Ramsar Convention

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4th Feb 2021 Current Affairs Analysis By IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-02-04 17:00:00

Government Schemes & Initiatives Jal Shakti Ministry launches portal on Gobardhan scheme

The Ministry of Jal Shakti recently launched a unified portal on the 'Gobardhan' scheme.

The portal will ensure transparency and social accountability.

About GOBAR-DHAN scheme:

The GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) - DHAN scheme was launched by Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation. It is being implemented as priority programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission Grameen- Phase 2. It is the important element of stage of Open Defecation Free (ODF)-plus activities which includes measures to enhance Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).

The scheme focuses on keeping villages clean, increasing the income of rural households, and generation of energy from cattle waste.

Aim:

Positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste. Support villages in effectively manage their cattle and biodegradable waste. Creating new rural livelihood opportunities and enhancing income for farmers and other rural people.

Objectives:

Implementation:

The programme will be implemented using SLWM funding pattern of SBM-G Guidelines. Funding for SLWM project under SBM (G) is done by the Central and State Government in the ratio of 60:40 as per the existent formula. Gram Panchayats with no SLWM funds under SBM(G) are eligible to receive the financial assistance. States can provide additional funds to any GP based on viability under the scheme.

[Ref: Economic Times]

Fears over DNA Technology Bill, 2019

The Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended the government to mitigate the concerns raised over the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019.

Highlights of the Bill:

The bill aims to establish a database of certain category of persons such as victims of crimes, missing persons and children, unidentified bodies, as well as offenders, suspects and undertrials in cases. Such a data base, would help trace repeat offenders of heinous crimes such as rape and murder through DNA profiling. The bill seeks to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data banks to store and maintain the DNA profiles, to use and access to information, its retention and expunction. The bill proposes for a DNA Regulatory Board that would advise the Centre and state governments on issues such as setting up of DNA laboratories and databanks. Laying down of guidelines, standards and procedures for the same. It seeks to address concerns related to quality, accuracy, security of data and other related matters that may arise in the use of DNA technology.

Concerns over bill by the Parliamentary panel:

Cautions the risk with a national databank, that a crime scene could also hold DNA of someone who was nowhere near it at the time. An enabling ecosystem must be created soon to ensure that DNA profiling is done in a consistent manner with spirit of various Supreme Court judgments and with the Constitution. It does not negate the need for a legislation, especially when DNA technology is already in use. The bill could be misused to target segments of society based on religion, caste or political views. The Bill could prove problematic particularly for marginalised communities, including Dalits, Adivasis and religious and gender minorities. The bodily material like hair may have been transported to the crime scene inadvertently by a variety of ways and that these DNA profiles could find their way into the ‘crime scene index’. The Bill would lead to violations of the right to privacy. If there is a conviction, only the DNA profile of the convict could be included in the data bank. The Department of Biotechnology has argued that nearly 60 countries have enacted similar legislation, and that all important matters related to privacy, confidentiality and data protection have been taken into account.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Issues related to Health & Education More than 39 billion school meals missed during COVID-19 pandemic: UN report

Recently, UNICEF Office of Research and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has published a new report, titled “COVID-19: Missing More Than a Classroom”.

The UN WEP has been supporting governments to adapt their school meals programs during school closures.

Key Findings of the Report

More than 39 billion in-school meals were missed globally due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 24 million schoolchildren are at a risk of dropping out of school due to the pandemic, which would reverse global progress made on school enrollment. The coverage of essential nutrition services such as feeding in schools, supplementing micronutrients, promoting nutrition, etc. dropped overall 30% in low- and middle-income countries.

The largest number of beneficiaries (in million) of school-feeding programmes are in- 1. India (~100) 2. Brazil (48) 3. China (44) 4. South Africa (9) 5. Nigeria (9)

Importance of schools

Schools play an important role in the direct provision of health and nutrition services in the first 8,000 days of a child’s life that are critical for their development. The loss of education caused by school closures can impact the health and nutrition of children in the long term. Evidence from India and Ghana show that food insecurity during childhood reduced reading and numeracy scores as well as short-term memory.

