Countrys first dedicated wildlife corridor on a national highway

♦ The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) created the Country's first dedicated wildlife corridor on a national highway in a groundbreaking initiative blending infrastructure development with environmental conservation.

♦ The 12-kilometre stretch, part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, passed through the buffer zone of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and featured five wildlife overpasses and India's longest underpass to facilitate safe animal movement. 

♦ This marked the first time an expressway in India was designed not just for human transport but also to protect the habitat and lives of wild animals, including tigers, bears, and other endangered species.

♦ The corridor, developed with input from the Wildlife Institute of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, lay in an ecologically rich region between Ranthambore and Chambal Valley, home to diverse wildlife.

Shedding new light on South Asias ancient biodiversity

♦ Scientists have uncovered a remarkable 24-million-year-old secret hidden in the coal beds of Assam’s Makum Coalfield, shedding new light on South Asia’s ancient biodiversity.

♦ Fossilized leaves, identified as the world’s oldest known record of the Nothopegia plant genus, were discovered by researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology.

♦ The fossil leaves, dating back to the late Oligocene epoch (24–23 million years ago), bear a striking resemblance to the modern Nothopegia species found today in the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s key biodiversity hotspots, located thousands of kilometers away from Assam.

♦ Notably, the Nothopegia genus no longer grows in Northeast India, making this discovery a significant clue to the region’s ecological past.

♦ Using advanced techniques such as herbarium comparison, cluster analysis, and the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP), the research team reconstructed the ancient environment of North-East India.

Chenab Bridge, the worlds highest railway arch bridge

♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge on 6 June 2025.

♦ Soaring 359 metres above the Chenab River, the 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge is built to withstand high seismic and wind loads.

♦ It will reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by two to three hours.

♦ This bridge is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.

♦ PM Modi also inaugurated the Anji Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, constructed in one of the most challenging terrains in the region.