The Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, released the report on the Status of Leopards in India at New Delhi.
About Indian Leopard
The Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent.
These are the smallest of the big cats.
They are known for their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats.
They are strong and agile predators that can climb trees and drag their prey up for safety.
Conservation Status:
IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
CITES: Appendix I
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
About the Fifth Cycle of Leopards Estimation
The fifth cycle leopard population estimation was conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in collaboration with State Forest Departments.
It covered 18 States of India, and focused on about 70% of the animals’ expected habitat.
The estimation focused on forested habitats within 18 tiger states, covering major tiger conservation landscapes. Non-forested and high Himalayan regions were excluded.
A comprehensive foot survey spanning 6,41,449 km and camera traps at 32,803 locations resulted in 85,488 photo-captures of leopards, providing valuable insights into their distribution and abundance.
Key Findings
Population Estimate: India’s leopard population is estimated at 13,874 individuals, signifying stability compared to the 2018 estimate. Notably, this estimation covers 70% of leopard habitat, excluding areas like the Himalayas and semi-arid regions.
Regional Trends: While Central India witnesses a stable or slightly growing population, regions like the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains experience a decline. Overall, there’s a 1.08% per annum growth in sampled areas.
State-wise Distribution: Madhya Pradesh houses the largest population of leopards in the country – 3907 (2018: 3421), followed by Maharashtra (2022: 1985; 2018: 1,690), Karnataka (2022: 1,879 ; 2018: 1,783) and Tamil Nadu (2022: 1,070; 2018: 868).
Habitats: Tiger Reserves or sites with highest leopard population are, Nagarajunasagar Srisailam (AP), followed by Panna (MP), and Satpura (AP).
Declining Trends: While Uttarakhand reported a 22% decline in the big cat numbers — reportedly due to poaching and man-animal conflict, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal saw a collective 150% rise to 349 animals.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2012
Q. Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?
(a) Great Indian Bustard, Musk Deer, Red Panda and Asiatic Wild Ass
(b) Kashmir Stag, Cheetal, Blue Bull and Great Indian Bustard
(c) Snow Leopard, Swamp Deer, Rhesus Monkey and Saras (Crane)
(d) Lion-tailed Macaque, Blue Bull, Hanuman Langur and Cheetal
Prime Minister has unveiled India’s maiden indigenous hydrogen fuel cell ferry, a groundbreaking achievement in the country’s maritime sector.
About Harit Nauka Initiative
In January 2024, the Shipping Ministry unveiled the guidelines for inland vessels.
As per the guidelines, all states have to make efforts to use green fuels for 50 per cent of inland waterways-based passenger fleets in the next one decade, and 100 per cent by 2045.
This is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as per the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ferry: Key Features
Design: The 24-meter-long catamaran ferry accommodates up to 50 passengers in its air-conditioned area, constructed with high-quality fiberglass reinforced plastic.
Manufacture: Manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), the vessel will revolutionize water transportation and contribute to India’s green mobility initiatives.
Propulsion: Powered by a 50-kW Proton-Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell and Lithium-Ion Phosphate batteries, the vessel operates with zero emissions and minimal noise, offering enhanced energy efficiency.
Energy Source: Hydrogen fuel, stored in five cylinders onboard, fuels the vessel’s propulsion system, supplemented by a 3-kW solar panel for additional energy generation.
Operational Mechanism
Hydrogen Fuel Cells: The vessel utilizes hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity by harnessing the chemical energy of hydrogen, emitting only pure water as a byproduct.
Continuous Operation: Unlike conventional batteries, hydrogen fuel cells do not require recharging, ensuring continuous operation with uninterrupted fuel and oxygen supply.
Indigenous Development
Collaborative Effort: Cochin Shipyard Limited spearheaded the vessel’s construction, incorporating indigenous hydrogen fuel cell systems developed by KPIT Technologies and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Labs.
Early Mover Advantage: India’s pioneering hydrogen fuel cell ferry underscores the nation’s commitment to green technology and positions it as a frontrunner in maritime sustainability.
Researchers in Goa have successfully synthesized gold nanoparticles from a wild mushroom species known as Roen Olmi, which is widely consumed as a delicacy in the coastal state.
About Roen Olmi Mushroom
Species: Roen Olmi belongs to the Termitomyces species and is found growing on termite hills.
Local Name: Locally known as “roen olmi” in Goa, it is a popular edible wild mushroom enjoyed by the locals, especially during the monsoon season.
