10th June 2021
Topic: Ecology and Environment
Important for: Prelims and Mains
What is the news?
- The Monal breeding center in Manali under Wildlife Department has successfully bred three Monal birds naturally.
What is a Monal bird?
- Monal is a pheasant originating in the forests of the Himalayas.
- They are found at an elevation of 2,100 to 4,500 m over the snowy peaks of the Himalayas.
- The Monal in the Himalayas is also called Lophophorus impejanus.
- It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the danphe and state bird of Uttarakhand where it is known as the Monale.
About Nehru Pheasantry:
- It was established in 1984 with a purpose to conserve Monal species.
- In 2015, a separate breeding facility was established here.
(Source: The Tribune)
Topic: Tourism Infrastructure
Important for: Prelims and Mains
What is the news?
- The government was ordered by NGT to accelerate the Rohtang ropeway project.
What is Rohtang Ropeway Project?
- It is 8.1 kilometers long ropeway, which will be ready by 2024.
- This project is based on the PPP model of the Government of Himachal Pradesh.
- The ropeway project will be completed in three phases. In the first phase from Kothi to Gulaba it will be a 3-km stretch and 3-km long stretches, each from Gulaba to Marhi and Marhi to Rohtang, will be done in the next phases. The cableway would allow the public to easily get from Kothi to Rohtang in 21 minutes.
Working of Ropeway:
- The ropeways work with the lift principle.
- The ropeways where people are transported consist of passenger cabinets, hanging on steel ropes.
- Ropeways only require energy to overcome mechanical friction and to move uneven payloads on the uphill/downhill sides.
- It is a closed system that requires no energy to shift its dead weight.
(Source: The Tribune)