DAILY CURREN T AFFAIRS

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Time: 40 Min. Date: 23-06-2021

Polity and Governance

Recusals by Judges Syllabus: GS 2/ Judiciary

In News

Recently, Two Supreme Court judges have recused themselves from hearing cases relating to

West Bengal.

● On June 21, Delhi High Court judge Anup Bhambhani recused himself from hearing a

plea by digital media houses challenging the validity of the IT rules regulating

intermediaries.

About Judge Recusal

● When there is a conflict of interest, a judge can withdraw from hearing a case to

prevent creating a perception that she carried a bias while deciding the case.

● For example, if the case pertains to a company in which the judge holds stakes, the

apprehension would seem reasonable.

○ Similarly, if the judge has, in the past, appeared for one of the parties involved in

a case, the call for recusal may seem right.

○ Another instance for recusal is when an appeal is filed in the Supreme Court

against a judgement of a High Court that may have been delivered by the

Supreme Court judge when she was in the High Court.

● This practise stems from the cardinal principle of due process of law that nobody can

be a judge in her case.

○ Any interest or conflict of interest would be a ground to withdraw from a case

since a judge must act fair.

Process For Recusal

● The decision to recuse generally comes from the judge herself as it rests on the

conscience and discretion of the judge to disclose any potential conflict of interest.

● In some circumstances, lawyers or parties in the case bring it up before the judge.

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○ If a judge recuses, the case is listed before the Chief Justice for allotment to a

fresh Bench.

● There are no formal rules governing recusals, although several Supreme Court

judgments have dealt with the issue.

○ In Ranjit Thakur v Union of India (1987), the Supreme Court held that the tests

of the likelihood of bias are the reasonableness of the apprehension in the mind

of the party.

○ A Judge shall not hear and decide a matter in a company in which he holds

shares unless he has disclosed his interest and no objection to his hearing and

deciding the matter is raised,”

■ States the 1999 charter ‘Restatement of Values in Judicial Life’, a code of

ethics adopted by the Supreme Court.

● Once a request is made for recusal, the decision to recuse or not rests with the judge.

○ While there are some instances where judges have recused even if they do not

see a conflict but only because such apprehension was cast.

○ There have also been several cases where judges have refused to withdraw from

a case.

■ For instance, in 2019, Justice Arun Mishra had controversially refused to

recuse himself from a Constitution Bench set up to re-examine a

judgement he had delivered previously, despite several requests from

the parties.

■ Justice Mishra had reasoned that the request for recusal was an excuse for

“forum shopping” and agreeing could compromise the independence of

the judiciary.

■ In the Ayodhya-Ramjanmabhoomi case, Justice U U Lalit recused

himself from the Constitution Bench after parties brought to his attention

that he had appeared as a lawyer in a criminal case relating to the case.

Recording of Reasons for Recusal

● Since no formal rules are governing the process, it is often left to individual judges to

record reasons for recusal.

● Some judges disclose the reasons in open court; in some cases, the reasons are apparent.

○ The two Supreme Court judges who have recused themselves from cases relating

to West Bengal had been Calcutta High Court judges.

■ The cases they have recused from relating to post-poll violence in the

state and the Narada scam, which have become political battles between

the state and Centre in court.

● In his opinion in the National Judicial Appointments Commission judgment in 2015,

Justice (now retired) Kurian Joseph, who was a member of the Constitution Bench,

highlighted the need for judges to give reasons for recusal as a measure to build

transparency.

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○ It is the constitutional duty, as reflected in one’s oath, to be transparent and

accountable, and hence, a judge is required to indicate reasons for his recusal

from a particular case.

Conclusion

● Recusal is also regarded as the abdication of duty. Maintaining institutional civilities are

distinct from the fiercely independent role of the judge as an adjudicator.

● It is the constitutional duty, as reflected in one’s oath, to be transparent and

accountable, and hence, a judge is required to indicate reasons for his recusal from a

particular case.