Habitat: Endemic to the Western Ghats, Roen Olmi mushrooms thrive in the thick forest cover and high humidity prevalent in the region.
Ecological Significance: These mushrooms play a crucial role in forest and grassland ecosystems by converting 50% of dead plant material into nutrient-rich soil. They also possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
Cultural and Medicinal Value: Roen Olmi mushrooms are valued not only for their nutritional attributes but also for their ethno-medicinal significance in indigenous communities across Asia and Africa.
Implications and Future Directions
Economic Impact: The breakthrough has significant economic implications, especially in the biomedical and biotechnological sectors, where the demand for gold nanoparticles is expected to rise.
Environmental Sustainability: Unlike conventional methods that employ toxic chemical agents, the use of Roen Olmi mushrooms offers an eco-friendly approach to mass-producing gold nanoparticles.
Local Community Benefits: The researchers advocate for the conservation and sustainable use of this valuable resource, emphasizing the importance of sharing benefits with the local community in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2021
In the nature, which of the following is/are most likely to be found surviving on a surface without soil?
Fern
Lichen
Moss
Mushroom
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
PM Modi in collaboration with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, inaugurated a series of projects on Mauritius’ Agalega Island.
Agalega Island: A Strategic Location
Agaléga are two outer islands of Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers north of Mauritius island.
The islands have a total area of 2,600 ha (6,400 acres).
Notable settlements include Vingt Cinq on the North Island and Sainte Rita on the South Island, serving as primary hubs for residents and economic activities.
Significance of New Airstrip and the Base
India’s Strategic Presence: The inauguration of a new airstrip and jetty underscores India’s commitment to strengthening its influence in the southwestern Indian Ocean, aligning with its broader strategic objectives.
Economic Impetus: Agalega Island’s strategic location facilitates trade and connectivity in the Indian Ocean region, enhancing economic opportunities for Mauritius and neighboring countries.
Trade Security: With a significant portion of India’s trade traversing the Indian Ocean, the development of infrastructure on Agalega Island contributes to safeguarding trade routes and ensuring maritime security.
Benefits for Mauritius
Developmental support: Historically a slave plantation, North Agalega Island reflects the legacy of colonial exploitation, with its main town, Vingt Cinq, evoking the brutality of slavery.
Strategic boost: India’s development initiatives aim to ameliorate conditions for the island’s inhabitants, alongside bolstering Mauritian Defence Force operations.
India’s Strategic Imperative
Counterbalancing Chinese Influence: India’s developmental endeavors on Agalega Island serve as a proactive measure to counter China’s expanding ‘String of Pearls’ strategy, safeguarding its regional interests and sovereignty.
Enhanced Security Infrastructure: By upgrading security infrastructure, including facilities for surveillance and monitoring, Mauritius strengthens its security apparatus, contributing to overall regional stability and resilience.
Regional Cooperation: The projects on Agalega Island are aligned with India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy initiative, aimed at fostering regional development and security cooperation among Indian Ocean Rim countries.
In conversations with AI chatbots like ChatGPT, the text the AI can “see” or “read” at any given moment is determined by its context window.
The context window, measured in tokens, defines the amount of conversation the AI can process and respond to during a chat session.
What are Context Windows?
Tokens: Basic units of data processed by AI models, tokens represent words, parts of words, or characters.
Tokenisation: The process of converting text into vectors (format suitable) for input into machine learning models.
Example: For English text, one token is roughly equivalent to four characters. Thus, a context window of 32,000 tokens translates to around 128,000 characters.
Importance of Context Windows
Recall and Understanding: Context windows enable AI models to recall information from earlier in the conversation and understand contextual nuances.
Generating Responses: They help AI models generate responses that are contextually relevant and human-like in nature.
Functioning of Context Windows
Sliding Window Approach: Context windows work by sliding a window over the input text, focusing on one word at a time.
Scope of Information: The size of the context window determines the scope of contextual information assimilated by the AI system.
Context Window Sizes
Advancements: Recent AI models like GPT-4 Turbo and Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro boast context window sizes of up to 128K tokens and 1 million tokens, respectively.
Benefits: Larger context windows allow models to reference more information, maintain coherence in longer passages, and generate contextually rich responses.
Challenges and Considerations
Computational Power: Larger context windows require significant computational power during training and inference, leading to higher hardware costs and energy consumption.
Repetition and Contradiction: AI models with large context windows may encounter issues such as repeating or contradicting themselves.
Accessibility: The high resource requirements of large context windows may limit access to advanced AI capabilities to large corporations with substantial infrastructure investments.
Conclusion
Context windows play a vital role in enabling AI chatbots to engage in meaningful conversations by recalling context and generating relevant responses.
While larger context windows offer benefits in terms of performance and response quality, they also pose challenges related to computational resources and environmental sustainability.
Balancing these factors is essential for the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) announced the discovery of a new marine species, Melanochlamys droupadi, named after the esteemed President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
About Melanochlamys Droupadi
Geographical Origin: Melanochlamys droupadi was first sighted off the shores of Digha in West Bengal and Udaipur in Odisha, marking its exclusive habitat.
Distinctive Features: Characterized by its short, blunt cylindrical body and smooth dorsal surface adorned with two unequal shields, this species showcases unique anatomical traits.
Morphological Identification: The species was meticulously examined for morphological, anatomical, and molecular characteristics, confirming its taxonomic classification within the Melanochlamys genus.
Physical Attributes: It is a small invertebrate reaching up to 7 mm in length, exhibits a brownish-black hue with a striking ruby red spot.
Biological nature: It is hermaphroditic (possessing both male and female reproductive organs, structures, and tissue) and predominantly inhabits intertidal zones along sandy beaches.
Habitat and Reproduction
Ecological Niche: The species is typically found in the intertidal zone, leaving distinctive crawl marks along sandy beaches.
Reproductive Cycle: Reproduction occurs primarily between November and January, marking a critical phase in the species’ life cycle.
Distribution and Taxonomy
Indo-Pacific Realm: While species of the Melanochlamys genus are predominantly found in temperate regions of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, Melanochlamys droupadi stands out as a truly tropical species.
Research Insights: A study conducted by ZSI researchers sheds light on the species’ behavior, highlighting its unique ability to secrete transparent mucus, forming a protective sheath against sand grains.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister, has approved the establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with headquarters in India.
About the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
Objective: The IBCA aims to spearhead efforts towards the protection and conservation of the 7 major big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah.
Funding: The Government of India has pledged an initial support of Rs. 150 crore for the first five years. Additionally, the alliance will explore contributions from bilateral and multilateral agencies, financial institutions, and donor agencies to augment its corpus.
Membership: Membership to the alliance will be open to 96 “range” countries, which are nations containing the natural habitat of the seven big cats.
Activities: The alliance’s activities will include advocacy, partnership building, knowledge dissemination through an e-portal, capacity building, eco-tourism promotion, and financial resource mobilization.
Governance Structure
Composition: The governance structure of IBCA includes a General Assembly comprising all member countries, a Council of elected member countries, and a Secretariat.
Appointment: The General Assembly appoints the Secretary General of IBCA upon the recommendation of the Council.
Framework: The alliance’s governance framework, drafted on the lines of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), will be finalised by the International Steering Committee (ISC).
India’s Role in Big Cat Conservation
Big Cat Diversity: India is home to five of the seven major big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, and cheetah.
Conservation Efforts: India has undertaken significant conservation efforts, as reflected in the increase in tiger and lion populations. For instance, India now hosts about 70% of the world’s tiger population, and the Asiatic lion population in Gir National Park has shown steady growth.
Cheetah Reintroduction: Cheetahs, once extinct in India since 1952, have been reintroduced into the wild. Eight cheetahs were imported from Namibia and released into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in November 2022.
On March 1, International Waste Pickers Day, waste pickers across the world will pay homage to fellow pickers who were murdered in Colombia in 1992.
Who are informal waste pickers?
The International Labour Organization defines the informal sector in waste management as ‘individuals or small and micro-enterprises that intervene in waste management without being registered and without being formally charged with providing waste management services’
Background:
Informal waste pickers, often overlooked and marginalized, play a crucial but unseen role in India’s waste management systems. They are vital yet often forgotten members of the waste value chain ecosystem, deserving recognition and understanding.
These workers are the primary collectors of recyclable waste, playing a critical role in waste management and resource efficiency by collecting, sorting, trading and sometimes even reinserting discarded waste back into the economy.
Yet, they face systemic marginalisation due to non-recognition, non-representation, and exclusion from social security schemes and legal protection frameworks.
What data shows?
While reliable estimates of informal waste pickers are difficult to come by, the Centre for Science and Environment reported that the informal waste economy employs about 5%–2% of the urban population globally.
