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Author: CD Staff

  • [Prelims Spotlight] NGOs, Institutions, and Summits related to environment conservation in India

    Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT)

    Established When and by Whom: It is an autonomous organisation established during 1986 under Societies Act by the Government of Kerala, now functioning under power dept.

    Headquarter: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

    Objective: To gather and disseminate useful knowledge in various fields of Non-Conventional Energy, Energy Conservation, and Rural Technology.

    Key Functions:

    To conduct studies, demonstrate, implement and support implementations of schemes and project in these fields and thereby deal with the problems arising out of the rapid depletion of conventional energy sources

    To update the technologies used in rural areas as well as introduce appropriate new technologies with an aim to reduce drudgery, increase production and improve quality of life.

     

    Wildlife Trust of India

    Established When and by Whom: It was formed in November 1998 in response to the rapidly deteriorating condition of wildlife in India. WTI is a registered charity in India (under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961). It is a non-profit organisation.

    Headquarter: NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh

    Objective: To conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work for the welfare of individual wild animals.

    Key Functions:

    WTI currently focuses its resources on six priority landscapes – northeast India, western Himalayas, terai, southern Ghats system, central India and marine.

    Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) currently runs 44 projects across India.

    Its Depth Projects holistically address multiple conservation hurdles specific to an area through a multi-pronged approach

    Its Breadth Projects address specific conservation issues that may not be limited in time and space in the country, such as the training of frontline forest staff and preventing wild animal deaths due to train hits.

    Wildlife Institute of India

    Established When and by Whom: It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India. It was founded in 1982.

    Headquarter: The institute is based in Dehradun, India.

    Objective: To nurture the development of wildlife science and promote its application in conservation, in consonants with our cultural and socio-economic milieu.

    Key Functions:

    WII carries out wildlife research in areas of study like Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Forensics, Spatial Modeling, Ecodevelopment, Habitat Ecology and Climate Change.

    WII has a research facility which includes Forensics, Remote Sensing and GIS, Laboratory, Herbarium, and an Electronic Library.

    World Sustainable Development Summit

    Organised When and by Whom: The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) annual event, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), has evolved to the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS).
    Date: 5 October 2016–8 October 2016

    Location: New Delhi

    Objective: To provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community by assembling the various stakeholders on a single platform(in the area of environment conservation).

    Key Takeaways:

    The WSDS brings together Nobel laureates, political leaders, decision-makers from bilateral and multilateral institutions, business leaders, high-level functionaries from the diplomatic corps, scientists and researchers, media personnel, and members of civil society; to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development.

    India specific trivia:

    WSDS 2016 was held in New Delhi from October 5-8, 2016 under the broad rubric of ‘Beyond 2015: People, Planet & Progress’, and it broadly focused on actions, on accelerated implementation of SDGs and NDCs.

    The 4 days of discussions among different stakeholders clearly established that sustainability should not be a peripheral activity but should become a mainstream movement and that now is the time to translate all the promises to action.

     

    Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

    Established When: 1980.

    Headquarter: New Delhi

    Objective:  To develop into an excellent resource centre with information — printed and visual — on sustainable development issues, which is possibly the best in India.

    Key Functions:

    It is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation.

    It works as a think tank on environment-development issues in India, poor planning, climate shifts devastating India’s Sundarbans and advocates for policy changes and better implementation of the already existing policies.

    CSE uses knowledge-based activism to create awareness about problems and propose sustainable solutions.

     

    Conserve

    Established When and by Whom: In 1998, when the Delhi government launched the Bhagidari campaign, asking its citizens to participate in civic initiatives, the conservationist, Anita Ahuja and her IIT-alumna husband Shalabh rose to the challenge and launched Conserve. It is an NGO.

    Objective: To counter the issue of plastic bags.(Recycling)

    Key Functions:

    Anita and Shalabh Ahuja founded Conserve India as an NGO to recycle the waste in their neighborhood that wasn’t being managed by local authorities.

    They quickly realized that plastic bags pose the biggest problem, not only because there are so many of them but also because they could not be recycled locally.

    After much experimentation, the team at Conserve India realised that the solution lay in upcycling the bags into sheets of plastic that could be reinvented as fashion accessories. They named this material Handmade Recycled Plastic.

    Shalabh and Anita combined his expertise in engineering and her creative talents to get the most out of their solution to this huge problem.

    As well as cleaning Delhi’s streets, they have worked to provide hundreds of jobs for some of the poorest people living in their city. The income they generate by selling products made from Handmade Recycled Plastic, is then spent on social welfare projects.

    Today they continue to realise their vision. Conserve India bags are being sold around the world. The proceeds of this work are put to good use.

    Firstly, better wages for Conserve employees – a ragpicker collecting bags for Conserve earns on average three times more selling to us than they would earn elsewhere.

    Secondly, training opportunities for all staff at Conserve India so that they can get more skilled jobs either within the organisation or elsewhere.

    Thirdly, a school in the slum where many of the ragpickers we work with live. Finally, loans for Conserve workers to develop their own start-up businesses, and most recently a health clinic for the entire workforce.

     

    Environmentalist Foundation of India

    Established When and by Whom: Started in 2007 and registered in 2011

    Headquarter:  Chennai, Hyderabad, Puducherry and Coimbatore

    Objective: Wildlife conservation and habitat restoration

    Key Functions:

    • The organisation is known for its work in cleaning and scientific restoration of lakes in India for biodiversity.
    • The organisation and its efforts grew from that one pond in Chennai to include over 39 lakes and 48 ponds in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Pondicherry and Gujarat in the last 10 years (2007 to 2017)
    • EFI is also involved in the setting up of herbal biodiversity gardens at schools and special interest zones. The idea behind the herbal gardens are to increase people’s interest in green cover and live healthy with native Indian herbs.
    • EFI’s “Clean for Olive Green” is a beach clean up project that is organised every year in the months of December to May to keep Chennai’s beaches clean for the nesting Sea Turtle Mothers.

    National Green Corps

    Established by Whom: It is a programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India.

    Objective of the body:

    NGC Programme aims at building cadres of young children working towards environmental conservation and sustainable development.

    Key Functions:

    The functions of this programme are:

    • to impart knowledge to school children, through hands on experience, about their immediate environment, interactions within it and the problems therein
    • to inculcate proper attitudes towards the environment and its conservation through community interactions
    • to sensitize children to issues related to environment and development through field visits and demonstrations
    • to motivate and stimulate young minds by involving them in action projects related to environmental conservation.

    Bombay Natural History Society

    Established When: It was founded on 15 September 1883. It is an NGO.

    Headquarter: Mumbai

    Objective of the body: Environment Conservation and biodiversity research

    Key Functions:

    • It supports many research efforts through grants and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
    • BNHS is the partner of BirdLife International in India.
    • It has been designated as a ‘Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’ by the Department of Science and Technology.
    • It sponsors studies in Indian wildlife and conservation, and publishes a four-monthly journal, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS), as well as a quarterly magazine, Hornbill.

     

    The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI)

    Established When and by Whom:  Established in 1974, it was formerly known as Tata Energy and Resource Institute. As the scope of its activities widened, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.

    Headquarter: New Delhi, India

    Objective: To work towards global sustainable development, creating innovative solutions for environment conservation.

    Key Functions:

    1. The scope of the organisation’s activities includes climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, biotechnology, and social transformation.

    World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) – An annual summit which facilitates the exchange of knowledge on diverse aspects of global sustainable development.

    LaBL (Lighting a Billion Lives) – An initiative to provide clean lighting access to bottom of the pyramid communities.

    Green Olympiad – Conducted in association with MoEF, it is an international environment examination that is annually organized for middle and high-school students.

