Daily Current Affairs 30 April 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) HCARD, a robot, to assist frontline COVID-19 healthcare warriors

Healthcare workers at hospitals are risking COVID-19 infection while taking care of those infected by it 24/7. Perhaps the level of risk may get reduced hereafter with the help of a new friend, HCARD. The robotic device HCARD, in short for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by a coronavirus.
HCARD is developed by the Durgapur-based CSIR lab, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation.
This robot can be controlled and monitored by a nursing booth with a control station having such features as navigation, drawer activation for providing medicines and food to patients, sample collection, and audio-visual communication.

Source: PIB

2) DAY-NULM flagship scheme of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

More than one crore face masks have been made by various Self-Help Groups across the country. It shows relentless effort, positive energy and united resolve of SHGs to fight Covid-19 under the DAY-NULM flagship scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Self Help Groups (SHGs)

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions.
It can be defined as a self-governed, peer controlled information group of people with similar socio-economic backgrounds and having a desire to collectively perform a common purpose.
Villages face numerous problems related to poverty, illiteracy, lack of skills, lack of formal credit, etc. These problems cannot be tackled at an individual level and need collective efforts.
Thus SHG can become a vehicle of change for the poor and marginalized. SHG relies on the notion of “Self Help” to encourage self-employment and poverty alleviation.

Functions

It looks to build the functional capacity of the poor and the marginalized in the field of employment and income-generating activities.
It resolves conflicts through collective leadership and mutual discussion.
It provides collateral-free loans with terms decided by the group at the market-driven rates.
Such groups work as a collective guarantee system for members who propose to borrow from organized sources. The poor collect their savings and save it in banks. In return, they receive easy access to loans with a small rate of interest to start their micro-unit enterprise.
Consequently, Self-Help Groups have emerged as the most effective mechanism for the delivery of microfinance services to the poor.

Need for SHGs

One of the reasons for rural poverty in our country is low access to credit and financial services.
A committee constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan to prepare a comprehensive report on 'Financial Inclusion in the Country' identified four major reasons for lack of financial inclusion:

Inability to provide collateral security,
Poor credit absorption capacity,
The inadequate reach of the institutions, and
Weak community network.

The existence of sound community networks in villages is increasingly being recognized as one of the most important elements of credit linkage in the rural areas.
They help in accessing credit to the poor and thus, play a critical role in poverty alleviation.
They also help to build social capital among the poor, especially women. This empowers women and gives them a greater voice in society.
Financial independence through self-employment has many externalities such as improved literacy levels, better health care, and even better family planning.

Genesis of SHG

The Genesis of SHG in India can be traced to the formation of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1970.
The SHG Bank Linkage Project launched by NABARD in 1992 has blossomed into the world’s largest microfinance project.
NABARD along with RBI permitted SHGs to have a savings account in banks from the year 1993. This action gave a considerable boost to the SHG movement and paved the way for the SHG-Bank linkage program.
In 1999, the Government of India, introduced Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) to promote self-employment in rural areas through the formation and skilling of SHGs.
The program evolved as a national movement in 2011 and became National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) – world’s largest poverty alleviation program.
Today, State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) are operational in 29 states and 5 UTs (except Delhi and Chandigarh).
NRLM facilitated universal access to affordable cost-effective reliable financial services to the poor like financial literacy, bank account, savings, credit, insurance, remittance, pension, and counseling on financial services.

Benefits of SHGs

Social integrity – SHGs encourage collective efforts for combating practices like dowry, alcoholism, etc.
Gender Equity – SHGs empowers women and inculcates leadership skills among them. Empowered women participate more actively in gram sabha and elections.
There is evidence in this country as well as elsewhere that the formation of Self-Help Groups has a multiplier effect in improving women’s status in society as well as in the family leading to improvement in their socio-economic condition and also enhances their self-esteem.
Pressure Groups – their participation in the governance process enables them to highlight issues such as dowry, alcoholism, the menace of open defecation, primary health care, etc and impact policy decisions.
Voice to marginalized section – Most of the beneficiaries of government schemes have been from weaker and marginalized communities and hence their participation through SHGs ensures social justice.
Financial Inclusion – Priority Sector Lending norms and assurance of returns incentivize banks to lend to SHGs. The SHG-Bank linkage program pioneered by NABARD has made access to credit easier and reduced the dependence on traditional money lenders and other non-institutional sources.
Improving the efficiency of government schemes and reducing corruption through social audits.
Alternate source of employment – it eases dependency on agriculture by providing support in setting up micro-enterprises e.g. personalized business ventures like tailoring, grocery, and tool repair shops.
Changes In Consumption Pattern – It has enabled the participating households to spend more on education, food, and health than non-client households.
Impact on Housing & Health – The financial inclusion attained through SHGs has led to reduced child mortality, improved maternal health, and the ability of the poor to combat disease through better nutrition, housing, and health – especially among women and children.
Banking literacy – It encourages and motivates its members to save and act as a conduit for formal banking services to reach them.

Opportunities

SHGs often appear to be instrumental in rural poverty alleviation.
Economic empowerment through SHGs provides women the confidence for participation in decision making affairs at the household level as well as at the community level.
Un-utilized and underutilized resources of the community can be mobilized effectively under different SHG-initiatives.
Leaders and members of successful SHGs bear the potentiality to act as resource persons for different community developmental initiatives.
Active involvement in different SHG-initiatives helps members to grow leadership-skills. Evidence also shows that often women SHG leaders are chosen as potential candidates for Panchayat Pradhans or representatives to Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI).

Weaknesses of SHGs

Members of a group do not come necessarily from the poorest families.
Though there has been social empowerment of the poor, the economic gain to bring about a qualitative change in their life has not been satisfactory.
Many of the activities undertaken by the SHGs are still based on primitive skills related mostly to primary sector enterprises. With poor value-added per worker and prevalence of subsistence-level wages, such activities often do not lead to any substantial increase in the income of group members.
There is a lack of qualified resource personnel in the rural areas who could help in skill up-gradation or acquisition of new skills by group members. Further, institutional mechanisms for capacity building and skill training have been lacking.
Poor accounting practices and incidents of misappropriation of funds.
Lack of resources and means to market their goods.
SHGs are heavily dependent on their promoter NGOs and government agencies. The withdrawal of support often leads to their collapse.

Challenges

Lack of knowledge and proper orientation among SHG-members to take up suitable and profitable livelihood options.
Patriarchal mindset – primitive thinking and social obligations discourage women from participating in SHGs thus limiting their economic avenues.
Lack of rural banking facilities – There are about 1.2 lakh bank branches and over 6 lakh villages. Moreover, many public sector banks and micro-finance institutions are unwilling to provide financial services to the poor as the cost of servicing remains high.
Sustainability and the quality of operations of the SHGs have been a matter of considerable debate.
No Security – The SHGs work on mutual trust and confidence of the members. The deposits of the SHGs are not secured or safe
Only a minority of the Self-Help Groups can raise themselves from a level of micro-finance to that of micro-entrepreneurship.

Measures to Make SHGs Effective

The Government should play the role of a facilitator and promoter, create a supportive environment for the growth and development of the SHG movement.
Expanding SHG Movement to Credit Deficient Areas of the Country - such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, States of the North-East.
The rapid expansion of financial infrastructure (including that of NABARD) and by adopting extensive IT-enabled communication and capacity building measures in these States.
Extension of Self-Help Groups to Urban/Peri-Urban Areas – efforts should be made to increase the income generation abilities of the urban poor as there has been a rapid rise in urbanization and many people remain financially excluded.
Positive Attitude – Government functionaries should treat the poor and marginalized as viable and responsible customers and as possible entrepreneurs.
Monitoring – Need to establish a separate SHG monitoring cell in every state. The cell should have direct links with the district and block level monitoring system. The cell should collect both quantitative and qualitative information.
Need-Based Approach – Commercial Banks and NABARD in collaboration with the State Government need to continuously innovate and design new financial products for these groups.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

The mission was launched in 2014 and is being implemented by the Urban Ministry of Housing & Poverty Alleviation.
It aims to uplift urban poor by enhancing sustainable livelihood opportunities through skill development.
It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25. For North Eastern and Special Category – the ratio will be 90:10.

Its intended beneficiaries are urban poor (street vendors, slum dwellers, homeless, rag pickers), unemployed and differently-abled.

