In News:

• India has ranked 107 out of 121 nations in the Global Hunger Index 2022 (India ranked 101 in the 2021 index).

Beyond News:

• With a score of 29.1, India has a level of hunger that is serious.
• India’s has reported to performed poorer than South Asian Nations, with the exception of war-torn Afghanistan.
• Child wasting (low weight for height) rate is highest for any country in the world. Prevalence of undernourishment has also risen.
• India has shown improvement in child stunting (low height for age) and child mortality
• The Centre (Government of India) had stated that methodology used for GHI was unscientific.

Key Findings

Global Scenario

• Stagnation: Global progress against hunger has largely stagnated and is likely to worsen due to overlapping global crises—conflict, climate change, and economic fallout of COVID-19 pandemic.
• 44 nations with "severe" or "alarming" levels of hunger at the moment:
• Africa South of Sahara and South Asia have highest hunger levels and are most vulnerable to future shocks and crises.
• As many as 828 million people were undernourished in 2021.

Performance of Nations

• Top: Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chile, China and Croatia
• Worst: Chad, DRC, Madagascar, Central African Republic and Yemen

Performance of India and Neighbouring Countries

• In South Asia, India (107)is ranked below Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (81), Bangladesh (84), and Pakistan (99).
• India is under ‘serious’ category with a score of1.
• In South Asia, Afghanistan (109) is the only country in South Asia performing worse than India.
• China, with a score of less than 5,has topped among all South Asian Nations.

India’s Initiatives for Hunger/Malnutrition

• Eat Right India Movement
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
• Food Fortification
• POSHAN Abhiyan
• Mission Indradhanush
• National Food Security Act, 2013
• Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)

Content Source Link:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/reading-indias-hunger-score-global-hunger-index-8214611/

Image Source Link:

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Finf.news%2Fne%2Fscience%2Fcd098d89cd5b335f4e76c702882457f7.html&psig=AOvVaw2J8WOyWF8uO-CNCWlp0ScP&ust=1666161226464000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjhxqFwoTCNiZvLKU6foCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

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In news

• According to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Report 2022, there has been a 69% drop in the number of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish worldwide over the past 50 years (WWF).

Beyond News:

Living Planet Report

• LPI is a measure how species are responding to pressure in the environment due to biodiversity loss and climate change.
• The report is released every two years.
• Title: Building A Nature-Positive Society.
• The report provides a Living Planet Index

Key Findings

Population Decline on a Regional Basis:

• Latin America & the Caribbean: Experienced a 94% increase in the reduction of wildlife populations.
• Africa: 66% reduction in wildlife populations (1970-2018), Asia-Pacific: 55% decline.

Decline in Freshwater Species:

• Fallen by 83% globally.
• About half of the dangers to the fish species being tracked were brought on by habitat loss and obstructions to migration pathways.

Degradation of Mangroves:

• 13% of mangroves are still being lost each year to aquaculture, agriculture, and coastal development.
• In addition to other natural stressors like storms and coastal erosion, many mangroves are also harmed by overuse and pollution.
• Since 1985, 137 square kilometers of the Sundarbans mangrove forest in India and Bangladesh have been degraded, affecting region's 10 million residents.

Key Threats to Biodiversity:

• Agriculture
• Hunting
• Logging
• Pollution
• Invasive Species
• Climate Change

Recommendations

• Report mentions Trade, Development and Environment Hub (TRADE Hub), a multi-country, interdisciplinary collaboration that seeks to understand international trade systems and their social and environmental impacts.
• Calls for diversification in food production, particularly across cropping and animal systems.
• Highlights urgent need to address the sustainability of natural resource supply chains, given the impact they have on nature and people.
• Suggests to adopt a cross-sectoral, integrated approach, to promote solutions with co-benefits and avoid solutions with trade-offs between biodiversity, climate and other change.

Content Source Link: 

• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/living-planet-report-2022-wildlife-populations-decline-by-69-in-50-years-85438#:~:text=Published%3A%20Thursday%2013%20October%202022,Fund%20for%20Nature%20(WWF)
• https://livingplanet.panda.org/

Image Source Link:

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Finf.news%2Fne%2Fscience%2Fcd098d89cd5b335f4e76c702882457f7.html&psig=AOvVaw2J8WOyWF8uO-CNCWlp0ScP&ust=1666161226464000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjhxqFwoTCNiZvLKU6foCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

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In news

The Finance Minister has recently said that Indian rupee has performed much better than many other emerging market currencies against incessant strengthening of the US Dollars.