    1. TERI Press, TERI’s publishing arm releases a plethora of publications out of which some noteworthy publications are :

    TerraGreen – Monthly magazine of TERI on issues of environment, biodiversity, livelihood rights, wildlife, energy, and sustainable development.

    TERI Energy Data Directory and Yearbook (TEDDY) : Launched in 1986, it is a compilation of energy and environment data. It is a comprehensive reference document and a source of information on energy supply sectors (coal and lignite, oil and gas, power, and renewable energy sources) as well as energy-consuming sectors (agriculture, industry, transport, residential, and commercial sectors).

    1. GRIHA

    Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) was conceived by TERI and developed with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is a national rating system for green buildings in India

     

    Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation

    Established When: It is a registered non-profit organisation, founded in 2012.

    Headquarter: Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh

    Objective:

    To protect and conserve the nature, natural resources and rights of the nature dependent communities in the ecologically fragile landscape of Vindhya Range in India. It tries to achieve its objective through Research, Advocacy, Education, Community mobilization, Litigation.

    Key Functions:

    Vindhya Bachao Abhiyan: It is the flagship program of VENHF which works towards environmental equity and bringing ecological justice through research-based environmental litigation, strengthening grass-root environmental movements, supporting institution of local governance and protecting the rights of nature dependent indigenous communities.

    *VENHF is partner of EKOenergy and Global Call for Climate Action

    Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

    Established by: Kamaljit S. Bawa is its founder.

    Headquarter: Banglore

    Objective:

    Its mission is to generate rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving environmental conservation and sustainable development in a socially just manner, to enable the use of this knowledge by policy makers and society, and to train the next generation of scholars and leaders.

    Key Functions:

    It is a research institution in the areas of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. It focuses on applied science through research, education and action that influence policy and practice on conservation of nature, management of natural resources, and sustainable development.

    It envisions a society committed to environmental conservation and sustainable and socially just development, in which ATREE plays the role of a model knowledge-generating organization for catalyzing the transition to such a society.

     

    Save Aravali Trust

    Headquarter: Faridabad, Haryana

    Objective:

    Major objectives are:

    1. Afforestation and wildlife care
    2. Water Conservation
    3. Environmental Literacy
    4. Waste Management

    Key Functions: It is working for the betterment of Aravali– the oldest mountain range of India. The motive is to make it green, home to wildlife and entity of prosperity for the humans.

     

    Narmada Bachao Aandolan

    Established When and by Whom:  The people’s state the Narmada Bachao Andolan, every people practice hard for save to the Narmada River. This Movement is mobilised itself against the development in the mid and late 1980’s.

    Objective: The people started the Narmada Bacho Andolan with the goal of saving and protest the River Narmada.

    Why was it started?

    • It is a social movement consisting of adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against the number of large dams being built across the Narmada River, which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, all over India.
    • Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat is one of the biggest dams on the river and was one of the first focal points of the movement. It is one of the many dams under the Narmada Dam Project. The main aim of the project is to provide irrigation and electricity to people in these states.
    • Their mode of the campaign includes court actions, hunger strikes, rallies, and garnering support from notable film and art personalities. Narmada Bachao Andolan, with its leading spokespersons Medha Patkar and Baba Amte, who have received the Right Livelihood Award in 1991.

  • [Burning Issue] Nyuntam Aay Yojna : NYAY

    What is Nyay

    • This would be a flat transfer of ₹6,000 a month to identified poor households.
    • There has been little word on how the Congress expects to finance NYAY.
    • A ballpark estimate of the fiscal expenditure, to transfer ₹72,000 every year to the poorest 20% of the approximately 25 crore Indian households, would be ₹3.6 lakh crore.
    • This is twice the estimated amount set aside for food subsidy and five times that for fertilizer subsidy in the 2019-20 Union Budget.

    Prospects Of NYAY

    • An unconditional transfer of a specified minimum income support to the poor will go a long way in helping address immediate needs related to health, education and indebtedness.
    • A large section of the targeted poor would include landless workers and marginal farmers in rural areas, and unemployed youth in families engaged in menial labour in urban areas.
    • Besides shoring up income to meet such basic needs and pushing wages upwards, the transfer scheme can help spur demand and consumption in rural areas in particular.

    Challenges in the scheme

    • There are disincentives inherent in the scheme as well.
    • A section of the beneficiaries could withdraw themselves from employment.
    • this could be mitigated by the expected overall spur in demand in the economy through consumption, and by the rise in real wages consequent to the shrinking of the labour market.

    The idea of a minimum income guarantee (MIG) has caught up with political parties. With the promise of the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) by the Congress party, it is clear that the MIG is going to be a major political issue for the coming general election.

    What is MIG?

    • A MIG requires the government to pay the targeted set of citizens a fixed amount of money on a regular basis.

    Income guarantee schemes at present

    • A limited version of the MIG in the form of the PM KISAN Yojana is already being implemented by the NDA government at the Centre.
    • State governments in Odisha and Telangana have their own versions of the MIG.

    Concerns regarding such income guarantee scheme

    • Is there a case for additional spending of such a large sum on the poor? The answer is yes.
    • Can government finances afford it? No.
    • Even if the government can mobilise the required sum, is the scheme a good way of spending money on the poor? No.

    The situation of the marginalised section

    A.Situation of farmers

    • Many landless labourers, agricultural workers and marginal farmers suffer from multi-dimensional poverty.
    • Benefits of high economic growth during the last three decades have not percolated to these groups.
    • Welfare schemes have also failed to bring them out of destitution.
    • They have remained the poorest of Indians.

    B.Workers

    • Contract and informal sector workers in urban areas face a similar problem.
    • Due to rapid mechanisation of low-skill jobs in the construction and retail sectors, employment prospects for them appear increasingly dismal.

    Problems faced by the marginalised section

    • These groups are forced to borrow from moneylenders and adhatiyas (middlemen) at usurious rates of 24-60% per annum.
    • For instance, for marginal and small farmers, institutional lending accounts for only about 30% of their total borrowing.
    • The corresponding figure for landless agricultural workers is even worse at 15%.

    The relevance of Additional Government spending

    • There is a strong case for direct income transfers to these groups.
    • The additional income can reduce their indebtedness and help them get by without falling into the clutches of the moneylender.

    Constraints due to limited finances

    • However, the fiscal space is limited.
    • No government can afford it unless several existing welfare schemes are converted into direct income transfers, or the fiscal deficit is allowed to shoot up way above its existing level, 3.4% the GDP.

    Effects of income guarantee

    1. Positives

    A.On Poverty–

    • On the one hand, income transfers will surely reduce income inequalities and help bring a large number of households out of the poverty trap or prevent them from falling into it in the event of shocks such as illness or death of an earner.
    • The poor spend most of their income, and a boost in their income will provide a boost to economic activities by increasing overall demand.

    B. On workers

    • In principle, the income supplement can come in handy as interest-free working capital for several categories of beneficiaries such as fruit and vegetable vendors and small artisans, and promote their businesses and employment.

    C. On health and education

    • Studies show that even a small income supplement can improve nutrient intake at high levels of impoverishment.
    • Besides, it can increase school attendance for students coming from poor households.
    • This would mean improved health and educational outcomes, which in turn will make the working population more productive.
    • Moreover, with a modest income support the risk of beneficiaries opting out of the workforce will also be small.
    • Besides, a moderate income support can be extended to a larger set of poor households. For the lowest 40% (about 10 crore households), income is less than their consumption expenditure.

    2.Negatives-

    • On the other hand, large income transfers can be inflationary, which will hurt the poor more than the rich.
    • At the same time, large cash transfers can result in withdrawal of beneficiaries from the labour force.
    • A MIG can also provide legitimacy to the state’s withdrawal of provisions of the basic services.

