22-02-23 Daily-Punjab-PPSC Current Affairs

To ensure that sand and gravel are available at reasonable rates to the general public, Punjab Governments Mining Department is all set to introduce public mining sites in the state.

Terming the decision as historic and path-breaking initiative, the states Mining and Geology Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Monday said that these sites will help in checking any malpractice to jack up the prices of sand and truly give the freedom of choice to the common man to buy sand from the source of his choice and at the price of his choice.

The Chief Minister would shortly announce details of all such sites in various districts in the State. The first public mining site would be inaugurated soon itself, he added.

With the number of vultures nestling amidWestern GhatsinKarnataka, Kerala and Nadu dramatically plunging from about 10,000 two decades ago to a few hundreds now, the state forest department and Wildlife Conservation Society have undertaken a survey in the Tiger Reserves to ascertain the reasons for the worrying development.
The survey was conducted in the forests spread across the three states to count thevulture Population. In Karnataka, the survey was inBandipur, BRT and Nagarahole tiger reserves.

Earlier, the three states used to conduct separate surveys in different periods, but now they are holding the synchronized survey to avoid duplication of data in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu, Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala and Karnataka’s three tiger reserves.

Maharashtra, the state with the highest electricity demand in India, lags behind several others when it comes to energy transition to renewable sources. This is mainly due to slow uptake in the state and its inability to shut down older, polluting coal power Plants, said a report. It should nevertheless be considered that though Maharashtra lags on the transition parameter in Percentage terms, because of its greater net power generation, it has a higher reference point for a comparison with other states.

According to the study, Rajasthan and Maharashtra showed low participation in green markets. It said that Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra have a huge potential to become renewable energy export hubs by utilising their untapped clean energy potential. These states have made limited efforts to participate in green market mechanisms likeGDAM(green day ahead market), it added.

Ember is an independent, not-for-profit Climate and energy think tank while the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) examines issues related to energy markets, trends, and policies.

The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2023 at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary has recorded a decreased total number of water birds and overall in relation to previous years.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary is the most degraded, polluted and disturbed habitat in all respects, decreasing overall water birds number and species diversity including migratory birds every year, it said.

The wetland habitat several times in a year remains completely dried, the latest being the recent Migration season in October-November, 2022 which impacts on the breeding of the resident birds, and lesser arrival of winter migratory water birds. Till December, 2022 the sanctuary witnessed the least number of migratory water birds, resulting in overall decreased Population.

The AWC 2023 recorded further decreased species diversity:from 47 (2022) to 36 (2023) and total number: 9,143 to 6,083 (2023) dominated the total number by common winter migratory species Northern Shoveler and then Eurasian Coot in comparison to previous years.