Category: Nature / Environment

** Engineer’s experiment with Boer goat

T.S. Umesh crosses the Boer with the native Talcher breed and they fetch a good price

T.S. Umesh, 47-year-old from Tarabenahalli of Tumakuru district, chose agriculture instead of office soon after completing his engineering degree in 1990.

Karnataka

** Watch | Sela Tunnel, world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel

A video on Sela tunnel, the world’s longest bi-lane road tunnel situated near the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh

This is the Sela Tunnel, the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world. The Sela tunnel is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation at an altitude of 13,800ft near the Indo-China border.

It is being built on the 317km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road which connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country.

The Sela tunnel will provide all weather connectivity to Tawang. It will also ensure better movement of troops and weaponry to various locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Arunachal Pradesh

Nattu Manchottil Educational and Indigenous Fruit Plants Conservation and Research Trust wins Plant Genome Savior Community award

The group initiated the mango conservation programme during 2016 with the conservation of a 200-year-old tree of mango cultivar Vellathan

Nattu Manchottil Educational and Indigenous Fruit Plants Conservation and Research Trust has won the Plant Genome Savior Community award instituted by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority (PPV&FRA), New Delhi.

The group initiated the mango conservation programme during 2016 with the conservation of a 200-year-old tree of mango cultivar Vellathan. During 2017, Nattu Manchottil adopted activities for the conservation of 35 indigenous varieties of mango in Kannur district. It is now conserving around 200 varieties of mango trees collected from different parts of Kannur district.

** 3 Indian teens feature in Intl Children’s Peace Prize shortlist

Three teenagers, a physically challenged boy and two brothers, from India have been shortlisted for this year’s International Children’s Peace (ICP) Prize, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Thursday announced on behalf of the KidsRights Foundation.

Muhammad Aasim is a 15-year-old physically challenged boy from Kerala, who is inspiring youngsters with disabilities around the world to continue their education. Christina Adane is a 18-year-old girl born in the Netherlands to Ethiopian parents, and now living in the UK, who has made a name for herself fighting food injustice.

Vihaan, 17, and Nav Agarwal, 14, are two brothers from Delhi, who are committed to reducing pollution, at a time when the eyes of the world are on the COP26 Climate Change Conference.

** Innovative products made using cow-dung elevate rural economy in Chhattisgarh

Gaudhan Nyay Yojana’ scheme in Chhattisgarh has helped revitalise rural economy, especially the women SHGs that secured an income of Rs 46 crore.

The unutilised disposable cow-dung procured by the state from livestock owners and villagers has opened up the scope of employment, generation of trade activities and the potential to boost the rural economy.

** Thoothukudi geology professor makes it into top list of international scientists

An assistant professor of Thoothukudi has emerged into the list of top 2 per cent scientists released by a leading publisher Elsevier BV, Stanford University. The Netherland-based publisher updated science-wide author databases of standardised citation indicators- 2021, on October 19.

Dr S Selvam, Assistant Professor in Geology, VO Chidambaram College, who featured for the first time in Elsevier BV ranking, has achieved a rank of 218 under Earth & Environmental Sciences (Geology) and 338 under Environmental Engineering, out of 15720 ranks, with 260 number of citations in the year 2020.