Skill Training and Employment: It provides for the development of vendor markets and also the promotion of skills for vendors through setting up infrastructure and special projects for rag picker and differently-abled, etc.

It provides for employment through Skill Training and Placement through City Livelihood Centres to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
It also provides subsidy to urban poor i.e. interest subsidy of 5% – 7% for setting up individual micro-enterprises with the loan of up to 2 lakhs and for group enterprises with a loan limit of up to Rs.10 lakhs.

Self-Help Groups: It also provides social mobilization and institution development through the formation of Self-Help Groups (SHG) for training members and hand-holding, initial support of 10, 000 is given for each group.
Shelters: It fully funds the cost of construction of shelters for the urban homeless.

Source: PIB

3) Vigilance Commissioner

Shri Suresh N. Patel took oath as Vigilance Commissioner

Central Vigilance Commission

Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is an apex Indian governmental body created in 1964 to address governmental corruption. In 2003, the Parliament enacted a law conferring statutory status on the CVC. It has the status of an autonomous body, free of control from any executive authority, charged with monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government of India, advising various authorities in central Government organizations in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work.
It was set up by the Government of India Resolution on 11 February 1964, on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam Committee, to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance. Nittoor Srinivasa Rau was selected as the first Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India.
The Annual Report of the CVC not only gives the details of the work done by it but also brings out the system failures which leads to corruption in various Departments/Organisations, system improvements, various preventive measures, and cases in which the Commission's advises were ignored, etc.
The Commission shall consist of:

A Central Vigilance Commissioner - Chairperson;
Not more than two Vigilance Commissioners - Members.

Role

The CVC is not an investigating agency: the only investigation carried out by the CVC is that of examining Civil Works of the Government.
Corruption investigations against government officials can proceed only after the government permits 8 ik uu. 0The CVC publishes a list of cases where permissions are pending, some of which may be more than a year old.
The Ordinance of 1998 conferred statutory status to the CVC and the powers to exercise superintendence over the functioning of the Delhi Special Police Establishment, and also to review the progress of the investigations about alleged offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 conducted by them. In 1998 the Government introduced the CVC Bill in the Lok Sabha to replace the Ordinance, though it was not successful. The Bill was re-introduced in 1999 and remained with the Parliament until September 2003, when it became an Act after being duly passed in both the Houses of Parliament. The CVC has also been publishing a list of corrupt government officials against which it has recommended punitive action. In 2004, GoI authorized the CVC as the "Designated Agency" to receive written complaints about disclosure on any allegation of corruption or misuse of office and recommend appropriate action. This report delivers to the president

Appointment

The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Minister of home affairs (Member), and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People.

Removal

The Central Vigilance Commissioner Shri. Swapnil Berde has stated that or any Vigilance Commissioner can be removed from his office only by order of the President on the ground of proved misbehavior or incapacity after the Supreme Court, on a reference made to it by the President, has, on inquiry, reported that the Central Vigilance Commissioner or any Vigilance Commissioner, as the case may be, ought to be removed. The President may suspend from office, and if deemed necessary prohibit also from attending the office during the inquiry, the Central Vigilance Commissioner or any Vigilance Commissioner in respect of whom a reference has been made to the Supreme Court until the President has passed orders on receipt of the report of the Supreme Court on such reference. The President may, by order, remove from office the Central Vigilance Commissioner or any Vigilance Commissioner if the Central Vigilance Commissioner or such Vigilance Commissioner, as the case may be:

is adjudged an insolvent; or
has been convicted of an offense which, in the opinion of the Central Government, involves moral turpitude; or
engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or
is, in the opinion of the President, unfit to continue in office because of the infirmity of mind or body; or
has acquired such financial or other interest as is likely to affect prejudicially his functions as a Central Vigilance Commissioner or a Vigilance Commissioner.

