National Endangered Species Day is an annual event that strives to raise awareness about the significance of safeguarding endangered species and their habitats. This special day, observed on the third Friday of May each year, provides an opportunity for individuals, groups, and governments to band together and take action to conserve and restore the magnificent biodiversity that exists on our earth.

In 2024, the National Endangered Species Day will be observed on May 17.

To emphasise how important it is for plants and animals to coexist peacefully to maintain the ecosystem, National Endangered Species Day is observed. An ecosystem is out of balance when a species faces extinction as a result of a large population fall or the loss of vital habitat.

All living organisms on earth are interconnected, losing one often results in the extinction of others. As a result, National Endangered Species Day is marked every year to raise awareness about endangered species of plants and animals.

Tata Motors reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 17,483 crore (adjusted for exceptional gains and losses) for Q4FY24, surpassing TCS’ consolidated net earnings of Rs 12,434 crore.

For the automotive major, this marked a 213.7 per cent year-on-year increase in the bottom line, from Rs 5,573.8 crore a year ago. In contrast, India’s biggest IT firm saw a more modest Y-o-Y growth of 9.1 per cent in net profit, from Rs 11,392 crore.

Tata Steel — another major company in the Tata group — is yet to declare its results for Q4FY24.
In comparison, the combined net profit of 16 Tata companies

The Centre plans to complete the GIS mapping of all national highways, including marking the jurisdictions of all state- owned developers, for better planning, execution and monitoring of the road network and timely completion of projects.

As part of the exercise, the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has asked all project implementing units of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Border Roads Organization (BRO), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) and the ministry itself to complete marking their jurisdictions of the national highways dashboard before the end of May so that the complete GIS data of highways along with jurisdictional segregation is available for future reference and fast-tracking work.

ISRO unveils plans for Mangalyaan-2, aiming to land a rover on Mars with innovative techniques like a sky crane and a Martian helicopter. Read on to learn more about the ambitious mission.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is aiming for the Red Planet. Building on the success of their historic Mangalyaan mission, ISRO has unveiled its plans for Mangalyaan-2, their next ambitious mission to Mars. This mission has the potential to make India the third nation in the world, after the US and China, to successfully land a spacecraft on Mars. The key detail revealed during a presentation on National Technology Day is ISRO's approach to landing their rover on the Martian surface.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested portable hospital cubes Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri (BHISHM) for the first time in Uttar Pradesh's Agra on Tuesday.

The test aimed to assess the capability of portable hospitals to be deployed across the country during emergencies. Weighing about 720kg, the portable hospital was dropped from 1,500 feet using specially designed parachutes by the Air Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra.

After a gap of 140 years, researchers have rediscovered a rare and endangered tree species, Uniyala multibracteata (locally known as Kattupoovamkurunnila), from a non-protected area of the Wagamon hills in the Western Ghats. According to the researchers, the species, believed to have become extinct, has been accidentally rediscovered.

Kattupoovamkurunnila is endemic to areas such as Wagamon, Memala, and Elappara. The species was originally discovered from Peerumade in 1880 by R.H. Beddome, a pioneer botanist who conducted plant discoveries in south India.

Jomy Augustine, former Botany Professor at Pala St. Thomas College, who led the research, says that after Beddome nobody could collect this rare plant. “It remained unknown for the last 140 years and scientists declared it as critically endangered or possibly extinct. The genus Uniyala is named to recognise the contribution of B.P Uniyal, a renowned plant taxonomist. This genus has 11 species, most of which are endemic to south India.” says Dr. Augustine.

Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful training launch of guided multi-launch rocket system 'Fatah-II', which is capable of engaging targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometres, the army said. The launch of Fatah-II Guided Rocket System was aimed at perfecting the launch drills and procedures, the army said in a statement.

"Equipped with state-of-the-art navigation system, unique trajectory and manoeuvrable features, Fatah-II is capable of engaging targets with high precision and defeating any missile defence system," it said.

Moreover, the army also announced that "Fatah -II is being inducted in Pakistan's Artillery Divisions for stand-off, precision engagement of deep targets," and its induction would significantly upgrade the reach and lethality of the army's conventional arsenal.

India has set up its pavilion at the 2024 World Hydrogen Summit, currently underway in Rotterdam, Netherlands from May 13-15. Organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the India Pavilion stands as one of the largest at the event, showcasing the country’s advancements in green hydrogen technology and facilitating engagement with stakeholders.

India launched its National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023 with an overall outlay of Rs 19,744 crore. It targets to achieve green hydrogen production capacity of 5 million tonnes by the end of 2030.

Additionally, scheme guidelines have been notified for utilizing green hydrogen in key sectors such as steel, transportation, and shipping. Furthermore, the Department of Science and Technology has initiated Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters to foster innovation and promote Green Hydrogen ecosystem in India.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote innovation, support the semiconductor and electronics industry, and strengthen supply chains.

The MoU, signed on April 14 in Bengaluru, establishes a framework for long-term collaboration between the two organisations.

"This collaboration will focus on establishing a joint task force on semiconductors and future critical technologies. The core objective of this MoU is to conduct technology consultative roundtables and foster business partnerships," said SK Pathak, secretary general of FICCI, in a press release.

Every year, national Dengue Day is observed on May 16 to spread awareness about the disease and ways to prevent it. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. it spreads from mosquitoes to humans and is more common in tropical and subtropical regions. High fever, headache, body ache, joint and muscle pain, nausea and rash are common symptoms of dengue. Most people with dengue get better within 1-2 weeks. However, in severe cases, dengue can also become fatal. Preventing mosquito bites is the most effective way to control dengue spread. On National Dengue Day 2024