Daily Prelims Notes 27 February 2023

February 27, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

27 February 2023

Table Of Contents

1. 30 tigers die in 2 months; officials say no cause for alarm

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Nearly two months into 2023, India has already recorded 30 tiger deaths. The number, however, is not a cause for alarm, according to officials at National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), as tiger deaths usually spike between January and March.

More on the News:

Tiger deaths have so far been reported from Kanha, Panna, Ranthambore, Pench, Corbett, Satpura, Orang, Kaziranga and Sathyamangalam reserves. Of the 30 deaths, 16 have been reported outside the reserves.
The reason why tiger deaths are higher in these two states (MP and Maharashtra) is because they have a healthy tiger population.
With an increase in tiger population, there will naturally be an increase in the number of deaths.
From NTCA’s data the highest number of tiger deaths takes place between January and March in any given year. This is the time that they leave their territories and venture out, so there is conflict between tiger There are territorial conflicts among the tigers as well. With a healthy tiger population in the country, 200 Tiger deaths annually is not untoward
The issue is not of tigers dying, they will die like any other animal. But increase in poaching is a matter of concern. The tiger death (this year) in Sathyamangalam reserve is, a case of poaching by the Bawariya poachers.

Status of Tiger Report:

Tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6 per cent per annum in India from 2006 to 2018.
There were nine tiger reserves when Project Tiger started in 1973. Now, India has 53 tiger reserves. Seventy per cent of the world’s tigers are in India and the conservation effort has been a huge success.
While tiger populations remain stable in the country, the report warns that with the populations being confined to small Protected Areas, some of which have habitat corridors that permit tiger movement between them, “most of the corridor habitats in India are not protected areas, and are degrading due to unsustainable human use and developmental projects”.
Tiger occupancy has increased in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The former also registered a substantial increase in tiger population, and along with Karnataka, ranks highest in tiger numbers.
The Northeast has, meanwhile, suffered losses in population.
The population in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha too have seen a decline in the number of tigers
The largest contiguous tiger population in the world of about 724 tigers was found in the Western Ghats (Nagarhole-Bandipur-Wayanad-Mudumalai- Satyamangalam-BRT block.

More details about Tiger https://optimizeias.com/royal-bengal-tiger-count-rises-to-75-in-andhra-pradesh/

2. Sloth bears

Subject :Environment

Section :Species in news

Context: A new study has found that maintaining forest cover and preventing fragmentation of habitats while minimising human disturbance is crucial for long-term conservation of bears outside protected wildlife reserves across India.

More on the News:

Scientists from Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies, the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and the University of Florida studied sloth bears in a forest corridor of Madhya Pradesh.
They have published their findings in their latest scientific paper titled ‘Safe space in the woods: Mechanistic spatial models for predicting risks of human–bear conflicts in India’ in the journal Biotropica.
In the recent study, researchers conducted indirect sign surveys (documenting pugmarks and faeces) to understand where sloth bears are found and why. They combined these results with information on bear attacks on people, gathered through interview surveys of local communities.
Bear attacks on people were more likely to happen in areas with denser forests, rough terrains and locations with high bear presence.

Sloth Bears:

It is a Myrmecophagous bear species.
Distribution:
- They are endemic to the Indian sub-continent and 90% of the species population is found in India with small populations in Nepal and Srilanka.
- It occurs in a wide range of habitats including moist and dry tropical forests, savannahs, scrublands and grasslands below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) on the Indian subcontinent, and below 300 m (980 ft) in Sri Lanka’s dry forests. It is regionally extinct in Bangladesh.
- Sloth bears are found in all parts of the country except Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern States.
Characteristics:
- They are nocturnal animals.
- It feeds on fruits, ants and termites.
- Sloth bears do not hibernate.
Protection Status
- IUCN red list: listed as ‘vulnerable’
- Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972 : listed under Schedule I
Threats:
- Animal-Human conflict: Over the past few years there has been a rise of incidents of human sloth bear conflict in States like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra among other states.
- Exploitation: Sometimes captured and kept as pets, which can lead to their exploitation and mistreatment.

