Facts in News

                             Facts in News

National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)

• It was established under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 and was constituted on 1st June 2016.
• It hears appeals against the orders of
  • National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
  • NCLT(s) under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).
  • Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC.
• It also hears and disposes of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), as per the amendment brought to Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013 by Section 172 of the Finance Act, 2017.
• NCLAT decisions can be challenged in the Supreme Court on a point of law.

United Nations Peacekeeping

• It is a unique global partnership, bringing together the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security.
• It has unique strengths, including the legitimacy of the UN Charter, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy and sustain troops and police from around the globe, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates.
• It is guided by three basic principles
  • Consent of the parties.
  • Impartiality.
  • Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
• UN peacekeepers provide security and political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
  • India has recently delivered 2 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines for UN peacekeepers worldwide.
• UN military personnel are the Blue Helmets on the ground and currently, consist of over 70,000 military personnel contributed by national armies from across the globe.

Pong Dam Lake Wildlife Sanctuary

• Pong Dam or reservoir was constructed in 1975 on the river Beas in the wetland of Shivalik hills of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar.
• It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1983 and is also a Ramsar site.
• In 1994, the Government of India declared it a “Wetland of National Importance”.
• It contains several deforested islands which attract a large number of waterbirds.
• Flora
  • Submerged vegetation, an extensive swamp with reed beds and grasslands and some mixed deciduous and Chir Pine forest.
• Fauna
  • Nilgai, Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Clawless Otter, Leopard, etc.
  • Migratory birds like Bar Headed Geese, Common Teal, Red Necked Grebe, etc. from Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia and Tibet.

(Image Courtesy: NIE)

Ghoramara Island

• It bore the brunt of the cyclone Amphan and residents are facing the impact of climate change.
• Location: 150 km south of Kolkata where the Hooghly river meets the Bay of Bengal.
  • It lies near Sagar Island, which has a population of two lakh people and is the biggest island of the Sundarban archipelago.
    • Sagar island hosts the annual Gangasagar pilgrimage.
• Threats: Quickly disappearing due to erosion and sea-level rise.
  • Lohachara in Sagar block is a neighbouring island that has totally vanished due to rising sea level.

                   (Image Courtesy: NYT)

Red Algal Seaweed Species

• Two varieties have been discovered along the coasts of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and in Gujarat and Daman Diu, recently.
  • The fine and hairy algae Hypnea indica was discovered in Shivrajpur and Somnath Pathan in Gujarat.
  • Hypnea Bullata grew along the coastline of Daman and Diu.
• It is for the first time, that these have been discovered along Indian coasts.
• These thrived on rocks that submerged during high tides and remain exposed during low tides.
• Scientists applied morphology with the DNA barcoding technique in order to confirm the novelty of these two species.
• These can fetch good monetary value if commercial-scale cultivation is taken up but seaweed cultivation is yet unpopular in India.
• Hypnea contains Carrageenan, a biomolecule commonly used in the food industry that can be a potential raw material for those involved in jelly and ice cream production.

                                        (Image Courtesy: IE)

Bhagoria Festival

• Bhagoria festival is also known as Bhagoria Haat festival, and is celebrated by the tribal people of the Indian states Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra.
• Celebrated by the local tribes including Bhil, Bhilala, Pateliya etc.
• It has an agricultural significance attached to it, it coincides with the end of harvesting of crops. People celebrate it to mark the completion of harvesting.
• Also, this festival provides an opportunity for thousands of tribal men and women to choose a life partner of their own choice.
• The festival of Bhagoria Hats begins in Holika seven days before the combustion.

                                     Pic Source: HT