Uttarakhand Affairs
PM inaugurates Uttarakhands firstVande Bharat Express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off Uttarakhands first Vande Bharat Express connecting Dehradun with Delhi on Thursday.The Union RAILWAY minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami were also present at the inaugural ceremony of the trainin Dehradun.
The PM said in his address that Vande Bharatwill start a new era of comfortable travel experiences, especially for tourists travelling to the State, with world-class amenities.He said that travelling by train remains the first choice for those who are accompanied by their family members and the Vande Bharat is gradually becoming the go-to means of transportation.
He alsoemphasised the importance of connectivity in a mountain state where people from the villages migrate due to a lack of connectivity and added that the government wants to prevent that suffering for the coming generations.
Vande Bharat train is also going to help Uttarakhand to take full advantage of this opportunity”. Vaishnaw said on the launch that Railways used to receive a budget of only Rs 187 crore a decade ago for the development of Railways in Uttarakhand but the location rose under pm Modi upto Rs 5,000 crore for development.
National and International Affairs
India aims to have People’s Biodiversity Register in every village, verification campaign launched in Goa
A national campaign for updation and verification of Peoples Register was launched in Goa, marking a significant step towards the documentation and preservation of India’s rich biological diversity.
The Peoples Biodiversity Register (PBR) serves as a comprehensive record of various aspects of biodiversity, including the conservation of habitats, preservation of land races, domesticated stocks and breeds of animals, micro-organisms, and the accumulation of knowledge related to the area’s biological diversity.
So far, 2,67,608 PBRs have been prepared by Biodiversity Management Committees in different states. There is a plan to set up PBR in every village across the country under Mission LiFE (lifestyle for Environment) which is conceived to conserve the planet earth through mindful utilisation of <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/natural-Resources“>Natural Resources and various other actions at individual and community levels in the country.
As per the Biological Diversity Act 2002, Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) are created for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity by local bodies across the country. BMCs have been constituted by the local bodies in the States and Union Territories and are entrusted with preparation of the PBRs in consultation with local communities.
PBR is designed as a tool for formal recording and maintenance of comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use. It’s also a record of knowledge, perception and Attitude of people about natural resources, Plants and animals, their utilization and conservation in a village.
PBR is considered as the first step towards bridging the gap between Intellectual Property Rights of local people and benefits derived from genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and enabling them to share those benefits.
US panel for India as sixth ‘NATO Plus’ member
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US next month, a Congressional committee has recommended the addition of India to the list of five non-European nations that comprise NATO Plus.
The House Select Committee, also called the China committee, has reasoned that winning the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and ensuring the security of Taiwan demands the US strengthen ties to our allies and security partners, including India. Including India in NATO Plus security arrangements would build upon the US and Indias close PARTNERSHIP to strengthen global security and deter the aggression of the CCP across the Indo-Pacific region.
Bringing India on board will facilitate seamless intelligence sharing among these countries and India would access the latest military technology without a time lag
India has taken an initiative to aid those affected byCyclone Mochain Myanmar by launchingOperation Karuna.On May 18th, three ships, namely Indian Naval ShipsShivalik, Kamorta,andSavitri, arrived in Yangon with emergency relief material such as food supplies, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, and hygiene items.
India has always been at the forefront in supporting its neighbors during such disasters, highlighting its commitment to ensuring security and Growth for all in the region.
Cyclone Mocha, which recently hit Myanmar, has been classified as an extremely severe cyclonic storm by the IMD and a Super Cyclone by the global weather website Zoom Earth.