to Read more
India lags, Singapore & Italy tops in female head representation in CSRI’s report “The CS Gender 3000 in 2019: The changing face of companies”
On October 17, 2019, the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) released the 3rd edition of the report titled “The CS Gender 3000 in 2019: The changing face of companies“. According to the report, in terms of female representation on board globally, India ranked 23rd out of the 56 countries in 2019 while the list was topped by Singapore and Italy in terms of female CEO (Chief Executive Officer) representation.
Key Points
i. Report on India: Globally, India’s current data on women representation on board is 15.2% (an increase of 4.3% points over past 5 years) and female representation in senior management is 8.5%, which is still below the global average of 20.6%. Among the Asia Pacific (APAC) countries, India occupied third lowest rank in both representation of women CEOs (2%) and representation of women in senior management. It also ranked as the second-lowest with 1% in terms of female chief financial officer (CFO) representation.
ii. Report on APAC countries: Among APAC countries in female CEO representation, Thailand (42%), Malaysia (29%) and the Philippines (28%) held the top three positions while South Korea (4%) Japan (3%) and India held the third-lowest spots.
iii. Global report: Singapore and Italy were followed by Thailand (9%) and the Philippines (8%) in the second and third spots respectively in women CEO representation. In the regional table, Europe topped with an average of 29.7%.
About CSRI:
♦ The CSRI is a Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services company’s think tank
♦ Instituted-The CSRI was instituted immediately aftermath of the financial crises in 2008.
♦ Chairman–UrsRohner.
A 3-day long Indo-Bangla Baul music festival 2019 held in Dhaka, Bangladesh
On 13th October 2019, a 3-day long festival of Baul songs called “Indo-Bangla Baul Music Festival 2019” organized by the Lalon Biswasangha in association with Indian High Commission, to mark the 129th death anniversary of Bengali philosopher & Baul saint, Fakir Lalon Shah, concluded in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Key points:
i. The festival features the singing of Baul songs by more than 25 artistes including Swapan Adhikari, Karuna Prasad from India and Tuntun Baul, Razzak Fakir, Abu Bakr Siddik and Arefina Iva from Bangladesh.
ii. The event also had a seminar organised on the philosophy of Lalon in which popular scholars like Abdul Mannan, former Director-General of Nazrul Institute Mohammad Nurul Huda and others participated.
About Baul Music:
It is a form of folk music, unique to Bangladesh and West Bengal of India.
The word Baul means “afflicted with the wind disease” and the Baul singers are traditionally wandering minstrels singing their particular form of folk music.
About Bangladesh:
♦ Capital: Dhaka
♦ Currency: Bangladeshi taka
♦ Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
A 10-day bilateral air exercise between India and Oman called “Ex Eastern Bridge – V” 2019 commenced in Oman
On October 17, 2019, 5th edition of 10-day bilateral air exercise between the air forces of India [Indian Air Force -IAF] and Oman [Royal Air Force of Oman -RAFO] called “Ex Eastern Bridge – V” has been commenced at RAFO base Masirah in Oman. It will be concluded on October 26, 2019.
Key points:
i. This exercise will help in deepening and consolidating military ties between India & Oman and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices.
ii. It is the 1st time IAF has sent in Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29UPG fighters (from No. 47 Squadron (Black Archers) and No. 223 Squadron (Tridents)) along with C-17 Globemaster transport support aircraft for an international wargame & RAFO will be fielding Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk 200 combat aircraft in the exercise.
iii. In 2017, The bilateral exercise Ex Eastern Bridge IV was held at Jamnagar, Gujarat.
About IAF: Founded: 8 October 1932 Headquarters: New Delhi Motto: Touch the sky with glory
About RAFO:
♦ Founded: March 1959
♦ Commander: Matar bin Ali Al Obaidani
UAE announced the establishment of Mohamed Bin Zayed University, the ‘world’s first AI university’ in Abu Dhabi
On October 16, 2019, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the establishment of the World’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) university, named Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, UAE. MBZUAI will begin its graduate-level courses in 2020. This university will provide full scholarship, including 100% tuition, a monthly stipend and many more benefits.
Key points
i. The university is named after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State, has been appointed Chair of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees.
ii. UAE also became the first nation to appoint a minister for artificial intelligence (AI) in 2017.
About UAE:
♦ Capital- Abu Dhabi.
♦ Currency- United Arab Emirates dirham.
♦ Largest city- Dubai.
