Are you a Tsundoku ?
Tsundoku-(noun) – is the constant act of buying books, but never reading them.
Ministry of AYUSH and the World Health Organization :-
Background :- The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has given its approval to the Agreement for collaborative activities to be signed in the area of Traditional Medicine between Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and the World Health Organization, Geneva.
Objective:-
The long-term collaboration with WHO would help in improving International acceptability and branding of Ayush systems, facilitate awareness generation regarding AYUSH systems of Medicine by means of education, skill development, workshops, publications and exchange programs between AYUSH and WHO for capacity building, facilitate advocacy and dissemination of information on AYUSH systems amongst the Member States; collaboration with third Parties for creating synergies in implementation of WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 particularly in the context of AYUSH systems.
India would assign to WHO activities for development of the following WHO technical documents/publications which will help in better international acceptability of Indian Systems:
i. Benchmarks for training in Yoga;
ii. Benchmarks for practice in Ayurveda;
iii. Benchmarks for practice in Unani Medicine; and
iv. Benchmarks for practice in Panchakarma*
Under the long-term collaboration, AYUSH and WHO would subsequently take up other mutually agreed activities and initiatives that could encompass multilateral collaboration for promotion of Traditional and Complementary Medicine/Systems (T&CM) including development of the WHO publication on the Basic terminologies for T&CM; establishment of a database for global T & CM practitioners; establishment of a network of international regulatory cooperation for T&CM practice.
*Panchakarma is Ayurveda’s primary purification and detoxification treatment. Panchakarma means “five therapies”. These 5 therapeutic treatments eliminate toxins from the body, they are : Vamana, Virechana, Nasya, Basti and Raktamoskshana. The series of these five therapies help remove deep rooted stress and illness-causing toxins from the body while balancing the doshas (energies that govern all biological functions)
LIGO-India mega science proposal
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has given its ‘in principle’ approval to the LIGO-India mega science proposal for research on gravitational waves. The proposal, known as LIGO-India project (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in India) is piloted by Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Science and Technology (DST). The approval coincides with the historic detection of gravitational waves a few days ago that opened up of a new window on the universe to unravel some of its greatest mysteries.
The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory in India in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the U.S. run by Caltech and MIT.
The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for scientists and engineers to dig deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier.
LIGO-India will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting edge technology for the Indian industry which will be engaged in the construction of eight kilometre long beam tube at ultra-high vacuum on a levelled terrain.
The project will motivate Indian students and young scientists to explore newer frontiers of knowledge, and will add further impetus to scientific research in the country.
Tax Collection by Government of India:-
Protected Area Network of India:-
Background :-The Union Environment minister recently launched the Environment Information System (ENVIS) portal.
Protected Areas of India (as on 09 February, 2016)
| Type | No | Area (km2) | % of Geographical Area of India (%) |
| National Parks (NPs) | 103 | 40500.13 | 1.23 |
| Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLSs) | 535 | 118004.92 | 3.59 |
| Conservation Reserves (CRs) | 66 | 2344.53 | 0.07 |
| Community Reserves | 26 | 46.93 | 0.001 |
| Protected Areas (PAs) | 730 | 160896.51 | 4.88 |
Biosphere Reserves:-
Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries and recognized under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science.The programme of Biosphere Reserve was initiated by UNESCO in 1971. The purpose of the formation of the biosphere reserve is to conserve in situ all forms of life, along with its support system, in its totality, so that it could serve as a referral system for monitoring and evaluating changes in natural ecosystems. The first biosphere reserve of the world was established in 1979, since then the network of biosphere reserves has increased to 631 in 119 countries across the world.