Source: PIB

4) JNCASR scientists develop a natural product based Alzheimer inhibitor

Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre For Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India have modified the structure of Berberine, a natural and cheap product similar to curcumin, available commercially, into Ber-D to use as an Alzheimer’s inhibitor. Their research work has been published in the scientific journal iSceince.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and accounts for more than 70% of all dementia. The multifactorial nature of the disease attributed to multifaceted toxicity has made it difficult for researchers to develop effective medication.
Prof. T. Govindaraju, a Swarnajayanti fellow from JNCASR, led his team in the quest to discover natural product based therapeutic candidates for Alzheimer’s disease, and selected isoquinoline natural product berberine found in India and China and used in traditional medicine and other applications. However, berberine is poorly soluble and toxic to cells. So they modified berberine to Ber-D, which is a soluble (aqueous), antioxidant. They found it to be a multifunctional inhibitor of multifaceted amyloid toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease.
Protein aggregation and amyloid toxicity predominantly contribute to multifaceted toxicity observed in neuronal cells, including generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial dysfunction, interfering with synaptic signaling, and activation of premature cell death. The JNCASR team developed this multifunctional inhibitor to ameliorate in cellulo multifaceted toxicity.
The structural attributes of Ber-D are such that they prevent the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and rescue biomacromolecules from oxidative damage. Ber-D inhibits aggregations of metal-dependent and -independent Amyloid beta (Aβ) (which are the peptides of amino acids crucially involved in Alzheimer's disease as the main component of the amyloid plaques found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease).
The team developed Ber-D to effectively target multifaceted Aβ toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease. Berberine has 4 Phenolic hydroxyl groups which are methylated, hence water-insoluble. Natural product berberine was subjected to demethylation to obtain water-soluble polyphenolic derivative Ber-D. Treatment of berberine with demethylation agent BBr3(Boron tribromide) gave Ber-D Because of demethylation of berberine, 4 phenolic groups are free, increase water solubility, antioxidant property, and Cu-coordination to ameliorate multifaced toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease Detailed studies showed that Ber-D modulated Aβ toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease. Ber-D treatment averts mitochondrial dysfunction and corresponding neuronal toxicity contributing to premature apoptosis (cell death) making Ber-D a potential therapeutic candidate to ameliorate multifaceted Aβ toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease.
The antioxidant Ber-D efficiently quenched both Reactive nitrogen species(RNS) & reactive oxygen species (ROS) and prevent DNA damage, protein oxidation, and lipid peroxidation, which cause numerous adverse biochemical cascade reactions leading to neuronal death. Ber-D inhibits the formation of toxic Aβ fibrillar aggregates and protects mitochondria from dysfunction, one of the major causes of neuronal death. Their design strategy of synthetically transforming berberine to Ber-D, a multifunctional antioxidant and aggregation modulator, effectively ameliorates multiple Aβtoxicity both in vitro and in cellulo conditions.
These multifunctional attributes make Ber-D a promising candidate for developing effective therapeutics to treat multifaceted toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: PIB

5) Electrostatic Disinfection Technology

CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIR-CSIO), Chandigarh, has designed and developed an innovative technology for effective disinfection and sanitization to fight with corona pandemic. CSIR-CSIO has transferred this technology to a Nagpur-based company, Rite Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd., for commercialization and large-scale production. This technology has been found very efficient and effective to stop the spread of coronavirus and pathogens, say CSIR-CSIO scientists.
The electrostatic Disinfection Machine is developed based on the electrostatic principle. It produces a uniform and fine spray droplets of disinfectants in the size range of 10-20 micrometers to kill microorganisms and viruses. Due to the small size of droplets, the surface area of spray droplets increases thereby enhancing the interaction with harmful microorganisms and coronavirus. The machine uses very less disinfection material as compared to conventional methods, which helps to save natural resources with a negligible increase in chemical waste in the environment.
“Charged droplets emitted from the disinfection machine can cover the directly exposed and obscured surfaces uniformly with increased efficiency and efficacy and the disinfectant reaches to any hidden areas of the target, where there is a maximum possibility to find the viruses. Therefore, it kills or inhibits the growth of pathogens very effectively”
This innovative concept of electrostatic spraying for disinfection and sanitization of public places especially hospitals, poultry, trains and buses, airports and airplanes, offices, classrooms, and hotels. It contributes to a healthy lifestyle and healthcare of masses and directly linked to Swasth Bharat Mission of Government of India,

Source: PIB

6) The Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)

The Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) submitted its Final Report on NIP for FY 2019-25 to the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. The Summary Report of the Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline for 2019-2025 has already been released by the Finance Minister on December 31st, 2019.
NIP is a first-of-its-kind, whole-of-government exercise to provide world-class infrastructure across the country and improve the quality of life for all citizens. It aims to improve project preparation, attract investments (both domestic and foreign) into infrastructure, and will be crucial for the target of becoming a $5 trillion economy by FY 2025.
The NIP has been made on a best effort basis by aggregating the information provided by various stakeholders including line ministries, departments, state governments, and private sector across infrastructure sub-sectors identified in the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure. To draw up the NIP, a bottom-up approach was adopted wherein all projects (Greenfield or Brownfield, Under Implementation or under conceptualization) costing greater than Rs 100 crore per project were sought to be captured.
The Final Report of NIP Task Force is projecting total infrastructure investment of Rs 111 lakh crore during the period FY 2020-25 in light of additional/amended data provided by Central Ministries/State Governments since the release of summary NIP Report. The Final Report of the NIP task force is in three volumes.
Out of the total expected capital expenditure of Rs. 111 lakh crore, projects worth Rs 44 lakh crore (40% of NIP) are under implementation, projects worth Rs 33 lakh crore (30%) are at conceptual stage and projects worth Rs 22 lakh crore (20%) are under development Information regarding project stage are unavailable for projects worth Rs 11 lakh crore (10%). Sectors such as energy (24%), roads (18%), urban (17%), and railways (12%) amount to around 71% of the projected infrastructure investments in India. The Centre (39%) and States (40%) are expected to have an almost equal share in implementing the NIP in India, followed by the private sector (21%).
The final report identifies and highlights recent infrastructure trends in India as well as global in all sectors of infrastructure. It also captures sector progress, deficits, and challenges. Also, to update existing sectoral policies, the Final Report identifies and highlights a set of reforms to scale up and propel infrastructure investments in various sectors throughout the country. The report also has suggested ways and means of financing the NIP through deepening Corporate Bond markets, including those of Municipal Bonds, setting up Development Financial Institutions for the infrastructure sector, accelerating the Monetisation of Infrastructure Assets, Land monetization, etc.
The Task Force has recommended that three Committees be setup:

Committee to monitor NIP progress and eliminate delays;
Steering Committee in each Infrastructure ministry level for following up implementation; and
Steering Committee in DEA for raising financial resources for the NIP.

While basic monitoring will vest with the ministry and project agency, there is a need for a higher level of monitoring on reforms to be undertaken and to deal with issues of stalled projects. The basic elements of the monitoring and evaluation framework including the recommended governance escalation matrix are given in Volume-I of the NIP report.
The NIP project database would be hosted on India Investment Grid (IIG) shortly to provide visibility to the NIP and help in its financing with prospective investors; domestic and foreign, able to access updated project-level information. Each line Ministry/State would further add new projects and update their respective project details at pre-defined time intervals so that updated data is available to prospective investors.

Source: PIB

7) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

Only 30 lakh people were provided work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in April, about 17% of the usual, government data show.
In midApril, only 1% of the usual number of workers had found employment.
The figures for this April are the lowest in five years and show an 82% drop from the previous year’s figure of 1.7 crore workers. Some States had zero workers as on April 29, showing they had not restarted their work sites at all. Only 1,005 people got work in Haryana, along with 2,014 in Kerala and 6,376 in Gujarat, showing very low rates of employment. Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, has provided 10 lakh jobs, though it is still lower than the 25 lakh jobs provided last April.
In the light of government failure to provide sufficient work at a time when the loss of livelihoods due to the lockdown and returning migrant workers have increased the need for work in Indian villages, there is a rising demand for compensation wages to be paid to workers instead.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005

Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (or, NREGA No 42, later renamed as the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act", MGNREGA), is Indian labor law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. This act was passed in September 2005.
It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
The act was first proposed in 1991 by P.V. Narasimha Rao. It was finally accepted in the parliament and commenced implementation in 625 districts of India. Based on this pilot experience, NREGA was scoped up to cover all the districts of India from 1 April 2008. The statute is hailed by the government as "the largest and most ambitious social security and public works program in the world". In its World Development Report 2014, the World Bank termed it a "stellar example of rural development".
The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of "enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work". Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, and wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. That is, if the government fails to provide employment, it has to provide certain unemployment allowances to those people. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.
MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats (GPs). The involvement of contractors is banned.
Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, NREGA can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-urban migration, and fostering social equity, among others."
The law provides many safeguards to promote effective management and implementation. The act explicitly mentions the principles and agencies for implementation, list of allowed works, financing pattern, monitoring and evaluation, and most importantly the detailed measures to ensure transparency and accountability.

Source: The Hindu

8) Mekong river

A new study highlighting the impact of China’s dams on the Mekong river has raised fresh questions on whether dams being built on other rivers that originate in China, such as the Brahmaputra, may similarly impact countries downstream
While China’s southwestern Yunnan province had aboveaverage rainfall from May to October 2019, there was a “severe lack of water in the lower Mekong”, the study found based on satellite data from 1992 to 2019.
The Mekong flows from China to Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The Mekong River Commission, which comprises Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, has said more scientific evidence was needed to establish whether dams caused a 2019 drought.
The study released this month said six dams built since the commissioning of the Nuozhadu dam in 2012 had altered the natural flow of the river. It was published by the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership in Bangkok and the Lower Mekong Initiative, which is a U.S. partnership with all the downstream countries besides Myanmar. The study was funded by the U.S. government.
China has maintained that the dams it is building on the river, known as the Lancang there, are “run of the river” dams that only store water for power generation. The Foreign Ministry said the study was “groundless”. Yunnan had also suffered from drought, while the Lancang only accounted for 13.5% of the Mekong’s flows.
India has long expressed concerns over dambuilding on the Brahmaputra. In 2015, China operationalized its first hydropower project at Zangmu, while three other dams at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha is being developed.
Indian officials have said the dams are not likely to impact the number of the Brahmaputra’s flows because they are only storing water for power generation. Moreover, the Brahmaputra is not entirely dependent on upstream flows and an estimated 35% of its basin is in India.
India does not have a watersharing agreement with China, but both sides share hydrological data.

Management problem

India, for the most part, doesn’t have a quantity problem but a management one,” added Ambika Vishwanath, who researches water security and is director of the Kubernein Initiative. “We really need to worry more about activity in China affecting quality, ecological balance, and flood management
The Mekong study, she added, was not conclusive on the question of how China’s dams had affected the number of flows. “To state that the basin had less water because of activities in China alone is misleading, mainly because that only considers the water flowing into the lower basin at one station in Thailand,” she said, adding that the study did not consider other dams and water-use along the course of the river. The lower basin isn’t entirely dependent on flows from China but also receives water from tributaries in all four countries, which the study did not account for.

Source: The Hindu

9) XI Petersberg Climate Dialogue

Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change attended the 11th Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

The dialogue was held virtually for the first time in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key Points

Petersberg Climate Dialogue

It has been hosted by Germany since 2010 to provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing both on international climate negotiations and the advancement of climate action.
The virtual XI Petersberg Climate Dialogue was co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) and was attended by about 30 countries including India.

The UK is the incoming Presidency of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
COP 25 was held at Madrid, Spain in December 2019.

This year’s dialogue was crucial because of the efforts to contain coronavirus as well as countries preparing to move into the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement 2015 in the post-2020 period.

India’s Contributions in the Dialogue:

India expressed solidarity with the world as it combats the Covid-19 pandemic and emphasized on adopting more sustainable consumption patterns in line with the requirement of sustainable lifestyles.
India suggested having climate technology as an open source available to all countries at affordable prices.
India stressed on climate finance and urged to plan for 1 trillion USD in grants to the developing world immediately.
India highlighted its Nationally Determined Contributions spanning a ten-year time frame and in compliance with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.
India focused on the opportunity to accelerate renewable energy deployment and create new green jobs in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector.

Paris Agreement 2015

Parties to UNFCCC agreed to strive to limit the rise in global warming to well under 2 degrees Celsius, over pre-industrial levels, by 2100, under Paris Agreement 2015.
Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) were conceived at the Paris summit which requires each Party to prepare, communicate, and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve.
Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, to achieve the objectives of such contributions.
Paris Agreement replaced earlier agreement to deal with climate change, the Kyoto Protocol.

