The 1st PIO-Parliamentarian Conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India

The 1st PIO-Parliamentarian Conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi here today. Welcoming the delegates to the Conference, the Prime Minister said that while many people may have left India over the course of hundreds of years, India continues to have a place in their minds and hearts. The Prime Minister said that PIOs (Persons of India Origin) are like permanent ambassadors of India and partners for India's development, who have an important position in the Action Agenda till 2020, drafted by the NITI Aayog.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Annual Meeting 2018 of the World Economic Forum shall be held from 23-26 January 2018 at Davos in Switzerland with the theme of 'Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World'. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will be participating in the Annual Meeting. He will be the first Prime Minister to attend the Annual Meeting of the Forum since 1997. The Annual Meeting will be attended by 350 political leaders (among them over 60 heads of state or government), the chairs and chief executive officers of the world's most important companies and over 1,000 leaders from among other walks of life.

The Prime Minister will address the Inaugural Plenary Session at 11:00 AM [3:30 PM 1ST] on 23rd January 2018. He will also meet top Global Business Leaders in Davos. He will also be interacting with the members of the International Business Council consisting of 120 top chief executives of major transnational corporations across sectors.

Project Commencement of Barmer Refinery to be done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16 January, 2018

Project Commencement of Barmer Refinery to be done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16 January, 2018
Project commencement of Barmer Refinery at Pachpadra, Rajasthan is scheduled to be done by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16th January, 2018. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Smt. Vasundhara Rajeand Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will also be present among other dignitaries.

Project details:

Project Cost – Rs.43129 crore
Target Mechanical Completion – 4 years
Refining Capacity 9 MMTPA
Equity share of HPCL – 74%
Equity share of GOR – 26%
Location – Pachpadra, Barmer, Rajasthan
Incentive – Interest free loan of Rs.1123 crore per annum for 15 years from date of commissioning to be refunded in next 15 years from 16th year onwards
Refinery capable of producing BS VI products

FUNCTIONS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal or marine ecosystems or its amalgamation. The biosphere reserve network was launched in 1976, two years after the initiation of MAB- Man and the biosphere programme. Government of India established 18 biospheres in the country (categories generally relating to IUCN Category V Protected areas).
FUNCTIONS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Each biosphere reserve is supposed to fulfill three harmonizing functions:

Conservation function: to conserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes
Development function: to promote sustainable human development and economic
Logistic support function: to provide support for research and analyzing the issues of conservation and sustainable development.
THREE ZONES OF BIOSPHERES
Biosphere reserves have three unified zones that aim to fulfill three harmonizing and mutually reinforcing functions:

The core area: It involves an entirely secured and protected ecosystem that contributes to the preservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation.
The buffer zone: It encompasses or adjoins the core areas. It is utilized for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can fortify scientific research, monitoring, training and education.
The transition area: It is the part of the reserve where the greatest activity is permitted to promote economic and human development that is sustainable.

WORLD NETWORK OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers globally chosen protected areas. It consists of a vibrant and interactive network of sites of distinction. It promotes the harmonious assimilation of people and nature for sustainable development through different ways. If one country declares one area as a biosphere reserve, it can nominate the same to under the UNESCOs Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. If UNESCO accepts the proposal of the government, the biosphere reserve will enter into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves which is based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list. Recently, the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was incorporated at the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere program of UNESCO that ended up in Peru on March 19. With the addition of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, 10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the country have made it to the list.

YEAR

NAME

STATES

2001

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

West Bengal

2009

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

Odisha

2009

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Madhya Pradesh

2009

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

Meghalaya

2000

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2004

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Uttarakhand

2001

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2013

Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

Great Nicobar

2012

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve

Chhattisgarh

2016

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

ALL 18 BR OF INDIA,BUT THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT ARE PART OF MAB PROGRAMME OF UNESCO

ALL 18 BR OF INDIA,BUT THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT ARE PART OF MAB PROGRAMME OF UNESCO

10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves which is based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list. Recently, the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was incorporated at the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere program of UNESCO that ended up in Peru on March 19. With the addition of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, 10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the country have made it to the list.

YEAR

NAME

STATES

2001

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

West Bengal

2009

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

Odisha

2009

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Madhya Pradesh

2009

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

Meghalaya

2000

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2004

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Uttarakhand

2001

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2013

Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

Great Nicobar

2012

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve

Chhattisgarh

2016

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

NP DECLARED TIGER RESERVE ARE MORE IMPORTANT FOR EXAM

NP DECLARED TIGER RESERVE ARE MORE IMPORTANT FOR EXAM
How many Tiger reserves in India. Total number of Tiger reserves in India is 50. Tiger reserves are the ideal places to conserve the tiger population in their natural habitats.
Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in the year 1973 to save the endangered species of tiger in the country. Starting from nine (9) reserves in 1973-74 the number is grown up to fifty (50). A total area of 71027.10 km2 is covered by these project tiger areas.
41 Sathyamangalam Tamil Nadu 793.49 614.91 1408.40
42 Mukandra Hills Rajasthan 417.17 342.82 759.99
43 Nawegaon-Nagzira Maharashtra 653.674 – 653.674
44 Nagarjunsagar Srisailam (part)* Andhra Pradesh 2595.72* 700.59* 3296.31*
45 Amrabad Telangana 2166.37* 445.02* 2611.39*
46 Pilibhit Uttar Pradesh 602.7980 127.4518 730.2498
47 Bor Maharashtra 138.12 – 138.12
48 Rajaji Tige Reserve Uttarakhand 819.54 255.63 1075.17
49 Orang Tiger Reserve Assam 79.28 413.18 492.46
50 Kamlang Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh 671.00 112.00 783.00

Sivan K named new ISRO chairman

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Bihar tomorrow (January 11, 2018) to inaugurate the 4th International Conference on Dharma-Dhamma at Rajgir.

The Conference is being organised by Nalanda University in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Religion and Society, India Foundation, and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, with an aim to provide an opportunity to academics and policy makers from India and abroad to share ideas and build collaboration for a better world.

Sivan K named new ISRO chairman
The government appoints renowned scientist Sivan K as the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to replace of A.S. Kiran Kumar
The announcement comes two days ahead of the proposed historic launch of the ISRO's 100th satellite along with 30 others in a single mission from Sriharikota.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Sivan's appointment as secretary, Department of Space and chairman of Space Commission for a tenure of three years, an order issued by the personnel ministry said.

Sivan, at present Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, will succeed Kumar who took over as ISRO chairman on 12 January 2015.

Sivan graduated from Madras Institute of Technology in aeronautical engineering in 1980 and completed Master of Engineering in Aerospace engineering from IISc, Bangalore in 1982, according to his biodata. Subsequently, he completed his PhD in Aerospace engineering from IIT, Bombay in 2006.

Sivan joined the ISRO in 1982 in Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project and has contributed immensely towards end to end mission planning, mission design, mission integration and analysis. He held various responsibilities during his stint in ISRO.

Sivan has numerous publications in various journals and is a fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering, Aeronautical Society of India and Systems Society of India. He has received various awards throughout his career which includes Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from Sathyabama University, Chennai in April 2014 and Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr Vikram Sarabhai Research award for 1999.

Manali Girl Aanchal Thakur Brings Home India's First Skiing Medal

Manali Girl Aanchal Thakur Brings Home India's First Skiing Medal
Aanchal Thakur created history when she became the first Indian to win an international medal in skiing after winning Bronze at the prestigious Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup.