31 JULY 2023

Topic 1 : International Tiger Day and Project Tiger

Context: July 29 is celebrated world over as the International Tiger Day in a bid to raise awareness on various issues surrounding tiger conservation.
 

Key details:

• It was first instituted in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2, the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022.
• As per the World Wildlife Fund, while countries in Southeast Asia struggled to control population decline, others, like India, fared much better.
• The successes in India can be attributed largely to the success of Project Tiger, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary earlier this year.

About Project Tiger:

• When it was launched?
  • Project Tiger was launched by the Central government on April 1, 1973, in a bid to promote conservation of the tiger.
• Need and evolution of the Project:
  • The programme came at a time when India’s tiger population was rapidly dwindling.
  • According to reports, while there were 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of the Independence (in 1947), they were soon reduced to below 2,000 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and habitat destructions.
  • Concerns around the issue intensified when in 1970, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the tiger as an endangered species.
  • Two years later, the Indian government conducted its own tiger census and found that there were only 1,800 of them left in the country.
  • The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promulgated the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972.
  • A year later, after a task force urged the government to create a chain of reserves dedicated to tiger preservation, Indira unveiled Project Tiger.
• Where it was started?
  • Launched at the Jim Corbett National Park, the programme was initially started in nine tiger reserves of different States such as Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
• What does the project entail?
  • Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats.
  • It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.
• Successes and setbacks
  • Soon after, the number of tigers in India began to rise and by the 1990s, their population was estimated to be around 3,000.
  • However, the success story of Project Tiger suffered a major setback when the local extermination of tigers in Rajasthan’s Sariska made headlines in 2005.
  • The government reconstituted Project Tiger and established the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
    • The NTCA had more power to check poaching and preserve the tiger population.
    • Its mandate included setting up the Tiger Protection Force and funding the relocation of villages from the protected areas.
• Fifty years of Project Tiger
  • Today, there are 54 tiger reserves across India, spanning 75,000 sq km.
  • The current population of tigers in the country stands at 3,167.
  • The numbers saw a 6.74 per cent increase since 2018 (when they stood at 2,967), as per figures from the 5th cycle of India’s Tiger Census.
  • Nearly 75 per cent of the global tiger population (in the wild) can today be found in India.

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Topic 2 : GOBARdhan scheme

Context: GOBARdhan Initiative Begins Reaping Good Results & Stimulating Investments In Biogas Sector in India

About the scheme:

• The Gobardhan scheme focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste on farms into compost, biogas, and bio-CNG.
• In addition to keeping the village clean, it provides additional income for farmers and cattle herders.
• The GOBARdhan scheme also aims to make farmers more self-reliant in converting ‘waste to energy.’
• Objectives Of Gobardhan Scheme:

• In the long run, the scheme aims to help villages safely manage their cattle waste, agricultural waste, and organic waste.
• Develop decentralized systems to turn cattle and organic waste into wealth for communities.
• The effective disposal of waste in rural areas is to reduce vector-borne diseases and promote environmental sanitation.
• The conversion of organic waste, especially cattle waste, into biogas and fertilizer can be beneficial for rural areas.
• Opportunities for rural entrepreneurs to generate income and employment should be promoted.

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Topic 3 : Conjunctivitis

Context: With persistent rain, cases of conjunctivitis, or ‘pink eye’, are on the rise in several parts of the country.
 

About the disease:

• A conjunctivitis patient generally experiences eyes turning red, feeling itchy and painful, and witnessing a watery or thicker discharge.
• The disease can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or allergens, and in some cases can be highly infectious.
• Conjunctivitis, often referred to as “pink eye”, is the swelling or inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, transparent layer of tissue that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and covers the white part of the eye.
• Causes:
  • Allergic conjunctivitis can be caused by common allergens like pollen, or due to the long-term presence of a foreign body in the eye, like hard contact lenses.
  • Bacterial conjunctivitis is most often caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria from your own skin or respiratory system.
  • Viral conjunctivitis is most commonly caused by contagious viruses associated with the common cold.
    • It can develop through exposure to the coughing or sneezing of someone with an upper respiratory tract infection.”
  • Chemical conjunctivitis can be caused by irritants like air pollution, chlorine in swimming pools, and exposure to noxious chemicals”.
• Treatment:
  • Treatment usually involves management of symptoms.