3. Plastic waste in urban drains can lead to an explosion of mosquitoes

Subject :Environment

Section :Pollution

Context: A study conducted in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, suggests bisphenol A, or BPA can indirectly aid in the spread of vector-borne diseases in humans and animals.

More on the Findings:

Study establishes that the human-made chemical can significantly shorten the breeding time of southern house mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus), a major carrier of the West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever virus and avian pox in tropical and subtropical countries, and thereby aid in its quick multiplication.
This is a matter of concern as most urban wastewater canals, which serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes, are choked with BPA-laden plastic waste.
Southern house mosquitoes, in contrast, thrive in the presence of the compound. The larvae of the mosquito can tolerate BPA without causing lethal effects up to a concentration of 5 mg/L, a level much higher than what is normally found in the environment.

The study findings are expected to have far-reaching consequences as BPA is manufactured in high quantities globally and its industrial discharge is a known surface freshwater contaminant.

BisphenolA (BPA)

BisphenolA (BPA) is a chemical compound and one of the simplest and best-known bisphenols.
It is produced by the condensation of phenol and acetone, with an estimated 4 million tonnes of produced worldwide in 2015.
It is a colourless solid which is soluble in organic solvents, but poorly soluble in water (0.344 wt % at 83 °C).
BisphenolA (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics.
It is found in various products including shatterproof windows, eyewear, water bottles, and epoxy resins that coat some metal food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes.
The primary source of exposure to BPA for most people is through the
While air, dust, and water are other possible sources of exposure, BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority of daily human exposure.
Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles.
The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container.
BPA can also be found in breast milk.
BPA is a known endocrine disruptor.
Generally, BPA acts on hormonal level by distorting hormonal balance and inducing estrogenic effects through binding with estrogen-related receptors (ERR).
The resultant effects are numerous of which hormonal related abnormalities have been mostly reported.

4. IMD is already sensing heat waves

Subject :Geography

Section :Climatology

Context: In the week of February 21, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that the maximum temperatures over northwest, west, and central India would be 3-5° C higher than the long-term average.

Origin of heat waves

Heat waves are formed for one of two reasons: because warmer air is flowing in from elsewhere or because something is producing it locally.
- Air is warmed locally when the air is warmed by higher land surface temperature or because the air sinking down from above is compressed along the way, producing hot air near the surface.
A study published in Nature Geoscience offers some clues as to how different processes contribute to the formation of a heat wave.
- In spring, India typically has air flowing in from the west-northwest. In the context of climate change, the Middle East is warming faster than other regions in latitudes similarly close to the equator, and serves as a source of the warm air that blows into India.
- Likewise, air flowing in from the northwest rolls in over the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, so some of the compression also happens on the leeward side of these mountains, entering India with a bristling warmth.
- The air flowing in over the oceans is expected to bring cooler air, since land warms faster than the oceans. The Arabian Sea is warming faster than most other ocean regions.
- The strong upper atmospheric westerly winds that come in from the Atlantic Ocean over to India during spring control the near-surface winds. Any time winds flow from the west to the east. The descending air compresses and warms up to generate some heat waves.
- The so-called lapse rate – the rate at which temperatures cool from the surface to the upper atmosphere – is declining under global warming. In other words, global warming tends to warm the upper atmosphere faster than the air near the surface. This in turn means that the sinking air is warmer due to global warming, and thus produces heat waves as it sinks and compresses.

Heat Waves:

A heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western and South Central parts of India.
It is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to the human body when exposed.
The IMD declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature crosses a certain threshold — 40°C in the plains, 37°C along the coast, and 30°C in hilly regions.
Alternatively, a heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature rises by between 5°C and 6.4°C above normal.
A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature rises more than 6.4°C above normal.
A third condition for a heatwave arises when an area records a maximum temperature of more than 45°C and up to 47°C on any given day.