    Identifying beneficiaries

    • The SECC along with the Agriculture Census of 2015-16 can help identify a larger set of poor based on verifiable criteria; namely, multidimensional poverty, landlessness and the marginal farmer.
    • Together, these criteria cover the bottom 40%, approximately 10 crore households.
    • Drawing upon the experiences with the poor-centric welfare schemes such as MNREGA, Saubhagya and Ujjwala and PM-KISAN, datasets can be prepared and used to update the list of needy households.
    • For these 10 crore households, to start with, the scheme will require ₹1.5 lakh crore per annum.
    • Nonetheless, the required amount is beyond the Centre’s fiscal capacity at the moment.
    • Therefore, the cost will have to be shared by the States. Still the scheme would have to be rolled out in phases, as was done for MGNREGA.

    Way Forward

    • All considered, no income transfer scheme can be a substitute for universal basic services
    • The direct income support to the poor can deliver the intended benefits only if it comes as a supplement to the public services such as primary health and education.
    • This means that direct transfers should not be at the expense of public services for primary health and education.
    • Moreover, universal health and life insurance are equally important, and so is the case with crop insurance.
    • Each year, medical shocks and crop failures push many families into the poverty trap.
    • The scope of Ayushman Bharat needs to be expanded to include outdoor patient treatments. The PM Fasal Bima Yojana can be made more comprehensive by providing free and wider insurance coverage.

     

  • [Prelims Spotlight] Important Straits

    A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two land masses. Some straits are not navigable, for example because they are too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago.

    1.Sunda Strait   

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Java Sea & Indian Ocean

    Location: Indonesia

     

    2. Palk Strait      

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal

    Location: India-Sri Lanka

    3. Malacca Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Andaman Sea & South China Sea

    Location: Indonesia –Malaysia

    4. Yucatan Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

    Location: Mexico-Cuba

    5. Mesina Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

    Location: Italy-Sicily

    6. Otranto Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea

    Location: Italy-Albania

    7. Bab-el-Mandeb Strait        

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Red Sea & Gulf of Aden

    Location: Yemen-Djibouti

    8. Cook Strait     

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :South Pacific Ocean

    Location:  New Zealand (North & South Islands)

    9. Mozambique Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Indian Ocean

    Location: Mozambique -Malagasy

    10. North Channel

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Ireland-England

    11. Hormuz Strait       

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman

    Location: Oman-Iran

    12. Hudson strait         

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Canada

    13. Gibraltar Strait      

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Spain-Morocco

    14. Magellan strait       

    Join: Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Chile

    15. Makkassar Strait   

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Java Sea & Celebeze Sea

    Location: Indonesia

    16. Tsungaru Strait     

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean

    Location: Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island)

    17. Tatar Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea

    Location: Russia (East Russia-Sakhalin Islands)

    18. Fovex Strait 

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : South Pacific Ocean

    Location: New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island)

    19. Formosa Strait      

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : South China Sea & East China Sea

    Location: China-Taiwan

    20. Taurus Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua

    Location: Papua New Guinea — Australia

    21. Bass Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Tasman Sea & South Sea

    Location: Australia

    22. Bering Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Bering Sea & Chuksi Sea

    Location: Alaska-Russia

    23. Bonne-Fasio Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

    Location: Corsika — Sardinia

    24. Bosporous Strait   

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Black Sea and Marmara Sea

    Location: Turkey

    25. Dardenleez Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Marmara Sea and Agean Sea

    Location: Turkey

    26. Davis Strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean

    Location: Greenland-Canada

    27. Denmark Strait     

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean

    Location: Greenland-Iceland

    28. Dover strait  

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies :English Channel & North Sea

    Location: England-France

    29. Florida Strait

    Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean

    Location: USA-Cuba

     

  • [Prelims Spotlight] Tribes in news

    1. Gonds

    Known for their valor, the Gond tribes are mostly found in Central India in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. They are also spotted in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa. The Gond tribes have a good command over Telgu, Hindi, Marathi, Parsi and many other Dravadian languages.

    2. Bhils

    This tribal community in India is mostly spotted in the Aravali Ranges of Sirohi in Udaipur and some places of Dungarpur and Banswara districts of Rajasthan. Further, the settlements of the Bhil tribes are also found in parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tripura.

    3. Santhals

    The Santhal tribes are the major tribes of West Bengal and are mostly seen in the districts of Bankura and Purulia. They are also widely seen in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Assam. The Santhals are largely dependent on agriculture and livestock; further, they are well versed in the art of hunting.

    4. Great Andamanese Tribe

    The Great Andamanese Tribe, which includes the Onge, Jarawa, Jangil and Sentinelese, are said to be the first inhabitants of the islands. But today a significant number is on its way to extinction. Nonetheless, the left over population of the Great Andamanese are largely dependent on the vigorous campaign by Survival and Indian organizations. The Great Andamanese are mostly spotted in Strait Island and parts of Rutland Island.

    5. Khasi

    The Khasi tribes are mostly spotted in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and are also found in parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and West Bengal.

    6. Garo

    One of the few remaining matrilineal societies in the world that are mostly spotted in the hills of Meghalaya, the Garo Tribes are ideally known for their vivid lifestyle. They are also spotted in the neighbouring areas of Bangladesh and parts of West Bengal, Assam and Nagaland. It is easy to distinguish the Garo tribes from other tribes of Meghalaya. Women are often found in varieties of traditional ornaments, whereas men are seen wearing turbans with feathers stuck behind them.

    7. Angami

    The Angami Nagas are one of the major tribes of Nagaland, widely present in the district of Kohima. Apart from the Hornbill Festival, the major attraction remains their intricate and beautiful woodcraft and artwork. The Angami Nagas are known for the producer of bamboo work, cane furniture, beds, shawls and powerful machetes.

    8. Munda

     

    Munda tribe settlement is largely based in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region and is mostly spotted in the dense of Jharkhand. Further, parts of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha are also inhabited by the Munda Tribes.Mage, Phagu, Karam and Sarhul are the major festivals of the Munda tribes that attract travellers from different parts of the world.

    9. Bhutia

    Dominating the landlocked territory of Sikkim that is bordered by the Indian Himalaya, the Bhutias are widely known for their traditional grandeur, art and cuisine.

    10. Chenchu

    The Chenchu tribes are one of the indigenous people of Andhra Pradesh inhabiting over the years in the midst of the forest of Nallamala Hills. They are mostly seen in the districts of Mahboobnagar, Nalgonda, Prakasam, Guntur and Kurnool. Life is hard for them as they are largely dependent on hunting and trading jungle products like roots, tubers, fruits, beedi leaves, mahua flower, honey, gum, tamarind and green leaves.

    11. Kodava

    The Kodava tribes, known for their bravery since ages have Coorg  flourishing as one of the eco – tourist destinations in India.

    12. Toto

    One of the isolated tribal groups inhabiting the village of Totopara in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal is the Toto tribes. They have a simple lifestyle and are largely dependent on trading vegetables and fruits. In spite of the fact that they define themselves as Hindus, the Totos are believers of god Ishpa and goddess Cheima.

    13. Irulas

    Expert snake and rat catchers… that’s what make the Irula tribes of South India special. With a population of approximately 3,00,000 the Irulas inhabits parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Moreover, the Irulas are the second largest tribe in Kerala and is mostly seen in the district of Pallakad.

    14. Nyishi

    The Nyishi tribes are the largest inhabitants of the mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh and are mostly spotted in the districts of Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, East Kameng, parts of Upper Subansiri.

    15. Bodo

    Believed to be the early settlers of Assam, the Bodo tribes today are found in Udalguri and Kokrajhar of Assam and parts of West Bengal and Nagaland.

