aditya
06:43
GS SCORE Current Affairs June 2022 Week 2 PDF
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Thursday, June 16, 2022
The HINDU Notes – 15th June 2022
aditya
06:37
📰 New plan to save jumbos from train hits
Geographical patterns to be analysed; measures that can be implemented by Railways to be proposed
•With 186 elephants officially reported to have been killed in collisions with trains in the past decade, the Environment and Railway Ministries are exploring a project to minimise the number of such accidents.
•While piecemeal measures have been taken in States, the latest initiative is to analyse patterns geographically and propose measures that the Railways can feasibly implement.
•The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, an autonomous body, and the Environment Ministry have had an initial round of discussions with Railway officials, said S.P. Yadav of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
•Bilal Habib, a scientist at the WII and one of the leaders of the project, said a draft document was expected to be readied in July. A preliminary analysis showed the States with the highest elephant numbers were not always the ones with the most deaths. Assam, West Bengal and Uttarakhand were hilly States that saw the most number of casualties, Mr. Habib said. Slopes were a tricky terrain for elephants and when the animals attempted to cross railway lines, they lingered longer near or on tracks resulting in collisions. “An elephant is the only mammal with six toes, one of which is exclusively for gripping slopes. Due to this, they take more time to descend slopes and when tracks are located at such locations, they tend to result in accidents,” Mr. Habib said.
•Creating underpasses or dedicated elephant passes near existing lines are not always feasible for the Railways, given the expenses, as it required as much as 20 km of pathway on either side of the track.
•Mr. Yadav cited instances of elephants refusing to abandon their young were they to get trapped on the lines, resulting in casualties.
•In response to questions raised in Parliament on such collisions, the government said that it had put in place measures, such as providing fencing at selected locations, erecting signage boards to warn locomotive pilots about identified elephant corridors, sensitising train crew and stationmasters on a regular basis, clearing vegetation on the sides of the track within railway land, deputing a Forest Department staffer in Railway control offices to liaison with Railway, and have the Forest Department engage elephant trackers for timely action by alerting stationmasters and locomotive pilots.
📰 Unemployment has decreased, says latest labour force survey
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Daily Current Affairs, 14th June 2022
aditya
21:24
1) World Blood Donor Day 2022 observed on 14th June
•World Blood Donor Day is observed globally on 14 June every year. The day is celebrated to promote awareness about the need for blood donation and thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. The day aims to promote regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe blood in times of emergency needs. The host nation for World Blood Donor Day 2022 is Mexico. The global event will be held in Mexico City on June 14, 2022.
World Blood Donor Day 2022: Theme
•The Theme for World Blood Donor Day 2022 is “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives”. It is focused on drawing attention to the roles that voluntary blood donors play in saving. The theme aims to highlight the need for committed donors to regular year- blood donation, to maintain adequate supplies and achieve universal and timely access to safe blood transfusion.
2) NCPCR’s Elimination of Child Labour Week: 12-20 June 2022
•National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is celebrating Elimination of Child Labour Week in the honour of World Day Against Child Labour. It is being celebrated in 75 places as part of the “75th anniversary celebrations of India’s independence – “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” in different districts starting from 12th June to 20th June, 2022 as a significance to pay attention to the problem of child labour and to find ways to eradicate it.
•National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has been constituted by the Government of India, as a statutory body under section 3 of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 for dealing with the protection of child rights and related matters.
3) India ranks 101 in Global Hunger Index 2021
•India’s rank has dropped to the 101st position among 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021. In 2020, India was placed at 94th spot, out of 107 countries. The 2021 GHI score of India is recorded at 27.5 out of 50, which comes under the serious category. Neighbouring countries like Nepal (76), Bangladesh (76), Myanmar (71) and Pakistan (92) are also in the ‘alarming’ hunger category but have fared better at feeding its citizens than India, according to the report.
Top countries in the Index
•A total of 18 countries, including China, Kuwait and Brazil, shares the top rank. The GHI score of these 18 nations is less than 5. This means that these countries suffer very less from hunger and malnutrition.
4) Karnataka govt launched ‘FRUITS’ software for farmer schemes
•The Karnataka government has launched ‘The Farmer Registration & Unified Beneficiary Information System’ or FRUITS software for Aadhar-based, single-window registration for the schemes. FRUITS software will facilitate single registration using an Aadhar card and Karnataka’s Bhoomi digitized land record system for authenticating ownership.
•Through the creation of single digital identification through FRUITS, farmers can access benefits of hosts of schemes such as Direct Benefit Transfer under PM Kisan, payment for Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for crops, special financial assistance, caste certificate authentication, and ration cards. To ensure that the farmers get easy access to benefits distributed under various government schemes, the Karnataka government has launched software for Aadhar-based, single-window registration for the schemes. The state departments of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, revenue, food, civil supplies and fisheries departments of the state government are covered under the initiative.
