PM dedicates Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra as a permanent tribute to Mahatma Gandhi
PM lauds the people of India for making Swachhata a Jan Andolan; urges them to continue to do so in the future PM launches ‘Gandagi Mukt Bharat’ - a special week long campaign for Swachhata in the run up to Independence Day Posted On: 08 AUG 2020 5:50PM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra - an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission, at the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti at Rajghat, New Delhi. A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra (RSK) was first announced by the Prime Minister on 10th April 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhavat, Minister, Jal Shakti and Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State, Jal Shakti were present on the occasion.
Tour of Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra The RSK has a balanced mix of digital and outdoor installations tracking India’s transformation from having over 50 crore people defecating in the open in 2014 to becoming open defecation free in 2019. The Prime Minister took a tour of the three distinct sections of the RSK. He first experienced a unique 360° audio visual immersive show in Hall 1 which provides an overview of the Swachh Bharat journey.
He then moved to Hall 2 which contains a series of interactive LED panels, hologram boxes, interactive games and much more on the SBM. The Prime Minister also saw the installations in the lawn adjacent to RSK which showcase three exhibits which are synonymous with the SBM - Mahatma Gandhi leading people to the Swachhata pledge, Rani Mistris of rural Jharkhand and children swachhagrahis who call themselves Vaanar Sena.
Interaction with school students After taking a tour of the entire RSK, the Prime Minister briefly visited the RSK souvenir centre. He then interacted with 36 school students from Delhi, representing all States and Union Territories of India at the amphitheatre of the RSK, adhering to social distancing protocols. The children shared with the Prime Minister their experiences with swachhata activities at home and at school, and their impressions of the RSK. One of them also asked the Prime Minister what his favourite part of the RSK was, to which the Prime Minister replied that he most enjoyed the portion dedicated to the inspiration of the SBM, Mahatma Gandhi.
Address to the nation After interacting with the children, the Prime Minister addressed the nation. The Prime Minister reminisced the journey of the Swachh Bharat Mission and dedicated the RSK as a permanent tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He lauded the people of India for making swachhata a jan andolan and urged them to continue to do so in the future. He reiterated the importance of swachhata in our daily lives, especially during our fight against the coronavirus.
And on this occasion, the Prime Minister launched ‘Gandagi Mukt Bharat’, a special week long campaign for swachhata in the run up to Independence Day, during which each day till 15th August will have special swachhata initiatives in urban and rural India to re-enforce the jan andolan for swachhata.
Visiting the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra The Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra will be open to the public from 9th August from 8 AM to 5 PM, in accordance with the prescribed guidelines for social distancing and hygiene. As the number of people who may visit the RSK at a given point in time will have to be limited, no tours will be organized for students in the short term. However, virtual tours of the RSK will also be organized till such time as physical tours are possible. The first such virtual tour will be organized on 13th August with Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. For ticket bookings and more information on the RSK, one may log on to rsk.ddws.gov.in
Rs1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund will catalyze the creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets
Funds of Rs. 17,000 Crore to be released to more than 8.5 crore farmers under the sixth instalment of PM-KISAN Posted On: 08 AUG 2020 1:18PM by PIB Delhi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the financing facility of Rs. 1 lakh crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund on 9th August at 11 AM via video conferencing. Prime Minister will also release the sixth instalment of funds of Rs. 17,000 crore to 8.5 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme. The eventwill be witnessed by lakhs of farmers, cooperatives, and citizens across the country.Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, will also be present on the occasion.
The Union Cabinet has approved the Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under “Agriculture Infrastructure Fund” of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore. The Fund will catalyze the creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets such as cold storage, collection centres, processing units, etc.These assets will enable farmers to get greater value for their produce, as they will be able to store and sell at higher prices, reduce wastage, and increase processing and value addition.
Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be sanctioned under the financing facility in partnership with multiple lending institutions; 11 of the 12 Public Sector Banks have already signed MOUs with the DAC&FW. 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee of up to Rs 2 Crore will be provided to the beneficiaries to increase the viability of these projects.
The beneficiaries of the scheme will include farmers, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, FPOs, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-KISAN) scheme, launched on 01 December 2018, has provided a direct cash benefit of overRs. 75,000 Crore to more than 9.9 Crore farmers.This has enabled them to fulfil their agricultural requirements and support their families.
The rollout and implementation of the PM-KISAN scheme has happened at an unparalleled pace, with funds being directly transferred into the Aadhaar authenticated beneficiaries’ bank account to prevent leakage and increase convenience for farmers.
The scheme has also been instrumental in supporting farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the release of nearly Rs 22,000 Crore to aid the farmers during the lockdown period.
Rs. 553 crores under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization and Rs. 548.20 crores under Crop Residue Management scheme to prevent paddy straw burning released to State Governments during 2020-21
Multi lingual Mobile App “CHC- Farm Machinery” developed; series of measures taken to maintain uninterrupted supply of farm inputs and mitigate effect of migration of farm labour during Covid lockdown Posted On: 08 AUG 2020 1:02PM by PIB Delhi
Agricultural Mechanization is one of the key drivers for sustainable development of agriculture sector which helps in increasing production by timely farm operations, reducing losses, reducing the cost of operations by ensuring better management of costly inputs. Mechanization also enhances the productivity of natural resources and reduces drudgery associated with various farm operations. Under the hash-tag #AtmaNirbharKrishi, created by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, initiatives taken by Agriculture Mechanization and Technology Division are:
In order to lay special emphasis towards promotion of agricultural mechanization in the country and to bring more inclusiveness, Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) had been initiated since April 2014. In the year 2020-21, budget of Rs. 1033 crores have been provided for the scheme, out of which Rs. 553 crores have been released to the State Governments.
Paddy straw burning is one of the major problems in the Northern Region of the country causing environmental pollution. Paddy straw burning is currently practiced on a large scale in Punjab & Haryana to clear the fields for Rabi Crop sowing because the time window available between the harvesting of paddy crop and the sowing of next crops is very short (2-3 weeks).
With an objective to wean away farmers of this region from Crop Residue Burning, the scheme of CRM (Crop Residue Management) was initiated since 2018 by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, wherein, farmers are provided machinery for in-situ management of crop residue through establishment of CHCs (Custom Hiring Centres).
Individual farmers are also provided subsidy for procurement of machinery. Total funds of Rs. 1178.47 crores were provided in the year 2018-19 & 2019-20 to the States of Punjab, Haryana, UP and NCT. In the year 2020-21, Rs. 600 crores has been provided in the budget for the Scheme and Rs.548.20 crores have been released to the states well before time to ensure they can take up the activities in advance.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has also developed a Multi lingual Mobile App “CHC- Farm Machinery” which connects the farmers with Custom Hiring Service Centers situated in their locality. This app is facilitating agricultural mechanization in the country by encouraging small & marginal farmers to take machines on rental basis for agriculture practices without them having to purchase the high priced such machines. The App has been further modified and now has been given the acronym of “FARMS-app” (Farm Machinery Solutions-app). The revised version is more user friendly and the scope of the app has also been enhanced.
Pandemic of COVID has influenced the lives of people across the globe and India is no exception to that. Farming activities and farmers also experienced the impact of this pandemic as the COVID resulted in lock-down thereby influenced the movement of farm inputs including farm machinery from one location to other. Lock- down came as a sudden shock for the farming community when harvesting season for Rabi crops had just commenced.
Migration of agricultural labourers to their native places during the lockdown, suddenly created a shortage of farm labourers. To mitigate the effect of shortage of farm labourers and to ensure the timely harvesting of Rabi crops and uninterrupted supply of Farm implements and machinery, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry in coordination with Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, relaxed the following activities in Agricultural Machinery sector:
Provision in the Government guidelines that Farming Operations by Farmers and Farm Workers in the field would continue during lock-down. Operations of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) related to Farm Machinery were relaxed.
Shops of Agricultural machinery and its spare Parts (Including Supply Chain) and repairs to remain open. Seamless, intra and inter State movement of harvesting and sowing related machines like combine harvesters and other agriculture/horticulture implements was ensured.
