Atal Tunnel
- World’s longest highway tunnel at Rohtang was recently inaugurated.
- It is a 9.02 km-long-tunnel, at an altitude of above 3,000 metres.
- It connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley.
- It is built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
- It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley of Lahaul-Spiti, which remains cut-off for 6 months due to bad weather connection.
- It is also strategically important as it provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching Ladakh.
K family and Shaurya Missile
- The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles.
- It is a nuclear capable ballistic missile.
- It is indigenously developed by DRDO.
- Missiles from this family are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
- The capability of being able to launch nuclear weapons submarine platforms has great strategic importance in context of achieving a nuclear triad.
- Shaurya is a land-based variant of short range K-15 Sagarika.
Wildlife Week
- Wildlife Week is observed from October 2 to 8 every year.
- The theme of this year campaign is to promote the preservation of fauna.
- As part of it, an intensified tree planting exercise was organised in Western Ghats bordering Tamil Nadu.
- Various kinds of dioecious trees are being planted in the Cheekoor forest range areas.
- It is also an attempt to protect the fast dwindling vulture population in the Western Ghats.
- The various parts of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu is home to at least 4 kinds of vultures which play a major role in ensuring the eco-balance in the forest.
Dhaulasidh Hydro Electric Project
- The project is going to be launched in Beas River in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.
- The capacity of the project will be 66 MW.
- It is a run-of-the river project with little storage capacity for production of electricity during lean period.
New Species in Western Ghats
- Two new species of pipeworts was discovered in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- Scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune have discovered it.
- Pipeworts (Eriocaulon) is a plant group which completes its life cycle within a small period during monsoon.
- It exhibits great diversity in the Western Ghats.
- The species from Maharashtra has been named Eriocaulon parvicephalum (due to its minute inflorescence size).
- The other reported from Kumta, Karnataka is called Eriocaulon karaavalense (named after Karaavali, Coastal Karnataka region).
Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
- The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at Rio+20.
- It aims to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories.
- PAGE seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- PAGE brings together five UN agencies
- UN Environment,
- International Labour Organization,
- UN Development Programme,
- UN Industrial Development Organization,
- UN Institute for Training and Research
- PAGE represents a mechanism to coordinate UN action on green economy.
- It also aims to assist countries in achieving and monitoring the emerging Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 8: “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Source: PIB, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times
