15TH FEB, 2024

Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) recognized as the United Nation World Restoration Flagship

Along with TAL, 6 other initiatives has

been recognised (refer to infographics).
Recognized initiatives will be eligible
for technical and financial UN support.
In 2022, Namami Gange initiative has
been also recognized under it.
About Terai Arc Landscape (TAL)
A Trans-boundary biodiversity hotspot,
launched in 2001.
♦ TAL is Critical habitats for tigers,
rhinos, elephants, etc.
Aims to conserve ecosystems of the Terai and Churia hills.
♦ Covers several protected areas such as Corbett Tiger Reserve, Rajaji National Park etc.
Extend over 900 km from the Bagmati River (Nepal) in the east to the Yamuna River (India) in the west.
♦ Stretching across 5.10 million hectares and over seven million people depend on the Landscape.
About World Restoration Flagship (commenced in 2022)
Recognized under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-30).
Led by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and other partner organisation.
Objective: Prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.
Selection Criteria: On the basis of Geographic and probability of success criteria.
Progress is monitored through the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring.

Parliamentary Standing Committee releases Report on 'Employment Generation and Revenue

Earning Potential of Fisheries Sector'

Status of fisheries sector Steps Taken for Fisheries sector

India is the third largest fish producer in the world. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
In aquaculture fishing, ranks second after China. National Genetic Improvement Facility
Contribution of freshwater and marine fisheries is about 75%: 25%. Establishment of the National Fisheries
Recognized as the Sunrise Sector. Development Board (NFDB)
♦ Sunrise sector includes sector which is growing fast and is expected to National Surveillance Programme for
become important in the future. Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) for
Opportunities: Nutritional and food Security (omega-3 fatty acids, etc.), economic disease surveillance in aquaculture.
benefits (Exports, etc.), etc. Promoting Fish Farmer Producer
Organizations (FFPOs)
Challenges
River Ranching Scheme and Artificial Reefs
Poor Value Chain: Post-Harvest Losses (PHL) is reported to be 20-25%.
Untapped potential: Large dams known as sleeping giants are not much utilised.
♦ Commercial breeding of species having medicinal properties and nutritional (e.g. Magur, Singhi, Pabda) is low.
Other: Overfishing, harmful fishing practices (Bull Trawling, and LED Light
fishing), etc.
Key Recommendations
Betterment in Infrastructure: Encourage participation of private players
from all the States/UTs in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure
Development Fund Scheme.
♦ Strengthening the infrastructure of Fishing Harbors and Fish Landing
Centres.
Promote Cage Culture in big reservoirs to utilise full potential
Separate Research Council for Fishery Sector.
Explore the possibility of providing Interest Free Loans to Farmers under
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) initiative.

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The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued draft regulations on Bima
Sugam

Bima Sugam-insurance electronic market is a robust digital public infrastructure with open standards and an interoperable platform.
It shall be a one-stop solution for all Insurance stakeholders vis-a-vis customers, insurers, intermediaries, or insurance intermediaries.
Regulatory framework for Bima sugam:
Will be formed under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 as a not-for-profit company.
Shareholding of the company will be widely held amongst life, general, and health insurers, with no single entity having a controlling
stake. About IRDAI
Consent-based architecture for the services.
Statutory body formed under IRDA Act, 1999.
Consumers will not be charged for availing services of bima sugam.
IRDAI would nominate two members to the Board of the Company. Purpose- Overall supervision and development
of the Insurance sector in India.
Significance
Key objectives- Protecting the interest of
It will enable insurance companies to easily access validated and authentic
policyholders, Speedy and orderly growth of
data from multiple touchpoints in real time.
the insurance industry, Speedy settlement of
It will help to increase insurance penetration and density by enhancing genuine claims.
the "availability, accessibility, and affordability" of insurance products and
services.
♦ Insurance penetration is measured as the percentage of insurance premiums to GDP, and insurance density is calculated as the ratio
of premiums to population (per capita premium).
Promote transparency, efficiency, and collaboration across the entire insurance value chain.

