Daily Prelims Notes 20 September 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

20 September 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Azerbaijan launches operation against Nagorno-Karabakh and demands surrender
2. France and Germany, the two largest economies in the European Union, pushed new proposals for the enlargement of the 27­ member bloc
3. Is the UN carbon neutral? No, finds an investigation.
4. Aditya L1 takes STEPS to collect info on energetic particles from space
5. India-Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC) significant for infra-finance reforms
6. FM stresses urgent need for reliable crop yield estimates
7. Is Bima Sugam a ‘UPI moment’ for insurance sector
8. Global impact of high blood pressure
9. Queen of rain no more: How Karnataka’s Agumbe lost to little-known Udupi towns
10. SDG Summit 2023: Political declaration for massive increase in investments to attain SDGs adopted
11. ‘Green should be the color of the future’: Global bodies launch campaign to protect forests
12. Centre identifies 62 new elephant corridors; total now 150
13. Can green nudges in online food deliveries lead to lesser pollution? A study conducted in China thinks so
14. Shah denies Adhir’s view that UPA-era Bill is still alive
15. Science and Tech Awards to Get Padma-style Makeover into Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar
16. Three Hoysala Temples of Karnataka inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites
17. The six entrances of the New Parliament Complex, and their guardian animals

1. Azerbaijan launches operation against Nagorno-Karabakh and demands surrender

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Why has fighting broken out in Nagorno-Karabakh?

• For the past nine months, Azerbaijan has imposed an effective blockade on the only route into the enclave from Armenia, known as the Lachin Corridor.
• Azerbaijan said it had launched its operation in response to the deaths of six people, including four police officers, in two landmine explosions on Tuesday morning.

Nagorno-Karabakh Region

• Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous and heavily forested region that under international law is recognised as part of Azerbaijan.
• The landlocked mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the subject of an unresolved territorial dispute between Azerbaijan, in which it lies, and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by neighbouring Armenia.
• It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but much of it is governed by the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also known as the Republic of Artsakh.
• In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, fighting between Azerbaijani troops and Armenian secessionists left the de facto independent state in the hands of ethnic Armenians when a truce was signed in 1994.
• Russian peacekeepers have been deployed since 2020 to monitor a new Moscow-brokered ceasefire, and also to ensure safe passage through the so-called “Lachin corridor” – which separates Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia.
• While Armenia itself has never officially recognised the region’s independence, it has become its main financial and military backer and the breakaway territory functions as a de facto part of Armenia.
• Talks have so far failed to produce a permanent peace agreement. Russia, France and the US co-chair the OSCE’s Minsk Group, which had been attempting to end the dispute but this has been thrown into doubt by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, The EU is also seeking to aid a peaceful resolution of the issue.
• However, ethnic Armenians who constitute the vast majority of the population there reject Azeri rule (the legal system of Azerbaijan).
• After Azerbaijan’s troops were pushed out of the region following a war in the 1990s, these ethnic Armenians have been in administrative control of Nagorno-Karabakh, with support from Armenia.

Strategic Significance:

• The energy-rich Azerbaijan has built several gas and oil pipelines across the Caucasus (the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea) to Turkey and Europe.
• Some of these pipelines pass close to the conflict zone (within 16 km of the border).
• In an open war between the two countries, the pipelines could be targeted, which would impact energy supplies and may even lead to higher oil prices globally.

2. France and Germany, the two largest economies in the European Union, pushed new proposals for the enlargement of the 27­ member bloc

Subject :IR

Section: International Groupings

• The European Union must radically overhaul its decision-making and funding before it can accept more countries to join the 27-nation bloc by 2030, a paper commissioned from experts by the French and German governments said, polarising EU countries.
• Eight countries currently have official EU candidate status – Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – while two, Georgia and Kosovo, are potential candidate countries.
• The authors envision an model EU in four concentric circles.
• The inner circle; 2. The EU; 3. Associate members; 4. The European Political Community
• the study also examines several options on how to run a larger EU, including a bigger budget; linking EU payouts more strictly to rule-of-law conditions; and moving toward majority voting instead of unanimity in the European Council.
• In a move that could prove controversial to France and Germany, the experts also propose to reapportion more voting weight in the Council to smaller EU countries in order to balance the loss of national vetoes.

EU

• The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 EU countries that together cover much of the continent.
• 19 of these countries use EURO as their official currency. 8 EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden) do not use the euro.
• The EU grew out of a desire to form a single European political entity to end centuries of warfare among European countries that culminated with World War II and decimated much of the continent.
• The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in matters, where members have agreed to act as one.

Origin of the European Union:

• Despite not being officially formed until 1993, the European Union’s foundations actually reach further back to 1957, when the European Economic Community was established.
• The EEC was formed out of a previous group called the European Coal and Steel Community – which had its own start in 1951.
• In 1993, the EEC morphed into the European Union following the new Maastricht Treaty (also known as the Treaty on European Union).
• Additionally, the Treaty of Lisbon, enacted in 2009, gave the European Union more broad powers that included being authorized to sign international treaties, increase border patrol, and other security and enforcement provisions.