Under the Government subsidy programmes, agricultural manufactures were exempted from essential testing related activities like, random selection of test samples, subsequent batch testing after the expiry validity of test reports, updating of CMVR, COP &Type approval applicable to Tractors, Power Tillers, Combine Harvesters and other self-propelled agricultural machinery till 31.12.2020. Testing of tractors as per revised BIS Standard IS 12207-2019 and Implementation of new technical critical specifications of 51 agricultural machineries has also been deferred till 31.12.2020.
Due to lock-down, closing out of borders and quarantine measures, disrupted the cross border movements of Agricultural machines like combine Harvesters & other agricultural machines across Districts & States. The timely intervention of the M&T Division of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry and coordination with the State Nodal officers of Agricultural machineries, District Administration and Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers ensured the free movement of Agricultural machines across the borders.
Pandemic of COVID has ramifying effects even in the lives of migrant labourers who basically migrate temporarily to urban agglomerates in search of jobs. Migrant labourers in large numbers migrated back to their native places due to lock-down and also due to the fear of future uncertainties. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare rose to the occasion to help such migrant workers. With an objective to enhance their employment opportunities in their local areas, a special drive for Skilling the Migrant Labourers in the field of agricultural machinery under “Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan/Krishi” has been initiated.
Under this campaign, in-house Skilling training programmes in 8 identified job roles/Qualification packs is being organized at Farm Machinery Training and testing Institutes (FMTTIs) at Budni in Madhya Pradesh and Hisar in Haryana.
The first batch of the Training has already been started with 56 trainees from Madhya Pradesh at CFMTTI, Budni and 68 trainees from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh at NRFMTTI, in Hisar. It was also crucial to institutionalize such initiative, therefore, necessary guidelines for Skilling Programmes of migrant labourers have also been incorporated in the operational Guidelines of Sub Mission On Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM). The copy of Operational Guideline is available on the web portal http://farmech.dac.gov.in/
Exploring the massive potential of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) to enhance the Ease of Doing Business in India, NITI Aayog in association with Agami and Omidyar Network India held a conversation—co-hosted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)—with heads of legal firms and industry representatives on 8 August.
‘We are witnessing a visionary period in the history of India’s court system. In today’s age of data-driven solutions and machine learning, ODR provides the potential to resolve a substantial percentage of disputes at the site of their occurrence without burdening the courts. Progressive and disruptive changes in justice delivery are critical components that can alter the course of access to justice in an unprecedented way,’ said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.
Emphasizing that ODR can act as a complement to the court system, former Supreme Court Justice, B.N. Srikrishna said, ‘It will be an auxiliary of the court system, in the sense that it will prevent a large number of litigations that clutter the courts. A litigant does not need to travel from Kerala to Delhi to solve his dispute, he/she can resolve it through the electronic platform. Online Dispute Resolution can help deliver justice to the doorstep of the litigant.’
ODR is the resolution of disputes, particularly small- and medium-value cases, using digital technology and techniques of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR), such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
‘We must use this opportunity to actually reimagine dispute resolution and conflict resolution for the future, for the 21st century, and post the Covid-19 pandemic,’ stressed Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. He went on to say that the opportunity here was not just to use technology to optimize the old way of doing things, but also to use our imagination and create the right alliances, to bring in transformation.
Ease of Doing business has been a priority area of the government for combating deceleration in the growth of GDP and investment. ‘As a part of this, we need to focus on improving the enforcing contracts mechanism in India through innovative methods like Online Dispute Resolution.
It has extensive application and can be used to resolve a wide variety of commercial disputes’, said Sanjiv Bajaj, Vice President, CII, and Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finance. He added, ‘Recognising the essence of ODR, CII has been undertaking a plethora of initiatives such as setting up a CII Centre for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR).’
Through this Centre, CII plans to impart training and undertake analysis through research papers, seminars and conferences, and interact with various national and international arbitration forums and other stakeholders in promoting arbitration, thereby reducing time and cost to litigation, and advocating harmony in the legislature, executive and the judiciary.
The esteemed panellists agreed to adopt and institutionalize ODR, and to ensure efforts are taken to scale online dispute resolution in India. To this end, Ajay Bahl, Chairman Judicial Reforms Committee CII and Founding Partner of AZB & Partners, said, ‘We must promote ODR and if there is anything that is a constraint in law or procedures, that reduces its efficacy, it must be eliminated.’
