In News

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 has been launched.

About the news

• SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 have been designed to realize the aspiration to make all our cities ‘Garbage Free’ and ‘Water Secure’.
• These flagship Missions signify a step forward in our march towards effectively addressing the challenges of rapidly urbanizing India and will also help contribute towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

• Following are the Features of these Initiatives

Sources:

• PM to launch Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 on 1st October
• Fast track work on ODF+ and ODF++
• About AMRUT

In News

Taking cognizance of increased instances of human-elephant conflicts, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change will launch a project to identify and secure elephant corridors.

About the News

• About: The verification of elephant corridors as well as mapping of land use and land cover of elephant reserves shall be done using GIS Technology.
• Area identification: The corridor identification process will be undertaken in four elephant-rich regions: North West, North East, East-Central, and South of India, starting with a n awareness campaign among forest officials and other stakeholders in UP and Uttarakhand.
• Need for the Project: Increased Human- Elephant conflicts have resulted because of land fragmentation due to factors like:
  • Linear infrastructures. E.g., Rails, Roads etc.
  • Change of land use. E.g., Plantations and Agricultural Use.
  • Encroachment of Elephant Areas
  • Habitation

Why do we need to Conserve Elephants?

• Important species: Elephants are a keystone species.
• Water providers: In times of drought, they access the water by digging holes, which benefits other wildlife.
• Food chain: Apex predators like tigers will sometimes hunt young elephants whose carcasses provide food for other animals.
• The umbrella effect: By preserving a large area for elephants one provides a suitable habitat for many other animal and plant species of an ecosystem.

Source:

• Coming soon, a project to secure India’s elephant corridors | India News, The Indian Express RIGHT OF PASSAGE: NATIONAL ELEPHANT CORRIDORS PROJECT | Wildlife Trust of India (wti.org.in)

In News

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs in Maharashtra.

About the News

• The National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) has decided that the CZMP of Mumbai City and Mumbai suburban districts shall also include the Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs), if any, and revise the CZMP accordingly, if required.
• NCZMA also decided that the activities, projects prohibited in the notified ESZ falling within approved CZMP, if any, shall remain prohibited in that area.

Benefits of the Notification

• Redevelopment: Several housing societies and slums in the city will now be eligible for redevelopment based on the plan as these areas will get a Floor Space Index (FSI) or permissible development equal to other parts of the city.
• Under Development Plan-2034, FSI in the island city, depending on the road width, can go up to 4.05 while in the suburbs it can go up to 3.4.
• Decongestion: For a city that is in growth mode, such as Mumbai, the clearance of the CRZ was critical for decongesting the city as well as providing it with adequate housing and infrastructure
  • In December 2018, the Centre had approved the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019, which de-linked FSI from CRZ norms.
  • This came as a huge relief for the city as a large number of buildings, slums, koliwadas and gaothans in CRZ areas could go in for redevelopment and avail the same FSI as applicable in the rest Coastal plan of the city.
• New CRZ Rules: As per the new Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules, the restriction on development in creek and bay areas has been reduced from 100 m to 50 m from the high tide line.

Way Forward

The demarcation of the hazard line is one crucial component of the CZMP, as it prevents construction on the seaward side of the hazard lines. Given the recent admission by the municipal commissioner that 80 per cent of Mumbai city will be under water by 2050, it will be very interesting to see how the hazard line has been demarcated in the CZMP.

Sources:

• MoEFCC approves Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Mumbai and Mumbai Suburbs
• Builders to gain as Centre okays Coastal Zone Management Plan

In News

The Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs, and Public Distribution submitted its report on the subject ‘Procurement, Storage, and Distribution of Foodgrains by FCI, recently.

About the Report

The Report presents a stocktake of the three processes, i.e. procurement, storage, and distribution of foodgrains undertaken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Procurement of Foodgrains

• The Government policy of procurement of foodgrains has broad objectives of ensuring the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers and availability of foodgrains to the weaker sections at affordable prices. FCI has also been assigned the additional task of procuring pulses & oilseeds under Price Support Scheme (PSS) Scheme.
• The MSP is announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season of crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) which determines the MSP based on the input costs and margin to farmers.

Decentralized Procurement Scheme (DCP)

• Under the decentralised procurement scheme, the state governments utilise the foodgrains procured locally from within the state for distribution under various schemes.
• The scheme:
• Reduces the overall transportation cost.
• Encourages procurement in non-traditional states.

