Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has unveiled the first-ever Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) Baseline Report for the fiscal year 2022–23.
About Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI)
It is a composite Index & has been compiled based on 435 unique local Indicators (331 mandatory & 104 optional) consisting of 566 unique data points across 9 themes of Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs).
It reflects India’s commitment to achieving the SDG 2030 Agenda through participatory, bottom-up development.
The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) was launched in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector.
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Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing.
The NCMM mission aims to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
According to a new study published in Nature, the increasing ferocity of wildfires means that more than 30% of the Arctic Boreal Zone (ABZ) has now stopped capturing carbon and is instead releasing it.
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The findings align with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA’s) 2024 Arctic Report Card.
It also highlighted that the Arctic tundra, a treeless region, is becoming a net carbon source, largely due to warming temperatures and escalating wildfire activity in the Northern polar region.