Remote EVM

Remote EVM

• The Election Commission (EC) made an­announcement regarding the development of a prototype of a multi­ constituency remote electronic voting machine (RVM) to enable remote voting by migrant voters.

• The machines can handle multiple constituencies from one remote booth.

About ECI 

• It is a constitutional body under Article 324. 
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country.
• Chief Election Commissioner of India – Rajiv Kumar 
• Election Commissioners of India 
• Anup Chandra Pandey 
• Arun Goel

Nilgiri Tahr conservation project launched

• The Tamil Nadu government launched an initiative for the conservation of the Nilgiri Tahr at a cost of ₹25.14 crore.
• Nilgiri Tahr is designated as the State animal of Tamil Nadu in recognition of its ecological and cultural significance.
• Under the Nilgiri Tahr project, the government plans to 

• Develop a better understanding of the Nilgiri Tahr population through surveys and radio telemetry studies 
• Reintroduce the Tahrs to their historical habitat 
• Address proximate threats
• Increase public awareness of the species. 

• The project is to be implemented from 2022 to 2027.
• The funds for the pro­ject are to be provided by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
• The Government announced that October 7 will be celebrated as ‘Nilgiri Tahr Day’ in honour of E.R.C. Davidar, who was responsible for pioneering one of the first studies of the species in 1975.

Challenges in the conservation of the Nilgiri Tahrs 

• Potential local extinction due to highly fragmented populations
• Invasion of exotic species into the habitat 
• Forest fires 
• Over­exploitation of forest resources 
• Lack of ecological data and understanding.

Historical References

• References are found in Tamil Sangam literature dating back to 2,000 years with reference to Nilgiri Tahr.
• The late Mesolithic (10,000­4,000 BC) paintings highlight the significance of the Tahr in folklore, culture and life.

About Nilgiri Tahr 

• • It is an endangered species and the sole Caprinae species found in the tropical mountains of southern India.
  • The animal inhabits meadows with steep cliffs at elevations between 300 metres and 2,600 metre above sea level. 
  • It is estimated that there are 3,122 Nilgiri Tahrs in the wild. 

• Found mostly in Western Ghats (around Kerala and Tamil Nadu) 

• It has become locally extinct in around 14% of its traditional shola forest grassland habitat.