International Energy Agency (IEA) to start full Scheme Guidelines for Pilot Projects on use
membership talks with India of Green Hydrogen in the Transport Sector
released
The announcement was made in a joint communique following
the IEA’s 2024 Ministerial Meeting and 50th Anniversary Guidelines have been released by the Ministry of New &
events. Renewable Energy under the National Green Hydrogen Mission
India joined the IEA as an associate member in 2017 and sent a (NGHM).
formal request for full membership last year. NGHM was launched in 2023, to facilitate demand creation,
In 2021, India signed a strategic partnership agreement with production, utilization, and export of Green Hydrogen.
the IEA to strengthen cooperation in global energy security, Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition
stability, and sustainability. Programme (SIGHT) and Green Hydrogen Hubs are its sub-
components.
Criteria for IEA membership
Key Features
Must be a member country of the Organisation for Economic
Implementing agencies will be nominated by the Ministry of
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Road Transport and Highways.
Crude oil and/or product reserves equivalent to 90 days of
Scheme will be implemented till 2025-26 (total budgetary
the previous year’s net imports.
outlay of Rs. 496 Crores).
♦ India has strategic oil reserves of 9.5 days of its needs
and combined with storage at refineries and depots, it is Key Objectives of the Scheme
equal to the 66-day requirement. Validate technical feasibility and performance of Green
Hydrogen operated vehicles, along with economic viability.
A demand restraint program to reduce national oil
Support Green Hydrogen as fuel in buses, trucks and four
consumption by up to 10%.
wheeler vehicles.
Legislation and measures to ensure that all oil companies
under its jurisdiction report information upon request. Need of Promoting Green Hydrogen in Transport sector:
Decarbonization, transport sector accounts for 18% of
The IEA Governing Board makes the final decision on a country’s carbon emissions.
country’s membership. Reduced dependence on fossil fuel.
Significance for India Fulfil Panchamrit commitment, net zero emission by 2070.
Recognized India’s ‘strategic importance’ in tackling global Key Challenges:
energy and climate challenges. Lack of an existing clean hydrogen value chain such as
For energy security as India is the world's third-largest energy hydrogen production plants, refuelling stations, storage
consumer. facilities.
HQ Retrofitting of vehicles
International Energy Agency Paris
Lack of Research and Development
Lack of international standards and regulations
Genesis: Established in 1974, in the wake of the 1973-
1974 oil crisis. Other Initiatives for decarbonisation of Transport Sector
Objective: To help its members respond to major oil Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles
supply disruptions. (FAME scheme)
Members: 31 and 8 associate members. Bharat Stage VI Emission Standards
Function: To facilitate comprehensive energy security, Forum for Decarbonising Transport by NITI Aayog and
technical cooperation, and research. World Resources Institute(WRI), India (2021)
Reports: Promotion of Biofuels Blending (20% blending of
World Energy Outlook report ethanol in petrol under Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP)
World Energy Investment report Programme)

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Researchers produced more power from Nuclear fusion by using the Joint European Torus (JET)

JET is a large tokamak that was the first device to produce controlled fusion power with deuterium and tritium situated in the United
Kingdom.
A tokamak is a machine that confines a plasma using magnetic fields in a donut shape
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of
energy.
Advantages of Nuclear Fusion
No carbon emissions as the only by-products are small
amounts of helium.
Abundant fuels such as Deuterium can be extracted from
water.
Reliable power as they continue to produce energy for
longer periods.
Challenges
High temperature required- as per IAEA, temperatures
of over 100 million degrees Celsius are required to make
deuterium and tritium fuse.
Neutron radiation during the reaction can travel tens of
centi-meters out into the containment structure.
India Initiatives
Joined the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in 2005, a global initiative attempting to build the world’s
largest tokamak reactor.
The Institute of Plasma Research (IPR) is an autonomous institute under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) leads the Indian
program in Fusion.