Enables procurement of local foodgrains, which may be more suited to local taste.

Storage of Foodgrains

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution has the responsibility to ensure availability of sufficient storage capacities in various States for procurement of foodgrains and distribution under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)/National Food Security Act (NFSA).
• This responsibility is executed through Food Corporation of India (FCI). The principle of “First in First Out” (FIFO) is followed to avoid longer storage of foodgrains in godowns.

Distribution of Foodgrains

• Managing Authority: The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is governed as per the provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) and is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments.
• One Nation One Ration Card Plan: Presently, more than 70% foodgrains are being distributed through biometric/Aadhaar based electronic transactions on monthly basis in the country.
• IM-PDS: The implementation of “Integrated Management of Public Distribution System” (IM-PDS) scheme for the nation-wide portability ration cards through ONORC plan.
• Schemes: Coverage under the National Food Security Act is under two categories- households covered under Antodya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PH).
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY): Additional free-of-cost foodgrain for all NFSA beneficiaries @ 5 Kg/person/month (over & above regular monthly entitlements under NFSA)

Question: Discuss the various problems associated with the Procurement, Storage and Distribution of Foodgrains by FCI. What can be the remedial actions to these problems?

Sources:

• Procurement, Storage and Distribution of Foodgrains by FCI
• PROCUREMENT, STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOODGRAINS BY FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA, 13th report

Annie Besant

On October 1, 1847, Annie Besant was born in London into an upper-middle-class family. She was social reformer, sometime Fabian socialist, theosophist, and Indian independence leader. Besant first visited India in 1893 and later settled there, becoming involved in the Indian nationalist movement. In 1916 she established the Indian Home Rule League, of which she became president. She was second President of The Theosophical Society from 1907 to 1933. She was an early advocate of birth control, and in the late 1880s she became a prominent Fabian socialist under the influence of George Bernard Shaw.

Sources:

• Annie Besant
• Annie Besant (1847 - 1933)

This is image of the world's highest electric vehicle charging station at 500 ft in Kaza at Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh’s Kaza which is located in of Lahaul and Spiti district.  The EV charging station was inaugurated in a bid to promote a sustainable environment.

Source:

• https://www.livemint.com/news/india/worlds-highest-electric-vehicle-charging-station-inaugurated-in-himachal-pradesh-11632455813796.html

• Context: Marking the birth of Malayalam New Year, Pulluvan paatu was presented.
• Pulluvan paatu is a traditional folk songrendered to the serpent deities by the members of the Pulluva community of Kerala to usher in the Malayalam New Year.
• It is sung through the month of Karkidakam, which is considered as the month of rain and poverty.
• The origin of this art can be traced back to the Mahabharata days when a little girl was ostracized from her house for giving protection to a snake which later on evolved into a form of serpent appeasement.
• Pulluvan (male member of the Pulluva community) and Pulluvatti (woman) would render the songs to the accompaniment of Pulluvan vina, (single string fiddle with a bow), played by the male singer, and Pulluvan kudam (earthen pot with a string attached).
• The duo visits houses, mostly in the rural areas, to present the songs, for which they will be given rice and other items as a token of gratitude. 

Sources:

• Pulluvan Pattu -songs for prosperity
• ‘Pulluvan Paattu' fading into oblivion due to lack of patronage
• Blog- Pulluvan Paattu at Harivihar

Image Source:

• ‘Pulluvan Paattu' fading into oblivion due to lack of patronage

• Context: India and the US to conclude an MoU on Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
• Space Situational Awareness refers to keeping track of objects in the orbit and predicting where they will be at any given time.
• It includes
  • The capability of detecting and tracking man-made and natural threats
  • Predicting and assessing the risks involved
  • Providing appropriate mitigation measures to protect space and ground assets.
• The Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) is the dedicated control centre for SSA activities set up by ISRO in Bengaluru in 2020.
• NETRA in collaboration with the Combined Space Operation Center (CSpOC), California will create a framework for sharing data and services to ensure long-term sustainability of outer space activities that will protect each other’s satellites and other space assets from man-made or natural threats

Sources:

• India, US to conclude MoU to safeguard satellites from natural, man-made threats
• Space Situational Awareness
• Space Situational Awareness

