IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-01

Global warming and climate change affected air, water, soil, seasons and eventually plant and animal life.

News

• Plants absorb carbon dioxide and give out oxygen during photosynthesis. Some of this carbon is transferred to soil as plants die and decompose.
• Plants and soil absorb roughly a quarter of the greenhouse gases that humans release into the atmosphere.

Findings

• Recent research has found that under a warming climate they may start absorbing less greenhouse gases.
• As the climate warms, soils across much of the planet gradually gets drier. When the soil is dry, plants are stressed and cannot absorb as much CO2.
• Further, microorganisms in the soil are more productive when it’s warm. They release more CO2, further accelerating global warming.
• The life cycles of animals and plants are aligned with seasons and resource availability. During cold winters, to cope with food scarcity and to conserve energy some animals hibernate while birds migrate to a warmer place.
• As climate change alters the length of seasons, it will affect availability of food and shelter for hibernating animals.
• Climate change can alter the cues used by species to regulate their behaviour.
• Climate change is a major threat to agriculture. Worldwide, farmers are struggling to keep up with shifting weather patterns and increasingly unpredictable water supplies. Farms are more likely to face attacks from diseases, invasive species and pests, which affect yield. Extreme events such as flooding or reduced water supply also threaten crop yields.
• Extreme weather patterns also affect our health and lives. Heavy rains, floods, drought and heatwaves destroy life, property and livelihood. They also help disease-causing agents multiply.

Aftereffects

• Sea-level rise:A warmer atmosphere causes glaciers and polar ice sheets to melt rapidly. This contributes to unusual rise in sea level. The impact of sea-level rise includes flooding of coastal areas, increased soil erosion, disappearance of some low-lying islands, saltwater intrusion and habitat destruction in coastal areas. Rising sea levels also make storm surges capable of much greater damage.As sea ice disappears, ice-dependent mammals such as polar bears struggle to survive.
• Coral bleaching:Oceans are getting hotter as they absorb 90 % of the extra heat in the atmosphere. This shift causes the oceans to expand, contributing to higher sea levels. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae living in their tissues and will turn colourless. This is called coral bleaching. It is the algae that give colours to the coral reefs. The algae also give coral polyps the food they need to survive.
• Ocean acidification: Oceans are also a major carbon storage system for carbon dioxide. As carbon dioxide emissions end up in the oceans, it triggers a chemical change that makes the water more acidic and reduce the saturation states of calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are called ocean acidification. Calcium carbonate minerals are the building blocks for the skeletons and shells of many marine organisms. Continued acidification can affect the ability of these organisms to produce and maintain their shells.
• Impact on migrating birds:Migratory bird species require suitable conditions throughout their annual cycle: on their breeding grounds and along migratory routes. Migrating birds are arriving at their breeding grounds earlier as global temperatures rise. But arriving at the wrong time, even by a few days, may cause them to miss out on vital resources such as food and nesting places. This, in turn, affects the timing of offspring hatching and their chances of survival.
• Impact on turtles:An increase in nesting beach temperatures will have an impact on sea turtles. Females come ashore to lay their eggs on sandy beaches during the nesting season. Sea turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning the developing turtle’s gender depends on the temperature it is exposed to. Warmer temperatures produce female hatchlings, while cooler temperatures produce male hatchlings. With climate change, experts find that there are more female sea turtles than males and this may threaten the survival of the species.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Atmanirbhar Bharat: In 2 schemes worth Rs 30,000 crore, 40% funding to come from states

News

About Rs 30,000 crore worth of schemes announced in the Atmanirbhar Bharat package will rely on 40 per cent share from states.

Beyond News:

Schemes  Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Scheme for Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME) were approved by the Union Cabinet.

Details of these schemes are covered in detail below separately with PIB & PRS inputs..

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana

News:

Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for boosting fisheries sector

Beyond News:

A scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India” with highest ever investment of Rs. 20050 crores in fisheries sector comprising of Central share of Rs. 9407 crore, State share of Rs 4880 crore and Beneficiaries contribution of Rs. 5763 crore. PMMSY will be implemented over a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.

