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7th November 2022

How is India planning to end child marriage?

Context

The steering committee of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage is on a visit to India to witness state interventions that have helped reduce the prevalence of child marriage.

About

UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage:

  • The UNFPA(United Nations Population Fund)-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage is the first United Nations-led joint initiative designed with a focus on promoting the rights of adolescents to delay marriage.
  • It highlights the need for targeted and focused interventions to accelerate progress to end child marriage.
    • Phase 1:It was launched in 2016 and covers 12 countries - Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen, and Zambia.
    • Phase 2:The Global Programme, currently in its second phase (2020-2023), has reached over two million girls through life skills education interventions.
    • Phase 3:This phase has the longer-term, gender-transformative goal of enabling significantly larger numbers of adolescent girls and boys to fully enjoy their rights and choices and experience a childhood free from the risk of marriage.

The situation in the world:

Data from UNICEF

  • The total number of girls married in childhood stands at 12 million per year.
  • More than 150 million additional girls will marry before they turn 18 by 2030 if no further efforts have been made.
  • In South Asia, a girl’s risk of marrying before she is 18 has dropped by more than a third.
  • Children born to adolescent mothers have a greater possibility of seeing stunted growth as they have low weight at birth.
    • According to NFHS-5, the prevalence of child stunting is 35.5% in 2019-21.

Where does India stand?

  • The growing trend for a decline in the overall prevalence of child marriage.
  • West Bengal, Bihar, and Tripura top the list with more than 40% of women aged 20-24 years married below 18.

Child Marriage And Associated Factors:

  • Girls belonging to poorer families, living in rural areas, and with little or no education are more likely to experience child marriage.
  • Child marriage spells an end to childhood, deprives children of their rights, and leads to negative consequences for society.

The role played by the Government of India:

  • It demonstrates the impact of factors including:
    • increased literacy of mothers
    • better access to education for girls
    • strong public messaging on decreasing the prevalence of child marriage.

NFHS-5 (2019-21):

  • 48% of girls with no education were married below 18 years of age as compared to only 4% among those who attained higher education.
  • 40% of girls from the lowest quintile were married before they turned 18, contrasted against 8% from the highest wealth quintile.
  • The prevalence of child marriage is almost double in rural areas when compared to urban areas.

How are the States placed?

  • In Jharkhand, 32.2% of women in the age bracket 20-24 got married before 18.
  • Infant mortality stood at 37.9%, and 65.8% of women in the 15-19 age bracket are anemic.
  • Assam also has a high child marriage prevalence (31.8% in 2019-20 from 30.8% in 2015-16).
  • Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have shown a reduction in child marriages.
  • States with high literacy levels and better health and social indices have fared much better on this score.
    • In Kerala, women who got married before the age of 18 stood at 6.3% in 2019-20, from 7.6% in 2015-16.

What are the laws and policy interventions?

  • Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: It provides that the minimum age of marriage is 21 years in the case of males, and 18 years in the case of females. The Bill increases the minimum age for females to 21 years.
  • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012: The act protects children from offenses of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography and provides for the establishment of Special Courts for the trial of such offenses and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Centralized schemes:

  • BetiBachaoBetiPadhao needs better implementation on the ground.
  • West Bengal’s Kanyashree scheme offers financial aid to girls wanting to pursue higher studies.
  • Bihar’Rupashree, which provides a one-time payment of Rs 25,000 to poor families at the time of a daughter’s marriage,

What needs to be done?

  • Engaging gram panchayats
  • empowering girls
  • creating proper public infrastructure
  • addressing societal norms

Pathways for Change

  • Addressing poverty as a driver: We need inclusive economic growth that reaches the most marginalized communities and families to tackle poverty as a key driver of child marriage.
  • Enhancing education opportunities: The need of the hour is investments in quality secondary and higher education to enable girls to gain knowledge and skills and expand their life options.
  • Access to right-based health information and services: There is an urgent need for targeted delivery of essential life skills, including sexual and reproductive health information and services for adolescents (married and unmarried) to enable informed choice and reduce unintended pregnancy.
  • Addressing internalized inequitable values and attitudes: We need to tackle harmful gender norms and power dynamics to ensure that girls (both married and unmarried) are empowered to make their own decisions about their lives and regarding if, when, and whom they want to marry.
  • Promoting positive masculinity and engaging men and boys: Men and boys are key stakeholders in addressing harmful practices and gender-based violence – working with them is critical to advance empowerment-oriented pathways for all.

