1. Operation clean art
- There has been a widespread crackdown on factories making paint brushes with mongoose hair across the country.
- Brushes made of mongoose hair are preferred because they are superior and hold colour better.
- Mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and any smuggling or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence.
- IUCN Red List status- Least Concerned.
- All six species are listed on CITES Appendix III with a zero quota for commercial trade.
- There are six species of mongoose found in India- Indian grey mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Crab-eating mongoose, Stripe-necked mongoose and Brown mongoose.
- The Indian grey mongoose is the most commonly found species and also the most hunted.
- It was the first pan India operation to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country.
- It was conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the singular aim of ensuring that the mongoose hair brush trade should be closed down across the country.
2. Satellites to monitor forestry
- A satellite-based mechanism to monitor areas under green cover and the growth of saplings planted there is being developed by the government. Some states have made significant achievements in nurturing planted saplings to their full growth.
- The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds to the tune of Rs 47,000 crore will be utilised for greening India, he said after a meeting with the forest ministers and officials of various states.
- The minister said “very positive discussions” on issues like the use of CAMPA fund for forestation, water conservation, fodder augmentation and moisture management in the forests, besides the eradication of Lantana weed were held in the meeting.
3. India –Sweden delegation level talks
- Prime Minister NarendraModi held delegation level talks with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.
- The meeting is aimed at giving a boost to bilateral co-operation in various sectors. Several agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries.
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived on a state visit to India this morning at the invitation of President Ram NathKovind. They were given a ceremonial welcome at RashtrapatiBhawan. This is His Majesty’s third visit to India. The King will meet President Ram Nath Kovind this evening.
4. Dyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary
- The Dnyanganga Sanctuary is situated in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra.
- It is a part of the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
- It is located near the Dnyanganga River which is a tributary of the Tapti River.
5. Tipeshwar Tiger Reserve
- It is located in Yawatmal district of Maharashtra.
- The rivers such as Purna, Krishna, Bhima, and Tapti flow through the sanctuary.
- Due to the presence of a sufficient quantity of water, it is also popularly known as Green Oasis of Maharashtra.
6. COP 25
- Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP25 has begun from December 2 in Madrid (Spain).
- Originally, the Summit was scheduled to be held at Chile (South Ameria) but violent mass movement across the country made Chile reluctant from hosting the event.
Agenda for COP25
The prime objective of the conference is to complete the rule-book to the 2015 Paris Agreement that will become effective in 2020 to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (comes to an end in 2020).