In News

Land for life Award 2021 has been recently conferred to the Familial Forestry of Rajasthan by UNCCD.

About the News:

• Land for Life is an award programme of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which is conferred every two years.
• The Award aims to provide global recognition to individuals and organizations whose work and initiatives have made a significant contribution to sustainable development through sustainable land management (SLM).
• The theme of the 2021 award was “Healthy Land, Healthy Lives”.

Understanding Familial Forestry:

• Familial Forestry means caring for the tree as a family member.
• It means transferring the care of the tree and environment in the family so that a tree becomes a part of the family’s consciousness.

• Familial Forestry of Rajasthan is a unique concept that relates a tree with a family, making it a green "family member”. 
• This movement involved more than a million families from more than 15,000 villages in desert-prone northwest Rajasthan.
• About 5 million saplings have been planted in the past 15 years, with the active participation of students and desert dwellers.

Significance:

• This green or eco socialization aims to bring environmental sensitivity and empowerment.
• It shapes the stakeholder as an environment-connected individual.
• Alongside, the produce from the plants/trees not only provide nutrition to the household and the community but also becomes a source of income also.
• Family trees provide nesting places to birds, and insects thus increasing biodiversity.
• Familial Forestry also associates rituals and festivals with trees to make green footprinting an integral part of social structure.

Management of Forests:

• According to IUCN, deforestation and forest degradation contribute to around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The total area occupied by primary forests in India has decreased by 3.6%.

Afforestation through forest landscape restoration

The governments have relied on afforestation and reforestation as a means of establishing trees on non-treed land. These strategies have now evolved.

• Focus on forest landscape restoration: The focus is now on forest landscape restoration- the process of regaining ecological functionality and improving human welfare across deforested or degraded forest landscapes.
• Community participation: Forest landscape restoration seeks to involve communities in the process of designing and executing mutually advantageous interventions for the upgradation of landscapes.
• Ensuring diversity of species: A crucial aspect of this process is to ensure the diversity of the species while planting trees. Natural forests with diverse native tree species are more efficient in sequestering carbon than monoculture tree plantations. This ensures healthier local communities and their livelihoods and will also enhance the quality of the forests.

Programs and initiatives for forest restoration

• The span 2021-2030 is the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,emphasising efforts to restore degraded terrestrial ecosystems including forests.
• Bonn Challenge:In 2011, the Bonn Challenge was launched with a global goal to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

• India joined the Bonn Challenge in 2015, pledging to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.
• There are a number of government programmes such as Compensatory Afforestation, the National Afforestation Programme, the National Mission for a Green India (Green India Mission), the Nagar Van scheme and the Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme, Green Skill Development Programme (for the youth who aspire to attain employment in the environment and forest sectors) etc.

Source:

• Concept of Familial Forestry
• Familial Forestry
• National Afforestation Programme

Image source:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-plan-that-is-much-more-than-just-planting-trees/article65617158.ece

In news

State of Global Air has recently published a report titled ‘Air Quality and Health in Cities”.

About the News:

• The report has analysed pollution and its effect on global health in more than 7,000 cities around the world between 2010 and 2019 and ranked the cities on the basis of two major pollutants, namely: Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂).
• Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai have featured among the world’s top 20 most polluted cities.

Key Findings of the Report

• PM 2.5 Levels
  • Delhi and Kolkata are ranked first and second in the list of the top 10 most polluted cities.
• PM 2.5 deaths
  • In 2019, 1.7 million deaths linked to PM2.5 exposure occurred in 7,239 cities with cities in Asia, Africa, and Eastern and Central Europe seeing the greatest health impacts.
  • Beijing had the largest disease burden associated with a PM 2.5-related illness, with 124 attributable fatalities per 100,000 persons.
  • Delhi came in 6th, with 106 deaths per 100,000 and Kolkata at 8th.
• NO₂ Levels
  • No Indian city appeared in the list of top 10 or even top 20 polluted cities
  • Average NO₂levels for Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, according to the report, ranged from 20-30 µg/m3.
  • Shanghai has topped the list with an average annual exposure of 41 µg/m3
  • While exposures to PM 2.5 pollution tend to be higher in cities located in low- and middle-income countries, exposure to NO₂is high across cities in high-income as well as low- and middle-income countries.
• Other findings
  • Only 117 nations currently have ground-level monitoring systems to track PM 2.5, and only 74 nations are monitoring NO₂
  • In 2019, exposure to pollutants in 86% of the more than 7,000 cities exceeded WHO’s standard, therefore, impacting around 2.6 billion people.

Recommendations

• Strategic investments in ground-level air quality monitoring systems and the use of satellites and other upcoming technologies in specific regions can prove to be crucial first steps towards cleaner air.
• There is a need to collect city-level health data on a consistent and systematic basis and the data should be made accessible to researchers, which will help them conduct more accurate and local analyses that inform communities and policymakers.