Speaking on the impact of ODR on business, Shilpa Kumar, Partner, Investments, Omidyar Network India, said: ‘LegalTech in general and ODR, in particular, can be a game-changer for citizens as well as Indian businesses, particularly MSMEs. One, it can help reduce the cost of dispute resolution in the face of rising cases and disputes.
Two, it will allow citizens and consumers to raise any grievances they may have at the click of a button and have an independent third-party firm review and address their grievance. This can truly help businesses enhance consumer trust and improve customer retention. Three, in the medium-term, once ODR firms have collected enough data around disputes, it can start feeding back into business decisions regarding the product and service being offered. This will help businesses sharpen their offerings besides improving access to dispute resolution.’
Elaborating on the role conglomerates can play with respect to ODR, Poornima Sampath, Vice President (Legal), Tata Sons, mentioned that they need to facilitate online ombudsperson platforms to resolve disputes at the pre-litigation stage. This may be easier to use in consumer matters but can be adapted for vendors and other business partners. This will protect the brand and result in decongesting the courts.
Manish Sabharwal, Chairman, TeamLease, said, ‘Online dispute resolution can be very substantive for India as it will bring the labor market outsiders back into the labor force. People who prefer flexibility, gig economy and those who can’t commute will be greatly benefitted.’
While courts are becoming digitized through the efforts of the judiciary, more effective, scalable, and collaborative mechanisms of containment and resolution are urgently needed. ODR can help resolve disputes efficiently and affordably.
However, to enable ODR to reach its full potential will require an incredible public-private collaboration, said Sachin Malhan, co-founder, Agami. ‘ODR startups themselves will be a critical stakeholder in this because they are the ones working on the actual solutions to the different use case categories,’ he added.
Covid-19 has instilled an urgent need for ODR that requires decisive action, with the likelihood of a spurt in disputes before the courts—most notably in lending, credit, property, commerce, and retail. In the coming months, ODR could be the mechanism that helps businesses with achieving expedient resolution. ‘If there was ever a solution that was arranged for India, or a technology problem that was ever made for India, then it is ODR. We have the minds, the know-how and the volume of data to make it successful,’ said Deep Kalra, CEO, Make My Trip.
Context: Birth Anniversary- 2nd August. He was born on August 2, 1876, in Andhra Pradesh. He is also known as ‘Jhanda Venkaiah’.
Who was Pingali Venkayya? Pingali Venkayya was a freedom fighter and the designer of the Indian National Tricolour. The national flag that we see today was based upon his design.
The evolution of Indian National Flag: Between 1918 and 1921, Venkayya raised the issue of having an own flag in every session of the Congress. Back then, he was working as a lecturer in the Andhra National College in Machilipatnam.
He met the Mahatma once again in Vijayawada and showed him his publication with the various designs of the flag. Acknowledging the need for a national flag, Gandhi then asked Venkayya to design a fresh one at the national congress meeting in 1921.
Initially, Venkayya came up with saffron and green colours, but it later evolved with a spinning wheel at the centre and a third colour-white. (LALA HANS RAJ SONDHI SUGGESTED ADDING A SPINNING WHEEL — SHOWING THE INDEPENDENT INDIANS WHO CAN SPIN THEIR OWN CLOTHING FROM LOCAL FIBRES.) The flag was officially adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931.
Why in News? 33rd Foundation Day of TRIFED was observed on 6th August 2020.
About TRIFED: It is the national level cooperative body mandated to bring about socio-economic development of tribals of the country by institutionalising the trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) & Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP) collected/cultivated by them.
It was established in 1987. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Important Functions: It plays the dual role of both a market developer and a service provider, empowering the tribals with knowledge and tools to better their operations in a systematic, scientific manner and also assist them in developing their marketing approach.
It is involved actively in capacity building of the tribal people through sensitization and the formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs). The organisation also assists them in exploring and creating opportunities to market the developed products in national and international markets on a sustainable basis.
Recent initiatives by TRIFED: Launched Van Dhan Samajik Doori Jagrookta Abhiyaan, which is aimed at educating Tribals engaged in gathering NTFPs in forest areas, on covid-19 response, key preventive behaviour like social distancing, home quarantine, hygiene tips.