Source: IE

Environment and Biodiversity

Mangroves Plantation Along Odisha Coast Syllabus: GS 3/Environmental Impact Assessment

In News :

The Odisha government has proposed to raise mangrove and casuarinas plantation in the

coastal belt.

● The state has around 480-kilometres-long coastal belt.

Need

● Odisha is one the most cyclone-prone states in the country and it also is vulnerable to

various natural disasters like flood, hailstorm, drought due to its unique geo-climatic

condition.

● The mangroves have acted as a bio-shield against the strong winds in all the cyclones

that struck the state.

○ Previously, the mangroves served as a natural barrier to cyclonic winds in

Bhitarkanika National Park during Cyclone Yaas.

○ As many as 96 cyclones have hit Odisha coast in the last 130 years.

● Therefore, it is important to build a coastal shelter belt to protect the coastal areas.

○ The Odisha coastal area is a wildlife hotspot as well as an economic zone.

Mangroves

● A mangrove is a small tree or shrub that grows along coastlines, taking root in salty

sediments, often underwater.

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● The word ‘mangrove’ may refer to the habitat as a whole or the trees and shrubs in the

mangrove swamp.

● Mangroves are flowering trees, belonging to the families Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae,

Lythraceae, Combretaceae, and Arecaceae.

● The upper trunk, including the branches and leaves, of a mangrove tree, lives

completely above the waterline, while the lower trunk and the large root system are

partly covered by seawater.

● Many species have roots diverging from stems and branches and penetrating the soil

some distance away from the main stem (like banyan trees).

● Features:

○ Saline Environment: A speciality of mangroves is that they can survive under

extreme hostile environments such as high salt and low oxygen conditions.

■ Mangrove trees contain a complex salt filtration system and complex

root system to cope with saltwater immersion and wave action.

■ The roots filter out 90% of the salt they come into contact with within

the saline and brackish water they call home. Some species of mangrove

excrete salt through glands in their leaves.

○ Low oxygen: Underground tissue of any plant needs oxygen for respiration. But

in a mangrove environment, the oxygen in soil is limited or nil.

■ Hence the mangrove root system absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere.

■ Mangroves have special roots for this purpose called breathing roots or

pneumatophores.

● These roots have numerous pores through which oxygen enters

the underground tissues.

○ Store Freshwater: Mangroves, like desert plants, store fresh water in thick

succulent leaves. A waxy coating on the leaves seals in the water and minimises

evaporation.

○ Mangroves are viviparous: Their seeds germinate while still attached to the

parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows into a propagule.

■ The mature propagule then drops into the water and gets transported to

a different spot, eventually taking root in a solid ground.

Distribution of Mangroves

● Mangroves can be found in over 118 countries and territories in the tropical and

subtropical regions of the world.

○ Asia has the largest coverage of the world’s mangroves, followed by Africa,

North and Central America, Oceania and South America. Approximately 75% of

the world’s mangrove forests are found in just 15 countries.

○ In India:

■ The deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and the Cauvery

rivers contain mangrove forests.

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■ The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forest.

■ The Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove region in the

world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It spans from the Hooghly

River in West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh.

■ The Bhitarkanika mangrove system in Odisha is India’s second-largest

mangrove forest.

■ Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu has a vast expanse of water covered with

mangrove forests. It is home to many aquatic bird species.

Importance of Mangroves

● Mangrove forests act as natural barriers against storm surge, coastal flooding and sea-

level rise.

○ Their intricate root system stabilises the coastline, reducing erosion from storm

surges. Together with the tree trunks, they work like speed-breakers to slow

down the tides.

● Mangrove thickets maintain water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping

sediments originating from land.

● They provide habitat for a diverse array of terrestrial organisms.

○ Their branches provide homes for lizards, snakes and nesting birds. Many

species of coastal and offshore fish and shellfish rely exclusively on mangroves

as their breeding, spawning, and hatching grounds.

● Mangroves also have a big impact on climate. Mangroves are powerhouses when it

comes to carbon storage.

