Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 20 February 2024 | Download PDF

• The Supreme Court has instructed the Central government to adhere to the broad definition of ‘forest’ for now, as per a 1996 order. 
• This decision will lead to 1.97 lakh square km of undeclared forest land being included in the definition of ‘forest’.

Key points:

• A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, issued this directive while hearing petitions challenging the 2023 amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. 
• The Act was originally enacted to prevent further deforestation and ecological imbalance.

Recommendations:

• The 2023 amendments had narrowed the definition of forest to include only declared forests and lands recorded as forests in government records after 1980. 
• However, the court emphasized the need to follow the dictionary meaning of ‘forest’, as established in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case.
• The court clarified that ‘forest’ should not be limited to lands recorded as forests in government records. 
• It directed States and Union Territories to compile a consolidated record of all lands recorded as ‘forest’ in government records, and instructed the Environment Ministry to publish these records on its website by April 15, 2024.
• Additionally, the court mandated that the establishment of zoos or safaris by any government or authority must receive final approval from the Supreme Court. 
• The case is set to be heard again in July 2024.

• Archaeologists recently uncovered a fortified Harappan settlement called Morodharo in the Kutch District, Gujarat. 
• Dating back to 2600-1900 BCE, it features a 102m by 58m fortification wall averaging 3.3m in thickness. 
• The settlement includes a 10x10m platform and a well. 
• Burial cairns and Harappan pottery were found, resembling items from Dholavira. 

Key features of IVC:

• The Harappan civilization was the first urban civilization in South Asia, covering approximately 800,000 sq km. 
• Major Harappan cities included Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Dholavira, Lothal, Surkotada, Kalibangan, Banawali, and Rakhigarhi. 
• The civilization’s town planning featured a rectangular grid pattern, planned streets and alleyways, fortifications, and division into an upraised citadel and lower town. 
• Harappans extensively used burnt bricks and had well-developed residential areas with multiple-story houses, courtyards, and sophisticated drainage systems.

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS),Hyderabad and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are collaborating on a project to continually monitor and issue operational forecast alerts regarding rip currents.

About:

• Rip currents are powerful water flows moving from a beach towards the open ocean, sea, or lake. 
• They can exceed 45 meters (150 feet) in width but are usually less than 9 meters (30 feet) wide, with speeds up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) per hour. 
• Rip currents are considered one of the most dangerous natural hazards globally.

How are they formed?

• Rip currents form when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach. 
• One of the ways this water returns to sea is to form a rip current, a narrow stream of water moving swiftly away from shore, often perpendicular to the shoreline.

• • The United Nations General Assembly designated February 20th as the annual World Day of Social Justice, starting from the sixty-third session of the General Assembly, in a declaration made on November 26, 2007.
• The theme of World Day of Social Justice 2024 is “Bridging Gaps, Building Alliances”.

Social Justice in Indian Scenario

• In India, social justice is a multifaceted concept that encompasses a wide range of issues, including casteism, discrimination against women, and economic inequality. 
• The Indian Constitution adopts this concept in various provisions, including the preamble in the form of ‘Socialist’, ‘Social and Economic Justice’, ‘Equality’, etc., which clearly states that the state is extensively involved in the social welfare of people and endeavors to establish an equal society.

Govt Schemes that aid Social justice:

• MGNREGA
• Skill India Mission
• ICDS
• PM Awas Yojana
• Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) 
• PM-JANMAN

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the two-day ‘Nua Odisha Global Summit on Growth and Employment’ in Bhubaneswar. 

Key points:

• Aim:The summit aims to analyze future growth sectors in industries and skills, proposing necessary skill training for the state’s youth to prepare them for the global job market. 
• The event was a collaboration between the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and the Department of Skills & Technical Education, Odisha Government. 
• The summit will take place on February 19-20, 2024, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

• The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), in collaboration with the City Forest division, has spearheaded the design and creation of this urban forest, funded by the Odisha Mining Corporation. 
• Ananda Bana boasts Miyawaki plantation over 1.5 hectares and nearly 12,000 trees of 35 local species. 
• The forest division has adopted the Miyawaki technique to establish natural oxygen factories in urban areas.

About:

• Spanning 89.05 acres and divided into two sections connected by a footbridge, Ananda Bana was once a barren stretch of revenue forest land. 
• Named ‘Axis of Happiness,’ it is now the city’s largest open space.
• In addition to regular plantation, seasonal flowers, and water lily plants, 120 spots and both sides of the trails feature 69 different types of medicinal plants. 
• Each tree is labeled with a barcode that visitors can scan to access information about the tree.
• Ananda Bana is also home to three water bodies covered with green grass turfs, attracting butterflies and various bird species.
• The urban forest aims to cultivate future environmental leaders. 
• BDA is collaborating with the School and Mass Education department to bring government school students to Ananda Bana every weekend for ecological awareness sessions. 
• The area will be plastic-free and designated as a no-outside-food zone, with zero tolerance for loud music or noise.

• State government officially announced the ‘Odisha Inclusive Urban Sanitation Policy – 2024’ to achieve its goal of providing inclusive, equitable, safe, and sustainable sanitation services to all urban residents, recognizing sanitation as a fundamental human right.

About:

• The policy’s main objective is to guarantee that all residents, regardless of any discrimination, in every city and town, have access to inclusive, equitable, safe, and sustainable sanitation services planned, managed, and provided by urban local bodies (ULBs). 
• Additionally, the policy aims to integrate the state’s sanitation value chain with modern concepts such as circular economy, community partnership, disaster resilience, and urban-rural convergence.
• The government plans to ensure that all black and grey water produced in urban areas is safely contained, regularly collected, safely transported, and disposed of after adequate treatment under this policy.
• Given the state’s high decadal urban growth rate of 27 per cent, the government intends to establish safe containment, collection, transport, treatment, and disposal mechanisms for all human faecal waste and promote the reuse and recycling of byproducts in the new ULBs under this policy.

• The Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj, along with Balasore and Keonjhar districts, is implementing various measures.
• Forest fires usually occur from March to mid-June, posing a significant challenge for the department in protecting wildlife.

Key points:

• They are conducting awareness meetings, strengthening manpower, and acquiring firefighting equipment to combat forest fires effectively.
• Use of air blower machines in Mayurbhanj, and provision of personal protection equipment by the Similipal Foundation are part of the operational plan.

About:

• A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire, or rural fire, is an unplanned, uncontrolled, and unpredictable fire that occurs in an area of combustible vegetation. 
• Wildfires can occur in various ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and savannas, and are not limited to a specific continent or environment.

• Sapigen Biologix is set to commence vaccine production in Odisha by May. 
• The new plant, built with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore, is anticipated to manufacture more than 15 vaccines targeting various diseases like cholera and malaria.

Key points:

• As a subsidiary of Biovet Pvt Ltd, headquartered in Hyderabad and promoted by Dr. Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech Ltd, Sapigen Biologix will become the first vaccine manufacturer to commence commercial production in the state.
• Sapigen aims to produce approximately 15 million doses annually of the RTS, S malaria vaccine by April 2025.
• The integrated industrial park, spread over 30 acres, is designed to attract and support biotechnology and bio-information technology industries in Odisha.

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