Current Affairs 10 August 2022 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 10 August 2022 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Gold Exchange Traded Funds

Source: Indian Express
GS III: Indian Economy

What is discussed under Gold Exchange Traded Funds?

1. What are gold exchange traded funds?
2. What are the benefits of a gold ETF?
3. What are the reasons for the outflow?

Why in News?

• As part of portfolio rebalancing strategy, investors pulled money out of gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in July 2022, resulting in a net outflow of Rs 457 crore.
• Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) data showed that this was in comparison to a net inflow of Rs 135 crore in June 2022.

What Are Gold Exchange Traded Funds?

• • A gold exchange-traded fund (Gold ETF) is a passive investment fund that aims to track the price of physical gold.
  • Each unit of a gold ETF represents one gram of gold as the fund invests in physical gold and investors get the units in dematerialised form.

    

  • Since it is an ETF, investors can buy or sell units on the exchange platform just like any equity instrument because the units are listed on stock markets.
  • An investor who sells a gold ETF unit will receive the cash equivalent rather than physical gold.
  • Investment in gold ETFs typically costs less than investment in gold in physical form.
  • Gold ETFs purchase 99.5% pure physical gold to back their investments.
  • According to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), this actual gold is kept in vaults with the custodian bank and evaluated on a regular basis.

What Are the Benefits of a Gold ETF?

• • No need of worrying about gold purity, pricing transparency, charging, storage, and theft.
  • Lower expenses as compared to physical gold investments.
  • It is a liquid investment that is always available for sale on the exchanges.
  • Certain mutual funds offer the option of redeeming with actual gold.
  • It has several tax advantages because all income is classified as long-term capital gains.
  • There are no additional levies, such as wealth taxes.

What Are the Reasons for the Outflow?

• • Investors foresee a decrease in gold prices as a result of an increase in interest rates.
  • The drop in the price of gold had an effect on the net inflows into gold ETFs.
  • The falling rupee is another factor that has likely had an impact on the dynamics of gold supply and demand.
  • With gold ETFs reporting large outflows as a result of declining gold prices, it has also been noticed internationally.

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

Source : Indian Express
GS III: Science and Technology 

What is discussed under Small Satellite Launch Vehicle?

1. What is a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle?
2. Advantages of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
3. Why is ISRO developing the SSLV?
4. What is Earth Observation Satellite: EOS-02?
5. What is AzaadiSAT student satellite?
6. What are the reasons for mission failure?

Why in News?

• ISRO launched the first flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle( SSLV), carrying an Earth observation satellite EOS-02 and co-passenger students’ satellite AzaadiSAT.
• The mission failed to deliver its satellite payloads into their intended orbit due to a sensor issue.
• The Centre had allocated Rs 169 crore for the development of the project.

What Is a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle?

• • Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), developed by ISRO, is a 3-stage all-solid vehicle and has the capability to launch up to 500 kg satellite mass into 500 km low earth orbit (LEO) and 300 kg to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
  • It would help launching small satellites, with the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs.
  • It is a four-stage launching vehicle.
  • The first three stages will use Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based solid propellant, with a fourth terminal stage being a Velocity-Trimming Module (VTM).
  • SSLV is made keeping low cost, low turnaround time in mind with launch-on-demand flexibility under minimal infrastructure requirements.
  • It has a height of 34 meters, diameter of 2 meters and mass of 120 tonnes.

Advantages of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

• • Reduced turn-around time

    

  • Launch on demand
  • Cost optimization for realization and operation
  • Flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites
  • Minimum launch infrastructure requirements
  • Heritage of proven design practises

Why Is ISRO Developing the SSLV?

• • To develop a launch vehicle that is both affordable and capable of frequent launches.
  • In order to take advantage of the expanding market for small satellite launch services on a worldwide scale.
  • It will offer a variety of mounting options for nano, micro, and small satellites.
  • It can be assembled in just 72 hours.
  • Human resource required for assembling the vehicle is less.
  • Small launch vehicles are seeing a huge surge all over the world.
  • The development and manufacture of the SSLV are expected to create greater synergy between the space sector and private Indian industries.

What is Earth Observation Satellite: EOS-02?