    16. Warli

    The Warli or Varli tribes of Maharashtra and Gujarat display a unique form of art and painting that reflects the mural paintings of 500 – 10,000 BC carved in the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, in Madhya Pradesh. Their form of art follows the rudimentary technique with mixture of earth and cow dung, branches, red ochre, rice paste, bamboo stick and more.

    17. Toda

    Dominating parts of the Nilgiri Mountains, the Toda tribes are largely dependent on cattle-herding and dairy-work. They are also skilled in art and architectural works like embroidery products and dogles, type of oval and pent – shaped huts made of bamboo canes and thatched roof.

    18. Kurumban

    Another major tribe dominating parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Kurumban tribe exhibits a simple lifestyle, depending largely on agricultural products. Moreover, they are widely known for witch-craft and magical performances as well as traditional herbal medicines.

    19. Soliga

    Inhabiting the dense forest of BR Hills of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the Soliga tribes are yet another indigenous group of people, further divided to five sub groups – Male Soliga, Urali Soliga, Pujari, Kadu and Burude.

    20. Siddis

    The Siddi tribes of Karnataka are believed to have descended from the Bantu people of Southeast Africa who were treated as slaves by Portuguese merchants. Today, the Siddi people are predominantly found around Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod, Sirsi, Belgaum and Dharwad in Karnataka apart from some pockets of Pakistan. The Siddi people are mostly Roman Catholic but some follow Hinduism and Islam.

    21.Sentinelese Tribals

    The Sentinelese, a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans, have not faced incursions and remain hostile to outsiders.The inhabitants are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as linguistic similarities.Based on carbon dating of kitchen middens by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese presence was confirmed in the islands to 2,000 years ago.Genome studies indicate that the Andaman tribes could have been on the islands even 30,000 years ago.

  • Gear up for This week’s Samachar Manthan lecture on 14th April Sunday

    Why Samachar Manthan?

    We understand that the UPSC exam is a generalist exam. It’s more important to cover more issues than to cover one issue in more depth. Hence, through Samachar Manthan we are trying to maintain a fine balance of covering many important news items and having a detailed discussion on selected topics which require the same. On daily basis a news gets repeated multiple times. Scattered knowledge is not adequately useful when you have to write a 200 words answer within 6-7 minutes. To handle this, Samachar manthan covers such issues in a comprehensive and consolidated manner which is the smart strategy.

    Benefits of Samachar Manthan

    • Packed 3 – 3.5 hours Weekly videos will focus on news and its importance from both prelims and mains perspective.
    • This program will also help you understand how to utilize current affairs in all your prelims and mains papers.
    • This ideology makes this course the best utilization of your time.
    • Detailed coverage would mean analysis from all the angles like background or history, features, significance, challenges and way forward. Also multiple sources like epw, diplomat magazine etc will be referred in the video lectures.
    • Such approach will help in writing multidimensional answers.
    • Also which part of the topic is important from mains and prelims perspective will also be discussed.
    • Audio Visual Learning is more impactful than simply glancing through material. So that you are able to retain information for long also interlink with any new information you get.
    • 4 stage structure of Video->Notes->testing->review to perfect your preparation
    • The sequence of video->Notes->testing->review is the best way to ensure maximum retention and a rock solid preparation. Each component of the program has been meticulously crafted.

    For example this week, we will be covering following issues;

    Economics

    Livestock Census

    Systematic Investment Plan (SIP)

    SEBI mulls SRO for investment advisers

    GI tag for Kandhamal and Erode Turmeric

    RBI circular to banks on loan defaulters quashed

    [op-ed snap]How to achieve 24×7 power for all

    Ways and Means Advances

    [op-ed snap]Serious setback

    National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)

    RBI cuts Repo Rate

    Ambitions Beyond Growth Report 2019

    Asian Development Outlook 2019

    Enviro & Biodiversity

    Sudden release of water from dams worsened Kerala floods

    State of Global Air Report, 2019

    Global Cooling Coalition

    Governance

    [pib] Community Radio Stations and SWEEP

    [op-ed snap]The principle and procedure in Lokpal

    [pib] NuGen Mobility Summit 2019

    [op-ed snap] Turf issues in fighting corruption

    [pib] Solidarity Human Chain

    EAT-Lancet Report for a sustainable food system

    [pib] Technical Analysis of FAME II Scheme

    International Relations

    International Solar Alliance

    Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)

    [op-ed snap] Deepening insecurity

    [pib] Indian Advance Pricing Agreement

    Polity

    Issue of Supreme court benches in different states

    [op-ed snap ] Making democracy meaningful

    Explained: J&K govt blocking of a highway

    [op-ed snap]Privacy in the age of sunshine laws

    Science Tech & Art Culture

    [op-ed snap] Outer clarity

    Stephen Hawking’s hypothesis on black holes discarded

     

    Security Issues

    AFSPA partially withdrawn from Arunachal Pradesh

    And these issues will be covered in detail

    • Power Issues
    • Corruption
    • CCIT
    • LOKPAL
    • Privacy Laws
    • Democracy
    • FAME 2
    • Advanced Pricing Agreement

    So to be thorough in your preparation and to have an integrated approach, join Samachar Manthan here.

     

  • [Prelims Spotlight] Important summits, conventions and Declarations (Part 2)

    1.Convention on biological diversity

    The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity has been in force since 1993.

    Objectives-

    • It has 3 main objectives: The conservation of biological diversity.
    • The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.,fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
    • The CBD, one of the key agreements adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is the first comprehensive global agreement which addresses all aspects relating to biodiversity.

    2.Asia Lpg summit 2019

    The summit will offer a unique opportunity to the global LPG industry to interact with development agencies, NGOs and non-profit organizations who have facilitated last-mile access to LPG for the beneficiaries.

    Objectives-

    • The summit will also bring together academia and private sector to exchange their views on the use of LPG and how pathbreaking initiatives such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ can bring remarkable socio-economic transformation.
    • The WLPGA promotes the use of LPG to foster a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world.
    • With over 200 members and presence in more than 125 countries, the WLPGA represents the interests of private and public companies from the entire LPG value chain under one umbrella.
    • The WLPGA provides a platform for the exchange of best practices, facts and figures among its members.
    • The Association regularly organises interactive meetings between technical experts, members and key stakeholders to demonstrate the benefits of LPG.

    3.Global Digital Health Partnership Summit

    The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) is an international collaboration of governments, government agencies and multinational organisations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their citizens through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies.

    Objectives-

    • Governments are making significant investments to harness the power of technology and foster innovation and public-private partnerships that support high quality, sustainable health and care for all. The GDHP facilitates global collaboration and co-operation in the implementation of digital health services.The GDHP is committed to improving health and care through promoting its principles of equality, co-operation, transparency and responsibility.
    • Equality: All participants will have an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the development of the GDHP deliverables and share in the lessons learnt and outputs of the GDHP.
    • Co-operation: Participants are helpful and supportive and participate in debates thoughtfully, constructively and respectfully.
    • Transparency: Participants act with openness in their engagement with fellow participants to contribute to improved health services, promote innovation and create safer and healthier communities.
    • Responsibility: Participants are responsible for their country’s input through their active contribution to GDHP activities that are guided by the annual work plan. Each participant shall endeavour to ensure that outcomes from meetings, such as tasks appointed to them or in general, are carried out effectively and efficiently. Participants will make decisions and participate in discussions in a transparent and fair manner, using evidence, and without discrimination or bias, ensuring they act in the public interest and not for commercial purposes.

    4.TIR

    The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets is a multilateral treaty that was concluded at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international road transport.

    Objectives-

    • The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system with maximum facility to move goods:in sealed vehicles or containers;
    • from a customs office of departure in one country to a customs office of destination in another country;
    • without requiring extensive and time-consuming border checks at intermediate borders;
    • while, at the same time, providing customs authorities with the required security and guarantees.

