- India has been designated as a nodal centre for preparing flash-flood forecasts by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). That means India will have to develop a customised model that can issue advance warning of floods in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Read more at The Hindu.
- In India, at 332, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of naturalised exotics, followed by Kerala (290), while Lakshadweep has the least (17). As many as 471 plant species that are alien or exotic — not native to India — are ‘naturalised,’ for they can thrive in the country’s wildernesses by forming stable populations, says a recent report. Naturalised species reproduce naturally in the environments they colonise. Invasive species do this so prolifically that they alter the workings of the natural ecosystems they colonise or invade. Read more at The Hindu.
- Head and neck (mouth, larynx, throat or nose) cancers account for a large portion of the total number of cancer cases reported in India. nearly 70% of oral cancers are located in the ‘buccogingival sulcus’ area, where the betel quid/chewing tobacco is kept for long periods in the oral cavity. Read more at The Hindu.
- Tipu Sultan was the pioneer of rocket technology in India. He made use of the available high quality iron and skilled craftsmen to replace the Chinese technology of using bamboo in rockets with iron. One of the first mentions of the effective use of metal rockets was during the battle of Pollilur during the first Anglo-Mysore war in 1780. Read more at The Quint and The Hindu.
- The government aims to eliminate viral Hepatitis by 2030. A National Viral Hepatitis control programme aimed at eliminating the deadly condition by 2030 was launched recently by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the World Health Organisation. Also, CB-NAAT machines are used to diagnose Tuberculosis. Read more at Doordarshan News and PIB.
- India is home to about 70% of the tiger population in the world. As per the assessment of the Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey (2014), the number of tigers in the country is estimated at 2,226 (as per the 2010 estimates the numbers were at 1,706). The results of the ongoing All India Tiger Assessment, 2018, are expected by the end of 2018. Read more at The Hindu.
- The updation of NRC is a Supreme Court Mandated exercise. In May 2013, the apex court directed the Centre to finalise the modalities by July 16, 2013. In 2014, the court directed the government to resume updating the NRC and has since been monitoring the process. Assam is the only state to have a NRC. NRC was first published in 1951 based on that year’s census. The year 1971 is significant because The Assam Accord of 1985 that ended the six-year anti-foreigners’ agitation decided upon the midnight of March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date. Read more at The Hindu, The Indian Express and The Telegraph.
- The return form ‘Sahaj’ is for businesses which make supplies to only consumers (B2C). Businesses making supplies to both businesses (B2B) and consumers (B2C) have to file returns form ‘Sugam’. The forms, which will replace the current GSTR-3B and GSTR-1, are expected to be launched by January 1, 2019. Read more at: The Economic Times.
- A flagship publication of Department of Economic and Social Affairs of United Nations the UN E-Government Surveyis published every two years. India ranks 96th in the 2018 edition of the index. United Nations E-Government Knowledgebase & UN E-Government Survey.
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of mars from orbit. Source: Wikipedia.
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