• • EOS-02 (formerly known as Microsat-2A) was an Indian Earth observation microsatellite developed by the ISRO.
  • The goal of EOS-02 was to develop and launch an experimental imaging satellite with a quick turnaround time to demonstrate the potential of launch on demand.
  • It was created with the intention of being used for:
    • Cadastral-level cartographic applications
    • Urban and rural management
    • Coastal land use and regulation
    • Utilities mapping
    • Development
    • Other GIS applications

What Is AzaadiSAT student satellite?

• • AzaadiSAT is the product of the collaboration of 750 school kids and the student team of “Space Kidz India,” an aerospace organisation.
  • The AzaadiSAT also aimed to mark 75 years of India’s independence.
  • The aim of the production was to provide government school students with a fundamental awareness and knowledge of space.
  • It is an 8-kg Cubesat carrying 75 different payloads each weighing around 50 grams and conducts femto-experiments.

What Are the Reasons for Mission Failure?

• • The velocity trimming module (VTM) was designed to burn for 20 seconds at 653 seconds after launch.
  • It only burned for 0.1 seconds though, depriving the rocket of the necessary height boost.
  • Due to a sensor fault, the satellites were put into an elliptical orbit rather than their original circular orbit.

World Tribal Day

Source : Indian Express
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies; GS III: Indian Economy

What is discussed under World Tribal Day?

1. Who are indigenous people?
2. History of World Tribal Day
3. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022
4. Status of tribes in India

Why in News?

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022 or World tribal day is celebrated on 9 August to raise awareness about the protection of the rights of the world’s indigenous population.

Who are Indigenous People?

• • They are the peoples who inherit and practice unique cultures and methods of people related to the environment.
  • Their social, cultural, economic, and political features are different from dominant societies in which they live. 
  • According to the UN reports, more than 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world and accounting for 6.2% of the global population.

Issues Facing by Indigenous People

• • Problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples as the rights have always been violated.
  • According to the UN, 47% of all indigenous peoples in employment worldwide have no education as compared to 17% of their non-indigenous counterparts.

    

  • This discrepancy is larger for women.
  • Due to various factors, indigenous languages in the world continue to disappear at an alarming rate.
  • The International Year of Indigenous Languages was declared by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in a resolution (A/RES/71/178) on “Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

History of World Tribal Day

• • Aim: to emphasise the significance of protecting indigenous people’s rights, communities, and the knowledge they have accumulated and passed down through the ages.
  • The first UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations meeting was held in Geneva on 09 August 1982.
  • On 23 December 1994, the UN General Assembly decided to observe 9 August as the International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples.
  • The Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People was proclaimed by the assembly in 2004 and it was decided to continue to observe annually International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
  • The goal of the decade was to strengthen cooperation internationally for solving problems basically faced by the indigenous peoples mainly in the areas of:
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Health
    • Human rights
    • Environment, social and economic development
  • The Permanent UN Forum on Indigenous Issues was established by a resolution passed by the Commission on Human Rights in April 2000 and promoted by the Economic and Social Council.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022

Theme

• • ‘The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge’.
  • The World Tribal Day in 2022 will have as its theme the indigenous women who serve as the pillars of indigenous communities.
  • They are also essential to the transmission and maintenance of traditional ancestor knowledge.
  • Many indigenous women are also taking the lead in the defence of lands and territories and advocating for indigenous peoples’ collective rights worldwide.

Issues Faced by Indigenous Women

• • Poverty
  • Illiteracy
  • Limited access to health and basic sanitation
  • Lack of employment
  • Limited participation in political life 
  • The prevalence of domestic and sexual violence

Status of Tribes in India

• • The tribal population constitutes 8.6%  (or 11 cr) of the total population (the second largest number of tribal people in any country in the world). 
  • 89.97% of them live in rural areas and 10.03% in urban areas.
  • Tribal people are concentrated in 809 blocks in India designated as the Scheduled Areas.
  • 66% India’s tribal population is over-dependent on agriculture and forest-related livelihood sources. 
  • The Expert Committee on Tribal Health presented the Government of India with the first National Report on the State of the Tribal People’s Health on August 9, 2018.
  • The aim of the committee was to find the present status of health and health care in tribal areas and the roadmap for future to solve the issues.
  • According to Lokur Committee (1965), the essential characteristics to be recognized by Scheduled Tribe are:
    • Indication of primitive traits
    • Distinctive culture
    • Shyness of contact with the community at large
    • Geographical isolation
    • Backwardness

PESA Act

Source : Indian Express
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies

What is discussed under PESA Act?

