What is in news :  Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has achieved success in improving the numbers of Pygmy hogs. This breakthrough is done through captive genetic inbreeding of endangered species

About Pygmy Hogs

• Native to alluvial grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas at elevations of up to 300 m (980 ft).
• Only known population lives in Assam, India and possibly southern Bhutan.
• As the population is estimated at less than 250 mature individuals, it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
• Designated as a Schedule I species in India under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and offences against them invite heavy penalties.

About Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

• The Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a premier research organization which conducts high quality basic research and trainings in frontier areas of modern biology, and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the interdisciplinary areas of biology.
• It was set up initially as a semi-autonomous Centre on April 1, 1977 with the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory (presently, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, IICT) Hyderabad.
• It is located in Hyderabad and operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• It is designated as “Center of Excellence” by the Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.