Beyond News:

She had asserted that the fundamentals of India’s economy is strong and the inflation is low compared to other parts of the world.

Why is the Dollar Strengthening?

The value of USD, at its highest since 2000, has appreciated almost against all currencies. An USD was Rs 74.50 on January 1, it is more than Rs 82.30 currently.

• Despite very high rates of inflation, the American job market has done extremely well and sectors like services have remained resilient.
• This has increased confidence in the market, and offsets concerns of slowdown in the housing sector.
• Rapidly rising interest rates in USA due to greater pace of fiscal policy tightening.
• Outflow of Foreign portfolio investment due to increasing recession risks.
• Massive terms-of-trade shock (ratio between index of export prices and index of import prices) triggered by Russia- Ukraine war.

Impact of Depreciation of Rupee

• Current Account Deficit will widen, resulting in depletion of Foreign exchange reserves, thereby, weakening the rupee.
• The Economy will move closer to cost-push inflation as a result of increased landed costs for crude oil and other essential imports.
  • When overall prices rise (inflation) as a result of rising costs for wages and raw materials, this phenomenon is referred to as cost-push inflation/wage-push inflation.
• Businesses won't be able to fully pass on increased prices to consumers, which would have an impact on government dividend payments and raise concerns about budgeted fiscal deficits.
• Also, there will be an increase in India’s Energy import Bill.
• Increased Current Account Deficit- increasing capital outflows and risk of rating downgrades.

Possible Remedies:

• To Enhance resilience of Economy through fiscal discipline and preservation of forex reserves in near-term future.
• Increasing export competitiveness in long-term and
• Enhance trade in local currencies with other countries.

Content Source Link:

• https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/indian-rupee-has-performed-much-better-says-fm-nirmala-sitharaman-122101600070_1.html,

Image Source Link:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/strengthening-dollar-weakening-rupee-numbers-8213007/

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In news

• A tiger dubbed T-113 was shifted to the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR).

Key Points

• The relocation aimed at increasing the Tiger population in Sariska.
• The shifting was done after seeking permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
  • NTCA is a statutory body under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• The shifting came at a time when the majority of the male and female tigers in STR have aged.
• The STR had witnessed country’s first tiger reintroduction programme in 2008.
• Presently, the reserve has 24 tigers (10 female, 7 males and 7 cubs).
• IUCN status of Tiger: Endangered. Tigers are mostly solitary, apart from associations between mother and offspring.

Significance of Relocation:

• It establishes a viable, free-ranging population in the wild, where tigers have become locally extinct.
• Also, it enhances the long-term survival of wild tigers in a manner that they could potentially perform their ecological and evolutionary role.
• It will boost the conservation efforts and often, lead to livelihood opportunities and local employment.

Content Source Link:

• https://xperttimes.com/tiger-shifted-to-sariska-reserve-in-rajasthan/, https://www.toftigers.org/news/tiger-shifted-to-sariska-reserve-in-rajasthan/,

Image Source Link:

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fonlyias2%2Fstatus%2F1526417578544902144&psig=AOvVaw0WTsrFsfSXWUtDXGzWq53X&ust=1666174365820000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA4QjhxqFwoTCPDnmazF6foCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAZ

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• Context: Hampi, Khajuraho on list for G20 culture track.
• India has planned to host the G20 meetings during its yearlong Presidency, between December 2022 and November 2023, focusing on “culture track” and the spotlight being “heritage sites”.
• The ancient temples at Khajuraho (a town in Chatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh), renowned for their exquisite carvings, were built during the Chandela dynasty, between 950-1050, and display the originality and high quality of Nagara-style temple architecture.

• Only about 20 temples remain, and they fall into three distinct groups and belong to two different religions Hinduism and Jainism.
• Nagara Style:
  • Each temple is elevated by a highly ornate terraced platform, or jagati, on which stands the body, or jangha.
  • Sanctum is topped by a tower, or shikhara, of a type unique to Nagara, where the verticality of the principal spire atop the sanctum is accentuated by a series of miniature spires flanking it, each symbolizing Mount Kailasa, the abode of the Gods.

Source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/india/hampi-khajuraho-on-list-for-g20-culture-track-8212864/
• https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/240/

Image source:

• https://twitter.com/reclaimtemples/status/803963258709352448

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Context: Recently, Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Program released early warning on acute food insecurity.

