Hydrogen Energy Mission

• The Union Budget proposed to launch a Hydrogen Energy Mission in 2021-22 for generating hydrogen from green power sources.
• Hydrogen can be generated from many sources, but India stresses on the hydrogen sources from renewable sources.
• In the longer term, solar energy and biomass can be used more directly to generate hydrogen.
• This mission would decarbonise heavy industries, and also holds the key to clean electric mobility that doesn’t depend on rare minerals.
• Hydrogen can act as an energy storage option, which would be essential to meet intermittencies (of renewable energy) in the future.
• Green hydrogen energy is vital for India to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions and ensure regional and national energy security, access and availability.
• The method of producing hydrogen through methane reforming will result in significant carbon dioxide emissions.
• There is the potential to capture these emissions using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, although this is relatively underdeveloped in India.

Star Dust 1.0

• It has a mass of 250 kg and can carry a maximum payload mass of 8 kg.
• It is manufactured by bluShift, an aerospace company that is developing rockets that are powered by bio-derived fuels.
• These rockets will help to launch small satellites called cubesats into space in a way that is relatively cheaper than using traditional rocket fuel and is less toxic for the environment.
• Broadly, biofuels are obtained from biomass, which can be converted directly into liquid fuels that can be used as transportation fuels.

Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Program

• The MIKE Programme was established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1997.
• MIKE programme measures the levels, trends and causes of elephant mortality.
• The duration of the program was between May 2017 – December 2019.
• It provides information base to support international decision-making related to conservation of elephants in Asia and Africa.
• The MIKE Programme is entirely dependent on donor support.
• The European Union has been the most important donor for the MIKE programme.
• EU has funded implementation in Africa since its inception in 2001, and in Asia since 2017.
• Funding has also been provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Governments of Japan, the United Kingdom and China.
• There are currently 28 sites participating in the MIKE programme in Asia, distributed across 13 countries, in which India has 10 sites.
• Mike sites in India are

1. Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve.
2. Deomali Elephant Reserve.
3. Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve.
4. Garo Hills Elephant Reserve.
5. Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve.
6. Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve.
7. Shivalik Elephant Reserve.
8. Mysore Elephant Reserve.
9. Nilgiri Elephant Reserve.
10. Wayanad Elephant Reserve.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

• Under Section 38 (Z) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, it is mandated:

1. To collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities.
2. To disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals.
3. To establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank.
4. Assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control.

O-STORMS Project

• Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources, Modelling and Science (O-STORMS) project.
• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) implements the project.
• A polar remotely operated vehicle was indigenously developed for shallow waters of up to 500m depth under the project.
• It was successfully deployed in the Andaman coral islands and the vehicle was successfully manoeuvred in the undulating reef terrain to record high quality underwater visuals of coral reef biodiversity with spectral irradiance.