September 22

Nilgiri Tahr Faces Threat

Nilgiri Tahr (known as Varai Aadu in Tamil), the State animal of Tamilnadu facing a serious threat, which prevents the population from increasing. The species is endemic to Western Ghats and is spread from Nilgiris to Kanyakumari. Nilgiri Tahr is listed under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act.

Invasive Plants Threatens Wildlife

Wild growth of invasive alien plants such as Senna spectabilis (calceolaria shower), Lantana , Eupatorium and Parthenium is posing a threat to wildlife and indigenous plants in the forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, including the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), a major habitat of Asiatic elephants in the country.

An ongoing survey being conducted by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in association with the Forest Department, shows that the plant is widely distributed in the Muthanga and Tholpetty range of forests under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ganga Rejuvenation Plan

Union Minister Uma Bharti today announced that the Ganga Rejuvenation Plan will be launched from Uttarakhand where the mighty river originates. The Ministry of Water Resource launched a web portal to connect with the public on the ambitious project of the NDA Government.

The home page of the web portal http://nmcg.nic.in/, which opens with the message of Mahatma Gandhi on the holy Ganga is an encyclopedia of the largest river basin in India.

The NDA government informed the Supreme Court that it proposed to spend Rs 51,000 crore in the next five years to completely stop discharge of untreated sewer and waste water from 118 towns into Ganga river. 

A U.N. consultant and engineer has come up with a cost-effective plan for Ganga rejuvenation by building 25 silt-free barrages within the river system to dilute the waste and to maintain a continuous flow of fresh water.

 

Source - The Hindu

Ghani - The Next Afghan President

Ashraf Ghani was declared Afghanistan's next President after sharing a power sharing deal with his rival Mr. Abdullah Abdullah. The long waited "Unity Government" deal was signed within ten minutes. Mr. Abdullah will nominate his choice for the new post of CEO, which will be similar to Prime Minister. 

Singapore Grand Prix 

Lewis Hamilton regained the Formula One drivers' World Championship in the Singapore Grand Prix. It is his seventh win this year.