DAY 139Quick read

Sea waves, aided by winds, currents, tides and storms carry on the erosional and depositional processes. The erosive work of the sea depends upon size and strength of waves, slope, height of the shore between low and high tides, shape of the coast, composition of rocks, depth of water, human activity. Waves also use rock debris as instruments of erosion. These rock fragments carried by waves themselves get worn down by striking against the coast or against one another.
The river valleys formed when sea retreats are called hanging valleys. Peneplains are formed by agents of weathering when the level difference between plain of marine erosion and sea level is not much.

In arid regions occasional rainstorms produce numerous rills and channels which extensively erode weak sedimentary formations. Ravines and gullies are developed by linear fluvial erosion leading to the formation of badland topography.
Water Eroded Arid Landforms – Rill, Gully, Ravine, Badland Topography, Bolsons, Playas, Pediments.
Wind Eroded Arid Landforms – Deflation basins, Mushroom rocks, Inselbergs.

India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up on the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University. The presence of dolphins in the Ganga gives a sign of a healthy ecosystem because dolphins live at least in 5 ft to 8 ft deep water.
The gangetic dolphin has been declared an endangered aquatic animal and is one of the four freshwater dolphins species in the world. The other three species are found in the Yangtze River, the Indus River in Pakistan and the Amazon River globally. The proposed NDRC in Patna would play a major role in facilitating deep and wide research on the life cycle of dolphins and their behavioural significance in context with climate change.

Fundamental Rights available to only citizens and not foreigners . Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth (Article 15). . Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment (Article 16). . Six basic freedoms subject to reasonable restrictions (Article 19). . Protection of language, script and culture of minorities (Article 29). . Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions (Article 30). Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India is guaranteed by Art 19(d) of the constitution.

ordinance amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 (CMSP Act). The Ordinance clarifies that the companies which do not possess any prior coal mining experience in India but are financially strong and or have mining experience in other minerals or in other countries can now participate in auction of coal/lignite blocks. The Ordinance also adds that terminated mines may be reallocated through auction or allotment and provides for compensation to the allottee whose allocation has been terminated. Further,it provides that state governments can take advance action for auction of a mining lease before its expiry.

The Private Entity shall pay to Indian Railways pre-determined charges for haulage and any other payments as specified in the Agreement. However, the Private Entity shall have the freedom to decide on the fare to be charged from its passengers. Further, the maintenance of the trains shall be the responsibility of the private entity. Operation and maintenance of the passenger trains would be governed by standards to be laid down by Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO). Pre-specified penalties shall be recovered from the Concessionaire for failure to meet the prescribed performance standards and outcomes.

Objectives of the project: To remove regional imbalance within the country with regard to access of natural gas and connect gas sources to major demand centres and ensure availability of gas to consumers in various sectors. A joint venture of 5 oil and gas CPSEs i.e. GAIL, IOCL, OIL, ONGC and NRL named as “Indradhanush Gas Grid Ltd” (IGGL) has been entrusted to develop trunk pipeline connectivity in all North Eastern States i.e. Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya in a phased manner. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a Capital Grant as the Viability Gap Funding to Indradhanush Gas Grid Ltd for setting up the North East Natural Gas Pipeline Grid.