Many are women, children and the elderly, who are often disabled, are the poorest of the urban poor, and face violence and sexual harassment often. The Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18 indicates that there are nearly 1.5 million waste pickers within India’s urban workforce, with half a million being women.
Challenges Faced by Waste Pickers
Work Conditions: Waste pickers labor for 8 to 10 hours daily, collecting 60 kg to 90 kg of waste, often without safety equipment, exposing themselves to hazards.
Health Issues: They suffer from dermatological and respiratory problems, alongside regular injuries, due to their hazardous work conditions.
Socioeconomic Factors: Low income, irregular work, and harassment exacerbate their precarious livelihoods, compounded by their subordinate position in the caste hierarchy.
Impact of Private Sector Participation in waste collection
Exclusion: Private sector involvement in waste management alienates waste pickers, depriving them of their rights and exacerbating their vulnerability.
Marginalization: As noted by the Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers (AIW) 2023 report, Private actors employ expensive machinery, marginalizing informal waste pickers by offering competitive rates to waste generators, forcing them into hazardous scavenging activities.
Loss of Rights: Private players and municipal authorities often cordon off dump sites, further limiting waste pickers’ access and exacerbating their vulnerability.
Importance of Waste Pickers in Plastic Management
Global Contribution: Waste pickers globally collect and recover up to 60% of all plastic waste, contributing significantly to its recycling efforts, as highlighted in the 2022 World Economic Forum report.
Underappreciated Role: Despite their crucial contribution to sustainable recycling, waste pickers’ work is undervalued, and they struggle to earn a decent livelihood.
Quantitative Impact: Reports by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Pew state that informal waste pickers collected 27 million metric tonnes of plastic waste in 2016 alone, representing 59% of all plastic material collected for recycling, thereby preventing it from ending up in landfills or oceans.
Relevance in India’s Context: In India, where per capita plastic waste generation is rising, waste pickers’ role becomes even more critical, especially considering that the country is among the top 12 responsible for 52% of the world’s mismanaged waste, as per a recent CPCB report.
Harnessing Traditional Knowledge: Waste pickers possess traditional knowledge about waste handling, which could significantly enhance the effectiveness of the EPR system if integrated properly.
Rethinking EPR Norms: In light of this, there is a need to reconsider the formulation of EPR norms to ensure the inclusion and empowerment of millions of informal waste pickers within the new legal framework.
Objective: EPR aims to enhance plastic waste management by transferring the responsibility of waste management from municipal authorities to commercial waste producers.
Promises of EPR: EPR holds the potential for social inclusion for waste pickers and other informal grassroots actors by promoting accountability among commercial waste producers.
Analysis of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Guidelines
Stakeholder Identification: The EPR guidelines in India recognize various stakeholders, including the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), producers, brand owners, industry, industry associations, civil society organizations, and citizens.
Uncertainty Regarding Inclusion: It remains unclear whether these stakeholders include informal waste pickers or their representing organizations, raising questions about the extent of their involvement in the EPR framework.
Discrepancies with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016: While the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 mandate the inclusion of waste pickers in municipal solid waste management systems, informal waste pickers are evidently missing in the prioritization within the EPR guidelines.
Omission in EPR Guidelines 2022: The EPR Guidelines 2022, published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, have blatantly ignored the role of informal waste pickers in waste management and recycling, further exacerbating their exclusion from the formal waste management framework.
Challenges in Implementation
Redirection of Waste: Despite its promises, EPR often redirects waste away from the informal sector, posing a threat of large-scale displacement for informal waste pickers.
Concerns Raised by WIEGO: Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) have noted the potential negative impacts of EPR on informal waste pickers, highlighting the need for careful consideration and mitigation of such effects.
In conclusion, acknowledging waste pickers’ crucial role in plastic recycling is imperative for sustainable waste management. Efforts should focus on integrating them into formal systems like the Extended Producer Responsibility mechanism while addressing their socio-economic vulnerabilities for a more equitable and environmentally sound future.
Why is it that some aspirants seem to be confident about their preparation and successful in their first attempt, while the vast majority struggle attempt after attempt?
Three things stand out more than others:
Rankers have had a system in place since day zero.
Rankers developed a mindset, i.e., believing in the timetable and mock test accountability.
Rankers worked smart by taking weekly feedback from qualified mentors.