♦ President-Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
BANKING & FINANCE
For the 1st time, Home Credit India (HCIN) join hands with KVB for joint lending
On October 17, 2019, Home Credit India (HCIN), a leading consumer durable loan provider, for the first time joined hands with one of the oldest banks in India, Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for offering joint lending.
Key points:
i. Under the partnership, Home Credit and KVB will be jointly providing the loan as a single amount to the customer. End-to-end automated processing is the special feature of this tie-up by which the customer gets real-time approval and disbursement.
ii. In adherence to the country’s central bank, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ‘s guidelines, the industry has explored partnership avenues in the new framework with the objective to reach out to the large unbanked customer base.
iii. It will help leverage HCIN’s large database & also broaden the financial inclusion in India.
About HCIN:
♦ Parent organization: Home Credit
♦ CFO (Chief Finance Officer) : Anirban Mazumdar
About KVB:
♦ Founded: 1916
♦ Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu
♦ Managing Director and CEO: P R Seshadri
♦ Tagline: Smart Way to Bank.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Italy to introduce 3% web tax on digital giants from 2020
On October 16, 2019, As a part of the 2020 draft budget, Italy approved to levy 3% web tax for internet transactions on digital giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon, including United States giants from 2020. This plan is expected to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) per annum. It is in line with proposals from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
About Italy:
♦ Capital: Rome
♦ Currency: Euro
♦ President: Sergio Mattarella
♦ Prime Minister: Giuseppe Conte
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
24th Busan International Film Festival for 2019 held in Busan, South Korea
24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) was held at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea from October 3- 12, 2019. A total of 299 films from 85 countries were screened (118 world premieres and 27 international premieres) at the event.
i.18 films from India were screened at the festival.
ii. Indian actress Bhumi Pednekar, aged 30, receive the Face of Asia award 2019 at Busan International Film Festival.
iii. Tannishtha Chatterjee’s directorial debut ‘Roam Rome Mein’ received the Asian Star Award 2019.
iv. Meghalaya’s filmmaker Pradip Kurbah won the prestigious Kim Ji-seok Award 2019 for his film Iewduh or Market in English. With this, he became the first Indian film to bag this award……………………..Click here to Read more
Health minister Harsh Vardhan, felicitated 2018-19 Kayakalp awards in New Delhi
On October 11, 2019, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare felicitated the 2019 Kayakalp awards in New Delhi during the national felicitation ceremony of Kayakalp awardees (2018-19). All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi won the first prize of ₹3 crores in the 2019 Kayakalp awards under in central government hospitals ‘A’ category. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry was the runner up and was awarded ₹1.5 cores. The Kayakalp award is felicitated to public health facilities in terms of hygiene and cleanliness.
i. B category: In terms of B category hospitals, Shri VinobaBhave Civil Hospital (VBCH), Silvassa of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, won first prize winning ₹2 crores, where AIIMS Bhubaneswar won ₹1 crore as a runner up.
ii. Coffee table book: Dr Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State(MoS) for health & Family Welfare(HFW) released the Kayakalp Coffee Table book which documents the success journeys of the award winning health facilities…………………..Click here to Read more
Hong Kong Philharmonic becomes the first Asian orchestra to win Orchestra of the Year 2019 award
On 17 October 2019, a 45-year-old professional Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) became the first Asian orchestra to win Orchestra of the Year 2019 award given by the Gramophone Magazine at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2019 at London, United Kingdom (UK). It was the only category of the annual awards opened to public votes in which Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra defeated 9 other rivals. This award is often likened to the Oscars for the classical music world.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
World Steel Association elects Sajjan Jindal as vice chairman; T V Narendran, Lakshmi Mittal as members
On October 15, 2019, The Board of Directors (BoD) of the World Steel Association (worldsteel) elected new officers for 2019/2020 at the Worldsteel General Assembly in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico for a term of 1 year. Mr Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of JSW (Jindal South West Holding Ltd) Steel, was elected as the vice chairman along with Andre Johannpeter, executive vice-chairman, Gerdau S.A succeeding Yu Yong and Kosei Shindo.
Key Points:
i. Tata Steel Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) Thachat Viswanath Narendran, and Arcelor Mittal, Chief Lakshmi Niwas (LN) Mittal were the newly elected members.
ii. HBIS (Hebei Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd) Group Co. Chairman Yu Yong was elected as the chairman succeeding Andre Johannpeter,; Roger Newport, CEO, AK Steel was elected as the treasurer.
iii. The board also elected a 14-member Executive Committee.
iv. RL Steels and Energy Limited (India) was the new regular member and the Steel Ministry’s Joint Plant Committee (JPC) was a new affiliated member.
