National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 30th July 2019

Tiger Census

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: According to results of a tiger census made public recently, India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014.

More on the Topic: 

• The survey, the fourth such since 2006, is conducted once in four years.
• Since 2006, the Wildlife Institute of India, an Environment Ministry-funded body has been tasked with coordinating the exercise.

Highlights of the Census:

• Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
• Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase.
• While Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the “maximum improvement” since 2014.
• The brightest spot in the non-protected tiger-bearing areas is the Brahmapuri division of Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, which has more than 40 tigers.
• No tiger has been found in the Buxa, Palamau and Dampa reserves.

Why have the numbers gone up?

• The success owes a lot to increased vigilance and conservation efforts by the Forest Department.
• From 28 in 2006, the number of tiger reserves went up to 50 in 2018, extending protection to larger numbers of tigers over the years.
• Healthy increases in core area populations eventually lead to migrations to areas outside the core; this is why the 2018 census has found tigers in newer areas.
• Over the years, there has been increased focus on tigers even in the areas under the territorial and commercial forestry arms of Forest Departments.
• The other important reason is increased vigilance, and the fact that organised poaching rackets have been all but crushed. There has been no organised poaching by traditional gangs in Central Indian landscapes since 2013.
• The increased protection has encouraged the tiger to breed.
• The rehabilitation of villages outside core areas in many parts of the country has led to the availability of more inviolate space for tigers.
• Also, because estimation exercises have become increasingly more accurate over the years, it is possible that many tigers that eluded enumerators in earlier exercises were counted this time.

Source: Hindu and Indian Express

Minority Panel’s Report

Topic: Governance/ Social Justice

In News: The National Commission of Minorities (NCM) has refused to entertain a plea to declare Hindus a “minority community” in those States where they do not form a majority of the population.

More on the Topic:

• A report of NCM sub-committee, which was approved and adopted by the NCM recently, said the role of the minorities commission was not to declare new minority communities but to, instead, work and ensure the progress and development of minorities and protect their religious, cultural and educational rights.
• NCM has no jurisdiction to declare minorities. The repository of such powers to declare a community as minority lies with the Central government. It cannot be usurped by the NCM.
• The report refers to the Supreme Court’s own judgment in 1999 in Bal Patil vs Union of India which detailed the function of the NCM.

What Supreme Court has said?

• The court had said the constitutional goal of minority commissions is to “create social conditions where there remains no necessity to shield or protect the rights of minorities”.
• The minority commissions have to direct their activities “to maintain the unity and integrity of India by eliminating the need for identifying communities as majority and minority”.
• According to the judgement, if one group would vie with another for minority status if it is solely given on the basis of claims of religious thoughts, less numerical strength, lack of health, welfare, education or power or social rights made by a section of the society. Conflict and strife would ensure.

Background:

• The NCM was responding to a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay to either frame guidelines for identification of minorities at the State level or use the powers of the NCM Act of 1992 to declare Hindus a minority in States where they do not form the majority of the population.
• The NCM formed a sub-committee of George Kurian, Manjit Singh Rai and Atif Rasheed,to deliberate on the issue.

National Committee on Minorities:

• The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Six religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union Government all over India.

Model Mains Question: Comment on the challenges faced by minorities in India and suggest measures to mitigate the same.

Source: Hindu, Wikipedia

Odisha Rasagola

Topic: Intellectual Property Rights

In News: The rasagola, a popular dessert of Odisha, has received the geographical indication tag from the Registrar of Geographical Indication.

More on the Topic:

• Both Odisha and West Bengal have been contesting the origin of the rasagola. Historical records submitted say the ‘Odisha Rasagola’ is associated with world famous Puri Jagannath Temple.
• The reference of rasagola is found in the late 15th-century Odia Ramayana written by Balaram Das. Balaram Das’s Ramayana is known as Dandi Ramayana or Jagamohana Ramayana as it was composed and sung at the Jagamohana of the Puri Temple.

About Geographical Indication Tag:

• A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.