| S. No. | Name | Date of Notification |
Area (in km2) | Location (State) |
| 1 | Nilgiri | 01.09.1986 | 5520 (Core 1240 & Buffer 4280) |
Part of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Madumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley and Siruvani hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka). |
| 2 | Nanda Devi | 18.01.1988 | 5860.69 (Core 712.12, Buffer 5,148.570) & T. 546.34) |
Part of Chamoli, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar districts (Uttarakhand). |
| 3 | Nokrek | 01.09.1988 | 820 (Core 47.48 & Buffer 227.92, Transition Zone 544.60) |
Part of Garo hills (Meghalaya). |
| 4 | Great Nicobar | 06.01.1989 | 885 (Core 705 & Buffer 180) | Southern most islands of Andaman And Nicobar (A&N Islands). |
| 5 | Gulf of Mannar | 18.02.1989 | 10,500 km2 Total Gulf area (area of Islands 5.55 km2) |
Indian part of Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka (Tamil Nadu). |
| 6 | Manas | 14.03.1989 | 2837 (Core 391 & Buffer 2,446) |
Part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamprup and Darang districts (Assam) |
| 7 | Sunderbans | 29.03.1989 | 9630 (Core 1700 & Buffer 7900) |
Part of delta of Ganges and Brahamaputra river system (West Bengal). |
| 8 | Simlipal | 21.06.1994 | 4374 (Core 845, Buffer 2129 & Transition 1400 |
Part of Mayurbhanj district (Orissa). |
| 9 | Dibru-Saikhowa | 28.07.1997 | 765 (Core 340 & Buffer 425) |
Part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts (Assam) |
| 10 | Dehang-Dibang | 02.09.1998 | 5111.50 (Core 4094.80 &Buffer 1016.70) |
Part of Siang and Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. |
| 11 | Pachmarhi | 03.03.1999 | 4926 | Parts of Betul, Hoshangabad and Chindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. |
| 12 | Khangchendzonga | 07.02.2000 | 2619.92 (Core 1819.34 & Buffer 835.92) |
Parts of Khangchendzonga hills and Sikkim. |
| 13 | Agasthyamalai | 12.11.2001 | 1828 | Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries and their adjoining areas in Kerala. |
| 14 | Achanakamar – Amarkantak | 30.3.2005 | 3835.51 (Core 551.55 & Buffer 3283.86) |
Covers parts of Anupur and Dindori districts of M.P. and parts of Bilaspur districts of Chhattishgarh State. |
| 15 | Kachchh | 29.01.2008 | 12,454 km2 | Part of Kachchh, Rajkot, Surendra Nagar and Patan Civil Districts of Gujarat State |
| 16 | Cold Desert | 28.08.2009 | 7770 | Pin Valley National Park and surroundings; Chandratal and Sarchu&Kibber Wildlife Sancturary in Himachal Pradesh |
| 17 | Seshachalam Hills | 20.09.2010 | 4755.997 | Seshachalam Hill Ranges covering parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh |
| 18 | Panna | 25.08.2011 | 2998.98 | Part of Panna and Chhattarpur districts in Madhya Pradesh |
The Maps are old, and few of the proposed ones are already approved, so the maps should only be used to know the location of the reserves.
Details:-
The concept of Biosphere Reserves, especially its zonation, into Core Area(s) (dedicated to conservation), Buffer Area(s) (sustainable use) and Transition Area(s) (equitable sharing of benefits) were later broadly adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD ) process which entered into force on 29th December, 1993. TheCBD has two principal objectives, namely ,‘Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity’ and ‘Fair and Equitable sharing of benefits arising from its utilization’.
The Articles 6-20 of CBD call for in-situ and ex-situ conservation, incentives for conservation and sustainable use, research and training, awareness and education,impact assessment, regulating access to genetic resources, access and transfer of technology and provisions of financial resources. While dealing with these issues, CBD emphasizes on nationally determined priorities, capacity and needs and with full and effective participation of local communities.
The Core Zone:
The core zone is kept absolutely undisturbed. It must contain suitable habitat for numerous plant and animal species, including higher order predators and may contain centres of endemism. Core areas often conserve the wild relatives of economic species and also represent important genetic reservoirs. The core zones also contain places of exceptional scientific interest. A core zone secures legal protection and management and research activities that do not affect natural processes and wildlife are allowed. Strict nature reserves and wilderness portions of the area are designated as core areas of BR. The core zone is to be kept free from all human pressures external to the system.
