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  • Wetland Conservation

    Sustainable farming systems receive global recognition

    Four traditional farming systems in Bangladesh and Japan have been designated today by FAO as “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems” for innovation, sustainability and adaptability. Let’s know it in brief.

    Let’s take a glance on 4 traditional farming systems

    Bangladesh’s floating gardens, a unique hydroponics production system constructed with natural grasses and plants, which have been developed in flood areas.

    A trio of sites in Japan: the sustainable river fisheries utilizing Sato-kawa system in Gifu, the Minabe-Tanabe Ume approach to growing apricots on nutrient-poor slopes in Wakayama.

    The Takachihogo-Shiibayama mountainous agriculture and forestry system in Miyazaki which allows agricultural and forestry production in a steep mountainous area.

    These new designations bring the number of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) systems to a total of 36 sites located in 15 countries in Africa, Latin America, Near East and Asia.

    But first, Let’s know about Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)?

    • It was launched by UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
    • The GIAHS Initiative promotes public understanding, awareness, national and international recognition of Agricultural Heritage systems.
    • The initiative fosters an integrated approach combining sustainable agriculture and rural development.
    • The GIAHS initiative has project interventions in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic), Japan, Kenya etc.
    • In these countries, adaptive management approaches will be developed and implemented, to assist national and local stakeholders in the dynamic conservation of their agricultural heritage systems.

    Now, back to main topic of ‘new GIAHS sites’?

    The new GIAHS sites include three in Japan and one in Bangladesh –

    Japan – Ayu of the Nagara River System

    Ayu of the Nagara River System Japan

    • The Nagara River is one of the cleanest rivers in Japan that provides a number of ecosystem services.
    • Various components of the system such as river, forests and farmlands are closely linked to each other.
    • The sustainable inland fisheries of a specific type of fish (Ayu) benefit from clean waters of the Nagara River which are maintained through upstream forest management.
    • Local communities have lived within this linked ecosystems and have developed their livelihoods and cultural practices.

    Japan – Minabe-Tanabe Ume System

    Minabe-Tanabe Ume System Japan

    • Minabe-Tanabe Ume System allows for the production of high-quality Ume (Japanese apricots) and various kinds of fruits on nutrient-poor slopes.
    • Local communities have created a thriving Ume fruit production environment by maintaining upper coppice forests for landslide prevention and maintenance of water, and Japanese honeybee for pollinators.
    • By permitting the production of a diverse range of products, the system ensures stable livelihoods and makes communities more resilient to disasters.

    Japan – Takachihogo-Shiibayama Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry System

    Takachiho･Shiibayama Mosaic view of forests

    • This site is located in a steep mountainous area where flat land is extremely scarce.
    • In this severe environment, local people have established a sustainable system of agriculture and forestry which balances timber production with diverse farming activities.
    • Such as terraced rice growing, shiitake mushroom cultivation, beef cattle raising, or tea cultivation.
    • The forest is maintained as a “mosaic” of conifers and broadleaf trees using traditional practices.

    Bangladesh – Floating garden Agricultural Practices

    Floatingagri

    • Farmers in some parts of Bangladesh where flood waters can remain for a prolonged period of time have developed a unique hydroponics system in which plants can be grown on the water on floating organic bed of water hyacinth, algae and other plant residues.
    • This environmentally friendly traditional cultivation technique utilizes the natural resources of wetlands to grow vegetables and other crops almost all year round.
    • Providing numerous social, economic, agricultural and ecological benefits to the local population.

    If you would like to watch GIAHS 2013 video, it provides an introduction to GIAHS and takes you on a journey through some of the GIAHS sites around the world.

     

    Source - FAO features | Pic - Floating Gardens

  • Tax Reforms

  • International Monetary Fund,World Bank,AIIB, ADB and India

  • Prime Minister’s Office : Important Updates

  • President’s Rule

    The Case that changed the fate of President’s Rule

    The indiscriminate use of President’s rule to thwart away the state governments who did not meet the ideology of Union led to the landmark verdict in the S.R. Bommai vs Union Of India, 1994, which curtailed the misuse of Article 356.

    Article 356, what? 

    Under Article 356, the President can dismiss a State Government or dissolve a State Assembly or keep it under suspended animation in the event of a failure of the constitutional machinery in that State.

    Lets know the background of the case, shall we?

    In the 1970s & 1980s, it almost became common practice for the central govt. to dismiss state govts led by opposition parties.

    • The Indira Gandhi regime and post-emergency Janata Party were noted for this practice.
    • Indira Gandhi’s government between 1966-1977 is known to have imposed President’ rule in 39 times (not states).
    • In 1989, Karnataka CM S.R. Bommai was denied an opportunity to test his majority in the Assembly by the Governor and his govt. was dismissed.

    What do the Constitutional Experts have to say on Art. 356?

    Article 356 has always been the focal point of a wider debate of the federal structure of government in Indian polity.

    • Dr. B R Ambedkar had envisaged that Art. 356 shall remain the dead letter in the Indian constitution.
    • The Sarkaria Commission on central-state relations has recommended that Article 356 must be used very sparingly, in extreme cases, as a measure of last resort, when all the other alternatives fail to prevent or rectify a breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state.

    What was the S.R. Bommai case?

    S.R. Bommai vs Union of India, delivered in March 1994, had sharply limited the constitutional power vested in the Central Government to dismiss a State government.

    SC established strict guidelines for imposing President’s rule. This case laid down the conditions under which State govts may be dismissed, and mechanisms for that process.

