Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 02 August 2024 | Download PDF

• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved exploratory oil and gas drilling in parts of Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary. 
• This decision may further endanger the Hoolock Gibbon, an already endangered species.

About Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location and Status:
  • Isolated protected area of evergreen forest in Jorhat district, Assam.
  • Designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 by the Assam Government.
  • The only sanctuary in India named after a gibbon, known for having the densest gibbon populations in Assam.
• River: The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along the sanctuary’s border.
• Flora:
  • Upper Canopy: Dominated by the Hollong tree.
  • Middle Canopy: Dominated by the Nahar tree.
  • Lower Canopy: Consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs.
• Fauna:
  • Hoolock gibbons (India’s only gibbons).
  • Bengal slow loris (Northeastern India’s only nocturnal primate).
  • Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar.
  • Three types of civet, four types of squirrels.
  • Stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque.
• IUCN status: Endangered

• India will host the international air exercise ‘Tarang Shakti’ in two phases, with events taking place in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.

About Exercise Tarang Shakti:

• • Largest international air exercise ever conducted in India.
  • Aimed at strengthening strategic relations with international friends.
  • Invitations extended to 51 countries, with nearly 30 participating.
  • Objective:
    • To invite friendly foreign countries with regular interactions and a degree of interoperability with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
  • Participating Countries:
• Phase One (Sulur, Tamil Nadu)

• • • • Dates: August 6 to August 14
      • Countries: France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
• Phase Two (Jodhpur, Rajasthan)

• • • Dates: September 1 to September 14
    • Countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Greece, Singapore, UAE, USA

• The Union Education Minister recently launched the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) 2.0 Portal.

About National Apprenticeship Training Scheme:

• Flagship Programme: Government of India initiative for skilling Indian youth in trade disciplines.
• Legislation: Under the Apprentices Act, 1961, amended in 1973.
• Eligibility: Graduate, diploma students, and vocational certificate holders.
• Training Type: Practical, hands-on On-the-Job Training (OJT).
• Duration: 6 months to 1 year.
• Stipend: Apprentices are paid a stipend, with 50% reimbursed to the employer by the Government of India.
• Employment: No guarantee of employment after completing the apprenticeship.

NATS 2.0 Portal:

• Facilitates registration and application process for apprenticeships.
• Allows industries to manage vacancies and contracts.
• Manages the entire apprenticeship lifecycle.
• Developed by the Ministry of Education with AICTE and the Board of Apprenticeship Training/Practical Training (BoATs/BoPT).

• The World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report recently stated that poaching and trafficking are threatening the survival of four sturgeon species.

About Sturgeon:

• Endangered Status: Among the most endangered fish species globally.
• Distribution: Found in large river systems, lakes, coastal waters, and inner seas throughout Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, other European countries, and North America.
• CITES Regulation: Since 1998, international trade in all sturgeon species has been regulated under CITES due to concerns over unsustainable harvesting and illegal trade.
• Threats: Heavily exploited for their roe (caviar) and meat, leading to a steep decline in populations worldwide.

• The Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers informed that the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) issued notice to many pharmaceutical companies regarding violations of the Drug Price Control Order.

About NPPA:

• Establishment: Set up in 1997 under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995.
• Purpose: 
  • To fix and revise prices of controlled bulk drugs and formulations, 
  • Ensuring availability and affordability of medicines in the country.
• Nodal Ministry: Attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

• Bargarh Lok Sabha MP Pradeep Purohit has called for a comprehensive survey of medicinal plants on the Gandhamardan Hill range in Odisha.

About:

• Location: Between Balangir and Bargarh districts, Odisha, India
• Elevation: Approximately 3,250 feet (990 meters)

Significance:

• • Medicinal Plants: Known for its rich diversity of medicinal plants, with over 220 species identified by the Botanical Survey of India. 
• Historical Survey: AYUSH Minister Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao confirmed a 2009 survey identified 912 types of herbs, including 344 medicinal plants.

• • Local claims suggest there are more than 500 species.
• Biodiversity Heritage Site: Declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site ‘Ayurvedic Paradise’ by the Odisha government in 2023. The area covers 18,963.898 hectares, including the Gandhamardan Reserve Forest.

Cultural and Historical Importance:

• Mythological Significance: Believed to be the hill carried by Lord Hanuman from the Himalayas to save Lakshman’s life during the Ramayana.
• Temples: Home to the Nrusinghanath Temple on the northern slope and the Harishankar Temple on the southern slope, both significant pilgrimage sites.

Biodiversity:

• Flora: Includes 1,055 plant species, such as angiosperms, pteridophytes, bryophytes, lichens, and gymnosperms2.
• Fauna: Hosts 500 species of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, and spiders.

Conservation Efforts:

• Protection: The declaration as a Biodiversity Heritage Site aims to protect and manage the biological resources and traditional ecological knowledge associated with the hill.

• Over 10,000 quintals of rice, generously donated by the public as offerings to Lord Jagannath for the inauguration of the Puri Heritage Corridor project in January 2024, is now deteriorating.

About:

• Inauguration: The project was inaugurated by then Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 17, 2024.
• The Lord Jagannath Temple Parikrama Project, also known as the Shree Mandir Parikrama or Shree Jagannath Heritage Corridor, is a significant development around the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha.
• Purpose: The project aims to provide expansive and unobstructed corridors around the Meghanad Pacheri, enhancing the visual appeal of the temple and its surroundings.

Features:

• 75-meter Heritage Corridor: The corridor allows for better darshan (viewing) of the temple, Nila Chakra, and Meghanad Pacheri.
• Green Buffer Zone: A 7-meter green buffer zone has been created to enhance the environment.

Cost and Construction:

• The project was constructed at a cost of approximately ₹3,600 crore (US$430 million).
• Construction began in November 2021 and was completed in January 2024

Impact: 

• The project is part of a broader plan to develop Puri into a world heritage city, catering to the growing number of devotees and visitors.

• The Union Ministry announced that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has approved the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for two hydro pumped storage plants (PSPs). 
• These include the 600 MW Upper Indravati in Odisha’s Kalahandi district and the 2000 MW Sharavathy in Karnataka. 

Key points:

• Developer: Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), a government undertaking of Odisha

Purpose:

• Energy Storage: Utilizes two water reservoirs at different elevations to store and generate electricity. Water is released from the upper reservoir to the lower one, passing through turbines to generate power. The system also pumps water back to the upper reservoir for reuse.
• Electricity Generation: Expected to provide 1,040 million units of electricity per annum to the Odisha grid.

Significance:

• Energy Security: Part of India’s initiative to develop energy storage systems to ensure energy security4.
• Ease of Doing Business: The approval process for DPRs has been streamlined to fast-track the development of such projects

• The Odisha government reported to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that 405.08 square kilometers (sq km) of forest land is under encroachment in the state.
• The data was presented by Debidutta Biswal, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Odisha.

National Green Tribunal (NGT):

• Establishment: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act. 
• It is a specialized body for the expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
• Objective: 
  • The primary objective of the NGT is to ensure effective and timely resolution of environmental disputes. 
  • It aims to provide a dedicated forum for addressing environmental issues and enforcing legal rights related to the environment.
• Jurisdiction: The NGT has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial questions relating to the environment, including the enforcement of legal rights related to the environment. It can hear cases under various environmental laws, such as:
  • The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
  • The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
  • The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
  • The Environment (Protection) Act, 19861
• Structure: The NGT consists of a Chairperson, Judicial Members, and Expert Members. The Chairperson is a retired Supreme Court judge, and the Judicial Members are retired High Court judges. Expert Members are individuals with professional qualifications and experience in environmental and related fields.

All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Adda247.