About Worldsteel:
♦ Formed: 10 July 1967
♦ Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Indian army inducts indigenous dhanush howitzer cannons and US-based precision guided Excalibur artillery ammunition
On October 16, 2019, the Indian army has added indigenous ‘Made in India’ Dhanush Howitzer cannons and the US (United States)-based Precision Guided Excalibur artillery ammunition, which will increase its combat capability.
Key points:
i. Excalibur Artillery Ammunition, purchased from the US under the fast track process, is a modern ammunition used in cannon that is capable of accurately targeting enemy targets.
Benefit: It can hit targets at ranges more than 50 km with perfect accuracy. It is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System), a satellite navigation system used to determine the ground position of an object.
ii. The new post of Chief of Defense Staff was also discussed at the Army Conference held in New Delhi.
Discussion: It also witnessed the discussion of a proposal to increase the grant for military personnel who had already been out of service for 10 years of service due to serious injury & the introduction of Officers Automated Structured Information System (OASIS) to better keep records of officers.
OASIS: It will be run through the Army Intranet. It will contain the data details of every officer from pre-commissioning to retirement.
About Indian Army:
♦ Motto: “Service Before Self”
♦ Founded: 1 April 1895
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi
SPORTS
England cricketer Jennifer Louise Gunn, who won the world cup to England, announces retirement
On October 17, 2019, England’s legendary female cricketer Jennifer Louise Gunn (33), who is the most capped player in T20Is (Twenty-Twenty International) and England Women’s second-most capped player in ODIs (One Day International), has announced her retirement from international cricket.
Key points:
i. Jennifer Louise Gunn’s (known as Jenny Gunn) international career has been around 15 years, in which she has played 259 international matches.
ii. She was part of the winning team in ODIs (One-Day International )and T20 (Twenty -20) World Cups in 2009 and ODI World Cup in 2017. She also was part of the winning team of the Ashes series five times.
iii. Jennifer, the right-handed batsman, and the bowler has made an international debut for England Women’s team in the year 2004.
OBITUARY
Veteran broadcast journalist & first DG of Doordarshan, P.V. Krishnamoorthy passed away at the age of 98
On October 16, 2019, Veteran broadcast journalist P.V. Krishnamoorthy, aged 98, passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was born in Yangon, Myanmar, on April 1, 1921. He was the first Directorate General (DG) of Doordarshan when Doordarshan was separated From AIR (All India Radio) in 1976.
i. He had joined External Services Division, All India Radio (AIR), as newsreader/announcer in 1944. He had served as a Station Director of the AIR in Chennai and Kolkata and of the Doordarshan Kendra in New Delhi and Mumbai, Vice-Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
ii. He played an important role in country-wide expansion of Radio Rural Forums.
iii. He was the first broadcaster to receive the Media Ratna award of the Indian Broadcasters Forum in 2011.
iv. Sangeet Natak Akademi had awarded him the Tagore Akademi Ratna (Fellowship) in 2012.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book “India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate Change and Development” edited by Navroz K Dubash set to release
Book titled “India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate Change and Development” featuring a collection of articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr. Friederike Otto & Shibani Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash is set to release in November 2019. It is published by Oxford University Press (OUP).
i. The foreword of the book is written by Nitin Desai, former Under-Secretary-General (Economic and Social Affairs) at the United Nations.
ii. It deals with the challenges related to climate change in India.
IMPORTANT DAYS
White cane safety day observed on October 15, 2019
The White cane safety day is observed annually on October 15th ever since 1964 after the United States(US) passed a resolution H.R. 753. The day aims to create awareness on the significance of white cane among the common people and also about the special needs of the visually impaired. White cane is considered as the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence. In 2011, the former US President Barack Obama also named White Cane Safety Day as Blind Americans Equality Day.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2019 observed on October 17
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by the United Nations(UN) is observed annually on 17th October under the resolution (A/RES/47/196), adopted on 22 December 1992 at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The theme for the year 2019 is “Acting together to empower children, their families, and communities to end poverty”. This year marks the 27th anniversary of the declaration by the General Assembly. The day aims to recognize that all people must come together to end poverty and discrimination in order to build a sustainable future. Under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), No Poverty is the No.1 goal.
