Built jointly by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in 2010 under the aegis of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), this permafrost seed bank is the second largest in the world.

• Perched at at a height of 17,300 feet above sea level, India's doomsday vault (the Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway is referred to as the world's doomsday vault) lies in Chang La (a high-altitude mountain pass in Ladakh) and is the ultimate insurance policy for the country's food supply.
• Also, Chang La's natural permafrost conditions offer an affordable and energy-efficient alternative to cryopreservation. Presently, the only other facility in India for long-term storage of seeds is the one set up by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi but it generates an enormous electricity bill thanks to the energy demands of cryopreservation.
• The Chang La seed vault's sealed 'black box' design prevents disputes over intellectual property rights. According to this arrangement, the vault does not claim ownership over the deposited samples. Thus, the ownership remains with the depositor, who has the sole right of access to the respective samples in the seed vault.
• With the aim of rivalling the Svalbard Seed Vault, India has made storing of viable seeds at Chang La free of cost for all government departments and research organisations.
• It also plans to open the facility to the international scientific community but for that, it will have to install a high-tech cooling system for 15-20 days when the temperature at the mountain pass peaks to -4 degrees.

From March: https://www.thebetterindia.com/132661/chang-la-ladakh-doomsday-vault-india/ ;

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Value of agricultural production

A lichen is not a single organism; it is a stable symbiotic association between a fungus and algae and/or cyanobacteria. Like all fungi, lichen fungi require carbon as a food source; this is provided by their symbiotic algae and/or cyanobacteria, that are photosynthetic.
The lichen symbiosis is thought to be a mutualism, since both the fungi and the photosynthetic partners, called photobionts, benefit.

• Saraswati Samman is an annual award bestowed upon Indian citizen for his outstanding literary work written in any 22 Indian languages mentioned in Schedule VIII of Constitution and published during last 10 years. The award has been named after Indian goddess of learning Saraswati. It carries cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque of goddess Saraswati.
• Saraswati Samman is considered one of the highest literary awards in India. It was established in 1991 by KK Birla Foundation (which also gives Vyas Samman for Hindi, and Bihari Puraskar for Hindi and Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan).