Source: The Hindu, Live Mint and Indian Express
RAJAJI TIGER RESERVE
Context: National green Tribunal seeks report on illegal road in Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
Essentials
Rajaji Tiger Reserve
- It is named after C. Rajagopalachari, lovingly known as Rajaji, the first Governor General of independent India.
- It was the 48th Tiger Reserve of India, and 2nd Tiger Reserve (1st is Jim Corbett) of Uttarakhand State.
- River Ganga bifurcates the Park into two parts.
- Goral (Mountain Goat) – a characteristic mammals of the lower Himalayas abound in the precipitous slopes of the Shivalik hills located in the park.
- Great Pied Hornbill occupies a place of pride among the different Hornbills found in the Park.
What is the difference between a Tiger Reserve and a National Park/Wildlife Sanctuary?
- Sanctuaries and National Parks are notified by State Governments and protected by the Forest Department under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Hunting of wild animals, encroachment and/or destruction of habitat, construction of tourist lodges and other such activities are prohibited.
- While most of the provisions are common for Sanctuaries and National Parks, there are three key differences:
- All rights of people within a National Park have to be settled, while in a Sanctuary certain rights can be allowed.
- Livestock grazing is prohibited in a National Park but can be allowed in a regulated manner in Sanctuaries; and
- A Sanctuary can up upgraded to a National Park but a National Park cannot be downgraded as a Sanctuary.
- A National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary that is considered significant for protecting tigers can be additionally designated as a Tiger Reserve.
- A Tiger Reserve consists of a ‘Core’ or ‘Critical Tiger Habitat’, which is to be managed as an inviolate area, and a ‘Buffer’ or Peripheral area immediately abutting a Core area, which may be accorded a lesser degree of habitat protection. This is the typical zonation of a Tiger Reserve.
- http://www.conservationindia.org/ask-ci/what-is-the-difference-between-a-tiger-reserve-and-a-national-parkwildlife-sanctuary-what-is-the-structure-of-a-tiger-reserve-as-in-does-it-have-a-zonation-approach
POLAVARAM PROJECT
Context: Polavaram project completion deadline pushed back again.
Essentials
Polavaram Project
- Polavaram is a multi-purpose irrigation project located on river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh.
- Polavaram project dam being built on River Godavari can help divert and utilise Godavari water to Krishna and other rivers.
- Polavaram will be the biggest dam dedicated to nation after Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river in Gujarat.
- The project has been declared a National Project.
What is a National Project?
- In 2008 (XI Plan), the government approved a scheme of national projects, under which it identified 16 major water resource development and irrigation projects.
- These projects were previously under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme.
- However, the progress of these projects had declined due to various factors.
- These include land acquisition, inter-state coordination, financial constraints, and issues relating to rehabilitation and re-settlement of the affected population.
- Such projects are provided financial assistance by the Government of India in the form of Central grant which will be 90% of the estimated cost of such projects for their completion in a time bound manner.
Criteria For Selection Of National Projects
- The criteria for selection of National Project will be as under:
- (a) International projects where usage of water in India is required by a treaty or where planning and early completion of the project is necessary in the interest of the country.
- (b) Inter-State projects which are dragging on due to non-resolution of Inter-State issues relating to sharing of costs, rehabilitation, aspects of power production etc., including river interlinking projects.
- (c) Intra-State projects with additional potential of more than 2,00,000 hectare (ha) and with no dispute regarding sharing of water and where hydrology is established
- The projects proposed for inclusion as National Projects should fulfil all the eligibility criteria required for funding under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), including the investment clearance of the Planning Commission/NITI Aayog.
- Only major irrigation/multi-purpose projects shall be eligible for inclusion as National Projects.
- The progress of work of National Project is monitored by Central Water Commission (CWC).
- A High Powered Steering Committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation also reviews the implementation of National Projects.
