Why in the News?

Recently, REC Limited, the Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise launched a SUGAM REC mobile application.

What is the SUGAM REC App?

• The SUGAM REC App caters exclusively to current and prospective investors in REC's 54EC Capital Gain Tax Exemption Bonds.
• Users can conveniently download e-bond certificates, apply for new investments, access essential forms for KYC updates, and connect with REC's Investor Cell through call, email, or WhatsApp.

What are 54EC Bonds?

• Also known as Capital Gain Bonds, these fixed-income instruments offer capital gains tax exemption under section 54EC.
• Investors can save on income tax for long-term capital gains by investing in these bonds within six months of the gain.
• With a fixed lock-in period of 5 years, the bonds can be held in either Physical or Demat form.
• Issued by government-managed institutions, they fund specific capital projects and derive their name from the relevant section of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Key Facts about REC Limited:

• A 'Maharatna' company under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• Registered with RBI as a non-banking finance company (NBFC), Public Financial Institution (PFI), and Infrastructure Financing Company (IFC).
• Established in 1969 to address severe drought and famine, focusing on energizing agricultural pump sets for irrigation and reducing reliance on monsoons.
• Provides long-term loans and financing products to State, Centre, and Private Companies for infrastructure asset creation.
• It is the nodal agency for initiatives like Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGAYA), Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), and National Electricity Fund (NEF) Scheme.

Why in the News?

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Fisheries Department and the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority to file a detailed report on the removal of invasive mussel species from the Ennore-Pulicat wetland.

What is Mytella strigata?

• Mytella strigata is a moderately large mussel known for its symmetrical shell, commonly found in the middle intertidal and subtidal waters of estuaries and coastal areas.
• These mussels attach to surfaces using byssus threads.
• Appearance: Individual mussels display diverse external colours such as black, dark bluish, brown, grey, orange, and occasionally green.
• The species exhibits various shell patterns, including zigzags, spots, or concentric bands.
• Habitat and Distribution: Found in dense clusters on hard substrates and in epibenthic habitats, Mytella strigata is prevalent along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of tropical South and Central America.
• It has also expanded its presence to regions like Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, the Gulf of Thailand, the west coast of India, and the southeastern United States.
• Threats: These mussels pose a threat as they spread across river bottoms, forming carpets that hinder prawns from grazing or burying themselves in the sediment.

About Pulicat Lake:

• Pulicat is an extensive brackish-to-saline lagoon with marshes and a brackish swamp on the north.
• This is the second-largest saltwater lagoon in India and a Ramsar site (internationally recognized wetland under the Ramsar Convention).
• Only 16% of the lagoon is in Tamil Nadu; the rest is in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is fed by the Araani River at the southern tip and the Kalangi River from the northwest.
• Buckingham Canal, a navigation channel, passes through the lagoon.
• On the eastern boundary of this lagoon is Shriharikota Island, which separates the lagoon from the Bay of Bengal.
• The lagoon is shallow with large areas of mudflats and sandflats.

Why in the News?

Scientists from Mahidol University in Thailand have been exploring the potential of watermeal, the smallest flowering plant on Earth, as a source of nutrition and oxygen for astronauts.

What is Watermeal?

• The Watermeal scientifically known as Wolffia, is often mistaken for algae, but they're actually the smallest flowering plants in the world!
• Its simplicity and rapid growth rate make it an ideal candidate for studying the effects of altered gravity on plant development.
• this tiny plant is aquatic, predominantly floating on the surface of water bodies.
• Because watermeal doesn’t have any roots, stems or leaves, it is basically just a sphere floating on a body of water.
• It's a prolific producer of oxygen through photosynthesis and belongs to the duckweed family (Lemnaceae).
• Each individual watermeal plant is extremely small, roughly the size of a pinhead.
• It has a simple, globular, and rootless structure, often appearing like minute green grains on the water.
• Watermeal thrives in quiet, nutrient-rich freshwater environments like ponds, lakes, and marshes.
• The plant is found globally, with a significant presence in Asia and Thailand.
• Watermeal is known to be a rich source of protein, making it a nutritious foodstuff.
• In Thailand, it has been part of the local diet for generations, appearing in dishes ranging from soups to salads.

Why in the News?

Dr Aroh Barjatya, an Indian-origin scientist is set to lead the multi-institution NASA rocket mission on October 14.

About Atmospheric Perturbations around the Eclipse Path (APEP) mission:

• The APEP mission entails the launch of three rockets, each equipped with scientific instruments, to explore changes in the upper atmosphere during a solar eclipse, particularly during the critical phase of sudden light reduction.
• Mission Objective: To investigate alterations in the ionosphere induced by the abrupt decrease in sunlight during an eclipse, leading to the generation of waves in this atmospheric layer.
• Measurements will encompass changes in electric and magnetic fields, as well as variations in density and temperature.
• Launch Details: The launch site is the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, with a specific focus on studying the ionosphere's response during an eclipse.
• Potential Impact on Communications: NASA notes projections indicating a temperature and density reduction in the ionosphere during the eclipse, potentially causing disruptive wave disturbances that could affect GPS and satellite communications.
• Process: Rockets will be strategically positioned just beyond the path of annularity, where the Moon directly aligns with the Sun.
• Each rocket will deploy four compact scientific instruments designed to capture data on electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature changes.
• NASA's primary objective is to achieve unprecedented simultaneous measurements from multiple ionospheric locations during a solar eclipse.
• Rationale for Rocket Selection: Sounding rockets were chosen for their precision in pinpointing and measuring specific regions of space.
• Their ability to investigate lower altitudes, inaccessible to satellites, makes them ideal for this mission.
• Sounding rockets offer precise data recording as they ascend and descend during suborbital flights, covering altitudes ranging from 45 to 200 miles (70 to 325 kilometres) above Earth's surface along their flight path.

Why in the News?

A recent publication by scientists and researchers has revealed that 19 Gangetic river dolphins had been rescued from the irrigation canals of the Ganga-Ghagra basin in Uttar Pradesh between 2013 and 2020.

About Gangetic River Dolphin:

• The Gangetic River dolphin is a freshwater species, representing one of the rare river dolphins worldwide.
• Distribution: It thrives in the river systems of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu, spanning across Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
• Common Names: Known by various names such as Blind dolphin, Ganges dolphin, Ganges susu, hihu, side-swimming dolphin, and South Asian River Dolphin.
• Designated as India's National Aquatic Animal.
• Physical Features: Characterized by a long, thin snout, rounded belly, stocky body, and large flippers.
• Primarily feeds on fish, often found in counter-current systems of the main river channel.
• Eyes lack a lens, earning it the moniker 'blind dolphin.'
• Possesses an advanced bio-sonar system for effective hunting, even in murky waters.
• Requires surfacing every 30-120 seconds for breathing; its audible breathing sounds have led to the affectionate term 'Susu.'
• Conservation Status: IUCN categorizes it as Endangered.
• Protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
• Listed in CITES Appendix I.