The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated the “Composite Regional Centre (CRC) for Skill Development, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), located inside Namkum Block Office, Khijri, Ranchi today.
While Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the centre through video conferencing , the Shri Arjun Munda was present at the venue in Ranchi .Member of Parliament, Ranchi Shri Sanjay Seth; and MLA, Khijri, Ranchi,Shri Rajesh Kachhap were among those present at the inaugural function at CRC, Ranchi. Secretary DEPwD Smt.Shakuntala D. Gamlin; and Joint SecretaryDEPwD Dr.Prabodh Seth attended the function through video conferencing.
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Gehlot said that he is very happy to inaugurate the 21st CRC in Ranchi which will serve to fulfil the needs of Persons with Disabilities in Jharkhand. Prior to CRC, Ranchi, CRCs have been established in many other States and they all are working for skill development, rehabilitation and providing employment to the Persons with Disabilities.
Thegoal is to establish CRCs in every state, the minister disclosed. He further said that under the able leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, his ministry has made historic achievements and the Government is fully committed to the empowerment of Divyangjan in our country. He lauded the cooperation of Jharkhand Government in providing 2.5 acres of land with 9000 square feet area for CRC, Ranchi.
He hoped that CRC, Ranchi will be able to serve the Divyangjan of all 21 categories. He dwelt upon the various important initiatives of his ministry for the welfare of Divyangjan. He said that so far 9147 ADIP camps have been organized by his ministry and distrubutedAssistive Aids and Devices worth Rs 1100 cr to 17 lakh needy Divyangjan and more importantly, 10 Guinness Book of World Records have been created through these ADIP Camps.
He called upon the Government of Jharkhand to motivate the people of Jharkhand to apply for Universal ID Card for Divyangjan, which will be valid all over the country for the needs of Divyangjan.
So far, more than 34 Lakhs Universal ID Cards have been made by the DEPwD. Accessible India Campaign is also in progress nationwide which enables Divyngjan to move smoothly at the railway stations, bus stands, airports and at important public places.
Shri Gehlot said that his ministry has taken a decision to establish five Divyangjan Khel Kendras in five different parts of the country which will encourage and promote the talents of Divyangjan sports persons. Divyangjan are also being provided Skill Development and then Soft loans also. PwDs with more than 80% disability are being provided Motorized Tricycles for their smooth movement.
A Sign Language Dictionary consisting of more than 6000 words has been developed to facilitate hearing impaired Divyangjan. Financial assistance including scholarships are also provided to Divyangjan students to pursue their education without any hassle.
The Ministry identifies state-owned sports facilities in eight states in the first leg Posted On: 17 JUN 2020 11:06AM by PIB Delhi
The Sports Ministry is all set to establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) under the ministry’s flagship, Khelo India Scheme. One KISCE will be identified in each state and union territory, with an effort to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country.
In the first leg, the Ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in eight states of India, including, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telengana and the north east states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which will be upgraded into Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE).
Speaking about this initiative of strengthening sporting facilities in the states, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Kiren Rijiju said, “The Khelo India State Centre of Excellence are being established to strengthen India’s pursuit for excellence in Ölympics. Our effort is to scale up the best sporting facilities available in each state in India into academies of world-class standard, where athletes from all over the country will want to train in their specific discipline.
The sporting facilities have been identified after in-depth analysis by a government committee. I am confident that this is a step in the right direction to tap talent from across the country and train them into elite athletes who can win medals for the country in all major international tournaments, and specifically the Olympics.”
The process of selection of these sports facilities was started in October 2019, when each state and UT was asked to identify the best sports infrastructure available with them, their agencies or any eligible agencies, which could be developed into a world-class sporting facilities. Of the 15 proposals received and examined, 8 have been shortlisted based on the training facilities available in priority sports, infrastructure facilities and champion produced by the centre.
In order to upgrade the existing centre to the KISCE, the government will extend a ‘Viability Gap Funding’ in sports science and technology support for sports disciplines practiced at the centre and also bridge the gaps in requirement of sports equipment, expert coaches and high performance managers. The support extended will be to Olympic sports, though support can be extended in sports science and allied fields in other sporting disciplines being run in the centre.
The state and UT will run the centre and build capacity to turn it into the world-class sporting facility, and will be responsible for all aspects of management of the centre including, boarding, lodging and maintenance, while funds for critical gaps such as expert coaches, support staff, equipment, infrastructure will be extended through the Khelo India Scheme.
The eight centres will be given a grant based on the actual amount finalised as per the requirement indicated after a comprehensive gap analysis study. In a bid to broad-base talent identification, the states and UTs will also identify and develop talent in each sport for which funding is received at the centre. The Sports Authority of India will extend expertise, resources and a monitoring system to ensure that the level of performance of the athletes improve to international standards.
In the first batch, the following sporting facilities will be upgraded to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence: Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh Jaiprakash Narayan National Youth Center, Bangalore, Karanataka GV Raja Sr. Secondary Sports School, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal, Manipur Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl, Mizoram State Sports Academy, IG Stadium, Kohima, Nagaland
Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha Regional Sports School, Hakimpet, Telangana.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has rolled out a unique project to produce Neera and Palmgur which has huge potential to create employment in the country. The project that aims at promoting Neera as a substitute to soft drinks while also creating self-employment to Adivasis and traditional trappers was launched on Tuesday at Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra, a state with more than 50 lakh palm trees.
KVIC distributed tool kits for extraction of Neera and making palmgur to 200 local artisans who were given 7 days training by KVIC. A tool kit worth Rs 15,000 comprises food grade stainless steel Kadhai, perforated moulds, canteen burners and other equipment like knives, rope and axes for extraction of Neera. The initiative will provide direct employment to 400 local traditional trappers.
Neera, extracted from the palm trees before sunrise, is a nutrient-rich health drink consumed in many Indian states. However, due to lack of institutionalized market technique, the commercial production and large scale marketing of Neera has not commenced yet. The project has been rolled out on the initiative of Union Minister of MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari who is also exploring the feasibility of engaging some big players of the state to start using Neera as soft drinks to make it commercially useful.
There are approximately 10 crore palm trees across the country. Further, a wide range of products like candies, milk chocolates, palm cola, ice-cream and traditional sweets can be produced from Neera if properly marketed. At present palmgur Neera worth Rs 500 crore is traded in the country. The turnover is likely to increase manifold with commercial production of Neera.
The KVIC has prepared a detailed project report on production of Neera and Palmgur (jaggery). It is proposed to start standardized collection, processing and packing of Neera under controlled conditions so as to prevent it from fermentation. The processed Neera, through cold chain, is intended to reach the B2C supply chain.
“On the lines of coconut water, we are working to promote Neera as a substitute to the soft drinks available in the market. Neera is organic and rich in nutrients and thus a complete health drink. With increasing the production and marketing of Neera, we are trying to establish it as a key vertical of India’s village industry,” KVIC Chairman Shri Vinai Saxena said, while distributing tool kits to the artisans via video-conference.
Shri Saxena said the production of Neera has high potential in terms of sale as well as creation of self-employment. “Palm industry can be a major employment generator in India. It is aligned with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call of self-reliance and vocal for local,” Saxena said.
At the same time, Neera has high export potential as it is also consumed in countries like Sri Lanka, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar. India has an abundance of palm fields in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that can make India a leading producer of Neera globally.
over 3.43 Crore pads have been sold till 10th June, 2020 at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras. Posted On: 17 JUN 2020 4:29PM by PIB Delhi
Keeping in view the present scenario as a social drive Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Sanitary Napkin is being made available in more than 6300 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushdhi Pariyojna -PMBJP Kendras across the country at a minimum price of Rs.1/-per pad. The market price of the similar Sanitary Napkins is around Rs. 3/- to Rs. 8/- per pad.
Since inception (4 June 2018) to 10th June, 2020 over 4.61 crore sanitary Napkins was sold at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras. After the revision in the prices on 27 August 2019, over 3.43 Crore pads have been sold till 10th June, 2020 at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.
It may be stated that menstruation and menstrual practices still face some social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country especially in rural areas girls and women do not have access to sanitary products or they do not opt for them as most of these items available in the market are bit costly.
This step ensured ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged Women of India. This step has been taken by the Union Department of Pharmaceuticals to ensure the achievement of Prime Minister Shri Narendera Modi’s vision of Affordable and Quality Healthcare for All.
Sanitary Napkins are environmental friendly, as these pads are made with Oxo-biodegradable material complying with ASTM D-6954 (biodegradability test) standards. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, these pads are being sold at Rs 1/- per pad .
PMBJP Kendras are functional in this challenging time of outbreak of COVID-19 and ensuring availability of medicines and essentials to anyone who needs them. Jan Aushadhi Suvidha sanitary napkins are available across all Kendra's. Under PMBJP, more than 1.42 Crore pads have been sold in the month of March, April & May, 2020, across the country. Suvidha Pads are available in sufficient quantities across all Kendra's .
On the eve of World Environment Day 4th June 2018, Government of India proudly announced the launch of “Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin” for women of India.
Why in News? The Supreme Court has asked the Goa Assembly Speaker to respond to a plea filed by the opposition Congress party to decide on the disqualification proceedings against 10 legislators who joined the ruling BJP in July last year.
What’s the issue? In July last year 10 MLAs, purportedly claiming to form a two-third of Indian National Congress (INC), decided to merge the said legislature party with the BJP and accordingly addressed a communication to that effect to the Speaker.
Based on the communication, the Speaker took note of the “alleged merger of INC’s legislative party in the Goa Legislative Assembly, and allotted the 10 seats in the Assembly along with the members of the BJP”.
However, petitioners contended that the legislators in question have incurred disqualification under Article 191(2) of the Constitution, read with para 2 of the Tenth Schedule (defection), and are liable to be disqualified as members of the Legislative Assembly.
What is the anti-defection law? The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act.
It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House. The decision on question as to disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, and his decision is final.
The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.
Disqualification: If a member of a house belonging to a political party: Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.
If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election. If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.
Exceptions under the law: Legislators may change their party without the risk of disqualification in certain circumstances. The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of its legislators are in favour of the merger.
In such a scenario, neither the members who decide to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.
Decision of the Presiding Officer is subject to judicial review: The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1992, thereby allowing appeals against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court. However, it held that there may not be any judicial intervention until the Presiding Officer gives his order.
Advantages of anti-defection law: Provides stability to the government by preventing shifts of party allegiance. Ensures that candidates remain loyal to the party as well the citizens voting for him. Promotes party discipline.
Facilitates merger of political parties without attracting the provisions of Anti-defection Expected to reduce corruption at the political level. Provides for punitive measures against a member who defects from one party to another.
Various Recommendations to overcome the challenges posed by the law: Dinesh Goswami Committee on electoral reforms: Disqualification should be limited to following cases: A member voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party A member abstains from voting, or votes contrary to the party whip in a motion of vote of confidence or motion of no-confidence. Political parties could issue whips only when the government was in danger.
Law Commission (170th Report): Provisions which exempt splits and mergers from disqualification to be deleted. Pre-poll electoral fronts should be treated as political parties under anti-defection. Political parties should limit issuance of whips to instances only when the government is in danger.
Election Commission: Decisions under the Tenth Schedule should be made by the President/ Governor on the binding advice of the Election Commission.
What’s the Context? The Supreme Court has said that reservation of seats to certain communities was not a Fundamental Right.
What’s the issue? The Court said this while refusing to act on a petition filed by all political parties from Tamil Nadu who sought 50% OBC reservation in the all-India NEET seats surrendered by states.
All political parties from Tamil Nadu filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution. They accused the Centre of violating the “right of the people of Tamil Nadu to have a fair education” by not implementing the 50% quota for Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes for the All India Quota seats in medical and dental science courses.
Key observations made by the Court: Reservation is not a fundamental right”. Hence, Article 32 could not be applied. Therefore, not giving the quota benefits cannot be construed as a violation of any constitutional right.
Petitioners’ arguments: Non-implementation of such reservations in the state amounted to violation of Fundamental Rights of its residents.
This is because, the Director General of Health Services is not following any of the following laws to provide reservations: The Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 to provide 50% reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota in undergraduate as well as postgraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu.
27% reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota in undergraduate as well as postgraduate medical courses to other States.
Court’s verdict on Reservation in promotions: In February 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no fundamental right to claim reservation in public jobs and no court can order a state government to provide for reservation to SC/STs.
Additional information: Constitutional Provisions regarding Reservations: Articles 15(4) and 16(4)state that the equality provisions do not prevent the government from making special provisions in matters of admission to educational institutions or jobs in favour of backward classes, particularly the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs). Article 16(4A) allows reservations to SCs and STs in promotions, as long as the government believes that they are not adequately represented in government services.
In the Indra Sawhney case of 1992, the Supreme Court fixed the upper limit for the combined reservation quota should not exceed 50% of seats. In 2019, the 103rd Constitution Amendment Act was passed empowering both Centre and the states to provide 10% reservation to the EWS category of society in government jobs and educational institutions.
Writ jurisdiction: The Supreme Court under Article 32 and the High courts under Article 226 of the Constitution can issue the writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo-warranto to check and enforce fundamental rights .
The Parliament under Article 32 can also empower any other court to issue these writs. However, no such provision has been made so far.