Initiated steps to provide the Van Dhan Self Help Groups (SHGs) with protective masks and hygiene products (Soaps, Disinfectants, etc.) that are necessary for carrying out their operations in a safe manner. Focus on revamping the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for MFP to enhance tribal livelihood in these testing times and to ensure that they get the benefit of an equitable market price for their produce.
TRIFOOD Scheme is a joint initiative of Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED.
Tech for Tribals, an initiative of TRIFED supported by Ministry of MSME, aims at capacity building and imparting entrepreneurship skills to tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri VanDhan Yojana(PMVDY).
Context: Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra was inaugurated recently.
What is it? A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra (RSK) was first announced by the Prime Minister on 10th April 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji’s Champaran Satyagraha.
It is an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission. The installations at RSK will include audio visual immersive shows, interactive LED panels, hologram boxes, interactive games etc.
Roles and functions of RSK: It will introduce future generations to its successful journey as the world’s largest behaviour change campaign.
It will showcase the core elements of the mission and anecdotes on the journey of the country from Satyagraha to Swachchagrah. It will impart information, awareness and education on Swachhata (sanitation) and related aspects.
Context: The Supreme Court has refused to pass any order on the Centre’s plea seeking closure of cases against two Italian marines, who are facing charges of killing two Indian fishermen in February 2012.
What has the Court said? The court said it would not pass any order without hearing the victims’ families who should be given adequate compensation. The Court insisted that it will close their criminal trial in India only after the victims’ families are heard and paid a “hefty” and “adequate” compensation.
Background: On July 3, the Centre moved the top court seeking closure of judicial proceedings in India against the two Italian marines, arguing that it has accepted the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague, which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but can’t prosecute the marines due to official immunity enjoyed by them.
What had the tribunal held? In a close 3:2 vote, the tribunal ruled that the Italian marines enjoyed diplomatic immunity as Italian state officials under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea.
Taking note of the “commitment expressed by Italy” to resume its criminal investigation into the incident, the tribunal said India must cease to exercise its jurisdiction.
What’s the issue now? The award passed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration is in conflict with the Supreme Court judgment in 2013. This verdict upheld the authority of the Union of India to prosecute the Marines.
So, an international award which is in conflict with a domestic law, notwithstanding India’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, can be implemented only if it is made into law under Article 253 of the Constitution”.
What next? The court asked the Centre to negotiate a “hefty” compensation with Italy. The court ordered the Centre to implead the victims’ families in the case within a week.
Overview of the marines’ case: In 2012, two Italian marines fired shots while on-board an Italian vessel, Enrica Lexie killing two Indian fishermen aboard an Indian vessel, St. Anthony.
But, the fishing vessel was within the country’s Contiguous Zone and it was quite clear that the offence warranted arrest and prosecution under domestic law.
Eventually, the marines were arrested. But, further the marines were released from India and sent to Italy.
At that time, India had set up a specially designated court, as ordered by Indian Supreme Court, to determine the applicability of jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency invoked the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act, 2002.
The dispute between the two countries as regards which country will try the two marines went before the PCA.
It is an invitation for organizations across the globe to develop a Vision of the regenerative and nourishing food system that they aspire to create by the year 2050.
The prize awards a cash incentive of USD $200,000. It was launched by the USA-based ‘The Rockefeller Foundation’, in partnership with the other two organisations – SecondMuse and OpenIDEO- in 2019.
What is a Food System Vision? It is really a story about the future that addresses the following six interconnected themes: Environment Diets Economics Culture Technology Policy
Why in News? The Rockefeller Foundation has selected Naandi Foundation (a Hyderabad based non-profit organisation), as one of the top 10 ‘Visionaries’ in the world for the Food System Vision 2050 Prize. Naandi was recognised for its Arakunomics
What is Arakunomics? It is a new integrated economic model that ensures profits for farmers, quality for consumers through regenerative agriculture.
This model is a tribute to the tribal farmers of Araku region for the world-class coffee produced and launched in Paris in 2017 as well as for the high carbon landscape transformation they did in over 955 villages there by planting 25 million trees.