5. Union govt to mark SanthSevalal Maharaj Jayanti

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept :

The Union government on Sunday kicked off year long celebrations to mark the 284th birth anniversary of SanthSevalal Maharaj, a spiritual and religious leader of the Banjara community.

SanthSevalal Maharaj

He is considered a social reformer and spiritual teacher of the Banjara community.
He travelled across the country with his Ladeniya Troup to serve especially the forest dwellers and nomadic tribes.
Due to his extraordinary knowledge, excellent skills and spiritual background in Ayurveda and Naturopathy, he was able to dispel and eradicate myths and superstitions prevalent in the tribal communities.

Banjara Community:

Banjara is made of various groups found throughout India and most of them are found in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states in South India.
This community settled across the country with different names, have permanently abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled in their settlements called Tandas.
They speak GorBoli also called Lambadi which belongs to the Indo-Aryan Group of Languages. Lambadi has no script.
Banjara people celebrate the festival of Teej during Shravanam(in the month of august). In this festival young unmarried Banjara girls pray for a good groom.
Fire dance and Chari are the traditional dance forms of the banjara people.

6. Atacama Large Millimetre / submillimetre Array (ALMA) Telescope

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space Technology

Concept :

The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA), a radio telescope comprising 66 antennas is set to get software and hardware upgrades.
It will help it collect much more data and produce sharper images than ever before, the journal Science reported recently.
The most significant modernisation made to ALMA will be the replacement of its correlator, a supercomputer that combines the input from individual antennas and allows astronomers to produce highly detailed images of celestial objects.

About Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) Telescope:

It is a state-of-the-art radio telescope that studies celestial objects at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths.
It is located in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile.
They can penetrate through dust clouds and help astronomers examine dim and distant galaxies and stars out there.
It also has extraordinary sensitivity, which allows it to detect even extremely faint radio signals.
The telescope consists of 66 high-precision antennas, spread over a distance of up to 16 km.
It is operated under a partnership between the United States, and 16 countries in Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Chile.
The radio telescope was designed, planned and constructed by the US’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

What are some of the notable discoveries made by ALMA?

Over the years, it has helped astronomers make groundbreaking discoveries, including that of starburst galaxies and the dust formation inside supernova 1987A.
It had observed the detailed images of the protoplanetary disc surrounding HL Tauri which is a very young T Tauri star in the constellation Taurus, approximately 450 light years from Earth.
It helped scientists observe a phenomenon known as the Einstein ring, which occurs when light from a galaxy or star passes by a massive object en route to the Earth, in extraordinary detail.

Why is ALMA located in Chile’s Atacama Desert?

ALMA is situated at an altitude of 16,570 feet (5,050 metres) above sea level on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert as the millimetre and submillimetre waves observed by it are very susceptible to atmospheric water vapour absorption on Earth.
Moreover, the desert is the driest place in the world, meaning most of the nights here are clear of clouds and free of light-distorting moisture — making it a perfect location for examining the universe.

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is a 600-mile-long (1,000 kilometers) plateau in the north of Chile, near the borders of Peru, Bolivia and Argentina in South America.
The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts.
In fact, it is so dry that some weather stations in the desert have never recorded a single drop of rain.
As a result of these harsh conditions, plant and animal life is almost non-existent, particularly in the lower Atacama Desert.
The northern coastal areas, however, do receive a little more rainfall, and as a result, are less arid.

7. Govt plans 10 ‘Clean Plant Centres’

Subject : Schemes

Section :Agriculture

Concept :

With the demand for foreign planting materials of fruits like apples, avocados and blueberries rising over the years, the Central government plans to set up 10 ‘Clean Plant Centres’

About Clean Plant Centre

Objective: To boost domestic production of the selected fruit crops
Some of the services offered are disease diagnostic, therapeutics, multiplying of plants and generation of mother plants.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is the nodal ministry for the programme.
Implementing agency: National Horticulture Board (NHB)
It is 100% funded by Central government
It will be set up under the ‘Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program’ (announced in Budget 2023-24)
Significance:
Currently, it is difficult to get disease-free and genuine planting materials for horticultural crops in India.
Also, the process of importing plants is very cumbersome, as the imported plants must be kept in quarantine for two years.
After the establishment of the Clean Plant Centres, this period will be reduced to six months.

Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program

The Program will be launched with an outlay of 2,200 crores (in the next 7 years till 2030) to boost availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high value horticultural crops.
The Program will aim to –
- Enhance the yield of horticulture crops,
- Disseminate and adopt climate resilient varieties,
- Protect the ecosystem through proactive virus and disease control measures.
The programme will be anchored by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) which in turn will set up Clean Plant Centers across the country and ensure the global competitiveness of the Indian horticulture sector.
The centers will work with the stakeholders so that they adopt clean plant seeds and nurseries.

8. Great Nicobar project

Subject : Environment

Section :Places in news

Concept :

Citing a “strategic” imperative, the Union Home Ministry wanted the 8.45-square-km airport component of the Great Nicobar Development project to be kept confidential.
However, the Environment Ministry, in an unprecedented move, has withheld all discussions on the forest clearance to the entire 166.10-sq km project recommended by the statutory Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) in which the airport falls.

About Great Nicobar Development project

A “greenfield city” has been proposed, including
An International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT),
A greenfield international airport,
A power plant, and
A township for the personnel who will implement the project.
A total 166.1 sq km along the island’s southeastern and southern coasts have been identified for project along a coastal strip of width between 2 km and 4 km.
Some 130 sq km of forests have been sanctioned for diversion, and 9.64 lakh trees are likely to be felled.
The port will be controlled by the Indian Navy, while the airport will have dual military-civilian functions and will cater to tourism as well.
Roads, public transport, water supply and waste management facilities, and several hotels have been planned to cater to tourists.

Project Implementation Timeline

Development activities are proposed to commence in the financial year 2022-23, and the port is expected to be commissioned by 2027-28.
The project is to be implemented in 3 phases over the next 30 years.
More than 1 lakh new direct jobs and 1.5 lakh indirect jobs are likely to be created on the island over the period of development.

Forest Advisory Committee

Forest Advisory Committee is a statutory body constituted under the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980.
It comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
It is an apex body tasked with adjudicating requests by the industry to raze forest land for commercial gains.
It considers questions on the diversion of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships.
It also advises the government on the issue of granting forest clearances. However, its role is advisory.
Every proposal involving more than 40 hectares of forest land are referred to the Central Government to the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC).
FAC may also suggest any condition or restrictions on the use of any forest land for any non-forest purpose, which in its opinion, would minimize adverse environmental impact.
The MoEF&CC may grant approval after considering the advice of the FAC.
FAC is headed by Director General of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Forests as Chairperson and 3 other officials.
It also contains three non-official members who are experts one each in Mining, Civil Engineering and Development Economics.

9. Economic Terminologies in news

Subject : Economy

Section :Monetary Policy / Money and Banking

Concept :

Hard Landing

A hard landing refers to a marked economic slowdown or downturn following a period of rapid growth.
The term “hard landing” comes from aviation, where it refers to the kind of high-speed landing that—while not an actual crash—is a source of stress as well as potential damage and injury.
The metaphor is used for high-flying economies that run into a sudden, sharp check on their growth, such as a monetary policy intervention meant to curb inflation.
Economies that experience a hard landing often slip into a stagnant period or even recession.

Soft Landing

A soft landing, in economics, is a cyclical slowdown in economic growth that avoids recession.
A soft landing is the goal of a central bank when it seeks to raise interest rates just enough to stop an economy from overheating and experiencing high inflation, without causing a severe downturn.
Soft landing may also refer to a gradual, relatively painless slowdown in a particular industry or economic sector.

10. $5 Billion Defence Exports Target

Subject : Science and Technology

Section : Defence

Concept :

The defence ministry has set a target to raise India’s annual defence exports to $5 billion by 2024-25, from the $1.5 billion currently.
This was also reiterated by PM Modi at the recently concluded Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru earlier this month.