Aims and objectives of PMMSY

1. Harnessing of fisheries potential in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner
2. Enhancing of fish production and productivity through expansion, intensification, diversification and productive utilization of land and water
3. Modernizing and strengthening of value chain – post-harvest management and quality improvement
4. Doubling fishers and fish farmers incomes and generation of employment
5. Enhancing contribution to Agriculture GVA and exports
6. Social, physical and economic security for fishers and fish farmers
7. Robust fisheries management and regulatory framework

Major Impact, including employment generation potential 

1. Enhancing fish production from 137.58 lakh metric tons (2018-19) to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25.
2. Sustained average annual growth of about 9% in fish production
3. An increase in the contribution of GVA of fisheries sector to the Agriculture GVA from 7.28% in 2018-19 to about 9% by 2024-25.
4. Double export earnings from Rs.46,589 crores (2018-19) to about Rs.1,00,000 crores by 2024-25.
5. Enhancing productivity in aquaculture from the present national average of 3 tonnes to about 5 tonnes per hectare.
6. Reduction of post-harvest losses from the reported 20-25% to about 10%.
7. Enhancement of the domestic fish consumption from about 5-6 kg to about 12 kg per capita.
8. Generate about 55 lakhs direct and indirect employment opportunities in the fisheries sector along the supply and value chain.

Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)”

News:

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, has given its approval to a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme – “Scheme for Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)” for the Unorganized Sector on All India basis with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore.  The expenditure will be shared by GOI and the States in ratio of 60:40.

Objectives:

• Increase in access to finance by micro food processing units.
• Increase in revenues of target enterprises.
• Enhanced compliance with food quality and safety standards.
• Strengthening capacities of support systems.
• Transition from the unorganized sector to the formal sector.
• Special focus on women entrepreneurs and Aspirational districts.
• Encourage Waste to Wealth activities.
• Focus on minor forest produce in Tribal Districts.

Salient features:

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Expenditure to be shared by Government of India and States at 60:40.
• 2,00,000 micro-enterprises are to be assisted with credit linked subsidy.
• Scheme will be implemented over a 5 year period from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
• Cluster approach.
• Focus on perishables.

Support to Individual micro units:

• Micro enterprises will get credit linked subsidy @ 35% of the eligibleproject cost with ceiling of Rs.10 lakh.
• Beneficiary contribution will be minimum 10% and balance from loan.
• On-site skill training & Handholding for DPR and technical upgradation.

Support to FPOs/SHGs/Cooperatives:

• Seed capital to SHGs for loan to members for working capital and small tools.
• Grant for backward/ forward linkages, common infrastructure, packaging, marketing & branding.
• Skill training & Handholding support.
• Credit linked capital subsidy.

Impact and employment generation:

• Nearly eight lakh micro- enterprises will benefit through access to information, better exposure and formalization.
• Credit linked subsidy support and hand-holding will be extended to 2,00,000 micro enterprises for expansion and upgradation.
• It will enable them to formalize, grow and become competitive.
• The project is likely to generate nine lakh skilled and semi-skilled jobs.
• Scheme envisages increased access to credit by existing micro food processing entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in the Aspirational Districts.
• Better integration with organized markets.
• Increased access to common services like sorting, grading, processing, packaging, storage etc.

All benches of Delhi HC to take up urgent matters via video conferencing from tomorrow

News

The Delhi High Court has decided that all its judges will sit everyday to take up “urgent matters of all kinds” via video conferencing.

Beyond News

• The step follows the high court and the lower courts together having taken up 20,726 urgent matters during the COVID-19 related lockdown from March 24 to May 19.
• Till now, urgent matters were being taken up by two division benches and ten single-judge benches, but the judges of these benches were sitting on rotation basis.
• There are presently seven division benches and 19 single-judge benches in the high court.
• The note further said that the roster benches would also take up the matters which are at the stage of final arguments and in which consent has been received from both the sides agreeing for disposal of case on the basis of written submissions alone.

The seven division benches and 19 single-judge benches are also referred to as roster benches as each of them deal with cases based on specific categories (or roster) decided by the Chief Justice.

Tripura gets its first international waterway with River Gomti approved as Indo-Bangla protocol route

News

• Tripura got its first ever international waterway as five new protocol routes were announced between India and its eastern neighbour Bangladesh, with Chief Minister expressing hope that the state will emerge as ‘gateway of Northeast’ in future by tapping into bilateral connectivity and trade potential.

Beyond News

• Sonamura-Daudkandi route on Tripura’s River Gomti and Rajshahi-Dhulian-Rajshahi routes were added to the list of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes signed between the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh and Bangladesh Shipping Secretary.
• The Protocol on Transit and Trade (PTT) through inland waterways was first signed between People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of India in 1972. The Protocol was last renewed in 2015 for five years with a provision for automatic renewal and further five years of long term assurance to stakeholders.
• The Protocol parameters were revised in the second addendum signed on Wednesday with inclusion of new routes and declaration of a host of new Ports of Call to facilitate trade between both the countries.
• As per the revised protocol, a 93 km stretch of River Gomti in Tripura’s Sepahijala district connecting Sonamura on the Indian side and Daudkandi in Bangladesh and Rajhahi-Dhulian route would be in effect.
• While the Sonamura-Daudkhandi route is expected to improve connectivity between Tripura, Bangladesh and nearby Indian states, operationalising the Rajshahi-Dhulian route is expected to augment infrastructure in Bangladesh and reduce export cost from India.
• Tripura is allowed to export eight products to Bangladesh though almost none of these can be exported in proper quantities due to high duty charges. On the other hand, there is no bar on importing any commodity from Bangladesh.

