GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

A survey of OTT regulation in different countries suggests that most of them are yet to come up with a clear statute-backed framework.

Key findings:

• For India:
  • The survey highlighted that India’s OTT regulations policy needs clarification and a more transparent framework.
  • There is no specific body, to scrutinise the misdeeds and loopholes in policy.
• In other Countries like Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority is the common regulator for different media.
  • Aside from instituting a statutory framework and promoting industry self-regulation, its approach to media regulation emphasises promoting media literacy through public education.

India’s OTT regulations:

• In India, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, through which the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) was given the task of regulating content on OTT and online platforms.
• India’s approach can be termed as a light-touch ‘co-regulation’ model where there is ‘self-regulation’ at the industry level and the final ‘oversight mechanism’ at the Ministry level.

What are IT Rules, 2021?

• The Rules aim to empower ordinary users of social media and OTT platforms with a mechanism for redressal and timely resolution of their grievances with the help of a Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO) who should be a resident in India.
• Safety measures: Special emphasis has been given to the protection of women and children from sexual offences, fake news and another misuse of social media.
• Source identification: Identification of the “first originator of the information” would be required in case of an offence related to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
• Appointment of Chief Compliance Officer: A Chief Compliance Officer, a resident of India, also needs to be appointed and that person shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the Act and Rules.
• Complaint monitoring: A monthly compliance report mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken on the complaints would be necessary.
• Code of Ethics: The OTT platforms, online news and digital media entities, on the other hand, would need to follow a Code of Ethics.
• Self-classification: OTT platforms would be called ‘publishers of online curated content’ under the new rules.
• They would have to self-classify the content into five categories based on age and use parental locks for ages above 13 or higher. They also need to include age verification mechanisms for content classified as ‘Adult’.
• Redressal mechanism: A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has been mandated. This includes the appointment of a GRO, self-regulatory bodies registered with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to look after the Code of Ethics and a Charter for the self-regulating bodies formulated by the MIB.

Challenges in existing policy:

• The Rules require disclosure of grievance details by publishers and self-regulating bodies, the reporting formats only capture the number of complaints received and decided.
  • Instead, the full description of complaints received by OTT providers and self-regulatory bodies and decisions given thereon may be published in the public domain.
• OTT providers and appellate/self-regulatory bodies should be made to upload the details of grievances and redressal decisions, which will be visible to the public and government authorities.
• The current Rules provide for the third/final tier as the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) comprising officer-nominees from various ministries of Central government, and domain experts.
• There is no provision for the disclosure or publication of an apology/warning/censure on the platform or website.

In a meeting of US and Indian tech business leaders, the United States have shown interest to strengthen US-India ties in the technology sector and said that India is an important part of a US business strategy of “friend shoring” where supply chains to the US are being made resilient.

What is a Friend shoring strategy?

• Friend-shoring means encouraging companies to shift manufacturing away from authoritarian states and toward allies.
• Objective: The idea of ‘friend-shoring’ supply chains is gaining purchase among economic policymakers concerned about relying on geopolitical competitors for accessing critical materials and technologies.
• Benefits:
  • Friend-shoring is about deepening relationships and diversifying our supply chains with a greater number of trusted trading partners to lower risks for our economy and theirs.
  • It will also encourage domestic production, which could substitute for imports.

Upcoming Agreements:

• Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, or PGII:
  • Under PGII, the United States has announced investments in Agri-tech to enable climate-smart agricultural production and in digital payments systems for micro-entrepreneurs.
  • The US aims to mobilize $200 billion through 2027 for PGII and will look at India as a partner to invest in for its future.

Impacts for ‘Freindshoring’:

• This would reduce overdependence on countries which could pose a security risk and are a single source of critical inputs and raw materials.
• However, limiting the trade of key inputs to trusted countries could reverse the gains of globalization.

TIGER

The tiger is an iconic species. The tiger is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. As of 2015, the global wild tiger population was estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 mature individuals, with most of the populations living in small isolated pockets. India currently hosts the largest tiger population.