3. Is the UN carbon neutral? No, finds an investigation.

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

• Carbon neutrality means every ton of anthropogenic CO2 emitted is compensated with an equivalent amount of CO2 removed, according to World Resources Institute.
• In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, carbon neutrality by mid-21st century is essential. This target is also laid down in the Paris agreement signed by 195 countries, including the EU.
• Carbon sink is any system that absorbs more carbon than it emits.
• The main natural carbon sinks are soil, forests and oceans.
• To date, no artificial carbon sinks are able to remove carbon from the atmosphere on the necessary scale to fight global warming.
• The carbon stored in natural sinks such as forests is released into the atmosphere through forest fires, changes in land use or logging.
• Another way to reduce emissions and to pursue carbon neutrality is to offset emissions made in one sector by reducing them somewhere else. This can be done through investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency or other clean, low-carbon technologies.

4. Aditya L1 takes STEPS to collect info on energetic particles from space

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Details:

• After India’s solar mission Aditya L1 began its journey towards Lagrange point 1 following a key manoeuvre, it has started studying energetic particles in the solar wind from space, and will continue to do so for the rest of its life, a senior astrophysicist said.
• The study of the solar wind, the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun which permeates the solar system, will be carried out with the help of a device named Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS), a part of the Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) payload.
• The key aim of STEPS is to study the environment of energetic particles from the spacecraft’s position on the L1 point till it will function
• STEPS was developed by the PRL with support from the Space Application Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad.

Lagrange points

5. India-Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC) significant for infra-finance reforms

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Key Points:

• India’s presidency of G20 saw two major initiatives in the field of developmental finance that were announced as part of the Delhi Declaration.
  • The first is the launching of an alternative model for inter-continental infrastructure creation through the proposed India-Middle East–Europe Corridor (IMEC).
  • Second is building an early consensus on strengthening multilateral development banks (MDB).
• The two initiatives may address partly the reasons behind the worldwide debt crisis and may create a framework to bail out debt-ridden nations. Both will bring major strategic benefits to India vis-à-vis China.

Why the need for reforming MDBs felt?

• According to available estimates, nearly 60 per cent of low-income countries are either in debt distress or at high risk.
• Infrastructure rush in emerging economies over the last two decades, inadequate safe financing options and China’s debt-trap diplomacy are major reasons behind this mess.

When will the initiatives be implemented?

• The initiatives will get final shape under Brazil’s G-20 presidency.
• However, part of the reforms — like relaxing the capital adequacy norm — may come into effect sooner.
•  It would pave the way to release more funds to the emerging economies. India is keen for an early decision in this regard.

Benefits of reforming MDBs:

• If rightly developed, infrastructure brings tremendous indirect benefits to the economy. However, the long gestation and low direct returns make it unsuitable for regular private finance.
• The collaborative finance model of IMEC which may show the world an escape route from China’s neo-colonialism and may set up bigger and better trade links than promised by BRI.

Significance of IMEC:

• IMEC is a bigger proposition. Apart from rail and shipping options, IMEC would also offer electricity and energy (gas and hydrogen) pipeline connectivity options.
• India, Saudi Arabia, European Union, India, the UAE, France, Germany, Italy and the US have entered an MoU, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, to create the corridor.
• The possibility for success is high as IMEC banks on India’s thriving bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, UAE have healthy bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Israel to get the project through.
• Like its success in bringing Russia and the US to a consensus at G20, India may also help IMEC connect with the International North-South Corridor (INSTC). It would help trade in the vast region between the Caspian and the Mediterranean seas.
• Most critically, IMEC would open new connectivity options to debt-ridden Africa without much extra cost and ensure better utilisation of assets already built.

6. FM stresses urgent need for reliable crop yield estimates

Subject: Economy

Section: National Income

In News: Finance Minister makes a strong pitch for generating real-time assessments of likely yields for all essential crops, starting with pulses and oilseeds that India often needs to import.

Key Points:

• Finance Minister made a strong pitch for generating real-time assessments of likely yields for all essential crops, starting with pulses and oilseeds that India often needs to import.
• This was noted in the context of a new automated real-time yield estimation system called Yes-Tech put in place from this kharif season for the wheat and rice crop.
• The system, created with assistance from ISRO and ICAR, must be ramped up to cover other crops as soon as possible, particularly pulses and oils.

Why is estimating yield important?

• Farmers experience fluctuation in the remuneration of their crop as based on final output, import or export may be allowed or restricted.
• It will give a better price signal to farmers before sowing season. So the farmers can diversify their crops accordingly.

India being a diverse country the cropping pattern varies across States. The Ministry of Agriculture has a detailed exercise to arrive at the crop production estimates. The Ministry of Agriculture comes out with five estimates of crop production.

The First Advance Estimate of area and production of kharif crops is announced in September when the South-west monsoon season comes to a close and sowing would have begun in most States. The National Conference of Agriculture for Rabi Campaign is held around this time when the States come up with rough estimates of their respective kharif crops. These estimates are validated on the basis of inputs from the proceedings of Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) meetings, and other feedback such as relevant availability of water in major reservoirs, availability/supply of important inputs including credit to farmers, rainfall, temperature, irrigation etc.

The Second Advance Estimate is announced in January by which time the estimates of the kharif crops would under go revision and the area and production figures announced for kharif crops is called the second assessment. By this time the first estimate of the rabi crops is also announced based on the feedback received from the States where sowing for rabi crops would have commenced during November- December.

The Third Advance Estimates is announced in March last /April first week. At this time the National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif campaign is convened and the second estimate of kharif crops and the first estimate of rabi crops are further firmed up/validated with information available with State Agricultural Statistical Authorities (SASAs), remote sensing data available with Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad as well as the proceedings of the Crop Weather Watch Group meetings held every week in the Ministry.

