Aug2026_ Environmental Affairs

E20 ordinarily means a blend containing about 20% anhydrous ethanol and 80% petrol by volume.

India imports close to 88.5% of the crude oil it consumes, making domestic ethanol important for energy security.

The SDSN assessment found that none of the 17 SDGs was fully on course for achievement by 2030.

India improved from 99th place in 2025 to 94th in 2026.

The Prime Minister launched E20 at 84 OMC retail outlets across 11 States and Union Territories.

Mizoram University is a Central University established by an Act of Parliament.

Progress was limited on 42.7% of targets.

The 2018 National Policy on Biofuels set an indicative target of 20% ethanol blending by 2030.

The modules are designed to enhance biodiversity, restore fish habitats and strengthen coastal-community resilience.

A repository maintains authenticated reference material for research, identification and conservation planning.

Pilot ethanol-blending projects began in 2001.

The decision was taken on the recommendation of the National Biodiversity Authority.

Only 33.3% of assessed targets were achieved or on track.

Tvasta collaborated with the Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.

India rose to 94th place in 2026, its highest position so far.

Coral bleaching and marine heat stress make habitat restoration and coastal resilience especially important.

Ethanol procurement was projected at over 1,200 crore litres for ESY 2025-26.

The approved project cost for 417 units was Rs 129.27 crore.

Stunting declined from 37.9% in 2015 to 35.5% in 2020.

Voucher specimens are authenticated reference specimens used for scientific identification and documentation.

From 1 November 2023 onward, an Ethanol Supply Year runs from 1 November to 31 October.

WII received autonomous-institution status under the Union Environment Ministry in April 1986.

India climbed 18 places from 112th in 2015 to 94th in 2026.

The official July 2026 FAQ reported an average blending level of 20% for November 2025-June 2026.

The modules are manufactured without iron reinforcement and incorporate innovations to increase porosity and create substrates for reef fauna.

WII is India’s nodal national agency for research and training in wildlife conservation.

Per-capita emissions rose from 1.69 tonnes in 2015 to 2.21 tonnes in 2023.

MoEFCC notified the Natural History Museum of Mizoram University, Aizawl, as a Designated Repository on 19 June 2026.

India recorded an overall score of 68.3 out of 100.

A national portal can improve reporting, data sharing, coordination and dissemination of evidence-based practices.

Aizawl lies within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.

The museum was established in 2022 under Mizoram University.

The CoE was inaugurated at WII-SACON in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on 10 July 2026.

Electricity reached 92% of the world’s population, with about one-third powered by renewables.

The project is funded by the Union and Tamil Nadu governments in a 60:40 ratio.

The Ramanathapuram deployment was reported as the final leg of a project implemented across 213 artificial reef sites in Tamil Nadu.

The Government reduced GST on ethanol supplied for the EBP Programme to 5%.

Cereal yield was the only SDG 2 indicator reported as on track, reaching 3.6 tonnes per hectare in 2023.

The museum is located in Aizawl.

The announcement was made at the seventh NBWL meeting held at Gir, Gujarat, on 3 March 2025.

The modules use complex geometries with multiple crevices, folds and attachment surfaces.

The designation strengthens conservation and scientific documentation, especially in the North-eastern Region.

MoEFCC issued the notification.

The CoE is designed as a national hub for research, innovation, policy support, capacity building and best-practice dissemination.

It strengthens biodiversity conservation and documentation in the North-eastern Region.

SACON is the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History.

The museum has expertise in identifying and classifying different groups of plants, animals and fungi.

Official Phase-wise figures record Phase II as covering 43 fishing villages and 217 sites.

The National Biodiversity Authority recommended the designation.

It will preserve authenticated biological specimens from selected groups of flora and fauna.

The designation made it India’s 21st Designated Repository.

The Department of Fisheries approved 417 artificial-reef units in Tamil Nadu.

Parliamentary replies state that the 20% target was first achieved in December 2025.

Deployment began at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district, about two nautical miles offshore.

The first edition of Current Status of Human-Wildlife Conflict in India: An Overview was released.

Chennai-based startup Tvasta, incubated at IIT Madras, developed the modules.

Each module weighs about one tonne.

Average blending was below 1.5% in 2013-14, compared with 20% in November 2025-June 2026.

Global temperatures reached 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels in 2025.

The roughly 30% figure concerns pure ethanol’s lower calorific value relative to petrol, not the direct real-world loss from E20.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the Centre.

PM Narendra Modi announced it during the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife.

The National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal was launched alongside the Centre.

Undernourishment fell initially but rose to 12% in 2023, with the trend classified as stagnating.

WII is an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Its national-hub role includes research, policy support and capacity building for relevant stakeholders.

The Wildlife Institute of India was established at Dehradun in 1982.

India achieved E10 in June 2022, five months before the November 2022 target.

Wasting increased from 16.9% in 2017 to 18.7% in 2020.

The pilot forms part of Phase II of Tamil Nadu’s artificial-reef programme supported under PMMSY.

The Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme was launched in 2003 for 5% ethanol-blended petrol in nine States and four UTs.

The Centre seeks to strengthen scientific and evidence-based management of human-wildlife conflict.

The remaining 24% of targets worsened or moved in the wrong direction.

The modified Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana supports advanced biofuel projects and has been extended to 2028-29.

The project was led by Principal Scientist and Head Dr Joe K. Kizhakudan.