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Topic 4 : Forest (Conservation) Act

Context: The Bill to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act cleared the Lok Sabha recently.
 

The FC Act, 1980

• The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 introduced the limitation on using forests for non-forest activities.
• Aims:
  • To protect the flora, fauna, and other ecological components.
  • To protect the integrity, individuality, and territory of the forests.
  • To replenish forests by planting more trees.
  • To prevent the conversion of forest reserves into grazing lands, residential units, agricultural lands, etc.
  • To stop the decline of forest biodiversity.
• Features of the Act:

• It restricts and regulates the power of the State Government and other authoritative organizations from making decisions on some issues without taking permission from the Central Government.
• An advisory committee may be formed to aid the Central Government.
• The Central Government holds the absolute power to carry out any laws formulated under this Act.
• The Act states that anybody found violating the provisions of this Act is liable for paying penalties.
• Constitutional Mandate for the conservation of forests

• When the Indian Constitution got drafted in 1950, the framers had no notion that future challenges with forest protection would develop.
• It was later realised when the Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976, was passed, and Article 48A was added to the section of Directive Principles of State Policy.
  • As per Article 48A, the state shall enact laws to conserve and improve the environment to protect our forests.
• Article 51A is a fundamental duty of every Indian.
  • According to Article 51A(g), it is the responsibility of every Indian citizen to maintain and improve the natural environment, particularly our country’s forests.

Previous amendments to the Act

• It is not the first time that the act is being amended.
• The FCA was previously amended in 1988 and 1996.
• Before 1996, the State Governments, Union Territory Administrations and Central Government used to apply the provisions of the Act to reserve forests and national parks only.
• In 1996, in T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India case, the Supreme Court expanded the definition and scope of forest land to include all areas recorded as forest in any government record, irrespective of ownership, recognition and classification.
• The order was also interpreted to presume that the Act is applicable over plantations in non-forest land.

The recent Amendment:

• Exemption for government:
  • It has been proposed that all land acquired by the Railways and Roads Ministries prior to 1980 be exempted from the Act.
  • It says these lands had been acquired for expansion, but subsequently forests have grown in these areas, and the government is no longer able to use the land for expansion. 
  • If the amendment is brought in, these Ministries will no longer need clearance for their projects, nor pay compensatory levies to build there.
  • It proposes that the Act will be applicable only on notified forest land and land identified as forest on government records except such forests that were already put to other use prior to the 1996 SC order.
• For individuals:
  • For individuals whose lands fall within a state-specific Private Forests Act or specified in the 1996 Supreme Court order, the government proposes to allow construction of structures for bona fide purposes’ including residential units up to 250 sq m as a one-time relaxation.
• Exemption for defence projects:
  • Defence projects near international borders will also be exempted from forest clearance.
• Oil extraction:
  • Oil and natural gas extraction from forested lands will be permitted.
  • But strip plantations alongside roads will be exempted.
• No levies for non-forestry purposes:
  • It has also been proposed to do away with levies for non-forestry purposes during the renewal of a lease as the double levy at the time of awarding of the lease and the renewal is not rational.
• Land under the purview of the Act:
  • The Bill provides that two types of land will be under the purview of the Act:
    • land declared/notified as a forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or under any other law, or
    • land not covered in the first category but notified as a forest on or after October 25, 1980 in a government record.  
  • The Act will not apply to land changed from forest use to non-forest use on or before December 12, 1996 by any authority authorised by a state/UT.
• Exempted categories of land:
  • land situated within 100 km from international borders, Line of Control, or Line of Actual Control, for construction of a strategic linear project of national importance and concerning national security,
  • land up to 10 hectares, for constructing security-related infrastructure, or
  • land proposed to be used for constructing defence related projects, camps for paramilitary forces, or public utility projects up to five hectares in a left-wing extremism affected area.  
• Assignment/leasing of forest land:
  • Under the previous Act, a state government requires prior approval of the central government to assign forest land to any entity not owned or controlled by government.  
  • In the Bill, this condition is extended to all entities, including those owned and controlled by government.
  • It also requires that prior approval be subject to terms and conditions prescribed by the central government.
• Permitted activities in forest land:
  • The Act restricts the de-reservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purposes.  
  • Such restrictions may be lifted with the prior approval of the central government.
  • Non-forest purposes include:
    • use of land for cultivating horticultural crops or
    • for any purpose other than reafforestation.  
  • The Act specifies certain activities that will be excluded from non-forest purposes, meaning that restrictions on the use of forest land for non-forest purposes will not apply.  These activities include:
    • works related to the conservation, management, and development of forest and wildlife such as establishing check posts, fire lines, fencing, and wireless communication. 
  • The Bill adds more activities to this list to be excluded, such as:
    • zoos and safaris under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 owned by the government or any authority, in forest areas other than protected areas,
    • ecotourism facilities,
    • silvicultural operations (enhancing forest growth), and
    • any other purpose specified by the central government.  
  • The central government may specify terms and conditions to exclude any survey (such as exploration activity, seismic survey) from being classified as non-forest purpose.
• Power to issue directions:
  • The Bill adds that the central government may issue directions for the implementation of the Act to any authority/organisation under or recognised by the centre, state, or union territory (UT).
     