The Fourth Advance Estimates are announced in June/July when the National Workshop on Improvement of Agricultural Statistics is held. By this time the rabi crop harvest is also over and SASAs are in a position to supply the estimates of both kharif and rabi seasons as well as the likely assessment of summer crops which are duly validated with information available from other sources.

The Final Estimate for the preceding crop year is announced in December/January. The main reason for almost four advance estimates before arriving at the final estimate is due to the large variations in crop seasons across the country and the resulting delay in the compilation of yield estimates based on crop cutting experiments. Agriculture is a State subject and the Central Government depends on the State Governments for accuracy of these estimates. For this purpose State Governments have set up High Level Coordination Committees (HLCC) comprising, inter-alia, senior officers from the Department of Agriculture, Economics & Statistics, Land Records and NSSO (FOD), IASRI, DES from Central Government for sorting out problems in preparation of these estimates in a timely and orderly manner.

In October 2015. Government launched KISAN Project [C(K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoiNformatics] which envisages use of Space Technology and geoinformatics (GIS, GPS and Smartphone) technology along with high resolution data from Unmanned Ariel Vehicle (UAV)/Drone based imaging for improvement in yield estimation and better planning of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs), needed for crop insurance programme. The Pilot Study is proposed to be launched in one District each of Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra during Kharif season of 2015 and two Districts each of these States during Rabi season of 2015-16, which if successful, will be extended to the other parts of the country. The KISAN project is implemented by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), an attached Office of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, in collaboration with ISRO Centres (Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad & National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad), India Meteorological Department, CCAFS, State Agriculture Departments and State Remote Sensing Centres. Government also launched an Android App. Designed by ISRO (National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad). This App will help real time data collection about hailstorm occurrences along with photographs and geographical coordinates (longitude and latitude) to help Government to get real time data about the Hailstorms which will be collected through the Agriculture Department officials of different States. This will support in deciding the crop loss more objectively and in a very fast manner

Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), an attached office of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), is headed by Senior Economic & Statistical Adviser. DES collects, disseminates and publishes statistics on diverse facets of agriculture and related sectors required for policy formulation by the Government. The main objective of the Directorate is to provide important statistics on area, production, land use, cost and yield of principal crops, minimum support prices, to implement schemes related to improvement of agricultural statistics, and carrying out agro-economic research as well as generation and dissemination of agricultural statistics and research and analysis. The Directorate provides inputs to DAC&FW, CACP and also places a large volume of data and information in the public domain for use of all researchers and stakeholders.

Major Divisions of the DES are :

• Cost Studies (CS)
• Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS)
• Commercial Crops (CC)
• Food Economics (FE)
• Coordination
• Prices & Markets (P&M)
• Indian Agriculture & Compilation (IAC)
• Crop Forecast Coordination Centre (CFCC)
• Agro Economic Research (AER)
• Agricultural statistics (AS)
• Publications.

7. Is Bima Sugam a ‘UPI moment’ for insurance sector

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

In News: IRDAI claims that the proposed Bima Sugam is a “game changer” and a “UPI moment” for the insurance segment.

Key Points:

• IRDAI claims that the proposed Bima Sugam is a “game changer” and a “UPI moment” for the insurance segment, with ambitions of becoming the largest online market for insurance products and services which has not been practiced anywhere in the world.
• Initially it will provide details about insurance schemes acting as an insurance repository initially. This will be followed by a listing of policies.
• The platform is likely to be implemented by June 2024.
• Identifying the right policy, buying it, settling the claims and renewals will be streamlined in an online process. The process will be mostly on the lines of demat accounts and online trading in the case of stock markets.

What will the platform ‘Bima Sugam’ offer?

• ’The proposed platform is expected to help customers identify the right scheme from hundreds of products and services, with reduced paperwork.
• It’s an online platform where customers can choose a suitable scheme from multiple options given by various companies.
• All insurance requirements, including those for life, health, and general insurance (including motor and travel) will be met by Bima Sugam.
• This platform will help in the settlement of claims, whether it’s health coverage or death claims, in a paperless manner on the basis of policy numbers.

How will it benefit customers?.

• The proposed platform would act as a single window for the policyholder to manage his/her insurance coverage.
• It will provide end-to-end solutions for customers’ insurance needs i.e., purchase, service, and settlement in a seamless manner.
• Commissions on policies are expected to come down, benefiting the customers. The cost of buying policies will come down.
• The paperwork involved in buying a policy will also come down.
• Settlement of claims and renewal of policies will also become faster.

How will it benefit insurance providers?

• It will facilitate insurance companies to access the validated and authentic data from various touch points on a real-time basis.
• The platform will interface for the intermediaries and agents to sell policies and provide services to policyholders, among others, and reduce paperwork.
• Will help in the penetration of insurance products in uncovered markets.

Who will own the platform?

• The overall budget for Bima Sugam has been hiked to Rs 200 crore from around Rs 85 crore. I
• RDAI has appointed a committee for the creation of the platform and now plans to go for requests for proposals (RFPs) soon to appoint a service provider for the platform. The service providers will be the technological partners for creating and running a platform to provide all the services in one place.
• Life insurance and general insurance companies will each own a 47.5 per cent stake, while brokers and agent bodies will own 2.5 per cent each.