The Buffer Zone:
In the Buffer Zone, which adjoins or surrounds core zone, uses and activities are managed in ways that protect the core zone. These uses and activities include restoration, demonstration sites for enhancing value addition to the resources, limited recreation, tourism,fishing and grazing, which are permitted to reduce its effect on core zone. Research and educational activities are to be encouraged. Human activities, if natural within BR, are likely to be permitted to continue if these do not adversely affect the ecological diversity.
The Transition Zone:
The Transition Zone is the outermost part of a Biosphere Reserve. This is usually not delimited one and is a zone of cooperation where conservation, knowledge and management skills are applied and uses are managed in harmony with the purpose of the Biosphere Reserve. This includes settlements, crop lands, managed forests and area for intensive recreation, and other economic uses characteristic of the region. In Buffer Zone and the Transition Zones, manipulative macro-management practices are used. Experimental research areas are used for understanding the patterns and processes in the ecosystem. Modified or degraded landscapes are included as rehabilitation areas to restore the ecology in a way that it returns to sustainable productivity.
The characteristic features of Biosphere Reserves are:-
(1) Each Biosphere Reserves are protected areas of land and/or coastal environments wherein people are an integral component of the system. Together, they constitute a world wide network linked by International understanding for exchange of scientific information.
(2) The network of BRs include significant examples of biomes throughout the world.
(3) Each BR includes one or more of the following categories:-
(i) BRs are representative examples of natural biomes.
(ii) BRs conserve unique communities of biodiversity or areas with unusual natural features of exceptional interest . It is recognized that these representative areas may also contain unique features of landscapes, ecosystems and genetic variations e.g. one population of a globally rare species; their representativeness and uniqueness may both be characteristics of an area.
(iii) BRs have examples of harmonious landscapes resulting from traditional patterns of land-use.
(iv) BRs have examples of modified or degraded ecosystems capable of being restored to more natural conditions.
(v) BRs generally have a non-manipulative core area, in combination with areas in which baseline measurements, experimental and manipulative research, education and training is carried out. Where these areas are not contiguous, they can be associated in a cluster.
Functions of Biosphere Reserves:-
Conservation
• To ensure the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variations.
• To encourage the traditional resource use systems;
• To understand the patterns and processes of functioning of ecosystems;
• To monitor the natural and human-caused changes on spatial and temporal scales;
Development
• To promote, at the local level, economic development which is culturally, socially and ecologically sustainable.
• To develop the strategies leading to improvement and management of natural resources;
Logistics support
• To provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development
• Sharing of knowledge generated by research through site specific training and education
• Development of community spirit in the management of natural resources.
Criteria:-
Primary criteria
• A site that must contain an effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation and should include additional land and water suitable for research and demonstration of sustainable methods of research and management.
• The core area should be typical of a biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all tropic levels in the ecosystem.
Secondary criteria
• Areas having rare and endangered species
• Areas having diversity of soil and micro-climatic conditions and indigenous varieties of biota.
• Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of environment.
How Biosphere Reserves are different from protected areas such as National Parks (NP) and Wildlife Sanctuaries(WS)?
It may be noted that the BR is not intended to replace existing protected areas but it widens the scope of conventional approach of protection and further strengthens the Protected Area Network. Existing legally protected areas (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiger Reserve and reserve/protected forests) may become part of the BR without any change in their legal status. On the other hand, inclusion of such areas in a BR will enhance their national value. It, however, does not mean that Biosphere Reserves are to be established only around the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. However, the Biosphere Reserves differ from protected areas due to their emphasis on :
(i) Conservation of overall biodiversity and landscape, rather than some specific flagship species, to allow natural and evolutionary processes to continue without any hindrance.
(ii) Different components of BRs like landscapes, habitats, and species and land races.
(iii) Developmental activities, and resolution/mitigation of conflicts between development and conservation,
(iv) Increase in broad-basing of stakeholders, especially local people’s participation and their Training, compared to the features of scheme on Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks.
(v) Sustainable environment friendly development, and sustained coordination amongst different development organizations and agencies.