○ Studies indicate that mangroves can sequester (lock away) greater amounts of

carbon than other trees in the peat soil beneath. They store this carbon for

thousands of years.

● Many people living in and around mangroves depend on them for their livelihood.

○ The trees are a source of wood for construction and fuel. The ecosystem

provides local fishermen with a rich supply of fish, crabs and shellfish. The

ecosystem also supports tourism.

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Image Courtesy: UNEP

Major Threats

● Scientists estimate that at least one-third of all mangrove forests have been lost during

the last few decades.

○ Coastal development, including the construction of shrimp farms, hotels, and

other structures, is the primary threat to mangroves.

○ Mangrove forests are cleared to make room for agricultural land and human

settlements.

○ Mangrove trees are used for firewood, construction wood, charcoal production,

and animal fodder. In some parts of the world, there has been overharvesting

which is no longer sustainable.

○ Overfishing, pollution, and rising sea levels are the other threats to mangrove

forests and their ecosystem.

Conclusion

● The mangroves have a crucial role in sustaining and preserving the coastal ecosystem.

The threats posed by human activities can disrupt the natural balance and cause their

depletion.

● Hence, efforts need to be taken to compensate for the plants that are damaged due to

various natural and anthropogenic activities with proper plantation drives.

Source:DTH

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Social Justice

Pandemic and Malnutrition Syllabus: GS2/ Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services

relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

In News The Parliamentary panel asked the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) to conduct a survey on the impact of the pandemic on anganwadi services and malnutrition levels among children. About

● The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports fixating on the need for data to understand “how anganwadi services were delivered on the ground during the pandemic, and to assess the impact of COVID-19 on stunting and wasting levels”.

● Recently, the government has launched an app called Poshan Tracker to monitor delivery of services at 14 lakh anganwadis, but here also the data is beginning to be uploaded only from June 1.

● The Ministry also made a presentation on children orphaned during COVID-19 and apprised the panel of various measures being taken to help them, including

○ funds for family and institutional care, ○ revising norms for child care institutions as well as ○ maintaining monthly reports on foster care for such children.

● The secondary impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are aggravating the challenges faced by many families, especially in terms of access to affordable and nutritious food. This could reverse some of the recent gains in reducing malnutrition.

Malnutrition

● Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

● The term malnutrition addresses 3 broad groups of conditions: ○ Undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low

height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age); ○ Micronutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micronutrient deficiencies (a

lack of important vitamins and minerals) or micronutrient excess; and ○ Overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart

disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers). India's Malnutrition Profile

● There are about 189.2 million undernourished people in India; a majority of whom are women and children.

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● According to government figures from the year 2015-2016, 22.9% of women in the 15-29 age group are underweight, as compared to 20.2% of men in the same age group.

● Further, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 report, in 2016, nearly 51.4 percent of women of reproductive age in India were suffering from anemia.

● Almost 50% of women are facing severe undernutrition and Anaemia. ● In fact, around 60 million children, which is roughly about half, of all children in India are

underweight, ○ about 45 per cent are stunted, ○ 21 percent are wasted, ○ 57 percent are vitamin A deficient, and ○ 75 percent are anemic.

● Malnutrition has thus become the major contributor to the under-five mortality rate in India.

● These statistics indicate that undernutrition in India is a gendered problem. ○ The root cause for these male-female differentials can be found in native socio-

cultural norms and mindsets. Such norms, rooted in patriarchy, would suggest that distribution of resources---including food---should be done in a hierarchical manner, with male members of the family typically at the top of the ladder.

● Malnutrition and the widespread prevalence of stunting, wasting, and nutritional deficiencies among women and children are well-recognised elements of India's profile in the Global Hunger Index.

● The prevalence of malnutrition in India has notably declined over the last decade, and the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18 revealed that major challenges remain.

Initiatives by GoI to Address Malnutrition and Food Security ● The initiatives covered under the National Food Security (NFS) Act, 2013:

○ Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), ○ the Mid-Day meals (MDM) and ○ The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

● POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018), an ambitious, multi-sectoral programme with the vision to attain a malnutrition-free India by 2022.

