Vivek Kumar

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Lok Sabha passes the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill to implement global norms on endangered species. It also focuses on implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

What is Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)?
* It is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
* The Convention requires countries to regulate the trade of all listed specimens of wild animals and plants through permits.
* It also seeks to regulate the possession of live animal specimens.

More about Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill
* The Bill amends the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 which regulated the protection of wild animals, birds and plants.
* It seeks to increase the species protected under the law.
* It focuses on implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Key Features:
* It designates authorities under CITES obligations.
* The Bill provides for the central government to designate Management & Scientific for trade of specimens.
* The Bill empowers the central government to regulate or prohibit the import, trade, possession or proliferation of invasive alien species.
* Under the 1972 Act, state governments may declare areas adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries as a conservation reserve.
* The Bill also empowers the central government to notify a conservation reserve.
* The Bill provides for any person to voluntarily surrender any captive animals or animal products to the Chief Wildlife Warden.
* The 1972 Act prescribes imprisonment terms and fines for violating the provisions of the Act. The Bill increases these fines.

Google launched a 360-degree interactive panorama feature for 10 Indian cities as part of its Street View services, which is also known as Project Gullify, which has been made possible by the new National Geospatial Policy 2021.

Continue reading to find out more about:
- National Geospatial Policy
- Features of the policy
- Significance.

A special court sentenced Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik to life imprisonment in a terror funding case.

Read along to get more details on:
• Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 (UAPA)
• Key Provisions
• 2019 Amendment
• UAPA becoming a terror law
• Criticism of UAPA

Know more about the recently launched Single National Portal for Biotech Researchers & Startups

Highlights
* Portal would allow stakeholders to see the approvals against a particular application through a unique BioRRAP ID, under which each research, requiring regulatory oversight, will be identified.
* The portal aims at strengthening interdepartmental coordination.
* It would bring accountability, transparency in functioning of agencies regulating various aspects of biological research and issuing permission.
* It tracks the requisite regulatory approval for research proposals on a single portal.
* The portal would serve as a gateway and help the researcher to check the approval stage of their applications for regulatory clearances.
* It would allow researchers to check the preliminary information on all the research work being undertaken by the particular researcher

Bio-Technology in India
* Bio-technology has fast emerged as an academic and livelihood avenue for youngsters in India.
* India is among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology globally and 3rd largest biotechnology destination in the Asia Pacific region.
* Over 2,700 biotech start-ups and more than 2,500 biotech companies working at present in the country.
* Research in the various biological fields is continuously expanding & is gaining support from various public and private players.