5) Asia’s ‘longest-tusked’ elephant Bhogeshwara dies of natural causes
•Bhogeshwara, reportedly the elephant with the longest tusks in Asia, died of natural causes at the age of 60. The wild elephant, also known as Mr Kabini, was found dead in the Gundre range of Karnataka’s Bandipur Tiger Reserve. According to forest department officials, Bhogeshwar’s tusks were 2.54 meters and 2.34 meters long. Known for its gentle temperament, the elephant frequented the Kabini backwaters for the last three decades.
•Both the tusks almost touched the ground and watching it roaming in the thick jungle was a visual treat. The viscera samples have been sent to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory of Mysuru. Experts see no foul play and stated that it was a natural death.
6) Retail inflation for May matches estimates at 7.04%
•According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, India’s headline retail inflation rate eased to 7.04 percent in May from April’s near-eight-year high of 7.79 percent thanks to a favourable base effect. The fall in inflation in May is unlikely to do much to slow down the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) rate hike cycle. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation was 7.79 per cent in April. In May 2021, the retail inflation stood at 6.3 per cent.
7) 38th India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol Conducted in Andaman Sea
•The 38th India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian Navy Units of Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) and Indonesian Navy is being conducted from June 13 to 24 2022 in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca. The 38th CORPAT is the first post pandemic Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between the two countries. It includes a visit by the Indonesian Navy units to ANC at Port Blair from June 13 to 15, 2022 followed by a Sea Phase in the Andaman Sea and visit by IN Units to Sabang (Indonesia) from June 23 to 24, 2022.
•As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), Naval Component under the aegis of HQ ANC undertakes coordinated patrols with other littoral countries of the Andaman Sea along respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) towards enhancing regional maritime security.
8) India’s first centralised AC railway terminal in Bengaluru becomes operational
•The ultra luxury Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal in Karnataka’s capital city Bengaluru was made operational. The Ernakulam Tri-Weekly Express chugged trough the station to mark this special occasion. According to the railway officials, the air-conditioned SMV Railway Terminal is a Rs 314 crore project. It has solar rooftop panels and rainwater harvesting mechanism.
•The railway terminal at the city’s Baiyappanahalli area, named after Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya, is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and claims to have an airport-like aura. It was a joyous moment for the crew and passengers for being the first to use the city’s third major terminal, which is situated between Banaswadi and Baiyyappanahalli in the city. The other two major terminals in Bengaluru are Bengaluru City Railway Station and Yashwanthpur Railway Station.
9) OmniCard becomes 1st RBI licensed PPI to launch cash withdrawal across all ATMs PAN India
•Payment solution provider, OmniCard has announced that it became the 1st RBI licensed PPI (prepaid payment instrument) to launch cash withdrawal using a RuPay-powered card from any ATMs across the country. The move came in after RBI permitted the non-bank licensed entities to enable cash withdrawals from the digital wallets.
•OmniCard users can withdraw cash from any ATM at their convenience with full security from frauds like card theft, card cloning, and PIN skimming as the withdrawal facility comes with high safety & secure features and protects the user from exposing their money and bank account details. The company worked with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) team to enable the facility.
10) Max Verstappen won Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022
•Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix 2022 (his fifth victory of the season). In the process, Verstappen became the most successful driver in the Red Bull of all time. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez came second and Mercedes’ George Russell came at the third spot.
•However, the day was all about Max Verstappen who had one of the best races in his season, finishing on the podium after starting from number three. In the process, Verstappen became the most successful driver in the Red Bull of all time. The 24-year-old now has 66 podiums for Red Bull and is tied ninth for the most race wins alongside Jim Clark and Niki Lauda.
Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022
aditya
21:13
The prestigious ceremony of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 was held on February 20. The event was held in Mumbai and the best performances from last year were honoured in the event this time. This year Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 celebrated the opulence of Indian Cinema and also commemorated the 75 years of Independence or Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Role, and Best Negative Role, were among the other titles that were given to the personalities of the Indian film fraternity.
The HINDU Notes – 14th June 2022
aditya
17:44
📰 Environmental governance at centre stage
Indira Gandhi’s insights have shaped global institutional response to climate change
•It was the noted Pakistani economist, Tariq Banuri, who, in the run-up to the ill-fated Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in December 2009, first pointed to me that the global environmental discourse has been shaped by four events. The first three were the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962, Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb in 1968, and the Club of Rome’s The Limits to Growth in early 1972. The fourth was Indira Gandhi’s speech at the first-ever United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm 50 years ago today. She was the only head of government to speak at that conclave (other than the host, Olof Palme). Her address, which looked at environmental issues from a development perspective and at developmental challenges from an ecological standpoint, has gone into history as a milestone.
