# Rat hole mining

• Moolamylliang, a village in the East jaintia hills district of meghalaya, has become the only village in large area of jaintia district affected by rat hole mining to be a green village.

• The national green tribunal (NGT) has banned rat hole mining in april 2014. But most of these mines had already turned the area into a black desert.

• The jaintia coal miners and dealers association claims there are some 60,000 coal mines across 360 villages in East jaintia hills district.

# Bharat biotech’s “Covaxin”

• Vaccine maker Bharat biotech’s phase-3 clinical trial design for its candidate “Covaxin” expects 130 covid-19 infections among trial participants.

• Bharat biotech also clarified that Covaxin is a two dose vaccine schedule administered 28 days a part and its efficacy would be determined two weeks after the second dose.

# Elephant corridors

• The national green tribunal (NGT) has directed the Odisha government to prepare an action plan within three months on 14 identified elephant corridors for providing stress free migration to jumbos from one habitation to another in the state.

• The state government had proposed 14 corridors stretching over a total area of 870.16 square km, having length of 420.8 km. Despite the passing of several years, no tangible progress had been made on government’s proposal.

# Hampi chariot

• Tourists can no longer get too close to the iconic stone chariot in front of the vijaya vittala temple at Hampi, a UNESCO world heritage site.

• Hampi, one of the most photographed monuments, has been cordoned off by a chain barricade by the Archaeological survey of India.

• This measure has been taken to protect this UNESCO world heritage site from being damaged by tourists.

# CAA

• Over 140 petitions challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act have been pending for nearly a year in supreme court.

• Various NGOs and other organisations has urged the supreme court to take up the matter urgently.

• On the other hand, the national general secretary kailash vijayvargiya has said that he is hopeful of the implementation of the CAA by january end so that refugees who have come to the West Bengal will get some rights.

# Covid vaccines

• Pfizer India becomes the first pharmaceutical firm to seek emergency use authorisation for its covid-19 vaccine from the drug controller general of India.

• Pfizer has already got emergency use authorisation nod from the regulatory bodies in UK and Bahrain.

• The serum Institute of India became on friday the first indegenous company to apply to the drug controller general of India seeking emergency use authorisation for the oxford covid vaccine in the country.

# Ayush exports

• Citing the rise in exports of ayurvedic related products since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, the government has decided to set up an export promotion council for Ayush (ayurvedic, yoga, and naturopathy,unani,siddha and homeopathy) products.

• The ministeries of finance, commerce and industry and Ayush will work together to facilitate more exports of such products by standardising the HS (harmonised system) codes for global trade.

# Today in India’s history

• 1782 – Hyder ali, warrior of mysore, passed away in a camp near chittur.

• 1856 – First hindu widow married officially after the widow remarriage was legalised in India.

• 1992 – Babri masjid was demolished in ayodhya.