If you want results, you must approach things like a ranker, not a regular ‘go with the flow’ aspirant. You must learn to control the direction of your preparation. It all comes down to your approach.
So, What’s the difference? Actually, there are many differences:
99% of aspirants focus on completing the syllabus. Rankers focus on PYQ-based preparation.
99% of aspirants stop when they achieve a good mock score. Rankers sit with mentors to understand that the initial achievement is just a launchpad for the next step.
99% of aspirants are reactive. Rankers are proactive.
99% of aspirants want to win the mock tests. Rankers want to win in the exam, meaning they think long-term.
99% of aspirants wait for the exam result to tell their blindspots and issues; Rankers go to their mentors and take feedback.
99% of aspirants are kind of in. Rankers are all-in.
99% of aspirants focus on the outcome. Rankers focus on the process.
99% of aspirants think they are good at everything. Rankers understand their strength and weaknesses and use them to their advantage in exam.
99% of spirants see feedback as someone criticising who they are. Rankers know they have blind spots and seek out thoughtful criticism from mentors.
99% of aspirants value doing it once. Rankers value doing it consistently.
99% of aspirants focus on being right. Rankers concentrate on getting the best outcome.
99% of aspirants worry about what they see. Rankers worry about what they can’t see.
99% of aspirants blame others. Rankers accept responsibility.
99% of aspirants are intermittent. Rankers are consistent.
99% of aspirants focus on speed. Rankers focus on velocity.
Register for AIR 48, Aaditya sir’s webinar on 14 month blueprint for UPSC 2025
Read what IAS, Aaditya Pandey, AIR 48 sir has to say about UPSC preparation and approach
“I’m Aaditya, got rank 48 in UPSC 2022. Guys, thinking and preparing for UPSC can feel exciting and a bit scary. I’ve been in your shoes, and now I want to help you through it.
Whether you are someone who can immerse themselves in preparation for 7-8 hours daily, or a UPSC warriors balancing work or college with 4-5 hours of study, remember, it’s about quality, not just quantity.
Join me on a Zoom session on 3rd March 2024 at 7 PM. It’s for everyone – whether you’re new to UPSC or you’ve tried before but targeting a Top-50 rank in UPSC 2025.
In the session we will talk about how to start and strategize your prep for UPSC 2025. I will share precise step wise studyplan and apporach you should have for a top-50 rank. More than that I will also talk about the philosophy of UPSC prep, what UPSC expects, and how you should adapt towards meeting those expectations.
We will deal with all the aspects for a comprehensive UPSC preparation.
We’ll talk about how to start with the basics, NCERTs that aren’t just textbooks but your foundation stones. And how you will have to complement this with a disciplined approach to reading newspapers and covering CA. It’s not about skimming through; it’s about understanding the world around you, which is crucial for both Prelims and Mains.
Gradually how to progress to standard books, but do so with a strategy. You don’t just read; but analyze and understand. And here’s where the mindset plays a massive role. Transforming from an aspirant to a top ranker isn’t just about hard work; it’s about smart work, the right attitude, and persistence.
Focus on mastering answer writing should be from early on. Your notes should be concise, clear, and, most importantly, useful. You have to learn to weave current affairs with static portions seamlessly. This isn’t just preparation; it’s about building a habit, a discipline that will stand you in good stead not just for UPSC but for life.
I’ve talked to thousands of UPSC hopefuls on YouTube and through Civilsdaily. I know what you’re up against because I’ve been there. In this webinar, I’ll also share my notes with you.
See you in the webinar”
Register for AIR 48, Aaditya sir’s webinar on 14 month blueprint for UPSC 2025
A 45-minute deep dive on how to plan your UPSC 2025 strategy from scratch: Level-0 to IAS in 1st attempt
How do first attempt IAS Rankers plan their weeks, months, and year?
Insider tips that only the top IAS and IPS rankers know and apply in every attempt
By the end, you’ll have razor-sharp clarity and a clear roadmap for approaching and qualifying your UPSC 2025 exam with confidence and near-perfect certainty.
Aaditya Pandey sir, IAS, AIR 48
Join AIR 48, IAS Aaditya Pandey’s FREE Webinar on 3rd March, 7:00 pm
First 100 will get personalized study plan and mentorship session
(Don’t wait—the next webinar won’t be until May 24)
These masterclasses are packed with value. They are conducted in private with a closed community. We rarely open these webinars for everyone for free. This time we are keeping it for 300 seats only.
