Current Affair 1:

India Ageing Report 2023

 

We will see important images form the report. It’s interesting to read.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), recently released ‘India Ageing Report 2023.’

The review and appraisal of the MIPAA takes place every five years. The fourth review and appraisal of the MIPPA is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Status of the Older Population in India:

The percentage of the elderly in India has been increasing swiftly in recent years, and the trend is likely to continue in the coming decades. The share of population over the age of 60 years is projected to increase from 10.5 percent in 2022 to 20.8 percent in 2050.

Most of the states in the southern region and select northern states such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021.

The decadal growth of the elderly population in India declined slightly from 32 percent between 1961 and 1971 to 31 percent in 1981–1991 (Figure 2.5). Growth picked up pace during 1991–2001 (35 percent) and is projected to shoot to 41 percent between 2021 and 2031.

A larger proportion of the elderly population is composed of women: The higher life expectancy for women which results in women living longer than men (feminization) resulting in higher levels of widowhood and associated socio-cultural and economic deprivations and dependencies.

Current Affair 2:

Revised Scheme For Residential Education For Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas (SHRESTA)

 

News:

Read objective first:

The scheme is being implemented in two Modes:

One is SHRESHTA schools, (Best CBSE/State Board affiliated Private Residential Schools), Under this, each year a specified number of meritorious SC students in States/UTs will be selected through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS) to be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and admitted in the best private residential schools affiliated by CBSE/State Board in classes 9th and 11th for completion of education till 12th standard.

Second Mode is NGO/VO operated Schools/Hostels: Schools/Hostels run by VOs/NGOs and other organizations having higher classes (up to class 12) and who have been receiving Grant-in-aid will be continued, subject to satisfactory performance.

No need to know more than this for this scheme.

Current Affair 3:

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

 

The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi aims to strengthen global cooperation and efforts for conservation of seven big cat species (tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma) and their habitats.

It was launched by India in April 2023 during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.

Through the alliance, the member nations will exchange experiences, provide faster assistance to their neighbours, and place a strong emphasis on capacity building.

The Intergovernmental body will have 97 countries with many Asian and African countries becoming a part of the alliance. Standard operating procedures will be created by the alliance and used by all members as a guide.

A look at the current status of these seven big cats:

LION

(Status: Vulnerable)

Population: Although lions aren’t endangered at present, population numbers could drop in the absence of proper conservation efforts. The IUCN estimates that 23,000-39,000 lions remain in the wild. However, data suggests that that number may be closer to 20,000, as their population is in decline. The total population of lions in India is around 700, as per 2020 estimates.

 

 

The Indian government launched the Asiatic Lion Project for long term conservation of the species.

TIGER

(Endangered)

Population: Around 3,700-5,000 tigers were living in the wild worldwide, as per a 2022 assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As per WWF, tiger populations are stable or increasing in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China after years of decline.

Range: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Additionally, tiger ‘farms’ where the big cats are held captive for breeding and sale have emerged as a major obstacle to recovery and conservation efforts. More than 8,000 tigers are estimated to be held captive in East and Southeast Asia, as per the WWF.

SNOW LEOPARD

(Vulnerable)

Population: An estimated number of 4,000-6,500 snow leopards exist in the wild, with their population in decline, as per experts. In India, researchers estimate the total number to be between 400 and 700.

Range: Their habitat range extends across the mountainous regions of 12 countries across Asia — Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

JAGUAR

(Near threatened)

Population: As per WWF estimates, the global jaguar population is around 1,73,000.

Range: Their population is distributed across 18 countries, with most of them in the Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal in South America. Brazil accounts for half of the wild jaguars in the world.

CHEETAH

(Vulnerable)

Population: Cheetah numbers have declined from an estimated 15,000 in 1975 to less than 7,000. The species was declared extinct in India in 1952.

Range: The big cat is endemic to the savannahs of Africa. Initially, they were found in Africa, India, Pakistan, Russia, Iran and the Middle East. Currently, the majority live in east and southern Africa.

PUMA

(Near threatened)

 

Population: The total breeding population of pumas is estimated at around 50,000 and is on a declining trend.

Range: Also known as a mountain lion, the puma is found in habitats ranging Canada through the U.S. and Central and South America.

LEOPARD

(Near threatened)

Population: Around 2,50,000 leopards exist globally, while their population is estimated at around 13,000 in India.

Range: Africa, parts of the Middle East and Asia, including India and China.

Current Affair 4:

Dancing frogs

 

News:

According to the Wildlife Trust of India the dancing frogs are the most threatened amphibian genus of India.

Dancing frogs are endemic to the Western Ghats. The species was found to prefer habitats in areas with thick canopy cover of at least 70-80 per cent

It belongs to the Micrixalus genus. It is also the fifth most threatened genus in the world with 92 per cent of its species in the threatened category

Behaviour:

• The dancing frogs that are found near the streams do a unique display to mate.
• The males stretch up their hind legs one at a time and wave their webbed toes in the air in a rapid motion akin to a dance.
• This is to attract mates as well as ward off competition, probably preferred because their mating calls are drowned out by the gurgling of the streams.
• This act is called “foot flagging” and gives the species their name.

After the dancing frogs, the Nyctibatrachidae (night frogs) are the most threatened.

Frogs are valuable in the food chain and also provide other ecological services. Protecting the natural habitats and preserving their optimal living conditions is thus vital to save the last of these species.   But globally, their numbers are declining. More than 41% of the amphibian species are threatened with extinction, the latest assessment showed. In India, 139 of the total 426 species were categorised as ‘Critically Endangered’, ‘Endangered’ or ‘Vulnerable’ in the  International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

 

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