Key points
i. Background: The observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to 17 October 1987 when over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence, and hunger.
ii. The year also marks 32nd anniversary of the Call to Action by Father Joseph Wresinski that inspired to observe October 17 as World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty, and 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 20 November 1989.
World Trauma Day (WTD) observed on October 17, 2019
On October 17, 2019, World Trauma Day (WTD) is observed all over the world to create awareness on the increasing rate of accidents and injuries causing death and disability across the world and the need to prevent them.
Key points:
i. Trauma refers to any kind of injury to the body from various sources like road accidents to fires, violence and hate crimes.
ii. According to the National Crime Bureau Record (NCRB) report “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India”, nearly 1.5 lakh people died in road accidents in India in 2015. As per World Health Organization (WHO) data, globally, road accidents are the No. 1 cause of death among children and young adults aged 5 – 29.
STATE NEWS
3rd edition of manipur’s shirui lily festival 2019 kick started in Ukhrul
On October 16 2019, 3rd edition of 4-day long Shirui Lily Festival 2019 has been inaugurated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel & Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur. During the event, Union Minister also unveiled the ‘Strength of Unity’ pillar which was curated by young sculptor Sorei Keishing from Kangpat village in Manipur.
The event is being held from October 16-19, 2019 & is sponsored by Manipur state department of tourism.
Key points:
i. Lilium Mackliniae (locally known as Shirui lily /Kashong Timrawon), a rare bell-shaped flower with bluish-pink petals showing seven colours under the microscope, is the State flower of Manipur.
ii. The festival commemorates the significance of this flower,which is found only in Shirui Hills located in Shirui Village in Ukhrul district,Manipur. It blooms annually between April to June every year.
iii. Martial arts performance, rock concerts (Shirock) and mountain biking, colourful Tangkhul Naga games, music and various dances will be main attractions of the festival.
About Manipur:
♦ Capital: Imphal
♦ Governor: Najma Heptulla
♦ Dances: Pung Cholom, Khamba Thaibi Dance, Maibi Dance, Nupa Dance.
Tamil Nadu forms 2 panels led by K. Manivasan over water disputes with Kerala
On October 17, 2019, The government of Tamil Nadu formed 2 committees to deal with water disputes with Kerala related to the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) & Pandiyar-Punnampuzha hydroelectric project, both led by Secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department (PWD) K. Manivasan. It was one of the agreements made by the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Pinarayi Vijayan respectively during a meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in September 2019.
Key Points:
i. Cauvery Technical Committee chairperson R. Subramanian is also a part of both panels.
ii. PAP panel members: Retired PWD engineer R. Ilangovan, Superintending Engineer P. Muthusamy and Superintending Engineer with Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) A. Munawar Sulthana.
iii. PAP panel will review the 60-year-old pact on PAP. It aims to facilitate the diversion of eight west-flowing rivers to Tamil Nadu for the benefit of Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts.
iv. Pandiyar-Punnampuzha hydroelectric project panel members: Retired PWD engineer E. Thamizharasan, Superintending Engineer S. Sivalingam and Ms. Sulthana.
v. This project aims to construct 4 dams, 2 diversion weirs, and powerhouses. It would control water flow from Devala-Punnampuzha river systems that empties into the Arabian Sea.
WWF India and UP govt. conducted Annual Ganges river dolphin census 2019 in Uttar Pradesh
From October 9-15, 2019 the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) -India and Uttar Pradesh (UP) govt’s. Forest Department (FD) of 5 districts conducted weeklong annual Ganges river dolphin census 2019 along the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and Narora Ramsar site of UP, in which the endangered dolphin population rose to 36 in 2019 from previous 33 in 2018.
Key points
i. The 5 districts of UP which conducted the census were Bijnor, Meerut, Hapur, Amroha and Bulandshahar. 5 dolphins were spotted in Ramsar site while 31 were spotted in Hastinapur WLS.
ii. Ganges dolphins: The Ganges dolphins (Platanista gangetica) that are also called as ‘susu’ due to the sound they make, are enlisted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “endangered” on their Red List of Threatened Species.
About Ramsar Site:
♦ It is a wetland site designated under the Ramsar Convention which an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, and came into force in 1975.
♦ There are 27Ramsar sites in India.
About Hastinapur WLS:
♦ The Hastinapur WLS is a protected area in the Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh established in 1986.
♦ The sanctuary is named after ancient city of Hastinapur, which lies on the west bank of the Budhi Ganga.
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