J&K: Domicile certificate mandatory for admission into educational institutions

News

The Jammu and Kashmir government made ‘Domestic status certificate’ mandatory for admission into educational institutions in the Union Territory.

Beyond News

• Consequent upon the above, it has been decided that the requirement of ‘Permanent Resident Certificate’ wherever prescribed for admission into Educational Institutions shall be replaced with ‘Domicile Certificate’.
• The circular further advises all administrative secretaries to immediately effect changes in statutes/rules wherever there exists prescribed requirement of ‘Permanent Resident Certificate’ for admission in Educational Institutions.
• In terms of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2019, any reference by whatever form to “permanent residents of the State or hereditary State subject”, wherever they occurred in any Act or notification issued or rules, orders made thereunder, stands omitted with necessary grammatical variation.”

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Alternative dwarfing genes in wheat can eliminate rice crop residue burning

News:

To overcome the problem of residue burning, Scientists at Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), have mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 in wheat. These genes are associated with better seedling vigour and longer coleoptiles (sheath protecting the young shoot tip).

Beyond News:

In India, close to twenty-three million tonnes of leftover rice residues are annually burnt by farmers to get rid of the straw and prepare their fields for sowing wheat, which is the next crop, resulting in air pollution. Also, dry environments pose a challenge for the germination of wheat varieties with short coleoptile.

Burning of leftover rice crop residue has serious implications for the environment, soil, and human health. Therefore, there is a need to include alternative dwarfing genes in wheat improvement programs. Also, only two dwarfing alleles of Rht1 are predominant in Indian wheat varieties; therefore, there is a need to diversify the genetic base of dwarfing genes considering diverse wheat growing zones in India.

The improved wheat lines which are being developed at ARI will help reducing stubble burning incidences under the rice-wheat cropping system. These lines will also allow deeper sowing of wheat seeds to avail advantage of residual moisture in the soil, therefore, saving valuable water resources and reduce the cost of cultivation to farmers.

India builds road north of Ladakh lake, China warns of ‘necessary counter-measures’

News

• Two rounds of talks between Indian and Chinese local military commanders at Pangong Tso, where troops of the two sides came to blows two weeks ago, remained inconclusive and Beijing warned of “necessary counter-measures”.

India-China conflict

• It claimed the Indian Army had “entered Chinese soil on the Baijing and Lujin duan section of the Sino-Indian border, obstructing the normal patrol of Chinese border troops, and was “attempting to unilaterally change the status quo of border territory”.
• While the Army and Ministry of External Affairs maintained silence, officials in New Delhi described the situation as “delicately poised” and “very sensitive” at a time when the country is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout.
• The site of the current construction is near the confluence of Shyok and Galwan rivers, some 200 km north of the Pangong Tso lake.
• The Chinese have moved troops to the area, pitched 70-80 tents and parked heavy vehicles and monitoring equipment, not very far from the Indian side. This falls in SSN or sub-sector north under the Army, while areas south to it are in the Hot Springs sector under the ITBP.
• India has relocated additional troops to the area, but they have not been deployed so far at the location.
• The DSDBO road connecting Daulat Beg Oldie, at the base of the Karakoram Pass, with Shyok and Darbuk, was completed a year ago and provides India greatly connectivity in the border areas. The 255-km road, which had to be realigned after the initial alignment was found unsuitable, runs along Shyok and Tangtse rivers.

States express desire to expedite early notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats.

News:

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, interacted with Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers & State Government Officers of six states viz, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu through Video Conference to discuss issues relating to notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) pertaining to Western Ghats.

Beyond News:

• To conserve and protect the bio diversity of Western Ghats while allowing for sustainable and inclusive development of the region, Government of India had constituted a High Level Working Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. Kasturirangan. The Committee had recommended that identified geographical areas falling in the six States of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu may be declared as Ecologically Sensitive Areas.
• A draft notification was issued in October 2018 mentioning the areas to be notified in the ESA.

States were of unanimous view that looking into the importance of Western Ghats, there is need to ensure protection of the western Ghats. However, the states expressed their views as regards activities and extent of area mentioned in the said notification. It was decided that state specific issues shall be further deliberated so as to arrive at a consensus on the issue. The states expressed their desire to expedite early notification while protecting interest of ecology and environment.

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