Facts in News

                                  Facts in News

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• It was formed in 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for coordinating the speedy development of an adequate road communication network of roads in the North and the North-Eastern border regions of the country.
• It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.
• Major Functions
  • Support the armed forces meet their strategic needs by committed, dedicated and cost-effective development and sustenance of the infrastructure.
  • Achieve international levels of quality excellence and time consciousness in a diversified sphere of construction activity in a cost-effective manner.
  • Optimise potential and expertise through increased involvement in agency, transnational and national development projects.
• Role of the BRO
  • In Peace
    • Develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure of general staff in the border areas.
    • Contribute to the socio-economic development of the border states.
  • In War
    • Develop and maintain roads to keep the line of control through original sectors and re-deployed sectors.
    • To execute additional tasks as laid down by the government contributing to the war effort.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

• Announced in September 2019, it is a partnership of national governments, the United Nation (UN) agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions.
• Aim: To promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.
• Strategic Priorities:
  • Technical Support and Capacity-building.
  • Research and Knowledge Management.
  • Advocacy and Partnerships.
• India is a member of the coalition and has also invested in the estimated fund requirements to cover the core costs over the first five years.
  • Members are not obligated to contribute, however, they can make voluntary financial or in-kind contributions.
• Secretariat: New Delhi, India.

                         (Image Courtesy: CDRI)

Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)

AWBI conferred 14 Prani Mitra awards and JeevDaya awards 2021 to the individuals, organizations and corporates for their outstanding performance in the field of animal welfare.

• It is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws which promotes animal welfare in the country.
• Established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Composition –

• The Board consists of 28 Members. The term of office of Members is for a period of 3 years.

Functions –

• It ensures that animal welfare laws in the country are diligently followed.
• It provides grants to Animal Welfare Organizations and advises the Government of India on animal welfare issues.

Spatial Mark­ Resight (SMR) Model        

• Scientists from Aaranyak, Panthera and WWF-India have developed a model called ‘Spatial Mark-Resight’ (SMR) to precisely estimate the population size of leopards where the population is a mix of the rosette and melanistic leopards.
• It is expected to make it easier to assess the population status of leopards for informed conservation measures.
• It can also be widely applied for other species that exhibit similar colour variation in nature.

About Leopard

• Scientific Name- Panthera pardus.
• Conservation Status: Vulnerable in IUCN’s Red List
• Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• Appendix I of CITES.

Habitats

• Found in all forest types, from tropical rainforests to temperate deciduous and alpine coniferous forests.
•  It is also found in dry scrubs and grasslands, the only exception being desert and the mangroves of Sundarbans.
• They are distributed from Trans-Himalayas to Gangetic plains in around 17 states.

Threats

• Loss of natural habitat e.g. forest.
• Man- Animal conflict.
• Reduction in the prey distribution.
• Poaching and illegal trading of body parts.

e-Chhawani Portal

• Launched by: Defence Minister
• Developed by
  • eGov Foundation
  • Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
  • Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE)
  • National Informatics Centre (NIC)
• Aim: To provide online civic services to over 20 lakh residents of 62 Cantonment Boards across the country.
• Basic Services Available on this portal are:
  • renewal of leases.
  • application for birth & death certificates.
  • water & sewerage connections.
  • trade licences.
  • mobile toilet locators.
  • payment of different types of taxes and fees.
• It is an innovative effort to transform the functioning of Cantonment Boards, in line with the vision of ‘New India’.

South African Strain of Covid-19

• Like the UK strain of Covid-19, South African Strain is also more transmissible.
  • However, it also affects the younger population more.
• The South African government has flagged concerns over limited efficacy of Vaccine by AstraZeneca-University of Oxford (on which Covishield is based).
• At present, only 4 cases of South African strain have been detected in India. Hence it is not of concern right now but if not contained properly can create havoc.
• Mutations in Viruses are the result of copying errors in genetic material.
  • They are very common but pose difficulty for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
  • Major mutations tend to render vaccines ineffective against viruses.