• Context: A new malware named BloodyStealer has been used to steal gamers’ accounts.
• This malware is a malicious stealer capable of fetching session data and passwords, and cookie exfiltration.
• It is being sold on darknet forums and is said to be highly capable of evading detection and protection against reverse engineering and malware analysis.
• It is said to particularly target popular gaming companies in Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Sources:

• A new malware is stealing users’ data on popular gaming platforms, Kaspersky says
• BloodyStealer and gaming assets for sale
• Gamer accounts sold in the underground market after info-stealer trojans exfiltrate data from popular apps

• Context: Amazon has recently unveiled a home robot called Astro.
• Astro, a screen on wheels, works with the Amazon’s Alexa voice software. 
• It can autonomously patrol the home and respond to voice commands.
• The embedded cameras in the robot help it map its environment and navigate, and Astro also includes a periscope to expand its field of view.

Sources:

• Amazon launches $1,000, voice-controlled robot called Astro
• Amazon unveiled its first voice-controlled home robot called Astro; starting at $999
• Amazon's Fall Hardware Event 2021: Everything Announced
• Amazon Launches $1,000, Voice-Controlled Robot Called Astro

Essence: Geographical Indications (GI) products are gaining importance due to emphasis on climate change and sustainability and the presence of a global distribution network in the form of e-commerce. GI protection helps in preservation of biodiversity and offers solution to the problems like low pay for traditional craft ship, low female labour force participation, middle-men participation and urban migration. Since GI industry is largely micro in nature, it faces the challenges of capacity-building, access to credit, forming marketing linkages, research and development, product innovation, competitiveness and middlemen. India needs to utilize the opportunity similar to China and EU and develop this sector by forming a GI board and increasing digital literacy.

Why you should read this article?

• To understand the favorable ecosystem for GI promotion.
• To know about the status of GI market of EU and China.
• To know about the benefits and challenges of the GI products promotion.

Source:

• The many benefits of a strong GI ecosystem

Essence: The pandemic has accelerated digitalization, which can be used as an opportunity to bridge the gender digital divide in India. Digital and financial inclusion are key drivers for women’s economic empowerment.  While the advancements in fintech are an urban reality, it is still a hassle for rural populations to seamlessly access Fintech.

Women face various challenges which limit their economic participation and restrict earning and saving opportunities. Startups in the Fintech industry have the capacity get innovative in their reach, impact, and problem-solving efficiency and take a lead in areas of financial inclusion through microfinance. Technology can close gender gaps with the help of gender focused policies.

Why you should read this article?

• To understand the potential of fintech in women empowerment.
• To know the challenges faced by women in limiting their economic participation.

Source:

• Fintech industry: The great equalizer for women

Essence: The article mentions the rise in importance of maritime security for India which has become a priority for the nation. India also held an open debate over maritime security at the UNSC in August 2021. A shift in the foreign policy of New Delhi in recognizing maritime security as an important pillar of India’s foreign policy highlights its potential domain in promoting foreign policy ambitions. The security of northern geography has been India’s priority concern, despite that the Indian Navy has delivered 14% above returns than the budget allocated to it. Despite India having political differences with its maritime neighbours, the Indian Navy’s humanitarian and diplomatic efforts have been a resource to India’s maritime foreign policy. Apart from improvement in immediate maritime foreign policy relations, maritime security concern has gained India an advantageous position in Quad to India. Maritime security will further help India establish a strong defence against China. New Delhi must look forward to gaining potential in cooperation with its neighbours in Indian ocean.

Why you should read this article?

• To understand the growing importance of maritime security concerns for India.
• To understand the role the Indian Navy has played in making maritime security a vital foreign policy pillar.

Source:

• From the periphery to the centre, India’s maritime moment has arrived

Background

• Millions of trees are planted across the country every year in afforestation
• The Low-density polyethene (LDPE) plastic bags used to wrap the saplings are left for waste and untreated.
• The cumulative effect of the untreated plastic from these drives have detrimental effect on the environment.

Initiative to treat the plastic drive

• Efforts of IFS officer Anupam Sharma in recycling trash to set up the biogas plant and generate employment for villagers
• Biogas plant: setting up a biogas plant at an old-age-home, installing an oil presser machine and a spice grinder unit.
• Employment: helped to create economic opportunities for the villagers.

Quote

“Creativity is intelligence having fun!”

Source:

• How an IFS Officer Used 5000 kg Plastic Waste to Generate Employment For 3 Villages