The Supreme Court can issue writs only for the enforcement of fundamental rights whereas a High court can issue writs for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights and also for an ordinary legal right.
Context: The government had recently amended the Environment Protection Act to drop the mandatory washing of coal supplied to thermal power plants.
This notification undid the government’s 2016 order, which made coal washing mandatory for supply to all thermal units more than 500 km from the mine as part of its climate-change commitments.
What’s the issue? Few experts had opposed this move. They said, the notification would “undo whatever limited progress” was made so far in reducing pollution load at coal-based power stations.
However, the government defended its move and has questioned those opposing, “How is coal not dirty within 500 km, and how does it become dirty after 500 km?”
What was the rationale behind the mandatory washing requirement? From January 2014 onwards, the Environment Ministry had been working towards “progressive reduction” of distance that unwashed coal would travel, keeping in view that ultimately all coals, irrespective of distance from supplying mines, will have to be washed and comply with less than 34 per cent ash limit.
This was done in line with the country’s stand in climate change negotiations – not to reduce coal consumption and rather focus on emission control. Washing coal increases the efficiency and quality of the dry fuel. In theory, a process like coal washing was supposed to be good for everyone; thermal power plants would have fewer operational problems due to poor coal quality.
The combustion of washed coal would be better from an emissions and local air pollution perspective, and the unnecessary transport of large amounts of ash and non-combustible material would be minimized.
This was ultimately aimed at the protection of the environment. Why the present government decided to do away with this? Agreeing that coal washing does not help reduce emissions, the power ministry has said that “coal rejects from washery find their way into the market for use by industries and create pollution”.
It said washing of coal is unable to meet its intended objective as “it merely localises the pollution around coal mines which otherwise would have been distributed over larger areas”. It has also pointed out that the process of coal washing is cumbersome and costly. It also leads to reduction in the calorific value of the coal as well.
Way ahead: The power ministry has instead batted for pollution control technologies at power generation units. Under the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board, plants with close to 50 gigawatt of thermal power capacity need to install emission control systems.
It would also be beneficial to use raw coal instead of washed coal. With the use of supercritical technology in power plants, technological improvement to arrest emissions, unwashed coal can be used efficiently and economically using washed coal which makes power generation costlier.
The Context: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed “serious concern” about Iran’s failure to cooperate with its probe into undeclared nuclear material in the country.
Observations made by IAEA: Iran had failed to give its inspectors access to two sites the agency wanted to visit.
Iran didn’t answer questions about the use of possible undeclared nuclear material in the early 2000s and what had happened to it since. There is a big jump in Iran’s nuclear-fuel stockpile, far above the levels permitted under the 2015 pact. Iran has reduced its compliance with the nuclear deal in response to sweeping U.S. sanctions.
What next? If Iran fails to answer the IAEA’s questions, the issue could be sent up to the U.N. Security Council, which has previously imposed sanctions on Iran.
However, permanent members of the security council Russia and China have publicly played down the significance of Iran’s past nuclear work.
Why this oversight is necessary? The suspected work on a uranium metal disk, which could be used as a nuclear weapon component, and on neutrons—which are used to trigger a nuclear implosion—point to Iranian work on a neutron initiator for a nuclear weapons test or nuclear weapons device.
Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has grown by around 50% since February to 1,572 kilograms. That puts Iran’s stockpile of the nuclear fuel far above the limit of 202.8 kilograms stipulated in the 2015 nuclear accord. With 1,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, Iran would likely have enough material to fuel a single bomb once the material is further enriched, a process some experts believe could take as little as three months.
Can Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) be reinstated? It is clear that the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal cannot simply be reinstated. Not only has Iran been in breach of key JCPOA commitments from day one of the agreement, it has now made significant progress toward nuclear bomb capabilities over the last two years since openly violating the agreement’s enrichment restrictions.
A simple return to the JCPOA, with its sunset clauses beginning to lift almost all restrictions on enrichment a bare three years from now, would all but guarantee full Iranian military nuclear capability in a very short period of time.
What was the iran nuclear deal? Iran agreed to rein in its nuclear programme in a 2015 deal struck with the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) Tehran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear weapons.
The JCPOA established the Joint Commission, with the negotiating parties all represented, to monitor implementation of the agreement. Why has US pulled out of the deal now? Trump and opponents to the deal say it is flawed because it gives Iran access to billions of dollars but does not address Iran’s support for groups the U.S. considers terrorists, like Hamas and Hezbollah. They note it also doesn’t curb Iran’s development of ballistic missiles and that the deal phases out by 2030. They say Iran has lied about its nuclear program in the past.