8. Global impact of high blood pressure

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space science

Context:

• WHO releases its first-ever report on the global impact of high BP.

Details of the report:

• Report: Global Impact of High Blood Pressure
• Released by: World Health Organisation (WHO), during the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
• Findings:
  • Approximately four out of every five people with hypertension are not adequately treated, but if countries can scale up coverage, 76 million deaths could be averted between 2023 and 2050.
  • Less than one-fourth of hypertensive patients in India had their blood pressure under control during 2016–2020, though this rate has improved compared to previous years, substantial differences exist across regions.
  • Hypertension affects one in three adults worldwide. This common, deadly condition leads to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems.
  • The number of people living with hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher or taking medication for hypertension) doubled between 1990 and 2019, from 650 million to 1.3 billion.
  • Nearly half of people with hypertension globally are currently unaware of their condition. More than three-quarters of adults with hypertension live in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Older age and genetics can increase the risk of having high blood pressure, but modifiable risk factors such as eating a high-salt diet, not being physically active and drinking too much alcohol can also increase the risk of hypertension.
• Recommendations of WHO:
  • Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, quitting tobacco and being more active can help lower blood pressure. Some people may need medicines that can control hypertension effectively and prevent related complications.

HEART programme of WHO:

• WHO’s HEARTS technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care and the Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults provide proven and practical steps to deliver effective hypertension care in primary health care settings.
• The HEARTS technical package provides a strategic approach to improving cardiovascular health in countries. It comprises six modules and an implementation guide. This package supports ministries of health to strengthen CVD management in primary health care settings.
• The HEARTS modules were developed under the auspices of the Global Hearts Initiative, led by WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hypertension:

• Hypertension is the most important risk factor for death and disability in India.
• The 2019–2020 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reported a hypertension prevalence of 24% in men and 21% among women, an increase from 19% and 17% respectively from the previous round (2015–16).
• India runs the India Hypertension Control Initiative programme which is a large-scale hypertension intervention under the National Health Mission and has been recognised for its positive work done within the country’s existing primary healthcare system.
• Prevention, early detection and effective management of hypertension are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care.
• The economic benefits of improved hypertension treat­ment programmes outweigh the costs by about 18 to 1, as per the WHO.

9. Queen of rain no more: How Karnataka’s Agumbe lost to little-known Udupi towns

Subject: Geography

Section: Indian Geography

Agumbe Rainforest Complex (ARC):

• Located in Shivamogga district of Karnataka
• Known as ‘Cherrapunji of Karnataka’ for its phenomenal rainfall of more than 8000 mm during monsoon.
• For the past two years Agumbe is receiving less rainfall, and some towns in Udupi district of karnataka are receiving more rainfall than Agumbe.
  • Nadpal,Mudradi and Hulikal (hassan district) have got more rain than ARC and were closely followed by Amagaon in Belagavi district.
• Rain in Agumbe feeds hundreds of water bodies that nurture scores of rivers originating in the Western Ghats.
• Agumbe rainforests: World’s only natural habitat of the King Cobra.
  • It is approximately 55 km from the Arabian Sea. As part of the Western Ghats mountain range, Agumbe lies in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds one of the last surviving low-land rainforests of India. A Medicinal Plants Conservation Area (MPCA) was established in 1999 to protect the important medicinal plants of the region.
  • It comprises a large area of forests from Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kudremukh National Park, Kodachadri and Mookambika hill ranges and reserve forests around Kundapur, Shankaranarayana, Hosanagara, Sringeri and Thirthahalli.
  • These regions foster thick bamboo groves, which are endemic to the Western Ghats. These groves need more rain to grow to such girths that can house the nests of King Cobras.

10. SDG Summit 2023: Political declaration for massive increase in investments to attain SDGs adopted

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

• Leaders from around the world gathered on September 18, 2023 for the High-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit and agreed to intensify their efforts to deliver SDGs by 2030.

High-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit:

• Held in New York, USA
• Outcome: They endorsed a resolute political declaration outlining their shared commitment to create a sustainable and inclusive world by 2030.
• The annual SDG funding gap has risen from $2.5 trillion before the pandemic to an estimated $4.2 trillion.
• In the declaration, leaders recommitted to full implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
• To address the finance for SDGs, the leaders in the declaration reiterated that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is a crucial component of the 2030 Agenda.
• Addis Ababa Action agenda:
  • In 2015, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda had emphasized on efficient use of all financial flows, both public and private, for sustainable development and the need for integrated national financing frameworks.
• An SDG stimulus is proposed by the UN Secretary- General that would significantly increase funding for SDG implementation by $500 billion annually.
• The summit has urged for scaling up debt swaps for SDGs, including debt swaps for climate and nature.
• What is the Debt-for-nature swaps deal?
  • Debt-for-nature swaps allow heavily indebted developing countries to seek help from financial institutions in the developed world with paying off their debt if they agree to spend on conservation of natural resources.
  • Usually banks in developed countries buy the debts of such countries and replace them with new loans which mature later. These have lower interest rates.

There is now enough scientific evidence that establishes linkages between the climate impacts and SDGs.

