Rumi Darwaza

• It is a monumental gateway built in the 18th century by the 4th Nawab of Awadh, Asaf-ud-daula.
• It is located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• This gateway along with the Bara Imambara were built by Asaf-ud-daula to define his new capital after he shifted the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775 CE.
• This arresting gateway, commissioned by the Nawab in 1784 CE, was meant to outshine the Bab-i-Humayun of the Ottoman Sultans in Istanbul, Turkey.
• It took the name Rumi, which means relating to Rome, as Istanbul was once the capital of Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire.
• It is not part of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.

Cryomesh

• Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild but the current process requires sophisticated equipment including lasers.
• Scientists say a new lightweight "cryomesh" can be manufactured cheaply and better preserves coral.
• The cryomesh was previously trialled on smaller and larger varieties of Hawaiian corals.
• A trial on the larger variety failed.
• Trials are continuing with larger varieties of Great Barrier Reef coral.
• The mesh technology, which will help store coral larvae at -196C (-320.8°F).

Organ Donations in India

• The Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA) 1994 was enacted to provide a system of removal, storage and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs.
• There is no age limit for organ donation.
• It can be started at as young as six weeks.
• The only essential thing is the health and condition of the organs.
• Individuals can donate all their organs and tissues – heart, kidneys, lungs, corneas, pancreas etc.
• In India organs donated by deceased persons is more than the organs donated by living persons/donors.

Alcohol dry states in India

• Article 47 of The Constitution of India is one of the Directive Principles which directs the state to bring about prohibition of the consumption of alcohol except for medicinal purposes.
• Alcohol is a subject in the State list under the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The states that define selling alcohol is illegal, are called as ‘Dry States’ in India.
• Gujarat, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Bihar are the dry states in India.

Black Carbon

• The study of Himalayan glaciers is a complex and evolving subject studied through investigations, data collection and analysis of various research studies by scientists in India and all over the world.
• The glaciers and their characteristics exhibit complex changes in specific locations across different sub-regions of the Himalayas.
• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is operating a network of aerosol observatories under ISRO Geosphere Biosphere Programme.
• One of the parameters being measured from this network is the black carbon mass concentration.
• The long-term measurements of black carbon over the Indian region from the aforesaid regional network of aerosol observatories clearly shows a decreasing trend in the past decade.
• The Government has taken several measures to control black carbon emissions which inter-alia include the following:

• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana promoting use of cleaner household cooking fuels.
• Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI norms for fuel and vehicles from 1st April, 2020.
• Network of metro rails for public transport has been enhanced and more cities are covered.
• Introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending.
• A new initiative, “Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT), has been launched to set up 5000 Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants and make CBG available in the market for use.
• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) phase-2 scheme has been rolled out.
• Shifting of brick kilns to zig-zag technology for reduction of pollution. Industrial units shifting to piped natural gas.