○ An example of the success of POSHAN Abhiyaan is the increase in the coverage

of iron folate supplementation for adolescent girls under the Anaemia Mukt

Bharat Campaign, which reduced the prevalence of anaemia from 20 percent to 39 percent in two years.

● Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: ○ Centrally sponsored Scheme ○ Started in 2017 ○ Rs.6,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women and

Lactating Mothers for availing better facilities for their delivery to compensate for wage loss

○ Eligible for First Child of the family ○ Implementation of the scheme is closely monitored by the central and state

governments through the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana - Common Application Software (PMMVY-CAS).

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● Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: ○ Launched in 2018, ○ The mission aims at accelerating the annual rate of decline of anaemia from one to

three percentage points. Challenges

● Income loss being faced by the population amid Covid 19 ● Supply chains are disrupted causing harm to farmers, specially the small and marginal

ones. ● Health systems and services are strained due to lack of infrastructure and also because

of the fear in people’s minds that if they visit a Doctor, their chances of catching the virus will increase.

● Malnutrition is on rise again as shown by recent trends. ● Awareness about immunity boosters and nutrition rich diets is the need of the hour.

● Health budget for nutrition and other aspects needs to increase if we wish to achieve the SDGs by 2030

Suggestions

● Nutrition actions: Maximise maternal, infant and young child nutrition actions. It is paramount to provide appropriate support for mothers to breastfeed, including those with COVID-19.

● Community-based services: Continue to provide critical community-based nutrition services using innovative/digital delivery systems for basic services such as promotion of breastfeeding, micronutrient supplementation, and basic primary health care including immunisations.

● Partnership with agriculture: Needed to increase access to healthy and diverse food. Strengthening local supply chains for vegetables, fruit and other perishable foods that are subject to waste, especially in the context of lockdowns.

● Strengthen food supply: To ensure smooth transportation of food supply, transportation costs should be reduced, and transporters incentivized while public buildings can be used as temporary storage facilities for increasing storage capacity.

● Special Attention: Focus needs to be on those who are most at risk of facing food shortages such as daily wage earners and returning migrant workers.

● School feeding and nutrition: As schools are closed due to COVID-19, comprehensive guidance should be provided to school staff, parents and children on the importance of social distancing, consumption of safe and healthy diets, hygiene and physical activity for school-aged children.

● Establish nutrition surveillance: Regular collection and analysis of maternal and child nutrition data at state and district levels will assist in identifying areas where malnutrition is increasing.

● Communication Campaigns: Roll out national communication campaigns on COVID-19 Reiterating the need for social distancing while continuing to safely breastfeed infants, promoting handwashing, and emphasising the need for healthy diets, basic nutrition services such as vitamin A supplementation and immunisation.

Conclusion

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● India has taken important steps and a few more concerted actions can get us closer to ensuring nutrition and food needs of the people are adequately met during these unprecedented times.

● By joining efforts, the Government, civil society, development partners, private sector, academia, the United Nations and other stakeholders can support the continued, safe and appropriate delivery of nutrition programmes.

United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition ● On 1 April 2016, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 2016–2025 the

United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition. ● The Decade is an unprecedented opportunity for addressing all forms of malnutrition. ● Led by WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),

the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition calls for policy action across 6 key areas: ○ creating sustainable, resilient food systems for healthy diets; ○ providing social protection and nutrition-related education for all; ○ aligning health systems to nutrition needs, and providing universal coverage of

essential nutrition interventions; ○ ensuring that trade and investment policies improve nutrition; ○ building safe and supportive environments for nutrition at all ages; and ○ strengthening and promoting nutrition governance and accountability,

everywhere. 5 D’s for Nutrition

● As India puts all its efforts to deal with the crisis and revive the economy, in order to strengthen the health and nutrition landscape it must focus on the 5D’s: Dialogue, Decentralize, Digitalize, Data and Diversification.