    5.International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

    The workshop aims to i) identify good practices of disaster risk management in key infrastructure sectors, ii) identify specific areas and pathways for collaborative research on DRI (Transport, Energy, Telecom and Water), iii) discuss and co-create the broad contours of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) as well as a notional roll-out plan for the next three years, and iv) build a forum for members to work on areas of common interest and make specific commitments.Various international agreements have also reiterated the importance and long-term benefits of investing in resilient infrastructure.

    Objectives-

    • The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), 2015-2030, which is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, identifies investing in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for resilience and to build back better in reconstruction as priorities for action towards reducing disaster risk.
    • Similarly, Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognizes disaster resilient infrastructure as a crucial driver of economic growth and development.
    • Besides reducing infrastructure losses, disaster resilient infrastructure will also help achieve targets pertaining to reduction in mortality, number of affected people and economic losses due to disasters.

    6.International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

    The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.Key points of the Convention

    Objectives-

    • Prohibition of production and use of chemical weapons
    • Destruction (or monitored conversion to other functions) of chemical weapons production facilities
    • Destruction of all chemical weapons (including chemical weapons abandoned outside the state parties territory)
    • Assistance between State Parties and the OPCW in the case of use of chemical weapons
    • An OPCW inspection regime for the production of chemicals which might be converted to chemical weapons
    • International cooperation in the peaceful use of chemistry in relevant areas

    7.Convention on Supplementary Compensation for nuclear

    Damage (CSC)

    The Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage is a 1963 treaty that governs issues of liability in cases of nuclear accident. It was concluded at Vienna on 21 May 1963 and entered into force on 12 November 1977. The convention has been amended by a 1997 protocol. The depository is the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    Objectives-

    • The Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) aims at establishing a minimum national compensation amount and at further increasing the amount of compensation through public funds to be made available by the Contracting Parties should the national amount be insufficient to compensate the damage caused by a nuclear incident.
    • The Convention is open not only to States that are party to either the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage or the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (including any amendments to either), but also to other States provided that their national legislation is consistent with uniform rules on civil liability laid down in the Annex to the Convention.

    8.Hague Code of Conduct

    The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

    Objectives-

    • The HCOC is the result of international efforts to regulate access to ballistic missiles which can potentially deliver weapons of mass destruction. The HCOC is the only multilateral code in the area of disarmament which has been adopted over the last years.
    • It is the only normative instrument to verify the spread of ballistic missiles.
    • The HCOC does not ban ballistic missiles, but it does call for restraint in their production, testing, and export.

    9.Refugee Convention

    The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.In the general principle of international law, treaties in force are binding upon the parties to it and must be performed in good faith. Countries that have ratified the Refugee Convention are obliged to protect refugees that are on their territory, in accordance with its terms.There are a number of provisions that States parties to the Refugee Convention must adhere to.

    10.Biological weapons convention

    The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons.

    Objectives-

    • Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
    • Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
    • Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”
    • The United States Congress passed the Bioweapons Anti-Terrorism Act in 1989 to implement the Convention. The law applies the Convention’s convent to countries and private citizens, and criminalizes violations of the Convention.

    11.Sendai Framework

    The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) is an international document which was adopted by UN member states between 14th and 18th of March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.

    Objectives-

    • The Sendai Framework sets four specific priorities for action:
    • Understanding disaster risk;
    • Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
    • Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;
    • Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

    12.Outer Space Treaty

    The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space.

    13.Kyoto Protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that

    (a) global warming exists and (b) human-made CO2 emissions have caused it.

    Objectives-

    • The main feature of the Protocol is that it established legally binding commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases for parties that ratified the Protocol.
    • The commitments were based on the Berlin Mandate, which was a part of UNFCCC negotiations leading up to the Protocol.
    • Minimizing Impacts on Developing Countries by establishing an adaptation fund for climate change.

    14.U.N. Frame Work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

    Objectives-

    • A framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were inevitable.
    • The primary goals of the UNFCCC were to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the global climate.
    • The convention embraced the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities which has guided the adoption of a regulatory structure.

    15.Basel Convention

    1. The industrialized world in the 1980s had led to increasing public resistance to the disposal of hazardous wastes, in accordance with what became known as the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome, and to an increase of disposal costs.

    2. This in turn led some operators to seek cheap disposal options for hazardous wastes in the developing countries.

    3. Environmental awareness was much less developed and regulations and enforcement mechanisms were lacking.The objectives of the convention are to reduce trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes, to minimize the creation of such wastes and to prohibit their shipment from developed countries to the LDCs.

    16.Montreal Protocol

    Objectives-

    • The protocol set targets for reducing the consumption and production of a range of ozone depleting substances.
    • In a major innovation the protocol recognized that all nations should not be treated equally.
    • The agreement acknowledges that certain countries have contributed to ozone depletion more than others.
    • It also recognizes that a nation‘s obligation to reduce current emissions should reflect its technological and financial ability to do so.
    • Becauseof this, the agreement sets more stringent standards and accelerated phase-out time tables to countries that have contributed most to ozone depletion

    17.World Conservation Strategy

    Objectives-

    • It set out fundamental principles and objectives for conservation worldwide, and identified priorities for national and international action.
    • It is considered one of the most influential documents in 20th century nature conservation and one of the first official documents to introduce the concept of sustainable development.

    18.Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)

    Objectives-

    • Aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avianmigratory species throughout their range.
    • The Convention facilitates adoption of strict protection measures for endangered migratory species, the conclusion of multilateral agreements for the conservation and management of migratory species, and co-operative research activities.

    19.World sustainable Development summit

    • WSDS has replaced TERI’s earlier called Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS). The first DSDS was organised in 2005. It underscored need for businesses and private sector to take lead in poverty reduction and to ensure rapid and sustained adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
    • It had brought together Nobel laureates, decision-makers political leaders from around the world to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development.
    • The aim of the summit is to provide various stakeholders a single platform in order to provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community.

    20.Kigali Agreement

    The Kigali Amendment amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol to

    now include gases responsible for global warming and will be

    binding on countries from 2019.

    Objectives-

    • It also has provisions for penalties for non-compliance.
    • It is considered absolutely vital for reaching the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperature rise to below 2-degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
    • Under it, developed countries will also provide enhanced funding support estimated at billions of dollars globally. The exact amount of additional funding from developed countries will be agreed at the next
    • Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017 to reduce the emissions of category of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which leads to hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs)

  • [Prelims Spotlight]Nobel and other Prizes

    1.PM conferred with Seoul Peace Prize

    About the Seoul Peace Prize

    1. The prize has been awarded to those who have made their mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and to world peace.
    2. Established in 1990, the Seoul Peace Prize was an effort to crystallise the Korean people’s yearning for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of the world.
    3. It was initially established to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul, Republic of Korea – an event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, creating harmony and friendship and a worldwide atmosphere of peace and reconciliation.
    4. Previous winners of the award include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.

    2.UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) Award

    Shri Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary & Mission Director (NHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been conferred with the prestigious UNIATF Award for his outstanding contribution towards prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related SDGs.

    United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF)

    1. The UNIATF on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases was established by the UN Secretary-General in June 2013 and placed under the leadership of WHO.
    2. It aims to support governments, in particular in low- and middle-income countries, to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
    3. Following the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, UNIATF’s scope of work was expanded in 2016 to include “NCD related SDGs” – i.e. mental health, violence and injuries, nutrition, and environmental issues that impact on NCDs.
    4. The World Health Organization acts as a Secretariat and lead for the Task Force.
    5. The UNIATF coordinates the activities of relevant UN organizations and other inter-governmental organizations to support Governments to meet high-level commitments to respond to NCD epidemics worldwide.
    6. The Task Force reports once a year to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

    3.Nobel Prize in Medicine

    • The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to James P. Allison from the US and Tasuku Honjo from Japan.
    • By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells Nobel Laureates established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.
    • Tasuku Honjo discovered a protein on immune cells and revealed that it also operates as a break, but with a different mechanism of action.