TIGER CONSERVATION

Tiger conservation is most crucial for the whole planet for numerous reasons. As a large predator, tiger plays significant role in maintaining the equilibrium of the ecosystem. Tiger along with other predators keeps a check on the herbivore animals, thus help in maintaining the right balance of animals. This in turn checks deforestation. This way with just one tiger several acres of forests can be protected. Apart from the benefits to human beings, tigers and other animals will also get their natural habitat.

Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia

NEED FOR TIGER CONSERVATION

1. Barometers of Ecological health: Tigers are indicators of the ecological wellness of planet earth. Being the dominant predators of the ecosystem, they ensure that the numbers of herbivore like deer are kept balanced
2. Tiger is an umbrella species whose conservation eventually leads to the conservation of many other species such as the ungulates, pollinators and other small animals. 
3. Carbon storage value: Poaching or killing of large bodied vertebrates such as tigers results in increase of herbivore population, which in turn results in forests getting decimated
4. There is a tremendous decline in the tiger population as compared to the past 100 years and to prevent the deteriorating condition of tigers, it’s important to conserve them.

PROJECT TIGER

• Project Tiger was launched in 1973 for conserving our national animal.
• It is a Centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate change.
• The project is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

• It is a statutory body
• Established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
• It was Established in 2005, following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
• It was given statutory status by the 2006 amendment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it.
• Funtions under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

TIGER RELOCATION PROJECTS

• The tiger relocation project was initiated in 2018 wherein two big cats, a male (Mahavir) from Kanha Tiger Reserve and a female (Sundari) from Bandhavgarh from Madhya Pradesh were relocated to Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, to shore up the tiger population in the state.
• The relocation was meant to serve two purposes:
  1. Reducing tiger population in areas with excess tigers to reduce territorial disputes.
  2. To reintroduce tigers in areas where the population has considerably reduced due to various reasons.

TIGER SPECIAL PROTECTION FORCE

• It will be effective in checking illegal human intrusion into the reserve through villages located on its fringes and serve as a second layer of protection for tigers
• The decision is in line with Central Government’s guidelines for providing three-tier protection to tigers at reserves
• Three-tier protection to tigers at reserves

1st layer of protection: It is provided in the inner range by beat level forest guards through regular patrols.

2nd layer of protection: It is provided by STPF.

3rd layer of protection: it comes from intelligence-gathering mechanisms in which forest, police and central intelligence agency personnel work together to prevent crimes like the poaching of tigers.

GLOBAL TIGER FORUM

• It is an Inter-Governmental international body working exclusively for the conservation of Tigers.
• Established in 1994, the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has its headquarters in New Delhi
• The General Assembly of GTF meets after every three years. 
• It is a global commitment to double the worlds wild tigers by 2022
• The base year is 2006
• The goal has been set by the world wildlife Fund (WWF) through the Global Tiger Initiative, Global Tiger Forum, and other critical platforms
• All 13 tiger range governments came together for the first time at the Petersburg Summit(Russia- 2010) where they committed to double the number of wild tigers by 2022

GLOBAL TIGER INITIATIVE

• Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) was launched  in  2008  as  a  global  alliance  of  governments, international organizations, civil society, conservation, and scientific communities, and the private sector, with the aim of working together to save wild tigers from extinction. 
• In 2013, the scope was broadened to include Snow Leopards.
• The GTI’s founding partners included the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Smithsonian Institution, the Save the Tiger Fund, and International Tiger Coalition (representing more than 40 non-government organizations).
• The initiative is led by the 13 tiger range countries (TRCs).

INTEGRATED TIGER HABITAT CONSERVATION PROGRAM (ITHCP)

• ITHCP was launched in 2014. It is a strategic funding mechanism that aims to save tigers in the wild, their habitats and to support human populations in key locations throughout Asia. 
• It has already facilitated 12 projects in six countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Myanmar) to better manage Tiger Conservation Landscapes.
• It is contributing to the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), a global effort to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022.