Way Forward

Identify and reach out to vulnerable children in the first 8,000 days who are at greatest risk of deteriorating nutrition outcomes due to suspension of school feeding programmes. Household assessment and data collection at the household level is a necessary first step to minimizing these effects through interventions with school-aged children. Prioritize reopening schools and take all possible measures to reopen safely as school-based targeting and delivery of nutrition are more cost effective and substantial benefits in education and health outcomes. Adapt traditional school feeding programmes as take-home rations or cash transfers when schools are closed, so that the children who need it most continue to receive this vital source of support and food. Leverage the power of school feeding programmes to encourage children, especially girls and the vulnerable, to return to school post-crisis. The school feeding programmes can increase enrolment and attendance. Countries can redesign the existing programme with the quality of diets and food-fortification options post COVID-19 crisis.

[Ref- Down To Earth]

Economy Western Railway revokes decision to scrap its Vaghai-Billimora heritage train services

Local people and the regional leaders had made representations to the Western Railway authorities urging them not to permanently close the heritage train service.

Background:

On December 2020, the executive director (Freight marketing) of the Ministry of Railways issued a letter to the General Manager of Western Railways, ordering permanent closure of 11 “uneconomic branch lines and narrow-gauge sections” of the Western Railways which had given the proposal of its closure.

Why is Billimora-Waghai line being scrapped?

The train service is now being used by the tribal people predominantly. They carry their vegetables to sell at Billimora. The train made only two trips a day. Also, the arrival and departure timings of the train was not certain. This is because the tickets were sold by the guard who cleared the train only after selling all the tickets. For these economic reasons, the route is being scrapped.

About Billimora-Waghai train:

The line was started by the Gaekwad Dynasty which ruled the Princely State of Baroda in 1913. It was laid by the British and operated by Gaekwad Baroda State Railway (GBSR) owned by Sayajirao Gaekwad III. It was used to transport precious sag wood from forests. The train connects Billimora in Navsari district with Waghai in Dang district The 63-km Billimora-Waghai and the 19-km Choranda-Moti Karal routes are among those five routes the Indian Railways had proposed to be preserved as “industrial heritage” in 2018. For about 24 years the train was run by a steam engine, which was replaced by diesel engine in 1937. After independence, GBSR merged with the Western Railways.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Ensure strict implementation of TRAI regulations: HC

The Delhi High Court ordered the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to ensure “complete and strict” implementation of the regulation issued by it in 2018 for curbing unsolicited commercial communications (UCC).

About Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preferences Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018

TCCCPR 2018 was notified by TRAI to curb the problem of Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) or spam calls and messages. It says that the companies will have to register themselves for commercial SMS and calls. This will help the regulator to regulate the fraud companies.

Key Features

1. Adoption of Distributed Ledger Technology (or blockchain) as the RegTech to ensure regulatory compliance while allowing innovation in the market. 2. Co-regulation where Telecom Service Providers/ Access Providers establish and arrange the framework, which is legally backed by regulation. 3. Enabling compliance through innovation in technology solutions that are demonstrated in a regulatory sandbox. 4. Enhanced controls and new options for all entities to perform their functions and to carry on their businesses efficiently.

[Ref- The Hindu]

Environment, Ecology & Disaster Management New species of snake eel found in Bay of Bengal by researchers

Recently researchers of Fish Biology, discovered a new species of snake eel from the ports of Paradip in Odisha and Petuaghat harbour in West Bengal.

About the Eels:

An eel is a ray-finned fish. It belongs to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of 8 suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 cm (example: one-jawed eel) to 4 m (example: slender giant moray eel). Eels live both in salt water and fresh water.

About the new species:

New species name: ‘Indian fringe-lip eel’ or Cirrhimuraena indica. It belongs to the Genus Cirrhimuraena. It is part of the Ophichthidae family of snake eels and its order is Anguilliformes. It belongs to the same clade of Cirrhimuraena chinensis and is separated from it morphologically and genetically.

A clade, also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor. Habitat: It is found in tropical, marine regions of China and Papua New Guinea, in the western Pacific Ocean.

Features:

The colour of the dorsal side of the body of the fish is light brown and the ventral side is slightly pale. The fins are uniform pale brown. The length is between 232 to 512 mm.