Source: Hindu

Insolvency Code

Topic: Economy

In News: The Rajya Sabha passed an amended version of the three-year-old Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

More on the Topic:

• The Code provides a time-bound process for resolving insolvency in companies and among individuals. Insolvency is a situation where individuals or companies are unable to repay their outstanding debt.
• Under the Code, a financial creditor may file an application before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for initiating the insolvency resolution process. The NCLT must find the existence of default within 14 days. Thereafter, a Committee of Creditors (CoC) consisting of financial creditors will be constituted for taking decisions regarding insolvency resolution.  The CoC may either decide to restructure the debtor’s debt by preparing a resolution plan or liquidate the debtor’s assets.
• The CoC will appoint a resolution professional who will present a resolution plan to the CoC. The CoC must approve a resolution plan, and the resolution process must be completed within 180 days. This may be extended by a period of up to 90 days if the extension is approved by NCLT.
• If the resolution plan is rejected by the CoC, the debtor will go into liquidation. The Code provides an order of priority for the distribution of assets in case of liquidation of the debtor. This order places financial creditors ahead of operational creditors (e.g., suppliers). In a 2018 Amendment, home-buyers who paid advances to a developer were to be considered as financial creditors.  They would be represented by an insolvency professional appointed by NCLT.
• The Bill addresses three issues, First, it strengthens provisions related to time-limits. Second, it specifies the minimum payouts to operational creditors in any resolution plan.  Third, it specifies the manner in which the representative of a group of financial creditors (such as home-buyers) should vote.
• Initiation of resolution process: As per the Code, the NCLT must determine the existence of default within 14 days of receiving a resolution application. Based on its finding, NCLT may accept or reject the application.  The Bill states that in case the NCLT does not find the existence of default and has not passed an order within 14 days, it must record its reasons in writing.
• Resolution plan: The Code provides that the resolution plan must ensure that the operational creditors receive an amount which should not be lesser than the amount they would receive in case of liquidation.
• Time-limit for resolution process: The Code states that the insolvency resolution process must be completed within 180 days, extendable by a period of up to 90 days. The Bill adds that the resolution process must be completed within 330 days.
• Representative of financial creditors: The Code specifies that, in certain cases, such as when the debt is owed to a class of creditors beyond a specified number, the financial creditors will be represented on the committee of creditors by an authorised representative. These representatives will vote on behalf of the financial creditors as per instructions received from them.

Source:Hindu and PRS

The Trade Record Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC)

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: The Trade Record Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC) had announced the winners of the first Canines for Felines, a special contest for wildlife “super sniffer” dogs trained under a TRAFFIC and World Wide Fund-India programme in India.

More on the Topic:

• TRAFFIC was established in 1976.
• TRAFFIC is governed by the TRAFFIC Committee, a steering group composed of members of TRAFFIC’s partner organizations, WWF and IUCN. A central aim of TRAFFIC’s activities is to contribute to the wildlife trade-related priorities of these partners.
• TRAFFIC also works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• TRAFFIC’s Vision is of a world in which trade in wild plants and animals is managed at sustainable levels without damaging the integrity of ecological systems and in such a manner that it makes a significant contribution to human needs, supports local and national economies and helps to motivate commitments to the conservation of wild species and their habitats.

Source: Hindu, Wikipedia

Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY)

Topic: Government Policies

In News: The Union Minister of Textiles mentioned the steps taken by the government to implement the Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana in the Lok sabha.

Background:

• It focuses on integrated development of handicrafts clusters with participation of craft persons.
• The selected artisans in these clusters are supported for sustainable development through NGO partners.
• The package of support under AHVY can be clubbed under Social Interventions, Technological interventions, Marketing interventions, Financial interventions and Cluster specific infrastructure related interventions.
• Under this scheme 90 clusters across the country are identified.
• It also cover aspirational districts, women clusters, weaker section and export potential clusters.
• The objective is to transform these clusters by ensuring self-sustainment of the Self Help Groups/artisans of these clusters.
• ‘Hastkala Sahyog Shivirs’ was organized all over the country for providing Aadhaar linked Pahchan card, marketing facilities, to artisans through Mudra loan.

Source: PIB

Himalayan knotweed

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: A knotweed specie native to the Himalayas has begun taking root in the upper slopes of the Nilgiris, potentially threatening biodiversity along streams and rivers.

More on the Topic:

• Himalayan knotweed (Persicaria wallichii) is a plant species in the knotweed family.
• It is a native to the Himalayas and it was originally introduced as an ornamental garden plant.
• It grows on stream sides, hedge banks, woodland edges, roadsides, railway banks and waste ground.Once established this plant grows into extremely dense stands that out-compete all native vegetation.
• It can grow to about 6 feet in height, alter natural ecosystems and are difficult to eradicate.
• It is among 27 different species of invasive flora identified by Keystone Foundation.
• Invasive species are flora and fauna whose introduction into a habitat disrupts the native eco-system.

Source: Hindu and Wikipedia