SC Forms Committee to Protect Great Indian Bustard

• An expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the preservation of the Great Indian Bustard.

• This is a "non-negotiable" and "sustainable development requirement in the context of meeting the country's international commitments towards promoting renewable sources of energy".

• The ruling was made by a bench that included Manoj Mishra, JB Pardiwala, and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in handling a matter involving the Great Indian Bustard's (GIB) protection.

• The court has sought a report from the committee by July and listed the matter for the second week of August 2024.

• The Court underlined the importance of taking proactive measures to protect the GIB.

• The committee includes the Director of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Hari Shankar Singh, a Member of the National Board for Wildlife, Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Ex-Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.

• It also includes B Majumdar, former Chief Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Maharashtra, and Devesh Gadhavi, Deputy Director of the Corbett Foundation, among others.

• In the regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat that the Wildlife Institute of India designated as priority areas, the committee will determine the scope, feasibility, and extent of overhead and underground power lines.

SPORTS

Achanta Sharath Kamal to be India's flagbearer at Paris Olympics

• Table tennis player and Commonwealth Games champion Achanta Sharath Kamal (41) was named as the flagbearer of the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics.

• Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has been appointed as the head of the Indian contingent.

• Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang has been appointed to operate the shooting range.

AWARDS

Indian Scientist Prof Jayant Murthy Honoured with Asteroid Name

• Renowned Indian astrophysicist Prof. Jayant Murthy honored by IAU with asteroid name (215884) Jayantmurthy for pioneering work in ultraviolet astronomy and space missions.

• Asteroid previously known as "2005 EX296", now named after Prof. Murthy, orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, completing one revolution every 3.3 years.

• Recognition highlights Murthy's contributions to NASA's New Horizons mission, which studied Pluto in detail during its 2015 flyby and ventured into the Kuiper Belt.

• Murthy's research focuses on measuring cosmic ultraviolet background radiation, best done from the outer Solar System to minimize interference from the Sun and interplanetary medium.