1st January, 2021

 

Topic: – Wildlife

 

What is the news?

• Pong Lake received 50,000 migratory birds, including 25,000 Band-brained Geese.

A few years ago, the Wildlife Department in collaboration with experts from the UK and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) had recorded around 71,000 bar-headed goose in the Pong wetland.

Why important?

• This represented the largest number of birds ever found in a single location in the world.

 

About Bar-headed goose:

                                                                                                                                        (Pic Credit: Wikipedia)

• The Band-headed Goose is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands close to mountain lakes and winters in South Asia as far south as Peninsular India.
• Lays 3 to 8 eggs at a time in a ground nest. It is known for the extreme altitudes it reaches when migrating across the Himalayas.

(Source: - HP Tribune)

 

Topic: – Wildlife

 

What is the news?

• Migrating birds from around the world flock to the Mandi district during the winter season.

 

Where did they arrive from?

• A major attraction for nature lovers, the majority of them arrived here from Siberia, China, Tibet and European countries.
• The Forest Department has identified a few birds as Ruddy Shelduck, Siberian Stonechat, Common Sandpiper, Tufted Duck, Citrine Wagtail, Little Cormorant, Greylag goose, Whiskered tern, Great Cormorant, red-wattled lapwing, Common Shelduck, Wood Sandpiper, Oriental Darter, Pond Heron and Ashy crowned sparrow lark.

(Source: - HP Tribune)

 

Topic: – Agriculture

 

What is the news?

• Urea scarcity severely affected farms in the Paonta Sahib and Shillai areas of the Sirmaur District for more than a month.

 

Why important?

• Urea is primarily used by wheat farmers during planting, beginning November 15.

 

Who is the nodal agency?

• The Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing and Consumer’s Federation (HIMFED) is the state nodal agency for supplying fertilizers to farmers. Besides, IFFCO has also been authorized to enroll cooperative societies for supplying fertilizers to farmers.

 

Reason:

• A HIMFED field official, while agreeing to the shortage of urea in the Paonta Sahib area, said the supply was much less than the demand and the stock of societies was nil in December. She informed that the societies generally secured urea from IFFCO and in case they were unable to get the requisite stock, they are provided by HIMFED.

(Source: - HP Tribune)

 

Topic: Good Governance

 

What is the news?

• The State widens the Public Service Guarantee Act.

 

How?

• The government notified 7 City Development Department Services under the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Guarantee Act.

 

Why?

• Deliver one-time services to the public.
• Timely service is the key to good government.

 

What are those 7 Services?

1) Trade License

2) Road Cutting Permission

3) Inspection Carried out for granting road cutting permits and verified to ensure proper restoration

4) Property tax/Vacant land tax.

5) Signage license

6) Sanction for shortage of construction material

7) Movie shooting

 

What is the deadline for the issuance of the commercial license?

• 7 Days with Assistant Commissioners  of Municipal Corporation and Executive Officer of Nagar Panchayat being the designated officers.
• Road Cutting: 15 Days,within 7 days of inspection by Architect, planner of Municipal Corporation area and Executive  officer of Municipal Council and Secretary in Nagar Panchayat.

(Source: HP Tribune)