National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 26th November 2018
Cruise to Bangladesh
Topic: International Relations
IN NEWS: A trans-boundary river cruise operation is expected to commence from Kolkata in March next year through Sunderbans to Bangladesh and then to connect the north-eastern destinations by private operators.
The Inland Waterway Protocol:
- In an effort to reduce logistics costs and make India-Bangladesh trade more competitive, the Union Shipping Ministry has proposed the inclusion of Pangaon river terminal near Dhaka in the bilateral protocol for inland water trade.
- The Pangaon container terminal is located 20 km from Dhaka. Currently Kolkata port in West Bengal; Mongla, Narayanganj, Ashugunj in Bangladesh; and Karimgunj in Assam are listed in the protocol.
- Inland water is the cheapest mode of transport and attracts a high volume of the domestic cargo movement in Bangladesh. With the ₹5,369-crore Jal Marg project (Jal Marg project aims to create a fairway from Varanasi to Haldia on the Ganga)under implementation and Kolkata emerging as a multi-modal transport hub, India is now keen to tap this opportunity.
- Meanwhile India and Bangladesh are keen on initiating a ₹305-crore dredging project in Sirajganj-Daikhawa on Kushiyara river in Bangladesh to promote inland river movement between Kolkata and the North East through Bangladesh. India will bear 80 per cent (₹244 crore) of the total cost.
Source: The Hindu
Saltwater crocodile
Topic: Environment and Ecology
IN NEWS: Two saltwater crocodiles have been sighted in the Andhra Pradesh coast within a month indicating migration of the species from the Odisha coast.
More on the Topic:
- The saltwater crocodile also known as the estuarine crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles, as well as the largest riparian predator in the world.
- As its name implies, this species of crocodile can live in marine environments, but usually resides in saline and brackish mangrove swamps, estuaries, deltas, lagoons, and lower stretches of rivers.
- Saltwater crocodiles were historically present throughout coastal eastern India and even along the west coast as far north as Kochi in Kerala state.
- In India, the Bittakanika National Park, the Sundarbans and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the prime habitats of the saltwater crocodile.
Rear and Release Programme
- The estimated number of the saltwater crocodiles increased from 96 in 1976 to 1,640 in 2012 in India due to the rear and release programme established under the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project.
- IUCN status: Least concerned
Source:The Hindu
Dudhwa tiger reserve
Topic: Environment and Ecology
In news: A consensus was reached among all security agencies including SSB on the border and the Dudhwa field staff to strengthen the patrolling in and around Dudhwa to check forest and wildlife crimes.
More on the Topic:
- The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is a protected area in Uttar Pradesh comprises the Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
- It shares the north-eastern boundary with Nepal, which is defined to a large extent by the Mohana River.
Source: The Hindu
RIMES terms Titli cyclone ‘rarest of rare’
Topic: Environment and Ecology
In news: The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia, a 45-nation international organisation on disaster warning, has termed ‘Titli’, the severe cyclonic storm that devastated Odisha in October, as ‘rarest cyclone’.
More on the Topic
- More than 200 years of cyclone track history in the Odisha coast reveals that the Titli cyclone is the rarest of rare in terms of its characteristics such as recurvature after landfall and retaining its destructive potential after landfall and recurvature away from the coastal areas for more than two days.
- According to RIMES, the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority faced challenges in anticipating and managing Titli’s impact due to lack of impact-based actionable early warning information and prior experience not only in India but also elsewhere.
- The RIMES has recommended that a detailed risk assessment has to be carried out for Odisha to understand the risks in the light of the Titli devastation.
RIMES:
- The RIMES is an intergovernmental body registered under United Nations.It is owned and managed by 45 collaborating countries in Asia Pacific and Africa Region.
- It was established in 2009 and was registered with UN in July 2009.
- It operates from its regional early warning centre located at campus of Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand.
- It has evolved from efforts of countries in Africa and Asia in aftermath of 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Source: The Hindu
Andaman & Nicobar Islands: home to a tenth of India’s fauna species
Topic: Environment and Ecology
In news: A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: Islands of India has for the first time come up with a database of all faunal species found on the island, putting the number at 11,009. The documentation proves that the islands, comprising only 0.25% of India’s geographical area, are home to more than 10% of the country’s fauna species.
More on the Topic:
- Of the ten species of marine fauna found on the islands, the dugong/sea cow, and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, are both classified as Vulnerable under the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.
- Among the 46 terrestrial mammalian species found, three species have been categorised as Critically Endangered — Andaman shrew (Crocidura andamanensis), Jenkin’s shrew (C. jenkinsi) and Nicobar shrew (C. nicobarica).
Concerns:
- The presence of a large number of species in a small area makes the Andaman and Nicobar Islands one of the richest ecosystems and biodiversity hot spots in India. Some of the species in A&N Islands are restricted to a very small area and thus more vulnerable to any anthropogenic threat
- Tourism, illegal construction and mining are posing a threat to the islands’ biodiversity, which is already vulnerable to volatile climatic factors.