Content Source link:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/india/most-polluted-cities-in-the-world-ranking-delhi-kolkata-mumbai-full-list-8096990/
• https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/delhi-and-kolkata-are-the-two-most-polluted-cities-in-the-world-report/articleshow/93663004.cms

Image Source Link:

• https://thewire.in/environment/new-delhi-kolkata-pollution-particulate-matter-report, https://www.thequint.com/climate-change/worlds-top-two-most-polluted-cities-in-india-delhi-kolkata#read-more

In news

The Centre has prepared the Draft Indian Ports Bill, 2022, to do away with the port laws from the British era. The bill currently has been issued for stakeholder consultation.

About the Bill

• The Draft Bill 2022, seeks to repeal and replace the existing 'Indian Ports Act, 1908'.

• The primary objectives of the proposed bill are four-fold:
  • To promote integrated planning between States inter-se and Centre-States through a purely consultative and recommendatory framework.
  • To ensure the prevention of pollution measures for all ports in India while incorporating India’s obligations under international treaties.
  • To address lacunae in the dispute resolution framework required for the burgeoning ports sector.
  • To usher-in transparency and cooperation in the development and other aspects through the use of data.
• It also has measures for:
  • Conservation of ports
  • Empowering and establishing State Maritime Boards for effective administration, control and management of non-major ports in India.
  • Providing adjudicatory mechanisms for redressal of port-related disputes and establishing a national council for fostering structured growth and development of the port sector, and
  • Ensuring optimum utilization of the coastline of India.
• The proposed bill is expected to homogenize and streamline the development of the maritime sector, along with, promoting ease of doing business by eliminating unnecessary delays, disagreements and defining responsibilities.
• Additionally, Maritime State Development Council will ensure cooperative federalism where the Centre and State/UT Governments will work together towards preparing a progressive road map for the country.

Ports in India

• India comprises a significant size maritime sector with 12 Major and 200+ Non-Major Ports, situated along its 7500 km long coastline.
• The total cargo handling capacity of Indian ports is about 2400 mn tonnes per annum.
• Ports in India handle 95% (by volume) and 68% (by value) of India’s external trade.
• Ports in India are classified as Major and Minor Ports according to the respective jurisdiction of the Central and State government as defined under the Indian Ports Act, 1908.

Challenges faced by the ports in India include:

• Inadequate road networks within the port area
• Inadequate cargo-handling equipment and machinery
• Inefficiency due to poor hinterland connectivity through rail, road, highways, coastal shipping and inland waterways
• Inadequate navigational aids, facilities and IT systems
• Insufficient dredging capacity, lack of technical expertise and a lack of equipment for handling large volumes

Government measures to Boost Ports in India include:

• The Government of India has allowed 100% FDI under the automatic route for port development projects.
• The Sagarmala Programme aims to change India’s logistics sector performance, by unlocking the full potential of India’s coastline and waterways.

Source:

• Draft Indian Ports Bill issued for stakeholder consultation
• Challenges and opportunities in the port sector in India

Image source:

• Major Sea Ports Map, Seaports in India
• https://www.ibef.org/industry/ports-india-shipping/infographic

• Context: Rat-hole mining still remains a prevalent practice for coal mining in Meghalaya, despite its ban by the NGT in 2014.
• Rat-hole mining involves digging very narrow tunnels into the ground.

• There are two types of rat-hole mining—box cutting, which is done on a plain surface and when the coal seam is found much deeper into the ground, and side-cutting, in which rat holes are dug on hill slopes.
• In the box-cutting method, a rectangular opening is created. A vertical pit of 100-400 feet is dug.
• Workers enter the pit using cranes or ladders. Once they reach the point where the coal seam is, they dig horizontal tunnels of 1-3 feet in height and crawl into these.
• Because the tunnels are so narrow, children are often employed for mining.
• The extracted coal is brought out using a conical basket or a wheelbarrow.
• In the East Jaintia Hills, it was this kind of rat hole that trapped 15 miners.
• This has resulted in increased acidity in the rivers and also a high concentration of sulphates, iron and toxic heavy metals, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and high BOD in the water system.
• It causes water pollution and soil degradation and has been tagged unsafe by the NGT as the mines are at constant risk of caving in or flooding.

Source:

• Why Meghalaya struggles to prevent Illegal coal mining despite repeated tragedies

Image source:

• Rathole Mining

• Context: Nearly 8 years after the launch, Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) has recorded a milestone of about 1 lakh villages declaring themselves as ODF (open defecation free).
• The top five performing states are Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh where the maximum number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus.

• Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150^th birth anniversary.
• These villages are sustaining their ODF status and have systems in place for managing solid and/or liquid waste. The process of solid and liquid waste management is technical in nature, relatively new to rural India and is a second-generation issue.
• The second phase of the SBM-G (under the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation), ODF-Plus, is to appropriately manage all types of waste that will make the villages clean, create avenues for generating income, and create new livelihood opportunities while fulfilling the requirements of the sustainable development goals.
• SDG2, is aimed“ to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation”.