    4.Nobel Prize in Physics

    • Three scientists Arthur Ashkin of the U.S., Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada won the Nobel Physics Prize.
    • Mr. Ashkin, 96, was honored for his invention of “optical tweezers” that grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells with their laser beam fingers.
    • In 1987 Mr. Ashkin used the tweezers to capture living bacteria without harming them.
    • Mr. Mourou and Ms. Strickland won for helping develop a method to generate ultra-short optical pulses, “the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created by mankind”.
    • Mrs. Strickland is the third women ever and the first woman in 55 years to receive the prestigious award.
    • Their technique is now used in corrective eye surgery and in making surgical stents. Recently, attosecond lasers have even made it possible to observe individual electrons.

    5.Nobel Prize in Chemistry

    • Ms. Frances Arnold US, Mr. George Smith, both from the US and Mr. Gregory Winter of Britain were awarded the prize for pioneering science in enzymes and antibodies.
    • For the first time, scientists harnessed the power of evolution to produce novel proteins used in everything from environmentally friendly detergents and biofuels to cancer drugs.
    • Ms. Arnold is the fifth woman to win a chemistry Nobel. Her research on enzymes led to the development of better industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

    6.Nobel Peace Prize

    • Who is awarded?
      • “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” (Excerpt from the will of Alfred Nobel)
    • The Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 has been awarded to Congolese gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege and Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
    • Dr. Denis Mukwege has helped in the treatment of women who were raped by rebels during the civil war in Democratic Republic of Congo.
    • Ms. Murad is one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by the Islamic State.

    7.Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

     

    • William Nordhaus and Paul Romer, from the US, won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for work in integrating climate change and technological innovation into economic analysis,
    • William D. Nordhaus was awarded for integrating climate change into the long-run macroeconomic analysis.
    • William Nordhaus was the first person to create a quantitative model that described the interplay between the economy and the climate.
    • Paul M. Romer integrated technological innovations into the long-run macroeconomic analysis.

     

  • [Prelims Spotlight]Acts and schemes related to Health

    1.Janani Suraksha Yojana(JSY)

    Objectives

    • It is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
    • It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. The success of the scheme would be determined by the increase in institutional delivery among the poor families
    • The women who deliver in Government hospitals, health centres or even in accredited private hospitals are eligible for the cash assistance, if she is above 19 years .

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    2.Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram(JSSK)

    Objectives

    • To provide better health facilities for pregnant women and sick neonates and eliminating “out-of-pocket” expenses.-Under this scheme, pregnant women are entitled for free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free blood whenever required, and free diet up to 3 days for normal delivery and 7 days for C-section
    • This initiative also provides for free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and drop back home
    • Similar entitlements have been put in place for all sick new borns accessing public health institutions for treatment till 30 days after birth.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    3.MAA-Mother’s Absolute Affection

    Objectives

    • A nationwide programme launched in an attempt to bring undiluted focus on promotion of breastfeeding and provision of counselling services for supporting breastfeeding through health systems.1. The programme has been named ‘MAA’ to signify the support a lactating mother requires from family members and at health facilities to breastfeed successfully.
    • The chief components of the MAA Programme are Community awareness generation, Strengthening interpersonal communication through ASHA, Skilled support for breastfeeding at delivery points in public health facilities, and monitoring and award/recognition.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    4.Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram(RBSK)

    Salient Features

    • Under this, support is being provided to States/UTs for Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services through early detection and early management of common health conditions classified into 4 Ds i.e Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, Development delays including disability.
    • Treatment including surgeries at tertiary level is free of cost under this initiative.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    5.Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram

    Objectives

    This initiative goes beyond addressing sexual and reproductive health and introduces focus on nutrition, sexual & reproductive health, injuries and violence (including gender based violence), non-communicable diseases, mental health and substance misuse.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    6.Ayushman Bharat Scheme

    Objectives

    • National Health Protection Scheme will be launched to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
    • Under this, up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each family per year in secondary and tertiary care institutions.
    • This scheme will have 50 crore beneficiaries. So far under the National Health Insurance Scheme, insurance cover of Rs 30,000 was available only. This is a big increase in this regard.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    7.RASHTRIYA AROGYA NIDHI (RAN)

    Objectives

    • Financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    8.Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

    Objectives

    • The primary objective of PMSSY is to correct the region imbalances in availability of affordable/reliable tertiary level healthcare in the country in general, and, to augment facilities for quality medical education in under-served or backward States, in particular.
    • The PMSSY project was to be implemented across the country by the centre for which two major components of implementation was decided.
    • The first was to set up bigger medical institutions like that of AIIMS located in New Delhi. A total of six such AIIMS like medical units were brought up in the country spread across various regions.
    • The second component of the PMSSY scheme was to improve and upgrade all the medical colleges and institutions.
    • There were a total of 13 such medical colleges spread across the country which needed up gradation and introduction to improved medical facilities and technologies. The PMSSY scheme will be implemented in three work phases.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    9.Mission Madhumeha

    Objectives

    • Effective management of Diabetes through Ayurveda.
    • It was Launched on National Ayurvedic Day .
    • The Mission will be implemented throughout the country through a specially designed National Treatment Protocol. 3.The guidelines in the protocol will be sent to various state governments, which will further circulate them across various medical institutions.
    • The Madhumeha Assessment Tool (MAT) based on Ayurvedic philosophy has also been developed for the self-assessment of the people with regards to possibilities of diabetes.
    • The government is set to launch a mobile app which will suggest Ayurvedic medicines for diabetic patients.
    • The app will be meant for use by both practitioners of Ayurveda as well patients.
    • It will help in identifying the type of diabetes a patient is suffering from as well as recommend which Ayurvedic medicines can be administered to a patient.
    • The app is based on a set of guidelines issued by AYUSH.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of AYUSH

    10.Indradanush scheme.

    Objectives-

    • It aims to immunize all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against seven vaccine preventable diseases.
    • The Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health

    11.National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS)

    Objectives

    • NPCDCS has a focus on awareness generation for behaviour and life-style changes, screening and early diagnosis of persons with high level of risk factors and there treatment and referral (if required) to higher facilities for appropriate management for those Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) including diabetes and hypertension.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    12.Test and Treat Policy for HIV

    Objectives

    • As soon as a person is tested and found to be positive, he will be provided with Antiretroviral Therapy irrespective of his CD count or clinical stage.1. The ART will be for all men, women, adolescents and children who have been diagnosed as a HIV + case.
    • This will improve longevity, improve quality of life of those infected and will save them from many opportunistic infections, especially TB.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    13.Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme

    Objectives

    • Strengthening and improving quality of basic TB services addressing TB HIV co-infection, other co-morbidities and MDR-TB
    • Engaging with care providers both in the public and the private sector
    • Targeted intervention in the vulnerable population and strengthening urban TB control along with active case finding activities
    • Integrating newer molecular diagnostics for TB in the health system (CBNAAT) for early diagnosis of MDR TB
    • Leveraging of Information Communication Technology for enhancing TB notification and strengthening of monitoring1. Under the RNTCP, Government is committed to end tuberculosis by 2025.
    • The strategies adopted for this purpose include strengthening and improving quality of basic TB services, engaging with providers other than public, addressing TB HIV co-infection, other co-morbidities and programmatic management of drug resistant TB.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    14.National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP)To eliminate leprosy from the country.