Camera traps give hope for the snow leopard in Kashmir

Context

The first-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed the hope for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Details
  • It is the first record of a snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila area.
  • Snow leopard is a good indicator species as it quickly reacts to habitat disturbances.
  • The camera trapping techniques have also raised hopes for other important and rare species such as the Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the upper reaches of the northernmost part of India.

Baltal-Zojila region:

  • The beautiful Baltal Valley is nestled along the banks of the Sindh River near Sonamarg. This valley lies on the foot of Zoji La – the high mountain pass in the Himalayas of Kashmir.

About Snow Leopard:

  • Snow leopards (Pantherauncia) are considered medium-sized cats, standing about 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing around 30-55kg.
  • Habitat: Snow leopards can be found throughout high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the southern Siberian mountains in Russia. They can also be found in the Tibetan Plateau and across a range that stretches from China to the mountains of Central Asia.
    • In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
  • Threats:Poaching, mining, threat to food, climate change

Protection Status:

  • The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Species.
  • In addition, it is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
    • Making trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries.
  • It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
  • It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording the highest conservation status to the species, both globally and in India.

Conservation Efforts by India:

  • India is also party to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme since 2013.
  • In 2019, First National Protocol was also launched on Snow Leopard Population Assessment which has been very useful for monitoring populations.
  • SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on the conservation of high-altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem.
  • Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.
  • Recovery programme:Snow Leopard is on the list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery programme of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change.

New honeybee species, endemic to Western Ghats, found

Context

A new species of endemic honeybee has been discovered in the Western Ghats.

About
About the Discovery:
  • The new species has been named Apiskarinjodian and given the common name Indian black honeybee.
  • It is after a gap of more than 200 years that a new species of honeybee has been spotted in the Western Ghats.
  • The last honeybee described from India was Apisindica in 1798 by Fabricius.
    • Although Fabricius named the Indian bee Apisindica, it was not considered a valid species till now.
  • While proving the distinct identity of Apisindica, led to the discovery of Apiskarinjodian.
    • The research team restored the status of Apisindica based on a new measure for species discrimination in honeybees termed ‘Radio-Medial Index (RMI)’.

Apiskarinjodian:
  • Apiskarinjodian, the Indian black honey bee, is a species of the genus Apis that was reported recently from India.
  • Apiskarinjodian has evolved from Apisceranamorphotypes that got acclimatized to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.
  • Range of Apiskarinjodian: The distribution of Apiskarinjodian ranges from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats, covering the States of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
  • Conservation status: This species is considered a near-threatened species as per the IUCN Red List.
  • Pollinator: Bees act as vectors that move pollen within the flower and from flower to flower, this process is called pollinator. There are two categories of pollinators:
    • Invertebrate pollinators: Include bees, moths, flies, wasps, beetles, and butterflies. More than 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species – particularly bees and butterflies – face extinction.
    • Vertebrate pollinators: Include monkeys, rodents, lemurs, tree squirrels, and birds. Around 16.5% of vertebrate pollinators are threatened with extinction.

‘Loss and Damage’, a major COP27 bone of contention

Context

The COP27 summit follows a series of disasters, from floods in Pakistan to drought in China, Africa, and the U.S. West. This has intensified developing country demands for a special "Loss and Damage" fund.

About

What is loss and damage (L&D)?

  • The term ‘losses and damages’ refer to the economic and non-economic impacts of climate change, including extreme and slow onset events, in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
  • It’s destructive, irreversible, and cannot be addressed by mitigation and adaptation measures.

L&D was brought up as a demand in 1991 by the island country of Vanuatu, which was representing the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Thirty-one years and 26 COPs later, this demand has not been realized.

Occurrence of loss and damages:

  • Loss and damage occur when the frequency and intensity of existing climate impacts increase to such an extent that countries and communities are not equipped to handle them.
  • Their capacity to prepare, cope, recover, recoup or rebuild is no longer there. For example:
    • Shelter seeking more than 30 million people in Pakistan displaced by floods.
    • Relocating communities in Fiji away from coastlines that are underwater because of rising seas.
    • Frequent cyclones in Odisha due to a rise in sea level temperature in the Bay of Bengal region.

How serious is the issue?

  • Vulnerable populations are hardly able to recover from one impact and they are hit with another and then another. They can’t keep on rebuilding their lives.
  • The World Bank estimates that between 32 and 132 million people could fall into extreme poverty due to climate change, depending on the scenarios.
  • Even with the current combined pledges of 193 parties under the Paris Agreement, the world is on track for over 2.5º C of warming.

Present Status:

  • Industrialized countries have contributed most of the excess historical emissions responsible for global warming, yet developing countries and small island nations are paying the price.
  • The question, of who should pay for those damages and other costs is expected to spark intense debates at COP27.
  • Those advocating for L&D finance facilities believe that at COP27, it’s important to foreground these discussions and establish a source of funds.