(vi) Research and Monitoring to understand the structure and functioning of ecological system and their mode of reaction when exposed to human
RAMSAR Wetland Sites:-
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value
| Sl. No. | Name of Site | State Location | Date of Declaration | Area (in sq.km.) |
| 1 | Asthamudi Wetland | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 1860 |
| 2 | Bhitarkanika Mangroves | Orissa | 19.8.2002 | 525 |
| 3 | Bhoj Wetlands | Madhya Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 31 |
| 4 | Chandertal Wetland | Himachal Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | 38.56 |
| 5 | Chilka Lake | Orissa | 1.10.1981 | 1140 |
| 6 | Deepor Beel | Assam | 19.8.2002 | 4.14 |
| 7 | East Calcutta Wetlands | West Bengal | 19.8.2002 | 378 |
| 8 | Harike Lake | Punjab | 23.3.1990 | 86 |
| 9 | Hokera Wetland | Jammu and Kashmir | 8.11.2005 | 13.75 |
| 10 | Kanjli Lake | Punjab | 22.1.2002 | 14.84 |
| 11 | Keoladeo Ghana NP | Rajasthan | 1.10.1981 | 28.73 |
| 12 | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 673 |
| 13 | Loktak Lake | Manipur | 23.3.1990 | 945 |
| 14 | Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | 24/09/12 | 120 |
| 15 | Point Calimere | Tamil Nadu | 19.8.2002 | 17.26 |
| 16 | Pong Dam Lake | Himachal Pradesh | 19.8.2002 | 307.29 |
| 17 | Renuka Wetland | Himachal Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | Not Available |
| 18 | Ropar Lake | Punjab | 22.1.2002 | 41.36 |
| 19 | Rudrasagar Lake | Tripura | 8.11.2005 | 2.40 |
| 20 | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | 23.3.1990 | 736 |
| 21 | Sasthamkotta Lake | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 11.3 |
| 22 | Surinsar-Mansar Lakes | Jammu and Kashmir | 8.11.2005 | 3.50 |
| 23 | Tsomoriri Lake | Jammu and Kashmir | 19.8.2002 | 120 |
| 24 | Vembanad Kol Wetland | Kerala | 19.8.2002 | 4583 |
| 25 | Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to Narora Stretch) |
Uttar Pradesh | 8.11.2005 | 265.90 |
| 26 | Wular Lake | Jammu & Kashmir | 23.3.1990 | 173 |
Natural World Heritage Sites:-
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as of special cultural or physical significance.
| Sl. No. |
Name of WH Site | State Location |
Year of Notification |
Area (sq.km) |
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | Assam | 1985 | 429.96 |
| 2 | Keoladeo Ghana National Park | Rajasthan | 1985 | 28.73 |
| 3 | Manas Wildlife Sanctuary | Assam | 1985 | 391.00 |
| 4 | Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers |
Uttarakhand | 1982 2005 |
630.00 87.50 |
| 5 | Sunderbans National Park | West Bengal | 1984 | 1,330.10 |
| 6 | Western Ghats | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala |
2012 | 7,953.15 |
| 7 | Great Himalayan National Park | Himachal Pradesh | 2014 | 905.4 |
Tiger Reserves:-
Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in the year 1973 to save the endangered species of tiger in the country. Starting from nine (9) reserves in 1973-74 the number is grown up to forty eight (48). A total area of 69793.24 km2 is covered by these project tiger areas.
