In May every year,doctors in the Kashmir Valley treats a high number of patients, especially children with respiratory diseases. The rise in illness has often been attributed to a phenomenon during this season which is the shedding of fluffy cotton-covered seeds by poplar trees commonly known as “Russian poplars”. The name “Russian poplar” is a… Continue reading Do ‘Russian poplar’ seeds cause May illness in Kashmir? The fears, the science
Author: ForumIAS
QR code option may be must for shops
The Central government is looking to mandate a QR code-based payment option using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at all shops. This measure is intended to promote digital payments as the preferred option.The details are being worked by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). QR code or Quick Response code is a two-dimensional machine readable… Continue reading QR code option may be must for shops
Fund crunch, land cost may slow down highway projects
The National Highways Authority of India(NHAI) has decided to change its strategy for project implementation for highways due to high land acquisition costs. NHAI has changed the weight it gives to different factors while planning projects.Earlier,freight movement and revenue projects were given precedence over land acquisition. NHAI has now decided to consider only those projects… Continue reading Fund crunch, land cost may slow down highway projects
Guaidó seeks Pentagon’s help
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has said that he has asked his envoy to the United States to meet with US Pentagon officials to cooperate on a solution to the Venezuela political crisis.The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense Venezuela has been governed for the past 20 years by the… Continue reading Guaidó seeks Pentagon’s help
Trump could meet Xi on sidelines of G20 meet in June: aide
US President and China’s leader could possibly meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit to talk out their differences on trade.The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Osaka,Japan on June 28-29,2019. Recently,US and Chinese negotiators ended their 11th round of talks after failing to reach an agreement to end the trade war… Continue reading Trump could meet Xi on sidelines of G20 meet in June: aide
Post Cyclone Fani, CM Naveen Patnaik demands special category status for Odisha
Odisha chief minister has demanded special category status from Central Government for his disaster-prone state.He said that Odisha faces natural calamities almost every year. There is no provision of special category status in the Constitution,the Central government extends financial assistance to states that are at a comparative disadvantage against others.The concept of SCS emerged in… Continue reading Post Cyclone Fani, CM Naveen Patnaik demands special category status for Odisha
Odisha set to introspect post-disaster communication
The post-disaster communication in Odisha had failed after extremely severe cyclone Fani struck the state. State disaster managers have decided to introspect how post-disaster communication failed for the first time since Super Cyclone in 1999. Communication during and immediately after a disaster situation is an important component of response and recovery. It connects affected people,… Continue reading Odisha set to introspect post-disaster communication
Vedanta gets nod to conduct impact assessment for 274 hydrocarbon wells in T.N., Puducherry
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has granted the Terms of Reference (ToR) to Vedanta Ltd’s Cairn Oil & Gas, to carry out Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). It is to be carried out for drilling a total of 274 offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration wells in the Bay of Bengal, Nagapattinam, Karaikal,… Continue reading Vedanta gets nod to conduct impact assessment for 274 hydrocarbon wells in T.N., Puducherry
New protocols for managing disasters
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has updated standard operating procedures (SOP) and adopted new protocols for disaster management in the State. The updated SOP is known as ‘Orange book of disaster management — Kerala — SOP and emergency support functions plan. It was previously known as the ‘Handbook on disaster management — Volume… Continue reading New protocols for managing disasters
Assam produces an orchid link to the Orient
A forest officer has spotted new species orchid in Assam’s forests. The orchid is a variant of a Japanese orchid. It is India’s one of the smallest orchids in terms of size and duration of bloom to be recorded botanically. The orchid is known as Lecanorchis taiwaniana. It is a mycoheterotroph- a plant which gets… Continue reading Assam produces an orchid link to the Orient
