Current Affairs Exam

Report Submission Delays

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by rawan239

Delays in Report Submission: Annual reports from the National Commissions for SCs, STs, and OBCs are significantly delayed, with some pending for up to seven years.
Constitutional Mandate Violated: Articles 338, 338A, and 338B mandate these commissions to submit annual reports to the President, reviewing safeguards and recommending measures for marginalized communities.
Accountability Concerns: Untabled reports in Parliament raise concerns about government accountability and timely implementation of welfare measures.
Policy Influence Impaired: Delays hinder the commissions’ ability to influence policy decisions related to reservations, creamy-layer criteria, and welfare interventions.
Resource Constraints: Commissions face resource limitations and a lack of experts, slowing down report compilation and review.
Ministry Prioritization Issues: Nodal ministries may not prioritize the tabling of these reports, causing further delays.
Outdated Methodologies: Reliance on manual data collection methods and limited integration of digital data hinders efficiency.
Lack of Clear Deadlines: Absence of fixed deadlines for additional reports contributes to delays.
Loss of Faith: Outdated reports undermine the relevance of the commissions, causing marginalized communities to lose faith.
Emerging Issues Unaddressed: New forms of discrimination and economic exclusion may remain unaddressed due to delays.
Inadequate Pressure: Limited public and parliamentary pressure allows delays to persist without consequences.
Impact on Welfare Schemes: Delays disrupt the timely influence of report recommendations on government policies.

Critical Tiger Habitat

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by rawan239

Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) CTH Expansion: STR’s Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) is set to expand by approximately 4,500 hectares.
Rationalization Exercise: This expansion follows a rationalization exercise mandated by the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
Breeding and Movement Patterns: The expansion and rationalization were based on tiger breeding patterns and movement behavior
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at STR. Areas lacking tiger activity are proposed for removal, while zones with consistent activity will be included.
Legal and Management Challenges: The fragmented nature of the existing CTH created legal and management challenges.
Expert Committee: A committee of experts was constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to conduct a scientific study.
Land Parcel Adjustments: Land parcels disconnected from the core area and lacking tiger presence would be excluded. Land from buffer areas with regular tiger movement would be incorporated.
Area Specifics: Land near Tehla, Siliberi Da Gate, Bansur, and the Jaipur Wildlife boundary may be removed. The buffer area adjoining Alwar city is proposed to be added, excluding portions near the urban area.
Approvals Needed: The draft requires approvals from the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) and National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) before being sent to the CEC.
Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Notification: The notification of STR’s Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) is scheduled after the CTH rationalization. State govt has sought an extension to complete this process, and the ESZ notification was expected before Dec 31, 2025.
CTH Definition: Critical Tiger Habitats (CTH) are core areas of tiger reserves, identified under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), 1972, to be kept inviolate for tiger conservation without affecting the rights of Scheduled Tribes or forest dwellers.
Inviolate Status: CTHs are kept free from human activities for
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tiger conservation. Forests surrounding CTHs are designated as buffer areas.
Central Empowered Committee (CEC): Established in 2002, now a permanent statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. It monitors environmental compliance, provides expert recommendations, investigates complaints, conducts site visits, and reports to authorities. NGOs were previously part of the committee.

MacGregor Medal

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by rawan239

Award Ceremony: Five military personnel were awarded the MacGregor Memorial Medal by the Chief of Defence Staff for exceptional contributions to military reconnaissance, exploration, and adventure in 2023 and 2024.
2023 Recipients: Wing Commander D. Panda (Air Force) and Electrical Artificer (Radio) Rahul Kumar Pandey (Navy).
2024 Recipients: Chief Electrical Aircraft Artificer (Radio) Ram Ratan Jat (Navy), Sergeant Jhumar Ram Poonia (Air Force), and Colonel Ranvir Singh Jamwal (Director of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports, Arunachal Pradesh), though he wasn’t present due to a mountaineering expedition.
Historical Significance: The medal was instituted on July 3, 1888, in honor of Major General Sir Charles Metcalfe MacGregor, founder of the United Service Institution of India (USI).
Evolution of Scope: Initially for military reconnaissance and exploration, its scope expanded post-1986 to encompass adventure activities.
Eligibility: Open to all ranks (serving and retired) of the Armed Forces, Territorial Army, Reserve Forces, Rashtriya Rifles, and Assam Rifles.
Past Awardees: Notable past recipients include Captain F.E. Younghusband, Major General Orde Charles Wingate, Col.

