1) Press mud: Sugarcane by product press mud can help generate 460,000 tonnes of compressed biogas Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) valued at Rs 2,484 crore.
- Press mud is the residual solid product obtained from sugarcane juice before crystallisation of sugar.
- Bagasse, molasses and press-mud are major waste products obtained from sugar industry.
- Benefits of Press-mud
- Act as feedstock for biogas production through anaerobic digestion and subsequent purification to create CBG.
- Improves soil structure, air circulation, and water retention capacity of soil.
- Concern: Long term storage of press mud leads to gradual decomposition, resulting in breakdown of organic compounds.
2) Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR): A barren patch on fringes of BTR has been transformed into an orchard.
- Lies in Western Ghats Mountains Biogeography Zone.
- Forms part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is surrounded by Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in South, and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in South West.
- On North West Side, Kabini reservoir separates Bandipur from Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
- Landscape of Bandipur, Nagarahole, Mudumalai & Wayanad complex hosts single largest Asian Elephant population in world and is part of Mysore Elephant Reserve.
- Flora: Vegetation changes from scrub type to moist deciduous type from east to west.
- Fauna: Asian Elephant, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Four-horned antelopes etc.
3) Comet P12/Pons-Brooks: Astronomers have photographed the enigmatic Comet P12/Pons-Brooks from the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh using the Himalayan Chandra Telescope.
- A celestial object that has been playfully nicknamed the ‘Devil Comet’ or likened to the ‘Millennium Falcon’ for its distinctive appearance.
- This comet, first discovered in the year 1812, completes an orbit around the Sun in around 71 years.
- Himalayan Chandra telescope
- It is a 2-meter optical-infrared telescope.
- It is at an altitude of 4500m and operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
4) Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN): Union Cabinet has approved PM JANMAN with total outlay of Rs. 24,104 crore.
- Funds will be made available to implement the Mission in next three years under Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes.
- PM JANMAN aims to protect the tribes on the verge of extinction and nurture them.
- It will cover 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) residing in 18 states and union territories.
- PM-JANMAN will focus on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries, including Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which includes connecting roads, safe housing, Water supply, Health facilities, vocational education and skilling, etc
Places in News:
1) Lithuania (Capital: Vilnius):
- India and Lithuania held a meeting to strengthen maritime bilateral relations.
- Political features
- Location: Located in northeastern Europe, the southernmost and largest of the three Baltic states (other two Estonia, and Latvia).
- Boundaries: Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland and the detached Russian oblast of Kaliningrad to the southwest, and the Baltic Sea to the west.
- Geographical features:
- Important Rivers: Nemunas River
- Largest lake: Lake Drūkšiai
- Highest Point: Aukstojas Hill
- Language: Lithuanian is considered the oldest surviving Indo-European language in the world