Concerns:

• Facilitate corporate ownership:
  • It evidently seems to exempt certain categories of infrastructure project developers from approaching the Centre for permission to use forest land for non-forestry purposes which will certainly lead to facilitating corporate ownership and the disappearance of large tracts of forests.
• Exemptions detrimental to forests:
  • Exemption for Roads and Railways on forest land acquired prior to 1980 will be detrimental to forests as well as wildlife – especially elephants, tigers and leopards.
• Less time for public consultation:
  • The one-month time limit was a breach of pre-legislative consultation policy. 
• States’ objections:
  • Himachal Pradesh wanted the Act to define ‘National importance and National Security’
  • Chhattisgarh wanted it to mention explicitly the types of security-related infrastructure and the user agencies.
  • Mizoram was apprehensive that any activity coming under the definition of linear project by any agency can be taken up mentioning it as a project of national importance or national security.
  • Sikkim pointed out that exempting 100 km from the borders would subsume the entire state and open up pristine forest areas and wanted the proposed exemption limits to be reduced to 2 km.
• Purpose of zoo inside forest is unclear:  

• The Bill also exempts zoos from requiring prior approval under the 1980 Act.  
• The purpose of allowing a zoo inside a forest is not clear
• A blanket exemption for projects like zoos, eco-tourism facilities, and reconnaissance surveys may adversely affect forest land and wildlife.

Way forward:

• Ensuring balance between forest conservation and economic activities:  

• There may be a need to balance economic benefits with that of conserving forests.
• It is not clear why the requirement of a case-by-case examination by the central government to determine such balance is being replaced by a blanket exemption. 
• Need to define forest:
  • There is a need to define the term ‘forest’ so that it is applicable uniformly to all areas based on land use, canopy cover/crown density, height of trees, nature of species and the prevalent biodiversity that the forests are known for.
  • Such a definition would bridge the contradictions, bring uniformity and help in the conservation of forests by utilising their socio-economic and environmental potential for tackling the menace of climatic change and other environmental and natural hazards.Topic 5 : Quote: The wise win before the fight while the ignorant fight to win

About the quote:

• This quote says that the active war between two opposing sides is not mainly about winning a physical fight.
• All wars spring from a disagreement and the aim of the fight is to find an endpoint to that, instead of simply overwhelming another group by force.
• Siege warfare, where one side constantly tries attacking a defending side to gradually weaken its forces, is highly discouraged unless there are no other alternatives.
• While this may seem obvious, often the impulsiveness or naivety of a few leaders can launch a nation into a state of prolonged conflict.
• In modern times this is often motivated by complex relationships between weapons suppliers and buyers, whose commercial interests lie in having wars go on for a long time.
• It can also suit statesmen who aim to project their own power and strength and do not want to be seen as backing down.
• Ultimately, an active war is framed as the failure to come to an agreement and a failure on the part of those involved.
• The quote advises that wisdom lies in pre-empting a situation which might escalate into a war and then using one’s resources to avoid it.
• To win a war against an entity is to not have a war at all.

What happens when a war can’t be avoided?

• If Attempts at diplomacy fail.
• Even then, war can be avoided – by doing the homework to quickly overwhelm the other side.
• First, a leader must have the sense to assess their enemies’ strengths and weaknesses, and not just their own.
• This would help in manoeuvring the opponent into a position where resistance is futile.
• If he recognises this he will surrender, but if he chooses to fight, he is sure to be overcome as it allows for minimal loss.
• Deception and lies are also employed to meet this goal, to confuse the enemy and have them waste their resources.
  • For example, in World War 2, when the Allied forces made it appear that they would attack France, which was under German occupation under Operation Fortitude but the Allied soldiers descended on the beaches of Normandy.
  • And while there was suspicion among German forces about this happening, by the time they realised this it was too late for them to move their forces.

Application of the quote:

• Its not just about war:
  • The lesson extends beyond war and towards any situation of conflict, even interpersonal ones.
  • To safeguard your own position, it is important to have considerable knowledge of your opponents.
• Solving country conflicts:
  • In the case of a country looking to resolve a conflict, it should first turn to diplomacy.
  • After that, if a war is to be engaged in, it should plan a strategy that focuses on minimal exertion of strength through covert or diversion tactics that are arrived at after studying the enemy’s status.
• Interpersonal conflict:
  • For an individual facing interpersonal conflict, it would be best to similarly not engage in direct confrontations with other people and instead look at their common ground, what both the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses are, and to ultimately arrive at a resolution.

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Topic 6 : Human challenge studies

Context: Recently, the ICMR Bioethics Unit posted the consensus policy statement for the ethical conduct of controlled human infection studies (CHIS), also known as human challenge studies, in India.  
 

Key details:

• Traditional human clinical trials have been carried out in the country for a very long time.
• The inclusion of human challenge studies will help supplement traditional clinical studies and speed up the process of finding safe and effective interventions in the form of drugs and/or vaccines.
• Human challenge studies will vastly help in providing better insight into multiple aspects of even well-studied pathogens, infection, transmission, disease pathogenesis and prevention.
• Since many infectious diseases are endemic in several developing countries, and resistance to existing drugs is increasing, there is a pressing need to find more effective medical interventions.
• About human challenge studies:
  • Human challenge studies are those studies in which human beings are exposed to diseases to learn more about it.
  • However, India has not undertaken such trials before.
  • Human challenge studies are almost always conducted to understand the various facets of infectious microbes and the diseases or conditions caused by such pathogens.
• Difference between Human challenge studies and Traditional human clinical trials:
  • Nature of exposure:
    • The fundamental difference between the two scientific methods is the nature of exposure to pathogens by participants.
    • Participants in traditional clinical trials are strongly advised to adopt and adhere to safety measures to avoid getting infected and infection is left to chance.
    • Volunteers in a human challenge study are deliberately exposed to disease-causing pathogens.
• Difference in kind of study:
  • Traditional clinical trials are undertaken to study the safety and efficacy of drugs and vaccines.
  • Human challenge studies are carried out to understand the various facets of infection and disease pathogenesis besides selecting the best candidate drug or vaccine.
• Associated risks:
  • The adverse effects of the candidate drugs or vaccines are not known in both the studies.
  • Volunteers in a human challenge trial face an additional risk when deliberately exposed to the pathogen.
• Types of diseases studied:
  • Human challenge studies are often undertaken to study “less deadly diseases” such as influenza, dengue, typhoid, cholera and malaria, unlike in traditional clinical studies.

Ethical dimensions of human challenge trial:

• Associated health risks:
  • That participants in a human challenge trial are deliberately exposed to a disease-causing pathogen makes it ethically more challenging.
• Essential Medical examination:
  • The ICMR consensus statement has clearly mentioned that only healthy individuals in the 18-45 years age bracket are to be enrolled.
  • Participants with pre-existing medical conditions are to be excluded but very often people are unaware of many medical conditions.
  • This makes it essential to carry out detailed medical examination of the participants before enrolment.
• Money for participation:
  • Information on payment for participation should be mentioned in the consent form but the exact amount of payment for participation is to be revealed only after the volunteer has consented to participate
  • Enticing people to participate by advertising the amount of money that volunteers will be paid is quite common in traditional clinical trials, as was seen in the Covaxin trial conducted in Bhopal.

Way forward:

• Thesocial and scientific warrantshould be strong:
  • The disease must be important, with high morbidity and/or mortality, or at least a high prevalence.
  • The study must address an important unanswered question.
  • The proposed intervention should have a reasonable prospect of success.
  • Alternative methods of giving an adequate answer to the trial question should be ruled out.
• Mitigation of risks:
  • Everything reasonable should be done to mitigate risks to participants, and the level should be set so that the most likely risk is of mild to moderate symptoms of a short duration.
  • Not only should the probability and magnitude of known risks be considered, but also the unknown risks associated with an incompletely understood disease.
  • Attenuated infective agents or strains with low pathogenicity should be used preferentially.
  • Testing in subpopulations at low risk of severe disease should be considered.
  • A rescue option, an effective treatment in case a participant contracts moderate to severe disease, is ethically necessary.
• Not to be conducted in vulnerable people:
  • Justice rules out conducting such studies in vulnerable populations such as prisoners.
  • It is also unjust to recruit participants heavily from socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups that are already disproportionately burdened by the disease.
  • Ideally, the population from which participants are selected will be assured access to the intervention if it proves valuable.
  • Justice also requires compensation for those who are harmed as a result of participation, and their medical care should be assured.
• Informed consent:
  • Informed consent for challenge studies must be performed carefully, ensuring that potential participants understand the risks and are making an autonomous choice.
  • Proxy consent should not be permitted.Topic 7 : Worldcoin

Context: Recently, OpenAI CEO decided to formally re-introduce Worldcoin, a project of his that was eclipsed by the popularity of ChatGPT.
 

About Worldcoin:

• Worldcoin is an initiative to create a digital network in which everyone can claim some kind of stake, and join the digital economy.
• Using a device called “Orb,” Worldcoin volunteers known as ‘Orb operators’ scan a person’s iris pattern to collect their biometric data and help them get a World ID through the World app.
• The users need to be willing to scan irises and/or get their own irises scanned.
• Volunteers sign up to be “Orb operators” in their locality and receive basic training and a biometric device with which to scan irises.
• Orb operators can even rent out the Orb to others to let them scan eyeballs as well.
• Those who have their irises scanned and collect a World ID can use this to claim the WLD crypto, which they may use for transactions or hold on to the asset in the hope that its price might rise, as it did after launching.
• However, users can also buy or sell WLD without getting scanned or using the app.

Why does Worldcoin scan irises?

• It wanted to include everyone in its network and that using biometric information to avoid duplication was a valid method for this.
• The company claimed that India had proven the effectiveness of biometrics through its Aadhaar system.

Criticism:

• Even if a person’s biometric scans were deleted for privacy reasons, the unique identifier for the scan would match future scans of the same person’s eyes.Topic 8 : Cocos Islands

Context: An Indian Navy Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 transport aircraft visited Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) in the Southern Indian Ocean.
 

About Cocos Island:

• The Cocos/Keeling Islands are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean.
• It comprises a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
• It consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two are inhabited:
  • West Island and
  • Home Island
• People mostly practice Sunni Islam and speak a dialect of Malay as their first language.
• History:
  • The islands were discovered in 1609 by the British sea captain William Keeling, but no settlement occurred until the early 19th century.
  • One of the first settlers was John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish merchant whose family ruled the islands as a private fiefdom for almost 150 years.
  • The British annexed the islands in 1857.
  • The territory was transferred to Australia in 1955.