Hunger Hotspots refers to the areas where deterioration of food security to acute level is highly likely as pointed out by Global Report on Food Crisis 2022 Mid-year Update.

Key findings of the report

1. Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen remain at the highest alert level or at risk of deterioration towards catastrophic conditions.
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the Sahel region, the Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic remain of very high concern.
3. The alert is extended to the Central African Republic and Pakistan
4. Guatemala, Honduras, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Madagascar remain hunger hotspots

Internal factors:

1. Organized violence and conflict
2. Stalled humanitarian access or critical gaps in funding along with famine warnings
3. Extreme climatic events

External Factors:

1. Recession risk
2. Monetary‑tightening measures enacted by numerous central banks
3. increase in domestic food and energy prices
4. Monetary-tightening measures and significant slowdown in economies.

Source:

• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/living-planet-report-2022-wildlife-populations-decline-by-69-in-50-years-85438

Image source:

• https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/living-planet-report-2022-wildlife-populations-decline-by-69-in-50-years-85438

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• Context: DBUs will be set up across 75 districts of the country as announced in Union budget 2022-23.
• A DBU is a specialised fixed point business unit or hub, housing a certain minimum digital infrastructure for delivering digital banking products and services as well as servicing existing financial products and services digitally in self-service mode at any time.
• Ministry: Union Finance Ministry
• Key benefits
• Adoption of paperless mode for banking services to make it hassle free.

• For enhancing digital financial literacy
• The DBUs will also facilitate onboarding to Government credit link schemes through the Jan Samarth portal and end-to-end digital processing of a small ticket MSME/retail loans apart from banking facilities.
• 2 product and service delivery modes:

1. Self-service mode
2. Digital assistance mode

• Targeted group: As part of financial inclusion, India’s rural population has been specifically targeted. Those who do not have ICT infrastructure to access banking services digitally will benefit.
• Neo banks or digital banks excel at product innovation and offer far better digital solutions than conventional banks.

Source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/explained-digital-banking-units-prime-minister-narendra-modi-8211607/

Image source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/what-are-digital-banking-units-7878178/

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The article discusses about technologies that supply food and take care of nutritional needs along with climate change imperatives. The dimensions of study include:

Need of Food production & Nutritional security

• Global population is expected to reach 8 billion by mid-November 2022 according to World population prospects.
• It is projected to reach 9.8bn by 2050 and 11.2bn by 2100. Hence to meet the growing (In 1804-1bn,1927-2bn,1974-4bn,2022-8bn).
• To address Poverty and Hunger crisis across the world
• Challenges: Climate Change
• Climate change will affect all four dimensions of food security: food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food systems It will have an impact on human health, livelihood assets, food production and distribution channels, as well as changing  purchasing power and market flows.
• Also, migration, agriculture, livelihood of people, their inadequacy insurance coverage, in both developing and developed

Agriculture practices major Contributor to Climate Change:

• Agriculture leads to 28% of GHG
• According to data released by IPCC, clearing of forested area for agriculture accounted for 17.4 percent of total GHG in 2000, with emissions from intensive crop and livestock production contributing another 5%.
• In contrast World Resources Institute (WRI) indicate that energy sector emissions attributable to agricultural and food processing use of fossil fuels account for only 2.4 percent of GHG, total emissions for all forms of transport for all purposes came to just 1%.
• Hence there is a need to change agricultural practices by adopting sound technologies that adopt and mitigate climate

 Need of the Hour:

• Sync between policies and technologies that incentivizes people to change their way of doing things, be it in agriculture or in any other
• Increased expenditure on agriculture research and development and education. Currently India spends 6% of of agri-GDP , it has to reach to 1.5 to 2 % of agri-GDP to make India self-reliant in food even in face of adverse climate change.
• Aggressively promoting precision farming.
• Reducing emissions of methane and nitrous oxide, such as through improved nutrition for ruminant livestock, more efficient management of livestock waste and of irrigation water on rice paddies, more efficient applications of nitrogen fertilizer on cultivated fields, and reclamation of treated municipal wastewater for aquifer recharge and
• Sequestering carbon, through improved management of soil organic matter, with conservation agriculture involving permanent organic soil cover, minimum mechanical soil disturbance and crop rotation and carbon sink tree plantings.
• Need to take a serious look on the culture of free power, free water, almost 80 to 90 per cent subsidy on urea.