A naturalist
•Indira Gandhi had already established her credentials as a naturalist when she spoke at Stockholm. She had reactivated the Indian Board of Wildlife in July 1969 and had hosted the Tenth General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature five months later. She had started paying attention to protecting sanctuaries and in 1971, had deputed the famed ornithologist Salim Ali to Ramsar, the Caspian Sea site in Iran where the convention to protect wetlands was finalised. The National Committee on Environmental Planning and Coordination had been established under the stewardship of the redoubtable Pitambar Pant. She had launched India’s first species conservation programme at Gir for the Asiatic Lion in January 1972 and had started preparations for Project Tiger, which came into being in April 1973. The Wildlife Protection Bill was ready to be enacted by Parliament and it became law in September 1972. Discussions with States to bring legislation to deal with water pollution had been initiated and this would materialise two years later when pollution control boards would also come into being.
A speech for all times
•One line in that historic speech — perhaps her greatest and most quoted — continues to get attention. One version has her saying “Poverty is the greatest polluter”. In another version, she is recalled as declaring “Poverty is the worst form of pollution”. Actually, she said no such thing. The line in her speech added at the last minute reads, “Are not poverty and need the greatest polluters?” She said this to bring home to the West that developing countries like India have their own pressing challenges to raise the standard of living of millions of their citizens. She underscored the injustice and inequity in the fact that countries with a small fraction of the world’s population consumed the bulk of the natural resources causing far greater environmental degradation than what countries like India were doing. Her speech was wide-ranging and dealt with the environmental effects of war as well, the ongoing conflict in Vietnam being uppermost in people’s minds especially with the use of horrific chemical weapons. Quoting from the Atharva Veda, she ended by drawing attention to how ancient Indians had recognised the need for ecological balance: What of thee I dig out/Let that quickly grow over/Let me not hit thy vitals/Or thy heart.
•The many themes covered in Indira Gandhi’s speech, including the need for international cooperation, became very much part of the Stockholm Declaration issued two days later. They were also to provide intellectual ammunition for developing countries during the discussions and negotiations at the famed Rio Earth Summit in 1992 that resulted in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Thus, while many speeches of political leaders are of the times in which they live and work, Indira Gandhi’s Stockholm speech has continued to resonate across the globe. For instance, it was widely commented upon in the months prior to the Paris Summit of December 2015.
•Immediately following her speech, Indira Gandhi and Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Laureate and widely considered to be the scientific guru of the Green Revolution, exchanged letters. Borlaug applauded the speech and her firm emphasis on developmental needs, especially the rapid increase in the production of foodgrains. But he wanted her to raise her voice against what he called “eco-maniacs” who were against the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and against the use of modern science. Indira Gandhi, who knew and admired Borlaug, acknowledged that the Green Revolution in India depended crucially on expanding the application of “fertilisers, insecticides and weed-killers”. But she also expressed concern on the “adverse side effects and the long-term disadvantages of the indiscriminate use of some of these chemicals”’. She advised Borlaug (and this was 50 years ago) that “the scientific community, of which you are a leader, [should] develop integrated methods combining biological and agronomic controls with the judicious use of chemicals to raise crop yields and fight insect and pest menaces with minimum damage to nature’s balance… with the aim to maintain a higher environmental quality along with a decent material standard of living”.
•Had Indira Gandhi shown any interest, the UN Environment Programme that was established following the Stockholm Conference may well have been headquartered in New Delhi. The momentum generated by her speech would have ensured that. The choice was, in fact, between New Delhi and Nairobi. India did not press its case; Kenya did. Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta was a good friend of India’s Prime Minister and had been a classmate of her top aide P.N. Haksar at the London School of Economics. In early November 1972, India gracefully withdrew citing its fraternal links with Kenya. Nine years later, Indira Gandhi was in Nairobi as one of the five heads of government to address the first UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy. Her speech there brought renewables into the mainstream of the environmental debate.
A sense of discomfort
•Over the last half a century since the Stockholm speech, India has put in place laws, regulations and standards, established institutions and announced numerous polices, programmes and projects to ensure ecological balance as it pursues high economic growth. Nothing can and should remain frozen. Even so, while the rhetoric in international forums has stressed India’s environmental commitment and while dramatic declines in costs have enabled a huge expansion in renewable energy capacity, a sense of discomfort on the current regime’s actions at home will not be unjustified. In the name of ease of doing business, the regulatory edifice is under systematic assault and enforcement, always weak, has further slackened. When Indira Gandhi spoke at Stockholm, the public health consequences of environmental (mis)governance did not occupy centre stage. They do today. It is because of this that the domestic walk of the Narendra Modi government and not its global talk should be cause for anguish and worry.
📰 Centre to boost supply of fortified rice
Monday, June 13, 2022
GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: Contemporary Issues of Environment PDF
aditya
21:46
GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: Contemporary Issues of Environment PDF
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GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: An Innovative Approach of Essay Writing for UPSC PDF
aditya
21:12
GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: An Innovative Approach of Essay Writing for UPSC PDF
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GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: Contemporary Issues of Economy PDF
aditya
21:07
GS SCORE Mains 2022 Sampoorna: Contemporary Issues of Economy PDF
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