Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 04 October 2024 | Download PDF

• Experts report that at least 430 hectares of the 450-hectare Little Prespa Lake in Albania have turned into swamps or dried up.

About Lake Prespa:

• One of the oldest tectonic lakes in Europe.
• Highest tectonic lake on the Balkan Peninsula.
• Geological Location:
  • Lies at the junction of three major geological masses:
    • Granite massif on the East.
    • Karstic massif belonging to Galicica on the West.
    • Suva Gora on the South.
• Geological Significance: Region has rocks from the oldest Paleozoic era to young Neogene sediments.
• Composition: Made up of Great Prespa Lake (shared by Albania, Greece, and the Republic of Macedonia) and Small Prespa Lake.
• Territorial Distribution:
  • Majority of Little Prespa Lake (Small Lake Prespa) is in Greek territory.
  • Southern tip crosses into Albania.
• Environmental Impact: Rising temperatures, mild winters with little snowfall, and scarce precipitation have adversely affected the lake.

• The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Tracker has revealed that only 10% of nations have met their biodiversity commitments ahead of the upcoming COP16 conference.

About National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans Tracker:

• Tool Development:
  • Developed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
  • Monitors the progress of countries in developing their NBSAPs.
• Alignment: Ensures NBSAPs align with the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
• Aim:
  • Makes biodiversity policies accessible to all stakeholders.
  • Ensures transparency and accountability as countries prepare for COP16.

• Recently, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), Government of India, and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched the SARTHIE 1.0.

About SARTHIE 1.0:

• Empowerment Initiative: Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Senior Citizens, Transgender Persons, Victims of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, persons engaged in Begging, Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, and more.
• Alignment with UN 2030 Agenda: Focuses on eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and promoting social protection policies for greater equality.
• Collaboration Goals:
  • Bridge the awareness gap.
  • Provide legal assistance for effective implementation of social welfare programs.
  • Strengthen social justice through synergy between the executive and judiciary.

• The Central government recently appointed new monetary policy committee members with immediate effect.

About MPC:

• Establishment:
  • Set up after a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the RBI for a new inflation-targeting monetary policy framework.
  • The RBI Act, 1934, amended by the Finance Act, 2016, provides a statutory and institutionalized framework for the MPC.
• Constitution:
  • Under Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government can constitute a six-member MPC.
  • Function:
    • Tasked with fixing the benchmark policy rate (repo rate) to contain inflation within the specified target level.
    • Replaced the Technical Advisory Committee.
• Composition:
  • Six members: RBI Governor (Chairperson), RBI Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, one official nominated by the RBI Board, and three members representing the Government of India.
  • External members hold office for four years.
• Meeting Quorum: Four members, including at least the Governor or, in his absence, the Deputy Governor.
• Decision-Making:
  • Decisions based on majority vote; in case of a tie, the RBI Governor has the casting vote.
  • MPC decisions are binding on the RBI.
• Assistance: RBI’s Monetary Policy Department (MPD) assists the MPC in formulating monetary policy.

• The Prime Minister launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan on October 2, 2024, in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. 

About Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan:

• Objective: Foster holistic development in tribal villages, transforming the socio-economic landscape.
• Coverage:
  • 63,843 villages
  • Over 5 crore tribal people
  • 549 districts
  • 2,911 blocks
  • All tribal majority villages and aspirational blocks in 30 States/UTs
• Focus Areas: Saturation of critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood.
• Interventions: 25 interventions implemented by 17-line ministries of the Government of India through convergence and outreach.
• Inspiration: Based on the success of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), launched in November 2023.

• Siddhartha, a dedicated conservationist, was recently awarded the Biju Patnaik Wildlife Conservation Award for his exemplary work in protecting and preserving India’s rich biodiversity.
• He has been instrumental in establishing and managing wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, ensuring the safety of endangered species and their habitats.

About:

• The Biju Patnaik Wildlife Conservation Award is a prestigious honor bestowed upon individuals or organizations making significant contributions to wildlife conservation in India.
• The award is named after the late Biju Patnaik, a former Chief Minister of Odisha, who was known for his commitment to environmental conservation.

• A recent report indicates a concerning 7% rise in road accident fatalities in the state of Odisha. 
• This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures and infrastructure improvements to mitigate the loss of lives on the state’s roads.
• The state reported 3,198 deaths in 6,363 road accidents between January and June. 
• As many as 2,993 people had died in 6,264 accidents during the same period in 2023.
• In terms of injuries, 5,735 people were injured this year as against 5,719 last year.

• As per the new study by SBI research wing, it was recorded that the growth rate of urbanization in Odisha stagnated at a mere 2.3 % between 2011 and 2024, making it one of the slowest in the country.

Key points:

• • It is among the bottom six big states in terms of urban area growth. 
  • The pace of urbanization in the state is below the national average of 4.2 percent (pc) and behind neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh (4.2 pc), West Bengal (5.3 pc), Andhra Pradesh (7.6 pc) and Telangana (9.4 pc).
  • Odisha is also among the bottom three states in urban population, which stood only at 19 pc as compared to the national average of 35.4 pc. 
  • The two other states are Bihar (12.4 pc) and Assam (15.7 pc). 
• Kerala is the most urbanized state with 77.4 pc urban population.

• The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has recently informed that the Odisha government is set to open at least five new Khelo India Centres (KICs) in five districts of Odisha in three disciplines.
• The new KICs will be opened in Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh and Deogarh districts.

About:

• Khelo India Centres are a network of sports training centers established by the Government of India under the Khelo India National Sports Promotion Scheme. 
• These centers aim to provide world-class sports infrastructure and coaching facilities to young athletes across the country.

• The first-ever leopard census report has revealed that a total of 696 leopards are currently present in Odisha. 
• The census has been independently conducted by the State Forest Department.
• As per the earlier report published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2022, there were 568 leopards in Odisha. 
• In comparison, the leopard population was recorded at 760 in 2018.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable

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