    Objectives

    • With a view to eliminating leprosy from the country, a three-pronged strategy has been adopted for early detection of leprosy cases in the community during 2016-17:
    • Leprosy Case Detection Campaign for high endemic districts.
    • Focused Leprosy Campaign for hot spots.
    • Specific plan for Case Detection in Hard to reach areas.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    15.National Framework for Malaria Elimination

    Objectives

    The aims of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India 2016-2030 are:

    • To Eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) throughout the entire country by 2030; and
    • Maintain malaria-free status in areas where malaria transmission has been interrupted and prevent re-introduction of malaria.1. Eliminate malaria from all 26 States including 15 low (Category 1) and 11 moderate (Category 2) transmission States/Union Territories (UTs) by 2022;
    • Reduce the incidence of malaria to less than 1 case per 1000 population per year in all States and UTs and their districts by 2024;
    • Interrupt indigenous transmission of malaria throughout the entire country, including all 10 high transmission States and Union Territories (Category 3) by 2027; and
    • Prevent the re-establishment of local transmission of malaria in areas where it has been eliminated and maintain national malaria-free status by 2030 and beyond.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    16.Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (ELF) Programme

    Objectives

    • National Health Policy (2002) has laid down the goal for elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis by 2015, which has now been revised to 2017, though global goal is 2020

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    17.LAQSHYA

    Objectives

    • Scheme aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatre. The programme aims at implementing ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving tangible results within 18 months.
    • Under the initiative, a multipronged strategy has been adopted, including improving infrastructure upgradation, ensuring availability of essential equipment, providing adequate human resources, capacity building of healthcare workers and improving quality processes in the labour room.
    • A healthcare facility achieving 70% score on NQAS will be declared ‘LaQshya’ certified. Facilities scoring over 90, 80 and 70% will get platinum, gold and silver badges respectively.
    • Facilities achieving NQAS certification and having 80% satisfied beneficiaries will be given monetary incentive with medical college hospitals getting Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for district hospitals.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

    18.Suvidha

    Objectives

    The government has launched biodegradable sanitary napkins, priced at ₹2.50 per pad. The name is Suvidha.

    Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers

    19.SATH Programme

    Objectives

    • NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital’ with the State Governments.The vision of the program is to initiate transformation in the education and health sectors.
    • The program addresses the need expressed by many states for technical support from NITI aayog.
    • SATH aims to identify and build three future ‘role model’ states for health systems.
    • NITI Aayog will work in close collaboration with their state machinery to design a robust roadmap of intervention, develop a program governance structure, set up monitoring and tracking mechanisms, handhold state institutions through the execution stage and provide support on a range of institutional measures to achieve the end objectives.
    • The program will be implemented by NITI along with McKinsey & Company and IPE Global consortium, who were selected through a competitive bidding process.
    • Niti aayog

    20.National Health mission.

    Objectives

    • The broad objectives of this mission are as follows:
    • Reduce MMR to 1/1000 live births
    • Reduce IMR to 25/1000 live births
    • Reduce TFR (Total Fertility Rate ) to 2.1
    • Prevention and reduction of anaemia in women aged 15–49 years
    • Prevent and reduce mortality & morbidity from communicable, non-communicable; injuries and emerging diseases
    • Reduce household out-of-pocket expenditure on total health care expenditure
    • Reduce annual incidence and mortality from Tuberculosis by half
    • Reduce prevalence of Leprosy to <1/10000 population and incidence to zero in all districts
    • Annual Malaria Incidence to be <1/1000
    • Less than 1 per cent microfilaria prevalence in all districts
    • Kala-azar Elimination by 2015, <1 case per 10000 population in all blocks.

    The National Health Mission (NHM) has two Sub-Missions :

    National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) covering urban areas

    National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) covering rural areas

  • [Burning Issue] ASAT; An overview

    CONTEXT

    India has tested the Anti-Satellite System(A-SAT) from Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, an island off the coast of Odisha.

    • The test was named as Mission Shakti.
    • It has successfully destroyed a live satellite in the Low Earth Orbit(an altitude of 300 km).
    • With this test India is now in the league of three countries after the U.S., Russia, and China to have such technology.

    What Is ASAT?

    • It is missile-based system to attack moving satellites.
    • It is of 2 kinds— based on launching from the ground or from planes.
    • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has -developed Anti-satellite (ASAT)completely indigenously.

    Mission Shakti

    • While Mission Shakti may have targeted an object in outer space, India has long developed the ability to intercept incoming missiles.
    • In 2011, a modified Prithvi missile mimicked the trajectory of a ballistic missile with a 600-km range.
    • The DRDO-developed Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Interceptor Missile successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a ‘Hit to Kill’ mode.
    • The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters.

    What are low earth orbit satellites?

    • The Indian satellite that was shot down was a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite.
    • These are satellites roughly at an altitude of 2,000 kilometres from the earth and that’s the region where the majority of satellites are concentrated.

    ASAT through history

    • ASAT is the technological capability to hit and destroy satellites in space through missiles launched from the ground.
    • ASAT weapon systems have a long history and were a product of the Cold War hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union.
    • They came back into popular currency after China conducted an anti-satellite missile test on Jan 2007.
    • The target was a Chinese weather satellite — the FY-1C – that sailed at an altitude of 865 km. (537 mi).
    • A year later, the US launched ‘Operation Burnt Frost,’ the code name to intercept and destroy a non-functioning satellite named USA-193.

    Why target satellites?

    • Satellites are extremely critical infrastructure of any country these days. A large number of crucial applications are now satellite-based.
    • These include navigation systems, communication networks, broadcasting, banking systems, stock markets, weather forecasting, disaster management, and military applications etc.
    • Destroying a satellite would render these applications useless.
    • It can cripple enemy infrastructure, and bring it down on knees, without causing any threat to human lives.

    The Significance of the test

    • Ministry of External Affairs describes it as a ‘credible deterrence’ against attacks on India’s growing number of space assets.
    • Although only three other countries, the U.S., Russia, and China, have previously demonstrated this capability, it is possible to surmise that countries with long-range missiles could do the same with equal effectiveness.
    • But India, surely, is staking a forward claim as a space weapons power.

    1. A message to the world

    • While the government has conceded that India has long had ASAT capabilities, this is the country’s first demonstration to the world.
    • It has shown that it is capable of bringing down a satellite, and disrupting communication.
    • Because the test was carried out on a satellite placed in the low-earth orbit, one might question whether India can hit any satellite.
    • Targeting satellites in the higher orbits, however, is only a matter of scale of powering the rockets enough to go deeper in the space.

    2. It might propel Arms Race in the neighbourhood

    • This might lead to its none-too-friendly neighbour Pakistan into a competitive frenzy.
    • Also, in the absence of a credible threat to India’s space assets from China or any other country with Anti-Satellite missile capabilities, whether the ‘deterrence’ sought to be achieved by this test would lead to a more stable strategic security environment is not certain.

    3.Concerns with the timing of test and elections

    • But, within India, the timing of the test, when the country is already in election mode, does raise concerns whether this was aimed at the domestic constituency.
    • The Election Commission is now seized of the question whether the Prime Minister might have violated the Model Code of Conduct.
    • If it does find the timing amiss, the government could be in for some serious embarrassment.

    4.The problem of space debris

    • Anything launched into the space remains in space, almost forever, unless it is specifically brought down or slowly disintegrates over decades or centuries.
    • Satellites that are past their life and are no longer required also remain in space, orbiting aimlessly in some orbit.
    • According to the NASA, there were 19,137 man-made objects in space that were large enough to be tracked.
    • These included active and inactive satellites, rockets and their parts, and other small fragments.
    • A satellite that is destroyed by a missile disintegrates into small pieces, and adds to the space debris.
    • The threat from the space debris is that it could collide with the operational satellites and render them dysfunctional.