Current Defence Export Figures

As per government data, India’s defence export value till December 2022 had reached Rs 6,058 crore.
India’s defence exports have grown by 334 per cent in the past five years. They touched nearly Rs 13,000 crore in 2021-22.

Which defence equipment does India export?

The major defence items being exported are Personal Protective items, Offshore Patrol Vessels, ALH Helicopter, SU Avionics, Bharati Radio, Coastal Surveillance Systems etc.
Major items exported by India in the last three years include lightweight torpedoes, weapon locating radar, fast patrol vessels, 120 mm mortar armoured protection vehicle, 0.338 Lapua magnum sniper rifle, and simulators.

What are the major defence platforms India is looking to export?

India is in talks with Argentina and Egypt, among other countries, to export its indigenous LCA Tejas.
According to the government officials, the LCA Mk 2 has seen interest from nearly 16 countries and efforts are on to identify private production agencies to ramp up manufacturing of the jet.
India is looking to export the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter to several countries.
India has signed a contract with Mauritius for the export of one Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH Mk III) for Mauritius Police Force.
Mauritius already operates the ALH and Do-228 aircraft, which is a multi-purpose light transport aircraft.
India is also in talks with Guyana to export the Dornier 228 and fast patrol vessels.
Last year, India signed a $375 million contract with the Philippines to export the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
India is looking to export the weapon system and its lighter next generation version (BrahMos NG) to over 10 countries, including South Africa, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
In 2022, Armenia inked a government-to-government deal to buy the DRDO-developed Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, rockets and ammunition.

Major export destinations

India’s private companies and Defence PSUs currently export defence equipment to over 75 countries.
Major countries: Italy, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Russia, France, Nepal, Mauritius, Israel, Egypt, UAE, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Poland, Spain and Chile are some of the major export destinations.

Top customers for India’s defence export

A report released by India Exim Bank stated that Mauritius, Mozambique, and Seychelles have been among the top customers for India’s defence exports between 2017 and 2021.
India is among the top 25 exporters of major arms
According to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report released last year, India is among the top 25 exporters of major arms.
Myanmar has been the biggest importer of Indian arms at 50 percent during the 2017-2021 period, followed by Sri Lanka at 25 percent and Armenia at 11 per cent.

11. eSanjeevani is a great boon

Subject: Schemes

Context: PM Modi praised eSanjeevani

About eSanjeevani

It is Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s National Telemedicine Service.
It is operational in 31 States/Union Territories.
It is first of its kind online OPD service offered by a country government to its citizens.
It is conceptualised as a doctor to doctor telemedicine platform in November 2019 for implementation at 155,000 Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat Scheme in a Hub & Spokes model.
It supports two types of telemedicine services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele-consultations.
The eSanjeevani AB-HWC is the doctor to doctor telemedicine platform.
It has been implemented at around 20,000 Health and Wellness Centres as spokes and over 1800 hubs in around 30 States.
The eSanjeevani OPD (Patient-to-Doctor) was rolled out in 2020 in order to provide free online medical consultation to sick people at their residence.
It was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

It is the premier R&D organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying out R&D in IT & E (Information Technologies and Electronics).

12. Jharkhand on alert as bird flu cases reported in State-run poultry farm: Official

Subject : Science and Technology

Section :Health

Context: The presence of H5N1 variant was confirmed among a protein-rich breed of chicken, popularly known as ‘Kadaknath’ in Jharkhand.

Kadaknath, also called Kali Masi is an Indian breed of chicken. They originated from Dhar and Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh. These birds are mostly bred by the rural and tribals. There are three varieties: jet black, golden and pencilled. The meat from this breed has a geographical indication (GI Tag) tag that was approved by the Indian government on 30 July 2018.