Source:

• Swachh Bharat: Over 100,000 villages declared open defecation free plus | Business Standard News (business-standard.com)

Image source:

• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/data-stories/data-focus/flush-with-success-swachh-bharat-scheme-on-path-to-sustainability/article33686833.ece

• Context: The US and Australian scientists have embarked on a $15-million project to resurrect the Tasmanian Tiger, using gene-editing technology.
• The Tasmanian tiger or thylacine (a dog-headed pouched dog) was an exclusive carnivorous marsupial that is considered to have gone extinct in the 1930s.
• It has a resemblance to a dog, with its distinguishing features being the dark stripes beginning at the rear of its body and extending into its tail, its stiff tail and abdominal pouch.
• The last known thylacine died in captivity over 80 years ago, in Tasmania’s Hobart Zoo in 1936.

• It may also be the only mammal to have become extinct in Tasmania since the European settlement.
• It was confined to Tasmania in recent times and disappeared from mainland Australia over 2000 years ago, mainly because of over-hunting by humans, diseases and competition from the Dingo (Canis lupus), a wild dog native to Australia.
• The Thylacine was also persecuted because it was believed to be a threat to sheep and in its latter years it was hunted for the purposes of collection by museums and zoos.
• Also, the introduction of sheep in 1824 led to a conflict between the settlers and thylacine.

Source:

• Tasmanian tigers, mammoths: Are de-extinction projects human vanity?
• Explained: Considered extinct since 1936, how Tasmanian tiger’s sightings continue to be reported

Image source:

• Tasmanian Tiger

• Context: The Union Cabinet has recently approved the signing of a contract between India and France to support the International Transport Forum (ITF) activities in the Indian transport sector.

• The contract was signed between the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, France on behalf of the International Transport Forum and the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), India.
• The activities to be covered under this contract will lead to
  • New scientific results.
  • New policy insights.
  • Capacity building through increased scientific interaction
  • Identification of technology options for decarbonization of transport sector in India.
• The Contract will also implement the agreement on "Mobilise Your City" (MYC), an international initiative, supported by the French and German Governments launched at the COP21 meeting in 2015.
• The MYC will support three pilot cities — Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad — in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport by implementing urban mobility plans and thus, help India, improve its sustainable transport policy.

Source:

• Cabinet nod to India-France transport sector pact | Mint (livemint.com)
• India, France sign pact to cut GHG emissions in urban transport | India.com

Image source:

• https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/05/20210519-itf.html

Essence - The article talks about the rich culture of philanthropy in India and how it has helped the country in the past in having sustained growth and grassroots development. While doing so, it brings out the case from the US where Carnegie and Rockefeller made contributions to the development of society and research in the health sector that led to the development of the institutions and processes. It also helped in creating a rich mentality that started a chain of funding that supported innovations and wealth creation.

The article suggests that the time for philanthropy is ripe in India when it must be used to achieve the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047 (at the 100^th anniversary of Independence). The philanthropy projects must be directed towards building institutions, funding government projects for research and development, supporting the government to improve delivery, and achieving economic growth.

The complete funding should be aligned with India’s target of being a sustainable economy worth $30 trillion by 2047. The previous philanthropic funding was aimed at achieving more short-term objectives, while the present needs to fund more strategic objectives.

Why should you read this article?

• While there is an ongoing debate in the country around the freebie culture, the article rightly addresses how philanthropy (apart from government spending) can be a used a tool to achieve social and economic growth.
• The article highlights the ways in which private players and funds should be used to propel economic growth and development while augmenting and filling the gaps in the government welfare schemes.

Source:

• https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/philanthropy-could-help-unlock-india-s-vast-economic-potential-11661099174053.html

Essence – The editorial discusses the measures that could be undertaken to make Agriculture more resilient and profitable for the farmers. It highlights India’s journey from being a food importer to being a top exporter. It also discusses various measures to improve farmers' income such as crop diversification, private sector participation, etc.

Towards the end, it mentions that by considering Solar as the third crop on the farm income will increase as well as get stabilized.  It will also help in powering the rural economy with truly green energy along with truly justifying the slogan of “Jai Anusandhan”.

Why should you read this article?

• To know about the potential of solar in doubling the farmers’ income
• To know about the growth trajectory of agriculture.

Source:

• https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/solar-energy-for-amrit-kaal-in-agriculture-8103728/

Background  

Madhya Pradesh's tribal-dominated Mandla district has become the first fully "functionally literate" district in the country.

About the District

• A person can be called functionally literate, when he or she is able to write his or her own name, count and read and write in Hindi.
• The literacy rate in the district was 68% as per a survey in 2011.

• In pursuance of this aspect, the Government in the region launched a major campaign to make them functionally literate from Independence Day 2020 by roping in the school education department, women and child development department, Anganwadi and social workers to educate women and senior citizens.
• Within two years, the people in the entire district were able to write their names, count and read, making Mandla the first district in the country to achieve this distinction.

Quote: “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty and a building block of development” - Kofi Annan

Source:

• MP's Mandla becomes the country's first fully 'functionally literate' district

Image source:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MP_Mandla_district_map.svg