In order to contribute to mission ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ launched by Prime Minister of India, Ministry of Railways have taken up a mammoth task of providing human discharge free bio-toilets in all its coaches and the same would be completed by September 2019. With provision of bio-toilets in all its coaches’ discharge of human waste from trains on to the ground would be completely stopped which in turn would help in improving cleanliness and hygiene. Ministry of Railways has already provided 40,750 bio-toilets in its coaches till 30th June, 2016 and in the current financial year, it is planned to fit additional 30,000 bio-toilets. 

•    To mark the beginning of this journey towards ‘Swachh Bharat’, Ministry of Railways is inaugurating ‘First Green Train Corridor-Rameswaram-Manamadurai’ free from human waste discharge from trains tomorrow i.e. 24.07.2016. The inauguration will be done from Chennai station by Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu through video conferencing between Chennai and Rameswaram station. 
•    The Rameswarm-Manamadurai (114 Kms) track was identified to make it Green Train Corridors- free from human waste discharge from trains. Accordingly, 10 passenger trains consisting of 286 coaches moving over this section have been provided with bio-toilets. 
•    After Rameswarm-Manamadurai, Okha-Kanalas Junction(141 Kms), Porbandar-Wansjaliya (34 Kms) and Jammu-Katra(78 Kms) would also be taken up for making them free from human waste discharge from trains. For this around 35 trains consisting of nearly 1110 coaches would be further provided with bio toilets and the work is underway. These sections and stations were chosen, because the number of trains originating and terminating at these stations and sections are few, thus making it operationally easier and faster to make them human-discharge free. 
•    Indian Railways in its commitment to provide hygienic environment to passengers and to keep station premises/tracks clean, have developed environment-friendly Bio-toilets for its passenger coaches. The technology has been developed jointly by Indian Railways (IR) and Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) for railway passenger coaches through an MoU. This environment friendly, low cost and robust technology, is the first of its kind in Railway Systems in the world. In the bio-toilet fitted coaches, human waste is collected in tanks below the toilets and the same is decomposed by a consortium of bacteria.

Hundreds of people have been lining up at a sanctuary in Alattil, Kerala to view the Titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (Corpse Flower), which is blooming after about nine years. 

•    Titan arum, which smells like rotting flesh and is the largest flower in the world, collapses on itself about two days after blooming. It is native to Sumatra in Indonesia.
•    The Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary, established by late Wolfgang Theuerkauf, a German who dedicated over 30 years of his life to the conservation of plants of southern India, has been growing the Amorphophallus Titanum or Titan arum , more commonly called the Corpse Flower, the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, for nine years.
•    It began opening on Monday in the garden’s green house.
•    Suma Keloth, conservationist of the sanctuary, said the plant, which is native to Indonesia’s Sumatra region, had been grown from a seed planted about nine years ago. The corpse flower cannot self-pollinate and its stench attracts sweat bees and carrion beetles that live on animal carcasses.

India’s first e-court was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on 17 July 2016. It was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.

Hyderabad High Court is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
•    The purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the litigants. 
•    The e-Courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for public. 
•    It will also provide solution for large number of pending cases in the country. 
•    It will also make the work of judges, advocates and all those related with judiciary a lot more effective.
Besides the launch of e-court, SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur also announced that India’s first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) will be launched in High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. The system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails.

India’s first e-court was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on 17 July 2016. It was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.
Hyderabad High Court is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
•    The purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the litigants. 
•    The e-Courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for public. 
•    It will also provide solution for large number of pending cases in the country. 
•    It will also make the work of judges, advocates and all those related with judiciary a lot more effective.
Besides the launch of e-court, SC judge Justice Madan B Lokur also announced that India’s first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) will be launched in High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. The system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 250 MW thermal power project based on eco-friendly Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion technology, using low quality lignite, in Gujarat. 

•    BHEL’s scope of work includes design, manufacture, supply, and commissioning of boilers, among others. 
•    This is the third such unit commissioned by BHEL, with the previous two in Tamil Nadu.
•    The project is equipped with CFBC technology that enables use of low quality lignite as fuel. The second unit of this project is also at an advanced stage of completion.
•    This is the third 250 MW unit based on CFBC technology, commissioned by BHEL, with two others commissioned earlier in Tamil Nadu.
•    CFBC boilers are highly fuel flexible and can burn a wide variety of fuels, including lignite, efficiently. 
•    These boilers are also highly environment friendly with very low pollutant emissions.

The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) has conferred rare and singular species genetic recognition tag to thethreatened breed of Kendrapara sheep found in Odisha.

•    It became the 42nd sheep breed in India to receive such tag. The genetically rare status will help to boost conservation effort to protect these domesticated threatened sheep. 
•    Previously, two buffalo and four cattle breeds’ native to Odisha were registered at national level by NBAGR. 
•    Kendrapara sheep is found only in coastal Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts of Odisha. 
•    Locally it is called kuji mendha. The average adult sheep weighs 18-20 kg and are dwarf in built with the body covered with coarse hair. 
•    They are well adapted to high ambient temperature, high humidity and heavy rain. 
•    Multiple-birth characteristics make it a profitable livelihood source. 
•    They are primarily used for mutton production. Besides, their skin also has economic importance. National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources is dedicated to work with its mandate of identification, characterization, evaluation, conservation and utilization of livestock and poultry genetic resources of the country.