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Narinder Kumar, and Cdr Dilip Donde.
Total Awards: To date, 127 medals have been awarded.
Book Launch: The event also marked the launch of “Bravest of the Brave,” a biography of Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, authored by Lt. Gen. Satish Dua (retd.).

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 by rawan239

New Antiviral Agent: Researchers have developed an RNA-based antiviral agent providing strong protection against Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV).
CMV Impact: CMV infects over 1,200 plant species, including vital crops, causing significant yield losses (e.g., 25-30% in Indian banana plantations, up to 70% in cucurbits). It leads to mosaic discoloration, stunted growth, and unmarketable fruits.
RNA Silencing: The antiviral agent uses RNA silencing, enhancing the plant’s natural defense by employing “effective dsRNA” enriched with potent siRNAs.
How it Works: Effective dsRNA are genetically engineered dsRNA enriched with highly functional siRNA. These specially selected siRNA bind to the virus’s genetic material to trigger a stronger antiviral response.
Improved Efficacy: This method, tested on Nicotiana benthamiana, reduced viral load by nearly 80% and outperformed traditional dsRNA due to efficient processing into active siRNA, thus triggering a stronger immune
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response.
Advantages: Precise targeting, stronger defense against viral mutations, and rapid redesign for new strains.
Next Steps: Development of spray-based solutions for field trials.
Broader Applications: The technology’s principles can be applied to other plant viruses, fungal, and bacterial diseases and insect pests.
Challenges: RNA stability in outdoor conditions, cost, scalability, and regulatory approvals remain hurdles.
Economic Impact: Plant
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viruses contribute to over $30 billion in crop losses annually.

Cholistan

April 29, 2025 by rawan239

Cholistan Canal Project Halted: Pakistan’s government suspended the Cholistan Canal project, part of the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), after widespread protests in Sindh.
Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI): Aims to modernize Pakistan’s agriculture through irrigation, technology, and increased productivity. The Cholistan Canal was a major component to irrigate 1.2 million acres in the Cholistan Desert.
Cholistan Desert Overview: Located in southern Punjab, part of the Greater Thar Desert. Historically a caravan trade center, now characterized by arid conditions and limited water resources.
Sindh’s Concerns: Sindh fears the canals will worsen water scarcity. The province is a lower riparian and relies on the Indus River system. Concerns that federal government prioritizes Cholistan cultivation, at the cost of Sindh’s land, seawater intrusion and decimation of fragile eco-systems.
Historical Punjab-Sindh Tensions: The project ignited anti-Punjab sentiment in Sindh, fueled by historical grievances of marginalization.
PPP’s Dilemma: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), in power in Sindh, initially endorsed the GPI, causing backlash in Sindh and creating rifts with PML-N. PPP made a u-turn after Sindh protests.
Project Rationale: The Cholistan Canal, estimated to cost $800 million, was intended to transform the water-scarce Cholistan region by providing reliable water supply.
Water Source Controversy: Questions arose about the canal’s water source, initially intended to be floodwater from the
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Sutlej River. Sindh believes the project will utilize water from Indus river which is already scarce.

Threats to Hyena Populations: All four extant hyena species (Spotted, Striped, Brown Hyena, and Aardwolf) in Africa face increasing threats leading to population declines.
Threat Sources: Persecution due to fear/misinformation, habitat loss (agriculture/settlement), human-wildlife conflict (livestock), hunting (bushmeat, traditional medicine), and accidental deaths (poisoning, snares, vehicle collisions).
Species Overview:
- Spotted Hyena: Most widespread, skilled predators, live in female-led clans, declining numbers.
- Striped Hyena: Nocturnal, solitary, omnivorous, carcass scavengers, use scent marking (“natural lavatories”). Found in India.
- Brown Hyena: Southern Africa, scavengers, supplement diet with fruits/insects, live in small clans.
- Aardwolf: Termite specialist (eats up to 300,000 termites/night), socially monogamous, threatened by pesticides.
Ecological Importance: Hyenas regulate herbivore populations (hunters), clean up carcasses preventing disease (scavengers), return nutrients to the soil, control insect populations.
Conservation Status (IUCN):
- Spotted Hyena: Least Concern but declining (fewer than 50,000).
- Striped Hyena: Near Threatened (less than 10,000 mature individuals).
- Brown Hyena: Near Threatened (just over 10,000).
- Aardwolf: Least Concern (exact numbers unknown).
The hyena is often mischaracterized as the ‘villain of the African Savanna’
Call to Action: Changing negative public perception is crucial for securing hyena’s future.