● Dialogue is essential to empower the frontline workers to help them deal with the current crisis, and after that, to bring all stakeholders together to foster effective convergence and generate awareness among the community about their rights, entitlements and roles.

● Decentralizing responsibility and accountability is a must to enable local governance to provide customized solutions in a timely fashion.

● Digital outreach is extremely necessary to ensure the masses receive the correct messages, particularly in these times of multiple communication channels and fake news.

● Data must be the basis for taking strategic decisions, and comprehensive data visualization tools should be used to scale up and optimise resource utilization.

● Diversified approaches are needed to involve multiple sectors, and make health and nutrition a focus of the non-health sector too.

Sources: TH

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Biodiversity and Environment

Pygmy Hogs Conservation Syllabus: GS 2, Government Policies and Interventions, GS 3, Conservation

In News Recently, 8 of 12 captive-bred pygmy hogs have been released in the Manas National Park of western Assam.

This is the second batch to have been reintroduced into the wild under the Pygmy Hog

Conservation Programme (PHCP) in 2021.

Pygmy Hogs Scientific Name: Porcula salvania Features

o These are the world’s rarest and smallest members of the pig family. o It is one of the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete

with a ‘roof’. o It is an indicator species as its presence reflects the health of its primary

habitat, tall and wet grasslands. A number of other endangered species like the one-horned rhino, tiger,

hog deer, eastern barasingha, water buffalo, hispid hare, and the Bengal florican, are also dependent on the grasslands.

Wet grasslands also serve as buffer against floods in the monsoons, while maintaining high groundwater level in the dry season, thereby benefiting agriculture and the farming community that live on its fringes.

Habitat o Once found in the narrow strip of tall and wet grassland plains on the

Himalayan foothills, from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal’s terai areas and Bengal’s duars, it was thought to have become extinct in the 1960s.

However, in 1971 it was re-discovered with a small population in the Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary.

o Currently, the only known population lives in Assam, India and possibly

southern Bhutan. The only viable population in the wild is in the Manas Tiger Reserve in

Assam. Threats

o One of the main reasons for its decreasing numbers was grassland degradation due to grass burning in the dry season and livestock overgrazing.

Protection Status o IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered o Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

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(Image Courtesy: DTE)

Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme Conservation of pygmy hog was initiated by noted naturalist Gerald Durrell and his

trust in 1971. While efforts, in the form of a conservation survey, had begun in the late

1970s, the PHCP took off in 1995. It follows a two-pronged action plan

o Conservation breeding of the animal against possible early extinction and re-introduction in selected sites.

o Habitat management. Under it, six hogs (two males and four females) were captured from the Bansbari range

of the Manas National Park in 1996 for starting the breeding programme. The success of the initial programme has led to subsequent efforts.

o Between 2008 and 2020, scientists released 130 pygmy hogs into two national parks, Manas and Orang, and two wildlife sanctuaries, Barnadi and Sonai

Rupai, all in Assam. o By 2025, the PHCP plans to release 60 pygmy hogs in Manas.

Apart from captive breeding, habitat management in these reintroduction sites was important before the animals were released.

To track them, researchers use field signs of released hogs (footprints, nests, foraging marks, droppings, etc.) and some of them are radio-tracked as well.

Single Population Analysis and Record Keeping Systems (SPARKS) and Population

Management (PMx) are some tools through which the suitability factor between a couple is determined to manage the demography and genetic quality.

o SPARKS is a programme that stores information about the life history of each animal, while PMx offers potential outcomes, like pairings, increasing generation length, etc.

Experts have been working on a ‘Re-wild project’ in Manas on grassland management

and restoration. o It aims to restore the ecosystem by 2025, the 100th birth anniversary of Gerald

Durrell’s. Source: TH

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Biodiversity and Environment

UNESCO To Downgrade Status Of Great Barrier Reef Syllabus: GS3/ Environmental Pollution and Degradation

In News UNESCO has decided to downgrade the status of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. About

● The UN body released a draft report recommending the reef's World Heritage status to

be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline. ● Although the Report did commend Australia's efforts to improve reef quality and its

financial commitment. ● UNESCO has recommended that a total of 7 sites be added to the endangered list and that

two sites - Liverpool's waterfront and Selous game reserve in Tanzania, where poachers have run amok - be stripped of their World Heritage status altogether.