The 16 National Projects are:
- Kulsi Dam Project (Assam)
- Polavaram Project (Andhra Pradesh)
- Noa-Dihing Dam Project (Arunachal Pradesh)
- Upper Siang Project(Arunachal Pradesh)
- Renuka Dam Project(Himachal Pradesh)
- Gyspa HE Project (Himachal Pradesh)
- Kishau Multipurpose Project (Himachal Pradesh/ Uttarakhand)
- Ujh Multipurpose project (Jammu & Kashmir)
- Bursar HE Project(Jammu & Kashmir)
- Gosikhurd Irrigation Project (Maharashtra)
- Ken Betwa Link Project Phase-I (Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh)
- Shahpurkandi Dam Project (Punjab)
- 2ndRavi Vyas Link Project (Punjab)
- SaryuNaharPariyojna(Uttar Pradesh)
- Lakhwar Multipurpose Project (Uttarakhand)
- Teesta Barrage Project (West Bengal)
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND
Context: Cautioning against dangers that children are exposed to as the aftermath of any natural disaster, UNICEF has said that “children need to be safeguarded against trafficking when a disaster strikes.
Essentials
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)
- It is a special program of the United Nations (UN) devoted to aiding national efforts to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children.
- UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1965. It is headquartered in New York City.
- Since 1996, UNICEF programs have been guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
- UNICEF’s activities are financed by both government and private
PEPSICO VS POTATO FARMERS IN GUJARAT
Context: PepsiCo India Holdings (PIH) announced it is withdrawing lawsuits against farmers in north Gujarat, after having sued them for “illegally” growing and selling” a potato variety registered in the company’s name.
Essentials
What were these cases about?
- The patent is for the potato plant variety FL-2027 (commercial name FC-5).
- For India, PIH has patented FC-5 until January 2031 under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001.
- PIH, which has a buyback agreement with Gujarat farmers, accused the 11 farmers — three of whom earlier had contracts with the company — of illegally growing, producing and selling the variety “without permission of PIH”.
GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL
Context: For the first time, researchers have sighted nests of the grizzled giant squirrel, an endangered species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in the Eastern Ghats.
Essentials
- The grizzled giant squirrel is usually known to nest in the Western Ghats in Southern India ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Palani hills in Tamil Nadu.
- Owing to habitat loss and poaching, the species has been categorised as Near Threatened by the Red List and listed under Schedule II of CITES.
- The species is endemic to the southern States of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
- The only known population of the squirrel in Kerala is in the Chinnar Wild Life Sanctuary.
- The population of the species in the country is estimated to be less than 500 mature individuals.
RIFT IN U.S. – TURKEY RELATIONS: CAUSES
Turkey’s closeness to Iran
- Turkey and Iran have overlapping strategic interests regarding:
- Kurdish secessionism,
- territorial integrity of Iraq, and
- shared antipathy towards Saudi Arabia.
- Iran is the second largest supplier of energy to Turkey and a leading trading partner as well.
Issues with U.S.’s support to YPG
- Furthermore, Turkey’s relations with the U.S. are currently rocky over U.S. support to the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic state, that Ankara considers a terrorist organisation because of its close relations with the secessionist PKK.
- YPG is an acronym whose translation means People’s Protection Units. It is the home grown defense forces of the Kurdish area of Syria. It emerged after the Civil War erupted in Syria and started to spill over into Syrian Kurdistan, now known as Rojava, or Western Kurdistan.
- The Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) is a Kurdish far-left militant and political organization based in Turkey and Iraq.
- Moreover, Ankara’s invasion of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin last year and its overall intervention in Syria enjoys broad Russian backing.
Turkey’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence systems from Russia
- The threat of American sanctions on Turkey following the latter’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence systems from Russia has also contributed greatly to tensions between the two countries.
- In 2017, Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement on Turkey’s installation of the S-400 defence system, the anti-aircraft weapon that launches surface-to-air missiles.
- The sophisticated radars it relies on are believed to compromise the secrecy of the U.S.’s F-35 stealth fighter jet programme that many NATO member states, including Turkey, have signed on to acquire.
- Ankara’s move has thus prompted a multi-pronged response from Washington to wean away NATO’s eastern ally, which is critical in the counter-terrorism efforts in Syria and to stem the flow of refugees into Europe.
Criticism of Turkey over human rights
- Further, the West’s persistent attacks on the Turkish regime’s human rights record has hardened Mr. Erdogan’s authoritarian stand. U.S. President Donald Trump’s erratic foreign policy approach has also helped Mr. Erdogan expand his regional influence.
GLOBAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
Context: Global Assessment Report has been released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Essentials
- Relentless pursuit of economic growth, twinned with the impact of climate change, has put an ”unprecedented” one million species at risk of extinction, scientists said in a landmark report on the damage done by modern civilisation to the natural world.