Also in News

Eat Right India AHIDF Scheme

Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) certified Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying,
more than 500 hospitals as ‘Eat Right Campuses’, under the Eat launches the realigned Animal Husbandry Infrastructure
Right India initiative. Development Fund (AHIDF) Scheme.
About Eat Right India (2018) About Scheme
Objective: Ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Objective: Incentivise investments in dairy, meat processing
Indians. infrastructure and Animal Feed Plant and related sector.
Adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, Scheme Type: Central Sector Scheme
collaborative and empowerment approaches to ensure that Eligible entities: Individual entrepreneurs, private Companies,
food is good both for the people and the planet. Dairy Cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organization (FPOs),
Aligned to the National Health Policy 2017. Medium Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) etc.
FSSAI is a statutory body, established under Food Safety It will provide:
and Standards Act, 2006. ♦ Interest Subvention of 3% payable up to 8 years and ceiling
on the loan amount
♦ Credit guarantee cover unto 25% of the term loan.
Chronic diseases ♦ Loan up to 90% of the estimated/actual project cost

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved

Boehringer’s Jardiance for chronic kidney disease in India. Diphtheria
CDSCO is the national regulatory authority responsible for
the approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down WHO releases guidelines for clinical management of diphtheria.
the standards for Drugs, etc. Diphtheria is an infection caused by strains of bacteria called
About Chronic diseases Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
It is a disease or condition that usually lasts for 3 months or It spreads from person to person, usually through respiratory
longer and may get worse over time. droplets.
Tends to occur in older adults It infects the respiratory tract and skin.
Can usually be controlled but not cured. Incubation Period: 2 to 5 days
Most common types of chronic disease: cancer, heart Symptoms: Weakness, Sore throat, Mild fever, and Swollen
disease, stroke, diabetes, and arthritis. glands in the neck.
Vaccines are available.

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 Changes introduced in National
Vermin
Film Awards
Kerala passed a resolution urging the center to amend Wildlife Regulations of 70th National Film Awards 2022 reflect the
Protection Act (WPA) to decrease man-animal conflict and changes suggested by the Committee for Rationalization of
declare wild boar as vermin. Film Awards.
Vermins are animals that threaten humans, crops, livestock or Key changes
property and are declared as per section 62 of WPA by central Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director renamed
government as ‘Best debut film of a director’. Prize money will now only
Section 11 (1) (a) of WPA, empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden go to director.
to permit any person to kill a wild animal specified in Schedule I. Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
WPA was amended to reduce the earlier six schedules to four. renamed as Best feature film promoting national, social and
environmental values.
» This category also merges award sections for social
Cuscuta dodder issues and environment conservation into one.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award money increased to Rs. 15 lakh.
Parasitic creeper Cuscuta dodder is choking the Chengalpet Swarn Kamal awards Prize money increased to Rs 3 lakh and
forests and Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary threatening the local Rs 2 lakh for Rajat Kamal winners across categories.
vegetation,
Cuscuta dodder
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
Also known as Akashbel or Amarbel.
invasive weed, native to North America. A novel method for directly synthesising Carbon nanotubes
This parasitic angiosperm plant grows a large cover on the (CNTs) on glass substrates at a temperature of 750 °C has been
host plant and sends out many tendrils. developed.
♦ It creates a thick display before it chokes and finally kills It used Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition
the host plant. (PECVD) Technique.
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary-one of the oldest bird-protected About Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
areas in the country.
Nanocarbon materials with tubular structures composed of
Located at Chengalpattu District (erstwhile Kancheepuram) rolled-up graphene sheets.
of Tamil Nadu. They can be single-walled (SWCNT) or multi-walled (MWCNT).
Properties: High surface to volume ratios, enhanced
conductivity and strength, biocompatibility, etc.
Applications: Rechargeable batteries, flexible electronics,
aerospace,
transparent
electrodes,
touch screens,
supercapacitors,
and medicine.

Places in News Madagascar (Capital: Antananarivo)

Indian PM met President of Madagascar on the occasion of the World

Governments Summit 2024 (Dubai).
Political Boundaries
Island country, lying off the southeastern coast of Africa.
Maritime borders: Comoros, France, Mauritius, Mozambique and
Seychelles.
Geographical features
Physiographic Division: Central plateau, the coastal strip in the east,
and the zone of low plateaus and plains in the west.
Major Rivers: Mangoky River
Highest point: Maromokotro

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