Tiger Reserves of India (as on February, 2016)
| Sl. No. | Name of Tiger Reserve | State | Area of the core / critical tiger habitat (In Sq. Kms.) | Area of the buffer / peripheral (In Sq. Kms.) | Total area(In Sq.Kms.) | |
| 1 | Nagarjunsagar Srisailam (part)* | Andhra Pradesh | 2595.72* | 700.59* | 3296.31* | |
| 2 | Namdapha | Arunachal Pradesh | 1807.82 | 245 | 2052.82 | |
| 3 | Pakke | Arunachal Pradesh | 683.45 | 515 | 1198.45 | |
| 4 | Manas | Assam | 840.04 | 2310.88 | 3150.92 | |
| 5 | Nameri | Assam | 200 | 144 | 344 | |
| 6 | Kaziranga | Assam | 625.58 | 548 | 1173.58 | |
| 7 | Valmiki | Bihar | 598.45 | 300.93 | 899.38 | |
| 8 | Udanti-Sitanadi | Chattisgarh | 851.09 | 991.45 | 1842.54 | |
| 9 | Achanakmar | Chattisgarh | 626.195 | 287.822 | 914.017 | |
| 10 | Indravati | Chhattisgarh | 1258.37 | 1540.7 | 2799.07 | |
| 11 | Palamau | Jharkhand | 414.08 | 715.85 | 1129.93 | |
| 12 | Bandipur | Karnataka | 872.24 | 584.06 | 1456.3 | |
| 13 | Bhadra | Karnataka | 492.46 | 571.83 | 1064.29 | |
| 14 | Dandeli-Anshi | Karnataka | 814.884 | 282.63 | 1097.514 | |
| 15 | Nagarahole | Karnataka | 643.35 | 562.41 | 1205.76 | |
| 16 | Biligiri Ranganatha Temple | Karnataka | 359.1 | 215.72 | 574.82 | |
| 17 | Periyar | Kerala | 881 | 44 | 925 | |
| 18 | Parambikulam | Kerala | 390.89 | 252.772 | 643.662 | |
| 19 | Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | 917.43 | 1134.361 | 2051.791 | |
| 20 | Pench | Madhya Pradesh | 411.33 | 768.30225 | 1179.63225 | |
| 21 | Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh | 716.903 | 820.03509 | 1598.1 | |
| 22 | Panna | Madhya Pradesh | 576.13 | 1021.97** | 1578.55 | |
| 23 | Satpura | Madhya Pradesh | 1339.264 | 794.04397 | 2133.30797 | |
| 24 | Sanjay-Dubri | Madhya Pradesh | 812.571 | 861.931 | 1674.502 | |
| 25 | Melghat | Maharashtra | 1500.49 | 1268.03 | 2768.52 | |
| 26 | Tadoba-Andhari | Maharashtra | 625.82 | 1101.7711 | 1727.5911 | |
| 27 | Pench | Maharashtra | 257.26 | 483.96 | 741.22 | |
| 28 | Sahyadri | Maharashtra | 600.12 | 565.45 | 1165.57 | |
| 29 | Nawegaon-Nagzira | Maharashtra | 653.674 | – | 653.674 | |
| 30 | Bor | Maharashtra | 138.12 | – | 138.12 | |
| 31 | Dampa | Mizoram | 500 | 488 | 988 | |
| 32 | Similipal | Odisha | 1194.75 | 1555.25 | 2750 | |
| 33 | Satkosia | Odisha | 523.61 | 440.26 | 963.87 | |
| 34 | Ranthambore | Rajasthan | 1113.364 | 297.9265 | 1411.291 | |
| 35 | Sariska | Rajasthan | 881.1124 | 332.23 | 1213.342 | |
| 36 | Mukandra Hills | Rajasthan | 417.17 | 342.82 | 759.99 | |
| 37 | Kalakad-Mundanthurai | Tamil Nadu | 895 | 706.542 | 1601.542 | |
| 38 | Mudumalai | Tamil Nadu | 321 | 367.59 | 688.59 | |
| 39 | Sathyamangalam | Tamil Nadu | 793.49 | 614.91 | 1408.4 | |
| 40 | Anamalai | Tamil Nadu | 958.59 | 521.28 | 1479.87 | |
| 41 | Kawal | Telangana | 893.23 | 1125.89 | 2019.12 | |
| 42 | Nagarjunasagar Srisailam (part) * | Telangana | 2166.37* | 445.02* | 2611.39* | |
| 43 | Dudhwa | Uttar Pradesh | 1093.79 | 1107.9848 | 2201.7748 | |
| 44 | Pilibhit | Uttar Pradesh | 602.798 | 127.4518 | 730.2498 | |
| 45
|
Amangarh (buffer of Corbett TR) | Uttar Pradesh | – | 80.6 | 80.6 | |
| Corbett | Uttarakhand | 821.99 | 466.32 | 1288.31 | ||
| 46 | Rajaji TR | Uttarakhand | 255.63 | 819.54 | 1075.17 | |
| 47 | Sunderbans | West Bengal | 1699.62 | 885.27 | 2584.89 | |
| 48 | Buxa | West Bengal | 390.5813 | 367.3225 | 757.9038 | |
| TOTAL | 39025.93 | 30725.71 | 69793.24 |
MARITIME INDIA SUMMIT 2016:-
Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016) is a maiden flagship initiative of Ministry of Shipping, Government of India that will provide a unique global platform for investors to explore potential business opportunities in the Indian Maritime Sector. MIS 2016 is being organized from April 14-16, 2016 at Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai, India. The summit will have a 2 day conference on April 14-15 and exhibition for 3 days from April 14-16, 2016.