Why Naandi was chosen? The success of Arakunomics in Araku region led to Naandi replicating the model to support the livelihood of farming communities in the villages of Wardha, Maharashtra, and later in New Delhi. Naandi hopes to expand its “food-print” by creating thousands of farm livelihoods by transforming their agriculture over one million acres spread across India.
Also, Arakunomics model leads to Food Vision 2050 that follows an “ABCDEFGH” framework centering on: Agriculture Biology Compost Decentralised decision-making Entrepreneurs Families Global Markets Headstands or turning current approaches on their head.
Context: Delhi government has launched the Electric Vehicle Policy for the national capital. With this policy, the government aims to generate employment to give a boost to Delhi’s economy and reduce pollution levels in the national capital.
Highlights of the policy: The policy aims to constitute 25% electric vehicles by 2024, which is currently just 0.29% in the in the national capital. The government will waive registration fee and road tax.
It will give incentive of up to ₹30,000 for two-wheelers, autos, e-rickshaws and freight vehicles while for cars, it will provide an incentive of up to ₹1.5 lakh.
The government will also give low-interest loan on electric commercial vehicles. An ‘EV Cell’ will be established to implement the Policy. The government will also set up a ‘State Electric Vehicle Board’.
200 charging stations will be set up in a year to ensure that people driving these vehicles can get a charging station within the radius of three kilometers.
The Delhi government will give a ”scrapping incentive” under the electric vehicle policy, which will be first-of-its-kind in the country. Youth will be trained so that they get jobs as electric vehicle sector will need them at a large scale after implementation of this policy.
Context: TRAFFIC India has released a paper titled ‘‘SPOTTED’ in Illegal Wildlife Trade: A Peek into Ongoing Poaching and Illegal Trade of Leopards in India’.
It is a study on the seizure and mortality of ‘common leopards’ (Panthera pardus fusca).
Highlights of the report: Of the total of 747 leopard deaths between 2015-2019 in India, 596 were linked to illegal wildlife trade and activities related to poaching. The highest numbers of poaching incidents were reported from the States of Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
Among all the derivatives found in illegal wildlife trade, skin remained the most in-demand product, accounting for 69% of all seizures, while derivatives like claws, teeth and bones were also traded.
Background: The last formal census on India’s leopards was conducted in 2014, which estimated the population between 12,000 and 14,000. The results of a recent census of leopard sightings are likely to be released soon by the Wildlife Institute of India.
Conclusion: The plight of leopards in illegal wildlife trade has been highlighted from time to time through investigative reports and studies, and through various wildlife enforcement actions across the country.However, this has not deterred wildlife smugglers, who are lured by high profits and low risk of detection, to target the species.
Therefore, experts suggest that more emphasis should be given to the conservation of leopards.
About TRAFFIC: TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, is the leading non-governmental organisation working globally on the trade of wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity and sustainable development. It was founded in 1976 as a strategic alliance of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Insta Facts- Leopard: Scientific Name- Panthera pardus. Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Included in Appendix I of CITES. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Nine subspecies of the leopard have been recognized, and they are distributed across Africa and Asia.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of veteran banker K.V. Kamath to make recommendations on norms for the resolution of COVID-19 related stressed loans.
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) will function as the secretariat to the committee and the committee will be fully empowered to consult or invite any person it deems fit.
Business confidence index: India’s leading economic think tank, National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) conducts a quarterly survey and releases Business confidence index (N-BCI).
It tracks the business sentiments of around 600 Indian companies to compute the composite index.
It is a mass national gathering that brings together representatives from the various ethnic, religious, and tribal communities in Afghanistan.
It is a highly respected centuries-old consultative body that has been convened at times of national crisis or to settle national issues. According to the Afghan Constitution, a Loya Jirga is considered the highest expression of the Afghan people. It is not an official decision-making body and its decisions are not legally binding.
Why in News? A three-day Loya Jirga-grand assembly has been called in Afghanistan to decide on freeing about 400 Taliban fighters convicted for serious crimes including murder and abductions.
It is the Russian strategic command-post exercise. Why in News? India will take part in the Russian Kavkaz 2020 strategic command-post exercise next month. The invitees for the exercise also include China and Pakistan apart from other member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).