Latest News
10th July 2021
IN A FIRST, YAKS INSURED AGAINST ACCIDENTS, NATURAL DISASTERS
Recently, the National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh has tied up with the National Insurance Company Ltd. for insuring Himalayan Yak.
Highlights
Human-Wildlife Conflict
- The high altitude yak, feeling the climate change heat across the Himalayan belt, will now be insured.
- The countrywide population trend shows that yak population has been decreasing at an alarming rate.
- The climate change and inexplicable changes in the weather pattern have been reported from the yak rearing areas throughout the country.
- The insurance policy would shield the yak owners against the risks posed by weather calamities, diseases, in-transit mishaps, surgical operations and strikes or riots.
- Under the insurance policy, the owners would have to get their yaks ear-tagged and provide a proper description in order to get their animals insured.
- It is a high-altitude bovine cousin of the cow grazes across the grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau.
- It is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of India.
- It is found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Northern Myanmar, Yunnan, Sichuan and as far north as Mongolia and Siberia.
- It is a“flagship species” and indicates the health of the ecosystem within which it lives.
- It is a high-altitude animal, usually found 2,000-5,000 metres above sea level.
- It is superbly adapted to the climate of the area in which it lives, which includes conditions of “cold winter, low oxygen content, high solar radiation, and cyclical nutrition with short growing seasons.
- It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- It is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms.
- There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial worms:
- Wuchereria bancrofti, which is responsible for 90% of the cases
- Brugia malayi, which causes most of the remainder of the cases
- Brugia timori, which also causes the disease
- The adult worms only live in the human lymph system and the lymph system maintains the body’s fluid balance and fights infections.
- It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea.
- It is spread from person to person by mosquitoes.
- It is usually acquired in childhood and the infection damages the lymphatic system.
- It causes enlargement of body parts such as hydrocele (abnormal swelling of the scrotum) and lymphedema (swelling in the limbs).
- It is the second most disabling disease after mental health according to World Health Organization (WHO).
- It is considered globally as a neglected tropical disease (NTD).
- In 2019, 859 million people in 50 countries were living in areas that require preventive chemotherapy to stop the spread of infection.
- It is preventable with the administration of anti-filarial drugs during annual Mass Drug Administration rounds.
- IDA, a new drug combination approved by the WHO, has been proven to be more efficacious for LF elimination and can help reduce the number of MDA rounds needed to eliminate LF.
- The report has found that 35 per cent of India’s tiger ranges currently lie outside protected areas.
- It highlighted that many species depend on human-dominated spaces for their survival, and shared landscapes with most of the protected areas disconnected from each other.
- In India, over 500 elephants were killed between 2014 and 2015 and 2018 and 2019, most related to human-elephant conflict.
- The report has examined increasing human-wildlife conflict, and has found that marine and terrestrial protected areas only cover 9.67 per cent
- It highlighted that 40 per cent of the African lion range and 70 per cent of the African and Asian elephant ranges fall outside protected areas.
- The conflict between people and animals is one of the main threats to the long-term survival of some of the world’s most emblematic species.
Human-Wildlife Conflict
- It results from a variety of ecological and anthropogenic drivers that exert pressures on landscapes where humans and wildlife share space.
- The ecological drivers include seasonal changes, natural calamities, and animals’ life cycles, as well as the movement patterns of animals.
- The anthropogenic drivers, such as habitat loss, changes in land use, livestock management, expansion of agricultural practices, climate change, resource extraction, infrastructure development, and urbanisation, increase the potential for HWC.
- An increase in the area of land and sea that is shared by people and wildlife is usually caused by diminishing areas available for wildlife to exist away from human disturbance.
- Impact on wildlife and ecosystems:The HWC threatens the survival of various terrestrial and marine species.
- Impact on local communities:The negative impact shape people’s risk perception, while cultural and social norms influence people’s tolerance of wildlife.
- Impact on social dynamics:it can pit people against each other when diverse societal needs and responses are inadequately addressed.
- Impact on sustainable development:The HWC is as relevant for sustainable development as it is for wildlife conservation.
- International Community:It is necessary to include human-wildlife coexistence as an explicit target of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) process aimed at achieving the 2050 vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’.
- National and regional governmental authorities: They should incorporate coexistence considerations into the design and implementation of all relevant policies and programmes and provide financial means for their implementation.
- They should develop transparent and inclusive local and regional institutions to manage land use and HWC based on evidence and through a participatory process with affected parties.
- Private Sector:They should lead the development of industry-wide innovations to mainstream all aspects of safe working conditions for staff working in places that are vulnerable to HWC.
- Civil Society:They should provide organisational support and technical capacity to communities, governments, donors, and businesses so they can mainstream coexistence into their planning and management.
- Researchers and research institutions:They should strengthen inter- and trans disciplinary research, including close integration of social science, on HWC and coexistence.
- According to World Health Organisation (WHO), Kappa is one of the two Covid-19 variants (the other being Delta) first identified in India.
- The Delta and Kappa variants are siblings the direct descendants of a variant that earlier used to be referred to as the double mutant, or B.1.617.
- The WHO had named this variant ‘Kappa’ and B.1.617.2 ‘Delta’just as it named various variants of the coronavirus using Greek alphabets.
- According to the WHO, this variant was first identified in India in October 2020.
- Kappa variant is still listed among ‘variants of interest’ and not ‘variants of concern’ by the WHO.
- The variants of interests are “a SARS-CoV-2 variant with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape.
- It will authorize all cargo train operators to utilize the Indian railway network to carry all containers bound for Nepal whether bilateral freight between Indian and Nepal or third country freight from Indian ports to Nepal.
- All kinds of cargoes in all categories of wagons that can carry freight on Indian Railways network within India can also carry freight to and from Nepal.
- The wagons owned by Nepal Railway Company will also be authorized to carry Nepal-bound freight (over the Indian Railways network as per IR standards and procedures.
- It was executed on 21st May 2004 between Ministry of Railways, Government of India and Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Supplies (now Ministry of Commerce), Government of Nepal.
- It was launched for introduction of freight train services between these two countries to and from Birgunj (Nepal) via Raxaul (India).
- It guides movement between India and Nepal by rail.
- Its rationale was to create a framework for operational and commercial aspects and procedure for customs clearances for rail bound cargo.
- It shall be reviewed every five years and may be modified by the Contracting Parties by mutual consent.
- It was established by the Central Government in 2005.
- It was constituted through an Official Gazette Notification under the provisions of the Right to Information Act (2005).
- It is not a constitutional body.
- It is a high-powered independent body which inter alia looks into the complaints made to it and decides the appeals.
- It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc., under the Central Government and the Union Territories.
- It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
- They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of:
- The Prime Minister as Chairperson,
- The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and
- A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister
- They should be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.
- They should not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory.
- They should not hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession.
- The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner hold office for a term of 5 years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
- They are not eligible for reappointment.
- The President can remove the Chief Information Commissioner or any Information Commissioner from the office under the following circumstances:
- If he is adjudged an insolvent; or
- If he has been convicted of an offence which (in the opinion of the President) involves a moral turpitude; or
- If he engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or
- If he is (in the opinion of the President) unfit to continue in office due to infirmity of mind or body; or
- If he has acquired such financial or other interest as is likely to affect prejudicially his official functions.
- The salary, allowances and other service conditions of the Chief Information Commissioner are similar to those of the Chief Election Commissioner and that of the Information Commissioner are similar to those of an Election Commissioner.
POSTED ON 10-07-2021 BY ADMIN
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