The Summit will showcase exciting investment opportunities in:
- Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Recycling
- Port Modernization and New Port Development
- Port-based Industrial Development, Port-based Smart Cities and Maritime Cluster Development
- Hinterland Connectivity Projects and Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs
- Inland Waterways and Coastal Shipping for Cargo and Passenger movement
- Dredging
- Lighthouse Tourism and Cruise Shipping
- Renewable Energy Projects in Ports
- Other Maritime Sector related services (Financing, Legal, Design etc.)
Senior bureaucrats asked to maintain confidential diary on juniors’ integrity:-
With an aim to keep a track and record evidence of the integrity of government officers, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked government supervisory officers to maintain a confidential diary. It has instructed the seniors to consult this diary when filling the integrity column in the annual performance appraisal reports (APARs).
The officers have been asked to note various instances creating suspicion about the integrity of a subordinate and action taken by them (supervisors) to verify the truth of such suspicions in this confidential diary. It should also have notes on action taken by supervisors like making confidential enquiries departmentally or by referring the matter to the special police establishment.
Amendment to the Delimitation Act, 2002 and the Representation of the People Act, 1950
Background :- The Union Cabinet has given its approval to amend section 11 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Reasons:-
It will enable Election Commission to carry out limited delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the Cooch Behar District of West Bengal consequent upon the exchange of 51 Bangladeshi enclaves and 111 Indian enclaves respectively between India and Bangladesh in July, 2015.
This is in pursuance of the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015 and also allows for introduction of a Bill, namely, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Parliament.
Details:-
In a historic pact between India and Bangladesh, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (Chhitmahals) in Indian Territory and 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh territory were exchanged with effect from 31st July, 2015.
- The move altered the geography and demography of the district of Cooch Behar in West Bengal. With a view to carry out consequential geographic and demographic alterations vis-à-vis the electoral mosaic of the affected areas, the Election Commission requested to amend section 11 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 to enable it to carry out limited delimitation of constituencies in the affected areas.
- Since the newly acquired area consequent upon the exchange of territory between India and Bangladesh has become the part of the Indian territory, it is required to make delimitation exercise within the limited constituency area before the ensuing State Assembly elections in West Bengal. Accordingly, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has been proposed for enactment.
Operation Khanij Khoj:-
Background :-Union Minister of Steel & Mines Launches ‘Operation Khanij Khoj’ of GSI Targeting Deep Seated and Concealed Mineral Deposits
Details:- The ‘Operation Khanij Khoj’ state-of-the-art project of GSI is to be implemented in two selected areas in the country. It is focused on probing for deep seated/concealed mineral deposits. Characterizing India’s geological cover, investigating lithospheric architecture, resolving 4D geodynamic and metallogenic evolution, and detecting and characterizing the distal footprints of ore deposits, would be the main components of this initiative.
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On March 31, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its annual Gender Gap Report 2021. The Global Gender Gap report is an annual report released by the WEF. The gender gap is the difference between women and men as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes. The gap between men and women across health, education, politics, and economics widened for the first time since records began in 2006.
[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]No need to remember all the data, only pick out few important ones to use in your answers.
