Daily Prelims Notes 29 July 2022

Daily prelims Notes

29 July 2022

Table Of Contents

1. What was the Pal-Dadhvav massacre, whose centenary the Gujarat govt is observing?
2. Why an aircraft carrier matters, even more so that it is Made in India
3. Suspension of MPs: the rules, and the powers of presiding officers
4. Uniform Civil Code
5. Earth Overshoot Day
6. WWF’s “Good for you, Good for the planet” campaign
7. The Eleventh Agricultural Census (2021-22)
8. Wildlife amendments to “save entrepreneurs from harassment”
9. India may open up lithium mining in batteries quest
10. Why the government plans to scrap the decades-old Coffee Act
11. World Tiger Day: The cats have gone extinct in 3 Southeast Asian countries
12. Lion vs Tiger
13. Bhashini

1. What was the Pal-Dadhvav massacre, whose centenary the Gujarat govt is observing?

Subject: History

Section: Modern India

Context: The Gujarat government marked 100 years of the Pal-Dadhvav killings, calling it a massacre “bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh”. Before this, the incident had been featured on the state’s Republic Day tableau.

• The day was Amalki Ekadashi, which falls just before Holi, a major festival for tribals. Villagers from Pal, Dadhvav, and Chitariya had gathered on the banks of river Heir as part of the ‘Eki movement’, led by one Motilal Tejawat. The movement was to protest against the land revenue tax (lagaan) imposed on the peasants by the British and feudal lords.
• The Mewad Bhil Corps (MBC), a paramilitary force raised by the British that was on the lookout for Tejawat, heard of this gathering and reached the spot.
• On a command from Tejawat, nearly 2000 Bhils raised their bows and arrows and shouted in unison- ‘We will not pay the tax’. The MBC commanding officer, HG Sutton, ordered his men to fire upon them. Bullets rained on them but where could they go? There was a stampede.

2. Why an aircraft carrier matters, even more so that it is Made in India

Subject: Defence

Section: Navy

Context: The Navy has taken delivery of the IAC-1, which after commissioning will be named ‘INS Vikrant’ after India’s beloved first aircraft carrier.

Why is it important for India to have an aircraft carrier?

• An aircraft carrier is one of the most potent marine assets for any nation, which enhances a Navy’s capability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air domination operations.
• Many experts consider having an aircraft carrier as essential to be considered a “blue water” navy — that is, a navy that has the capacity to project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
• An aircraft carrier generally leads as the capital ship of a carrier strike/ battle group. As the aircraft carrier is a prized and sometimes vulnerable target, it is usually escorted in the group by destroyers, missile cruisers, frigates, submarines, and supply ships.

And why is it a big deal that this warship has been Made in India?

• Only five or six nations currently have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier, and India has joined this prestigious club now. Experts and Navy officials said India has demonstrated the capacity and self-reliance to build what is considered to be one of the most advanced and complex battleships in the world.
• India’s has had aircraft carriers earlier too — but those were built either by the British or the Russians. The ‘INS Vikramaditya’, which was commissioned in 2013 and which is currently the Navy’s only aircraft carrier, started out as the Soviet-Russian warship ‘Admiral Gorshkov’.
• India’s two earlier carriers, the ‘INS Vikrant’ and the ‘INS Viraat’, were originally the British-built ‘HMS Hercules’ and ‘HMS Hermes’. These two warships were commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987 respectively.

Why will this new warship be named ‘INS Vikrant’?

• IAC-1 — as the carrier is currently codenamed — has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping.
• Once commissioned, it will be called ‘INS Vikrant’, the name that originally belonged to India’s much-loved first aircraft carrier, a source of immense national pride over several decades of service before it was decommissioned in 1997.
• The original ‘Vikrant’, a Majestic-class 19,500-tonne warship, which was acquired from the UK in 1961, played a stellar role in the 1971 War with Pakistan. India deployed the ‘Vikrant’ in the Bay of Bengal, and its two air squadrons of Sea Hawk fighter jets and Alize surveillance aircraft were used in strikes on ports, merchant ships, and other targets, and to prevent Pakistani forces from escaping through maritime routes.