ST. PETERSBURG DECLARATION

• It aimed at promoting a global system to protect the natural habitat of tigers and raise awareness among people on white tiger conservation
• This resolution was adopted In November 2010, by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries (TRCs) assembled at an International Tiger Forum in Petersburg, Russia
• The resolution’s implementation mechanism is called the Global Tiger Recovery Program whose overarching goal was to double the number of wild tigers from about 3,200 to more than 7,000 by
• 13 Tiger range countries are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

TIGER CENSUS IN INDIA

• Every 4 years the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census across India.
• The first was conducted in 2006, followed by 2010 and in 2014 
• The Census (2014) had reported 2,226 tigers in the country, up from 1,706 in 2010.
• The fourth tiger census (All India Tiger Estimation 2018-19) estimated to be released in May 2019.

Various Methods Used for Counting Tigers

• Pug Mark Method: In this method, the foot print of the tiger is important. It is considered that each pug mark is unique in itself & by analyzing various foot prints in the areas of tigers, the number of tigers in that area can be counted.
• Camera Trap: In this various method, cameras are installed in the tiger areas having night vision facility as By recording various tigers in the camera, the number of tigers can be estimated.
• Poop/scat Method: In this method the number of tigers is counted by poop/scat. The poop is analyzed by DNA sampling and then we can arrive at a more accurate count.
• Radio Collar Method: Tigers are captured in this method & are fitted with a radio In this way the tigers can be counted.

FOURTH TIGER CENSUS 2018

• This 2018 tiger census uses more technology   including   a   mobile   app named “MSTrIPES” for the very first time to store information of the counting.
• Another primary focus of the tiger census 2018 is to cover the northeast India that was not included in the previous census.
• For  the very first time three neighbouring countries Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh are helping in counting the number of tigers all across India, especially in the region with mutual borders.
• Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers, closely followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
• Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase.
• Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers; Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the “maximum improvement

M-STrIPES

• MSTrIPES program uses Global Positioning System (GPS), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and remote sensing, to collect information from the field, create a database using modern Information Technology (IT) based tools, analyses the information using GIS and statistical tools to provide inferences that allow tiger reserve managers to better manage their wildlife resources.
• Forest guards in tiger reserves are equipped with personal digital assistants and GPS devices to capture data relating to tiger sightings, deaths, wild life crime and ecological observations while patrolling.

Challenges in Conservation

Although, we are moving progressively towards conserving more and more tigers, but few threats are still there standing as a resistance in the conservation practices:

• Three tiger reserves of India: Mizoram's Dampa reserve, West Bengal's Buxa reserve and Jharkhand's Palamau reserve have no tigers left.
• The tiger reserves are having a poor interconnectivity with each other due to which the gene exchange among the tiger population can barely take place.
• There has occurred a human-tiger conflict as the tiger conservation practice has grown but their natural habitats are already shrinking and hence, they are seeking their habitat in the human habitation.
• Poaching of tigers is taken as a pride and every part of tiger has a market value therefore they are being hunted indiscriminately for personal as well as commercial purpose.
• The constrained mentality of the local communities regarding tiger poaching as their only job is a major challenge to tiger conservation.
• The linear developments such as that of railways and roadways is a critical issue in creating the conservation ethos. 

Tiger Reserve Conservation In India

Recently Srivilliputhur Meghamalai Tiger Reserve located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu state at the tri-junction on of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu was declared the 51st tiger reserve of India. 

The current epidemic of avian influenza has killed over 58 million birds in the U.S. as of February 2023.

What does the Spillover mean?

• The continuous large outbreaks of viruses like bird flu raise the spectre of another disease jumping from animals into humans. This is called the ‘Spillover effect’.
• Spillover involves any type of disease-causing pathogen, be it a virus, parasite or bacteria, transferring to humans.
• The pathogen can be something never before seen in people, such as a new Ebola virus carried by bats, or it could be something well-known and recurring, like Salmonella from farm animals.
• The probability that spillover will occur depends on many biological and social factors, including the rate and severity of animal infections, environmental pressure on the disease to evolve and the amount of close contact between infected animals and people.

How spillovers are detected?