1. Implementation gaps of PESA in Gujarat
2. What is PESA act?
3. What are the goals of PESA?
4. What are the significances of implementing the act?
5. What are the issues related to PESA?

Why in News?

In Gujarat’s Chhota Udepur district, tribals have a six-point “guarantee” from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, including “strict implementation” of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act).

Key Facts

• • Gujarati political parties are attempting to win over tribal voters by promising to adhere closely to the 1996 Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.
  • By notification of the rules in January 2017, the State PESA Rules became applicable to 4,503 Gram Sabhas under 2,584 village panchayats in 50 tribal talukas in eight districts of Gujarat.
  • However, legal experts say the act has not been strictly adhered to.

PESA and tribal population in Gujarat

• • Gujarat is among the 10 states that have Schedule Areas, and accounts of 8.1% of the ST population.
  • The tribals are concentrated in the eastern districts, along the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra borders.
  • Gujarat is home to 11 significant tribes, with the Bhil making up almost 48% of the state’s total tribal population.

Implementation gaps of PESA in Gujarat

• • In November 2020, Gujarat announced that the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SoUADTGA) would govern the villages that surround the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue in the tribal region of Narmada.

    

  • As a result, SoUADTGA gained the authority to overturn panchayat judgments.
  • On the basis of a central notice, the district administration simultaneously issued an order designating the forest areas in 121 Narmada villages as “eco-sensitive.
  • The eco-sensitive zone notification is still in effect, though.
  • The SoUADTGA has taken control over the six tribal settlements that make up its command region.
  • The Par-Tapi Narmada (PTN) river connecting project had to be abandoned by the Center in March of 2022 due to tribal objections.

What Is PESA Act?

• • The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 or PESA Act is a law enacted by the Government of India for ensuring self-governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India.
  • It was enacted by Parliament in 1996 and came into force on 24th December 1996.
  • PESA act is considered to be the backbone of tribal legislation in India.
  • Six states (Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra) have formed the PESA laws, and Chhattisgarh would become the seventh state if the rules are enacted.

Background

• • The 73rd constitutional amendment was passed in 1992 with the goal of encouraging local self-governance in rural India. A three-tiered Panchayati Raj Institution was turned into a legislation according to this amendment.
  • However, under Article 243(M), its application to the scheduled and tribal territories was limited.
  • The PESA act of 1996 was in response to the Bhuria Committee’s 1995 recommendations in order to guarantee tribal self-rule for those residing in India’s scheduled areas.
  • While the state legislature has provided a consultative role to guarantee the smooth operation of Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, the PESA handed the Gram Sabha entire power.

Provisions

• • It currently pertains to the Fifth Schedule areas, which deal with the administration of the regions predominately made up of tribal communities.
  • It is in force in ten of the union’s states.
  • Six States—Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana—have notified the PESA Rules.
  • As soon as feasible, the other four States—Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha—should immediately create PESA Rules and start implementing them.

What Are the Goals of PESA?

• To grant the majority of tribe members self-rule.
• To establish Gram Sabha as the focal point of all activities and to implement participatory democracy in village governance.
• To develop a proper administrative structure that adheres to customary procedures.
• To protect and uphold the tribal groups’ traditions and customs.

What Are the Significances of Implementing the Act?

• • Democratic Decentralisation: PESA gives Gram Sabhas significant authority over all social sectors and the ability to approve development plans
  • Identity Preservation: The gram sabhas have the authority to keep up the cultural traditions and identity, and the management of natural resources in a village’s vicinity
  • Conflict Resolution: Gram sabhas have the authority to maintain a safety net over their rights and surroundings against external or internal conflicts.
  • Public Watchdog: The gram sabha would have the authority to regulate and forbid the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of intoxicants within the boundaries of their villages.
  • Past injustice: Its provisions gave the impression that a savior had emerged, erasing the historical injustice done to the tribal people and restoring their honor and self-government customs.