• For instance, midway to 2030, climate change and extreme weather events threaten the achievement of SDGs, the WMO warned recently.
• Recent research had argued for stronger integration of climate action and UN Sustainable Development Goals to achieve the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): 2015-2030

• It was the first major international agreement post-2015 and is the next step from Hyogo Framework (2005-15) for concrete steps for protecting development gains from disasters. It talks of 4 priorities for actions and 7 global targets.

11. ‘Green should be the color of the future’: Global bodies launch campaign to protect forests

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

• The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), a partnership of 16 global organizations chaired by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has launched the Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030.

Collaborative partnership on Forests (CPF):

• CPF is an innovative voluntary interagency partnership on forests that was established in April 2001 in response to an invitation issued in the resolution 2000/35 by the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) that established the International Arrangement on Forests and the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).
• The Partnership is currently composed of fifteen international organizations, institutions and secretariats that have substantial programmes on forests.
• Aim: To highlight the need for increased action and political commitment to implement forest solutions in pursuit of the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• Mission:
  • To help enhance the contribution of all types of forests and trees outside forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development goals, promote the sustainable management of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to that end.
• Four focal areas of the Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030:
  • Implementation and action; data, science and innovation; finance for forests; and communication and awareness-raising.
• The CPF members committed to “reinforcing action to strengthen efforts at all levels to fully unlock the contributions of forests to sustainable development and achieve our joint vision for forests towards 2030”.

FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA):

• FRA provides essential information for understanding the extent of forest resources, their condition, management and uses.
• The ongoing assessment, FRA 2025, examines the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990–2025. FRA 2025 data are collected using commonly agreed terms and definitions through a transparent, traceable reporting process and a well-established network of officially nominated national correspondents that covers 188 countries and territories.
• The world has lost 420 million hectares of forest through deforestation since 1990, and deforestation continues, although the rate slowed from 12 million hectares per year during 2010-2015 to 10 million hectares per year during 2015-2020.

Global Forest Goals outlined in the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030:

• The United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030 provides a global framework for action to sustainably manage all types of forests and trees outside forests, and to halt deforestation and forest degradation. At the heart of the Strategic Plan are six Global Forest Goals (GFGs) which directly support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

12. Centre identifies 62 new elephant corridors; total now 150

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Areas

Context:

• A new elephant corridor report released by the central government showed a 40 per cent increase in elephant corridors across 15 elephant range states in India.

Elephant corridors in India:

• Elephant corridors can be described as a strip of land that enables elephant movement between two or more friendly habitats.
• The corridors were reported by respective state governments and ground validation methods were used to verify them.
• The number of elephant corridors have increased to 150 against 88 registered by the Government of India in 2010. The elephant population in the country is estimated to be over 30,000.
• Regional analysis:
  • West Bengal has the most elephant corridors(26) amounting to 17 per cent of the total corridors.
  • East central region contributed to 35 per cent, that is 52 corridors, while North East region was second largest with 32 percent, number meaning 48 corridors in total.
  • Southern India registered 32, that is 21 percent of the elephant corridors, while northern India was lowest with 18 corridors or 12 per cent.
• Majority of the corridors were noted to be within state boundaries and the intensity of the use of corridors has increased by 40 per cent.
• However, it showed that 19 percent of the corridors, that is 29, showed a decrease in use while 10 others were seen impaired and demanding restoration for facilitating elephant movement.
• The decrease in corridor use is attributed to the habitat fragmentation, shrinkage and destruction.
• The increase in the elephant corridors also reflected that elephants have expanded their ranges in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra neighboring Chhattisgarh and southern Maharashtra bordering Karnataka.
• Elephants have also seen increased presence in Madhya Pradesh found in Sanjay Tiger reserves and Bandhavgarh.
• Ranges have also increased in northern Andhra Pradesh where the elephants access movement from Odisha.
• Data on elephant movement remains sketchy in many northeastern states that harbor relatively small population of elephants.

13. Can green nudges in online food deliveries lead to lesser pollution? A study conducted in China thinks so

Subject: Environment

Section: Protected Areas

Why in the news?

• A study conducted in collaboration with an online food delivery platform (Eleme) in China found that making “no disposable cutlery” the default choice for orders and rewarding customers with “green points” led to a 648% increase in the share of no-cutlery orders. This step could have significant benefits for the environment.

What are green nudges?

• In behavioral economics, nudges are interventions that influence people’s choices to make certain decisions without restricting the choices available to them.
• Green nudges are gentle persuasions to influence environment-friendly behaviour in people.
• Nudges have been criticized in the past for being manipulative: they are not always transparent and can sometimes bank on ignorance or lack of awareness in people to work.
• But researchers working on the study have said that the green nudges that they implemented are easy to understand and transparent to users.

About the study:

• The study was conducted by Alibaba using a difference-in-differences model.
• Historically, nudges focus on short-term impacts, but the Alibaba study showed its persisting effect through individuals’ ordering behaviour.
• Method used:
  • The Alibaba platform provides “Green points” for choosing “No single use cutlery (SUCs)”, and also allows its users to collect green points through other activities like walking more, taking more public transportation, selling used items, etc.
• Findings of the study:
  • Under the study, the share of no-cutlery orders increased in the cities where it was conducted, but remained relatively unchanged throughout the study period in the control cities.
  • The Green Nudgedid not negatively impact Alibaba’s business.
  • Women placed more ‘no cutlery’ orders than that of men.
  • Middle-aged and elderly placed more orders with “no cutlery’ than that of youth and adults aged 18-24 years.
  • Over 18 months in Shanghai, eight months in Beijing, and one month in Tianjin, the number of SUCs was reduced by more than 225.33 million sets.