What weapons and equipment will the new ‘Vikrant’ have?

• The new warship is comparable to India’s existing carrier ‘INS Vikramaditya’, which is a 44,500-tonne vessel and can carry up to 34 aircraft, including both fighter jets and helicopters.
• The Navy had earlier said that once commissioned, IAC-1 will be “the most potent sea-based asset”, which will operate the Russian-made MiG-29K fighter aircraft and Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, both of which are already in use on the ‘Vikramaditya’.
• The new ‘Vikrant’ will also operate the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopter manufactured by the American aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin, and the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) built by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

3. Suspension of MPs: the rules and the powers of presiding officers

Subject: Polity

Section: Parliament

Context

• The two Houses suspended these MPs because they disrupted proceedings, demanding a debate on rising prices and increasing GST rates on essential commodities.

Why do MPs disrupt Parliament?

• One reason is the lack of time available to MPs for raising important matters;
• a second is the “unresponsive attitude of the government and retaliatory posture by Treasury benches”.
• The other two reasons are deliberate disruption by parties for political or publicity purposes, and
• the absence of prompt action against MPs disrupting parliamentary proceedings.

What has Parliament done to address these issues?

• The government and not Parliament decides the parliamentary calendar. Therefore, the decision about the time available with Parliament for discussions rests with the government. Parliamentary procedure also prioritises government business over other debates that take place in the legislature.
• In this regard, Parliament has not updated its rules over the last 70 years to give Opposition parties a say in deciding the agenda for discussion.
• And in 2001, Lok Sabha amended its rules to give the Speaker more powers to discipline MPs who disrupt House proceedings.

Who can suspend MPs, and for how long?

• Rules for ensuring the smooth functioning of Parliament have been unchanged since 1952. First, the presiding officers can direct an MP to withdraw from the House for any disorderly conduc If the MP continues disrupting the House, the presiding officer can “name” the legislator. After that, the House can move a motion to suspend the MP until the end of the session. These powers are common to the presiding officers of both Houses.
• In 2001, during Speaker G M C Balayogi’s term, Lok Sabha changed its rules to give the Speaker more powers to deal with grave and disorderly conduct. As per this new rule, the Speaker can “name” an MP, who shall then automatically stand suspended for five days or the remaining part of the session. This rule removes the need for the House to pass a motion for suspension. Rajya Sabha has not incorporated this provision in its procedures.

Can courts intervene in a matter of suspension of MPs?

• Article 122 of the Constitution says parliamentary proceedings cannot be questioned before a court: “No officer or Member of Parliament in whom powers are vested by or under this Constitution for regulating procedure or the conduct of business, or for maintaining order, in Parliament shall be subject to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise by him of those powers”.
• In some cases, however, courts have intervened in the procedural functioning of legislatures. For example, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a resolution in its 2021 Monsoon Session suspending 12 BJP MLAs for a yea The matter came before the Supreme Court, which held that the resolution was ineffective in law beyond the remainder of the Monsoon Session.

Do presiding officers have a role in breaking a deadlock?

• Presiding officers are the custodians of Parliament, and their role is to be a nonpartisan implementer of the rules. In the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-09), during the tenure of Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Lok Sabha was continuously getting disrupted by Opposition MPs. They asked him to convey their grievances against the government and the Treasury benches to the Prime Minister. Speaking in Lok Sabha, Speaker Chatterjee said, “I feel it will be an unwarranted exercise of power of the Speaker if he meddles into the political affairs or the political formulations of any Party or Group of Parties, and seeks to intervene.” He said such an action would be “an intrusion by the Speaker into an arena, which should be left to the political parties to decide and resolve”.

4. Uniform Civil Code

Subject : Polity

Section : Constitution

Context: The government does not propose to set up a committee to implement a uniform civil code (UCC), Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Concept:

What is UCC?

• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• DPSP as defined in Article 37,are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.
• Status of Uniform Codes in India: Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters such as Indian Contract Act 1872, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act 1882, Partnership Act 1932, Evidence Act, 1872 etc.

Background of Uniform Civil Code

• The origin of the UCC dates back to colonial India when the British government submitted its report in 1835 stressing the need for uniformity in the codification of Indian law relating to crimes, evidence, and contracts, specifically recommending that personal laws of Hindus and Muslims be kept outside such codification.
• Increase in legislation dealing with personal issues in the far end of the British rule forced the government to form the B N Rau Committee to codify Hindu law in 1941.
• Based on these recommendations, a bill was then adopted in 1956 as the Hindu Succession Act to amend and codify the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
• However, there were separate personal laws for muslim, chirstian and Parsis.
• Goa is the only state in India which has a uniform civil code. The Goa Family Law, is the set of civil laws, originally the Portuguese Civil Code, continued to be implemented after its annexation in
• In order to bring uniformity, the courts have often said in their judgements that the government should move towards a uniform civil code.
• The judgement in the Shah Bano case is well known, but the courts have made the same point in several other major judgements.
• By arguing that practices such as triple talaq and polygamy impact adversely on the right of women to a life of dignity, the Centre has raised the question whether constitutional protection given to religious practices should extend even to those that are not in compliance with fundamental rights.

Recent steps:

• Government has requested the Law Commission of India to undertake examination of various issues relating to uniform civil code and to make recommendations. The government does not propose to set up a committee to implement a uniform civil code (UCC).
• The personal laws, such as Intestacy and Succession, Wills, Joint Family and Partition and Marriage and Divorce, relate to Entry 5 of List-III-Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. Hence, the States are also empowered to legislate upon them.
• Uttarakhand has set up a panel to examine the implementation of UCC.

5. Earth Overshoot Day

Subject :Environment

Section : Biodiversity

Context: This year’s Earth Overshoot Day was observed July 28, a day before it was celebrated last year July 29 and nearly a month earlier than it was celebrated in 2020 August 22.

Concept:

• It marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.
• Previously it was known as Ecological Debt Day.
• For the rest of the year, society operates in ecological overshoot by drawing down local resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• The first Earth Overshoot Day was December 19, 1987.
• It is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international research organization.
• It calculates the number of days of that year that Earth’s biocapacity suffices to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint.
• This year’s Earth Overshoot Day was observed July 28, a day before it was celebrated last year July 29 and nearly a month earlier than it was celebrated in 2020 August 22.

Global Footprint Network:

• It is an independent think tank originally based in the United States, Belgium and Switzerland.
• It was founded in 2003 as a charitable not-for-profit organization in each of those three countries.
• The organization is headquartered in Oakland, California.
• The organisation listed five ways to “turn around our natural consumption trends” to restore the Earth’s “ecological debt”:

1. Take care of the planet’s biodiversity and let nature thrive
2. Design and manage cities sustainably
3. Use our energy resources judiciously
4. Control the population
5. Choose how we feed ourselves.

• It develops and promotes tools for advancing sustainability, including the ecological footprint and biocapacity.
• Its goal is to create a future where all humans can live well, within the means of one planet Earth.
• The Network brings together over 70 partner organizations.

6. WWF’s ‘Good for you Good for the planet’ campaign

Subject :Environment

Section : Biodiversity

Context: A new study by WWF and Tesco revealed that food waste amounts to 10 per cent of GHG, a jump from previous estimates of eight per cent.

Concept:

• The WWF has launched the “Good for you, Good for the planet” campaign to guide people towards eating a planet friendly diet.
• A new study by WWF and Tesco revealed that food waste amounts to 10 per cent of GHG
• Adopting a plant-based diet brings down food-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 30 per cent, wildlife loss by up to 46 per cent agriculture land-use by at least 41 per cent and premature deaths by at least 20 per cent
• This amounts to twice the yearly carbon emissions from automobiles in the United States and Europe.
• Overall, 2.5 billion tonnes of food goes uneaten globally.