About genus Cirrhimureaena:

12 nominal species belong to the genus Cirrhimureaena in the Indo-West Pacific. In Indian waters, it is represented by Cirrhimuraena playfairii or the fringe-lip snake eel.

It is found in the Godavari estuarine system. 8 specimens of the genus are identified as a new species which differ significantly from its congeners.

Key Facts:

There are 200 species of moray eels in India. Initially, there was only a single species of brown short unpatterned eel named Gymnothorax mishrai known from India. In 2018, researchers found a new species of moray eel (a snake-like fish) from Gopalpur (a fishing town) in Ganjam district of Odisha. The specie was named Odishi moray (Gymnothorax odishi) as it was first sighted in Odisha. Indian fringe-lip eel is the second new fish species discovered by researchers from the Odisha coast in the past two years.

[Ref: Down to Earth]

State to seek Ramsar certification for Sultanpur National Park

The Haryana forest department is recently planning to recommend the Sultanpur National Park in Gurugram and the Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary in Jhajjar district for declaration as Ramsar sites.

Key highlights:

Both the sites are protected under the MoEFCC’s Wetland Rules (2017). According to Wetlands International, the quality of the habitat in both Bhindawas and Sultanpur has been declining.

Sultanpur National Park:

It is located at Sultanpur village, Haryana. It is named after Chauhan Rajput Raja Sultan Singh Chauhan. It was declared a Bird Sanctuary in 1972. It was upgraded to a National Park in 1991.

Fauna:

Blue bull, Indian Fox and black buck. Avian Species:

Nearly 370 species migrate to India due to seasonal changes, including 175 long-distance migration species through Central air Asian Flyway route. Resident birds: White-throated kingfisher, Indian spot-billed duck, painted stork, black- necked stork, white ibis, black-headed ibis, Eurasian collared dove, spotted owlet, etc. Migratory birds: Siberian crane, greater flamingo, Eurasian teal, spot-billed pelican, Eurasian wigeon, black-tailed godwit, spotted redshank etc.

Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary:

It is located in Jhajjar district, Haryana. It is situated along the Sahibi River. It is a man-made wetland which attracts several migratory birds in the winter season. It shares its border with Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ramsar Convention:

It is an intergovernmental treaty which was agreed upon in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran. Aim: Conserve the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve, through wise use and management through international cooperation, policy making, capacity building and technology transfer. Wetlands can be included on the list because of their ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological or hydrological importance. It came into force in the year 1975, upon receipt by UNESCO. It is the convention on wetlands of international importance. It is the first modern treaty between nations aimed at conserving natural resources. There are 171 contracting parties to the Convention. India signed the Ramsar Convention on 1 February 1982. With 175 Ramsar sites, the United Kingdom has the largest number of such sites in the world. These sites are maintained in Montreux Record to track any major ecological changes that might affect any of the wetland sites positively or negatively.

Ramsar Wetlands:

It includes a wide variety of natural and human-made habitat types. Like swamps, marshes, billabongs, lakes, salt marshes, mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, fens, peat bogs, or bodies of water - whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary. Water within these areas can be static or flowing, fresh, brackish or saline, and can include underground wetlands, inland rivers and coastal or marine water to a depth of six metres at low tide.

Ramsar sites in India:

At present, there are 42 Ramsar sites in India:

Ramsar Sites of India Location Asan Conservation Reserve Uttarakhand

Ashtamudi Wetland Kerala Beas Conservation Reserve Punjab Bhitarkanika Mangroves Odisha Bhoj Wetlands Madhya Pradesh Chandra Taal Himachal Pradesh Chilika Lake Odisha Deepor Beel Assam East Kolkata Wetlands West Bengal Hokera Wetland Jammu and Kashmir Harike Wetlands Punjab Kabartal Wetland Bihar Kanjli Wetland Punjab Keoladeo Ghana National Park Rajasthan Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve Punjab Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh Loktak Lake Manipur Lonar Lake Maharashtra Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Gujarat Nandur Madhameshwar Maharashtra Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Parvati Agra Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Tamil Nadu Pong Dam Lake Himachal Pradesh Renuka Lake Himachal Pradesh Ropar Wetland Punjab Rudrasagar Lake Tripura Saman Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Samaspur Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Sambhar Lake Rajasthan Sandi Bird Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Sarsai Nawar Jheel Uttar Pradesh Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala Sunderbans Wetland West Bengal Surinsar- Mansar Lakes Jammu and Kashmir Sur Sarovar Uttar Pradesh Tsomoriri Jammu and Kashmir Tso Kar Ladakh Upper Ganga River Uttar Pradesh Vembanad Kol Wetland Kerala Wular Lake Jammu and Kashmir [Ref: Hindustan Times]