The purpose of Green Nudge:

• The green nudges were a result of Chinese regulations that prohibited online food delivery platforms from including SUCs in orders unless explicitly requested.
• In early 2020, China announced ambitious plans to phase out single-use plastics from the country, beginning with a country-wide ban on single-use straws by the end of the year.

Do green nudge work in India:

• China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of SUCs.
• Zomato, an online food delivery platform in India that occupies over 50% of market share in the space, also has similar nudges on its app.
• While the company says that the option to skip cutlery was always available on its platform, it changed the default selection to “no-cutlery” in August 2021.
• Zomato’s no-cutlery initiative was designed to reduce not just plastic but overall material waste.
• The data suggests that three out of every five orders choose to opt out of receiving cutlery, which has resulted in an estimated 1,000 metric tonne reduction in cutlery waste till now.

14. Shah denies Adhir’s view that UPA-era Bill is still alive

Subject :Polity

Section: Parliament

Context:

• The Lok Sabha saw a dispute between Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill. 
• Chowdhury asserted that the Bill introduced by the United Progressive Alliance government in 2010 and cleared by the Rajya Sabha is still relevant.

Lapsing of bills in parliament:

• Articles 107 and 108 of the constitution deal with certain situations under which bills lapse in the Parliament.

When does a Bill lapse?

1. With the dissolution of the House, a bill that originated in the Lok Sabha and is still pending in the Lok Sabha is termed lapsed.
2. With the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, a Bill that originated in the Rajya Sabha and was passed there, but is still pending in the Lok Sabha,lapses.
3. Bills that begin in the Lok Sabha and are passed there but are still pending in the Rajya Sabha are deemed lapsed.
4. A bill that originates and is passed in the Rajya Sabha but is returned to the Upper House with revisions by the Lok Sabha and subsequently does not receive the Rajya Sabha’s approval is regarded to have lapsed on the date of the Lok Sabha’s dissolution.

When does a bill not lapse?

1. A Bill that is pending in the Rajya Sabha but is not passed by the Lok Sabha.
2. Bills that have cleared both the Houses but are pending assent from the President.
3. If the president has notified the holding of a joint sitting before the dissolution of Lok Sabha.
4. A bill was passed by both Houses but returned by the president for reconsideration by the Rajya Sabha.
5. Pending bills and all pending assurances that are to be examined by the Committee on Government Assurances.

The fourth statement mentions a bill that was passed by both Houses but was returned by the President for reconsideration by the Rajya Sabha. In this case, the bill does not lapse.

15. Science and Tech Awards to Get Padma-style Makeover into Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Policy and schemes

Introduction:

• The Union Government is consolidating nearly 300 science awards from various science-affiliated Ministries into 56 centrally-administered Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) awards.
• These awards will no longer include cash prizes; instead, they will offer a certificate and medallion to the awardee.

Annual Announcement and Award Dates:

• Announced annually on May 11, coinciding with National Technology Day.
• Will be awarded on National Space Day, which falls on August 23.

Categories of RVP Awards:

• The RVP awards will comprise:
  • 3 Vigyan Ratna awards,
  • 25 Vigyan Shri awards,
  • 25 Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, and
  • 3 Vigyan Team awards.
• These awards will cover various disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics and computer science, earth science, medicine, engineering science, agricultural science, environmental science, technology and innovation, atomic energy, space science and technology, and a category called ‘Others‘.
• The proposal emphasizes fair representation and gender diversity among awardees.
• Eligibility extended to Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) with category-specific quotas.

Award Criteria:

• Vigyan Ratna awards will recognize “lifetime contributions along with excellence made in any field of science”.
• Vigyan Shri awards will honor“distinguished contribution to any field”
• Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards will celebrate “exceptional contribution by young scientists”.
• Vigyan Team awards will be for three or more researchers who have made an “exceptional contribution as a team”.
• PIOs will not be eligible for the Vigyan Team awards.
• There are no age limits for most prizes, except the Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards, which have a maximum age limit of 45 years for recipients.

Commencement and Administration:

• The RVP awards will begin in 2024 and will be conferred by the President of India or the Vice President.
• A committee will be constituted annually consisting of:
  • Secretaries from six science Ministries
  • Presidents of science and engineering academies, and
  • Distinguished scientists and technologists from various fields.
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will manage awards initially for two years, then oversight shifts to the National Research Foundation.

16. Three Hoysala Temples of Karnataka inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Subject :History

Section: Art and Culture

• The Hoysala temples at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapur in Karnataka were officially inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The Hoysala Temples, will be India’s 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Chennakeshava temple at Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu — both in Hassan district have been on UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.
• All the three were officially nominated by the Centre as India’s entry for 2022-23 in February in 2022.
• All three temples are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the nominations were entered as ‘The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas’.

Features of Hoysala Temple Architecture

• The Hoysala dynasty ruled over much of South India for close to 200 years and during this time they built spectacular temples; both Hindu as well as Jain. 
• The Hoysala temples are known for evolving a distinct style that is ornate with temple architecture following a stellate plan built on a raised platform.
• The material used in temple construction is chloritic schist which is also known as soapstone that is soft and amiable to carving.
• An abundance of figure sculpture covers almost all the Hoysala temples.
• The garbhagriha (sanctum-sanctorum) houses a centrally placed murti (enshrined icon) on a pitha (pedestal).
• The shikhara (superstructure), rises over the garbhagriha and together with the sanctum they form the vimana (or mulaprasada) of a temple.
• A ribbed stone, amalaka, is placed atop the shikhara with a kalash at its finial.
• An intermediate antarala (vestibule) joins the garbhagriha to an expansive pillared mandapa (porch) in front, chiefly facing east (or north).
• The temple may be approached via entrances with gigantic gopurams (ornate entrance towers) towering over each doorway.
• In the prakaram (temple courtyard) several minor shrines and outbuildings often abound.

Chennakeshava Temple Belur

• The temple was consecrated by the famous Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana to mark his victories in 1116 AD against the Cholas and called the Vijaya Narayana.
• Chennakesava (“handsome Kesava”) is a form of the HindugodVishnu.
• The construction of the Chennakeshava temple at Belur in commenced during the period of king Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE and took 103 years to complete
• Enclosed by a Prakara with a Gopura built in the Vijayanagar style, the temple stands on a platform or Jagati and looks like a huge casket.
• The Chennakesava temple is a fine example of fine quality work of art in stone. There are more than 80 Madanika sculptures in the temple, dancing, hunting, standing under canopies of trees and so on.
• The 4 Madanika figures (striking elegant dancing poses) on the wonderfully engraved columns of Navaranga are unique creations of Hoysala workmanship.
• The Garbhagriha is stellar in shape and its zigzag walls make the figures of 24 forms of Vishnu look different at different times of the day due to light.
• The temple artwork depicts scenes of secular life in the 12th century, dancers and musicians, as well as a pictorial narration of Hindu texts such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas through numerous friezes.
• It is a Vaishnava temple that reverentially includes many themes from Shaivism and Shaktism, as well as images of a Jina from Jainism and the Buddha from Buddhism. 
• The temple was built by master craftsmen – Dasoja and Chavana, a father and son duo, hailing from Balliganve, a centre of Kalyana Chalukya art in Shimoga district.
• It is said that Shantaladevi, the accomplished queen of King Vishnuvardhana is the model for one of the sculptures in the Navaranga – Darpana Sundari.
• The temples of Kappe Chennigaraya, Soumyanayaki, Andal and other Vaishnava manifestations surround this main temple.

Belur, Karnataka

• Belur, situated on the banks of river Yagachi, 38 km from Hassan, is a world famous tourist destination.
• Belur also has a samadhi believed to be of Raghavanka, the celebrated Kannada poet of the 13th century.
• Belur was the erstwhile capital of the Hoysalas and referred to as Velapur, Velur and Belahur at different points in history.

Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu

• Hoysaleswara Temple is situated on the banks of Dwarasamudra tank in Halebidu, a town which has many protected and unprotected temples, archaeological ruins and mounds.
• It was financed by Ketamalla and Kesarasetti, rich merchants who dedicated it to King Vishnuvardhana and his queen Shantaladevi.
• Hoysaleswara temple, also referred simply as the Halebidu temple, is a 12th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is the largest monument in Halebidu, in Karnataka  and the former capital of the Hoysala Empire.
• The Hoysaleshwara temple was commissioned in 1121 CE.
• The Hoysaleswara Temple poised on a star-shaped base on the lawn is an architectural marvel.
• This twin-shrined temple is perhaps the largest Shiva temple built by the Hoysalas.
• The twin shrines are dedicated to Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara Shiva lingas, named after the masculine and feminine aspects, both equal and joined at their transept.
• Its base consists of 8 rows of friezes carved with elephants, lions, horses and floral scrolls. 
• Its walls are adorned with intricately carved Hindu deities, sages, stylised animals, birds and friezes depicting the life of Hoysala kings. 
• Imagery from epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavad Gita adorn the outer walls with highly ornate temple doorways. 
• It is believed that no other temple in the country captures the Indian epics as elegantly as Hoysaleswara Temple. 
• The Nandi Mantapa is positioned right in front of the temple wherein there is a huge Nandi richly decorated with stone ornaments. 
• Behind this is a shrine dedicated to Surya with a 2 m tall image.
• There are exquisite carvings in the interiors of the temple as well. The most striking item is the highly polished lathe-turned pillars.

Halebidu / Halebeedu / Dwarasamudra

• Halebeedu (formerly known as Dwarasamudra) was the ancient capital of the Hoysalas just 17 km away from Belur. 
• In 1311, the army of Alauddin Khilji, led by Malik Kafur defeated the Hoysalas and raided their empire.
• The Hoysala capital Halebidu was besieged and sacked for the second time, in 1327, by an army sent by Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
• It is recorded that enormous wealth and riches were looted. The city never recovered and fell into neglect. In fact, Halebeedu means “old house/ old ruins“.
• Apart from Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebeedu is also known for Kedareshwara Temple and multiple Jain temples.