    Outer Space Treaty of 1967

    • The Outer Space Treaty, to which India is a signatory, prohibits countries from placing into orbit around the Earth “any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction”.
    • Among its principles, it bars states party to the treaty from placing weapons of mass destruction in Earth orbit, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer space.
    • The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all state parties to the treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes, says the treaty.

    Indian stance on Claims Of violating Space Treaty

    • There are at least four more multilateral treaties that deal with specific concepts agreed to in the Outer Space Treaty. None of these, however, prohibits the kind of test that India carried.
    • India believes in peaceful use of the common outer space that belongs to humanity.
    • India is not in violation of any international law or treaty to which it is a party or any national obligation.
    • The MEA said the A-SAT test was not directed against any country and that India plans to play a role in future in drafting global laws on prevention of arms race in outer space.
    • As is mandatory for any missile test, India did issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to airline authorities across the world informing them about an impending missile test.
    • MEA reiterated India’s support of Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the Conference on Disarmament “where it has been on the agenda since 1982.

    Present global space architecture

    • There is no global regulatory regime to address the growing militarisation in space.
    • Last year, at the UN Disarmament Commission, India expressed concern about the “weaponisation” of outer space, and sought collective action to secure space-based assets.
    • In this regulatory vacuum, India has legitimate reasons to develop deterrence for the security of its space-based assets.

    Need For formulating Space Programme

    • India is assiduously putting in place a space military architecture.
    • That is precisely why the government should articulate much more clearly the doctrinal aspects of the space programme, as well as the deterrence sought to be achieved by it.
    • India must communicate its peaceful intentions just as it showcases its capabilities, so as to contribute to a better understanding among countries it hopes to deter and thereby reduce the chances of wrong inferences being drawn in crisis situations.
    • After all, missiles are but one aspect of space warfare.
    • There are other, less visible but equally effective methods to incapacitate satellites that are being developed and are of equally serious concern.

     

  • [Prelims Spotlight]Government Bodies related to environment conservation in India

    Government Bodies related to environment conservation in India

    Central Pollution Control Board

    Established: It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

    Objective: To provide technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

    Key Functions:

    • Advise the Central Government on any matter concerning prevention and control of water and air pollution and improvement of the quality of air.
    • Plan and cause to be executed a nation-wide programm for the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
    • Co-ordinate the activities of the State Board and resolve disputes among them
    • Provide technical assistance and guidance to the State Boards, carry out and sponsor investigation and research relating to problems of water and air pollution, and for their prevention, control or abatement
    • Plan and organise training of persons engaged in programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
    • Organise through mass media, a comprehensive mass awareness programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
    • Collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data relating to water and air pollution and the measures devised for their effective prevention, control or abatement;
    • Prepare manuals, codes and guidelines relating to treatment and disposal of sewage and trade effluents as well as for stack gas cleaning devices, stacks and ducts;
    • Disseminate information in respect of matters relating to water and air pollution and their prevention and control
    • Lay down, modify or annul, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, the standards for stream or well, and lay down standards for the quality of air.
    • Perform such other functions as may be prescribed by the Government of India.

     

    National Biodiversity Authority

    Established When: It is a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India established in 2003, after India signed Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992

    Headquarter: Chennai

    Objective of the body: Implementation of Biological Diversity Act, 2002

    Key Functions:

    It acts as a facilitating, regulating and advisory body to the Government of India “on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.”

    Additionally, it advises State Governments in identifying the areas of biodiversity importance (biodiversity hotspots) as heritage sites.

     

    National Tiger conservation authority

    Established: It was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.

    Headquarter: Delhi

    Objective:

    • Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
    • Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
    • Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
    • Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

    Key Functions:

    • to approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government under sub-section (3) of section 38V of this Act
    • evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves;
    • provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of  men and wild animal and to emphasize on co-existence in forest areas outside the National Parks, sanctuaries or tiger reserve, in the working plan code
    • provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit including future plan conservation
    • ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan
    • facilitate ongoing capacity building programme for skill development of officers and staff of tiger reserves.

     

    Animal Welfare Board of India

    Established When: It was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960.

    Headquarter: Ballabhgarh, Haryana

    Objective: To advise Government on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country.

    Key Functions:

    • Recognition of Animal Welfare Organisations: The Board oversees Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) by granting recognition to them if they meet its guidelines. The organisation must submit paperwork; agree to nominate a representative of the Animal Welfare Board of India on its Executive Committee; and to submit to regular inspections. After meeting the requirements and an inspection, the organisation is considered for grant of recognition.
    • The AWBI also appoints key people to the positions of (Hon) Animal Welfare Officers, who serve as the key point of contact between the people, the government and law enforcement agencies.
    • Financial assistance: The Board provides financial assistance to recognised Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs), who submit applications to the Board. Categories of grants include Regular Grant, Cattle Rescue Grant, Provision of Shelter House for looking after the Animals, Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme, Provision of Ambulance for the animals in distress and Natural Calamity grant.
    • Animal welfare Laws and Rules: The Board suggests changes to laws and rules about animal welfare issues. In 2011, a new draft Animal Welfare Act was published for comment. Guidance is also offered to organisations and officials such as police to help them interpret and apply the laws.
    • Raising awareness: The Board issues publications to raise awareness of various animal welfare issues. The Board’s Education Team gives talks on animal welfare subjects, and trains members of the community to be Board Certified Animal Welfare Educators.

     

    Forest Survey of India

    Established When:  It is a government organization in India under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for conducting forest surveys and studies. The organization came into being in, 1981.

    Headquarter: Dehradun, Uttarakhand

    Objective

    The objective of the organization is monitoring periodically the changing situation of land and forest resources and present the data for national planning; conservation and management of environmental preservation and implementation of social forestry projects.

    Key Functions

    • The Functions of Forest Survey of India are:
    • To prepare State of Forest Report biennially, providing assessment of latest forest cover in the country and monitoring changes in these.
    • To conduct inventory in forest and non-forest areas and develop database on forest tree resources.
    • To prepare thematic maps on 1:50,000 scale, using aerial photographs.
    • To function as a nodal agency for collection, compilation, storage and dissemination of spatial database on forest resources.
    • To conduct training of forestry personnel in application of technologies related to resources survey, remote sensing, GIS, etc.
    • To strengthen research & development infrastructure in FSI and to conduct research on applied forest survey techniques.
    • To support State/UT Forest Departments (SFD) in forest resources survey, mapping and inventory.
    • To undertake forestry related special studies/consultancies and custom made training courses for SFD’s and other organizations on project basis.

    Forest Survey of India assesses forest cover of the country every 2 years by digital interpretation of remote sensing satellite data and publishes the results in a biennial report called ‘State of Forest Report'(SFR).

    Central Zoo Authority of India

    Established: It was established in 1992 and constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act.

    Headquarter: Delhi

    Objective 

    The main objective of the authority is to complement the national effort in conservation of wildlife.

    Standards and norms for housing, upkeep, health care and overall management of animals in zoos have been laid down under the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.

    Key Functions

    • Since its inception in 1992, the Authority has evaluated 513 zoos, out of which 167 have been recognized and 346 refused recognition.
    • The Authority’s role is more of a facilitator than a regulator.  It, therefore, provides technical and financial assistance to such zoos which have the potential to attain the desired standard in animal management. Only such captive facilities which have neither the managerial skills nor the requisite resources are asked to close down.
    • Apart from the primary function of grant of recognition and release of financial assistance, the Central Zoo Authority also regulates the exchange of animals of endangered category listed under Schedule-I and II of the Wildlife (Protection Act) among zoos.
    • Exchange of animals between Indian and foreign zoos is also approved by the Authority before the requisite clearances under EXIM Policy and the CITES permits are issued by the competent authority.
    • The Authority also coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned conservation breeding programmes and ex-situ research including biotechnological intervention for conservation of species for complementing in-situ conservation efforts in the country.