- Only a wide-ranging transformation of the global economic and financial system could pull ecosystems that are vital to the future of human communities worldwide back from the brink of collapse, concluded the report, which was endorsed by 130 countries, including the U.S., Russia and China.
- Known as the Global Assessment, the report found that up to one million of Earth’s estimated eight million plant, insect and animal species is at risk of extinction, many within decades.
- The authors identified industrial farming and fishing as major drivers with the current rate of species extinction tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the last 10 million years. Climate change caused by burning the coal, oil and gas produced by the fossil fuel industry is exacerbating the losses, the report found.
- The findings will also add to pressure for countries to agree bold action to protect wildlife at a major conference on biodiversity due to take place in China towards the end of next year.
- The threatened list includes more than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef-forming corals, and more than a third of all marine mammals. The picture was less clear for insect species, but a tentative estimate suggests 10% are at risk of extinction.
UJWAL DISCOM ASSURANCE YOJANA (UDAY)
- Aggregate external debt of State-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms) is set to increase to pre-Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) levels by the end of this fiscal, according to Crisil’s analysis of discoms in 15 States, which account for 85% of the aggregate losses.
Essentials
Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY)
- Financially stressed DISCOMs are not able to supply adequate power at affordable rates, which hampers quality of life and overall economic growth and development.
- Efforts towards 100% village electrification, 24X7 power supply and clean energy cannot be achieved without performing DISCOMs.
- Power outages also adversely affect national priorities like “Make in India” and “Digital India”.
- In addition, default on bank loans by financially stressed DISCOMs has the potential to seriously impact the banking sector and the economy at large.
- It is a scheme launched by the Ministry of Power.
- UDAY provides for the financial turnaround and revival of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs), and importantly also ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the problem.
- This is through four initiatives
- (i) Improving operational efficiencies of
DISCOMs; - (ii) Reduction of cost of power;
- (iii) Reduction in interest cost of DISCOMs;
- (iv) Enforcing financial discipline on
DISCOMs through alignment with State - Operational efficiency improvements would be through measures like compulsory smart metering, upgradation of transformers, meters etc., energy efficiency measures like efficient LED bulbs etc.
- Reduction in cost of power would be achieved through measures such as increased supply of cheaper domestic coal, liberal coal swaps from inefficient to efficient plants, coal price rationalization based on GCV (Gross Calorific Value), supply of washed and crushed coal, and faster completion of transmission lines.
- Financial liabilities of DISCOMs are improved through measures such as:
- States shall take over 75% of DISCOM debt as on 30 September 2015 over two years – 50% of DISCOM debt shall be taken over in 2015-16 and 25% in 2016-17.
- Government of India will not include the debt taken over by the States as per the above scheme in the calculation of fiscal deficit of respective States in the financial years 2015-16 and 2016-17.
- States will issue non-SLR (Statutory liquidity ratio) including SDL bonds in the market or directly to the respective banks / Financial Institutions (FIs) holding the DISCOM debt to the appropriate extent.
- DISCOM debt not taken over by the State shall be converted by the Banks / FIs into loans or bonds with interest rate not more than the bank’s base rate plus 0.1%.
- Alternately, this debt may be fully or partly issued by the DISCOM as State guaranteed DISCOM bonds at the prevailing market rates which shall be equal to or less than bank base rate plus 0.1%.
- State DISCOMs will comply with the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) outstanding since 1st April, 2012, within a period to be decided in consultation with Ministry of Power.
- States accepting UDAY and performing as per operational milestones will be given additional / priority funding through Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY),Integrated Power
- Development Scheme (IPDS), Power Sector Development Fund (PSDF) or other such schemes of Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
- States not meeting operational milestones will be liable to forfeit their claim on IPDS and DDUGJY grants.
- UDAY is optional for all States. However, States are encouraged to take the benefit at the earliest as benefits are dependent on the performance.
TERMS IN USE
Returning Officer
- A Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing the election in a constituency, or sometimes in two constituencies, as directed by the Election Commission (EC).
- The EC appoints the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer for a constituency in consultation with the governments of the State or Union Territory as the case may be.
- The Returning Officer’s duties include:
- accepting and scrutinising nomination forms,
- publishing the affidavits of candidates,
- allotting symbols to the contesting candidates,
- preparing the list of contesting candidates,
- preparing the EVMs and VVPATs,
- training polling personnel,
- designating counting centres, and
- counting the votes and declaring the result.