    In terms of the legality of the imposition of President’s Rule in States under Article 356, the SC in this case overruled its own precedent in the case of State of Rajasthan v Union of India 1977 case.

    Let’s briefly understand the State of Rajasthan v Union of India 1977 case

    • SC held that the power of the President to impose President’s Rule is not above and beyond judicial review entirely.
    • The court might insist on substantial evidence in support of the Centre’s charges against a state if the latter accuses the Centre of acting mala fide.

    The Court in the Bommai case, narrowed down the circumstances and the manner in which such powers could be exercised.

    What are conditions for the valid exercise Article 356?

    There was a shift in constitutional jurisprudence as the principle of federalism was part of the basic structure of the Constitution, and this principle could only be deviated from in exceptional and extraordinary circumstances, i.e. where constitutional rule was not possible in the State.

    • The majority enjoyed by the Council of Ministers(CoM) in the state shall be tested on the floor of the house and not subjectively decided by the Governor.
    • Center shall give a warning and a time-period of 1 week to the concerned state.
    • Courts cannot question the advice tendered by the CoM to the President, but court can scrutinizethe material basis of the satisfaction of President.
    • Until the proclamation is approved by the Parliament, President shall not take any irreversibleaction, i.e. he should not dissolution of assembly.
    • Courts have the power to reverse the actions of President, if the Art. 356 is used inappropriately.
    • Art. 356 shall be used sparingly, otherwise it will destroy the constitutional balance between the Center & States.
    Published with inputs from Pushpendra | Image: Frontline

  • Zika Virus Outbreak

    Everything you wanted to know about Zika virus

    The World Health Organization (WHO) expects that Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease, spreading through the Americas, to affect between 3 million and 4 million people. Let’s analyse this in brief!

    Where was the first Zika virus outbreak identified?

    • Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever.
    • It was subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
    • Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

    Trivia : Do you know why is it called Zika Virus?

    It was first isolated from Rhesus monkeys in Zika forest near Lake Victoria in Uganda.

    Find Out why was Ebola virus named as such?

     

    What makes this outbreak different?

    • The current outbreak, the first ever in the western hemisphere, is a big deal for a number of reasons
    • We now know that it’s not adults who have the most to lose but their unborn babies
    • Microcephaly is a condition where a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain defects
    • Worldwide it affects only 1 in 30,000 to one in 250,000 newborns
    • In Brazil there are usually a few hundred cases annually at most, but since October 2015, there have been 3,500 new microcephaly cases

    But, what is microcephaly?

    • Microcephaly is a rare condition where a baby has an abnormally small head.
    • This is due to abnormal brain development of the baby in the womb or during infancy.
    • Babies and children with microcephaly often have challenges with their brain development as they grow older.
    • Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of environmental and genetic factors such as Downs syndrome; exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb; and rubella infection during pregnancy.

    How does the Zika virus spread?

    • Zika virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions
    • This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever
    • Zika virus disease outbreaks were reported for the first time from the Pacific in 2007 and 2013 (Yap and French Polynesia, respectively), and in 2015 from the Americas (Brazil and Colombia) and Africa (Cape Verde)

    How bad is it now?

    • As of January 23, 2016, the Zika virus has spread to 21 countries and territories of the Americas
    • It’s speculated that the virus must have arrived in Brazil along with the throngs that swept in during the 2014 FIFA World Cup
    • Things look so grim that governments of 4 South American countries are now advising women to not get pregnant until the situation is brought under control
    • The WHO has predicted that the virus is likely to spread all over North and South America, except for Chile and Canada where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is not present
    • The reason that the WHO thinks these countries are so susceptible is that their populations have not been exposed to the virus before and hence have no immunity

    Is there a cure?

    • No, there isn’t. There exists medication for symptomatic relief but these are quite useless now that we know about the microcephaly link
    • Research on the Zika virus is still quite primitive
    • Given its generic symptoms in adults, it’s very easy to miss or misdiagnose
    • Moreover, the virus doesn’t seem to show effects in common lab animals like mice and rats. Getting monkeys is extremely tough because of restrictions on primate research
    • Vaccine development and antiviral drug discovery efforts are on but this takes time, and with the Zika virus, we’ll be starting from scratch

    Does Brazil have a way out?

    • Brazil needs an immediate plan of action for more than one reason
    • Rio de Janeiro is frantically spraying insecticides at the parade grounds where the annual carnival celebrations will commence soon
    • In August, the city is due to host the Olympics

    What about India?

    • India is one of the Aedes aegyptis’s many homes but the Zika virus itself has not ever been detected in our country so far
    • However, in a study in the 1950s, healthy individuals from 6 Indian states showed passive immunity to the virus
    • This means that though their blood contained antibodies against the virus, this was not because they were exposed to the virus
    • Usually passive immunity is acquired through vaccines, from mother-to-child transmissions or breast milk
    • In the case of India, where the Zika virus is not known to exist, the antibodies probably arose from exposure to similar viruses
    • Nevertheless, theoretically, Zika can spread anywhere that the mosquito exists
    • That means India, too. Indians are just as susceptible if they travel to high-risk countries

     

    Is there something more that you wanted to know which we did not answer yet? Drop in with your questions.

     

    Published with inputs from Arun | Image - Outbreaknews

  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-France

  • Human Development Report by UNDP

  • Minority Issues – SC, ST, Dalits, OBC, Reservations, etc.

  • Panchayati Raj Institutions: Issues and Challenges