7. The Eleventh Agricultural Census (2021-22)

Subject: Agriculture

Context:

The nationwide Eleventh Agricultural Census (2021-22) was launched on Thursday by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

Concept:

• The agricultural census is the main source of information on a variety of parameters, such as the number and area, operational holdings, their size, class-wise distribution, land use, tenancy and cropping pattern.
• The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, conducts Agriculture Censuses in India in collaboration with States/UTs as part of programme of World Census of Agriculture.
• In the two Agricultural Censuses, namely, 1950 and 1960, data required for the World Agricultural Census were collected through sample Surveys carried out by the erstwhile Directorate of National Sample Survey (Now called ‘National Sample Survey Office) which gave estimates for the country as a whole and also for States.

Brief history of Agricultural census:

• The launch of first Agriculture Census was in 1970-71.
• The National Commission on Agriculture, in their report submitted in 1976, recommended that Agricultural census be conducted on quinquennial basis. Accordingly, the second Agricultural census was conducted with 1976-77 as the reference year.
• So far, ten Agriculture Censuses with reference years 1970-71, 1976-77, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1990-91, 1995-96, 2000-01, 2005-06, 2010-11 and 2015-16 have been conducted.
• The reference period in Agriculture Census is the agriculture year starting from July to June. From Input Survey 1991-92, the sample size has been raised to 7% villages in each stratum.
• The present census with reference year 2020-21 will be 11th in the series.
• Entire Census operation is conducted in three phases and operational holding is taken as statistical unit at micro level for data collection.
• Based on the agriculture census data collected in three phases, the Department brings out three detailed reports analysing trends on various parameters at All India, States/UTs level, District/Tehsil level reports are prepared by the respective States/UTs.
• A major challenge for the Census will be to estimate the number of farmers in the country correctly as all the policies and financial allocation depend on it.
• Differences in data between previous census and PM Kisan : As per the last Census, the number of farmers was estimated at 14.65 crore based on operational land holdings. The previous Census has put the operational holdings at 10.93 lakh whereas PM Kisan data show there was 23.76 lakh, which excluded ineligible farmers.

New steps in the latest census procedure:

• The government has maintained that the basis of data collection will continue to be on operational holdings and not on ownership holding.
• The government has decided to use it in Census operation, using drone and validation with the digitised land records will help reduce manual discrepancies in data as well as fool proof the statistical methodology.
• The use of digitised land records and the use of mobile apps for data collection will enable the creation of a database of operational holdings in the country
• Minister of agriculture said the agriculture census should be thought of in a broader perspective as it can also contribute to the mapping of crops and released the “Handbook on Operational Guidelines for Census” for the use of States and Union Territories while launching the ‘Data Collection Portal/App’.

8. Wildlife amendments to ‘save entrepreneurs from harassment’

Subject :Environment

Section : Biodiversity

Context: The Centre’s proposed amendments to decriminalise certain provisions of the Environment Protection Act (EPA), were to “save law abiding citizens/ entrepreneurs from undue harassment in case of minor non-compliances

What is the Environment (Protection) Act,1986?

• The EPA, 1986 establishes the framework for studying, planning, and implementing long-term requirements of environmental safety and laying down a system of speedy and adequate response to situations threatening the environment.’
• Background:
  • The roots of the enactment of the EPA lies in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm in June,1972 (Stockholm Conference), in which India participated, to take appropriate steps for the improvement of the human environment.
  • The Act implements the decisions made at the Stockholm Conference.
• Constitutional Provisions:
  • The EPA Act was enacted under Article 253 of the Indian Constitution which provides for the enactment of legislation for giving effect to international agreements.
  • Article 48A of the Constitution specifies that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
  • Article 51A further provides that every citizen shall protect the environment.
• Powers of the Central Government:
  • EPA empowers the Central Government to establish authorities charged with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle specific environmental problems that are peculiar to different parts of the country.
  • EPA also empower the Government to:
    • Plan and execute a nation-wide programme for the prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution.
    • Lay down standards for the quality of the environment in its various aspects like emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources.
  • The Central government as per the Act has the power to direct:
    • The closure, prohibition or regulation of any industry, operation or process.
    • The stoppage or regulation of the supply of electricity or water or any other service.

9. India may open up lithium mining in batteries quest

Subject :Geography

Section :Economic Geography

• India is seeking to change laws to allow private miners to extract lithium, the key ingredient for batteries used in in electric vehicles and energy storage, as the nation aims to be more self-sufficient in green technologies.
• Eight minerals, including lithium, beryllium and zirconium will be removed from a restricted list that currently prohibits production by private companies.
• They are also aimed at reducing India’s dependence on imports for some key minerals, and to put the country in a better position to compete in the lucrative battery supply chain.
• India wants to add local manufacturing of a swathe of zero-emissions technologies as it chases a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and to capture opportunities from the global transition to cleaner energy.
• The nation has pledged to build 500 gigawatts of clean power capacity by 2030, and the deployment of huge volumes of battery storage is seen as vital to enable round-the-clock use of renewables.
• Government agencies have been exploring for lithium and discovered a small resource at a site in Karnataka , according to the Ministry of Mines.
• Australia and Chile currently dominate raw materials output, while China is the world’s largest refiner.
• India’s imports of lithium- ion batteries jumped 54 per cent from a year earlier to $1.83 billion in the year ended March, Trade Ministry data show.
• Besides effort to boost local output, the country is also scouting for lithium and cobalt assets overseas.
• A joint venture has been formed with three state companies — National Aluminium Co, Hindustan Copper Ltd. and Mineral Exploration Corp — to acquire mines overseas.

10. Why the government plans to scrap the decades-old Coffee Act

Subject :Environment

Section : Biodiversity

Context: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is planning to replace the 80-year-old Coffee Act with the new Coffee (Promotion and Development Bill), 2022, which has been listed for the Monsoon Session of Parliament

The origin of the Coffee Act, 1942

• In the 1930s, the Indian coffee industry was facing significant problems, such as large-scale damage by pests and diseases, and the global economic downturn caused by the Great Depression
• With coffee planters making significant losses, the government passed the Coffee Cess Act (XIV of 1935) and established the first Indian Cess Committee in November 1935, in order to promote the sale of coffee and increase consumption of Indian coffee at home and abroad
• These problems from the 1930s were compounded with the outbreak of World War II, as low demands and a loss of foreign markets led to a sharp decline in coffee prices
• Since the Cess Committee was not able to deal with the crisis faced by the industry, the government formed the Coffee Board, through the introduction of the Coffee Act, 1942, under the control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The coffee Act, 1942:

• The purpose of the Act was to provide for the development of the coffee industry.
• The Coffee Board was tasked with supporting the industry in marketing, promotion of consumption, finance and research and development.
• Before India liberalised its economy in 1991, the Coffee Board controlled the marketing of the commodity in its entirety, both in India and abroad
• It was previously in charge of collecting, storage, processing and sale for the growers as well.
• The Coffee Act introduced a pooling system, where each planter was required to distribute their entire crop to a surplus pool managed by the Board, apart from the small quantities that were allowed for domestic use and seed production
• The grower was required to take the harvested and dried coffee to a curing factory, where they would receive an advance.
• Registered private contractors would clean, sort and grade the quality of coffee on a point system, for which they would receive a fee from the Coffee Board which would be later deducted from its payment to the grower.
• The Board then marketed 70% of the total pool for export and 30% for domestic markets, and sold them in separate auctions
• The money that was generated from these auctions was pooled and the Board paid the grower in installments through the year, based on the number of points their coffee was given at the curing factory.

The changes since liberalization

• While the Board continues to be the chief governmental body to supervise the industry, it no longer maintains its monopolistic control over the marketing of Indian coffee.
• Through a series of amendments, the Board’s authority was reduced, and in 1996, the pooling system was abolished and growers were allowed to directly sell to processing firms.
• The coffee market was entirely deregulated and the growers exposed to the free market.
• Since liberalisation, the Coffee Board plays more of an advisory role, and aims at increasing production, promoting further export and supporting the development of the domestic market.

Why does the government want to scrap the law?

• Many of the provisions in the coffee act have become redundant and are impediments to the coffee trade
• In order to facilitate growth and ease of doing business, the government would remove the “restrictive and redundant” provisions and introduce a simplified version of the Act to suit the present needs of the industry,
• To ensure that the benefits of all agricultural schemes are extended to coffee growers the government planned to shift the coffee board from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture
• The draft Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022 primarily concerned with promoting the sale and consumption of Indian coffee, including through e-commerce platforms, with fewer government restrictions.
• It also aims at encouraging further economic, scientific and technical research in order to align the Indian coffee industry with “global best practices.”
• While the Coffee Board continues to have limited control over marketing, exporters will still require a certificate from the statutory body.

Coffee Board of India:

• It is an Organisation managed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the government of India to promote coffee production in India
• The head office of the Coffee Board is situated in Bangalore
• The Coffee Board of India was established by an act of Parliament in 1942.
• Until 1995 the Coffee Board marketed the coffee of many growers from a pooled supply, but after that time coffee marketing became a private-sector activity due to the economic liberalisation in India
• The Coffee Boards tradition duties included the promotion of the sale and consumption of coffee in India and abroad, conducting coffee research, financial assistance to establish small coffee growers, safeguarding working conditions for laborers, and managing the surplus pool of unsold coffee

11. World Tiger Day: The cats have gone extinct in 3 Southeast Asian countries

Subject: Environment

Context: As the world celebrates yet another World Tiger Day July 29, 2022, there is sobering news. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently confirmed that the tiger has gone extinct in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

International Tiger Day:

• It is observed every year all over the world on July 29.
• International Tiger Day was introduced in 2010 after it was discovered that 97 percent of tigers had disappeared in the past century, with only about 3,000 remaining.
• The day seeks to protect and expand tiger habitats apart from preserving these species.
• International Tiger Day is observed by many international organizations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Smithsonian Institution.

India, the land of Tigers:

• More than 70% of the world’s tiger population is found in India. India has 15 species of wild cat, accounting for 40% of all species found worldwide. Unfortunately, 9 of these 15 cats are either endangered, vulnerable or near threatened.
• Over the last 150 years, there has been a massive drop of nearly 95% in the global tiger population, making these charismatic animals vulnerable to extinction.
• In the wake of the rapid decline in the global population of the tiger several countries signed an agreement at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia on July, 29, 2010 committing to take concrete measures to preserve the species. This resolution was adopted In November 2010, by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries (TRCs) assembled at an International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia
• Global Tiger Forum is an international intergovernmental body exclusively set up for the conservation of tigers in the wild in the range countries. Out of the 13 tiger range countries, seven are currently members of GTF: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam besides non-tiger range country U.K. The secretariat is based in New Delhi, India. GTF’s goal is to highlight the rationale for tiger preservation and provide leadership and a common approach throughout the world in order to safeguard the survival of the tiger, its prey, and its habitat.
• In India, in the year 1900, we had 100,000 tigers, which went down to just 1,411 by 2006. Owing to the continuous efforts, India’s total tiger population increased to 2967 in 2019
• According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there were about 3,900 tigers across the globe in 2021. This is well short of the 6,000 that was targeted at the St Petersburg Summit for the year 2022

Causes for decline in tiger population:

• Every year more than 100 tigers die due to unnatural issues, many because of habitat destruction which lead to human-animal conflict.
• Due to the depletion of natural habitat, tigers often enter human settlement areas. They attack livestock and occasionally human beings for survival.
• Habitat destruction also leads to prey depletion which in turn leads to health and survival concerns for tigers

Concept:

Tiger Range Countries:

• Historically, tigers once ranged widely across Asia, but in recent decades, populations have been restricted to 13 countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia (locally extinct), China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR (locally extinct), Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Viet Nam (locally extinct).
• In 2010, leaders from the 13 countries that currently or recently had tigers came together and set out to achieve an unprecedented goal: doubling the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.
• Partnering with the 13 range country governments and other organizations, WWF played a critical role in creating a shared vision for tiger conservation by committing to the same goal
• Known as TX2, this is probably the most ambitious global recovery effort ever undertaken for a single species and a significant turning point for tiger conservation
• TX2 works across broad landscapes and encourages trans-boundary collaboration through a strategic, long-term approach that increases protection where the tigers are currently, engages local communities as leaders and partners in conservation, maintains or restores wildlife corridors and connectivity between areas, and boosts resources to secure a future where tigers and people can coexist.

Project Tiger

• Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched in 1973 to provide central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves in India. The project is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• National Tiger Conservation Authority
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• It was established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
• It was constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status), a mobile monitoring system for forest guards.

12. Lion vs Tiger

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context: Starting in August, Cheetahs will be imported from Namibia and South Africa to Kuno National Park in MP to establish Cheetah into its “historical range”. Kuno is getting Cheetahs ostensibly to serve a host of grassland ecosystem services, all of which could be served by Lions, an apex species.

Concept:

Lion and Tiger

• These are from the four big cats (Lion, Tiger, Leopard, and Jaguar).
• Both are the most ferocious
• Both belong to the Felidae (cat) family.
• They reside on the top of the food chain and are apex predatorse., don’t have any predators of their own.
• India is the habitat of five big cats, namely, the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris), the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo), the Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus), the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), and the Indo-Chinese Clouded Leopard (Neofelisnebulosa).
• All the big cat species are listed in Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act 1972ensuring the maximum protection and indicating that their habitats are in danger.

Lion vs Tiger

Project lion

• Project Lion will involve conservation of the Asiatic Lion and its landscape in a holistic manner.
• The Project Lion will entail habitat development, engage modern technologies in Lion management and address the issues of disease in Lion and its associated species through advanced world-class research and veterinary care.
• The project will also address Human-wildlife conflict and will be inclusive involving local communities living in the vicinity of Lion landscape and will also provide livelihood opportunities.
• Asiatic lions were once distributed upto the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India.
• At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion.
• The last surviving population of the Asiatic lions is a compact tract of dry deciduous forest and open grassy scrublands in southwestern part of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
• Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, in Appendix I of CITES and as Endangered on IUCN Red List.

13. Bhashini

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Computer and IT

Context: IIT Madras launched the ‘Nilekani Centre at AI4Bharat’ to promote the state of Indian language technology with the intention to create a societal impact.

Content:

• It is an initiative to build open-source language AI for Indian languages.
• The idea is to energise the ecosystem to do more for Indian languages, all the researched data will be available for start-ups and other industries working on Indian language technology.
• This data, which can be accessed from the official website — iitm.ac.in— would include datasets, tools, and pre-trained models being developed at the Centre.

BHASHINI [BHASHaINterface for India]

• It is India’s AI led language translation platform.
• It is a part of the National Language Translation Mission.
• It aims to build a National Public Digital Platform for languages to develop services and products for citizens by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
• It shall act as an orchestrator to unify and align a large diverse network across government, industry, academia, research groups and start-ups to bring all their contributions into an open repository.
• It enables all Indians to easily access the Internet and digital services in their own language (voice-based access), increase the content in Indian Languages, improved access in specific areas of vocabulary like engineering, law, health etc, communicating in one’s own language with speakers of other Indian language, digital learning by children in their mother tongue
• Significance:
• Transcend digital barriers
• Digital inclusion and empowerment
• Realize the goal of AatmaNirbhar Bharat
• Building Blocks of Bhashini are listed below: