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Thursday, April 19, 2018

Daily Current Affairs, 19th April 2018

1) 1st Meeting Of National Council On India’s Nutrition Challenges Under POSHAN Abhiyaan Held

•The first meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan was held today in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.

•The Council which has been set up under POSHAN Abhiyaan is the apex body to formulate overall policies, guide and monitor all nutrition based schemes. Some of the important decisions taken in the meeting are :

1. 235 Additional Districts have been confirmed as part of Phase II of POSHAN Abhiyaan in the financial year 2018-19.
2. Provision of Smartphones instead of Tablets to Lady Supervisors.
3. Direct transfer of Funds to States/UTs for Cash Award to Frontline Functionaries, instead of Creation of Corpus Fund.

2) Venkaiah Naidu Launches Assam Govt’s Cashless Health Scheme

•Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched a health scheme of the Assam government named Atal Amrit Abhiyan that offers free medical care of up to 2 lakh rupees for every individual from Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families.

•The state government has earmarked 400 crore rupees for the scheme in the financial year 2018-19. The cashless scheme Atal Amrit Abhiyan will cover 92 percent of the state’s population with annual income below 5 lakh rupees.

3) Government Launches ‘Study In India’ To Attract Foreign Students

•The Indian Government has launched the ‘Study in India’ initiative to attract international students to study in India. The website of Study in India can be accessed at www.studyinindia.gov.in. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Human Resources Development Satya Pal Singh jointly launched the initiative in New Delhi.

•The portal will enable students from 30 countries across South Asia, Africa and West Asia to select and apply for different courses from 150 select Indian institutions which are high on NAAC and NIRF ranking. The Study in India is aimed at making India a preferred destination for the foreign students to pursue their education.

4) Madhya Pradesh Conferred Most Film Friendly Award

•The Most Film Friendly State Award was announced by the Chairman of the Jury, Shri Ramesh Sippy. State of Madhya Pradesh was conferred the award for the Most Film Friendly State for its efforts towards easing filming in the State by creating a well-structured website and film-friendly infrastructure. Total 16 states have participated in this award.

•The State of Uttarakhand is given a Special Mention Certificate to recognize the efforts made by the State of Uttarakhand towards creating a film-friendly environment. The award will be conferred by the President of India in May 2018.

5) India And UK Sign 10 Agreements In Several Sectors

•India and the UK have signed 10 agreements in several sectors including cyber-relationship, rejuvenation of Ganga and skill development.

•The Important agreements signed between the 2 countries are as follows:

1. The two countries have agreed to an overarching cyber-relationship framework that among others enables the development of a common and shared understanding of the international cyber activity.

2. An MoU on the rejuvenation of River Ganga, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the UK-based Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC).

3. An MoU on Skill Development, Vocational education and Training and seek to promote greater collaboration in domains such as strengthening skill delivery in high demand sectors where UK has technical and skilling expertise.

4. A Statement of Intent between NITI Aayog and UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has also been signed.

5. Inked the deal on cooperation in the field of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Sectors seeking to strengthen collaboration in livestock health and husbandry, breeding, dairying and fisheries.

6. An MoU on Exchange of Information for the Purposes of Combating International Criminality and Tackling Serious Organised Crime has been signed.

6) India, World’s 6th Largest Economy At $2.6 Trillion: IMF

•India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the worth of the economy, clocked in at $2.6 trillion for 2017,according to the database of the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) for April 2018.

•India is now the world’s sixth largest economy, displacing France. The Top 5 economies of the world are:

1.The United States,

2.China,

3.Japan,

4.Germany and,

5.The United Kingdom.

UPSC Complete Study Notes: Biosphere Reserves of India

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This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government, banking and MBA exams.

Biosphere reserves of India form an important topic for the UPSC CSE preparation. This blog post covers all important points about it.

Definition of Biosphere Reserves

· Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by UNESCO for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large area of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof.

· BRs are thus special environments for both people and the nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each others’ needs.

· These areas are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme, after receiving consent of the participating country.

Functions of Biosphere Reserves

Some functions of Biosphere Reserves are:

Conservation

•To ensure the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variations.

• To encourage the traditional resource use systems

•To understand the patterns and processes of functioning of ecosystems

• To monitor the natural and human-caused changes on spatial and temporal scales

Development

• To promote, at the local level, economic development which is culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable.

