Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passes away

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a former defence minister who had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year, died on March 17. He was 63. The health of Parrikar, a technocrat-turned-politician and a BJP stalwart, took a turn for the worse in the past two days after his medical condition fluctuated for over a year. The four-term chief minister was flown to the US for treatment in March last year. His political career began as an RSS pracharak and he continued working for the Sangh even after graduating from IIT-Bombay as a metallurgical engineer. Parrikar entered electoral politics in 1994 when he won on a BJP ticket from Panaji. He was the defence minister from November 2014 to March 2017.

India to post Customs intel officers in China

India has decided to post Customs intelligence officers in China in its effort to check black money, trade-based money laundering and other financial frauds. Two posts of the Customs Overseas Intelligence Network (COIN) have been created at the Indian Embassy in Beijing and at the Consulate General of India in Guangzhou. The move has been initiated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to curtail incidents of trade-based money laundering and other financial frauds originating from China. COIN officers are usually mandated to pass on intelligence to help Indian intelligence agencies check trade-related frauds. COIN officers have been posted in several countries, including Nepal, Singapore, the US and UK, to help Indian authorities check smuggling.

Justice Ghose tipped to be first Lokpal

Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose is said to be in active consideration for appointment as the country’s first Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman, officials said. There was no official announcement of his appointment by the government. Justice Ghose, 66, retired as Supreme Court judge in May 2017. He has been a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) since June 29, 2017. His name for the post is understood to have been in active consideration by the Lokpal selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SC had on January 17 set up a February-end deadline for the Lokpal search committee to send a panel of names who could be considered for the appointment as its chairman and members. A person who is or has been the Chief Justice of India or an SC judge is eligible for appointment as Lokpal.

CPCB asked to prepare noise pollution maps

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prepare a noise pollution map and remedial action plan. The NGT said the absence of implementation of noise pollution norms affects health of citizens, especially infants and senior citizens. It also affects sleep, comfort, studies and other legitimate activities, it said. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the CPCB to prepare the map, identify noise pollution hotspots and categorise cities with specified hotspots and propose a remedial action plan within three months. Noting that the CPCB has established a noise monitoring mechanism in seven cities, the NGT asked the board to consider setting up of such mechanisms in all cities where noise pollution is beyond permissible limits.

NGT directs states to submit action plan

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed six states to submit by April 30 action plans for bringing air quality standards within the prescribed norms, failing which they would be liable to pay environment compensation of Rs 1 crore each. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered the chief secretaries of Assam, Jharkhand Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Nagaland governments to submit their plan within the stipulated time. “We direct chief secretaries of the states in respect of which action plans have not been filed to forthwith furnish such action plans,” said the bench, also comprising Justices S.P. Wangdi and K. Ramakrishnan.

India now has 2,293 political parties

The Election Commission’s data on political parties registered till March 9 reveal that India has a total of 2,293 political parties. They include seven “recognised national” and 59 “recognised state” parties. In fact, 149 parties were registered with the EC between February and March on the eve of the announcement of the poll schedule. These registered but unrecognised political parties don’t have the privilege of contesting polls on a fixed symbol. They have to choose from a list of ‘free symbols’ issued by the poll panel. According to the EC, there are 84 such free symbols available. To become recognised either at the state or national level, a party has to secure certain minimum percentage of valid votes or number of seats in the Assembly or the Lok Sabha during the previous election.

Stunting declines to 34.7% in 2017-18

Malnutrition (stunting of children) in India has reduced to 34.7 per cent in 2017-18, a senior government official said. As per the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 data, stunting of children in the age group of 0-6 years declined to 38.4 per cent in 2015-16 from 48 per cent in 2004-05. “A survey conducted by UNICEF and the health ministry shows that the rate of stunting has reduced to 34.7 per cent in 2017-18 from 38.4 per cent in 2015-16,” the official said. Stunting, or low height for age, is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient intake and frequent infections. The survey is based on information collected from 1.12 lakh households.

Viral revival poses a threat to astronauts

Space travel caused herpes viruses to reactivate in more than half of crew aboard the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS), according to a NASA study, a finding that could jeopardise mankind’s future missions to Mars and beyond. While only a small proportion develop symptoms, virus reactivation rates increase with spaceflight duration and could present a significant health risk on future missions. “NASA astronauts endure weeks or even months exposed to microgravity and cosmic radiation - not to mention the extreme G forces of take-off and re-entry,” said Satish Mehta at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “This physical challenge is compounded by more familiar stressors like social separation, confinement and an altered sleep-wake cycle,” said Mehta.

Asteroid Bennu rotating faster over time

Asteroid Bennu - a target of NASA’s sample return mission - is spinning faster over time, an observation that may help understand the evolution of asteroids and their potential threat to Earth, scientist say. Bennu is located 110 million km away from Earth. As it moves through space at about 101,000 km per hour, it also spins, completing a full rotation every 4.3 hours. Last year, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer spacecraft arrived at Bennu, the asteroid it will be studying and sampling over the next several years. The research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, found that the asteroid’s rotation is speeding up by about one second per century. In other words, Bennu’s rotation period is getting shorter by about one second every 100 years.

Newsmakers

Senior journalist and environmental activist Darryl D’Monte died at a Mumbai hospital after a brief illness on March 17. He was 74. In a career spanning decades, he served as the resident editor of Mumbai editions of The Times of India and The Indian Express.

National record holder K.T. Irfan has qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after finishing fourth in the 20km event of the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan.