PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS,3-OCTOBER-2017
Topic: Salient features of Indian
Society, Diversity of India.
Commission to Examine Sub Categorization of other Backward
Classes
The President of India, in exercise of the powers conferred
by article 340 of the Constitution, has appointed a Commission to examine the sub-categorisation of
Other Backward Classes.
Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice G. Rohini has been
appointed by President of India as the head of the Commission.
Background:
The decision to appoint the commission follows an August 23
Cabinet decision to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits
of reservation among caste and communities included in the broad list of OBCs.
At present, there is no
sub-categorisation and 27% reservation is a monolithic entity.
Need for subcategorization:
Sub categorization of the OBCs will ensure that the more backward
among the OBC communities can also access the benefits of reservation for
educational institutions and government jobs.
The terms of reference of the Commission are as under
§ To examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of
reservation among the castes or communities included in the broad category of
Other Backward Classes with reference to such classes included in the Central
List.
§ To work out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters in a
scientific approach for sub-categorisation within such Other Backward Classes.
§ To take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes or
communities or sub-castes or synonyms in the Central List of Other Backward Classes
and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.
Significance of this move:
This decision, taken on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,
reinforces, in the spirit of his teachings, the Government’s efforts to achieve
greater social justice and inclusion for all, and specifically members of the
Other Backward Classes.
Way ahead:
The Commission is required to present their Report to the
President within a period of twelve weeks of assumption of charge by the
Chairperson of the Commission. On receipt of the Report of the Commission, the
Central Government will consider ways and means for equitable distribution of
the benefits of the reservation in Central Government jobs and admission in
Central Government Institutions amongst all strata of the Other Backward
Classes.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Role of women and women’s
organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental
issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
World Habitat Day: 2 October
The United Nations designated the first Monday of October
of every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state
of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It
is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the
responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.
2017 theme: Housing Policies:
Affordable Homes
Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme to promote
sustainable development policies that ensure adequate shelter for all. These
themes often promote one of UN-Habitat’s focal areas such as:
§ Inclusive housing and social services.
§ A safe and healthy living environment for all — with particular
consideration for children, youth, women, elderly and disabled.
§ Affordable and sustainable transport and energy.
§ Promotion, protection, and restoration of green urban spaces.
§ Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation.
§ Healthy air quality.
§ Job creation.
§ Improved urban planning and slum upgrading.
§ Better waste management.
Sources: the hindu.
Paper 2:
Topic: India and its
neighbourhood- relations.
Nepal, India to conduct first joint tiger count
For the first time, Nepal and India will undertake a joint tiger
census next month in their national parks, forests and protected areas
adjoining the two countries using a globally-recognised method.
Key facts:
§ This is the first time that both the countries are counting tiger
heads using the same method that is recognised globally.
§ Conservation authorities and experts would install cameras in
various locations in tiger habitats as well as in buffer zones to capture and
track the movements of the big cat.
Background:
The last tiger count conducted by Nepal in 2013 puts the number of
adult tigers around 200 in the Himalayan country. Recent figures showed that
since 2010, the estimated number of tigers across 13 tiger range countries
including India and Nepal stood at 3,900.
§ At the International Tiger Conference in Russia in 2010,
participating countries including Nepal had made a commitment to double the
tiger population by 2022. This means Nepal would have at least 250 tigers, 100%
increase from its 2010 tiger count which had put the number of the big cat at
125.
Tiger range countries (TRCs) are those where the big cat roams freely. The 13 tiger range
countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao
PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Significance of this move:
Tiger is an endangered animal listed in the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), tigers have lost 93%
of their historical range. Human and wildlife conflict, climate change and
poaching and illegal wildlife trade are among the major reasons that has pushed
the feline into the endangered category — facing risk of extinction in the wild
— over the years.
Sources: the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Science and Technology-
developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements
of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and
developing new technology.
US scientists awarded Nobel in medicine for body clock
insights
Three US scientists have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine “for their discoveries of molecular
mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm,” otherwise known as our
biological clock.
§ Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young were awarded
the prize for their research on how plants, humans and animals adapt their
biological rhythm to synchronize with our planet’s day and night cycle, as the
earth rotates, in order to control their daily life.
Background:
All living organisms on Earth have an internal clock, known as the
circadian rhythm, which in humans underlies why we are awake during the day and
sleep at night. But our biological clock also helps regulate eating habits, hormone
release, blood pressure and body temperature.
§ A person’s well-being is affected when there is a “temporary
mismatch between our external environment and this internal biological clock.”
For example, disruption to our clocks when someone travels across a number of
time zones results in jet lag.
§ An imbalance between lifestyle and rhythm could lead to increased
risk for a number of diseases including metabolic diseases, such as diabetes
and cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Significance of research in this field:
Research on the body clock has helped scientists improve health.
Many drugs now on the market work best when taken at the right time. The
cholesterol-cutting drug Mevacor, for example, is taken at night because levels
of the enzyme it targets are highest then. The same is true for low-dose
aspirin used to reduce blood pressure.
Sources: the hindu.
Topic: Conservation, environmental
pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Government launches wildlife action plan for next 15 years
The government has released the third National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) for 2017-31. The plan was released at the recently held meeting of Global
Wildlife Program (GWP) that involves 19 Asian and African countries, United
Nations, World Bank and other leading global organisations to deal with the
wildlife crime.
Highlights of the plan:
§ The NWAP 2017-31, under which there are 250 projects, is India’s
road map to conserve wildlife for the next 15 years. The plan is woven around
the agenda of the United Nations’ 15th
Sustainable Developmental Goal — “Life on Land”.
§ The key strategic changes in the new plan is adopting a “landscape
approach” in conservation of all the wildlife — uncultivated flora (plants) and
undomesticated fauna (animals) — rather than the areas where they occur.
§ This means that while till now programmes and plans related to
wildlife were focused on and around national parks and sanctuaries, now the
strategies would be based on the landscape of the region that may not be
limited to a reserve forest system alone.
§ The plan has been divided into five components, which are further
divided into 17 themes carrying 103 conservation actions. Each theme has a set
of conservation actions and projects — 250, in all.
§ Man-animal conflict mitigation, adapting to the climate change,
managing eco-tourism, ensuring public participation in the conservation,
developing human resources, strengthening research and monitoring through
modern technology like radio collars and drones and ensuring funds for the
wildlife sector have been given special thrust in the planning.
§ The plan adopts a “landscape approach” in conservation of all
wildlife – uncultivated flora and fauna – that have an ecological value to the
ecosystem and to mankind irrespective of where they occur. It gives special
emphasis to recovery of threatened species of wildlife while conserving their
habitats.
§ The government has also underlined an increased role of private
sector in wildlife conservation. The plan lays down that the Centre would
ensure that adequate and sustained funding including Corporate Social
Responsibility funds are made available for the National Wildlife Action Plan
implementation.
Background:
India is jointly hosting the Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) with
World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. The GWP will address
issues related to illegal wildlife trade across 19 countries in Asia and
Africa. It will act as a platform to exchange knowledge and coordinate in
on-ground action for combating illegal poaching of wildlife and improve
governance on wildlife conservation.
Sources: pib.
Topic: Conservation, environmental
pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
SECURE Himalaya
The Centre has launched a six-year project- called SECURE Himalaya– to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant
biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem spread
over four states in India.
Key facts:
The project – called SECURE Himalaya – was launched by the Union
environment ministry in association with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
§ The SECURE – securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use
and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems – is meant for specific
landscapes. It includes Changthang (Jammu and Kasmir), Lahaul – Pangi and
Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh), Gangotri – Govind and Darma – Byans Valley in
Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) and Kanchenjunga – Upper Teesta Valley (Sikkim).
§ Protection of snow leopard and other endangered species and their
habitats is one of the key components of the project which will also focus on
securing livelihoods of the people in the region and enhancing enforcement to
reduce wildlife crime.
§ Enhanced enforcement efforts and monitoring under the project will
also curb illegal trade in some medicinal and aromatic plants which are among
the most threatened species in these landscapes.
Sources: the hindu.
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