Australia’s View

● The decision to downgrade the Great Reef's status was politically motivated and flawed, hinting at China which chairs the UNESCO committee.

● After Unesco first debated its “in danger” status in 2017, Canberra committed more than A$3 billion (£1.bn; $2.2bn) to improving the reef’s health.

○ The List of World Heritage in danger is maintained in accordance with Article 11 (4) of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

○ Inscribing a site on the List of World Heritage in Danger allows the World Heritage Committee to allocate immediate assistance from the World Heritage Fund to the endangered property.

● However, several bleaching events on the reef in the past five years have caused widespread loss of coral.

● Carbon Emissions: Australia's reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world’s largest carbon emitters per capita, but its conservative government has steadfastly backed the country’s fossil fuel industries, arguing tougher action on emissions would cost jobs.

Coral Reefs

● A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. ● Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. ● The coral polyps live in an endosymbiotic relationship with algae. Algae provides up to

90 percent of the coral's energy. ● Temperature:

○ The temperature of the water should not be below 20°C. ○ The most favourable temperature for the growth of the coral reefs is between 23°C

to 25°C. ○ The temperature should not exceed 35°C.

● Salinity: Corals can survive only under saline conditions with an average salinity between 27% to 40%.

● Shallow Water: Coral reefs grow better in shallow water having a depth less than 50 m.

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The depth of the water should not exceed 200m. ● Coral reefs are divided into four classes:

○ fringing reefs, ○ barrier reefs, ○ atolls, and ○ patch reefs.

● Fringing reefs are the most common type of reef that we see.

Great Barrier Reef

● The Great Barrier Reef is unique as it extends over 14 degrees of latitude, from shallow estuarine areas to deep oceanic waters.

● Within this vast expanse are a unique range of ecological communities, habitats and species – all of which make the Reef one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world.

● The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. ● It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Significance

● Coral Reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people.

● Coral reefs have an estimated global value of £6 trillion each year, due in part to their contribution to fishing and tourism industries and the coastal protection they provide.

● More than 500 million people worldwide depend on reefs for food, jobs and coastal defence.

● Extracts from animals and plants living on reefs have been used to develop treatments for asthma, arthritis, cancer and heart disease.

● Coral reefs provides the biodiversity: ○ Thousands of species can be found living on one reef. ○ The Great Barrier Reef contains over 400 coral species, 1,500 fish species, 4,000

mollusc species and six of the world's seven sea turtle species. ○ The Coral Triangle - a coral-rich marine region in Southeast Asia that

encompasses the waters between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea - is the most biologically diverse marine ecosystem on Earth.

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Challenges for Coral Reefs

● Physical damage or destruction from coastal development, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and gear, boat anchors and groundings, and recreational misuse (touching or removing corals).

● Pollution that originates on land but finds its way into coastal waters. There are many types and sources of pollution from land-based activities.

● Overfishing can alter food-web structure and cause cascading effects, such as reducing the numbers of grazing fish that keep corals clean of algal overgrowth. Blast fishing (i.e., using explosives to kill fish) can cause physical damage to corals as well.

● Coral harvesting for the aquarium trade, jewelry, and curios can lead to over-harvesting of specific species, destruction of reef habitat, and reduced biodiversity.

Threat of Coral Bleaching

● Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live inside their tissues. ● When corals face stress by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients,

they expel the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white.

● This phenomenon is called coral bleaching. ● Reasons:

○ The leading cause of coral bleaching is climate change. ○ A warming planet means a warming ocean, and a change in water temperature

- as little as 2 degrees Fahrenheit - can cause coral to drive out algae. ○ Coral may bleach for other reasons, like extremely low tides, pollution, or too

much sunlight.