Climate Funding:

  • Climate funding so far has focused on cutting carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to curb climate change.
  • Loss and damage funding would be different, in compensating costs that countries can't avoid or "adapt" to.
  • But there is no agreement yet over what should count as "loss and damage" in climate disasters - which can include damaged infrastructure and property, as well as harder-to-value natural ecosystems or cultural assets like burial grounds.
  • A June report by 55 vulnerable countries estimated their combined climate-linked losses over the last two decades totaled about $525 billion, or about 20% of their collective GDP. Some research suggests that by 2030 such losses could reach $580 billion per year.
  • At the COP26 in Glasgow, the G7, a coalition of 134 developing countries, and China proposed the ‘L&D Finance Facility’ (LDFF), a dedicated stream of finance to specifically address losses and damages.
    • LDEF could be a separate fund similar to the Green Climate Fund, likely sit within the UNFCCC, and be responsible for channeling loss and damage finance to nations.

Who will fund the LDFF?

  • The vulnerable countries are asking the industrialized world to finance the LDFF. But the industrialized countries have not initiated L&D discussions within the formal framework of the COP.
  • At COP26, the S., Canada, and Australia stalled the negotiations, demanding evidence on what the amount of finance needed is and on what the measures are for tackling loss and damage.

Reasons for the Delays:

  • Industrialized countries have deployed several delaying tactics to keep LDFF from becoming a reality, for example: Deflecting blame to shrugging off responsibility and liability.

India’s stand:

  • India has highlighted that L&D finance will be a key negotiation point in COP27.
  • But its updated NDC submitted in August 2022 has no mention of L&D.
  • India has to explicitly identify these issues in its NDCs, in order to get them formally recognized.

A third of world heritage glaciers under threat: UNESCO

Context

A study conducted by the UN body has found, that a third of the glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage list is under threat, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases.

About

Key highlights of the Study

The UNESCO study was done in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

  • Glaciers on the UNESCO World Heritage List have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures.
  • Ice loss: They are currently losing 58 billion tonnes of ice every year, equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain.
  • Sea-level rise: They are responsible for nearly 5% of the observed global sea level rise.

Required measures

  • The study also says that it is still possible to save the other two-thirds if the rise in global temperature did not exceed 1.5°C compared to the preindustrial era.
  • Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emission levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them.
  • COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue.
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is advocating for the creation of a new international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation.
    • Such a fund would support comprehensive research, early warning, and disaster risk reduction measures.
  • This study highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in nature-based solutions.

Several iconic landscapes found in World Heritage sites are:

  • Fifty UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to glaciers, representing almost 10% of the Earth's total glacierized area.
    • They include the highest (next to Mt Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa.
    • Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina contains some of the largest glaciers on the Earth and is threatened by very large ice loss – about 60% of the current volume – by 2100.
    • In Europe, the disappearance of small glaciers is projected in the Pyrenees — Mont Perdu World Heritage site before 2040.
    • TeWahipounamu — South West New Zealand, which contains three-quarters of New Zealand’s glaciers, is projected to lose 25% to 80% of the current ice volume over the course of this century.

World Heritage List:

  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. It has World Heritage List for the same.
  • This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

Significance of glaciers:

  • Glaciers as Reservoirs: About three-quarters of Earth's freshwater is stored in glaciers. Therefore, glacier ice is the second-largest reservoir of water on Earth and the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth.
    • The cold runoff from glaciers also affects downstream water temperatures.
  • Glacier-feeding Rivers: The Gangotri Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains, is the source of the Ganga River.
    • The Ganges is the most important source of fresh water and electricity in India and Bangladesh.
  • Glaciers for Aquatic Life: Many aquatic species in mountainous environments require cold water temperatures to survive which is provided by Glaciers.
    • Some aquatic insects are especially sensitive to stream temperature and cannot survive without the cooling effects of glacial meltwater.
    • Such changes in stream habitat may also adversely impact native trout and other keystone salmon species.
  • Glaciers for People: Glaciers provide people with many useful resources. Glacial till provides fertile soil for growing crops.
    • Deposits of sand and gravel are used to make concrete and asphalt.

Classification of Glaciers

Glaciers can be classified according to their:

  • Size (i.e. ice sheet, ice cap, valley glacier, cirque glacier)
    • Ice Cap
    • Valley Glaciers
    • Ice Sheets
  • Thermal regime (polar vs. temperate)
    • Polar Glacier
    • Temperate Glacier

Landforms Formed:

  • Erosional Landforms
    • Glacial Valleys/Troughs
    • Cirques
    • Horns and Serrated
  • Depositional Landforms
    • Glacial Till
    • Moraines
    • Eskers
    • Drumlins

The Falcon Heavy launch: the most powerful operational rocket in the world

Context

Recently, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy rocket into geosynchronous Earth orbit.

