Salt pan lands
Centre approved transfer of 256 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai to Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd.
- Comprise parcels of low-lying lands where seawater flows in at certain times, and leaves behind salt and other minerals.
- Spread across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
- According to Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017, salt-pan land is deleted from wetland definition.
- They are now protected under Coastal Regulation Zone rules.
Myristica Swamp
Researchers have discovered a sacred grove- a Myristica swamp forest in Kumbral (Maharashtra), which is protected by the local community.
- Tree-covered wetlands
- Found within the evergreen forests in the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Meghalaya.
- Significance – Provides ecosystem services like groundwater recharge, carbon sequestration, natural barrier against flood, etc.
TAPI Gasline Project
Turkmenistan and Afghanistan resumed work on TAPI Gas-Pipeline Project.
- Aim – To export up to 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually through a proposed 1,814-km pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
- Gas extracted from Galkynysh gas field in southeast Turkmenistan.
- Financing – Asian Development Bank which is also acting as transaction adviser for development.
- Impact – Reduced greenhouse gas emissions resulting from substitution of heavy fossil and solid fuels
Saarthi app
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in collaboration with Bhashini have launched Saarthi reference app to make e-commerce inclusive.
- Aim – To assist businesses in building buyer apps with multilingual features.
- It initially supports Hindi, English, Marathi, Bangla and Tamil, with plans to scale up to all 22 languages.
- Features – Real-time translation, transliteration, and voice recognition
Trade Connect e-platform
Trade Connect e-platform was launched recently.
- Launched by – Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
- A single window initiative aimed at facilitating international trade by Indian exporters, especially MSMEs by providing real-time access to trade-related information.
- Developed in collaboration with – Ministry of MSME, EXIM Bank, Department of Financial Service, and Ministry of External Affairs.