About IAEA: Set up as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. Reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Functions: Works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. Seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
Board of Governors: 22 member states (must represent a stipulated geographic diversity) — elected by the General Conference (11 members every year) – 2 year term. At least 10 member states — nominated by the outgoing Board. Board members each receive one vote. Recommendations to the General Conference on IAEA activities and budget. Responsible for publishing IAEA standards. Responsible for making most of the policy of the IAEA. Appoints the Director General subject to General Conference approval.
Programs: Program of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). Human Health Program. Water Availability Enhancement Project. International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles, 2000.
NASA scientists on Earth have collaborated with astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to corral the first ever Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC)- the fifth state of matter- outside of Earth’s gravity.
The matter has been created in one of the coldest places in the universe- the Cold Atom Laboratory– a device on board the International Space Station (ISS).
Basics- What is a matter, an atom and molecule? Matter is the “stuff” that makes up the universe — everything that takes up space and has mass is matter. All matter is made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.
Atoms come together to form molecules, which are the building blocks for all types of matter. Both atoms and molecules are held together by a form of potential energy called chemical energy.
Five states of matter: There are four natural states of matter: Solids, liquids, gases and plasma. The fifth state is the man-made Bose-Einstein condensates.
About Bose-Einstein condensate: A Bose-Einstein condensate is so named because its existence was posited almost a century ago by Albert Einstein and Indian mathematician Satyendra Nath Bose.
This exotic material only exists when atoms of certain elements are cooled to temperatures near absolute zero. At that point, clusters of atoms begin functioning as a single quantum object with both wave and particle properties.
When was it first created? BEC was created by scientists in 1995. Using a combination of lasers and magnets, scientists cooled a sample of rubidium to within a few degrees of absolute zero. At this extremely low temperature, molecular motion comes very close to stopping.
Since there is almost no kinetic energy being transferred from one atom to another, the atoms begin to clump together. There are no longer thousands of separate atoms, just one “super atom.”
Why study BEC? A BEC is used to study quantum mechanics on a macroscopic level. Light appears to slow down as it passes through a BEC, allowing scientists to study the particle/wave paradox. A BEC also has many of the properties of a superfluid, or a fluid that flows without friction. BECs are also used to simulate conditions that might exist in black holes.
Why is it easy to create BEC in space? BECs have been produced in a variety of experiments on Earth since 1995, but these are hindered by gravity, which collapses the clouds in a split second.
To make a BEC, scientists must first corral and then supercool atoms. In the near-zero gravity in space, they can mix the ingredients in a much smaller catchment “trap.” On Earth’s surface, the atoms begin to repel each other and fly apart almost instantaneously. On Earth, laboratories can only maintain Bose-Einstein condensates for a matter of milliseconds. However, research aboard the ISS has created a Bose-Einstein condensate that persisted for more than a second.
Theme for 2020: Food. Feed.Fibre. – the links between consumption and land.
Why June 17? This day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly resolution in 1995, after the day when United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was drafted.
What is Desertification? Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts.
It occurs because dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world‘s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use. Poverty, political instability, deforestation, overgrazing and bad irrigation practices can all undermine the productivity of the land.
About UNCCD: Established in 1994. It is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. It is the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference’s Agenda 21.
To help publicise the Convention, 2006 was declared “International Year of Deserts and Desertification”. Focus areas: The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
Aim: Its 197 Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The end goal is to protect land from over-use and drought, so it can continue to provide food, water and energy. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal Ministry for this Convention.
Concerns for India: India has witnessed increase in the level of desertification in 26 of 29 states between 2003-05 and 2011-13, according to the State of India’s Environment (SoE) 2019 in Figures.
More than 80 per cent of the country’s degraded land lies in just nine states: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
Top three districts with highest area under desertification or land degradation are Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (92.96 per cent during 2011-13 and 98.13 per cent during 2003-05), Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh (80.54 per cent during 2011-13 and 80.57 per cent during 2003-05) and Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir (78.23 per cent during 2011-13 and 78.22 per cent during 2003-05).
Main reasons that cause desertification in India are: Water erosion (10.98 per cent). Wind erosion (5.55 per cent). Human-made/settlements (0.69 per cent). Vegetation degradation (8.91 per cent). Salinity (1.12 per cent). Others (2.07 per cent).
It is a new species of fish discovered in Arunachal Pradesh recently. The fish species belongs to genus Schizothorax.
The name of this fish species has been derived from the name of the rivers where it was found- junction of River Siku and Sirum near Gakang area under Mebo circle of East Siang District.