Keshava Temple at Somanathapura

• Keshava temple at Somanathapura in Mysuru district was commissioned by Somanatha Dandanayakaduring the regime of Narasimha III in 1268 CE.
• It is situated on the left bank of River Kaveri.
• The 13th century Keshava temple, described as “poetry in stone”, is dedicated to Vishnu.
• Like many other Hoysala temples, it is also built on a raised star-shaped platform called Jagati.
• It is Trikuta, a temple with three shrines and three vimanas, dedicated to Keshava, Janardhana and Venugopala. All three are a form of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.
• Built in 16 point star shape, the three shrines in the temple have been built in symmetry.
• The temple has a square shaped navaranga (congregation hall) which served as a dance floor to the devadasis. The navaranga is a 3×3 grid of nine rectangular sections. The middle section of the navaranga is known as sabhamantapa (the community hall).
• The temple at Somanathapura took 58 years to build with 500 sculptors ceaselessly working on it.
• The Keshava temple at Somanathapura faces east and is enclosed in a walled courtyard with a major gate (mahadvara). The courtyard wall frames a rectangular veranda and an array of small shrines.
• The temple is carved from soapstone, a green-grey chloritic schist material that is soft in quarry but hardens when exposed to air. This is not locally available and must have been imported from another part of South India. It enabled the artists to shape and carve out intricate details for the artwork.
• The walls are covered in beautiful friezes of scenes from the epics, figures of elephants and battle scenes depicting cavalry.
• The stellar plan creates several corners and niches that provide different canvases for the sculptor and each row carries a different pattern.
• The ceilings also carry beautiful decorations.
• The temple is surrounded by galleries on South, West and North Attached to the galleries are 64 mini shrines.

17. The six entrances of the New Parliament Complex, and their guardian animals

Subject :History

Section: Art and Culture

Context: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar hoisted the national flag at the Gaja Dwar of the building on Sunday morning (17th September 2023).

• The new Parliament has six entrances, each signifying a different role.
• In the New Parliament Building, red sandstone sculptures of auspicious animals have been installed as ‘guardian statues’ on all the six entrances based on their importance in Indian culture, their aesthetic appearance, positive qualities, and the study of Vastu Shastra.
• Out of these six entrances, three are designed as ceremonial entrances, to welcome special guests and to mark special events. These ceremonial entrances display Indian art, culture, ethos, and patriotism. They have been named as Gyan, Shakti and Karma, representing the Indian knowledge system, patriotism and artistic traditions, respectively.

Gaja Dwar

• The sculpture of an elephant or Gaja has been installed to guard the entrance to the north.
• Elephant represents wisdom and wealth, intellect, and memory, and also embodies the aspirations of the elected representatives of the democracy.
• According to Vastu Shastra, the northern direction is associated with planet Mercury, which is the source of higher intellect. The Lord of the direction is Kubera, the god of wealth. Therefore, the Gaja is placed to the north.

Ashva

• Ashva or the horse standing alert and ready at the southern entrance is symbolic of endurance and strength, power, and speed, also describing the quality of governance.

Garuda

• The eagle-like Garuda stands at the eastern ceremonial entrance, signifying the aspirations of the people and the administrators of the country. In Vastu shastra, the eastern direction is associated with the rising sun representing hope, the glory of victory, and success.

Makara

• A mythological aquatic creature, the Makara combines the bodily parts of different animals, representing unity in diversity among the people of the country.

Shardula

• Another mythological creature, Shardula is said to be the most powerful, foremost of all living beings, symbolising the power of the people of the country.

Hamsa

• The most important quality of the people of a democracy is the power of discernment and self-realisation born of wisdom. Reminding the people of this essential feature is the Hamsa, or swan, at the public entrance to the north east, as per the plan.

New Parliament House

• As part of India’s Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a new parliament building was constructed in New Delhi. It was inaugurated on 28 May 2023 by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.
• It has a built-up area of about 65,000 sq m, with its triangular shape ensuring the optimum utilization of space.
• The design of this Parliament building resembles the Vijaya Temple of Vidisha.
• The new building will house a larger Lok Sabha hall with a capacity of up to 888 seats, and a larger Rajya Sabha hall with a capacity of upto 384 seats. The Lok Sabha may accommodate up to 1,272 seats for joint sessions of Parliament.
• The Lok Sabha hall is based on the peacock theme, India’s national bird.
• The Rajya Sabha is based on the lotus theme, India’s national flower.
• A “Platinum-rated Green Building”, the new Sansad Bhavan will embody India’s commitment towards environmental sustainability,
• The new Parliament will be divyang-friendly.
• A Central Lounge that will complement the open courtyard will be a place for members to interact with each other. The courtyard will have a banyan, the national tree.
• Construction materials have been brought in from across the country, including red and white sandstone from Sarmathura in Dholpur and granite from Lakha village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
• Similarly, the wood used in the decor is from Nagpur and craftsmen from Mumbai have led the wooden architecture design.
• Bhadohi weavers from Uttar Pradesh have made the traditional hand-knotted carpets for the building.
• The building is replete with national symbols, including the national emblem — the Lion Capital of Ashoka — that weighs 9,500 kg and is 6.5 meters in height, and is visible from a distance. At the entrance, the Ashoka chakra and the words ‘Satyameva Jayate’ have been carved in stone.
• The new building has a Constitution Hall, where the journey of Indian democracy has been documented.
• A golden sceptre (sengol), given to Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence to mark the transfer of power from the British, will sit in the new Lok Sabha chamber, near the Speaker’s podium.
• A gallery called ‘Shilp’ will exhibit textile installations from across India, along with pottery items made from the mitti of all Indian states.
• The gallery ‘Sthapatya’ will exhibit the iconic monuments of India, including those from the different states and UTs. Besides monuments, it also amalgamates yoga asanas.