Punjab has been reeling under floods, especially villages along the rivers Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar are facing flood crisis. This has led to the need for zoning of India’s flood plains.
Flood prone region in Punjab:
Four states (Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand) have adopted floodplain zoning on paper but implementation is limited. |
What is a floodplain?
India’s Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning, 1975, defines “floodplain” to include the “water channel, flood channel, and that area of nearby lowland susceptible to flood inundation.” |
Significance of floodplains:
What does Zoning means?
How Zoning is helpful?
Guidelines by Government bodies:
Adverse Effects:
Fourth extension for mandatory payments through Aadhaar-based wage system (ABPS) for MGNREGA workers is going to end. As per a NGO, around 1.2 crore people in top five States are not be paid wages via this method because their accounts are not enabled for the new system.
About the stance for payment to MGNREGA workers:
Aadhaar-based wage system (ABPS):
Benefits:
Institutional Challenges
The recent hearings by the Supreme Court (SC) on arguments by petitioners challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, is ended and now the government will have to answer those allegations and prove their ground.
What are the allegations against abrogation of Article 370?
What is government’s stand to remove Article 370?
Constitutional backing for government’s move:
A report by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)-India has pointed out around 172 incidents of seizures of red sand boa (Eryx johnii) between the years 2016-2021.
Highlights of the Report:
Red sand boa is now acknowledged as one of the most traded reptile species in the illegal trade market, due to its demand in the pet trade, as well as for use in black magic. |
Suggestions from the report:
About the Species:
Recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have organized 10th plenary to publish a scientific assessment report on “Invasive Alien Species and their Control” at Bonn, Germany.
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES):
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Invasive alien species are a key driver of biodiversity loss and they are part of the targets set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted by 193 members of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022.
IPBES10 is the first meeting of the global body since the adoption of GBF. |
What are Invasive Alien species?
Why they are harmful?
On 30th August 2023, the Earth observed both a “blue moon” and a “super moon” and therefore, a “Super Blue Moon”, a rare trifecta of astronomical events.
About full moon:
What is a blue moon?
According to NASA, a full moon at perigee (super moon) is about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee (called a “micro moon”). |
Context: Karnataka government has launched Gruha Lakshmi, a guarantee scheme providing financial aid of Rs.2, 000 to women head of families in the State.
About the Scheme:
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) will pay homage to its visionary founder-director Alladi Ramakrishnan in his birth centenary year falling on 2023, by hosting a conference in his honour at its campus in Taramani, Chennai.
About:
The U.S. Coast Guard will have an expanded right to board vessels in Palau’s waters under a new maritime law enforcement agreement that comes after incursions by Chinese ships into the Pacific island country’s exclusive economic zone.
About Palau Island:
Palau became the 76th country to sign the International Solar Alliance framework agreement. |
Recently, Military officers in Gabon have seized power, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest after he was declared the winner of a disputed election.
About the location:
Key Facts:
Context:
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), brokered by the World Bank, which has again become a source of contention between India and Pakistan, considerably encapsulates the principle of equitable allocation rather than the principle of appreciable harm.
Issues raised in World Bank
India’s stand
Way Ahead
Context:
As per the new study by Pew Research Center, India’s rising geopolitical and geo-economic clout is clearly visible in the data which shows lacks and developments of India, as a global Power.
The Pew Survey:
Highlights of the survey:
Global Views on India's Rise: Pew Survey Insights
Context:
As per a recent survey conducted by a NGO named ‘SRIJAN’ on rural development and employment, indicates that facilitating rural industrialisation is essential to connect farm and off-farm activities, creating numerous opportunities for non-farm employment.
Need to focus on Transformation
Highlights of the survey:
Way forward
Context:
A latest paper released named RATIONS study contains the results of research addressing the effectiveness of food supplementation for patients with Tuberculosis (TB) in 28 public clinics in Jharkhand.
About the findings
Link between Nutrition & TB
Recent Efforts
Verifying, please be patient.