- The population of the islands, which includes six particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompens is not more than 4 lakh.
- The number of tourists visiting the islands has crossed the number of people residing in them, with latest data showing 4.87 lakh tourists visiting the islands annually.
- In a recent development, the Government of India relaxed the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) norms for some foreign nationalities notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, to visit 29 of its inhabited islands, till December 31, 2022.
- This has triggered further concerns of increased anthropogenic pressures over the islands’ ecosystem.
Source: The Hindu
Odisha now lexicon for rare tribal languages
Topic: Art and Culture
In news:As a significant step to keep vanishing tribal languages in circulation, the Odisha government has come out with lexicons of 21 such languages.
More on the Topic:
- The bilingual tribal dictionaries will be used in multilingual education (MLE) initiated by the State government at the elementary level in tribal-dominated districts.
- Odisha has a unique place on the tribal map of India for having the maximum number of Scheduled Tribe communities.
- The State is home to 62 different tribal communities, including 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups. These tribes speak 21 languages and 74 dialects. Of the 21 tribal languages, seven have their own scripts. However, Odia is used as the medium of communication in the dictionaries.
- The trilingual tribal language proficiency module is a radical step to bring government functionaries closer to tribal communities.
- Adoption of more widely spoken competitors, such as Odia, Hindi, English and dominant tribal languages, has hastened the disappearance of rare dialects. Preparation of the dictionaries is step towards ensuring that they are preserved and promoted.
Source: The Hindu
Reasons for birth problems in India
Topic: Social Justice
In news:A recent study that analysed nearly 8,000 women in India who gave birth between 2004 and 2005 and 2011 and 2012 (India Human Development Survey) has pointed out that there is a strong association between adverse birth outcomes and sanitation access, gender-based harassment and physical labour.
More on the Topic:
- About 14.9% and 15.5% of the study group experienced preterm birth and low infant birth weight respectively. The researchers found that spending more than two hours per day fetching water was associated with low birth weight while open defecation or sharing latrine within the building was associated with greater chances of low birth weight or preterm birth.
- Harassment of women and girls in the community was also associated with both preterm birth and low infant birth weight.
Significance of The Study:
- Though there were limitations due to self-reported behaviours and small sample size, the study was able contribute to the limited evidence related to sanitation infrastructure and other social factors that play a role in preterm birth and low infant birth weight.
Source: The Hindu.
Begur Fort
Topic: Art and Culture
In news:Archaeology Department started the process to protect Begur Fort as there was attempts to encroachment in the buffer zone of the fort.
More on the Topic:
- Panchalingeshwara temple is located in the centre of Begur, and has a 1100 years old inscription, which has the oldest existing reference to a place called ‘Bengaluru’.
- These places were ruled by Chola Kingdom and Panchaligeshwara temple was built by Akthiyar under cholza kingdom.
- Near this temple, there exists a tiny circular fort, about 1.4 km² in area. The date of construction is unknown (no research done), but the existence of a 1100-year-old inscription on the gateway of the fort would suggest the same age for the fort.
Transgenic Rice
Topic: Science and Technology
In news: CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute have developed transgenic rice by inserting a novel fungal gene.
More on the Topic:
- The new innovation will results in reduced arsenic accumulation in rice grain.
- In India large number of people are affected by arsenic toxicity, it is imperative to develop rice with lesser arsenic content and high yield.
Source: The Hindu
Medical Marijuana
Topic: Science and Technology
In news: Indian scientists are researching on the active ingredients present in the cannabis plant in the management of diseases.
More on the Topic:
- Cannabis-based drugs have the potential to meet the unmet needs of terminally-ill cancer patients and of those suffering from epilepsy and sickle cell anemia (a hereditary disease that afflicts nearly two crore tribal living mainly in central States).
- Two active compounds of cannabis that are being explored for medical use are Tetrahydro Cannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD).
- In India recreational use of cannabis is prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
- The bar does not apply to an edible preparation called bhang, which is allowed in some States.
Source: The Hindu
Indian Wind Turbine Certification Scheme
Topic: Government Schemes
In news: Indian Wind Turbine Certification Scheme has been drafted by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, in consultation with National Institute of Wind Energy Chennai.
More on the Topic:
- The Scheme enlists the guidelines for the benefit of all the stakeholders from concept to lifetime of wind turbine.
- It incorporated various guidelines from turbine certification scheme.
- It will not only present a framework for standards, but also gratify to the technical regulations and requirements issued by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), guidelines issued by MNRE and other international guidelines.
- Type Certification of wind turbines plays an active role in ensuring that wind turbines in India meet the requirements of requisite international standards.
Source: PIB