• To develop the strategies leading to improvement and management of natural resources

Logistics Support

• To provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development

• Sharing of knowledge generated by research through site specific training and education; and

• Development of community spirit in the management of natural resources.

National Biosphere Reserve Programme

India has created a network of protected areas in the form of 96 National Parks, 510 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 28 Tiger Reserves and 25 Elephant Reserves. The area covered under protected area network accounts for around 5% of the total geographical area of the country. The rich biodiversity in India has given shape to variety of cultural and ethnic diversity which includes over 550 tribal communities of 227 ethnic groups spread over 5,000 forest villages.

The national Biosphere Reserve Programme was initiated in 1986 and its aims and objectives are described in the following sections.

Aims of the Scheme

• To serve as wider base for conservation of entire range of living resources and their ecological foundations in addition to already established protected area network system

• To bring out representative ecosystems under conservation and sustainable use on a long-term basis.

• To ensure participation of local inhabitants for effective management and devise means of improving livelihood of the local inhabitants through sustainable use.

• To integrate scientific research with traditional knowledge of conservation, education and training as a part of the overall management of BR.

Objectives of the Scheme

It must be noted that BRs are not a substitute or alternative, but a re-enforcement to the existing protected areas. The objectives of the Biosphere Reserve programme are as follows:

• To conserve the diversity and integrity of plants and animals within natural ecosystems

• To safeguard genetic diversity of species on which their continuing evolution depends; • To provide areas for multi-faceted research and monitoring

• To provide facilities for education and training; and

• To ensure sustainable use of natural resources through most appropriate technology for improvement of economic well-being of the local people.

Criteria for Selection of Biosphere Reserves

The criteria for selection of sites for BRs are listed below:-

Primary Criteria

• A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation and should include additional land and water suitable for research and demonstration of sustainable methods of research and management.

• The core area should be typical of a biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all tropic levels in the ecosystem.

Secondary Criteria

• Areas having rare and endangered species

• Areas having diversity of soil and micro-climatic conditions and indigenous varieties of biota.

• Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of environment.

Structure and Design of Biosphere Reserves

In order to undertake complementary activities of biodiversity conservation and development of sustainable management aspects, Biosphere Reserves are demarcated into three inter-related zones. These are:-

(I) Natural or Core Zone

The core zone is kept absolutely undisturbed. It must contain suitable habitat for numerous plant and animal species, including higher order predators and may contain centres of endemism. Core areas often conserve the wild relatives of economic species and also represent important genetic reservoirs. The core zones also contain places of exceptional scientific interest. A core zone secures legal protection and management and research activities that do not affect natural processes and wildlife are allowed. Strict nature reserves and wilderness portions of the area are designated as core areas of BR. The core zone is to be kept free from all human pressures external to the system.

(II) Manipulation or Buffer Zone

In the Buffer Zone, which adjoins or surrounds core zone, uses and activities are managed in ways that protect the core zone. These uses and activities include restoration, demonstration sites for enhancing value addition to the resources, limited recreation, tourism, fishing and grazing, which are permitted to reduce its effect on core zone. Research and educational activities are to be encouraged. Human activities, if natural within BR, are likely to be permitted to continue if these do not adversely affect the ecological diversity.

(III) Transition Zone Outside the Buffer Zone

The Transition Zone is the outermost part of a Biosphere Reserve. This is usually not delimited one and is a zone of cooperation where conservation, knowledge and management skills are applied and uses are managed in harmony with the purpose of the Biosphere Reserve. This includes settlements, crop lands, managed forests and area for intensive recreation, and other economic uses characteristic of the region.

In Buffer Zone and the Transition Zones, manipulative macro-management practices are used. Experimental research areas are used for understanding the patterns and processes in the ecosystem. Modified or degraded landscapes are included as rehabilitation areas to restore the ecology in a way that it returns to sustainable productivity.

List of Biosphere Reserves of India

Nine of the eighteen biosphere reserves of India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (* marked in the above image), based on the UNESCO MAN and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.

How Biosphere Reserves are different from protected areas such as National Parks (NP) and Wildlife Sanctuaries(WS)?

It must be noted that the BR is not intended to replace existing protected areas but to widen the scope of conventional approach of protection and further strengthens the Protected Area Network. Existing legally protected areas (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiger Reserve and reserve/protected forests) may become part of the BR without any change in their legal status. On the other hand, inclusion of such areas in a BR will enhance their national value.