Avian influenza (AI)

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds.
Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.
Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). For example, a virus that has an HA 7 protein and NA 9 protein is designated as subtype H7N9.
Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
- HPAI A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.
- HPAI Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.
Prevention: Strict biosecurity measures and good hygiene are essential in protecting against disease outbreaks.
Eradication: If the infection is detected in animals, a policy of culling infected and contact animals is normally used in an effort to rapidly contain, control and eradicate the disease.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI):

The two virus types identified so far in the outbreaks — H5N1 and H5N8come under the category of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which is of major concern to those keeping birds, because it leads to disease and death of fowl and causes economic havoc. H5N1 is a known threat to humans as well
Out of the three types of influenza viruses (A, B, and C), influenza A virus is a zoonotic infection with a natural reservoir almost entirely in birds. Avian influenza, for most purposes, refers to the influenza A virus.
Though influenza A is adapted to birds, it can also stably adapt and sustain person-to-person transmission.

Mode of transmission:

Avian influenza is most often spread by contact between infected and healthy birds, though can also be spread indirectly through contaminated equipment.
The virus is found in secretions from the nostrils, mouth, and eyes of infected birds as well as their droppings.
HPAI infection is spread to people often through direct contact with infected poultry, such as during slaughter or plucking.

Is this influenza airborne?

Though the virus can spread through airborne secretions, the disease itself is not an airborne disease.

Human to human transmission:

In its present form, human-to-human infection is not known — human infections have been reported only among people who have handled infected birds or carcasses.

13. SC asks govt. what it has done to end manual scavenging

Subject: Schemes

Section Vulnerable Section

Context: The Supreme Court has directed the government to place on record within six weeks the steps taken by it to implement its nearly 10 years old judgment to end manual scavenging and prevent future generations from the “inhuman practice” while making entry into sewers without safety gear a crime even in emergency situations.

The top court itself had reinforced the prohibition and directed the rehabilitation of people employed as manual scavengers in its judgment in SafaiKaramchariAndolan And Others vs Union of India.

What is manual scavenging?

Manual scavenging is the practice of removing human excreta by hand from sewers or septic tanks.
India banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR).
The Act bans the use of any individual for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta till its disposal.
In 2013, the definition of manual scavengers was also broadened to include people employed to clean septic tanks, ditches, or railway tracks.
The Act recognizes manual scavenging as a “dehumanizing practice,” and cites a need to “correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by the manual scavengers.”

Why is it still prevalent in India?

According to activist Bezwada Wilson from the SafaiKarmachariAndolan, 472 deaths due to manual scavenging had been recorded from 2016 to 2020.
The lack of enforcement of the Act and exploitation of unskilled labourers are the reasons why the practice is still prevalent in India.
The Mumbai civic body charges anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 to clean septic tanks. The unskilled labourers, meanwhile, are much cheaper to hire and contractors illegally employ them at a daily wage of Rs 300-500.

Compensation:

As per the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013 and the Supreme Court’s decision in the SafaiKaramchariAndolan v/s Union of India case, to identify all those who died in sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020:

It proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths.
It will be an amendment to The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
It is still awaiting cabinet approval.

14. Lokur Committee

Subject :Polity

Section :MSc

The All-India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (AIVKA), an RSS affiliate that works for tribal population, in its central executive meeting held earlier this week, passed a proposal that the criteria and procedure pre scribed by the law and the Lokur Committee (1965) should be followed while adding new castes to the list of Scheduled Tribes

Concept:

Lokur Committee

The Lokur Committee (1965) was set up to look into criteria for defining Schedule Tribes.
The Committee recommended 5 criteria for identification, namely, primitive traits, distinct culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness.

Internal task force and proposed Criteria

A Task Force under the Chairmanship of the then Secretary (Tribal Affairs) was constituted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in February, 2014 to examine the existing criteria and procedure.
The Task Force in its report submitted to the Ministry has made recommendations, among other things, for revision of criteria and procedure for scheduling of tribes as STs.
It includes “socioeconomic, including educational, backwardness, the rest of the population of the State; historical geographical isolation which may or may not exist today; distinct language/dialect; presence of a core culture relating to lifecycle, marriage, songs, dance, paintings, folklore; endogamy, or in case of exogamy, marital relationship primarily with other STs.