Kyoto Protocol

It was an international agreement linked to the UNFCCC, which committed its parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.
It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and entered into force in 2005.
It recognized that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity.
The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted at COP-7 in Marrakesh, in 2001 and are referred to as the Marrakesh Accords.
Kyoto Protocol Phase-1 (2005-12) gave the target of cutting down emissions by 5%.
Phase-2 (2013-20) gave the target of reducing emissions by at least 18% by the industrialized countries.

Source: PIB

10) No Improvement in Ganga Water Quality

According to a report published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the pollution in Ganga has not reduced significantly during the lockdown.

The CPCB assessed pollution a week before lockdown and weeks after at 36 locations in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Key Points

The Dissolved Oxygen (DO) concentration improved marginally.
There are a gradual increase in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels towards downstream stretches of the river, with the maximum values in West Bengal.
There is a marginal reduction in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) levels which is attributed due to the stoppage of industrial activities.
The pollution in Ganga is highest in Uttar Pradesh.
Causes of Pollution: Domestic wastewater from 97 towns situated near the river Ganga, and industrial effluents, are the main sources of water pollution in the river.
There was a notable improvement in water quality in the Yamuna.

Dissolved Oxygen

Dissolved Oxygen is a measure of the amount of free oxygen available in river systems.
The presence of organic and inorganic wastes in water decreases the dissolved oxygen content of the water.
Several factors like surface turbulence, photosynthetic activity, O2 consumption by organisms, and decomposition of organic matter are the factors that determine the amount of DO present in water.
The quality of water increases with an increase in DO levels.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic wastes present in water. It is expressed in milligrams of oxygen per liter of water.
The higher value of BOD indicates the low DO content of water.
Since BOD is limited to biodegradable materials, it is not a reliable method of measuring water pollution.

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

COD measures the amount of oxygen in parts per million required to oxidize organic (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) and oxidizable inorganic compounds in the water sample.

The Ganga River System

The headwaters of the Ganga called the ‘Bhagirathi’ is fed by the Gangotri Glacier and joined by the Alaknanda at Devprayag in Uttarakhand.
At Haridwar, Ganga emerges from the mountains to the plains.
The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas, a few of them being major rivers such as the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, and the Kosi.
The Ganga bifurcates at Farakka Barrage; the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bengal. The mainstream flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra leading to the Sunderbans Delta.

Central Pollution Control Board

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Source: The Hindu

11) Raja Ravi Varma

29th April is the birth anniversary of the famed Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906).

He is remembered for giving Indians their western, classical representations of Hindu gods and goddesses.

Key Points

Early days and training:

Varma was born into an aristocratic family in Travancore (Kerala).
At the age of 14, Varma was patronized by Ayilyam Thirunal, the then ruler of Travancore, and went on to receive training in watercolors from Ramaswamy Naidu, the royal painter.

Contributions:

Made around 7,000 paintings.
Apart from painting Hindu mythological figures, Varma also made portraits of many Indians as well as Europeans.
Varma worked on both portrait and landscape paintings and is considered among the first Indian artists to use oil paints.
He continues to be regarded as the most important representative of the Europeanised school of painting in India.

Lithographic press: He mastered the reproduction of his work on the lithographic press– through which his paintings spread far and wide.

The lithographic press is a method of printing based on the principle that oil and water do not mix.
Paintings were earlier sent to Germany and Austria to be lithographed.
Varma set up his own printing press in Maharashtra — first in Ghatkopar and eventually in Lonavala in 1894.
Through his printing press, Varma’s paintings traveled into the prayer and living rooms of working-class homes.

Famous works: Damayanti Talking to a Swan, Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, and Shantanu, and Matsyagandha.
Awards and Honours:

In 1904, the British colonial government awarded Varma with the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal.
In 2013, a crater on the planet Mercury was named in his honor.

Source: Indian Express

12) South Asia Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum

The spatial forecast which shows wide variations in rainfall across India has been provided by the South Asia Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum.

Key Points

South Asian nations, supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), have been conducting the SASCOF since 2010.
SASCOF is a consortium of meteorologists and hydrological experts from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, and Myanmar.
They work collectively to issue regional forecasts and the team releases forecasts for the Southwest and Northeast monsoon seasons, every year.

The experts usually meet ahead of preparing the forecasts, but it was called off in 2020 in the wake of Covid-19.

World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories. India is a member.
Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Source: The Hindu