BCIM Economic Corridor
- The Bangladesh China India Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor aims to connect Kolkata with Kunming, capital of the Yunnan province of China.
- It envisages the formation of a thriving economic belt, focusing on cross-border transport, energy and telecommunication networks.
- India will benefit in terms of the development of the Kolkata port and the opening up of the economic potential of the northeast states.
- Earlier BCIM was part of China’s BRI initiative, recently the project has been delisted from the BRI umbrella.
Projects under Belt and Road Initiative of China
- Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a giant connectivity initiative speared by China to revive the ancient Silk Road across Eurasia and Africa.
- Under the project South Asia is covered by three major undertakings
- China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC).
- Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway.
- China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – India opposes this project as it passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Other projects in which India is a member
- IMT trilateral Highway - India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway will join India’s Northeast with Thailand and other ASEAN members through Myanmar.
- Kaladan Multimodal Project - The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project will help connect the Northeast with Myanmar as well as with West Bengal.
- BBIN - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) needs to be accorded the highest priority as it has great potential to deliver rich dividends quickly.
Global Food Policy Report
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) releases Global Food Policy Report annually.
- The report reviews the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions of 2018, and considers challenges and opportunities.
- According to the report consumption patterns is changing largely due to urbanization, demographic transitions, increasing income, and growing integration of food supply chains.
Beluga Whale
- The beluga whale is the Arctic and sub-Arctic aquatic mammal.
- It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only marine mammal of this colour.
- It possesses a distinctive protuberance at the front of its head which houses an echolocation organ called the melon, which in this species is large and deformable.
- Its sense of hearing is highly developed and its echolocation allows it to move about and find breathing holes under sheet ice.
- Recently it is believed that Russia has been using the whales for military intelligence by mounting spying devices on the whale.
Cryptozoology
- Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that aims to prove the existence of entities from the folklore record.
- Cryptozoology does not follow the scientific method, thus it is neither a branch of zoology nor folkloristics.
- Recently Indian Army during its Himalayan expedition identified Giant footprints which are 32 inches long and 15 inches wide.
- Indian Army suspects that the footprints they have observed must be of the Yeti, a mythical snowman that is said to inhabit the high Himalayas.
- There is no scientific evidence thus far that a creature like a snowman exists, but the Yeti remains a part of Himalayan folklore.
Mango showers
- Mango showers are used to describe the occurrence of pre-monsoon rainfall, they help in the early ripening of mangoes.
- They are notable across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, and Cambodia.
- These rains normally occur from March to April, although their arrival is often difficult to predict.
- Their intensity can range from light showers to heavy and persistent thunderstorms.
- In India, the mango showers occur as the result of thunderstorm development over the Bay of Bengal.
- They are also known as ‘Kaal Baishali’ in Bengal, as Bordoisila in Assam and as Cherry Blossom shower or Coffee Shower in Kerala.
- Towards the close of the summer season, pre-monsoon showers are common, especially in Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu in India.
Source: The Hindu, Times of India, Down to Earth