Indian History

100 years to the Chauri Chaura incident

Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chauri Chaura Centenary Celebrations by video link, and will release a postage stamp to mark the centenary of the event.

The UP government has planned a year of celebrations through February 4, 2022 in all 75 districts of the state.

Background:

On August 1, 1920, Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement against the British government, which refusing to assist a ruler who misrules. The movement gathered momentum over one year and a half, large numbers of volunteers became active across the country.

The incident:

Chauri Chaura is a town, which was the scene of a violent incident during the freedom struggle. In mid-January 1922, peasant "officers" were appointed to fill out pledges of non-co-operation, collect subscriptions, and lead the picketing of shops selling foreign items. A few days before the incident, police cracked down on volunteers who were trying to stop trade in foreign cloth, and enforce a just price for meat and fish and severely beat up a demobilised soldier from the British Indian Army. On February 4, 1922, a large crowd of peasants set on fire the police station in Chauri Chaura, killing 22 policemen. On February 4, volunteers congregated in the town, to picket the nearby Mundera bazaar. They ignored warning shots fired in the air by police and pelted the police with stones. The police fired into the crowd, killing three people and injuring many others. A volcano of anger then erupted, there was heavy brick-batting, and the policemen were forced to flee inside the thana. The crowd proceeded to blow out the building with kerosene and to set it on fire. Some of the policemen who tried to escape were caught and battered to death, some others managed to escape by throwing away their conspicuous red turbans. A lot of police property, including weapons, was destroyed.

The fallout of the incident:

Gandhiji, who was deeply disturbed by the incident, condemned the "crime" of the policemen's killing. He decided to stop the Non-Cooperation Movement, which he saw as having been tainted by unforgivable violence. He bent the Congress Working Committee to his will, and on February 12, 1922, the satyagraha was formally suspended.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Key Fact for Prelims N501Y & E484K Mutation

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified new variants of coronavirus originating in the South Africa namely- N501Y and E484K.

About N501Y Mutation:

N501Y variant is different from the one in Britain and appears to be more infectious than the original virus. It appears to make it 50% more contagious or easy to spread than the previous variants. It is less susceptible to antibody neutralisation than previous variants.

About E484K Mutation:

E484K was not found in the UK strain. The virus dodge attack by a person’s immune system and hamper the effectiveness of Covid -19 vaccines.

[Ref: Indian Express]

Orobanche

Recently, A field workshop on “Techno-management options to control Orobanche in mustard-a pilot study” was organized.

About Orobanche:

It is a serious hidden parasitic weed in mustard plant. It causes severe yield loss to the extent of up to 50%. Orobanche is a root parasite of legumes, sunflower tobacco, tomato, etc. They have no chlorophyll to produce food for own and are totally dependent on other plants for nutrients. There are no absolute control measures developed so far.

[Ref: PIB]

Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

This year's Queen Elizabeth (QE) Prize for Engineering salutes five pioneers- Nick Holonyak, George Craford, Russell Dupuis, Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura, who made critical interventions in the

About QEPrize

The QEPrize is administered by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. It is the world’s leading biennial award for engineers and engineering. It is given to engineering innovation which is of global benefit to humanity. It inspires young minds to consider engineering as a career choice and encourages engineers to push the boundaries of possibilities. The 2021 QEPrize went to five people who made critical interventions in the development of Light Emitting Diodes, or LEDs. An LED is a device containing layers of semiconducting materials that will very efficiently convert electrical energy into light energy. It's light from a chip.

[Ref: BBC]