Current Affair 1:

Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture

 

News:

Concerned about the draught decision text on the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, India stated that developed countries are preventing a pro-poor and pro-farmer decision by insisting on expanding the scope for mitigation to agriculture, thereby jeopardizing the very foundation of global food security.

UNFCCC COP 23 in 2017 adopted a decision on the Koronivia joint work on agriculture, that recognizes the unique potential of agriculture in tackling climate change.

The Koronivia decision addresses six interrelated topics on soils, nutrient use, water, livestock, methods for assessing adaptation, and the socio-economic and food security dimensions of climate change across the agricultural sectors.

Current Affair 2:

CITES COP19: India has forwarded name of freshwater Turtle

 

News:

CITES is an agreement regulating the movement across international borders of certain wild animal and plant species. The 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES began November 14 in Panama and will go on Till November 25, 2022.

It has three appendices and the first one is for species currently threatened with extinction.

The second appendix is for species not necessarily threatened with extinction but demands intervention to keep a check on trade and avoid its utilization that may threaten their survival.

The third is used when a specific country wants to regulate trade in a given species.

Under current convention,

India has put forward proposal to move freshwater turtle to Appendix I.

India has put forward a proposal to better protect a species of freshwater reptile called the red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The turtle, native to India and Bangladesh, is at a high risk of extinction

The red-crowned roofed turtle is already classified as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The list cites threats like habitat loss due to pollution and hydrological projects specific in the Gangal lowlands of northern India and Bangladesh.

Why do we need to protect freshwater turtles?

India has a total of 29 species of freshwater turtles (24) and tortoises (5). Many of these 29 species are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act with up to 11 species having Schedule 1 protection, same as that of a tiger.

Freshwater turtles are known for their ecosystem services like keeping rivers, ponds and freshwater sources clean by eating algal blooms and scavenging on dead matter. “Freshwater turtles play an important role in being predators as well as the prey. They control invasive fishes by eating them, and at the same time, they are an important source of protein for a lot of animals that feed on turtle eggs and juvenile turtles.

They are scavengers, also sometimes known as “vultures of the aquatic ecosystem” keeping the ecosystem clean and an important part of the aquatic food chain.

Other countries also moved proposal for other species:

The common hippopotamus is threatened with extinction, as per another proposal made by Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The species was listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2006.

Malaysia, Singapore and the United States have also raised concerns about the declining population of straw-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) from Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, countries like Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mali and Senegal have demanded the African elephant be considered for Appendix I because of the ongoing threat of increasing ivory trade demand.

 

Current Affair 3:

SVAMITVA Scheme

 

SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nation-wide launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2021 after successful completion of pilot phase of scheme (2020-2021) in 9 states.

Scheme is a reformative step towards establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited (Abadi) areas, by mapping of land parcels using drone technology and providing ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with issuance of legal ownership cards (Property cards/Title deeds) to the property owners.

The Scheme is implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India. 

The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loan; reducing property related disputes; comprehensive village level planning, would be the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar.

The scheme seeks to achieve the following objectives: -

1. Creation of accurate land records for rural planning and reduce property related disputes.
2. To bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
3. Determination of property tax, which would accrue to the GPs directly in States where it is devolved or else, add to the State exchequer.
4. Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS maps that can be leveraged by any department for their use.
5. To support in preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps

The Framework for implementation of SVAMITVA Scheme (2021-25) also has guidelines for the state to ensure the recognition and legal sanctity of property cards.

The expert committee made a few more recommendations as listed below.

1. Property cards to have a QR code or other unique identifier, which enables banks to verify the authenticity of the property card
2. Every plot in Abadi land must be numbered and boundaries clearly defined, as the banks accept the property as security only when it is identifiable on the ground.
3. State governments to notify guidance value for the Abadi area and update it periodically so that the banks can assess the value of the property.
4. States to ensure no restriction in law on the selling of the Abadi property in case of default of the loan, as is done in the case of agricultural land.

 

 

Current Affair 4:

Coal Gasification

 

Just read first basic introduction:

What is coal gasification?

It is the process of producing syngas, a mixture consisting carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), natural gas (CH4), and water vapour (H2O).

 

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