However, the Biosphere Reserves differ from protected areas due to their emphasis on :

(i) Conservation of overall biodiversity and landscape, rather than some specific flagship species, to allow natural and evolutionary processes to continue without any hindrance.

(ii) Different components of BRs like landscapes, habitats, and species and land races.

(iii) Developmental activities, and resolution/mitigation of conflicts between development and conservation,

(iv) Increase in broad-basing of stakeholders, especially local people’s participation and their Training, compared to the features of scheme on Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks.

(v) Sustainable environment friendly development, and sustained coordination amongst different development organizations and agencies.

(vi) Research and Monitoring to understand the structure and functioning of ecological system and their mode of reaction when exposed to human intervention

Hope this gives you all the information you need.

The HINDU Notes – 19th April 2018

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📰 India, U.K. resolve to lower trade barriers

Quick Revision For Prelims 2018 – Current Affairs From Feb-2018 and March-2018

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THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 19.04.2018

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FRONT PAGE

No pollution-reduction targets in Central plan

NATIONAL

Why stall Aadhaar, asks UIDAI

INTERNATIONAL

Modi and May resolve to reduce barriers

OPINION

The soft power of India

Shaken to the core in Kathua

Is the Indian economy really that strong?

Building trust among real estate buyers

A credibility crisis

Cash is still king

In Xi’an, BRI’s city of hope

Still using chemical weapons

BUSINESS

Design in India needs policy push, says ALL’s Dasari

Daily Current Affairs, 18th April 2018

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1) World Heritage Day- 18 April

•Every year, 18th April is celebrated Worldwide as World Heritage Day to create awareness about Heritage among communities. This year the theme is 'Heritage for Generations'.

•The theme emphasizes on inter-generational transfer of knowledge. In India, World heritage day will be celebrated at National Rail Museum, New Delhi. There are total 36 world heritage sites in India, as designated by UNESCO.

2) India-Wiesbaden Conference 2018 Held In New Delhi

•The Ministry of External Affairs in cooperation with the Government of Germany and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) hosted the India-Wiesbaden Conference 2018 in New-Delhi.

•Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) was the industry partner for the event. The title of the Conference is ‘Securing Global Supply Chains through Government-Industry Partnerships towards Effective Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1540’.

3) Odisha’s 2nd Longest River Bridge Opened

•The much-awaited bridge 'Ib Setu' built over the Ib river in Sambalpur district was thrown open to the public by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The 2.5-km-long bridge, which is the State’s second longest bridge, has been built in three years at a cost of Rs. 117.50 crore.

•The bridge has helped establish direct road connectivity between Sambalpur and Brajarajnagar and the distance has now been reduced by 50 km.

4) India Wins Election To Crucial NGO Committee In UN

•India has won an election to a crucial non-governmental organisation committee in the United Nations. It topped the election held by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations in the Asia Pacific States category.

•India got the highest number of votes at 46, followed by Pakistan 43, Bahrain 40 and China 39. The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is a standing committee of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Its main tasks include consideration of applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by NGOs.

5) DARPAN-PLI App Launched By Communications Ministry

•Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha launched here the DARPAN (Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for a New India)-PLI App, which will help in collection of premium for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policies at Branch Post Offices anywhere in India, with online updation of the policies.

•Further, with the launch of this App, indexing of maturity claims in respect of PLI and RPLI policies can be done at Branch Post Office itself, upon which the insurant will immediately be provided with the request number for further references.

6) Bisket Jatra Being Celebrated In Nepal

•The Jatra begins in Nepal. It is believed that the festival started during Malla dynasty. In Nepal, the famous Bisket Jatra is being celebrated in Bhaktapur and other parts of Kathmandu valley.

•The nine day annual festival marks beginning of Nepali new year. The Jatra begins four days before the start of new year.

7) India To Grow At 7.4% In 2018: IMF

•The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that India is expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018 and 7.8% in 2019 and would re-emerge as one of the fastest growing major economies in the period.

•The IMF explained this is due to the strong private consumption as well as fading transitory effects of the currency exchange initiative and implementation of the national goods and services tax. According to the IMF, India will leave its nearest rival China which will grow at 6.6 in 2018 and 6.4% in 2019.

8) Aditi Rao Hydari To Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award For Bhoomi

•Aditi Rao Hydari will receive Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award 2018 for the Best Leading Lady (Critics Award) for her memorable performance in Bhoomi.

•The award ceremony will be held in Mumbai. It will be attended by producers, directors, distributors and exhibitors among others from the film fraternity.