• Spillover events can be hard to detect as sometimes a virus that transfers from animals to humans poses no risk to people if the virus is not well adapted to human biology.
• But the more often this jump occurs, the higher the chances a dangerous pathogen will adapt and take off.

Spillover and spread:

• As development expands into new habitats, wild animals come into closer contact with people – and, importantly, the food supply.
• The mixing of wildlife and farm animals greatly amplifies the risk that a disease will jump species and spread like wildfire among farm animals.

Is avian influenza spread a spillover?

• The new avian influenza virus is a distant descendant of the original H5N1 strain that has caused human epidemics of bird flu in the past.
• Health officials are detecting cases of this new flu virus jumping from birds to other mammals – like foxes, skunks and bears.
• The avian influenza virus has the potential to convert into a spillover but not yet the case for India.

Five indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) along with a contingent of 110 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel arrived at Al Dahfra airbase of United Arab Emirates (UAE) for participating in the multilateral Exercise Desert Flag VIII.

• In 2021, the defence ministry awarded a ?48,000-crore contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for 83 LCA Mk-1A jets for the IAF.
• The first Mk-1A aircraft will be delivered in February 2024, with the rest slated to join the combat fleet by 2029.
• The government gave its nod to developing the LCA Mk-2, a platform that will form an important element of future air combat.

About the exercise:

• Exercise Desert Flag is a multilateral air exercise in which Air Forces from UAE, France, Kuwait, Australia, the UK, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and the USA would also be participating.
• The exercise is scheduled from February 27 to March 17.
• Aim: To participate in diverse fighter engagements and learn from the best practices of various Air Forces.

Light Combat Aircraft:

• The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme was started by the Government of India in 1984 when they established the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to manage the LCA programme.
• It replaced the ageing Mig 21 fighter planes.
• Designed by:
  • Aeronautical Development Agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development.
• Manufactured by: State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Features:
  • The lightest, smallest and tailless multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
  • Designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided, weapons.
  • Air-to-air refuelling capability.
  • The maximum payload capacity of 4000 kg.
  • It can attend the maximum speed of Mach 1.8.
  • The range of the aircraft is 3,000km

According to a science journal, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) is set to get software and hardware upgrades that will help it collect much more data and produce sharper images than ever before.

• ALMA is fully functional since 2013.
• The radio telescope was designed, planned and constructed by the US’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
• It has helped astronomers make ground-breaking discoveries, including that of starburst galaxies and the dust formation inside supernova 1987A.

 About ALMA:

• ALMA is a state-of-the-art telescope that studies celestial objects at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths — they can penetrate through dust clouds and help astronomers examine dim and distant galaxies and stars out there.
• It also has extraordinary sensitivity, which allows it to detect even extremely faint radio signals.
• Key features:
  • ALMA is a radio telescope comprising 66 antennas located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
  • The most significant modernisation made to ALMA will be the replacement of its correlator, a supercomputer that combines the input from individual antennas and allows astronomers to produce highly detailed images of celestial objects.
  • ALMA is operated under a partnership among the United States, and 16 countries in Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Chile.

Why is ALMA located in Chile’s Atacama Desert?

• ALMA is situated at an altitude of 16,570 feet (5,050 metres) above sea level on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama Desert as the millimetre and submillimetre waves observed by it are very susceptible to atmospheric water vapour absorption on Earth.
• Moreover, the desert is the driest place in the world, meaning most of the nights here are clear of clouds and free of light-distorting moisture — making it a perfect location for examining the universe.

Recent discoveries:

• In 2013 it discovered starburst galaxies earlier in the universe’s history than they were previously thought to have existed.
• ALMA provided detailed images of the protoplanetary disc surrounding HL Tauri — a very young T Tauri star in the constellation Taurus, approximately 450 light years from Earth.
• In 2015, the telescope helped scientists observe a phenomenon known as the Einstein ring, which occurs when light from a galaxy or star passes by a massive object en route to the Earth, in extraordinary detail.
• As part of the Event Horizon Telescope project, a large telescope array consisting of a global network of radio telescopes, it provided the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy.