Cotton in Maharashtra: Maharashtra is the largest cotton-growing state in the country. Nearly 40 lakh hectares or 35% of the cultivatable area is under cotton production. Nearly 96% cotton-growing farmers in the state use BG-II Bt cotton seeds for cultivation. Pink bollworm is a major pest in Maharashtra. Pink Bollworm: It is a small, thin, … Continue reading Bt Cotton

Headline : A crusade for women’s rights Details : The News The Supreme Court is being seen as a crusade for women’s rights because of its various verdicts in favour of women rights. Recent important Supreme Court verdicts Candidates contesting elections cannot be disqualified on framing of charges A Constitution Bench ruled that candidates contesting elections cannot be disqualified on the … Continue reading A crusade for women’s rights

What are Biodiversity Hotspots? The British biologist Norman Myers coined the term "biodiversity hotspot" in 1988. They are the biogeographic regions characterised both by exceptional levels of plant endemism and by serious levels of habitat loss. To qualify as a hotspot a region must meet two strict criteria: It must contain at least 1,500 species … Continue reading Biodiversity Hotspots

Elephant census: It is the first ever synchronised elephant census carried out in the country’s eastern region. With the count of 1,976 elephants in this census, it has been seen that the jumbo population has gone up marginally by 22 elephants from 2015. Methods used to Count: Direct method like direct sighting was used. Indirect … Continue reading Elephant Census

About Ramsar Convention The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an inter-governmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.The convention on Wetlands was signed at Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.It is the only global environment treaty dealing with a … Continue reading About Ramsar, Wetlands

Aerosols: Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in a mixture of gases. Aerosols covers a wide spectrum of small particles, like sea salt particles, mineral dust, pollen, drops of sulphuric acid and many others. Sources: Aerosols originate from a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic sources. Some of them are:- Vehicular exhaust Half-burnt crop … Continue reading Aerosols

About Leader of Opposition No provision for LoP in Constitution: There is no provision in the Constitution or even in the Lok Sabha Rules of Procedure in regard to the recognition of the Leader of Opposition (LoP). By norm, second largest party with 10% of the seats was LoP: Right from the first Lok Sabha, the … Continue reading About Leader of Opposition