What Are the Issues Related to PESA?

• • The state governments are supposed to enact state laws for their Scheduled Areas in consonance with this national law, resulting in the partially implemented PESA.
  • The partial implementation has worsened self-governance in Adivasi areas, like in Jharkhand.
  • PESA did not deliver due to the lack of:
    • Clarity
    • Legal infirmity
    • Bureaucratic apathy
    • Absence of a political will
    • Resistance to change in the hierarchy of power
  • As per Social audits, different developmental schemes were being approved on paper by Gram Sabha, without actually having any meeting for discussion and decision making.

Pre-Summit Meeting of the Tiger Range Countries

Source : PIB
GS III: Environment and Conservation

What is discussed under Pre-Summit Meeting of the Tiger Range Countries?

1. Key highlights of the pre-summit
2. Tiger reserves in India
3. Importance of tiger conservation
4. Conservation status of tiger

Why in News?

• • Pre-summit meeting of tiger range countries held in New Delhi.
  • The 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation was held in January 2022.

Key Highlights of the Pre-summit

• • The pre-summit conference of 14 tiger range countries (TRCs) is conducted in New Delhi as a precursor to the Tiger Range Countries Summit, which will be placed in Vladivostok, Russia on September 5, 2022.
  • Previous summit was conducted in St. Petersberg in 2010. 
  • Meeting aimed to finalise the declaration on tiger conservation to be adopted at the Summit.
  • Delegates from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, Viet Nam, and Kazakhstan attended the summit, except China and Indonesia.

Tiger Reserves in India

• • India has 52 tiger reserves covering approximately 75,000 Sq Km area across 18 states, accounting for around 70% of the world’s wild tiger population.
  • 17 tiger reserves in the country have received international CA|TS accreditation, and two have received the International Tx2 (Tigers times two) award.

    

     

  • India has been at the forefront of implementing a Tiger Task Force-approved science-based, peer-reviewed tiger monitoring approach.
  • So far, four cycles of national estimating have occurred, and the fifth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation is now ongoing.
  • India has bilateral agreements and Memorandums of Understanding with various Tiger Range Countries, and it is collaborating closely with Cambodia to provide technical help in the return of wild tigers.
  • As a founding member of the Global Tiger Forum, India aspires to expand relationships and collaboration with all Tiger Range Countries in order to safeguard the future of wild tigers in India and globally.

Project Tiger

• • Project Tiger is the first conservation programme by the Government of India.
  • India is committed to incorporating all potential tiger habitats within the country into the Tiger Reserve Network and support funding through the Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Project Tiger.
  • India has raised its financing for Project Tiger throughout the years attempting to make conservation more inclusive by incorporating local communities who live near tiger reserves.

Importance of Tiger Conservation

• • Tigers are important in regulating ecological processes as tigers are one of the top predators in the ecosystem.
  • Maintaining a diet chain as they keep the population of wild ungulates.
  • They are a cultural icon for millions.
  • Tigers play a significant role in mitigating climate change as tiger landscapes store more carbon than any other forest in any region.

Conservation Status of Tiger

• • Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill 2021: Schedule 1.
  • Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): On the verge of extinction.
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix 1.

Loss of Mangrove Cover on Katchal Island

Source: DTE
GS III: Environment and Conservation

What is discussed under Loss of Mangrove Cover on Katchal Island?

1. What is mangrove cover?
2. About mangrove cover in India 
3. Key highlights of the study
4. Mangroves in Katchal island

Why in News?

NASA highlights the loss of mangrove cover on Katchal island in India’s Nicobar archipelago.

Key Facts

The Indian Ocean Tsunami destroyed more than 90% of the island’s mangrove forests.

What is Mangrove Cover?

• • Mangrove forests are found in tidal areas in the tropics and subtropics.
  • The word ‘mangrove’ may refer to the habitat as a whole or to the trees and shrubs in the mangrove swamp.
  • Mangroves can be found in estuaries and along ocean shorelines.

Special features of mangroves

• • Saline environment:

    

    • They can thrive in adverse environments with high salt and low oxygen levels.
    • When mangrove trees come into touch with salty or brackish water, their unique salt filtration system and root system filter out 90% of the salt. 
  • Low oxygen:
    • Black mangroves are adaptable to low oxygen, breathing through specialized root-like structures called pneumatophores
  • Viviparity:
    • Mangrove seeds are floating, making them ideal for water distribution.
    • Red mangroves are viviparous, which means their seeds germinate while still connected to the parent tree.
    • Once germinated, the seedling develops either within the fruit or out through the fruit to create a  ready-to-go seedling that can provide its own nourishment through photosynthesis.

Benefits of mangrove forests to the environment

• • Contributing to the long-term sustainability of coastal and marine ecosystems
  • Protecting adjacent regions from tsunamis and other severe weather occurrences
  • Carbon sequestration storage and climate change mitigation
  • Assist local ecosystems in adapting to changes such as intense weather and sea level rise

Global Mangrove Cover

• • The overall global mangrove cover is 1,50,000 sq km.
  • Asia has the most mangroves in the world followed by Africa, North and Central America, Oceania and South America.
  • South Asia accounts for 6.8% of the global mangrove cover.

Mangrove Cover in India

• • India’s contribution is 45.8% total mangrove cover in South Asia.
  • Mangrove cover in India is 4992 sq. Km which is 0.15% of country’s total geographical area.
  • The deltas of the Ganges, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari, and the Cauveryrivers contain mangrove forests.
  • The backwaters in Kerala have a high density of mangrove forests.
  • Sundarbans in West Bengal is the largest mangrove forest regions in the world.
  • The second largest mangrove forest in India is Bhitarkanika

About Katchal Island

• • The Katchal Island is the largest Island among all the other Nicobar Islands and was comprised of 35 villages prior to the Tsunami.
  • The Island of Katchal, was earlier referred to as ‘Tihnyu’ in the local language.
  • It is approximately 1,600 km away from mainland (India) and 305 km south to capital Port Blair.
  • The hills of Katchal are composed of calcareous sandstone and marble slates.
  • To stop the economic exploitation of the islanders, the Government of India declared the Nicobar Islands an Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area (ATRA) on 2 April 1957.

Key Highlights of the Study

• • The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) highlighted a study that revealed the degree to which mangroves have been destroyed globally during the previous two decades.
  • The islands underwent up to 3 metres (10 feet) of land subsidence following the magnitude-9.2 Aceh-Andaman earthquake in December 2004.
  • Many mangrove habitats were drowned as a result, with some regions losing more than 90% of their mangrove extent.

Tidal wetlands  

• • High-resolution mapping of losses and gains of Earth’s tidal wetlands found that 4,000 square kilometres of tidal wetlands were lost between 1999 and 2019.
  • Outside of Asia, tidal wetlands in Africa had the greatest loss-to-gain ratio. The loss was higher in Nigeria, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau.
  • Mangroves had the highest ratio of loss to gain among the three types of tidal wetlands (tidal flats, marshes and mangroves) it studied. 

Mangroves in Katchal island

• • The NASA Earth Observatory displayed a satellite-shot map of Katchal Island which shows tidal wetland erosion in orange colour from 1999 to 2019.
  • The mangrove cover on Katchal will not come back. But in other places, mangroves have reappeared since they propagate themselves through propagules.
    • Propagule: A vegetative structure that can become detached from a plant and give rise to a new plant. Examples include a bud, sucker, or spore.

Reasons for loss of mangroves

• • Natural cause:
    • The earthquake in 2004 during Tsunami resulted in land subsidence in the islands up to 3 meters (10 feet), which submerged many mangrove ecosystems, resulting in a loss of more than 90% of mangrove extent in some areas.
    • Other causes of wetland change were:
      • sea level rise
      • shoreline erosion
      • storms
      • altered sediment flow and subsidence

• • Human activity:
    • Human induce was directly responsible for around 27% of the losses and gains, as humans affect wetlands through construction, water diversion projects, or conversion of land to cultivation or aquaculture.

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