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• Why in news? Demand for mock meat has seen a surge in India.
• What are Mock Meats?
  • Mock meat is vegan meat or plant-based meat alternative.
  • It is offered to vegans as a method to increase protein in their diet and to non-vegetarians as a way to gradually shift to vegan diet.
  • It is composed of plant-based proteins processed to have a meat-like feel, texture, and taste. It uses wheat gluten, soya protein or vegetable substitutes like jackfruit.
  • It is different from lab-grown meat, which is cultured meat cultivated using animal cells collected from animals.
  • It will be available in Ready-to-Eat (RTE) and Ready-to-Cook (RTC) options and the mock meat market in India is expected to reach Rs 315 crores by 2026.

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• Why in News? The nation paid tribute to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary.
• About Dr. Kalam: Born in Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, was popularly known as Peoples President and 'Missile Man'.
• He was 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.
• He studied physics and aerospace engineering.
• Key role:
  • Pokhran-II nuclear tests which made India a nuclear power.
  • Developed Indigenous Guided Missiles at DRDO.
  • In ISRO, he was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III)
  • Awards: Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Bharat Ratna (1997).
  • Values: Humility, compassion, empathy, rationality, patriotism, etc.
  • Books by Dr. Kalam: Wings of Fire (Autobiography), India 2020

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• Why in News? A plea seeking radiocarbon dating in Gyanvapi Mosque case was recently dismissed by the Varanasi High Court.
• What is carbon dating? Carbon dating is a scientific process that ascertains the age of an archaeological object or archaeological finds.
  • Method was developed in the late 1940s by Willard Libby, who was awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in 1960.
  • Living things have carbon in them in various forms.
  • It is based on the fact that Carbon-14 (C-14), an isotope of carbon, is radioactive, and decays at a well-known rate, known as half-life (about 5,730 years).
  • It provides objective age estimates by measuring amount of C-14 present in the sample and comparing this against an internationally used reference standard.
  • The oldest date that can be reliably measured by this process date to approximately 50,000 years ago.

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• Why in News? Food Day was celebrated with the theme ‘Leave No One Behind’ calling for Food Security for all.
• Facts: 828 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat and over 50 million people are facing severe hunger.
• National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013
  • Legally entitles up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
  • The eldest woman of the household of age 18 years or above is mandated to be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing ration cards under the act.
  • Implemented in all states and UTs.
  • Special provisions made for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years, for nutritious meals via ICDS centres (Anganwadis) and via schools under the Mid-day meal scheme.

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• Why in News? International day for rural women was celebrated recently.
• Theme: "Rural Women, key for a world free from hunger and poverty." The theme focuses on equality and women's empowerment and wants women to fight against the problems of hunger and malnutrition.
• It focuses on gender equality and women empowerment in rural areas.
• It was declared by the United Nations in 2007.

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• Why in News? Omicron's new sub-variants BA.5.1.7 and BF.7 are the newest strains of COVID-19 that are believed to have greater transmissibility.
• About Omicron BF.7
• First detected in Northwest China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
• Known as the 'Omicron spawn'.
• Fast spreading across various countries including United States, UK, Australia and Belgium.
• Said to surpass immunity and dodge antibodies from earlier infection or vaccinations better than other Omicron sub-variants.

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Background:

The 'Employment Guarantee during Covid-19' report that was recently released by Azim Premji University, NREGA, highlighted that wages earned under MGNREGA helped compensating 20% to 80% of income loss incurred because of Covid-19 lockdown.

About Report findings related to MGNREGS

• MGNREGA is a demand driven wage employment programme under Ministry of Rural Development.
• It provides at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• MGNREGA is a right to work programme, that guarantees 100 days of employment to every rural household that demands work, and is designed to absorb shocks such as the pandemic.
• As per the report,
  • 39% of households has reported to have not got a single day of work in 2020-21 owing to the pandemic.
  • Only 36% of all households that worked in the COVID year got their wages within 15 days as laid down in the Act.
  • Unmet demand was 64 days among households that found some work. (Unmet demand is difference between number of days desired and number of days of work received).

• To compensate wage loss, increasing MGNREGA wage rates to at least state minimum wage or Rs 375 per day as recommended by Anoop Satpathy Committee Also, every agency involved in payment of MGNREGA wages must be brought within ambit of social audits.

Source:

• MGNREGS made up for up to 80% income loss during pandemic: study

Image source:

• https://twitter.com/hatefreeworldX/status/1580742400099876864/photo/1

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