About
More about the current mission
  • The rocket is carrying satellites to space for the U.S. military in a mission named U.S. Space Force (USSF)-44.
  • The mission deployed two spacecraft payloads:
    • One of which is the TETRA 1 microsatellite created for various prototype missions in and around the geosynchronous earth orbit.
    • The other payload is for national defense purposes. It will place the satellites for the Space Systems Command’s Innovation and Prototyping.
Geosynchronous orbit (GEO):
  • A geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is a low inclination orbit about Earth having a period of 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.
  • The synchronization of rotation and orbital period means that, for an observer on Earth's surface, an object in geosynchronous orbit returns to exactly the same position in the sky after a period of one sidereal day
About Falcon Heavy:
  • Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.
  • The rocket has a height of 70 m, a width of 12.2 m, and a mass of 1,420,788 kg.
  • It has the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 lb).
  • Falcon Heavy can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy.
  • Falcon Heavy is composed of three Falcon 9 nine-engine cores whose 27 Merlin engines together generate more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, equal to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.
  • Merlin engines: Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles.
    • Merlin engines use RP(Rocket Propellant)-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine was originally designed for recovery and reuse.
    • These engines were designed for recovery and reuse.
  • The company hails this as the most powerful operational rocket in the world, afterSaturn V.
  • This is the fourth launch of the giant rocket system.
  • However, it is the first one in nearly three years since its last launch in 2019.
When was the Falcon Heavy launched?
  • SpaceX last launched its Falcon Heavy rocket in June 2019 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
  • It carried 24 satellites as part of the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program-2.

                                              Short News

As the winter season sets in, Delhi has yet again turned into a "gas chamber".

The curse of poor geography

  • India’s capital city lies to the
    • north-east of the Thar Desert
    • north-west of the central plains
    • south-west of the Himalayas
  • As winds arrive from the coasts, bringing with them pollutants picked up along the way, they get ‘trapped’ right before the Himalayas.
  • The air pressure pushes from one direction, and with the inability to escape quickly in the other, the particulate matter accumulates over the northern plains.
  • This accumulation and entrapment affect not only Delhi but the entire expanse between Punjab in the west to West Bengal in the east.

Earth's closest-ever black hole found, is 10 times the size of the Sun

  • Astronomers working at the International Gemini Observatory in the US have found a black hole, named Gaia BH1 that lies closest to the Earth.
  • It is the first-ever detected dormant stellar-mass black hole of the Milky Way galaxy.
  • Its size is 10 times that of the Sun in our solar system.
  • It's located 1600 light-years away.
  • The team used the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF's NOIRLabin the US.

 

India Pavilion at COP 27

  • Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
  • India is hosting a pavilion with the theme of LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment at COP 27.
  • The Pavilion has been designed to send out the message of LiFE through various audio-visuals, logos, 3D models, set up, decor, and side events.

World Travel Market

  • India is participating in the three-day World Travel Market in London to showcase itself as a preferred destination for tourism.
  • The theme of this year’s exhibition is ‘The Future of Travel Starts Now’.

 

Editorial

Architecture, the profession, needs strengthening

Context:

The profession of Architecture lacks protection from market forces and its rival engineering counterparts. It is suffering from similar dilemmas that existed 50 years ago.

A legal route is futile

  • ‘Profession’of Architecture: Architecture emerged as a distinct profession and formed an influential association in the 19th century in the UK, but that was not the case in India.
  • Architects Act (1972): The act failed to render architectural services exclusive to architects, and many building services were found to be overlapping with those of engineers.
  • Acts do not guarantee excellence: Choking regulations are counterproductive; market forces are powerful and can countervail barriers to competition.
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    ThinkQ

    Mains Question:

    Question: Describe how India's economic and security interests in Southeast Asia are being seriously harmed by the ongoing standoff in Myanmar. (150 words)

    Approach:

    • The demand of the question is analytical in nature.
    • Introduce with the current status of Myanmar polity.
    • Mention India’s relation with Myanmar and with its military in specific.
      • Act east policy
    • Describe the threats it poses to India’s interests
      • Infrastructure and Connectivity
      • Border security
      • Rohingya issues
      • Investment
      • Energy sector
    • Conclusion 
    GS Mains Classes GS Classes 2024 GS Classes 2024 UPSC Study Material

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