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Image Courtesy: thestar

Way Forward

● The countries could act to improve water quality at the reef, which would increase its resilience to climate change.

● Make collaborative efforts to mitigate the global effects of climate change - warming seas and increasing sea levels etc.

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UNESCO ● Founded in 1945 ● The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialised

agency of the United Nations ● Aims at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in

education, the sciences, and culture. ● UNESCO’s Headquarters are located in Paris ● It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members ● Governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board. ● 3 UNESCO member states are not UN members:

○ Cook Islands, ○ Niue, and ○ Palestine.

● 3 UN member states are not UNESCO members: ○ Israel, ○ Liechtenstein ○ United States

UNESCO World Heritage Site:

● A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO.

● World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.

● Presently, there are 38 World Heritage Sites located in India. ● India has the sixth largest number of sites in the world.

Sources: TH

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Facts in News

Land For Life Award

● Shyam Sundar Jyani, a Rajasthan-based climate activist, has won the prestigious United Nations' Land for Life Award for his environment conservation concept, Familial Forestry.

○ Familial Forestry means transferring the care of the tree and environment in the family so that a tree becomes a part of the family's consciousness.

● This year’s theme is "Healthy Land, Healthy Lives" ● The 2021 Award will put the spotlight on

individuals/organizations that made an outstanding contribution to land degradation neutrality on a large

scale, with long-term changes and dedicated actions for

25 years or longer and remarkable positive impacts on land, people, communities, and society.

● The Land for Life Award was launched at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

COP10 in the Republic of Korea (in 2011) as part of the Changwon Initiative.

● Every two years, UNCCD organizes the Land for Life

Award. ● The Award recognizes excellence and innovation in

efforts towards land in balance. ● The past editions shed light on inspiring initiatives of

recovery and restoration of degraded landscapes worldwide.

○ They all made a significant contribution towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

15: "Life on Land", in particular, Target 15.3 land degradation neutrality (LDN).

Changwon Initiative ● It intends to complement activities being undertaken in

line with The Strategy and in accordance with COP 10 decisions.

● The main components of the Changwon Initiative include: ○ Enhancing the scientific process of the UNCCD, ○ Mobilizing additional resources and facilitating

partnership arrangements. ○ Supporting a global framework for the promotion

of best practices.

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Integrated Power

Development Scheme

(IPDS)

● Recently, a 50 kWp Solar rooftop under the IPDS scheme of Government of India was inaugurated in Solan.

● The project further reinforces the ‘Go Green’ Initiative of the government envisaged in the Urban Distribution scheme of the Government of India.

About IPDS ● The Ministry of Power, Government of India notified

“Integrated Power Development Scheme" (IPDS) on 3rd December’14 with the following components:

○ Strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks in the urban areas.

○ Metering of distribution transformers /feeders / consumers in the urban areas.

○ IT enablement of the distribution sector and strengthening of the distribution network under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development

and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP). ○ Schemes for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

and IT enablement of balanced urban towns are also included under IPDS.

■ The scope of IT enablement has been extended to all 4041 towns as per Census 2011.

● Power Finance Corporation(PFC) is the Nodal agency for implementation of the scheme.

Eligible Utilities ● All Discoms will be eligible for financial assistance under

the scheme. Funding Pattern

● GoI Grant = 60% (85% for special category States). ● Additional Grant = 15% (5% for special category States) -

linked to achievement of milestones. Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP)

● It was launched in July 2008 with focus on establishment of baseline data, fixation of accountability, reduction of AT&C losses upto 15% level through strengthening & up-gradation of Sub Transmission and Distribution network.

20

SVAMITVA Scheme

● A Memorandum of Understanding was inked between Survey of India, Government of India and Government of Assam For the implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme in Assam.

SVAMITVA scheme ● It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of

Panchayati Raj. ● It was launched on the National Panchayati Raj Day in

2020. ● Aim: To provide the ‘record of rights’ to village

household owners in rural areas and issuance of Property

cards. ● It has been approved for implementation at an outlay of

Rs. 566.23 crore across the country in a phased manner over five years (2020-2025).

● Its pilot phase was implemented during 2020-2021 in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh and a few border villages of Punjab and Rajasthan.

● The scheme will be carried out in close coordination with the Survey of India, Panchayati Raj departments and Revenue departments of various states.

● Significance ○ It has the potential to transform rural India and

will ensure streamlined planning, revenue collection and provide clarity over property rights in rural areas.

○ It will pave the way for using the property as a financial asset by villagers for taking loans and other financial benefits.

○ This is the first time that such a large-scale exercise involving most modern technology is being carried out to benefit millions of rural property owners.

■ Disputes related to the property would also be settled through the Property Cards/Title Deeds.

■ Property Cards are allotted through this Scheme for every property in the village and will be prepared by states using accurate measurements delivered by drone mapping.

21

Inter-State

Transmission System

Recently, the Ministry of Power has issued an order for

extension of the waiver of Inter-State Transmission System

(ISTS) charges on transmission of electricity generated from solar

and wind sources.

● The waiver would be available till 30th June 2025 and be

available for Hydro Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects also.

● This will promote PSP and BESS projects for meeting the

balancing requirement of the grid caused due to large

scale integration of renewable energy (RE) in the

Electricity Grid i.e. around 450 GW by 2030.

● This is expected to encourage the RE trade in the power

exchanges.

● Any waiver of ISTS charges shall also be applicable to

such parts of the intra-state transmission.

● Inter State Transmission System

○ Any system for the conveyance of electricity by

means of a main transmission line from the

territory of one State to another State.

○ The conveyance of electricity across the territory of

an intervening State as well as conveyance within

the State which is incidental to such inter-state

transmission of energy.

○ The transmission of electricity within the territory

of State on a system built, owned, operated,

maintained or controlled by Central Transmission

Utility (CTU),

○ ISTS may be owned by CTU, State Utility,

Independent Power Transmission Companies.

● ISTS tariff is determined as per the Central Electricity

Regulatory Commission (CERC) (Terms and Conditions

of Tariff), Regulations, 2009.

○ CERC is a statutory body functioning with quasi-

judicial status under Section 76 of the Electricity

Act 2003.

○ It is a key regulator of the power sector in India.

22

World’s First GM

Rubber Sapling

Recently, the world’s first Genetically Modified (GM) rubber

sapling has been planted in Guwahati, Assam.

● It has been tailored for the climatic conditions in the

Northeast.

● It has additional copies of the gene MnSOD, or

manganese-containing superoxide dismutase.

● It was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research

Institute of India (RRII).

● Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon

forests and is not naturally suited for the colder

conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest

producers of rubber in India.

● Growth of young rubber plants remains suspended

during the winter months, which are also characterised by

progressive drying of the soil. This is the reason for the

long immaturity period of this crop in the region.

● The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect plants from

the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such

as cold and drought. The plant is thus expected to

establish well and grow fast in the region.

● The planting had been done at an experimental level

following all mandatory biosafety measures applicable

to field trials involving GM crops.

● There was no risk of genes flowing from the GM rubber

into any other native species, a concern often raised by

environmental groups against GM plants.

23

Yellow Gold 48

Recently, Bayer (German agrochemicals major) has launched the

first-ever yellow watermelon variety Yellow Gold 48 under

Seminis brand in India.

● It has been developed from superior germplasm as part

of Bayer's global research and development efforts.

● It is best suited for cultivation from October to February

and for harvest from April onwards and will be available

in the market until mid-July.

● It has been commercially introduced in India following

two years of local trials.

● The company is also creating market linkages for growers

by connecting them directly to large buyers and food retail

stores.

● Significance

○ It has high yield and income potential and will

empower watermelon growers to diversify into

new categories and meet the growing demand for

exotic fruits.

○ Watermelon growers can benefit from enhanced

yield potential, better disease and pest tolerance,

and higher returns.

(Image Courtesy: HBL)