The Global gender gap index aims to measure this gap in four key areas : health, education, economics, and politics. It surveys economies to measure gender disparity by collating and analyzing data that fall under four indices : economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
The 2021 Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks 156 countries on their progress towards gender parity. The index aims to serve as a compass to track progress on relative gaps between women and men in health, education, economy, and politics.
Although no country has achieved full gender parity, the top two countries (Iceland and Finland) have closed at least 85% of their gap, and the remaining seven countries (Lithuania, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Rwanda, and Ireland) have closed at least 80% of their gap. Geographically, the global top 10 continues to be dominated by Nordic countries, with —Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden—in the top five.
The top 10 is completed by one country from Asia Pacific (New Zealand 4th), two Sub-Saharan countries (Namibia, 6th and Rwanda, 7th, one country from Eastern Europe (the new entrant to the top 10, Lithuania, 8th), and another two Western European countries (Ireland, 9th, and Switzerland, 10th, another country in the top-10 for the first time).There is a relatively equitable distribution of available income, resources, and opportunities for men and women in these countries. The tremendous gender gaps are identified primarily in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
Here, we can discuss the overall global gender gap scores across the index’s four main components : Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.
The indicators of the four main components are
(1) Economic Participation and Opportunity:
o Labour force participation rate,
o wage equality for similar work,
o estimated earned income,
o Legislators, senior officials, and managers,
o Professional and technical workers.
(2) Educational Attainment:
o Literacy rate (%)
o Enrollment in primary education (%)
o Enrollment in secondary education (%)
o Enrollment in tertiary education (%).
(3) Health and Survival:
o Sex ratio at birth (%)
o Healthy life expectancy (years).
(4) Political Empowerment:
o Women in Parliament (%)
o Women in Ministerial positions (%)
o Years with a female head of State (last 50 years)
o The share of tenure years.
The objective is to shed light on which factors are driving the overall average decline in the global gender gap score. The analysis results show that this year’s decline is mainly caused by a reversal in performance on the Political Empowerment gap.
Global Trends and Outcomes:
– Globally, this year, i.e., 2021, the average distance completed to gender parity gap is 68% (This means that the remaining gender gap to close stands at 32%) a step back compared to 2020 (-0.6 percentage points). These figures are mainly driven by a decline in the performance of large countries. On its current trajectory, it will now take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide.
– The gender gap in Political Empowerment remains the largest of the four gaps tracked, with only 22% closed to date, having further widened since the 2020 edition of the report by 2.4 percentage points. Across the 156 countries covered by the index, women represent only 26.1% of some 35,500 Parliament seats and 22.6% of over 3,400 Ministers worldwide. In 81 countries, there has never been a woman head of State as of January 15, 2021. At the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 145.5 years to attain gender parity in politics.
– The gender gap in Economic Participation and Opportunity remains the second-largest of the four key gaps tracked by the index. According to this year’s index results, 58% of this gap has been closed so far. The gap has seen marginal improvement since the 2020 edition of the report, and as a result, we estimate that it will take another 267.6 years to close.
– Gender gaps in Educational Attainment and Health and Survival are nearly closed. In Educational Attainment, 95% of this gender gap has been closed globally, with 37 countries already attaining gender parity. However, the ‘last mile’ of progress is proceeding slowly. The index estimates that it will take another 14.2 years to close this gap on its current trajectory completely.
In Health and Survival, 96% of this gender gap has been closed, registering a marginal decline since last year (not due to COVID-19), and the time to close this gap remains undefined. For both education and health, while progress is higher than economy and politics in the global data, there are important future implications of disruptions due to the pandemic and continued variations in quality across income, geography, race, and ethnicity.
India-Specific Findings:
India had slipped 28 spots to rank 140 out of the 156 countries covered. The pandemic causing a disproportionate impact on women jeopardizes rolling back the little progress made in the last decades-forcing more women to drop off the workforce and leaving them vulnerable to domestic violence.
India’s poor performance on the Global Gender Gap report card hints at a serious wake-up call and learning lessons from the Nordic region for the Government and policy makers.
Within the 156 countries covered, women hold only 26 percent of Parliamentary seats and 22 percent of Ministerial positions. India, in some ways, reflects this widening gap, where the number of Ministers declined from 23.1 percent in 2019 to 9.1 percent in 2021. The number of women in Parliament stands low at 14.4 percent. In India, the gender gap has widened to 62.5 %, down from 66.8% the previous year.
It is mainly due to women’s inadequate representation in politics, technical and leadership roles, a decrease in women’s labor force participation rate, poor healthcare, lagging female to male literacy ratio, and income inequality.
The gap is the widest on the political empowerment dimension, with economic participation and opportunity being next in line. However, the gap on educational attainment and health and survival has been practically bridged.
India is the third-worst performer among South Asian countries, with Pakistan and Afghanistan trailing and Bangladesh being at the top. The report states that the country fared the worst in political empowerment, regressing from 23.9% to 9.1%.
Its ranking on the health and survival dimension is among the five worst performers. The economic participation and opportunity gap saw a decline of 3% compared to 2020, while India’s educational attainment front is in the 114th position.
India has deteriorated to 51st place from 18th place in 2020 on political empowerment. Still, it has slipped to 155th position from 150th position in 2020 on health and survival, 151st place in economic participation and opportunity from 149th place, and 114th place for educational attainment from 112th.
In 2020 reports, among the 153 countries studied, India is the only country where the economic gender gap of 64.6% is larger than the political gender gap of 58.9%. In 2021 report, among the 156 countries, the economic gender gap of India is 67.4%, 3.8% gender gap in education, 6.3% gap in health and survival, and 72.4% gender gap in political empowerment. In health and survival, the gender gap of the sex ratio at birth is above 9.1%, and healthy life expectancy is almost the same.
Discrimination against women has also been reflected in Health and Survival subindex statistics. With 93.7% of this gap closed to date, India ranks among the bottom five countries in this subindex. The wide sex ratio at birth gaps is due to the high incidence of gender-based sex-selective practices. Besides, more than one in four women has faced intimate violence in her lifetime.The gender gap in the literacy rate is above 20.1%.
Yet, gender gaps persist in literacy : one-third of women are illiterate (34.2%) than 17.6% of men. In political empowerment, globally, women in Parliament is at 128th position and gender gap of 83.2%, and 90% gap in a Ministerial position. The gap in wages equality for similar work is above 51.8%. On health and survival, four large countries Pakistan, India, Vietnam, and China, fare poorly, with millions of women there not getting the same access to health as men.
The pandemic has only slowed down in its tracks the progress India was making towards achieving gender parity. The country urgently needs to focus on “health and survival,” which points towards a skewed sex ratio because of the high incidence of gender-based sex-selective practices and women’s economic participation. Women’s labour force participation rate and the share of women in technical roles declined in 2020, reducing the estimated earned income of women, one-fifth of men.
Learning from the Nordic region, noteworthy participation of women in politics, institutions, and public life is the catalyst for transformational change. Women need to be equal participants in the labour force to pioneer the societal changes the world needs in this integral period of transition.
Every effort must be directed towards achieving gender parallelism by facilitating women in leadership and decision-making positions. Social protection programmes should be gender-responsive and account for the differential needs of women and girls. Research and scientific literature also provide unequivocal evidence that countries led by women are dealing with the pandemic more effectively than many others.
Gendered inequality, thereby, is a global concern. India should focus on targeted policies and earmarked public and private investments in care and equalized access. Women are not ready to wait for another century for equality. It’s time India accelerates its efforts and fight for an inclusive, equal, global recovery.
India will not fully develop unless both women and men are equally supported to reach their full potential. There are risks, violations, and vulnerabilities women face just because they are women. Most of these risks are directly linked to women’s economic, political, social, and cultural disadvantages in their daily lives. It becomes acute during crises and disasters.
With the prevalence of gender discrimination, and social norms and practices, women become exposed to the possibility of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, child domestic work, poor education and health, sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence. Many of these manifestations will not change unless women are valued more.
[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.